text:
IFAW condemns Canada's seal hunt quota, 400,000 harp seals set to die
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) says that by setting a Total Allowable Catch of 400,000 harp seals, Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) not only ignores the lack of market for seal products but demonstrates a continued unwillingness to protect marine resources and live up to Canada's international obligations for fisheries management.
"By setting the TAC at 400,000 harp seals, Canada's Fisheries Minister is rejecting his own department's scientific advice and throwing any pretense of a management plan out the window" said Sheryl Fink Director of IFAW's Seal Program. "Sealers know that there is no market demand for this many dead seals. Setting such a high quota is a slap in the face to Canadian government scientists and an insult to sealers."
According to the DFO management plan, seal TACs are supposed to account for new information on the status of the population, changing environmental conditions and changes in kill levels in the Arctic, Canada, and Greenland.
Departmental scientists recently warned that the harp seal population is decreasing, the productivity of the herd is in sharp decline, poor ice conditions are increasing in frequency, and that the unregulated Greenland hunt will have a major impact on this population in the future. A recent harp seal status report authored by DFO scientists notes that "the maximum harvest that would respect the management plan is 300,000 animals."
"In light of the conservation concerns expressed by scientists, and given the current market realities, it is difficult to comprehend how the Minister can legitimately justify setting such a high catch limit," Fink continued. "Canada is being heavily criticized for failing its international responsibilities when it comes to fisheries management. Well, now the world can see that even where management plans are in place, they are simply ignored," Fink said.
The major markets for seal products are closed, and IFAW believes it is only a matter of time before the commercial seal hunt ends. The economic value of the Atlantic seal hunt has dropped dramatically in the last five years, with only 225 sealers taking part in the 2011hunt, which had a landed value of little more than $1 million (CAD).
Most recently, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan joined the European Union, the United States and Mexico in implementing restrictions on seal products.
"The commercial seal hunt is dying," Fink said. "The question now is whether the Government of Canada will do the right thing by helping sealers out of the industry, or will they continue to raise false hopes by setting high quotas and pretending that this industry has a future when it clearly it does not."
IFAW is calling on the federal government to end the commercial seal hunt and to invest in alternatives for sealers and their communities rather than continuing to waste taxpayer dollars to prop up a dying and economically unviable industry.
Sheryl Fink is available for media interviews. To arrange an interview or for more information on IFAW's campaign to end the seal hunt, contact:
Michelle Cliffe
Global Communications Lead, Seals
IFAW Canada
Twitter: @ifawcanada
[1] https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/seal-phoque/reports-rapports/mgtplan-planges20112015/mgtplan-planges20112015-eng.htm#c3.7.1
[1] Hammill, M.O., G.B. Stenson, T. Doniol-Valcroize, A Mosnier. 2011. Northwest Atlantic Harp Seals Population Trends, 1952-2012. page 9. https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/Publications/ResDocs-DocRech/2011/2011_099-eng.html


text:
Jim Drake's Entertainment Blog
Tyler's tunes prompts me to rebuild the music library
A few weeks ago, I wrote a story
about a missing hard drive and the possibility that packrats had stolen it from me. Seems like everywhere I went after that, people asked me, "Well, did you find the rat?" Answer: Yes and no. Last week, we heard some critter activity under the floor. I, of course, was "nominated" to go investigate.
So, I bought a Tyvek suit (you know, those plastic suits you see people wear when they clean up toxic waste spills) and crawled under the house. Let me tell you, I'd like to invite the TV crew from Fear Factor to come film an episode about crawling under the house. It's that scary. I found a lot of things, but the things I found most were animal droppings that were suspiciously shaped like they were from a large mouse. I found areas in the floor joists that were supposed to have insulation, but the insulation was either a) eaten or b) used as nesting material.
As I was lying face up under the house contemplating a) my existence and b) the square footage of material that would have to be ripped out and replaced — my safety goggles completely fogged over. I blissfully could no longer see anything.
As you've probably guessed by now, my hard drive contained a lot of music. But unless the Fear Factor crew can come over and send some people under the house for cash prizes and 15 minutes of fame, I've got to seriously consider re-building my digital music library.
And I think I'm gonna start with a few tunes from Tyler Fortier. His Americana sound is reminiscent of a lot of the artists I had in my i-Tunes. His songs made me realize how much I'm starting to miss my instant access to music.
Luckily for us, and for my music collection, Tyler is bringing a show to the Gorge on April 28, at CEBU Lounge. And no little critter is gonna stop me from picking up one of his CDs and starting this whole process again. You've got to start somewhere, right?
Interview with Tyler Fortier
1. It seems you were here recently (January 2012?) at the CEBU Lounge. How did that gig go and did you get to play anywhere else in the Gorge?
The show went well. In January, it was a smaller but attentive crowd. I felt connected to the room. I always say, I'd rather play to one person who is listening than to a room full of people talking over me. I'm hoping I might see some repeat faces this time around. I wasn't able to get anything else booked in the area at that time.
2. What were you doing before you decided to make music your full-time job?
I moved to Eugene from Camas, Wash., to take audio engineering courses at the community college. After that I took some time off, but eventually headed back to school for a sociology degree from the University of Oregon. I've always been doing music, ever since the 6th grade. I graduated in March 2010 and made the decision to take myself seriously and commit myself to writing, recording, performing, and producing (and now recently, producing other musicians/songwriters music, as well as my own).
3. Will you be bringing a full band for the 4-28 show?
The show on the 28th will be just me and my fiancee, Erin Flood. It will be very mellow. I always hope to make these small intimate shows almost like a storyteller's session of sorts and be able to connect on a few different levels with whoever is listening.
4. Tell us about your recording process and how do you know when you can finally say a song is sounding the way you want it to sound.
The recording process is a lot of fun for me. I always seem to have these really grandiose ideas, but what it really comes down to is giving a song what it needs to live in its best potential. I feel like a good song can live or die in the recording stage. The process itself varies for me. Sometimes I track vocals and guitar live, sometimes acoustic and vocals separate, or sometimes lay down the drums first (if it's a song with drums). From these beginning stages and even before this, during the writing process, instrument and arrangement ideas build up and I try to let them come to fruition the best they can. A song is done when you say it's done. I have plenty of songs that I love that are still sitting in the recording stages because I haven't found a way yet to let the ideas come to fruition. Maybe 50-75% of the songs I write ever make their way onto a record.
5. What is your new single, "Dreams Are Like Fire" about?
"Dreams Are Like Fire" is very personal song for me. It's about the sacrifices and choices we all make to get to where we want to be. In this case, for me, it's about questioning my commitment, my choices, and my decisions to pursue the crazy career that I choose to pursue. It's a plea to those around me; please understand the degree of selfishness and time that goes into what I'm doing, but it's also supposed to be inspiring. Do what you like and like what you do. "Dreams are like fire, if there ain't no fire burning, then you're better off dead." That line says it all. Go for broke. Because...well....why not?
Comments are subject to moderator review and may not appear immediately on the site. A user's first several comments must be manually approved by a moderator.
Please read our commenting policy before posting.
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Information from the News and our advertisers (Want to add your business to this to this feed?)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A Bluffton security officer has been arrested for Voyeurism and Indecent Exposure in connection with several incidents occurring at a Bluffton gated community.
Jeremy Mack, 31, a security guard for Rose Hill Plantation, was arrested Friday on suspicion of two counts of voyeurism and one count of indecent exposure following complaints of inappropriate conduct occurring at the community's guard gate.
An investigation was initiated in March 2012 after one of Mack's co-workers reported finding a cell phone hidden in a roll of toilet paper inside the bathroom at the gatehouse. During the course of the ensuing investigation, it was discovered that Mack had utilized the phone's video camera on several occasions to record two fellow female security officers in the bathroom without their knowledge or consent.
A third female officer also reported that Mack had exposed himself to her on one occasion while working together at the gatehouse.
Mack was arrested without incident and transported to the Beaufort County Detention Center.


text:
Rejected postman lacked 'professional walking experience'
Royal Mail yesterday denied discrimination after turning down a student for the role of holiday cover postman due to his lack of 'professional walking experience'.
Mark Pye, studying for an MSc, was left fuming when a 19 year old working for Royal Mail's recruitment partner told him his CV failed to demonstrated the necessary experience of 'putting one foot in front of the other whilst holding a bag'. [read...]


text:
Your Shopping Cart is empty!
- Yields up to 1,000 pages
- Only genuine Xerox 106R01272 Toner Cartridges can produce renown Xerox quality printing and reliability
- Unlike bargain brand toners, original Xerox 106R01272 Toner Cartridges are designed to work specifically in Xerox printers for exceptional reliability that helps reduce maintenance costs and service calls
Sorry! You must be Logged In and purchased this product to post a review. Please Click Here to Login or Register


text:
50 ready-made solutions for all kind of business are designed, coded and carefully tested by more than 300 clients. Buy full source code to SAVE 50% TIME & COST
We have team of full-time developers, designers for hire per project, per hours (month) or Offshore team.Trustful, dedicated, live support, experienced. Never drop projects.
Risk-free as everything is premade, preview and tested by other clients. Trusted by Chupamobile, SellmyApp, Elance .. 95% Success Rate, Money back guarantee


text:
I'm 13. I thought i'd tell you that first because i can predict what you will all say, read on...
I've been with my boyfriend for 1 year and a few months, i love him, but know that i am in no way ready for sex. I have talked to him about this, and we both agreed that we wern't ready, and that we would wait untill we were 16, or just a couple of months younger.
We're both happy with this, and although i know that i'm not ready for sex, i feel like i am ready for touching. I am confident around him, but i think it would still be uncomfortable. If i really loved him, would i feel this way?. I just think that i would get all embarresed, or that he wont like me after it.
So i'm basically asking what do you think i should do?


text:
There are no setlists by Commando Pernod on setlist.fm yet. You could help us by adding a first setlist ... or whatever you remember!
You can track changes of setlists by this artist by selecting the option below.
Nobody has covered a song of Commando Pernod yet. Have you seen someone covering Commando Pernod? Add or edit the setlist and help improving our statistics!


text:
By Clive Bernath: Carl Froch's rematch victory over Mikkel Kessler in London last weekend in defence of his IBF super middleweight crown provided the 35 year-old Englishman plenty options for his next title defence.
Top of his hit list will almost certainly be classy American pound for pound top 10 boxer Andre Ward, not only because of the financial incentive it brings but also the 'Cobra' desperately wants the opportunity to reverse the unanimous points defeat he suffered in Atlantic City two years ago.
Ward has professed his interest at coming to England to fight Froch if the money is right and Froch's promoter Eddie Hearn has been quoted as saying that Ward has very few other options at the moment and has no choice but to cross the pond and face the Nottingham based 'Cobra'. After Froch's impressive showing against Kessler n London on Saturday Hearn said: "Andre has absolutely no options. Tell me another fight out there for him at super-middleweight.
Ward was ringside for Froch's rematch victory over Kessler, prompting Hearn to reason: "That's why he was at the 02 - he wants the fight with Froch. That's a massive fight.
"We're sitting here with two belts and Carl has just catapulted himself to huge new levels in terms of sporting prestige in Great Britain, so we'll relax and take our time.
There are always other options, especially for a slick and classy operator like Ward. And whilst the fight makes sense for the promoters is it really a fight British boxing fans want to see again? Maybe it is a silly question as they are the two best 168lbs boxers on the planet but let us not forget that Ward proved a league above Froch in Atlantic City, pretty much controlling the pace of the fight from the opening bell. If indeed a rematch is successfully negotiated Froch will have to dramatically change his style to combat the crafty, faster and deceptively strong Ward.
There is also the possibility of an all British clash with bitter rival George Groves. The unbeaten but less experienced 25 year-old from London is improving all the time and he did look impressive in knocking out Noe Gonzalez Alcoba on the Froch/Kessler undercard but I just feel he is a fight or two away from the highest level at the moment. His trainer Adam Booth has/is doing a fine job with him and no doubt his time will come but maybe he just needs to remain a little more patient for the time being. Another bitter rival of Groves that could be an option for Froch is WBC silver champion James DeGale.
And if Froch and his promoter Eddie Hearn cannot agree terms with any of the aforementioned for one reason or another there is always a step up to light heavyweight. There are plenty of options north of super-middle not least the chance to become a two weight champion. WBO champ Nathan Cleverly has thrown his hat into the ring by publically calling out Froch and there is also rematches with Canadians Lucian Bute and Jean Pascal. Froch defeated both men, a war with Pascal ended with Froch clinching a tight victory whilst Bute was out toughed inside five rounds. Bute could argue he was dead at the weight, hence the move up to 175lbs. Both those fights would be huge in Canada and financially lucrative all round.
But the fight I'd be most intrigued to see happen and again would be very financially lucrative is with veteran IBF light heavyweight champ Bernard Hopkins, should he come through his first title defence against Karo Murat in July. Hopkins might be 48 and may not be as quick as he once was but he's as crafty, wily and as clever as he's always been, more so in fact. I'd pay to see this fight England as I'm sure many British fans would.
The one thing Froch has never done is run away from a challenge, he's proved that many times before. He will not run this time either,the choice is yours Carl.
May 28, 2013
© 2000 - 2011 Knockout Entertainment Ltd & SecondsOut.com


text:
- Home »
- Catalog »
- Shop By Brand »
- One Industries »
- One Industries Helmets »
- One Industries Helmets - Kids/Youth »
- One Industries ATV Helmets - Kids/Youth
Motoworld Racing - One Industries ATV Helmets - Kids/Youth
Shop MotoWorld Racing for the best selection of kids/youth One Industries ATV helmets.
MotoWorld Racing was started in 1993 with a vision to offer hardcore ATV enthusiasts the best quality kids/youth riding gear, apparel and products they can trust at the lowest prices online from great brands such as One Industries.
This category is empty.


text:
Dicks Sporting Goods Myrtle Beach
Enjoy the Water with Water Sports Apparel & Gear
DICK'S Sporting Goods offers a wide selection of beachwear and water equipment so you can enjoy the water. Pick up everything you need from swim apparel and sunglasses to inflatable pool floats and paddle boards.
Swim trunks and board shorts for men and boys are available from top brands including Speedo®, The North Face® and Volcom®. Women and girls can find one-piece and two-piece swimsuit styles from brands Roxy® and Hurley®.
DICK'S Sporting Goods satisfies the need for more specialized beachwear with an assortment of rash guards and wetsuits. Water shoes and flip flops are available for men, women and kids, as are sunglasses from a number of brands.
Women's two-piece swimsuits are available for both leisure and recreation. Swim tops with a sliding triangle bra and ties at the neck and back are perfect for relaxing on the beach or by the pool. Styles with a supportive chest band, wider straps and crossover backs are more comfortable and supportive during physical activity like surfing.
Board shorts are made with fast-drying materials, and many styles include a zippered inner key pocket to store essentials. Shorter-cut or split-leg board shorts accommodate maximum-movement activities like beach volleyball and running. Longer cuts protect thighs from chafing while surfing or watercraft riding. Men's and boy's board shorts are constructed with a mesh liner for comfort.
For dedicated surfers, snug-fitting rash guards protect the torso from chafing and wax irritation during riding and come in long and short sleeved styles. Wetsuits offer warmth and protection for both divers and surfers.
When you buy a rash guard, make sure it is made of nylon and Lycra materials. These materials have a high SPF factor to keep your skin protected from the sun's damaging rays.
When shopping for a women's swimsuit, consider the type of activity you will be doing. A tight, supportive fit is necessary for sports like surfing and beach volleyball, but a shapelier two-piece is just fine for sun bathing.
Board shorts should promote comfort and mobility, so it's best to purchase a pair made of either polyester or elastin. These materials are flexible, resilient and quick-drying. Additionally, look for board shorts with strong stitching at the seams so they are reliable wear after wear.
You might also like
Real Spark Womens Sexy Black Style Resin Floral Body with Gold & Silver Y Statement Necklace Gold Plated
Jewelry ()


text:
abnormal proteins, Carla Kienast, denatured proteins, new RA treatment, RA cure, rheumatoid arthritis
This past week a new study was published that may turn conventional thinking about RA on its ear. Right now, it's assumed that RA is caused when the body attacks its own healthy cells. This new research has found that there is actually a "target" attached to the cells that are attacked. I've put a link to the article at the bottom if you want to read the entire thing.
Researchers at Osaka University have found that people who are susceptible to RA contracted the disease when certain "misfolded proteins" attach to healthy cells rather than being processed into peptides. In healthy people, the proteins are processed normally.
This misfolded protein makes the cell look like an abnormal cell that needs to be destroyed, so the body attacks it. They looked at the disease down to a molecular level and found that molecules that are supposed to bind to part of the abnormal cell targets in order to have lymphocytes recognize the targets for attacks, actually bound to the abnormal proteins. Because of this target attached to an otherwise healthy cell, the lymphocytes attacked the molecules.
In the diagram above, on the left side shows the current thinking where the lymphocyte itself goes abnormal and attacks the healthy cell. The new thinking is the lymphocyte is normal, but it sees a "target" caused by abnormal protein attached to an otherwise healthy cell.
The goal is to develop a drug that is targeted at denatured proteins to
dissolve them, or a method of examination that will allow doctors to make a
diagnosis of the disease at an extremely early stage.
There are some usual "reporter" issues with the article in that they describe RA as resulting in the "slow deterioration of the joints of the hands and feet of patients," but I put this down as a reporter research problem, not an issue with the study.
All I can say is that I love it when studies such as these open up new avenues of hope for a cure or better detection and treatment options.
I hope whatever treatment option you have is working well. Below is the link to the article.


text:
Wayne Rooney has claimed his winning goal for Manchester United against Fulham on Saturday was similar to the one Cristiano Ronaldo scored at Craven Cottage as the Red Devils claimed the 2007 Premier League title.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men extended their lead at the top of the table to nine points thanks to the 1-0 victory, and the England striker is hoping history repeats itself this season.
"I fancied myself to score," Rooney told reporters. "It was a little bit similar to Cristiano's goal. After that goal we went on to win the league and hopefully that can happen again.
"We had a lot of chances, in the first half in particular. Sometimes you wonder if it's going to be your day, but we kept going and thankfully got the goal and the three points.
"Rafael clearing off the line [from Bryan Ruiz] was a key moment. We had chances too but had to dig in and battle, and we did that to get a massive three points."
Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra was also complimentary of his team-mates following the win.
"We have a winning mentality," he added. "This is the Manchester United spirit. That is the strength of the boss. It is what he instils in us every year. That is why we want to win every game. It doesn't matter who we are playing."


text:
First off I'm no coder by no means..
This is why this took me hours to get working by studing the plugins that I have installed from other mods..
Feel free to change what ever you like.
Feel free to use it in the next release
This bothered me that I would view WOL and see unknown location and a link to the home page / portal..
so I have a quick fix..
Go to Admincp>Plugin & Products>Add New Plugin
Create two plugins using the following hooks.
Product: vBadvanced CMPS
Hook Location: online_location_process
Title: vBadvanced CMPS WOL process
Plugin PHP Code : copy & paste from below
Plugin is Active: yesCode:switch ($filename) { case 'adv_index.php': $userinfo['activity'] = 'Home'; break; }
Now go back to
Admincp>Plugin & Products>Add New Plugin
Product: vBadvanced CMPS
Hook Location: online_location_unknown
Title: vBadvanced CMPS WOL unknown
Plugin PHP Code : copy & paste from below
Plugin is Active: yesCode:switch ($userinfo['activity']) { case 'Home': $userinfo['where'] = 'session->vars[sessionurl].'">Home'; $userinfo['action'] = "Viewing The Portal"; $handled = true; break; }
you can change home to what ever you want to call your vBadvanced page.. they have to be the same name in both plugins.
I use adv_index.php as my home page file name.
you will need to change that in both plugins to what ever you have yours named to.
"Viewing The Portal" and "Home" in vBadvanced CMPS WOL unknown plugin you can change to what ever you like as well..
here are a couple screen shots of before and after..


text:
We visited Caprock Canyons State Park [March] and loved it! We came all the way from the Netherlands to see ALL of Texas. Yeeehaaaa! —INA VAN BRUGGEN, TH Facebook Fan
Fly Fort Worth
I thoroughly enjoyed the articles on Fort Worth in the March edition. It was good to see some of the great attractions the city offers highlighted. However, both the Savvy Traveler section and the main feature article missed one of the best-kept secrets in the area—the Fort Worth Aviation Museum.
This small, but very relevant museum tells the story of how aviation put Fort Worth on the map—and keeps it there. With 24 aircraft and depictions of history on display, the museum preserves many aviation artifacts and offers inspiration for children and adults alike, along with educational programs for the public on the history and impact of aviation in North Texas.
The museum presents timeline coverage, from Fort Worth's first flight by Roland Garros, on January 12, 1911, to the multiple training airfields during World War I and World War II located in the area, to the more than 67,000 aircraft that were built in North Texas. Fort Worth has a lot to offer: a revitalized downtown, culture, museums, cattle, railroads—and a significant contribution to aviation.
TOM KEMP, Crowley
Know Amarillo?
Texas Highways never ceases to educate this ignorant Brit. I live in Chesterfield in the middle of England and receive the magazine courtesy of Joel and Angela Ketonen in Garland.
Recently in a local publication, I read that the headline act in a forthcoming function is to be Tony Christie, who had a huge hit in the UK with his version of the song "Is This the Way
to Amarillo?" It's worth a listen if you haven't heard it. Then I learn courtesy of Texas Highways [February] that such a place really exists and even comes in at 34 on the readers' list of places to visit. Amazing, I'd always thought that it was just a song title!
Keep up the superb educational work. And if I can ever afford to visit your wonderful state, Texas Highways will have shown me how to get the most out of the trip.
Our favorite social media of the month...
March Daytripper: Love Kingsland! I've been going there since I was a little girl. I've been to a few other lakes, but LBJ re-mains my favorite!
Brandy Nash Wilson
Texas Top 40, Garner State Park [March]: Loved going to Garner back in the '60s and '70s. Danced a thousand miles on that pavilion floor. Awesome memories!
Cles King
Readers Recommend
Weimar's Wonders
Susie's Bakery in Weimar features perhaps the best sweets you will ever have. I tell my sons that they will someday tell their children stories of going to Susie's to grab a donut or pig in a blanket. When folks turn off Interstate 10 for a homemade cinnamon roll, it will be one of the best decisions they will ever make! The bakery sits across the street from Kasper's Meat Market, another of Weimar's treasures.
Rosemary Krhovjak, Weimar
Susie's Bakery is at 124 E. Post Office St., 979/725-8820; Kasper's Meat Market is at 119 E. Post Office St., 979/725-8227.


text:
Meet the Re-Nest Team: Sarah Starkey
Name: Sarah Starkey
Started at Re-Nest: January 2011
Lives in: Brisbane, Australia
As our resident Australian contributor, Sarah keeps us up to date on what's happening down under, but she's also a fierce resource for creative decorating ideas and practical How-Tos that are applicable to everyone!
Meet Sarah
You most enjoy writing about: DIYs and How-Tos. Writing for Re-Nest gives me an excuse to try every 'wouldn't it be cool if...' idea I think of!
Your personal home style is: Busy... in a good way! Loads of thrifted finds, colourful hand made pieces and projects on the go.
Your green home must-have is: A garden. Big or small, a house is a home when it has a garden. And loads of natural light.
Your ideal Saturday morning is: Lying in. Hot tea and boiled eggs. Following the sun as it moves through the house.
What's on your nightstand? Books, my drink bottle, and presently, my cat.
Where you go for inspiration/info/help? I am an inspiration hoarder. I have too many favourites in my reader to even think about, but my magazine collection includes: Peppermint Magazine, Dumbo Feather, Four Thousand, Green Magazine, and Frankie. And I love getting out, meeting new people and finding myself in places I never knew existed doing something I never dreamed I'd do.
DIY or buy? If I can DIY it well, DIY all the way. But I know when a DIY isn't up to scratch and there are so many fantastic local and green minded designers doing amazing things with green technologies that I support that whenever I can.
Favorite CFL or LED lightbulb brand? I think we buy Phillips, It's been a while... and that's a good thing!
Favorite green paint brand and color? I have heard a lot of good things about ecolour, but I haven't tried it yet.
In 2011 you're going to: Make my own fruit bread, visit far north Queensland, buy a bell tent, and enjoy every second of every day.
Posts by Sarah
• 10 Painted Pieces: Making Old Loves Work in New Homes
• All The Basics You Need To Start Gardening
• 10 Budget Art Projects: Framable, Upcycled And Affordable
• How Green is Green: Plastic Recycling Symbols Explained
• 15 Repurposed Planters: Just Add Dirt!
• How To Clean Burnt Pans With Vinegar and Baking Soda
• How To Make Your Own Indoor Compost Bin
• 10 Bedside Tables That Aren't: Repurposed Bedside Storage
• Inspiration: Decorating with Grass
• 10 Tips To Manage Rubbish Without Plastic Bags
(Images: see linked posts for full image credits)


text:
Sleep Soundly with Blackout Roller Shades
Blackout roller shades and blackout curtains set the standard for blocking light in the bedroom so you can sleep soundly. Although they each have their pros and cons, roller shades have some aesthetic advantages. They work best for small spaces and have a clean, minimalist look. They're also great for people concerned with dust, allergens and indoor air quality.
Roller shade features:
- Can be mounted outside or inside the window frame. Outside mounting blocks more light.
- Mounts easily underneath curtain rods to pair with curtains of any color and opacity.
- Pairs nicely with sheer curtains because the blackouts give total privacy and light blockage during the night and morning, while the sheers provide beautiful diffused light during the day.
- Compared to blackout curtains, roller shades have substantially less surface area for allergens and dust to cling to.
- Often costs less than blackout curtains.
- All forms of blackout window treatments help block out light, heat, sound and draft.
Tip: Top search terms for shopping online are: blackout roller shade, blackout roller blind, blackout curtain.
Shown above from left to right:
1. Custom Roller Blinds, Contact for pricing, from Nwilati Factory
2. Splendor Roller Shades, Vinyl Blackout, $99.00 from Elite
3. Saratoga Roller Shade 66" Blackout Cut-to-Width, $10.00-$30.00 from JC Penney
4. Custom Roller Shade, Contact for pricing, from The Shade Store
5. Twilight Blackout Roller Shades - 36" x 36", $74.68 from Blinds Chalet
• Suggestions To Keep Light Out?
• 6 Simple Changes to Make at Home to Help You Sleep
(Images: As credited above.)


text:
Artist Pofile: A Guy Called Gerald
To connoisseurs of electronic dance music, A Guy Called Gerald has something like a cult status around him. Starting his career in Manchester in 1988, A Guy Called Gerald was part of the spearhead of UK dance music with club hits like Voodo Ray, an acid tune that is still being played in clubs today.
In the 90s, Gerald Simpson (his off-stage name) started Juicebox records and released a number of pioneering work that helped build the UK Jungle / Breakbeat scene.
Lately, Gerald has relocated to Berlin and revisited his acid house roots. The latest album is called Proto Acid / The Berlin sessions, available from Laboratory Instinct records. It was created entirely in Reason.
A Guy Called Gerald is an avid live performer, using two synced Mac Books and a DJ mixer as his stage and studio equipment. Apart from portability and ease of use, Reason lets Gerald diffuse the line between writing and performance.
"The way I like to work is to chop and change between the DJ world and a Producer's world. I find it easier to flow with my work if I can make a track or a sequence, mix it there on the fly with something else and then write another groove to it."
"It's a dream I've had since 10 years ago - bringing the studio into the disco."


text:
Caring Goes Viral
A note arrives out of the blue: Pick up your care package at the mailroom window. It's from someone you don't know, someone who doesn't know you, and the only thing you have in common is Grinnell.
In this not-so-random act of kindness, born of a Facebook-group discussion, more than 300 alums are sending 1,500 care packages to students before they leave for spring break. Just to show they care.
What Alums Are Sending
Students Say Thanks
Students are sharing their reactions to the out-of-the-blue care packages.
Snacks, of course: home-baked cookies, chocolate, tea, Ramen noodles, mac and cheese, Skittles, M&Ms, and microwave popcorn, to name a few.
Fun and practical stuff too: Silly String, whoopee cushions, stickers, markers, crayons, sidewalk chalk, playing cards, hand-knitted hats, t-shirts, glow sticks, coloring books, balloons, candles, novels, hand-made bracelets, and Emergen-C.
Several also have shared the letter they wrote to their student recipients. A few snippets:
"Even though we've never met and may never meet, I hope you love your time at Grinnell. When it's time to leave Grinnell, I hope you have an amazing life. Knowing there's one more Grinnellian in the world leading an amazing life makes me confident the world is going to be a better place in the future than it is now." -- Glen Brown '91
"Grinnell is a special place. That you may have heard many times, I am sure. That you may have also come to see for yourself, I imagine. What I can add is this. Grinnell is also a special spirit. It is a special state of mind. And it stays with you after you leave that college town." -- Saty Patrabansh '98
"So, in these winter doldrums, enjoy this care package, dream about spring coming, and know that after graduation, whenever that is for you, you will be joining a network of the awesomeness that is the Grinnell alumni community in all of its unruly forms." -- Sarah Fowles '98
Logistically Speaking
A few alums wanted to send their packages to the students using their old mailboxes, but the numbering system in the current mailroom, which was relocated to the Joe Rosenfield '25 Center, is different.
Andi Tracy '99 worked in the mailroom all four years when she was a student and offered to help coordinate things on campus. She's an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience and her office is right across the street from the mailroom.
Tracy, Jeetander Dulani '98, and Brandy Agerbeck '96 wrote a note to explain the care package project to students. Mailroom staff puts a copy of the note in students' mailboxes. Students trade the note for a care package at the mailroom window.
The simplest way for mailroom staff to keep track of who received a package was to start distribution at the beginning of the mailbox numbers.
The first notification slips went into student boxes on Feb. 13.
An Idea That Went Viral
The idea to send the care packages bubbled up from a Facebook discussion among several alums about their old Grinnell mailboxes in Carnegie Hall. Several people mentioned either receiving notes from prior mailbox owners or sending something to the new mailbox owner after they graduated, says Donna House Lohmeier '96.
The mailbox discussion took place in a Facebook group called Everyday Class Notes that Lohmeier created in January 2014 specifically for Grinnell alums. ECN "started from a point of humor," Lohmeier says. "It's like talking with people in your dorm hallway."
Lohmeier says, "Ryann Cheung '93 and Jeetander Dulani '98 quickly jumped on the care package idea and started a separate thread to see how many folks were interested."
"The interest was immediate," Lohmeier says. The mailbox thread was created at 8:04 a.m. on Feb. 7. At 9:40 a.m. the care package thread got started, and by 10:37 a.m. a Facebook event was created.
Will ECN alumni do this again next year? Lohmeier says, "I wouldn't be surprised."
"I don't think there is a better example of what it means to be a Grinnellian than this Everyday Class Notes project," says Sarah Jolie '87.


text:
Another discussion posed the question, do you:
A. disbelieve in gods? or
B. believe there are no gods?
The subtle distinction here seems to be whether you think we can know that there are no such things as gods, or whether you think we can't ever really know such a thing, but you nevertheless think that there aren't such things.
I prefer to ask the question in the more direct way then. Are you:
A. a Gnostic Atheist, or
B. an Agnostic Atheist?
Surely this question matters, and in the interests of full disclosure I am a Gnostic Atheist, with the qualifier that I do not think that absolute knowledge of anything can really be had, but rather that if we can know anything at all, we can know there are no such things as gods as surely as we can know that there are such things as cows and pigs and people and stars and viruses and rivers and such (all things we have plenty of evidence for), and as surely as we can know that there are not such things as leprechauns and unicorns and cyclops and fairies and hobbits and flying spaghetti monsters 9all things for which there is absolutely no evidence).
Views: 897
You can know that a thing or condition is, but I don't see how you could know with absolute certainty that it is not, or could not be. If knowlege about the thing or condition called God is placed on a scale from 0 (absolutely is not) to 1 (absolutely is), when it approaches 0 we pick some point at which we just go ahead and treat it as if it were 0. So I don't know whether I can know if there are gods, but I'm as certain that there are not that it makes no difference if I treat it as absolute certainty. Point being, there is an arbitrary point at which we each choose to just go ahead and make the call. The farther that point is from either end of the spectrum, the more susceptible we are to having our beliefs overturned by evidence.
Yes. This applies to any belief. Can you know with absolute certainty that you have two hands? No, but you can be so reasonably assured of it (assuming of course you are not an amputee or something, in which case, just choose something else obviously the case) and its truth so obviously assured that absolute certainty is moot - knowledge is gained and you are no longer suspending judgment on the case. I.e., you have completely made up your mind as to what you should believe. This is the position that I call Gnostic Atheism. It is perfectly consistent with reasonable doubt, which in the case of such things as gods or other obviously-true or false beliefs, is so small (or large, depending on which way you look at it) we do as you suggest - we treat the odds as if they were 1 or 0.
I struggle with this question on a regular basis. It is an easy thing to say you either believe or disbelieve in god(s). The part I trip over is the agnosticism aspect, finding myself at odds with the proposed definition of agnosticism. I'm sure that provokes a lot of eyerolling in those who are tired of the definition game.
I just do not see how a definition of agnosticism can state that something is unknowable. Don't you have to know everything in order to know what you can't know? This is contradictory and I believe it should be abandoned. A god, by definition, has a supernatural aspect to its existence. We can't comment on the supernatural as it is beyond our reach. In my opinion, agnosticism should be restrained to state that satisfactory knowledge of a subject is insufficient to draw a conclusion. We do this all the time in our daily lives, why should this subject be any different.
Based on that, I would say I am an agnostic atheist.
If I am rusty on the subject and misunderstanding something, please let me know. If convinced I will gladly change my answer.
As far as your assertion that "we can't comment on the supernatural as it is beyond our reach", I would make two counterarguments. First, the only reason we believe in anything like the supernatural (and by "we" I simply mean people) is because people have imagined there to be something like it. We have no actual experience of the supernatural, no evidence exists, and, so far as we know, there is no such thing. So we can comment on it at least on the level of the kinds of things that we can imagine. Which brings me to my second argument, which is that we can imagine a great many things, besides deities, that we can assign any number of fantastical attributes to, including "supernaturality". Does this exempt these "beings" from our being able to comment on them, whereas beings that we do not assign this quality to we can know whether or not they exist? So, on this criteria, the class of supernatural beings like ghosts or angels or demons or demigods, etc., we must withhold judgment as to whether they exist, but the class of beings that are merely fantastical and imaginary but are not assigned the attribute of supernaturality, like unicorns or leprechauns or hobbits or trolls or elves or fairies, we are at liberty to dismiss these beings as possibly existing? If you agree to this distinction, then you are saying nothing more than that if we imagine a creature to exist in a certain way, then it might really exist, whereas if we imagine it to exist in some other way then we can know that it exists only in our imagination. But I think you will agree with me that this is absurd. So you must agree that simply assigning supernaturality to the figments of our imagination does nothing to make it more probable that they might really exist. Therefore there is no distinction between the first and second class of beings. If you agree with me on this much, then I think you must also agree that it is equally absurd to suspend our judgment as to the existence of flying spaghetti monsters and wizards and hobgoblins as it is to suspend our judgment as to the existence of supernatural beings. How can any of these creatures of the imagination be elevated to the point of our being insufficiently justified in dismissing them outright?
I guess I would consider myself agnostic atheist; I agree that there is no distinction, I suppose, between supernatural beings and fantastic, imaginary, but not necessarily supernatural creatures. They are equally unlikely, but they are also equally impossible to disprove. So while I don't believe that they exist, I allow for the possibility that they do.
What it comes down to is epistemological creativity -- being able to entertain different theories even if you believe in one over another. I think we could all agree that most religions take numerous leaps of faith that are illogical. However, I think anyone would have a hard time refuting, say, idealism, over empiricism. After all, everything we know of the world passes through our senses, and our knowledge of the world is limited by how our brain interprets this information.
A perfect example would be as in the movie The Matrix. If you were plugged in The Matrix, without the red pill, it would be impossible for you to know whether the reality as you know it is "real".
Likewise, even though I trust in the scientific method to help expand our empirical knowledge of the world, I recognize philosophically that science has limits. The algorithms with The Matrix might have some kind of logical consistency, for example, but they are not natural.
When you say it is absurd, you are right, it is absurd
At this point... secular american atheist robot.. kyaghpeesh!?
aka just another strong atheist that wondered about god as a child for about a year or two tops (art got to me first) ; )
all about that influence folks!
and i know that this day and age.. in this species point in the timeline of 200k years.. oh wait.. 20K? ; )
I be:
freethinker |ˈfrēˈθi ng kər|
a person who rejects accepted opinions, esp. those concerning religious belief.
If gnosticism (certain knowledge) is part of the equation, then I am an agnostic atheist. Human knowledge is provisional and we always need to be open to the possibility of being wrong. This is the qualifier you gave, but for me it is not something one puts out as a proviso, especially given most people's understanding of scientific and humanistic knowledge.
If I am a gnostic atheist, and am operating from a basis of reason, then I KNOW god does not exist, and have picked up the burden of evidence. Usually not a good position to be in when demonstrating non-existence.
Of course a lot depends on how god is being defined. Some conceptions of god are logically contradictory and one can be gnostic about those purely on deductive grounds.
This was an excellent response, and it took me a little while to come up with a decent response. Here it is. What my position is as a Gnostic Atheist is that of having nearly certain knowledge. This is the same claim we can make about anything which we purportedly know. Do we know that evolution is true? Or that gravity exists? Or that we exist? Sure we do. We don't have absolute, completely certain knowledge of these things or of anything whatsoever. Suppose I take up the position that I have two hands, and you ask me to prove it. I then hold up hand one and hand two. Ah, you say, but you could really be a brain in a vat, with scientists poking your brain and only making you think that you have two hands and that everything you see is real. Can you prove that you are not a brain in a vat? No, I respond, I cannot, but I don't really think that I have to to know that I am not, and that I do indeed have two hands and that the world is at it seems to me. Now tell me, where is the burden of evidence? Is it on me to prove that I am not a brain in a vat? I should think not. The burden of evidence belongs with the person making the extraordinary claims. So, just like I don't need evidence to prove I am not a brain in a vat, I do not think I need to produce evidence that there is no god to know that there isn't one, because it is such an extraordinary claim and so far outside what reason and evidence demonstrate about the way the world is that the burden of evidence is on the person who believes in a deity to demonstrate how this absurd belief might possibly be justified. And by saying you don't really know that they are living in a fantasy, you give them permission to believe whatever they want, so long as you can't prove them wrong. Is this really the limits of our reasoning? We should instead be telling them that their beliefs are absurd, and that no rational person could believe them, not that they could be right after all.
I don't disagree with anything you are saying, but we do have differences of emphasis. Plus I think you may see empirical agnosticism as more wishy-washy than it is.
One question here is what we do with the little bit of doubt that makes us nearly rather than absolutely certain in our knowledge. Most atheist are knowledgeable enough that you can accept that little bit of doubt as a given when defining your position, but that is not the case among theists or your average person. For them, science PROVES, knowledge is CERTAIN. You usually need to have that acknowledgement of doubt in the foreground.
The other reason I claim agnosticism is the trickiness of proving general non-existence. You can show you have two hands far more easily than you can show there's no teapot beyond Mars.
I agree with almost everything you say about where the burden of evidence lies. I would only point out that the burden of proof lies with the person making the claim, whether the claim is extraordinary or not.
Following from that, for me the line between agnosticism and gnosticism is not degree of disbelief, but is the point at which one feels comfortable picking up the burden of evidence. An agnostic atheist has no burden. A gnostic does. You have probably noticed that the first thing a theist will do on finding out you are an atheist is try to shift the burden of evidence on to you by asking how you KNOW there is no god. If you claim to be gnostic, then you would have to pick up that burden. Me, I am too damn lazy. They can do the work.
Hah, well if it comes down to you just being "too damn lazy" then I accept your agnosticism. As it stands, I don't mind picking up the burden of proof to argue for my knowledge of the nonexistence of gods or teapots beyond Mars or any other absurd proposition, so long as it is understood that absolute proof is not necessary or required for knowledge. If the theist is not aware that there is this skeptical qualifier in the background, then it is 1. their own damn fault for being ignorant, and 2. an argument I am willing to make. It does take a little foray into epistemology, which I am happy to do for the sake of enlightening someone. Which brings me to your point that " You can show you have two hands far more easily than you can show there's no teapot beyond Mars". Actually, epistemologically, you can't. Not, that is, if you accept the proposition that anything like absolute proof or absolutely certain knowledge is required to demonstrate knowledge. But this is an impossibly high standard, because as we have seen, we can no more make that claim about having two hands than we can about anything. This is why you do not have to prove the non-existence of a thing in order to have justified, reasonably-assured knowledge in its non-existence. And nor is it the case that the burden of proof lies with the person making any claim, extraordinary or not. For example, I don't have to prove that all men are mortal; this is far from an extraordinary claim, in fact it is quite an ordinary claim, but if I was asked to prove it and the standard of proof was impossibly high, requiring absolute proof, I couldn't possibly provide it. I couldn't prove anything by that standard. All I need to argue is that 1. any claim made with no evidence of any sort even being possible is justifiably dismissed, and 2. even if some evidence is not only possible to be shown but is shown for any proposition, if the overwhelming weight of the evidence is all off to the other side of the issue, then it is at least possible, depending on the claim I suppose, that we can know that the supposed counter-evidence is misleading or can actually support the opposite claim, etc., and that we might really know (depending on how strict you want to draw the lines around this concept) it to be wrong. What is true, I'm sure you will agree, is that defining knowledge is no cake-walk. My argument is that on any reasonable definition of knowledge, one that does not ask for absolute proof and thus set the standard for knowledge impossibly high, rendering all beliefs merely opinions, the weight of the arguments are so lopsidedly on the side of there being no gods (made even more lopsided by the fact that there is zero evidence for there being any) that it is virtually certain that there aren't any, and that this qualifies as knowledge by a margin which is so long and far and deep that no reasonable and moderately-informed person could believe in gods. So you see, I am not lazy about making this case for Gnostic Atheism, because I firmly believe that Agnostic Atheism does the theists a huge favor, and this is not a favor I am willing to do for them.
A lot of your response is about how "absolute proof," is unreasonable, and we agree. We both accept debate over theism takes place within the limitations of humanist knowledge, so no-one is arguing for a absolute proof or objectively certain knowledge (regardless of how we might feel about that knowledge subjectively). The limitations on humanist knowledge have more to with practical problems like induction than, say, radical skepticism about reality.
Given that, I do have to insist that demonstrating general non-existence is a tricky problem and, yes, that it is in fact easier to show (i.e. provide evidence) that you have two hands than it is to show that there is no teapot beyond Mars.
I also have to insist that the person making the claim is the one stuck with the burden of evidence. I mean, what evidence could a person NOT making a claim conceivably be responsible for? "That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence" is simply a statement of where burden of evidence lies. You actually give a variation of this, although I think you set an unreasonably high standard for dismissing a claim ("no evidence of any sort even being possible")--you don't need to argue that future evidence is impossible to dismiss a claim.
I am also sticking with the line between agnostic and gnostic atheism being that gnostic atheists are making a claim ("there is no god") and, since they are making a claim, are stuck with a burden of evidence for that claim. Note there is nothing here about absolute certainty or impossibly high standards of proof. Simply, if you make a claim you need to present evidence or be dismissed.
Which means I disagree that agnostic atheists are doing theists a huge favour. I don't see how that logically follows, and empirically it doesn't hold. Some of the most effective proponents of atheism right now profess agnosticism about the existence of god(s). An agnostic position is in fact the more effective strategy, since it focuses the debate on the weakness of the arguments FOR the existence of god. Professing a gnostic position will automatically put you on the defensive.
© 2018 Atheist Nexus. All rights reserved. Admin: The Nexus Group. Powered by


text:
Whether you're looking for expert carpet cleaning, need help with stain removal or pet odors on carpet or upholstery or want to bring your hard floors back to life, it can be difficult to choose the right company for the job. After all, you're bombarded with misleading advertising, confusing claims and just bad information. With all the hype, it can be hard to know who you can trust...
Since 1988, Lancaster County homeowners and businesses have trusted the Rug Beater to provide superior results and we've delivered! We've successfully combined old-fashioned quality standards with the latest technology to provide our customers with the best service possible. We understand that clean carpets, vibrant area rugs and well-maintained floors don't happen by accident. That's why we've invested in the best equipment and training to ensure we always do the job right the first time. It's the reason all of our employees are certified by Clean Trust in Vancouver, Washington. And it's why we take the time to educate our customers to keep their floors looking great, even after we're gone.
If you're ready to ditch the hype for real results you can see, we'd love to talk with you! Contact us today for quality carpet cleaning and floor maintenance from the Rug Beater and get the best service for your home or business!
"Thank you so much for what you did for my carpets-after two other company's and doing-it-ourselves-they are finally CLEAN! LIKE NEW!"
G. Nolt, Bernville, PA
Bring back the color and vibrance of your area rugs with professional cleaning from the Rug Beater. We offer gentle, thorough cleaning methods that are safe for rugs of all shapes and sizes!More Details
Extend the life of your carpet and get the fresh, clean carpet you and your family deserve with professional carpet cleaning from The Rug Beater. Any room, any size, any mess...More Details
Bring back that brilliant shine and make it last with complete cleaning and regular maintenance from the professionals at the Rug Beater! We offer complete cleaning and maintenance for all floor types.More Details


text:
Aaagh!! Its the Mr Hell Show Episode 5
Cartoon : Aaagh!! Its the Mr Hell Show
Every week Mr. Hell, a sulphurous and sardonic anti-hero, stars in his own adventures, and introduces a parade of short, sharp sketches and cracked recurring characters – all infected with the same wickedly cynical sense of humour.
Related Series
Video Already Reported!
You have already reported this video.
Video Already Reported!
A guest has already reported this video using your current IP address ().


text:
What It Was Like To Play In The Most Violent NFL Game Ever
After the most violent NFL game ever played, Marc Wilson sat on the team flight back to the West Coast, nursing his injured thumb. A Raiders team doctor approached. He had a secret message to pass along.


text:
Freitag, 29. Mai 2009
No. 564 - arriving mail art "Achtung Orginal Hofer..." from Heinz W. Lotz (Germany)
Eingestellt von Roland Halbritter um 07:06
Keine Kommentare:
Abonnieren Kommentare zum Post (Atom)
This blog is dedicated to the Tyrolean Hero Andreas Hofer (1767-1810), who became the leader of a rebellion against Napoleon's forces. What is his role today - is there any left? Just an advertising symbol ? - 200 years after the rebellion took place in 1809. I invite all artists in the world to participate in this mail art call - be critic, politic, humorous, creative - all mail art will not be sent back and become part of the collection.


text:
Skip to comments.Al Shabaab Operative Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to 111 Months in Prison...
Posted on 03/27/2013 5:01:47 PM PDT by Cindy
NOTE The following text is a quote:
Al Shabaab Operative Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to 111 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Support and Receive Military-Type Training from a Foreign Terrorist Organization
U.S. Attorneys Office March 27, 2013
Southern District of New York
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to 111 months in prison for conspiring to provide material support to and to receive military-type training from al Shabaab, a terrorist organization based in Somalia. The U.S. Department of State has designated al Shabaab as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said, Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed traveled thousands of miles to align himself with al Shabaab, to aid their campaign of terror, and to learn their ways of war. Today, his journey ends in prison and marks the latest victory in our constant effort to protect Americans from terrorism at home and around the world.
According to the Superseding information filed in Manhattan federal court, and prior court filings:
Al Shabaab has used violent means to destabilize the government of Somalia and to force the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country. The group has recruited foreign fighters to join in its holy war in Somalia, resulting in men from other countries, including the United States, traveling there to engage in violent jihad. Al Shabaab has also made numerous public statements demonstrating its intent to harm the United States.
In early 2009, Ahmed left his home in Sweden and traveled to Somalia in order to support and receive military-type training from al Shabaab. While in Somalia, Ahmed contributed approximately 3,000 Euros to al Shabaab, received training and instruction with respect to bomb-making and bomb-detonation, and purchased an AK-47 rifle, additional magazines, and two grenades. Ahmed subsequently provided the rifle and magazines to an al Shabaab military commander.
* * *
In addition to the prison term, an order of judicial removal was signed, and Ahmed will be deported upon completion of the sentence. He was also ordered to pay a mandatory $200 special assessment.
Ahmed, 38, a native of Eritrea and a lawful resident of Sweden, was arrested in Nigeria in November 2009. On March 6, 2010, Ahmed was transferred to the custody of the United States and subsequently transported to the Southern District of New York for prosecution.
Ahmed pled guilty in June 2012 to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization (al Shabaab) and one count of conspiracy to receive military-type training from a foreign terrorist organization (al Shabaab).
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force based in Manhattanwhich principally consists of special agents of the FBI and detectives of the New York City Police Department. He also expressed gratitude to the U.S. Department of Justices National Security Division, the Office of International Affairs, and the U.S. Department of State for their extraordinary assistance in the case. Mr. Bharara also thanked the governments of Sweden and Nigeria for their assistance in this matter.
This case is being handled by the Offices Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin Naftalis, John P. Cronan, and Rachel P. Kovner are in charge of the prosecution.
stepping back in time...
Press Release:
More Info:
For The Record - The IPT Blog
Two New Somali-Linked Indictments Issued
Mar 8, 2010 at 5:59 pm
SNIPPET: An indictment was unsealed in New York Monday charging 35-year-old Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed with providing material support to the Somali Islamist group Al-Shabaab. The indictment also charged Ahmed with receiving military training from the group and two counts of conspiracy. Ahmed was arrested in Nigeria on Saturday and then brought to the U.S.
According to the indictment, Ahmed traveled to Al-Shabaab paramilitary camps in Somalia in April 2009 to receive jihad training, including training on bomb construction and detonation. It also alleges that Ahmed personally gave Al-Shabaab, a U.S. designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), $4,088 in February 2008. Ahmed will plead not guilty at a hearing Tuesday, says his lawyer Sabrina Shroff.
The governments charges against Ahmed come shortly after last weeks indictment of a Somali citizen tied to different Al-Qaeda linked Somali Islamist organization, Al-Ittihad Al-Islami (AIAI).
Waste of US Taxpayers' monies. Kill him.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


text:
Kenzie Walker interview
Monday, December 10, 2012 - 10:00 a.m.
Kenzie Walker is a lifelong resident of Yoknapatawpha County and has been a good friend of Melvin Roberts since they were children. Walker is married and has two adult children. He farms and also drives a truck for a freight company three days a week. Melvin Roberts named Kenzie Walker as one of the people he went hunting with in the early morning hours of November 25, 2012. Detectives Murphy and Parker interviewed Walker at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department. The interview was recorded with the witness's knowledge and consent.
- Detective S. Murphy
- Detective E. Parker
- Kenzie Walker
Detective Parker: Thank you for coming in, Mr. Walker. Would you please state your name and address for the record?
Kenzie Walker: Kenzie Walker. I live at 614 Butler
Detective Murphy: You've known Melvin Roberts for several years?
Kenzie Walker: Since we were about five or six, I'd guess. We grew up on the same road, County Road 109. I've known Mel a long time, yes.
Detective Murphy: Do you and Mr. Roberts ever hunt together?
Kenzie Walker: We go pretty regular every year. We go out to his old homeplace. It used to be his parents' house, but they're both gone now. He's got about fifty acres of woods. Hell, the house I grew up on sits on his land. We've been tramping through those woods for more than fifty years now.
Detective Parker: What did you think when Mr. Roberts was arrested for rape five years ago?
Kenzie Walker: I was pretty sure he didn't do it. That was when he was drinking so heavy and messing with pills, and when I first heard about it, I said 'Damn, the pills have gotten to him.'
Detective Parker: What kind of pills?
Kenzie Walker: Sedatives or Valium or something like that. His wife got into them for her back after she had a slipped disc. Then Mel started getting into them, and he just got hooked. But I never thought that he did anything to that girl. He's not a monster. He's a war hero.
Detective Parker: Do you think that the publicity from the rape arrest and trial hurt his business at Melvin's Nite Owl?
Kenzie Walker: It hurt him, but it didn't ruin him. It was never as bad as Mel made it out to be. He still had a lot of business. He kind of shot himself in the foot when he came out and said that no more police could eat free or drink free coffee at his store anymore. A lot of people saw that and figured that if the police weren't welcome in his store, then they sure weren't going in there. Might be trouble or something one day, and who would help them? Maybe Mel had something he wanted to hide from people. Who knows? But it was never that bad.
Detective Murphy: You've heard that Mr. Roberts has confessed to the murder of Monica Drum?
Kenzie Walker: I tell you what. That one really threw me for a loop because we went out to Enid that day, the day after she was killed, and he didn't say nothing about it.
Detective Murphy: You went hunting on November 25th?
Kenzie Walker: Yes, ma'am. Me and Mel and Billy Tidwell. Guy couldn't make it. Guy Frankton.
Detective Parker: What time did you meet up?
Kenzie Walker: 3:00 or so, like usual. We meet up at Denny's and go from there, out around Enid Lake. Guy knows a farmer out there who doesn't mind us in his woods.
Detective Parker: Was Mr. Roberts on time that morning?
Kenzie Walker: More or less. We don't punch a clock.
Detective Murphy: And Mr. Roberts didn't say anything about killing Monica Drum that same morning?
Kenzie Walker: No. Nothing. Come to think of it, he didn't hunt so good, but then I scarcely noticed at all. I just thought it wasn't his day. And then next thing I hear is that he's confessing. I didn't know what to think. Because the first time he was in trouble with the law, it was all set up and kind of came down hard on him. He never saw it coming. But with this, where he just comes out and says he did it, you don't know what to think. I kind of thought that he did do it because I went to see him at the jail, and I said "Mel, did you kill that woman?" And he said "Yes, I did. Because of those things she wrote about me." And I said "Mel, that was years ago," and he said "It's just like today to me." So that kind of set me back. But I've never known him to lie to me about anything, so I kind of took him at his word.
Detective Parker: Do you think that he could kill someone?
Kenzie Walker: I want to say no, but he was in a war, you know, and he didn't have a problem there. But I don't really think that he could or would plan out a murder, no. Other people didn't take those articles that seriously, but Mel never would believe that.
Detective Murphy: Do you have any other reasons why you might doubt Mr. Roberts's word about this incident?
Kenzie Walker: Well, ever since Mel came back from the war, he's been given over to crazy, extravagant stories. Usually they're about half-true. Some of them don't have a bit of truth.
Detective Parker: What do you think is going to happen to Mr. Roberts?
Kenzie Walker: I don't know if he did it, but I hope he gets some help. I'm going to try and really help him. But his friends – and he does have several – have to step up and see what they can do to help him. They've got to. He's obviously having a lot of problems right now.
Detective Murphy: Thanks again for coming in. We'll be in touch if we have any more questions.
Kenzie Walker: Happy to help.
Interview ends - 10:24 a.m.


text:
Boise State Concludes Dual Schedule With Pair of Wins
SEATTLE-Boise State women's swimming and diving earned nine overall victories to cruise to a pair of wins in double-dual-meet action Saturday, in Seattle. The Broncos (13-1) defeated Oregon State 178-83, and beat host Seattle 190-71.
Juniors Amber Boucher and Stephanie North, and sophomore Jennifer Cahill each garnered two overall individual wins. Boucher won the 200-yard freestyle in the seventh-fastest time in school history and a Connolly Center record. Her winning time in the 100-yard butterfly ranks No. 3 on the all-time list at Boise State. North claimed the 50- and 100-yard freestyle titles, while Cahill was victorious in the 500- and 1000-yard freestyle events. Junior Morgan McLain added the overall individual win in the 200-yard individual medley.
"We performed well today and exceeded expectations in a few areas. Amber's 200 free and 100 fly times were phenomenal," said head coach Kristin Hill. "Stephanie's 100 freestyle was a great swim. We also had a number of strong finishes in close races."
With the wins, Boise State has a head-to-head win against each NCAA Division I swimming program in the states of Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
"We've made it a goal to be the premier swimming and diving program in the northwest, and though the true test is at the end at our championships and NCAA's, this season has been a great breakthrough for us," Hill said.
The victory against the Beavers not only gives Boise State the unofficial northwest crown for 2010-11, it is also the first win against Oregon State in school history. Along with beating Washington State last month, this is the second win against a Pacific-10 Conference opponent this season for the Broncos, another program first. It is the Broncos' third win of the season against the Redhawks.
In addition to the nine overall victories, Boise State added wins against Seattle in the 100- and 200-yard backstrokes, and 200-yard butterfly. Freshman Rachel Heaney led the Boise State in the 200-yard butterfly with the fifth-fastest time in school history. Senior Denise Green led the way in the 100-yard backstroke while McLain won the longer backstroke competition. The Broncos swept the Redhawks in four events.
Boise State picked up additional wins against the Beavers in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events, by senior Kelly Forrester and freshman Chelsea Miller, respectively.
The Broncos took the overall victory in both relay events. The meet started with Boise State clocking the fifth-best time in the 200-yard medley relay and ended with the No. 9 time in the 400-yard medley relay. Green led off the 200-yard medley relay with the No. 4 time in program history in the 50-yard backstroke. Boucher led off the 400-yard freestyle with the eighth-fastest time in the 100-yard freestyle.
Sophomore Shanelle Choi swam a career best in the 100-yard freestyle to place second overall in the event. Freshman Brooke Balogh's time in the 200-yard butterfly was good for third place and a career best.
Senior Kim Nelson posted a career best in the 50-yard freestyle in the final dual meet of her career. Also setting season bests Saturday, were freshman Olivia Harrell (100-yard freestyle; 100-yard butterfly) and juniors Paige LaPorte and Emily Irvin (500-yard freestyle).
The Broncos are now 27-5 in dual meets the past two seasons, and will look to defend their Western Athletic Conference championship Feb. 23-26, in San Antonio.
- Men's Sports
- Women's Sports
- Departments
- Staff Directory
- Bronco Sports Properties
- Marketing
- Media Relations
- Sports Medicine
- Blue Thunder Marching Band
- Spirit Squad
- Ticket Office
- Ticket Office Home
- 2017 Ticket Info
- My Account
- Buy Tickets
- Buy/Sell Tickets
- Accessibility/ADA Info
- Group Tickets
- Student Ticket Info
- Student Rewards Program
- Seating Charts
- Bronco Athletic Association
- BAA Home
- Join
- Donate
- Varsity B
- Boise State Hall of Fame
Boise State Ticket Office
1910 University Drive - MS 1230
Boise, ID 83725
Hours & Contact
Monday - Thursday | 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Friday | 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m
Phone: (208) 426-4737
Fax: (208) 426-2229
Email: email@example.com


text:
Mark Morse, president and chief operating officer of The Villages, and his daughter, Kelsea Manly, recently filed paperwork signaling the creation of a 1,900-acre hunting preserve east of Ocala.
The family who introduced one of the biggest all-in-one residential venues to Central Florida has embarked on bringing their passion for the great outdoors closer to home.
Mark Morse, president and chief operating officer of The Villages, and his daughter, Kelsea Manly, recently filed paperwork signaling the creation of a 1,900-acre hunting preserve east of Ocala.
The father-daughter team, under the corporate banner of a firm called Cow Hammock LLC, filed building permits and other documents that indicate the launch of an exclusive hunting camp.
County records filed within the past 10 days indicate the property will host a 2,062-square-foot bunkhouse valued at $90,000 and a 508-square-foot freezer facility estimated at $60,000.
Also on site, according to county records, will be a "skinning shack" and a main house.
Permits for those two buildings apparently had not been filed yet.
The two building permits have temporarily stalled because the county is seeking additional information from the applicants, a county spokeswoman said.
The buildings will be situated on part of the 2,391 acres that Cow Hammock acquired last June.
Cow Hammock bought the land from Rayonier Forest Resources, the Jacksonville-based lumber, paper and real estate giant, for just more than $7 million.
Illustrative of what a difference a decade makes, Rayonier purchased the property in October 1999 for $20.7 million, records indicate.
The property fronts County Road 314 just east of the Ocklawaha River, near Southeast First Street Road. It also sits across the river from hundreds of acres owned by James Rainey, a Morse family friend and a Wildwood contractor who has done considerable work in The Villages.
Neither Morse, the son of Gary Morse, the developer of The Villages, nor Manly could be reached for comment. Manly is part owner of a company called Villages Communications Inc..
The property is zoned for agriculture use, and does not require any additional permission from the county, other than the building permits, said Sam Martsolf, county director of planning and zoning.
Joy Hill, spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said the facility would require a state permit to operate as a hunting preserve, if that is the intention.
No such permit has been filed yet, she added.
Morse and his daughter are well known hunting enthusiasts, sometimes with consequences for more than just the game.
Morse and Manly were two of eight people rung up in a high-profile poaching case in Montana, where the Morse family and Rainey own ranches.
In 2010, Montana prosecutors charged eight people, including Morse and Manly, with felony and misdemeanor counts of illegal hunting.
Eleven months ago, according to the Billings Gazette, Morse pleaded guilty in Yellowstone County to a misdemeanor charge of hunting elk without a license in 2007.
The same day, the newspaper reported, Morse went to neighboring Big Horn County and pleaded guilty for illegal hunting violations that stemmed from 2007 and 2008.
In all, he paid $4,500 in fines and restitution.
Morse had faced more than 10 years in prison and more than $100,000 in fines, the Daily Commercial in Leesburg reported in 2011.
Manly, who was described by the newspaper as a former Florida game warden, pleaded guilty in 2011 to killing a turkey without a license and hunting elk without a license.
A Montana judge ordered her to pay $2,095 in fines.
One of Morse's Montana ranches straddled the two counties, the Gazette reported, while he co-owned another with Rainey in Big Horn County.
Contact Bill Thompson at 867-4117 or at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Book Lists
Soldiers of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot, 1855, photograph by Roger Fenton (National Army Museum)
In the hope of spreading knowledge of new favourites and proven classics from the world of military publishing, The Society for Army Historical Research periodically ask a number of military historians from various backgrounds for their book recommendations. The results of these requests are published below.
Annual Booklist 2016-2017
The brief was for five favourite books on the British Army (including Imperial, Dominion, and Commonwealth forces). At the suggestion of our most recent Templer Medal winner, Dr Rory Muir, contributors were also asked to suggest one topic for a book that does not exist but ought to be written: it is hoped that there may be someone amongst the recipients of this list who will take up the challenge and help fill some of the remaining gaps in the existing scholarship.


text:
The ultimate test of the SDL is the extent to which it can reduce the number and severity of vulnerabilities in software. In order to measure the extent to which these goals are met, security experts analyzed public vulnerability counts in "pre-SDL" and "post-SDL" versions of the same product in the 12 months (or more) following the release.
Although these results do not imply that all vulnerabilities will be found, the examples below demonstrate the effectiveness of the SDL in reducing the number of security vulnerabilities of products that were developed with it.
Microsoft SQL Server: 91% Fewer Vulnerabilities in SQL Server 2005
Organizations that develop software need to comply with a variety of complex, ever-changing regulations. Incorporating the SDL into the application development process helps meet compliance requirements and produce a return on investment (ROI) by guiding organizations to make smart choices early in the design process, thereby minimizing expensive inefficiencies.
The SDL encourages organizations to:
SDL Helps Reduce the Total Cost of Development
Analyst reports: Microsoft SDL adoption producing a better ROI
The Forrester Consulting State of Application Security study reported that organizations implementing an SDL process showed better ROI results than the overall surveyed population.
Aberdeen Group demonstrated how adopting an SDL process increases security and reduces the severity and cost of vulnerability incidents while generating a stronger return on investment (four-times higher) than other application security approaches.


text:
Value Line is regarded as the best independent research available. More than just recommendations, Value Line provides the rationale behind its picks for greater understanding.
Dow-30 component Hewlett-Packard (HPQ – Free Hewlett-Packard Stock Report), the giant technology company, took investors on a roller coaster ride on Thursday before it reported July-period results. The stock, which had been down as much as 8% early in the day, surged nearly 14% after reports (which were later confirmed by the company) that it was considering spinning off its personal computer operations and was in discussions to buy Autonomy, an enterprise software provider based in the U.K. H-P shares eventually ended the day down 6%, but fell another 23% in early Friday morning trading.
Late Thursday, the company reported earnings of $0.93 a share for the fiscal third quarter (ended July 31st). Sales rose 1.5% (but declined slightly adjusted for currency fluctuations), with increases in all of H-P's divisions except personal computers and printers. The gross margin contracted 70 basis points year to year, reflecting margin pressure in printing, services, and webOS software, partly offset by favorable commodity prices in personal computers and enterprise servers, storage systems, and networking. A 12% decline in the share count, reflecting the buyback of 128 million shares of stock, enhanced earnings per share.
Meanwhile, the plan to explore strategic alternatives for the personal computer business, including a spinoff or sale, and the proposed acquisition of Autonomy are parts of the company's transformation program. Sales of H-P's recently launched tablet computer, the TouchPad, have been disappointing, as have its notebook and desktop sales (the latter two, down 4% in the July quarter). The business faces growing competition, particularly from Apple's (AAPL) iPhone, and the environment for consumer spending is challenging. The TouchPad uses webOS software acquired when H-P bought Palm. H-P is exploring new uses for the software, which appears to have been well-received by software developers.
H-P also intends to sharpen its focus on its strong printing hardware, software, and services operations; concentrate on the enterprise, government, and commercial markets; and invest in rapidly growing areas, like cloud computing and analytics. It also plans to address several challenges, including the effects of the natural disasters in Japan on the printer business.
In all, H-P expects October-period sales to be hurt by the tough economic climate, higher channel inventory in printing supplies, and weak margins in the services business. The company intends to take a $1 billion cash charge for restructuring and shutdown costs related to webOS devices in the October period. It also may need to take a charge for goodwill impairment, and expects to incur $300 million-$400 million of expenses related to the cost of British pound options that H-P is buying to hedge the purchase price of Autonomy. Including these items, management looks for earnings per share of only $0.44-$0.55 in the October period, and full fiscal 2011 share net of $3.59-$3.70. We have lowered our fiscal 2011 estimate accordingly, to $3.60 a share, from $4.25.
Prospects for 2012 are very hazy. Evaluating options for the personal computer business, which had sales of $9.6 billion in the July interim, is expected to take 12-18 months. And although Autonomy is a very profitable company, with gross margins in the high 80% area, the acquisition, to be completed by the end of calendar 2011, will be expensive, at over ten times revenue. Moreover, the economic climate probably will remain challenging over the next few quarters. We are tentatively reducing our fiscal 2012 share-earnings forecast to $4.00, from $4.60, but this number is subject to revision if and when H-P sells the personal computer operation. Note, also, that the company no longer is targeting earnings of $7.00 a share by 2014. Although the stock's pullback creates a possible good entry point for long-term investors, H-P's 3- to 5-year earnings and stock price appreciation potential aren't well defined, since the company's recovery probably will be a protracted process. Most investors may want to stay on the sidelines for now.
About The Company: Hewlett-Packard provides computing and imaging solutions and services to consumers and businesses. The company operates in six segments: Imaging & Printing (20% of 2010 revenue), Personal Systems, (32%), Enterprise Storage & Servers (15%), Services, (27%), Financing (3%), and Software, (3%). Research and development costs amounted to 2.3% of 2010 revenue.
At the time of this article's writing, the author did not have positions in any of the companies mentioned.


text:
Attention all VideoHive authors, be promoting your video on my facebook page, on twitter and on my youtube channelYou may use any of my preview tracks for your projects provided you give my music track a link in your description. Also, please send me an email to let me know about your item so that I can include links to your item in my profile and item descriptions to help promote your project. Thanks! gastonlunamusic
The Fun BeginsA cheerful track with lots of energy and a very catchy melody. Great for presentations, videos, flash, TV shows, sports and any project with a happy and fun message. Includes brass section, drums, bass, guitars and percussion
The download includes: The fun begins.wav 1:43 The fun begins.mp3 1:43
Consult me for any modification of this track Feel free to use this track in his portfolio Videohive, or any file Envato Marketplace Contact me firstname.lastname@example.com www.GastonLunaMusic.com


text:
A dream girl is the girl you wanna spend the rest of your life with. shes super beautiful and sweet. when ever your around her you get butterflies and wanna hold her so close to you and just listen to her heart beat sync with yours. this girl you will grow to love almost instantly.
by Meant to be:) February 20, 2012
I couldn't concentrate at work today, I was thinking about my dreamgirl, Karen...
by mason mann November 30, 2007
The one. To fall in love with every day over and over again. The one to spend the rest of your life with. The mother of your children. The one you'd do everything for. The one where it hurts the most. The one true love.
by Heinzi July 19, 2013
buy the domain for your travel site
The girl who is the one that every guy would want to have as his but you are the lucky one who gets to call her yours. She is immpossible to not think about every moment of your day and you wouldn't want to think about anyone else. You will go out of ur way to just get to hold her. She is beatiful, smart, funny, and anythiung else that you want in a girl.
Jill: "So Jack, You love Bella, dont you? I can see the way you look at her. I can see it in your eyes."
Jack: " Is it that obvious? Yea I do love her. She is my dreamgirl, my everything."
Jack: " Is it that obvious? Yea I do love her. She is my dreamgirl, my everything."
by Sculler May 27, 2009
this girl not only is really attractive as in the look wise(thick in the chest, hips, butt, legs, slim waist), shorter, no kids, independent, good cook, cleans youre place without even asking just offers, clean, having a lot in common with that girl, fun, outgoing, sweet, nice, loyal, faithful, honest, good in bed in all aspects, playful, listens, respectful, has her own spot, has her own car, nice paying job, educated, communications on point, the girl you would give up being a player and put that ring on her finger
dude 1:damn man, ive been with this girl for 8 monthes, never had the desire to cheat on her, like them past girls ive done that too, id feel like an idiot and feel guilty if i cheated on this one, feel me?
dude 2:damn need a best man? sound like you got yourself a dream girl
dude 2:damn need a best man? sound like you got yourself a dream girl
by joshua001 March 07, 2007
For all you fellows who are trying to give a definition of a dream girl can't; because what you may call a dream girl is not the same for other men. You make her a dream girl because you are actually in love with that person. There is no such thing as a "princess" or "prince" for that matter. On a plus side A for effort on trying to give you'r own style of definition on dream girl, also not trying to be rude to anybody for the definition just putting in my two sense.
A good example would be you two who just posted two different types of you'r dream girl, you can not have one specific dream girl that fits every man. So there for it wouldn't be classified as a definition, not by logic standards anyways.
by realism October 05, 2012
Derived from the 2006 movie, Dreamgirls, to describe something in groups of three.
Can apply to things or people.
Can apply to things or people.
Student: Our teacher made me and my two other friends stand at the front of the classroom. Everyone called us 'dreamgirls.'
by shootingstarz1476 March 18, 2007
Trending RN - November 14, 2018
- 1. Throw a shoe
- 2. Amish oil change
- 3. Schwoogie
- 4. muff dust
- 5. sex cult
- 6. shrimp pibbly
- 7. Keylime pie
- 8. No Nut November Poem
- 9. welebicho
- 10. [Chappaqua]
- 11. Seattle Freeze
- 12. true gay
- 13. Fleg
- 15. Poo Butter
- 16. Figgy
- 17. The Bat Wing
- 18. bagpack
- 19. Collaring
- 20. braciole
- 21. clue-by-four
- 22. zesser
- 23. omw2fyb
- 24. Ernst & Young
- 25. little bean
- 26. jai/ ji/jah
- 27. home fry
- 28. peppergrinder
- 29. bobby dazzler
- 30. open says me


text:
"Honey, do I look fat in this dress?" That is a question any wise man approaches carefully – very carefully. It is prescient when it comes to change management. Why? Well, we all say we prize honesty but upon closer examination there is a desire to get by which comes in direct conflict with the need to be honest.
Everyone loves to clean house and get rid of the bad guy(s) and girl(s). After the euphoria the sweeping out creates dies down something surprising happens. It is the fear created by the need for those remaining to be honest in a piercing manner. Why is that?
As mentioned in previous blogs, having the bad guy around supports the creation of bad habits. For example, there is the opportunity to fudge billable time and expenses. A while back there was the infamous $500 coffee pot charged to the U.S. Air Force. (I got to talk with one of the lead accountants on that issue and it turns out dishonesty wasn't present but let's assume for this blog it was a blatant rip off.) In the every day world of projects how can that occur? All that is needed is a leader out to get as much money as possible and will gouge the client to the extent the client is blind, naive or both. When an engineer has worked under such a person for a long enough period of time it becomes easy to get sloppy and gradually expand what "honesty means right along with "cheating."
Sociologically, it is well established that we all like to leave ourselves some space, some wiggle room. Let's say 15 minutes a day of billable time. So, if we only charge for 15 non-productive minutes we can claim we are honest. After a while under a disreputable boss that 15 minutes becomes an hour. The process continues until all hell breaks loose and then all sorts of time is charged simply because we can do it. So what happens when you clean house?
For the housecleaning to be complete there is a need to return to honesty. This is the point at which panic sets in. If your situation is typical a flood of requests start coming in to explain exactly what you mean when you say, "In order to bill for one hour you have to do one hour's worth of work." All sorts of lawyering begins. It is accompanied by confusion and more than a slight degree of hysteria. Remember, people have been let go for not being honest. The question on everyone's mind is, "Am I next?" (For what it is worth, I am championed for bringing the light of day and a breath of fresh air to the organization when getting rid of the bad guy. That quickly turns to pitchforks, tar, and feathers once the issue of accountability is brought to the masses.) What to do? Answer: State the obvious.
"The only way out of the mess you are in is through frank discussions as to what it means to bill an hour of time. This isn't free-floating. It needs to reference a sound business case.
In other words, know what will work in your industry. Find standards that are reliable. Then add that to a solid business case. Determine what "serving the customer" means in terms of billable hours, expenses, and productivity. By all means, stay away from witch-hunts. Tell the troops you will be out of business if the sloppiness continues. The best way to keep one's job is to work to acceptable standards. Have them participate in the defining of standards as it applies to their discipline, keeping in mind that who ever is responsible for the business case will have the final say.
What this all amounts to is a focus on emotional honesty rather than a Salem witch trial. When done in a respectful tone those who want to work and feel significant appreciate it. As to the others…well…the human resource changes must continue. The challenges will continue and people will wonder if the housekeeping was worth it. In the long run, though, there will be an appreciation of getting back on track and billing one hour for an hour's worth of work.
—Through his firm, Center for Managing Change, Gary Monti has over 30 years experience providing change- and project management services internationally. He works at the nexus between strategy, business case, project-, process-, and people management. Service modalities include consulting, teaching, mentoring, and speaking. Credentials include PMP number 14 (Project Management Institute®), Myers-Briggs Type Indicator certification, and accreditation in the Cynefin methodology. Gary can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or through Twitter at @garymonti


text:
A DIY Plastic Toy Camera Kit
The Recesky is a fantastic, plastic twin-lens reflex camera that you make yourself. Making Recesky Camera results in a better understanding of the internal works of a 35mm camera! Equally fun and quirky to build as it is to use, the Recesky produces photographs with some great "toy camera" characteristicsÛsoft focus, distorted colours and other strange optical effects. The Recesky comes complete with fully illustrated, English instructions. No glue or knife required for assembly. Uses standard 35mm film (not included). The Recesky Camera is sure to be hit with plastic camera fans. Now with a re-designed package!
Package Size: 11? W x 9.5?; H x 2? D (30 x 23.5 x 5 cm)
Assembled Size: 4.25? H x 2.5? W x 1.875? D (5 x 6.35 x 12.7 cm)
Ages 10+
|Our Price:
|Stock Info:
|Out Of Stock
|Email a Friend About This Item
Login to Submit a Review


text:
Books and Reading
New Adult Books at the Library:
Spend some time browsing the links on the left to find suggestions for a good book to read. We enjoy reading just as much as you do and we'd love to talk to you about books. Stop into the Kalona Library to see our displays of featured books, or talk to a staff member about what you're reading, or to get ideas on what to read next.
"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested."
— Francis Bacon (1561-1626)


text:
When several factors are accounted for, stillbirth may be associated with both severely restricted and excessive fetal growth, according to a study by US researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.
Radek Bukowski and colleagues from the NICHD Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network investigated the fetal growth abnormalities associated with stillbirth using a new approach developed by the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network to estimate gestational age.
Using this approach the authors investigated all the stillbirths, and a sample of live births, which occurred over 2 and a half years at 59 hospitals in five US regions.
The authors found that overall, abnormal fetal growth was identified in 25% of stillbirths using population norms and in above 50% of stillbirths using ultrasound or individualized norms: Small for Gestational Age (SGA: the bottom 10% of the population weight for gestational age) was associated with a 3- to 4-fold increased risk of stillbirth compared to having a fetus with "appropriate" weight for gestational age based on all three norms. Large for Gestational Age (LGA: the top 10% of the population weight for gestational age) was associated with an increased risk of stillbirth based on the ultrasound and individualized norms but not the population norms. Being more severely SGA or LGA (below the 5th percentile or above the 95th percentile) was associated with an increased risk of stillbirth.
Although the accuracy of these findings is likely to be affected by aspects of the study design, these findings suggest that, contrary to current practices, strategies designed to prevent stillbirth should focus on identifying both severely SGA and severely LGA fetuses.
The authors say: "When accounting for time of death and using norms developed in normal pregnancies, both SGA and LGA birth weights were associated with stillbirth in our study.
They continue: "The association is mainly related to severe SGA and LGA pregnancies, with birth weights either below the 5th or above the 95th percentile. Thus, classifying 10% of pregnancies as abnormally grown has the potential to identify 44%-46% of future stillbirths."
Funding: This work, including the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and preparation, review and approval of the manuscript, was supported by grant funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: U10- HD045953 Brown University, Rhode Island; U10-HD045925 Emory University, Georgia; U10-HD045952 University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas; U10- HDO45955 University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, Texas; U10-HD045944 University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Utah; and U01-HD045954 RTI International, RTP. Program officers from the funding agency (UMR and MW) were members of the Steering Committee of the study, and contributed to the study design, management, interpretation of the data, as well as preparation, review and approval of the manuscript.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Citation: Bukowski R, Hansen NI, Willinger M, Reddy UM, Parker CB, et al. (2014) Fetal Growth and Risk of Stillbirth: A Population-Based Case-Control Study. PLoS Med 11(4): e1001633. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001633
Author Affiliations:
University of Texas, USA
RTI International, USA
National Institutes of Health, USA
University of Utah School of Medicine and Intermountain Health Care, USA
Emory University, USA
Columbia University Medical Center, USA
Radek Bukowski
University of Texas Medical Branch
409 7474923


text:
I was having all types of page loading issues on different sites last week until I removed and reinstalled adblocker ultimate (best ad blocker ever) and pop up blocker ultimate ( best pop up blocker ever..) and all the issues disappeared immediately.amberwolf wrote: ↑Dec 05 2017 2:12pm
so I haven't found a direct relation between it happening and any particular thing that is on the page at that time. I had thought it was large images, but its happened on a page without any in view at the time at least once, so I don't think that's it.
I figured it's probably something specific with my browser and the things I have blocked from loading or displaying (ABP and RIP), but maybe it isn't?
You don't have permission to access /forums/ucp.php on this server.
Apache/2.4.18 (Ubuntu) Server at endless-sphere.com Port 443
You don't have permission to access /forums/ucp.php on this server.
Apache/2.x.x (Ubuntu) Server at endless-sphere.com Port 443