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Star-Banner readers share their views on debt, the Jameis Winston case, marijuana and the Quick Care center at West Marion Community Hospital.
Living in an idiocracy
Our local representatives are engaging in apocalyptic thinking about the national debt. But how real is the problem?
Consider that the increase in the national debt since Barack Obama became president is being paid for with an increase in the money supply.
The Treasury sells bonds to pay for the excess of government spending over government revenues.
Meanwhile, the Fed is buying more bonds than the Treasury is selling and pays for the bonds with money it creates out of thin air.
Put the two together, and we have assets to cover the increased debt.
Of course, it is easy to see that taking it to extremes is a bad idea. But our numbers are well within the range of reason. The dollar is strong. We don't have high inflation or high interest rates.
Is the debt problem so severe that we should not put people back to work repairing and building our infrastructure? Are things so bad that we have to cut back on research?
Keep in mind that the apocalyptic politicians also disagree with the overwhelming consensus of scientists regarding climate change. Do they think there is a conspiracy?
Consider that North Carolina passed a law that says engineers cannot take global warming into account in designing infrastructure projects.
We elect these guys and then we wonder why the government is dysfunctional. Sometimes I feel like there is so much small thinking going on that I am living in an idiocracy.
Steven M. Chamberlain
Famous Jameis
Viewing the Jameis Winston case makes me wonder if this is a coincidence, and I wonder if anybody else has reservations about what is going on.
A young man who has tremendous potential for playing pro football and winning the Heisman Trophy and earning millions of dollars in the future, and a woman who claims that she was sexually assaulted a year ago. After going to the police, she told them that she did not want to testify.
When she talked to the police, she identified the man as being a black man, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 240 pounds.
The only part of that description that even resembles Winston is that he is black. There ares 100,000 men in Leon County that are black, but Winston is in reality a 6-foot-4-inch man who weighs 218 pounds.
The case laid dormant for more than10 months and enter the woman's aunt, who just happens to be a lawyer. Now being that Winston has unlimited opportunity to become a wealthy professional athlete and being an opportunist, auntie talks her niece into naming Winston and perpetuating charges that have not officially dropped by the Tallahassee Police, which if won would line auntie's pockets with easy cash, as well as the niece's.
This charge can only do three things:
1) Ruin a young man's life
2) Cause a young woman to take the stand and have her virtue put on the line by a lawyer in cross examination
3) Make auntie rich beyond all of her dreams.
Or — is it that auntie figures that the young man will want to settle out of court?
Thomas L. Hapner
Fort McCoy
Medical marijuana
Legalizing marijuana has been debated all throughout the country, and now the debate will come to Florida for this state to decide. There are some important people who are fighting for the use of medical marijuana: Orlando attorney John Morgan has recently made public service announcements to support legalization.
This debate could affect many families, including mine. My grandmother has just gone through chemotherapy and is experiencing side effects that could be lessened through the use of marijuana.
Not only can this help with those going through chemotherapy, but it can also help correct epilepsy, seizures, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis.
This makes marijuana a solution to diseases that would require extensive treatment, which is very expensive. Marijuana, if legalized, would be available to you through prescriptions, at your pharmacy.
Opponents may say that legalizing such drugs may increase abuse by making it more available. On the contrary, if marijuana usage were legalized for medical purposes, regulations would be in place to have records on the doctors who are prescribing and pharmacies that are dispensing. This would control the distribution of marijuana by drug enforcement agencies.
United for Care is an organization asking people to sign a petition to have an amendment on the ballot for the 2014 general election. I encourage everyone to sign a petition, because this organization needs 216,000 more signatures, and to vote in favor of an amendment when it hopefully makes it onto the ballot for the citizens.
John L. Heinbockel
Quick and expensive
I would like to say buyer beware about the Quick Care center at West Marion Community Hospital.
Despite it only operating between certain hours and its decree of being for "minor emergencies," it is far from what it seems.
When you walk into the separate Quick Care entrance and pay your co-pay like any other urgent care facility, you will be treated and sent on your way. You will later find that Quick Care is considered by West Marion as a part of their Emergency Department.
Of course, this means that they will charge you substantially higher prices and your insurance company will be less prone to cover the expenses.
Health care consumers, please learn from my mistake. My mistake was learning that five stitches totaled out to about $3,100.
Jonathan Strow


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Heritage Singers in Concert
Top HeadlinesDate: September 23, 2008
Contact: email@example.com
Phone: 269-471-3348
The Heritage Singers are a gospel music staple in the homes of Christian music fans. Back by popular demand, the Heritage Singers will perform on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008, at 8 p.m. at the Howard Performing Arts Center at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich.
Originally started 37 years ago, the founder of the Heritage Singers, Max Mace, intended this to be a one- or two-year ministry. He and his wife, Lucy, quickly learned, "When God calls you to do his work … you just obey." The Heritage Singers have had various members come and go, and have been led by God the whole way, while touring more than 60 foreign countries and every single state in the U.S.
The Heritage Singers are Dave Bell, Tim Calhoun, Marcelo Constanzo, Becki Trueblood Craig, Melodie Davis, Tim Davis, Shani Judd Diehl, Cindy Haffner, Adriane Mace, Max Mace, Val Mace Mapa and Scott Reed, supported by arranger/producer Art Mappa and sound engineer Greg Mace. They have one thing in common with each other: they've all been singing since they were young. Their love for music has brought them together to form more than a music ensemble—it is a power-filled ministry.
Tickets for Heritage Singers can be purchased by calling the Howard Performing Arts Center box office at 269.471.3560. General admission tickets are $15 and Andrews University student tickets are $5. Special rates apply for groups and Flex Series tickets.

subset: commoncrawl


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AVT pioneered the use of this patented steam as a hard surface disinfection protocol (TANCS®), and is the [sole] licensee for this application - Walter J. Bauer, President, Bauer Energy Design Inc.
Everett, WA (PRWEB) April 16, 2012
Advanced Vapor Technologies (AVT) has announced that TANCS-equipped steam vapor sanitation devices come standard with patented technology that disinfects faster than traditional methods.
According to Walter J. Bauer, President, Bauer Energy Design Inc., the patent holder (US Patent No. 7,547,413): "The patent includes broad claims to novel methods and systems and their use in disinfecting or sterilizing a surface, an object or an environment with a special treated water steam."
Bauer continues: "Surface-mediated infectious disease transmission is a major concern in a variety of settings... Chemical disinfectants frequently used to reduce contamination pose significant risks to humans and the environment. Some microorganisms have natural resistance to chemical disinfectants which operate over a narrow range of pathogens. Additionally, the chemical formulations require long dwell or exposure times which are often overlooked during application."
The patented technology now featured in all AVT TANCS-equipped steam vapor sanitation devices includes claims to an enhanced type of steam vapor that can effectively kill a broad range of microorganisms within 3 - 5 seconds, reduce surface-mediated infection risks, and serve as a green, more effective alternative to chemical disinfectants.
"Advanced Vapor Technologies LLC (AVT) of Everett, WA pioneered the use of this patented steam as a hard surface disinfection protocol (TANCS®), and is the [sole] licensee for this application. The protocol is suitable for a wide range of cleaning and disinfection issues not readily addressed by traditional chemical disinfectants," concluded Bauer.
Results achieved in disinfecting contaminated hard surfaces with this novel steam vapor system with TANCS®, and protected by the U.S. patent, were peer reviewed and published in the scientific American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC, 2009 Feb;37(1):20-7).
The accompanying chart – from Antimicrobial Test Laboratories Study Report, "Quantitative Technology Comparison for Traditional Liquid Chemical Disinfectants," Completed September 1, 2007, Issued September 4, 2007 - shows typical comparative results between TANCS steam vapor and other common chemical disinfection methods (brand names are available upon request).
Future announcements will detail the documented superiority of TANCS steam vapor over non-chemical interventions from ionized water to traditional steam vapor devices.
About Advanced Vapor Technologies
Advanced Vapor Technologies' proprietary TANCS steam vapor system is scientifically proven to rapidly eradicate MRSA, VRE and C. difficile spores and many other microorganisms. The process is safer and faster than chemical disinfectants, is non-consumptive and uses clean, green technology. For more information go to http://www.advap.com/tancs.
(TANCS is a registered trademark of Advanced Vapor Technologies.)


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Rosemary T. Menker, 76
Rosemary T. Menker, 76, St. Marys, died at 2:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, at Otterbein Retirement Center, St. Marys.
She was born on May 9, 1935, in Fort Loramie, to William and Theresa (Sherman) Albers, and they preceded her in death.
On July 2, 1955, she married Norman U. Menker, and he survives at Otterbein.
She is also survived by three sons, Rob (Jane) Menker of St. Marys, John Menker of St. Marys and Andrew (Amy) Menker of St. Marys; five daughters, Terri (Dale) Whetstone of St. Marys, Chris Freewalt of St. Marys, Kathy (Tom) Bruggeman of St. Marys, Mindy (Dave) Wilkinson of Westerville and Trisha (Shawn) Gibson of Columbus; three brothers, Clete (Irene) Albers of Ashland, Rob (Viola) Albers of Coldwater and Urb (Vi) Albers of Minster; two sisters, Jeanette (Bob) Weaver of Minster and Mary Ann (Roger) Schmitmeyer of Fort Loramie; 23 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren.
Rosemary was a 1953 graduate of Fort Loramie High School. She retired from Huffys after 25 years of employment. She was an avid member of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church and Altar Society in St. Marys.
She enjoyed and cherished spending time with her family, gardening, sewing, playing bridge with her friends, having luncheons with her high school classmates and caring for their dog, Tiny.
Rosemary was a devoted wife, a wonderful mom, an incredible grandma and a great friend. As our hearts ache for the physical loss of her, we find solace knowing that she is now with God. She is at peace. And for that, we are grateful.
A Mass of Christian burial will begin at 11 a.m. Monday at Holy Rosary Church, St. Marys, with the Rev. Tony Cutcher officiating.
Burial will follow at Gethsemane Cemetery in St. Marys.
Visitation hours will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday at Cisco Funeral Home of St. Marys, located at 1175 E. Greenville Road.
Memorial contributions can be made to Grand Lake Hospice or to Friends of Holy Rosary.
Condolences may be left at Ciscofuneralhome.com.


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Comprehensive DescriptionRead full entry
The Flatwoods salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum) was first described by Cope in 1868 but has remained rare in museum collections to this day. This species is a small, slender species of Ambystoma with a light gray reticulate or frosted pattern on a dark gray or black dorsum (Petranka 1998), though gulf coast populations often have a brownish gray reticulate pattern on the dorsum. The venter is typically dark gray with a light gray flecking or spotting pattern present. Adults may reach lengths of 13.5cm in total length (TL) (Palis 1996) with an average of 15 costal grooves in a range of 13-16. Larvae develop a yellow - gold vertebral stripe along the length of the body shortly after hatching. Hatchlings are identified by their uniformly dark brown dorsal patterning and their pale brown venter. Hatchlings typically measure 7.5-11.5 mm SVL and 10-19 mm TL (Anderson and Williamson 1976; Palis 1995).


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After purchasing this deal, you will need to visit the website listed on your Groupon voucher to complete redemption. Need help redeeming? Click here.
Choose from Three Options
- $24.99 for a sterling-silver leaf lariat mini name necklace with one name ($84.99 value)
- $34.99 for a sterling-silver leaf lariat mini name necklace with two names ($99.99 value)
- $44.99 for a sterling-silver leaf lariat mini name necklace with three names ($114.99 value)
- Read about the necklaces here.
From its beginnings more than 20 years ago as a brick-and-mortar jewelry store in New York, MonogramHub has developed into an online emporium full of finely crafted jewelry pieces, personalized for every customer. The team of skilled craftsfolk at Monogram Hub specializes in one-of-a-kind products such as photo pendants for preserving a precious family memory or ornate monogram cufflinks for remembering which tailored suit in the closet is yours. Jewelers create glittering earrings, necklaces, and rings in the shape of a client's name, engrave wedding rings with anniversary dates, or fashion delicate hamsa and wishbone charms for good luck.


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Liga, Round 8
Saturday, October 14, 20:45 CET
Atleti - Barca
Liga, Round 8
Saturday, October 14, 20:45 CET
Atleti - Barca
Says Atleti will not provide any tickets to FC Barcelona for the upcoming game due to "logistical" reasons. The 62 Barcelona fans who have already bought their tickets will be allowed into the stadium but no other Barcelona fans will be allowed.
I hope we don't release any tickets to them either.
? whats really unfair
Looking forward to this one as always with clashes against Atletico.
Coming after internationals always looks tough on us and there are hardly more serious opponents than Rojiblancos.
Don't want to use term "real test" as we already played Juve but this will be a challenging task for Valverde.
Barca Man of the Match
How to use the Formations Code
Free Catalonia!
It's not pathetic. The Atleti supporters could turn violent given recent events.
That probably means they will allow those 62 Barca fans to enter and sit in the away fans' section and leave the rest of the seats in that section empty. Truly pathetic.
Other Barca fans wanting to go to the game should just purchase tickets in the general/home sections and proudly wear their Barca apparel. They can't throw them out.
Sóc Culer.
I doubt there will be violence or any clashes.
Just Atletico being dicks.
Messi gonna torch their new stadium now.
2nd toughest away match after the international break? Yeah I won't be surprised if we don't win.
I would put messi on the bench for this one to avoid injuries and give a needed resr. Just play for a draw and sub him on in the 60th minute. Best case scenario we steal a win but im glad with a point given the circumstances.
Won't be pretty but I'm confident we'll win.


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inentertainment.co.uk: "For Skyrim fans we can understand the frustration because you cannot get something that you feel is owned to you, but it could be a blessing if this DLC does not come out just yet as there are so many other great games that have just been released or are almost upon us."
I doubt PS3 owners are just sitting around waiting for Bethesda to release dlc
Was excited for dawnguard, but not anymore. Once it releases I'm sure il be occupied with something else and will no longer have interest for the dlc. Bethesdas won't be getting any money from me due to delay and the case will be the same for many other gamers
skyrim look and runs awful on 360 too, just slightly less awful than the ps3 version, coulda seen it coming, even before release todd howard came right out and said straight up the game was intended for next gen, but next gen never came and the game was done, its awesome and stunningly beautiful on pc, 60 frames everywhere, 8x aa at 1600p
-its a flaming turd on console


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Social Meetings
One aspect of revivalism and Pietism in North America and Europe was the development of prayer meetings, revival services (protracted meetings), "testimony" ("experience") meetings, hymn sings, missionary conventions, and other assemblies alongside traditional Sunday morning worship services. Most early 19th-century Mennonites and Amish resisted such meetings as they resisted the revivalistic movements in general. With the acceptance of revivalism, Sunday schools, and prayer meetings among the more acculturated Mennonite groups, opposition to social meetings and evening meetings faded. Since Mennonites and Amish have acculturated at varied rates, social meetings, evening meetings, hymn sings, and Bible study groups were divisive issues for groups as diverse as the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference (Rudnerweider Mennonites) and the Old Order Amish in the mid and late 20th century. Even as this was happening, some congregations among the more acculturated groups in North America (Mennonite Church, General Conference Mennonite Church, etc.) had begun, by the 1980s, to abandon the revival meetings, prayer meetings, and Sunday evening church services they accepted in the early 20th century. This trend gave rise to criticism from members for whom these aspects of evangelical revivalism had become part of "traditional" Mennonite life since the 19th century.
Wittlinger, Carlton O. Quest for Piety and Obedience: the Story of the Brethren in Christ. Nappanee, IN: Evangel Press, 1978: 82.
Epp, Frank H. Mennonites in Canada, 1920-1940: a People's Struggle for Survival. Toronto: Macmillan, 1982: 427-29.
Hostetler, John A. Amish Society. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins U. Press, 1980: 280-83, 399-304, 344-45.
|Dennis D Martin
|Date Published
Cite This Article
MLA style
Martin, Dennis D. "Social Meetings." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1989. Web. 17 Nov 2018. http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Social_Meetings&oldid=77805.
APA style
Martin, Dennis D. (1989). Social Meetings. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 17 November 2018, from http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Social_Meetings&oldid=77805.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 834. All rights reserved.
©1996-2018 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.


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Course Details
ACC412 Accounting Information Systems
A study of the analysis and design of accounting systems, this course will be substantially hands-on involvement in computerized accounting capabilities. Emphasis will be placed on various approaches to the transaction-processing cycle, using a suitable software package, problems of internal control, EDP auditing and the accountant's role in the systems-development process. Prerequisite: CIS 124 and ACC 240
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: CIS124 and ACC240


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14 Apr 2014 06:59:24 AM
VIDEO: Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen's Hilarious and Awful TUF Brawl, In Its Entirety
The infamous "brawl" episode of TUF Brazil 3 finally aired yesterday, giving us a complete picture of what led up to Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen tussling on the gym floor, and it's honestly one of the funniest moments in TUF history. Silva instigates the situation by punching his palm and repeating the word "soon!" at Sonnen, like a schoolyard bully from a Disney movie. He spits at Sonnen's feet, and I hate to make insulting comparisons here, but it's the kind of thing that a llama or ape would do.
Chael remains as a cucumber, though: "How do you feel when you say crazy things like that to me, when I've been challenging you for years. You ever feel weird about that?"
At the 0:40 mark, I kid you not, Wanderlei says that Sonnen is going to have a daymare. Goodness, the English language offers so many possibilities for clever turns of phrase. But the best part is when Chael tries to grill Wandy on when exactly they're going to fight. Of course, Wandy doesn't have a clear answer for that. Then, Silva does some kind of slapping thing in front of Chael's face, and the next time Silva closes distance on him, it's on. Before you know it, Sonnen is on top of Silva, and Andre "Dida" Amade — who is an assistant coach on the show, not a competitor — is slugging Sonnen in the back of the head and ripping his jersey.
And that's when this whole incident goes from comedy to tragedy. Sonnen called Dida's behavior "straight-up illegal", and he might have a point there. Just because you're sucker-punched on a reality show doesn't mean that normal assault rules don't apply. Right? I have no idea, actually; I've never been on a Brazilian reality show. But I hear good things.
A few more important notes about this episode, via Wikipedia:Read More DIGG THIS


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The National Rifle Association released a video on their website bringing President Obama's family into the national gun debate. The ad premiered Tuesday and calls the Obama "an elitist hypocrite" for sending his children to class with Secret Service protection, while dismissing the organization's strategy to place armed guards in every school in America.
"Are the president's kids more important than yours? Then why is he skeptical about putting armed security in our schools when his kids are protected by armed guards at their school?" asks the clip's narrator. "Mr. Obama demands the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes, but he's just another elitist hypocrite when it comes to a fair share of security. Protection for their kids, and gun-free zones for ours."
PLUS: Should Parents Ban Toy Guns?
According to USA Today the White House officially spoke out about the video this morning, calling the NRA's reference to Sasha and Malia as "repugnant and cowardly." Obama spokesperson Jay Carney further commented, "Most Americans agree that a president's children should not be used as pawns in a political fight."
Furthermore, the president has little say in whether or not Sasha and Malia go to school with protection. The Secret Service requires it.
PLUS: The NRA Releases Controversial Shooting Game for Kids
This morning President Obama unveiled his plan to reduce gun violence, including banning military-style assault weapons, limiting the number of bullets ammunition clips can hold, strengthen existing legislation on background checks, and increasing access to mental health services. It is the toughest gun reform proposal in decades.
Do you think it was right for the NRA to reference Obama's family in their ad? What do you think of Obama's plan? Leave a comment.


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Make An Upholstered Headboard from a Wool Blanket
Daniel from Manhattan Nest has done it again. First he transformed an old dresser into a sleek desk, and now he's fashioned his own upholstered headboard (in the likes of the Tate bed from Crate & Barrel and the Ella bed from Room & Board) by using a wool army blanket he picked up for a song at a U.S. Army Surplus store. See how he did it below:
What You Need
1/2″ Plywood ($17.50)
Fabric ($25)
6 Yards of Batting ($36)
1.25″ wood trim for frame ($9)
Minwax stain ($6.50)
Total Cost: $94
Automatic staple gun
A ton of staples
After looking at various textiles on eBay, in fabric sources, at thrift stores, etc., Dan realized that his "affordable" DIY idea was about to turn into one expensive ordeal if he didn't find a good alternative. His problems were solved when he came across a $25 wool army blanket at Kaufman's Army & Navy Surplus in Midtown, Manhattan. Even better when he realized the color and texture was almost identical to the lush (and expensive) Knoll textile fabric swatches he'd picked up. What follows is a detailed and quite entertaining How To if you want to undertake this project for yourself.
Thanks, Dan!
(Images: Daniel Kanter. Originally published 2010-07-23)


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The Treasure at Medinet
after Professor Louis Hoffmann
One legend says that there was an Eastern prince,
Haroun al Elim, who made a number of roads crossing his kingdom and
built eight fortresses so that no two of them were on the same road.
A map of that kingdom - unfortunately, divided into four square
fragments - was preserved in the Mosque Al Redin, at Medinet, on the
coast of the Red Sea. And there was some reward - a treasure of
ancient jewellery - to anyone who will restore the original positions
of the fragments.
It's an ancient story. Now those castles are in ruins, and the roads
aren't traceable anymore...
But we have copies of all the four square fragments with the roads and
the eight fortresses (red marks) - see the illustration above. First
print the fragments from our special
Print 'n' Play PDF version and
then cut them out.
Now try to solve that old challenge. The object is to arrange four
squares into a bigger one so that no more than one red mark is placed
in each line running across the big square horizontally, vertically or
Step Through:


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Little Garden, Big Sun: Taming The Heat With A Mega Umbrella
Our little back garden heats up like an urban inferno during Washington's sweltering summer months. Determined to make our little garden usable this summer, I spent several weeks searching for a patio umbrella that would provide sufficient shade. The area I was targeting is about 11x13 square feet. Not big (obviously), but big enough to make it a challenge to stay shaded with a standard umbrella.
I narrowed my choices down to an offset (or cantilever) umbrella, which means the pole is off to the side of the sunshade.The main benefit of an umbrella that can be tilted and maneuvered in all directions is that you can adjust the shade with the changing angles of sunlight.
I compared costs and asked around and decided to go with a Costco umbrella, the Portofino Signature Resort Umbrella, which is selling for $799 right now (that includes the base, the umbrella, the cover and the shipping--not bad). I am a big Costco convert but have never purchased anything from Costco.com. Everything was seamless and easy and shipping was free.
This umbrella is awesome. It casts 100 sq ft of shade. A hand crank easily rotates the umbrella 360 degrees and retractable wheels mean I can move the umbrella around as the sun moves. A trigger grip handle allows me to tilt the umbrella into 5 different positions. If it gets windy the base, which I filled with water from the hose, is very sturdy and stable. The frame is powder-coated aluminum and the canopy is Sunbrella® fabric. It tucks away nicely when not in use, too.
Ok, humid Washington summer. I am ready for you. And so are my flowers, which you crushed last year!
(Images: Catrin Morris)


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Beauty & Personal Care
Terms & Conditions
*20% off on Beauty and Personal Care Category: 20% discount up to $40 maximum discount. Valid from 11/20/18 at 12:00AM (PST) until 11/26/18 at 11:59PM (PST) or until promotional funding is exhausted, whichever occurs first. Rakuten.com reserves the right to cancel, modify or limit the promotion at any time in its sole discretion. This promotion is open only to individuals 18 or older and must establish a Rakuten.com account or be signed into their Rakuten.com account to apply the Coupon Code BEAUTY20. This Coupon Code is valid for one-time use and can be used only once per account within a single transaction with one merchant, while supplies last. Limit one redemption for each coupon per household. Coupon code exclude certain products due to the merchant's sales restriction. Gift cards cannot be redeemed in conjunction with this promotion. Bulk purchases made by re-sellers do not qualify. This promotion is not valid with any other offer. You are responsible to pay for any applicable sales tax on your purchase and this is valid in U.S. only.
All Categories
Showing 1 - 60 of 234,759 results
Show 60


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Sorry for what's likely a redundant "newbee" question:
I've played around with Sugar via DVD boot (I know, USB stick burn is next...). However, I have Fedora 14 installed on a dual-boot (Windows also) ancient Dell 5100 laptop (for my 6 year old now!). We happily play with Scratch under Fedora 14 (works fine under XP too...). I'd like to have Sugar natively installed on Fedora as the default desktop (instead of booting to GNOME or KDE like we do now).
I've searched high and low for detailed instructions about how to do this, but everything keeps pointing me back to SOAS. Again, that's fine, but I want to do a native install, preferably WITHOUT having to kill my now working Fedora 14.
Can someone kindly point me in the right direction (links) as to how to do a non-SOAS install? Also, should I be able to get Scratch running under Sugar (on Fedora 14) without issues?


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Tuesday, 21 May 2013 06:41 PM
Beyond the question of what led still-unidentified IRS agents to use what an audit called "inappropriate" criteria in reviewing conservative groups, the rise of tax-exempt groups in American politics is at the core of the scandal.
At issue is how people on both sides of the nation's political divide have formed hundreds of nonprofit, tax-exempt groups under Section 501(c)(4) of the IRS Code. U.S. law does not require them to disclose their donors and says they must operate "exclusively for the promotion of social welfare."
Under Treasury regulations used for decades, however, the law has been defined to mean that such groups must "primarily" be concerned with social welfare causes, such as "bringing about civic betterments."
That has created enough wiggle room for a new generation of 501(c)(4) groups that are largely dedicated to political causes - their version of "civic betterment" - without specifically endorsing any political candidates, which the IRS forbids.
Such 501(c)(4) groups have been big players in recent elections, spending hundreds of millions of dollars to influence voters.
A deluge of applications from conservatives in the last three years led the IRS to inappropriately target groups with names such as "Tea Party" and "Patriots" for extra scrutiny.
As the Senate Finance Committee grilled outgoing IRS chief Steven Miller and former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman on Tuesday, Democrats on the panel said that expecting the IRS to determine whether groups are too political to be tax-exempt was too much to ask the tax agency.
They said the law should be interpreted as it was originally intended, and that "social welfare" groups should not be allowed to be political at all.
"Notwithstanding the troubling and unacceptable conduct of the IRS, if political organizations do not want to be scrutinized by the government, they shouldn't seek privileges like tax-free status and anonymity for their donors," Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said.
Wyden added that it has become apparent that groups that ought to be "527" organizations - tax-exempt, politically active groups that must disclose their donors - are applying for 501(c)(4) status to avoid having to reveal their contributors.
"That's a loophole the Congress ought to close," Wyden said.
As Republicans continued to press Miller and Shulman over whether partisanship was behind the agency's actions, other Democrats on the Senate panel echoed Wyden.
"I think there are two scandals here," New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez said. "One is the (IRS') management failures and the whole process of singling out specific groups. The other is how we take statutory authority and then extrapolate it differently than what the Congress meant."
Conservative leaders such as Karl Rove - a Republican strategist who helped found Crossroad GPS, the nonprofit that spent more than $50 million on the 2012 elections - have said they view 501(c)(4) groups essentially as equalizers for conservatives: a way to help them match Democrats' fundraising from organized labor and other big groups.
J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general who last week issued the audit that described the inappropriate conduct by the IRS, told the Senate panel that his office was launching a broader probe into the IRS' oversight of 501(c)(4) groups.
Senator Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat and chairman of the panel, said recent elections have shown that, "clearly, a Mack truck is being driven through the 501(c)(4) loophole."
Baucus then chided Shulman, whom the senator accused of not responding to senators' concerns in 2010 about how 501(c)(4) groups would be handled.
"You were on notice, and you did acknowledge you're on notice, but nobody did anything about it," Baucus said. "I'm just quite disappointed."
Shulman responded by calling for clearer laws and regulations regarding tax-exempt groups, a rare moment of agreement between him and senators.
"The IRS is given a very, very difficult task of trying to go in and figure out" whether groups are involved in too much political activity to remain tax-exempt, Shulman said.
"The confusion and breakdown that you saw happen in the Cincinnati office is inexcusable, but ... at least this is my belief, that part of it was because of the very difficult task given to these people."
According to a recent report by the Center for Responsive Politics, the IRS' rate of rejection of applications for groups seeking tax-exempt status is low.
From January 2007 through September 2012, the center estimates, 26 to 28 applications were denied, though other groups may have withdrawn their applications if a rejection were pending.
The IRS' 2012 Data Book indicates that it rejected eight of 2,774 applications from such groups that year.
Conservative groups have complained to Congress about overly aggressive enforcement by the IRS, including demands from the tax agency that the groups answer questions about their donors and any members' plans to run for public office.
But advocates of greater scrutiny of tax-exempt groups fear that the IRS scandal will discourage the tax agency from aggressively challenging applications for tax-exempt status.
"The institutional lesson (the IRS) is learning is that when they push on something in the political sphere, they get smacked," said Arn Pearson, vice president for policy and litigation at Common Cause, a liberal advocacy group. "My concern is that what they're going to do is just really back off, and not do any meaningful enforcement."
© 2018 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.
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St. Marys volleyball rallies past Johnsonburg
JOHNSONBURG – St. Marys volleyball overcame a two-set deficit with wins in the last three in a 3-2 (17-25, 18-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-12) victory over Johnsonburg Tuesday night at Johnsonburg Area High School. St. Marys coach Erica Vogt said it was a nice comeback win for the Lady Dutch. "We have two starters injured right now so we had to bring up a couple girls," Vogt said. "The way they played and the way the team came together was really nice to see."Vogt said she was aided by the play of freshman Taylor Schutz who saw some time in the lineup due to the injuries. "My girls are usually really solid," Vogt said. "Taylor Bellina covers really solid, my hitters are usually solid. Chelsie Gaton hit and blocked took advantage of everything and Taylor Schutz came up and she just played with no intimidation factor. She played, she hustled and she moved and she put the ball where it needed to be. That was good support."After losing the first two sets, St. Marys was able to force a fifth and decisive set with the Ramettes. At 3-all, Johnsonburg scored four straight points on the serve of Katie Galsick, Kiesha Dornish and Chelsea Benson contributed kills during the 4-point run. St. Marys answered with four points of their own to tie the set at 7-all. Sami Hanes poured in a kill to give the serve to the Lady Dutch, then added three straight service points. Dornish added a kill at 8-7 to make the lead two for the Ramettes but the Lady Dutch would then rally to tie the set at 11-all. From there, a ace by Lauren Dalessandro and three overall service points put St. Marys one point from victory. After Johnsonburg scored a point on a Lady Dutch service error, Hanes punctuated the match with a kill to give St. Marys victory. "Our first two games, we weren't together," Vogt said. "We had a lineup issue in the second game. They got it together in the second game and they played. To come back, they really wanted this. Every single girl contributed. It was good to see my team play their game." Johnsonburg coach Bill Shuey said the errors down the stretch cost the Ramettes. "Too many errors," Shuey said. "I thought we did OK the first game but then we lost the momentum due to St. Marys' play, they played hard, they played right with it. You can't win against good team and make that many errors." Although St. Marys lost the second set, the Lady Dutch gave Johnsonburg a scare after some early trouble. Johnsonburg had built the lead to 13-4 but the Lady Dutch evaporated the 9-point lead to four at 15-11. Galsick had a pair of kills as Johnsonburg scored five straight points to make it 20-11. St. Marys scored seven of the last eight points to make the lead 21-18 before four straight points from the Ramettes. Dornish earned the final kill for the Ramettes as Johnsonburg took a 2-0 lead with the 25-18 victory. Vogt said the confidence built by the second-set rally was felt throughout the rest of the match. "It was when they realized they could do this," Vogt said. "It was in the second game when we had the lineup issue and we were kind of off track. Even though we lost that game, they recovered easily. They really just got their heads with it. At that point, they just made a decision that they were going to take it. When you come back, their confidence builds. I think that's where it started to turn around. They didn't give up."St. Marys pushed out to the early lead in the third set with four of the first five points. Overall, the Lady Dutch had a 10-5 lead before the Ramettes would eventually come back to tie the set at 13 after a Galsick block. That block punctuated three straight points for the Ramettes. The set was tied at 14-all, 15-all, 17-all, 18-all and 19-all. At 19-all, St. Marys pushed ahead with four straight points en route to taking the third set 25-22. The fourth set was again tightly contested between the two county rivals as neither team could stretch the lead far. The teams had seven ties in the fourth set. At 17-all, St. Marys scored three points off the serve of Abbey Cribbs, then Chelsea Benson of Johnsonburg answered with two service points of her own after a Galsick kill to put the set at 20-all. Again, St. Marys ended a set with a momentum burst, this time it was a 5-1 run to force the fifth set at 25-21. "I think in the fourth game we missed six serves and we lost three," Shuey said. "You take those serves away and we're right in it. Then the indecisiveness with the girls," Shuey said. "They got into a mode of not trying to lose instead of trying to win and waiting for the match to get over." Johnsonburg had a momentum surge in the first set to pull away from the Lady Dutch. At 10-all, the Ramettes scored nine of the next 10 points to take a 19-11 lead as Dornish added a pair of kills while Brittany Watts and Benson scored blocks for Johnsonburg during the run. Galsick had six straight service points for the Ramettes from 13-11 to 19-11. Johnsonburg is at Kane for a 6 p.m. match Thursday. St. Marys is slated to host Bradford with junior varsity action to start at 6 p.m.
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The new Lakers coach famously wants his players to shoot in seven seconds or less. I'm not going to require that long to list the reasons that hiring Mike D'Antoni was yet another Buss blunder.
He's never taken a team to an NBA Finals. He has a losing record in the playoffs. He doesn't coach defense. His sprinting offense will be tested on a team led by aging guys who no longer sprint.
And, oh yeah, he's not Phil Jackson.
I'll repeat what I wrote on Friday, only now with a greater and sadder emphasis: The only way the panicky firing of Mike Brown makes even an ounce of sense is if he was immediately replaced by Jackson.
Turns out, not only did Jim Buss not have a deal in place with Jackson when he fired Brown -- an inconceivable truth -- but he also wasn't prepared to make a deal. Buss apparently walked away from Jackson partially because the coach asked for an ownership piece of the team. Magic Johnson wins five championship rings and gets a piece of the Lakers, but Jackson's five championship rings gets him the door? This couldn't be because Jim Buss never really liked Jackson, could it?


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Amazing Roland RP101 Offer At Our Huddersfield Store!
This Saturday, 19th July come to Dolphin Huddersfield and walk away with a brand new Roland Digital Piano (after paying for it of course!)
Amazing but true we have 3 Roland RP101 Digital Pianos available.
First come, first served and they're being offered at an incredible price of £635 which is over 29% off srrp!
Buy one whilst you can. We expect them all to be sold this weekend.


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Event: Madhur Bhandarkar, Salim Khan and many other B-town celebrities attend Rati Agnihotri's Christmas party. Take a look.
Guest List: Shraddha Pandit, Madhur Bhandarkar, Rati Agnihotri, Salim Khan, Atul Agnihotri, Alvira Agnihotri, Kailash Surendranath, Aarti Surendranath, Nisha Jamwal
Bollywood celeb Aamir Khan along with wife Kiran Rao were spotted at PVR.
Bollywood producers-directors Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Krishan Kumar, Ravi Bahl, Divya Khosla Kumar, Sajid Nadiadwala, Wardha Nadiadwala celebrate diwali with Bhushan Kumar
Bollywood celebs Kareena Kapoor Khan, Malaika Arora, Sonali Bendre, Nimrat Kaur among others were snapped by paparazzi.Bebo looked super cool in a casual look. She wore a white t-shirt with yoga pants...
Bollywood actress Shama Sikander celebrated Diwali festival at her residence.
Bollywood celebs Aamir Khan, Zaira Wasim, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Anil Kapoor, Nitesh Tiwari, Aparshakti Khurrana, Bhushan Kumar, Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Sachin Tendulkar, Rajkumar Hir...


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Maximum Electro sound insane! Maximum powerful, strong, driving bass! And as bright bright high-frequency sounds will not let you just sit on the couch! Use podcasts, as a substrate in your show in your games, presentations, and many others! Whatever you want! Success to you!
Here you will find the music you are looking for, my collections:
Electro House Jingles and Background


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WILMERDING, Pa. (AP) - Police say a western Pennsylvania mother seeking a "fresh start" abandoned her 8-month-old daughter in the woods with a bottle of milk.
Police say 24-year-old Jennifer Cutruzzula, of Wilmerding, walked into the woods Wednesday night and dropped off the baby. A neighbor who saw Curuzzula leave the woods without the child found the baby crawling on her stomach along a muddy hillside and alerted authorities.
Temperatures were in the mid-30s with light rain falling.
Police say Cutruzzula told them she was having difficulty at home and wanted "a fresh start."
KDKA-TV reports that the baby was taken to a hospital and is doing fine.
Cutruzzula is charged with endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering. She's being held on $50,000 bond.
Court papers didn't list an attorney.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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The Europlug is not compatible with UK sockets.
Product description Braun Series 3 3030s
The Braun Series 3 3030s electric shaver leaves your face perfectly smooth.
- shaves with precision
- helps maintain the shape of your moustache or sideburns
- ensures a close shave, even in hard-to-reach places
- easy maintenance
- washable appliance
- device intended for both wet and dry shaving
- can be used with or without a cable
- USB charging
How to use:
Follow the instructions included.
User's guide can be found HERE
- Type of power supply
- rechargeable/ mains
About the brand Braun
Braun, a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, was founded in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1921 by Max Braun. Braun's focus from the start was on making people's lives easier and more pleasant.
They began by manufacturing radios and were the first manufacturer of the combined radio and gramophone. The now famous Braun logo, which is still in use today, was created in the 1930s. In 1940, Braun patented their first prototype for a men's electric shaver. In 1950, after the war, serial production of the shavers began. This laid the foundations for Braun's current core range.
The basic motto of Braun became 'performance, design and innovation'. In 1956, collaboration with the Ulm School of Design began, and shortly after, the Museum of Modern Art in New York began exhibiting Braun products. In 1964, a new Design Gallery was opened. Since then, Braun has won more than 100 awards for design.
Braun is a leader in technical innovation in all of its core categories and has over 7000 active patents. The main trends currently are quality, reliability, design, and innovation. The core range mainly comprises personal care products. These include men's electric shavers, women's electric shavers, epilators, and hair care products.


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Today T-Mobile announced that their HSPA+ network has expanded to 100 million Americans in more than 55 major metropolitan areas and they plan to double its speed in 2011.
New markets that were launched today include Boston, Mass.; Erie, Penn.; Fresno, Palm Springs and San Diego, Calif.; Miami, Fla.; Richmond, Va.; Spokane, Wash.; and Topeka, Kan.
T-Mobile's HSPA+ network currently offers theoretical peak downloads of 21 Mbps (which they are calling "4G speeds"), but that will double to 42 Mbps next year as the carrier continues to upgrade their network.
The T-Mobile G2 will be their first HSPA+ handset when it launches later this year. The device has a theoretical max throughput of 14.4 Mbps, which is faster than the 10 Mbps that is being advertised by Sprint's 4G WiMAX network.
It looks like T-Mobile will continue to refer to their HSPA+ as 3G in the near future, but I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually brand it 4G. We know it's just a marketing term, so if the other carriers are going to boast 4G then so should T-Mobile.
T0 see if your city has T-Mobile's HSPA+, please visit http://t-mobile-coverage.t-mobile.com/coverageShow Press Release


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Law and the Courts
October 31, 2013
ACE and a group of 41 higher education associations submitted this brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in the ongoing diversity in admissions case, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.
August 30, 2013
Amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Schuette v. the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, urging justices to strike down the state of Michigan's ban on the consideration of race and ethnicity in admissions decisions.
June 4, 2013
Amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in the case Authors Guild v. HathiTrust Digital Library, in which the Authors Guild is charging that the digital repository is violating copyright by making some of its members' work...
May 29, 2013
In October 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overturned a lower court ruling in the case Oregon State University (OSU) Student Alliance v. Ray. The lower court had dismissed a complaint brought by a group of students after their...
April 25, 2013
Amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in support of Georgia State University in a case that looks at whether the non-profit educational use of small excerpts of academic books as e-reserves to enrich classroom teaching are...
March 13, 2013
Amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in a case that will decide what an employee must prove in order to prevail on a claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act that his employer...
February 15, 2013
Amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court filed by ACE and six other higher education associations in support of the University of Oregon in University of Oregon v. Monica Emeldi. The university is asking the Supreme Court to review an appellate...
Labor and Employment
October 25, 2012
This brief was submitted in support of Ball State University (IN) by a coalition of higher education associations, including ACE, and firms from the Higher Education Council of the Employment Law Alliance.
August 13, 2012
Amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Fisher v. University of Texas, which deals with the university's admissions policy.
July 24, 2012
ACE submitted this brief to the National Labor Relations Board as it decides whether to allow private college graduate students to unionize in two cases involving New York University.


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On Sept 12 th we have a Suwannee River clean up hosted by Ton Sergent and Dive Outpost. Meeting at Dive outpost at 9Am There will be door prize which we will raffle off after a bar-b-que lunch. If anyone is planning on going, raise your hand so I can pass on to MichaelAngelo or tell him yourself. That way, we will have an idea of numbers and can plan accordingly.
Hope you can all make it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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20+ DIY Holiday Wreath Ideas
It's both easy and rewarding to craft your own wreath — and you'll wind up with something more beautiful than anything store-bought. Click through to find beautiful DIY holiday wreath ideas for every space and style.
Let winter's harvest inspire your Christmas decorations this year, as Graham Kechnie and Andraya Frith, owners of an old stone house in Hastings County, Ontario, do.
Get step-by-step instructions for this Natural Christmas Wreath.
Break away from the generic circular shape and opt for a riff on Georgian-style mirrors with broken-scroll pediments for a stately, old world look.
Get step-by-step instructions for this Georgian-Inspired Mirror Wreath.
A ring of everlasting foliage clipped from birchbark sheets, makes a pretty perch for ornamental cardinals.
1. Cut an 18″-diam. x 2″-w. ring out of foam core. Print out or draw two leaf stencils. Trace approx. 75 leaves onto 20 sheets of birchbark and cut out leaves with a utility knife.
2. Cover foamcore with bark scraps and hot-glue in place. Arrange leaves in multiple layers on foamcore until fully covered and hot-glue in place.
3. Prop edges on the top layer of leaves with bits of foamcore to give them a multidimensional effect. Attach ornamental cardinals with hot glue to finish.
This festive "chandelier" adds an eye-catching focal point over a buffet table.
1. Tie three strands of ribbon about 6 1⁄2′ each in length at equal distances around a 16″ cedar wreath.
2. Repeat step using 24″ wreath and three strands of ribbon about 3 1⁄4′ each in length.
3. Gather all three strands of ribbon on the 16″ wreath to the center and knot them together about 12″ above.
4. Set the 16″ wreath on a table and hover the 24″ wreath about 12″ above. Feed the longer ribbons through the center of the 16″ wreath.
5. Knot all six ribbons together about 24″ above the 24″ wreath and hang the "chandelier" from a ceiling hook.
A miniature landscape set on a moss wreath reminds us there's no better place to be for the holidays.
1. Cover a 16″-diam. Styrofoam wreath with light green reindeer moss and hot-glue in place.
2. Place a small glittery house ornament and three mini bottlebrush trees in the inner bottom curve and hot-glue in place.
3. Tie a 4″-w. ribbon at the top to finish.
Go beyond evergreen and bows with a rustic offset wreath that's beautifully simple.
1. Arrange pine boughs around one side of an 18″-diam. grapevine wreath.
2. Wedge bough ends into wreath slightly and hot-glue in place.
3. Cluster pinecones at one end and hot-glue in place.
4. Add a few more pine boughs to the other side of the pinecone cluster and hot-glue in place.
Presents don't just belong under the tree — layers of small gift-wrapped boxes make a playful wreath that's ideal for hanging on a child's bedroom door.
1. Arrange boxes into your desired shape.
2. Snap a picture to use as your guide before securing in place.
3. Cut a 12″-diam. x 1″-w. ring out of foamcore.
4. Wrap boxes in coordinating paper and ribbon.
5. Secure wrapped boxes to foam ring with hot glue, starting from the bottom layer and working up.
Grapevine branches wrapped in twinkling lights add subtle sparkle to a cozy corner.
1. Wrap a 30″-diam. grapevine wreath with Christmas lights, weaving in between the vines as you work your way around.
2. Tuck the battery pack on the back of the wreath and secure it in place with floral wire.
Strike a rustic note with a wreath of fallen pine cones presented as a one-of-a-kind snowflake.
1. On heavy-duty cardboard (at least 1 1⁄2″ thick), trace or draw a snowflake that's about 14″ in diameter and relatively simple in design, as the pine cones will quickly fill out the shape.
2. Cut out the snowflake with a utility knife, and working from the tip of each "arm," begin mapping out how the pine cones will sit on the shape, leaving the center until last; think of layering them like petals or feathers and positioning them so that the base won't show through.
3. Once mapped, attach the pine cones with hot glue. To finish, lightly brush the pine cones with craft glue and sprinkle with glitter for a hint of sparkle.
To create a striking square wreath, add fresh greenery to an artificial base like this one. Then pick a ribbon that complements your festive scheme and tie it around the center to create a hanging loop. For another colorful accent, use matching clips to display holiday cards around the door frame.
A yarn-wrapped wreath is a colorful focal point with staying power.
1. Choose 6 or 7 different colors of yarn in rich, vivid shades. (Look for multipacks at craft and dollar stores, or if you're a knitter, sort through your remnants.)
2. Wrap yarn around a round foam wreath form (at craft stores) in sections of varying widths. Knot ends of yarn on back to secure.
3. Attach a cluster of metallic ornaments with safety pins. We used pinecone shapes for a nod to traditional Christmas wreaths, but round ornaments would work, too.
4. Hang the wreath with a contrasting ribbon in a graphic pattern.
Keep boxwood stems unadorned for a fresh and organic look.
1. Using wire cutters, bend a coat hanger or two into an oval shape.
2. Attach boxwood stems to the wire form using florist's tape or wire. Layer the sprigs as you go to conceal the form and achieve a full look.
3. Thread a silk ribbon through the wreath and mount it against an interior or exterior door.
This lush sage wreath is mounted with a length of rustic burlap.
1. Use a metal wreath form as the base.
2. Attach sage stems to the metal form using florist's tape or wire. Layer the sprigs as you go to conceal the form and achieve a full look.
3. Thread a length of burlap through the wreath and mount it against an interior or exterior door.
For a fresh take on the classic Christmas wreath, fill a frame in soft, three dimensional forms.
1. Using hot glue, affix white felt balls to a foam wreath form. For a similar look to the wreath shown, use balls in different sizes. Layer as you go to fill any gaps.
2. After the glue dries completely, loop a length of thick silk ribbon through the top and hang. To enhance the wreath's 3-D effect, consider mounting it against a large mirror.
Create a warm welcome by joining three wreaths with a handsome tartan ribbon.
1. Purchase three small Christmas wreaths. These berry-embellished versions look particularly cheerful.
2. Select two lengths of thick plaid ribbon. The first piece should be long enough to reach about 2/3 of the way down your front door, with some extra length for weaving and securing. The second piece should be long enough to tie a bow.
3. Arrange your wreaths on a flat surface, evenly spaced. Weave the longer ribbon in and out, leaving a bit of length at the beginning and end of the chain.
4. Secure the ribbon wherever it touches the wreaths using hot glue.
5. Tie the short ribbon into a bow and affix to the top wreath with hot glue.
6. After the glue dries, drape the top of the long ribbon over your door and secure it on the inside.
For a sophisticated look, wrap a trio of mini-wreaths in old-fashioned candies.
1. Wrap a foam wreath base with ribbon.
2. Arrange the candies around the outer rim until the pieces fit easily side by side. Attach them to the wreath base with hot glue so they overlap the outer rim by about 1/2″.
3. Repeat for the next two layers, working inward. For a tidy look, the innermost layer should line up evenly where it is attached to the base.
4. Loop ribbon around the top of each wreath, then glue in place.
5. Hang a length of ribbon on the wall, then tap three nails through it where the wreaths will hang. Balance the inner rim of the wreaths on the nails so the ribbons all line up. (See this technique demonstrated in this Online TV segment.)
Instead of littering the mantel, transform tags, photos and Christmas cards into a decorative wreath.
1. On a painted bulletin board, arrange items in a circle and affix them with pushpins. For a large volume of cards, consider dividing them up into pretty color palettes and creating multiple wreaths.
2. Complete the effect by pinning a big satin bow at the top of the display.
Sweeten a dinner party with a sugar-dusted wreath made from gingerbread stars.
1. Order cookies from a bakery or bake them using a gingerbread house recipe (cookies need to be extra-sturdy). Try this recipe.
2. Cut a round base 14″ in diameter from craft cardboard, then an inner hole 4-1/2″ in diameter.
3. Cover the base in tinfoil, punch two holes in the top and thread with a loop of florist's wire.
4. "Glue" cookies to the base with royal icing. Place first layer around outer edge, overlapping cookies so the foil is hidden. Let dry. Attach a second layer overlapping the first to hide the interior edge of base.
5. When dry, dust with icing sugar.
6. Wrap a satin ribbon around the top, and hang by wire loop.
Embellish a store-bought wreath with fresh eucalyptus and plump faux berries.
1. Start with a three-dimensional cardboard wreath, like this snowflake design.
2. There's no need to mess with glue or wire: just tuck the eucalyptus and berries into the frame until it looks leafy and full.
Use bright tissue paper to transform inexpensive picture frames into colorful Christmas wreaths.
1. Choose any frame — we used plastic ones from a dollar store — then remove the backing and glass (if any).
2. Wrap florist's wire around the top center of the frame and create a loop (to hang the wreath later).
3. Cut tissue paper into 2-1/2″ squares.
4. Working around the frame, glue on the tissue paper one piece at a time: center then fold the paper over the rubber end of a pencil, wet the center with white craft glue, then press it onto the frame.
5. When the frame is completely covered, tie thick ribbon in the same hue around the top of the frame to disguise the wire loop, then hang.
Put a preppy spin on the traditional boxwood wreath by working branches into a shapely letter.
1. Choose a font that's not too intricate and print out a letter to the desired size.
2. Using wire cutters, bend a coat hanger or two into the shape of the letter using the print-out as a guide.
3. Wrap the finished letter in green florist's tape.
4. Attach boxwood branches to the letter by wrapping them around it and tying them on with fine-gauge florist's wire.
5. To make the monogram look fuller, layer the boxwood so the leaves point in various directions.
Choose a boxy frame to give a traditional fruit-and-greens wreath a modern feel.
1. Insert magnolia leaf stems into a metal wreath frame, available through florists or craft shops, until the frame is covered, securing them with florist's wire as you go.
2. Next, add the faux fruit (we chose red pomegranates): poke a florist's pick through the base of the fruit, secure pick with hot glue and tie it to the frame with the attached wire.
3. Fill in any gaps with single magnolia leaves.


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Google Maps Street View
Google have added some really cool new navigational tools to Google Maps Street View. The new tools add rectangular overlays on top of Street View that when double clicked zoom you into the view. There are also round overlays that let you jump down a street and other rectangular overlays that let you jump down a street and pan to a particular view.
Check out the video below to see the new tools in action:
The new tools remind me a little of the tools in Photosynth that let you navigate around the different photographs in a 'synth'. In creating interactive hotspots or hyperlinks in Street Views Google may also be paving the way for advertising in Street View. How much would businesses pay to have a hyperlink of a street view of their stores take map users to the company's website? Wouldn't it be cool if you could stroll down your high street in Street View and click on shops and be taken to the store's website?
Via: Google Sightseeing


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The History Of The (Fake) 'Free Public WiFi' You Always See At Airports
from the an-accidental-XP-virus dept
The answer? Well, it's all Microsoft's fault.
Apparently, there was a bit of a bug (one of many...) in Windows XP in terms of how it handles certain situations, and it effectively created a "virus" in that unwitting travelers around the globe are all broadcasting "Free Public WiFi" from their computers without realizing it, after they tried to connect to such a network:
When a computer running an older version of XP can't find any of its "favorite" wireless networks, it will automatically create an ad hoc network with the same name as the last one it connected to -- in this case, "Free Public WiFi." Other computers within range of that new ad hoc network can see it, luring other users to connect. And who can resist the word "free?"And so it continues to spread. No one's quite sure where it started, but somewhere way back when, someone set up such an ad hoc network in an airport (perhaps as a joke or a honeypot), and it got picked up by others... and then it just continued spreading. Eventually, it should die out as Windows XP machines finally go extinct, but for now, enjoy (but don't bother connecting) the "Free Public WiFi" found in so many airports...
Not a lot of people, judging from the spread of Free Public WiFi. Computers with the XP bug that try to connect to the Internet will remember the name, create their own ad hoc networks and entice other users wherever they go.


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Following the core elements of the television show, Tak and the Guardians of Gross immerses players into the adventures of Tak as he journeys to visit a Spoiled Shrine where stray juju magic is coming out of a mysterious crystal. When Tak picks up the crystal, it explodes into one hundred fragments and four Giant Grosstrosities emerge: the noxious Stink Giant, the molten Cheese Giant, the drippy Slime Giant and the lumpy Landfill Giant. Players will be tasked with helping Tak to reconstruct the shattered crystal in order to trap the Grosstrosities that threaten to destroy the Pupununu Village. In addition to the new Grosstrosities, Jeera will make her video game debut as a playable character in special areas of the game.
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced Tak and the Guardians of Gross has shipped to retail outlets throughout North America. Based on Nickelodeon's television series Tak and the Power of Juju, Tak and the Guardians of Gross is now available for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and for the first time, the Wii home video game system. Tak and the Guardians of Gross is rated E10+ for everyone 10 and older and is now available at the suggested retail prices of $19.99 (PlayStation 2) and $39.99 (Wii). The game is also scheduled to be available in Europe and Australia later this month. Read More »
Also known as: Tak: Big Dose of Gross
Release Region: United States
Release Date: October 13, 2008
Publisher: THQ
Release Region: United Kingdom
Release Date: October 31, 2008
Publisher: THQ
Release Region: Australia
Release Date: October 30, 2008
Publisher: THQ
Also available on: PlayStation 2
Tak and the Guardians ... at IGN
Tak and the Guardians ... at GameSpy
Tak and the Guardians ... at GameStats


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Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 12th Feb 2013 22:52 UTC
"If you're paying attention to what's going on in the design world, you've probably noticed the ongoing debate around skeuomorphism vs. flat design." Good overview of the subject from Sacha Greif. This is a very important point: "But where the main victim of realism is merely good taste, taking minimalism too far can have serious consequences on usability. Users have come to rely on a lot of subtle clues to make their way through an interface: buttons have slight gradients and rounded corners, form fields have a soft inner shadow, and navigation bars 'float' over the rest of the content. Remove all these clues, and you end up with a flat world where every element is suddenly placed at the same level, potentially leading to confusion: Is this a button, or simply a banner? Will anything happen if I tap this?"
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RE[2]: minimalism =!= removing useful features.
by siride on Wed 13th Feb 2013 04:11 UTC in reply to "RE: minimalism =!= removing useful features."
Dear God, this.
I just installed Office 2013 and I can't stand it. In addition to adding useless padding inside the UI (a la Gnome/GTK), the completely flat design makes it hard to see what's what and distinguish toolbars from tree views and menus and lists. It's a mess. And it's ugly to boot.


text:
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Review Group Week 182 - DOOM PATROL #1
Hey you! Reader! Want to be a part of the GREATEST COMIC BOOK AND GEEK COMMUNITY on the web?! Well, they're not accepting new members, but we'll take anyone here, so why not sign up for a free acount? It's fast and it's easy, like your mom! Sign up today! Membership spots are limited!*
*Membership spots not really limited!
Hey you! Reader! Want to be a part of the GREATEST COMIC BOOK AND GEEK COMMUNITY on the web?! Well, they're not accepting new members, but we'll take anyone here, so why not sign up for a free acount? It's fast and it's easy, like your mom! Sign up today! Membership spots are limited!*
*Membership spots not really limited!
by thefourthman » Wed Aug 05, 2009 11:13 pm
I didn't say it wasn't good, I liked it too. However, it seems as if that entire year of comics never existed continuity wise.
by Zechs » Thu Aug 06, 2009 1:38 amRead this book on a whim. Only thing I know of Doom Patrol is of their appearance in the Teen Titans tv show. That and their villains ie the Brotherhood of Evil given their appearances in Batgirl and Teen Titans. So with that said honestly the book was average I mean the dialogue and art where there but there wasn't much anything else.
No real good answer as to why they're raiding this base? Nor much care for the team member who bites it and I'm still doing a double take just how she died as well. Still the thing that saved this book for me was the Metal Men. Now that book again I have no clue though this time it's merger it had with Marvel and it was Magneto. Awesome pair of books those where.
Anyway, a fun issue with some witty banter and art. Even though it suffers from the same problems as Doom Patrol did with jumping right into the action it's still better. Honestly giant wooden monster is so much easier than a girl who just suddenly strips from her clothes and skin to reveal she's an android (which like the bandage dude remarked was kinda hot). So out of ten I give the book:
Writing: 4 (MM) 7
Art: 7 (MM) 8
Overall: 6 (MM) 7
Metal Men was just more entertaining to me the new reader than just Doom Patrol.
by Garofani Spruzzo » Thu Aug 06, 2009 8:16 amI guess I'll save my own disappointment for my review, when I can bring myself to write it.
If you've no history with the DP this'll do nothing for you and if you do there's nothing for you here but sour grapes.
by The_Phenomenal_Sage » Thu Aug 06, 2009 9:40 amIts late but screw you, I am just happy to get comics these days, and ONCE again I forgot to pre-order next month so now in like a month I will have a hassle of having to pay extra for comics when I can barely afford it! damn you economy.
Anyone this issue was awesome! Thank goodness I had no real attachments to Kendra or Carter cause that would have just sucked balls. it was a standard set up issue, but it had pretty art and I can't wait to read the Flash/Jordan vs. Martian Manhunter fight! (yes I know its been out for weeks, I just got my box of comics yesterday).
overall - 9
by Starlord » Thu Aug 06, 2009 9:46 amI finished the Doom Patrol this morning and was not impressed (although it was a HELLUVA lot better than the Morisson crap). Still have to read Metal Men.
Review will be up tonight.
by chap22 » Thu Aug 06, 2009 9:51 am
Sturges generally is a good writer, but you're just wrong. that mini was garbage of the highest order. one of the worst things i've read from DC in a long time, and that's saying something.
by MrBlack » Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:34 am
Agreed. Salvation run was just terrible.
by thefourthman » Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:04 pmI liked Salvation Run, it was fun to see all the villains acting in such a manner, my problem is that it was pointless as was most of what DC put out during that period. It didn't lead to anything, in the end it didn't change anything, it's like it didn't happen.
by Starlord » Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:22 pm
I agree. It was fun but ultimately meant nothing...
by Eric Ratcliffe » Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:41 pmcan't get my books this week so no review from me.
by thefourthman » Thu Aug 06, 2009 12:42 pm
but you can review next week.
by Shiro » Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:38 pmCan't get to my LCS this week, so I did an online order, which indluded Doom Patrol.
Away all weekend, so review to follow next week sometime.
by thefourthman » Thu Aug 06, 2009 2:49 pmHey HOJ,
So I got this asshole on Ebay... sent him a book. Have sent out at least five copies of this book, received nothing but great feedback on this book till this guy. Who sends me an email saying the box was damaged when he got it and as a result the book is damaged. So he wants either a refund of x amount or he'll return it for a full refund. I deal in collectibles, so my return policy is merchandise exchange, cause you are always gonna have someone who doesn't like this that or the other about something.
Anyhow, I did my normal deal when I get a complaint on a shipped item. Send me a picture of the damage and I'll see what the owner wants to do. this saves everyone a lot of time and hassle. However, I noted that there was insurance on the purchase. Easy enough, call the post office, they damaged it in transit, they are culpable, that's what the insurance is for. IN my initial email, I explained to him that with the insurance the po should be his first recourse.
Anyhow, this guy is like do this or I'm filing a paypal complaint.... blah blah blah.... never ever once talked insurance and flat out said he was not going to provide proof of damage.
The boss man told be to hold firm on this one, which I was gonna do anyhow, but what do you think?
I think the guy is an ass.
by Garofani Spruzzo » Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:35 pm
The guy is undoubtedly an ass. Your feedback can absorb a neg with no problem--I got my first one recently. What for? Groan. I got a stupid dipshit who doesn't understand the way larger-than-average hardcovers are bound. I won't bore you with the details, but it was a new book in perfect shape. Of course the buyer refused to answer any polite emails trying to nicely inform them of their stupidity on the matter. It still blows me away that there is no recourse for situations like that.
So, the first thing to do is add the buyer to your BBL, and then send me a PM so I can do the same.
Do you have another of the same item to send them if they return the "damaged" one?
Of course I can't say without reading the emails, but it sounds like the buyer is verging on feedback extortion, or heading in that direction. So make sure your communications go through eBay and save 'em. It's unlikely to do you any good in any event, but do it anyway.
The package is insured, which is good--insurance is protection for you, the seller. A claim can be filed by either buyer or seller, but can take a month or two to be processed and approved/denied.
Sounds scammy to me, since the package is insured I would have the buyer return it if they are unwilling to file a claim, either because of laziness or dishonesty, so that you can file a claim. I wouldn't refund anything until the package and item are back in my hands.
You're thinking what I'm thinking, they are trying to extort a partial refund from you without proving any damage or going to the trouble of filing a claim for an insured package. I hate to reward people like that, or further reinforce the fact that eBay is an easy place to scam people so I would want to be firm as well. You have set your refund/exchange terms. You have paid to insure the item. That should be your protection.
But I also probably don't need to tell you that PayPal will probably override all of that for your buyer in all likelihood if he pushes it and says the right things. But you have proof of insurance and I think you'd stand a chance even if they did.
by thefourthman » Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:46 pmthanks for the ideas, I passed along to the boss man. I already blocked. Will pm to you shortly...
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Random AbsurditiesJanuary 31, 2005
A few recent occurrences that have me wondering about the general sanity of publishing online.
Observed on this site in the last 7 days (pardon my obfuscation):
Exhibit A — a prolonged attempt to flood the search form with keywords. A sequential, alphabetical list of nouns and verbs relating to common household items, popular pop culture references, and common sp@mmer standbys.
Exhibit B — continued daily sp@m attempts on the Zen Garden submission form. P0ker, dru9s, and making quick bucks are as popular as ever.
Exhibit C — (and this has to be my favourite) A semi-Godwinian comment on a past entry comparing lack of sensitivity in the design world, to a recent prison scandal on foreign soil. A Google search into this site based on the name of said prison, by another individual. A new and politically-oriented, borderline racist comment added, with an unspecified threat toward the site-owner (um, me) if said comment were deleted. (Comment was deleted). A crap-flood of vengeful, taunting remarks over the course of a few minutes.
The first, I don't understand. The second tells me sp@mmers are a) stupid, and b) attack anything that submits. The third tells me that com-ments on a personal site are no place for free speech.
But hey, silver lining: com-ment and refe-rrer sp@m is at an all-time low. And the less you talk about it, and the more you protect yourself, the more chance you have of similar luck.
: The Register published an interview with a link sp@mmer today. Worth a read. (via)
Zero tolerance for monkeying around in here today. Comments will most likely be nice and hyphenated like the original article, too. You've been warned.
Whats wrong with good ol' fashioned "CAPTCHAS" to prevent it?
Then there's always the fallbacks of IP and cookie filtering and posting throttles
…The rest of us just set an appropiate robots.txt on our comments pages anyway, thus preventing them from being indexed.
I don't see the point in hyphenating s-p-a-m when a simple googleblock does the trick
Hint: Typekey :)
CAPTCHAs are inaccessible in most ways. I have perfect vision and I have a hard time reading them myself sometimes. And they've already been routed around in some cases.
The point wasn't comments in general, anyway. The point was to highlight some of the other oddities I've seen.
And, you're not suggesting I set robots.txt to deny indexing of articles themselves on this site, are you? Because that's where the hyphenation was happening when you commented.
I don't like CAPTCHAs either. You might find this interesting, its an interview with one of the sp@mmers.
What's the point in hyphenating sp@m? Are they known to search for it?
I did find an unusually high concentration of sp@mming on the one entry on my site that talks about a (flawed) counter-measure I came up with. This would seem to support this theory, but I'd be interested hearing about more solid evidence.
W3bbo: the problem with CAPTCHAs are:
1: If you can't see images, because you are visually impaired, are using a text browser or otherwise, then you can't pass the test.
2: Sp@mmers have been known to take CAPTCHAs from websites and use them on their own sites (usually porn). They get the clear text that way.
3: They are just plain annoying. :)
Typekey, for MT users, seems more and more attractive. I'm starting a new MT-powered site, in 1 month tops, and I think I'm going for Typekey-only com-menting.
Yesterday I posted about a particular sp@mmer that was flooding me… This morning he had made his biggest single attack yet; attempting to post crued sp@m on every post in my blog.
I think I'm going to block c-o-m-c-a-s-t, the entire ISP — they bring me nothing but trouble!
Dave: Enjoy your mini sp@m break while it lasts, 'cause you know it won't last ;)
David — The hyphenation is because I have read more than one claim that comment sp@mmers will take on the challenge of going after anyone who 'taunts' them by posting about their lack of the gooey stuff, or the fighting technique, or whatever that's overly anti-sp@m. How do the bad guys find 'em? Google, naturally. So that lends some additional hearsay to your observation, anyway.
There's probably only a slim chance it's really that effective, but Google likes me enough that I'd still prefer not to risk it.
Andrew — probably not. Then comments would just go away, unfortunately.
I am so glad I don't have a popular enough website to lure these sp@mmers, I think that might be the only happiness I get from having such a unused site.
There are so many possible solutions to the comment problem, but none provide a relatively frustration-free experience for the visitor. The time when visitors can anonymously post comments may soon be coming to an end, I fear.
So we have some options…
1) CAPTCHAs, which I don't like.
2) Require user authentication, which I don't like either.
3) If we're trying to get rid of bots, a simple cookie writing could solve the problem….I like this.
4) Send an email to the visitor's email address for verification. They click a link that activates the comment…I also like this.
I forgot, another method of alleviating bot sp@m would be checking the referrer of the form post. If the form is not posted from your site, don't allow it.
In order to be efficient, sp@mmers must rely on brute-force, volume and techniques that can be applied en masse to many, many websites. So it would seem that the means of defeating is not to make sp@mming impossible, just unprofitable.
It seems to me that a number of techniques, if combined would accomplish this:
1. Change the address of the comment submission page.
2. Ban frequent or consecutive comments (within reason) from the same IP address.
3. Use a custom or modified CAPTCHA method, perhaps using more than one image. Ensure that these images cannot be retrieved without actually viewing the page that contains them.
4. Use Google's new anti-referral attribute to keep comment links from being indexed.
Of the above, (3) seems the most difficult, but by no means impossible. The key might be to make your comment system unique in some way to eliminate one-size-fits-all sp@mming techniques.
It could be that I don't fully understand the Google anti-referral thingy but it seems that it won't stop the stupid spiced-hammers (it appears the stupid ones are the topic here) — they will keep doing it, oblivious of the lack of referrals.
It certainly is annoying, I've been trying to figure out a solution to it for a long time, and while the process of validating every comment would be too tedious, flagging 'suspicious' comments (and keeping them hidden until validated) is the most efficient way I've found.
My site stores a long list of IP's and domain names associated with sp@mmers (usually get around ~10 uniques per day) and any comment containing a predefined 'bad word', more than a certain number of hyper links, <h1> or <b> tags used more than a certain number of times and of course a few other methods of weeding out sp@m comments (usually looking at ~20 a day depending on the 'attack'). Still needs some fine tuning, but is working not too badly at this stage.
CAPTCHAs don't have to be bad and complicated. You can setup a simple CAPTCHA, even a text one. Sp@mmers will not go out of their way to try and overcome your CAPTCHA. They do mass sp@mming and don't check whether YOUR particular blog has a comment. If it didn't work – it didn't work. End of story.
You can even setup a simple text CAPTCHA. Something like "What is 4+7?"
Horrible about the threats, Dave. =\
Incredibly unjustified.
It may or may not help, but as you know, most ISPs have a legal department if the IPs were within a consistent range.
I'm not sure about the overall intelligence of people like that in the greater blogosphere, but in the niches (mostly livejournal and derivatives), said negative individuals aren't bright enough to mask their IPs.
I've made a few calls to ISPs before, and they're usually pretty good about consistent abuse.
But, MT Commenting is just a mess to manage. I spent more time deleting junk than working on or enjoying my own site, so I just pulled it. =\
Better luck and best wishes!=)
~ Joel
I know you're trying to avoid hits with your fancy spacing, but Google removes single letter hyphenation and spacing like that.
I suggested on another site that by changing the name of the form fields, the script file name and then encode the entire form would prevent sp@mmers from finding it again. Just like we can encode email addresses.
http://www.baekdal.com/x/encode.html (points to Donna's blog so please do not submit data)
I am however just theorizing, I do not know if it would actually work.
Here's an interesting ook at the breaking of CAPTCHAs:
Short of moderating all comments there;s not much you can do, I'm not aware of any system that effictively removes sp@m 100% and leaves good email/comments alone.
Another sp@mming favourite at the moment is ref-ferer sp@mming.
Im receiving lots of hits from completely unrelated sites, a bit of detective work and I find a site selling software that does this for you, Quite what they think it achives I dont know and im not going to help them by giving out the url here.
My site only gets a handful of visitors a day, so I haven't yet faced the comment-sp@m problem in a major way.
On the view-article page, set the cookie. Server side, on the request for the comment-page, check if the cookie's set. If it is, show the plaintext form, otherwise, show the javascript encoded form.
The mechanism I've proposed above attempts to solve the 'robot using your form' problem. The other problem is 'robot directly hitting the submit script with POST data'.
The solution to that one seems obvious to me — generate a one-time-ticket that's submitted as a hidden field with each form. Have a simple table in your database that holds all one-time-tickets and removes them when they're used. Simply timestamp each one and clear it out if it's unused after 24 hours.
Even if a user submits a comment with an invalid ticket, you can just return them to the comment page with their comment already in the box, and request that they resubmit it (with a fresh ticket).
In response to Justin up at #12: an automated sp@m tool can put whatever it wants in the HTTP_REFERER header. I would imagine somebody's already figured out that it should be the page the form was originally found on.
I have a friend who studies his server logs assiduously to see which search terms drive people to his (commercial) site; I've been thinking of setting something up to hit his site over a period of a few days with a fake Google referer header with all kinds of bizarre search terms… but luckily I don't have too much free time :-)
I'm disappointed. I don't have com/ments enabled on my blog(s), but I get a certain number of hits on the comm/ent script anyway (I use MT, so the name is well-known). I finally substituted the default script with one of my own, just so I could see who was trying to inject their sp@m, but since I did that not one sp@mmer has even tried to sp@m me.
I know what I have to do to get an email address bombarded with sp@m: what do I have to do to lure com.ment sp@mmers down to my honeypot?
Standard image CAPTCHAs are indeed inaccessible. Other CAPTCHAs don't have to be.
I wrote an accessible CAPTCHA package for WordPress: http://meyerweb.com/eric/thoughts/2005/01/24/wp-gatekeeper/ . Also, there's recently been a proposal for accessible image CAPTCHAs: http://www.standards-schmandards.com/index.php?2005/01/01/11-captcha .
Of course, none of this addresses the more fundamental concern over whether CAPTCHAs are a good idea or not. There are arguments to be made either way.
Yes I agree the referrer can be spoofed, but this is a huge improvement over allowing anyone to post to your scripts. I don't have enough experience the say whether most link sp@mmers already spoof the referrer or not.
There are other methods that go hand-in-hand with only allowing pages from your own site to post, and that is set up some type of user session. Give the user session a key (store it on the server, not client), then when the form data is posted authenticate the user against this session key. Basically, the only way to spoof that would be browser emulation, and I *know* most sp@mmers don't do that (yet). ASP.NET does this by default, it stops a lot of potential sp@m from making it into the forms I work with.
Novice alert…
Anyway, over on Autoblog.com (and I'm sure other sites) they require an e-mail confirmation for posting comments. It's cumbersome as hell, but would something like that work? Seems to be working there. The scumbags would have to use a real e-mail address, but even if they automated the confirmation process, perhaps that would give a basis for filtering out the comment sp@m.
I dunno, just kicking out ideas.
I'll second Typekey.
Im receiving lots of hits from completely unrelated sites, a bit of detective work and I find a site selling software that does this for you.


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KZRV to Show Champagne Spree in Louisville
November 19, 2012 by Dave Barbulesco · Comments Off on KZRV to Show Champagne Spree in Louisville
KZRV LP will be introducing its Spree Sandlewood lightweight travel trailer featuring a champagne full-body exterior during the upcoming National RV Trade Show, Nov. 27-29 in Louisville, Ky. According to a press release, KZ will be displaying product in Booth No. 1120 in the South Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center (KEC).
"We are excited to offer full-body color in the Spree line," said Marlene Snyder, product manager. "We have seen great success with the Durango Sandlewood Edition and I'm sure the Spree full-body infused champagne color will see the same success."
KZRV will be introducing three new Spree floorplans at this year's show, including a unit sporting three sliderooms, an island kitchen, 48-inch shower and large bunkroom. The Sandlewood Edition is trimmed out with black accents and will have the newly redesigned Spree aerodynamic front cap.
The Spree Sandlewood models range from 24- to 36 feet in length, weigh 4,300 to 7,200 pounds and are available in over 17 floorplans. The Spree Sandlewood Edition, nicely equipped, has MSRP's starting around $24,600.
In addition, Spree is covered by KZ's 2-year limited warranty that protects against defects in materials and workmanship for two years from date of delivery. For more information on the warranty visit www.kz-rv.com.


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Like most financiers, Mimi Alemayehou is in the business of making investments that are going to pay her back. But Alemayehou works at a development agency. So instead of stocks, bonds, real estate or currency swaps, she spends her days thinking about more unusual investments, like rice husks in India, for example.
Welcome to the world of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. government agency where Alemayehou has served as the Executive Vice President since March 2010. A 1998 MALD graduate of The Fletcher School at Tufts University, Alemayehou is charged with helping the agency fulfill an intriguing mandate: to support U.S. investment and foster development in emerging markets worldwide.
"We support U.S. investment in the neediest places, like Liberia and Haiti and Afghanistan. We're not an export agency, we're a development agency, that's what's in our veins," she said in a presentation at Fletcher last week, the latest in a series hosted by the school's Institute for Business in the Global Context.
Similar to governmental aid agencies such as USAID or Britain's DFID, OPIC is charged with figuring out ways to help build economic and social prosperity and pull people out of poverty in developing countries. But unlike these agencies, OPIC doesn't provide aid – it supports private sector investment. OPIC has to fulfill its mission on a self-sustaining basis, which means returning money to the U.S. taxpayer every year.
The way OPIC makes this happen, Alemayehou said, is by supporting investments in development that also help U.S. businesses get a foothold in fast-growing emerging markets. Using tools such as political risk insurance, loans, guarantees and support for private equity funds, according to the agency, to date it has supported nearly $200 billion of investment in over 4,000 projects, generated $74 billion in U.S. exports and supported more than 275,000 U.S jobs. Last year OPIC made $270 million for the U.S. government, Alemayehou added.
The rice husk investment is one example of an innovative project that helps further economic prosperity and also makes money. OPIC loaned $750,000 to a group of Indian-American entrepreneurs who came up with a way to take the discarded husks of rice, which are usually dumped in a landfill, and use them to generate electricity in impoverished Indian villages. The loan, the agency says, helped the company, Husk Power Systems Inc., build three dozen mini-power plants and power light bulbs and mobile phone chargers in villages that are off the power grid.
"We look not for just financial return, but also social and environmental returns," Alemayehou said.
"The things that keep me awake at night are: Do we have the right balance in our portfolio? Are we taking too much risk in a certain country or sector? Are we being innovate enough with our products to meet the demand from our clients? Are we maximizing our developmental impact?" she mused. "The challenge is also to find U.S. firms that are interested in making these types of investments."
Prior to coming to OPIC, Alemayehou was U.S. Executive Director at the African Development Bank and served as the most senior U.S. Treasury official in Africa. She also founded a development consulting firm, Trade Links, LLC, which worked with clients on emerging markets issues and promoting African exports.
It's a career track she said wouldn't have been possible without the multidimensional research and study experience she got while at Fletcher.
"In my job, I regularly rely on what I learned at Fletcher. At OPIC, we are balancing financial returns with environmental impact, social impact, and economic impact," Alemayehou said. "So the broad curriculum I completed at Fletcher comes in handy."
Alemayehou cited her Fletcher studies with Prof. Laurent L. Jacque, director of the School's International Business Studies Program, as being particularly instrumental in influencing her future career. "I didn't come to Fletcher to get an MBA, but after Professor Jacque's class, I was hooked," she said.
Alemayehou went on to pursue coursework in International Business Transactions with Prof. Joel Trachtman, which she said she uses everyday, along with studies in International Negotiation & Conflict Resolution with the program's founder, Prof. Jeswald Salacuse. "I still have his book on my shelf," she said.
"Fletcher offers what's missing from most MBA programs: anyone can give students business models, but to truly make an impact you first have to understand the countries, the people and the political situation," said Alemayehou. "Having a Fletcher degree helps you understand that context."
--Mike Eckel, F13 MALD Candidate