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Some topics are best avoided. The bill aimed at making changes in Florida's alimony system might be one, for me.
By writing about it at all, I am sure to hear from lots more people who are angry and bitter about their divorce and how the courts dealt with it and how the ex-spouse has been a jerk, and so on.
It is grim and depressing stuff. And those who talk to me must often hate my response, which, tactfully as I can say it, almost always comes to this: I'm sorry for all your grief, and you could be right that what happened is unfair, but I'm not doing a column about your terrible divorce, your terrible ex, your terrible lawyer or your terrible judge.
Sometimes I also tell the caller -- after he or she adamantly lambastes a judge for being an idiot for not seeing right away that the ex-spouse is a lying, irresponsible creep -- that the judge wasn't really the most gullible person in the courtroom. What about the person who once married that irresponsible, lying creep? And how could any judge settle things fairly and lawfully and make both sides agree it was all fair and square?
When I started hearing last year from activists promoting alimony reform, I saw they had some good points. Their horror stories included cases of ex-spouses -- often but not always women -- getting free paychecks forever. Though young enough to start a career, these spouses had no motivation to even train for one as long as a reasonably prosperous ex-husband kept the court-ordered alimony payments coming.
That seemed like a holdover from ancient times, when courts often assumed a wife to be dependent and lost without a man to pay the bills. Lots of women have valid gripes about men who owe child support and aren't paying, but some of these stories did not involve children. They were usually about men still making large alimony payments decades after the children, if any, were grown.
The checks also continued long after the ex was shacked up with a new partner. They never stopped.
But I still stayed out of it, guessing that sort of thing was rare and figuring reforms would get nowhere. Angry men would vent and talk to lawmakers, but nothing would happen, I assumed.
Maybe I forget that prosperous males dominate the Legislature. Maybe many have no problem imagining a fed-up wife hitting the road and seeking lifetime alimony.
Anyway, for whatever reason, the alimony reform bill seemed to fly right though the Legislature. And now it is on the governor's desk, ready to sign.
Art Ginsburg, a Sarasota lawyer, was a little late when he started sending warnings that this alleged reform would be terrible.
"The bill is caustic to women and families," he wrote. Under it, alimony "can only be ordered for half the length of the marriage. A woman married for 20 years, who has been a stay at home Mom with three children and married to a multi-millionaire can only receive 10 years of alimony." If the alimony stops at age 60, he said, getting a job then with no professional experience "is nearly impossible."
Well, a leisurely life living forever on alimony would be nice, no doubt. But hold on. That ex also generally gets half the marital assets, including half the man's retirement package, and will be entitled to Social Security from his pay-in. So, is it really cruel to expect that, during a decade getting alimony, she spend at least some time preparing to get a job?
Not many people are entitled by law to be supported in style for life, and not many should be. And there are women who will testify that permanent alimony harms them, too. And not just the few paying alimony. Talk to the wife of a once-divorced man still paying alimony to a woman who divorced him 20 years ago.
Gov. Rick Scott's intent regarding the bill is unknown. He has reportedly limited his comments, so far, to saying how glad he is to still be married to his first and only wife.
A governor might well wish this topic hadn't come up, as it will no doubt mean he, too, will now have to hear lots of emotional divorce horror stories.
My guess is he will sign the bill, or not, based on what he thinks will win him the most votes. Or lose the fewest.
Some of the changes in this bill seem reasonable, and overdue. But no law and no judge could possibly stop many of the divorce stories from being sad and grim and terrible.
Tom Lyons can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com or (941) 361-4964.
Divorce issue hard to ignore anymore
Some topics are best avoided. The bill aimed at making changes in Florida's alimony system might be one, for me.


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I had decided to make the Yule log on the day after
When I got back to my apartment, (and still dark kitchen) I was feeling pretty relaxed and looking forward to the challenge. I had read about the other DB's experience with the Yule log and icing and had hopefully learned how to avoid their mistakes. Oddly enough, it seems like I had. This challenge went relatively smoothly, but maybe it was just the calm mood I was in. The most difficult part of the whole thing was carrying my Yule log over to my Aunt and Uncle's house for dinner that night as the sidewalks still hadn't been cleared and the snow was much less friendly in the dark as I struggled with my cake. Of course the walk there is uphill so that didn't help. But I arrived, was handed a glass of wine and went in to sit by the fire to warm up. We had beef bourguignon for dinner and Yule log for dessert. And I got bonus points for the SuperMario inspired mushrooms. Challenge completed. Now I'm off to brave the sidewalks that are once again being overrun by Slow Walkers, and with only three days left until Christmas, these are particularly crazy Slow Walkers. Good luck to anyone who is not done their shopping, "yule" need it… (Sorry, that was bad.) Be sure to check out the other Yule Logs from the Daring Bakers Blog Roll, (now somewhere in the millions...).

subset: commoncrawl


text:
One of the features that the Groovy people like to flaunt is the joint compilation of
.groovy and
.java files. This is a fantastically powerful concept which (among other things) allows for circular dependencies between Java, Groovy and back again. Thus, you can have a Groovy class which extends a Java class which in turn extends another Groovy class.
All this is old news, but what you may not know is the fact that Scala is capable of the same thing. The Scala/Java joint compilation mode is new in Scala 2.7.2, but despite the fact that this release has been out for more than two months, there is still a remarkable lack of tutorials and documentation regarding its usage. Hence, this post…
For starters, you need to know a little bit about how joint compilation works, both in Groovy and in Scala. Our motivating example will be the following stimulating snippet:
// foo.scala class Foo class Baz extends Bar
…and the Java class:
// Bar.java public class Bar extends Foo {}
If we try to compile
foo.scala before
Bar.java, the Scala compiler will issue a type error complaining that class
Bar does not exist. Similarly, if we attempt the to compile
Bar.java first, the Java compiler will whine about the lack of a
Foo class. Now, there is actually a way to resolve this particular case (by splitting
foo.scala into two separate files), but it's easy to imagine other examples where the circular dependency is impossible to linearize. For the sake of example, let's just assume that this circular dependency is a problem and cannot be handled piece-meal.
In order for this to work, either the Scala compiler will need to know about class
Bar before its compilation, or vice versa. This implies that one of the compilers will need to be able to analyze sources which target the other. Since Scala is the language in question, it only makes sense that it be the accommodating one (rather than
scalac has to do is literally parse and analyze all of the Scala sources it is given in addition to any Java sources which may also be supplied. It doesn't need to be a full fledged Java compiler, but it does have to know enough about the Java language to be able to produce an annotated structural AST for any Java source file. Once this AST is available, circular dependencies may be handled in exactly the same way as circular dependencies internal to Scala sources (because all Scala and all Java classes are available simultaneously to the compiler).
Once the analysis phase of
scalac has blessed the Scala AST, all of the Java nodes may be discarded. At this point, circular dependencies have been resolved and all type errors have been handled. Thus, there is no need to carry around useless class information. Once
scalac is done, both the
Foo and the
Baz classes will have produced resultant
Foo.class and
Baz.class output files.
However, we're still not quite done yet. Compilation has successfully completed, but if we try to run the application, we will receive a
NoClassDefFoundError due to the fact that the
Bar class has not actually been compiled. Remember,
scalac only analyzed it for the sake of the type checker, no actual bytecode was produced.
Bar may even suffer from a compile error of some sort, as long as this error is within the method definitions,
scalac isn't going to catch it.
The final step is to invoke
javac against the
.java source files (the same ones we passed to
scalac) adding
scalac's output directory to
javac's classpath. Thus,
javac will be able to find the
Foo class that we just compiled so as to successfully (hopefully) compile the
Bar class. If all goes well, the final result will be three separate files:
Bar.class and
Although the concepts are identical, Scala's joint compilation works slightly differently from Groovy's from a usage standpoint. More specifically:
scalac does not automatically invoke
javac on the specified
.java sources. This means that you can perform "joint compilation" using
scalac, but without invoking
javac you will only receive the compiled Scala classes, the Java classes will be ignored (except by the type checker). This design has some nice benefits, but it does mean that we usually need at least one extra command in our compilation process.
All of the following usage examples assume that you have defined the earlier example in the following hierarchy:
- src
- main
- java
- Bar.java
- scala
- foo.scala
- target
- classes
Command Line
# include both .scala AND .java files scalac -d target/classes src/main/scala/*.scala src/main/java/*.java javac -d target/classes \ -classpath $SCALA_HOME/lib/scala-library.jar:target/classes \ src/main/java/*.java
<target name="build"> <scalac srcdir="src/main" destdir="target/classes"> <include name="scala/**/*.scala"/> <include name="scala/**/*.java"/> </scalac> <javac srcdir="src/main/java" destdir="${scala.library}:target/classes" classpath="target/classes"/> </target>
One thing you gotta love about Maven: it's fairly low on configuration for certain common tasks. Given the above directory structure and the most recent version of the
maven-scala-plugin, the following command should be sufficient for joint compilation:
mvn compile
Unfortunately, there have been some problems reported with the default configuration and complex inter-dependencies between Scala and Java (and back again). I'm not a Maven…maven, so I can't help too much, but as I understand things, this POM fragment seems to work well:
<plugin> <groupId>org.scala-tools</groupId> <artifactId>maven-scala-plugin</artifactId> <executions> <execution> <id>compile</id> <goals> <goal>compile</goal> </goals> <phase>compile</phase> </execution> <execution> <id>test-compile</id> <goals> <goal>testCompile</goal> </goals> <phase>test-compile</phase> </execution> <execution> <phase>process-resources</phase> <goals> <goal>compile</goal> </goals> </execution> </executions> </plugin> <plugin> <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId> <configuration> <source>1.5</source> <target>1.5</target> </configuration> </plugin>
You can find more information on the mailing-list thread.
Joint compilation for mixed Scala / Java projects has been a long-standing request of mine in Buildr's JIRA. However, because it's not a high priority issue, the developers were never able to address it themselves. Of course, that doesn't stop the rest of us from pitching in!
I had a little free time yesterday afternoon, so I decided to blow it by hacking out a quick implementation of joint Scala compilation in Buildr, based on its pre-existing support for joint compilation in Groovy projects. All of my work is available in my Buildr fork on GitHub. This also includes some other unfinished goodies, so if you want only the joint compilation, clone just the
scala-joint-compilation branch.
Once you have Buildr's full sources,
cd into the directory and enter the following command:
rake setup install
You may need to
gem install a few packages. Further, the exact steps required may be slightly different on different platforms. You can find more details on Buildr's project page.
With this highly-unstable version of Buildr installed on your unsuspecting system, you should now be able to make the following addition to your
buildfile (assuming the directory structure given earlier):
require 'buildr/scala' # rest of the file...
Just like Buildr's joint compilation for Groovy, you must explicitly
require the language, otherwise important things will break. With this slight modification, you should be able to build your project as per normal:
This support is so bleeding-edge, I don't even think that it's safe to call it "pre-alpha". If you run into any problems, feel free to shoot me an email or comment on the issue.
Joint compilation of Java and Scala sources is a profound addition to the Scala feature list, making it significantly easier to use Scala alongside Java in pre-existing or future projects. With this support, it is finally possible to use Scala as a truly drop-in replacement for Java without modifying the existing infrastructure beyond the CLASSPATH. Hopefully this article has served to bring slightly more exposure to this feature, as well as provide some much-needed documentation on its use.


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N.J. Guard tests GREMStory and photos by 1st Lt. Greg McElwain, Joint Forces Headquarters, Pennsylvania National Guard
GREM makes it's presence known. Alpha Company Soldiers tested the new breaching system at Fort Indiantown Gap, PA.
Featured on the Discovery Channel's "Future Weapons," the Grenade, Rifle, Entry Munition, or GREM is an exciting new weapon that changes the dynamic of the urban breach.
And on May 15, the Soldiers of Alpha Company, 50th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, had the privilege of being the first guard unit to fire the GREM at National Guard Training Center at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa.
Giving the platoon a standoff distance of up to 40 meters away, the GREM is a rifle grenade that works with 5.56mm rifles such as the M-16 and M-4. It uses the momentum of the ball or tracer round to project the grenade into the door.
Capt. Jason Mull prepares to fire an inert GREM round.
In a hostile combat environment, the breach has traditionally been done with mechanical breaching tools, shotguns, or (most commonly) a well-placed kick. A successful breach is quick and powerful and allows the platoon to insert themselves into the room instantly. Soldiers being trained for deployment know that the breech is a critical moment. If the door does not give way immediately, the element of surprise is lost.
Waiting at the ready line, the Alpha Company combat engineers are set to fire the weapon system. Their enthusiasm is not surprising; very few National Guard units have had the opportunity to train on the GREM. In fact, the New Jersey Guardsmen are the first to fire the GREM at Fort Indiantown Gap.
The round is fired and the door splinters into pieces; the Soldiers instantly see the GREM's importance. "We thought the inert round was cool, but this surprised us," said Pfc. Rogelio Vidal. Vidal knew the round would push through the door, but he did not expect the explosion to be so precise.
"It cuts down on the equipment we have to carry for a mission," said Vidal. "It is good to know that I will have my hands on my weapon the whole time."
Company Commander Capt. Jason Mull recognized the importance of this event.
"Training on the GREM is making them more versatile in Urban Breaching environments," said Mull.
When asked how difficult it was to field this new weapon, Sgt. Jacque Mignot of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Pennsylvania Army National Guard Training Center said "It was almost too easy. Capt. Mull went the extra mile to research the weapon system and properly prepare his troops."
Soldiers of Alpha Company, 50th Brigade Special Troops Battalion surveying damage and preparing to fit a new door for next round.
Alpha Company has found cost effective ways to practice breaching including creating an adjustable and mobile steel door jamb that can securely hold different sized doors that have been donated by local contractors.
"I envision the GREM becoming an integral part of our Urban Breaching toolkit," said Mull. "Having the GREM as a weapon system provides us with additional options."
|(c) 2011 NJ Department of Military and Veterans Affairs


text:
Gadsden City Schools has been beefing up the technology inside the classroom, and Tuesday, teachers learned how to better integrate that technology into their teaching.
Gadsden City Schools has been beefing up the technology inside the classroom, and Tuesday, teachers learned how to better integrate that technology into their teaching.
Teachers from the elementary and secondary levels familiarized themselves with iPads and apps they will be using in the fall. Superintendent Ed Miller said training like this is vital to the classroom because in five years, textbooks will be entirely digital.
"It's not something you need to learn because it's unique," Miller said. "It is a necessary tool for what you are doing."
A lot of the training focused on apps the teachers could use as teaching aids, similar to Microsoft PowerPoint but with more interactivity. The apps allow teachers to give out and receive assignments from students, and the unique platform of an iPad or any tablet allows students to do something as small as worksheets using one.
The biggest challenge facing the students will not be what they use the iPads for in the classroom but actually getting them set up. To allow for this, teachers will need to make sure both they and the students are familiar with how the apps will work before any new curriculum is added into the mix.
One app, Quizlet, will help students study either by flash cards or through a matching game. It allows teachers to push out study guides and allows students to search through other teachers' study guides.
The only downfall is the other guides could be irrelevant or, worse, incorrect.
NearPod has a similar function but with more wrinkles. Much of it functions like PowerPoint, and teachers can import presentations into the app, meaning they don't have to re-create things they already have spent time and effort making.
Sharon Malone, a sixth-grade language arts teacher at Emma Sansom Middle School, said while those apps are helpful, she is hoping she will find one that is better tailored to her students' needs.
She believes the iPads will help her manage her classroom better.
One of the biggest problems Malone deals with is students who do not come prepared to class. When those students swear up and down that the assignment they are supposed to have is in their locker, it takes 15 minutes out of her 52-minute class to send them to get it.
Many times, those students come back empty-handed.
Technology Specialist Michelle Monk was part of the iPad pilot program at Thompson Elementary School, and she said she saw those tablets increase classroom engagement tremendously and cut down on the problems Malone sees in her classroom.
She said she used the iPads for everything, from quizzes and notes to long-form stories, and the students ate it up.
"I got to where I put (games and movies) in as an incentive," Monk said. "If they go too fast to get to it, I tell them to stop, go back and do it right."
She said the elementary and middle school students will have more technology furnished to them, while the high school students will operate more on the new Bring Your Own Device program. Monk said one of the biggest things technology can do is transform the way things are taught, from lecturing to making the student a larger part of their education.
"We can move from lectures to being facilitators that let the student take more control over their learning," Monk said.


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No. 90,209
1. Snodgrass v. Lyndon State Bank, 15 Kan. App. 2d 546, 811 P.2d 58, rev. denied 249 Kan. 776 (1991), is discussed and distinguished.
2. Statutes which vest courts with certain authority over guardians and conservators demonstrate a clear legislative intent for Chapter 59 courts to have sufficient jurisdiction to determine and remedy any and all misconduct of guardians and conservators, and such power necessarily includes the setting aside of certain transfers, whether testamentary or nontestamentary in nature.
3. The nature or type of instrument or account chosen by a guardian or conservator to perpetrate fiduciary misconduct, even though a payable-on-death nontestamentary account, will not divest the probate court's jurisdiction to remedy such misconduct.
Appeal from Jackson District Court; GARY L. NAFZIGER, judge. Opinion filed November 26, 2003. Affirmed.
Dennis A. White, of Holton, for appellant.
Micheal A. Ireland, of Holton, for appellee.
Before PIERRON, P.J., GREENE, J., AND JONES, S.J.
GREENE, J.: During the administration of Sandra Jo Steward's estate, Denny L. Steward, conservator of the estate, filed a petition to determine ownership of certain payable on-death (POD) accounts after discovering that Mary L. Huggins, the decedent's guardian, as well as Huggins' children and grandchildren, were named as beneficiaries on the accounts. The probate court set aside the POD accounts and ordered the funds to be returned to Steward's estate, subject to disbursement under the laws of intestacy. Huggins appealed to the district court, alleging that the probate court lacked jurisdiction over her person and the POD accounts. The district court affirmed the findings of the probate court, specifically holding that the probate court had jurisdiction in the matter. Huggins appeals.
Stipulated Factual Statement
The parties have submitted an agreed statement pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 3.05 (2003 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 25). The facts are set out as follows:
"1. In 1987, Denny L. Steward was appointed conservator for Sandra Jo Steward, and Mary L. Huggins was appointed guardian for Sandra Jo Steward. Dennis White was appointed guardian ad litem for Sandra Jo Steward.
"2. A doctor had examined Sandra Jo Steward, and wrote she was totally incompetent to manage her financial affairs or personal affairs.
"3. During the conservatorship, Sandra Jo Steward set up certain Pay on Death accounts and purchased United States savings bonds, and designated Pay on Death beneficiaries with her earnings, all without knowledge or consent of the conservator or approval of the conservatorship court. Most, if not all, of the monies earned by Sandra Jo Steward were never turned over to the conservator during the conservatorship.
"4. Sandra Jo Steward passed away on September 15, 2000.
"5. Denny L. Steward was appointed as administrator of her estate.
"6. The only heirs-at-law of Sandra Jo Steward are her siblings, to-wit:
Denny L. Steward
Kaye Snyder
Larry G. Steward
Opal Slocum.
"7. That after the death of Sandra Jo Steward, Denny L. Steward became aware of these Pay on Death accounts and bonds, and as conservator filed a motion in the conservatorship court to determine ownership of that property.
"8. The conservatorship court essentially set aside the Pay on Death accounts, and ordered them to be part of the conservatorship estate assets.
"9. Mary L. Huggins appealed the magistrate's decision to the district judge, which found that all assets of Sandra Jo Steward should be accounted for by the conservatorship then paid according to law.
"10. That the conservator then filed his final account in the conservatorship court listing the Pay on Death accounts and bonds and the designated beneficiaries. The court ordered these funds to be transferred to the probate estate.
"11. That these same assets were then inventoried into the estate.
"12. That Denny L. Steward as administrator filed a motion in the estate for the estate court to determine ownership of the Pay on Death property.
"13. That the administrator sent a copy of his Motion to Determine Ownership of Property together with a Notice of Hearing to Mary L. Huggins in care of Dennis A. White.
"14. That Mary L. Huggins had never entered her appearance in the estate case, and was never served with process. Dennis A. White had served as her attorney throughout the conservatorship proceedings.
"15. That Mary L. Huggins had notice of all proceedings in the conservatorship matter, and was represented by Dennis A. White at all times.
"16. That Mary L. Huggins' attorney, Dennis A. White, appeared at the hearing on her behalf for the sole purpose of advising the estate court that it did not have jurisdiction over the person of Mary L. Huggins nor any property on which she was listed as a Pay on Death beneficiary.
"17. That no evidence has ever been produced that Sandra Jo Steward had testamentary capacity or that she received independent advice regarding her money transfers.
"18. The estate court ruled that:
Mary L. Huggins did not have authority, capacity or approval to assist Sandra Jo Steward in setting up Pay on Death accounts; that all instruments executed by Sandra Jo Steward during the conservatorship were void; and that all Pay on Death accounts/bonds belongs to the estate and is subject to disbursement by the probate court to the heirs-at-law.
"19. That Mary L. Huggins appealed the ruling of the estate court to the district judge on the grounds that the estate court did not have jurisdiction over her person or the property she received as a Pay on Death beneficiary.
"20. That the district judge affirmed the decision of the estate court.
"21. That Mary L. Huggins appeals the decision of the district judge for lack of jurisdiction over her person or property."
Standard of Review
Whether subject matter or personal jurisdiction exists is a question of law over which this court's scope of review is unlimited. See State v. Stough, 273 Kan. 113, 116, 41 P.3d 281 (2002) (subject matter); Novak v. Mutual of Omaha Ins. Co., 29 Kan. App. 2d 526, 28 P.3d 1033 (2001) (personal).
The Probate Court Had Jurisdiction Over the Person of the Guardian and the Subject Matter of the Guardianship Activities
Huggins contends that the probate court had no jurisdiction over her or the POD accounts, relying principally upon Snodgrass v. Lyndon State Bank, 15 Kan. App. 2d 546, 811 P.2d 58, rev. denied 249 Kan. 776 (1991). In Snodgrass, our court construed K.S.A. 9-1215, which provided, inter alia:
"Transfers pursuant to this section shall not be considered testamentary or be invalidated due to nonconformity with the provisions of chapter 59 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated."
The court specifically held that the legislature intended this language to exclude POD accounts from provisions of the probate code, thus precluding a challenge from a surviving nonconsenting spouse. 15 Kan. App. 2d at 553.
Snodgrass and other Kansas authorities cited by Huggins are inapplicable here, however, because they do not address a situation where the POD account is established by an incompetent ward, for the benefit of a guardian, from income during a guardianship and conservatorship, without the knowledge of the conservator, and absent any approval of the conservatorship court. The probate and district courts here properly focused upon their jurisdiction over the guardian and the activities incident to the guardianship/conservatorship rather than the nature of the accounts created through the improper conduct of a fiduciary.
The probate code is replete with provisions vesting authority of the court over the person and activities of guardians and conservators. K.S.A. 59-103 provides, inter alia:
"(a) Chapter 59 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated may be used:
. . . .
(6) To appoint and remove guardians and conservators for minors,
voluntary conservatees and incapacitated persons, to make all necessary
orders relating to their estates, to direct and control the official acts of
such guardians and conservators and to settle their accounts." (Empha-
sis added.)
K.S.A. 59-3018(a) (repealed in 2002), provided that "a guardian shall be subject to the control and direction of the court at all times and in all things." See its successor, K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 59-3075(a)(1).
Moreover, the probate code circumscribes the conduct and activities of a guardian. K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 59-102(2) and (3) define fiduciaries to include both guardians and conservators. K.S.A. 59-3018 provided:
"It is the general duty of an individual or corporation appointed to serve as a guardian to carry out diligently and in good faith the specific duties and powers assigned by the court. In carrying out these duties and powers, the guardian shall assure that personal, civil and human rights of the ward or minor whom the guardian services are protected."
See K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 59-3075.
These statutes, particularly when considered as an integral part of the probate code, demonstrate a clear legislative intent for Chapter 59 courts to have sufficient jurisdiction to determine and remedy any and all misconduct of guardians and conservators, and such authority necessarily includes the setting aside of certain transfers, whether testamentary or nontestamentary in nature. To hold otherwise would give license to guardians or other personal representatives to abuse their fiduciary positions with impugnity. None of the cases cited by Huggins has so held. While we fully embrace the Snodgrass decision, we decline to hinder the probate court's jurisdiction to prohibit and to remedy conduct by court-appointed fiduciaries, especially when they engage in misconduct or when they profit financially from their fiduciary position.
A somewhat more difficult question of personal jurisdiction would be posed if the nonguardian beneficiaries of the POD accounts had intervened or objected to the court's set-aside order. Since no such party in interest is before us to frame this issue, we decline to reach the issue in this appeal.
Huggins participated in a course of conduct, whether affirmatively or passively, that was beyond if not contrary to her authority as a guardian. The probate court had jurisdiction and specific statutory responsibility to regulate and remedy such conduct. The nature or type of instrument or account chosen by a guardian or conservator to perpetrate fiduciary misconduct, even though a payable-on-death nontestamentary account, will not divest the probate court's jurisdiction to remedy such misconduct.


text:
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By the way, Thanks for the info. It doesn't sound like a very good value for us. I think he's just going to hold the fort down until Will Allen gets healthy, but if that's the case and he's just temporary I think that's even worse.
The Dolphins have a lot of potential in the secondary, but they are all very young with the exception of Bell.
Buckle Dem Chinstraps Primadonnas!
Camarillo should fit in well with Favre and the Vikings offense: dependable receiver, decent route runner, who's showed flashes of ability the last couple years... reminds me of Bill Schroeder
Two things I take away from this:
1) The Vikings have a lot of confidence in the rookie Chris Cook, and are hoping that Winfield can stay healthy (remember Cedric Griffen tore his ACL against the Saints last year!)
2) Even though I don't think this trade is as lop-sided as some of you do, I do like it for the Vikings. Camarillo is a solid third option at receiver and good insurance for Rice's injury and Harvin's migraine problems. Sapp has improved a lot as a CB, but he always seemed to be liable for 1-2 absolutely boneheaded/terrible plays a game.
[I]"To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is to be forgotten."[/I]
This is a good trade for the Vikings, though I cannot see a reason for Miami to have done this. They did Minnesota a favor giving them an effective WR and only got a situational defensive back out of the deal. At this point the trade seems very one sided.
I have not heard of Patrick Turner. Is he a rookie? If so, do you know where he went to school?


text:
New York Mets Tickets
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The Mets are one of the National League's fastest-rising teams thanks to a dominant starting rotation. Matt Harvey is back and pitching as well as ever, top prospect Noah Syndergaard is in the big leagues, and Jacob deGrom refuses to slump following his Rookie of the Year season, and Jon Niese got off to the best start of his career. And then there's Zack Wheeler, who will miss the season. But Dillon Gee slots in with Wheeler gone, and the rotation becomes the last of New York's concerns. That concern would be offense, where two of the team's biggest threats in David Wright and Travis d'Arnaud missed significant time from injury. First baseman Lucas Duda carried the team through that time. Veterans Michael Cuddyer and Curtis Granderson have been tabbed to provide insurance in run production with mixed results. Luckily, the Mets aren't totally reliant on those veterans. Center fielder Juan Lagares routinely dazzles with a sweet play seemingly every night, shortstop Wilmer Flores could still develop into a great everyday player, and 25 year old Jeurys Familia started the season with a lights out performance as closer. The bullpen, long a sore spot for recent Mets teams, seems to finally have a working group of relievers for a contending team. But behind that impressive rotation, they won't need the bullpen as much as in years' past either. Harvey, Syndergaard, Wheeler, Niese, and Bartolo Colon already comprise a fantastic rotation--that doesn't even include Rafael Montero, one of their other studs on the mound who wasn't in the rotation in early on and then was injured. Look for the Mets to trade someone from this pitching surplus for offense if they're serious about a playoff run in 2015.
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Meet Sarah, a Longboarder from New Boston, MI and winner of American Eagle Outfitters' Project Live Your Life. Follow Sarah on Instagram and Pinterest to learn more about what makes her one of a kind.
You were raised in Hawaii. How is that different than your current hometown in Michigan?
It's polar opposite. The entire culture and way of life is completely different. I am used to waking up in sunny warm weather and going surfing or hanging out at the beach. Now I am experiencing living in snow for the first time and somewhere without any beaches. My style also had to change. In Hawaii I wore a lot of shorts, skirts and summer dresses. Now 80% percent of my closet is jackets, jeans, scarves and beanies.
How long have you been long boarding for? What inspired you to start?
I've been long boarding since I was 10. When there weren't any good waves to surf, people would long board, so I picked it up.
You play the ukulele. How did you get into that?
My dad played for our church band and I wanted to learn, so he taught me. Once I started getting good he got me my own.
How long have you been surfing?
I've been surfing since I was 6 years old.
Are there any similarities between both surfing and long boarding or are they completely different?
There are a lot of similarities! I like to think of long boarding as surfing on concrete. A big difference is it hurts a lot more falling off of a long board then off of a surf board.
Many people say, surfing is not just a sport, it's a way of life. What are your thoughts on this?
In my opinion it's very much a way of life. I didn't surf to compete as a a sport. Surfing was just a part of my life and something that was done almost on a daily basis.
Funniest surfing story?
My funniest surf story is when I was surfing at a spot called Pillars with my brother. A shark was swimming with us and I accidentally touched it without knowing it was there. I screamed and jumped in the air, pushing my brother off of his surf board.
You're also really into volunteering. Tell us more about that.
I love to volunteer and do mission work. I went to Mexico this year to build homes for the homeless and a school building and I'm going again this spring. I also like helping to tutor special needs students in local high schools.


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Sun, September 23, 2018, 9:30 am - 2:00 pm
The West End Farmers Market is a vibrant gathering place for the community where local farmers, food producers, crafters and artisans offer ultra-fresh, locally grown agricultural and related products directly to residents. Agricultural products include organic fruits and vegetables, handmade farmstead cheeses, pasture-raised meats, free-range poultry and eggs, heirloom produce, and more.
Music schedule:
Our music lineup is curated by a different local musician every month.
MAY – Curated by Kalei Yamanoha (Oddjob Ensemble)
5/6- Kalei Yamanoha
5/13- The King Street Giants Trio
5/20- Big Kitty
5/27- Late for The Train
JUNE – Curated by Eki Shola
6/3 – Jill Minye
6/10 – Eki Shola (Railroad Square Music Festival)
6/17 – Lenkadu
6/24- Rebecca Edwards
JULY – Curated by Elizabeth Wolfe (E Negative)
7/1 – Flat, Broke and Busted
7/8 – Fly By Train
7/15- Osito
7/22- Van Solkov
AUG – Curated by Mandy Brooks (North Bay Women)
8/12- Cricket
8/19- Mandy Brooks
SEPT – Curated by Isabelle Garson (Second Octave Media)
9/2- Viva le Reve
9/9- Miss Jarvis
9/23- Aly Rose Trio
OCT – Curated by Josh Windmiller
For musician bookings, contact Josh Windmiller via firstname.lastname@example.com
West End Farmers Market
9 4th St.


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Friday marked an important date in the history of social media in the country. It was the first-ever Social Media Conference in Brunei!
Titled "Social Media: That's Where It's @", the half-day conference took place at Radisson Hotel.
Remember how excited I was to attend? Well, I did! =)
Registration table where the awesome nametags were. Hehe!
And I brought a friend as well…
Enjoying our morning tea.
Inside the conference room.
There were about 80 delegates from the social media scene in Brunei and Sabah (and 1 from Sarawak, ie. yours truly) who attended the event.
This was my first social media conference so I honestly didn't know quite what to expect but the moment it started I was having a field trip! =)
Welcome remarks by @emmagoodegg.
"The Backbone for Social Media" – presented by Mr Lim Ming Soon, Telbru.
It was a technical presentation on the infrastructure that supported the whole "online culture" and also some very interesting statistics, like:
18,000 users online in a day just in Brunei (population of 400K) and
The most visited site was Youtube…I would have thought it was Facebook, which was actually in 3rd rank.
Another thing that thoroughly impressed me was how unlike normal conferences, where people just sat, listen, took notes and asked questions, this conference was where most sat, eyes on their smart devices (laptops, phones etc), tweeted what struck them throughout the sessions and asked questions ONLINE!
All "notes" are kept virtually on Twitter where anyone can access them by looking up the hastag #socmedBN – cool stuff!
Questions were posted on PigeonholeLive, and once posted, others can vote on them and the higher voted questions get asked – even cooler!!!
Oddly enough, on this day when everyone had their fingers glued onto their keyboards/keypads/touchscreens, they weren't being anti-social! In fact, it was pretty interactive as the questions posted and the number of votes were projected for all to see and not to mention, super fun when a highly voted question placed @ranoadidas in the hot seat! =p
@ranoadidas smiling his way out of answering the question in Session 1 : "Dude, Where's My Traffic?" of how much he earned a month. LOL!
At one point, @BruneiTweet had to defend his love for skinny jeans! =p
And Dinoza of Breeze Magazine Sabah was at a lost for words when asked who was his "social media role model".
The second session "Why Join The Twitter Conversation?" was also very interesting!
Especially since it was given by Dato Timothy Ong, Chairman of Asia Inc Forum and moderated by Awg Hj Mohd Rozan of bruneiresources.com.
Many many wonderful messages from this great public speaker. My personal faves: "If it matters to you, find the courage to do it!" and "Social media cannot replace human interaction." Hear hear!
Even lunch was a great "social networking break"!
Pleasantly surprised to see another friend there as well =)
And the food was gorgeous!!!
Noodles in boxes!!!
Noodles never tasted so nice…
Then again, it may just be the novelty of eating noodles from a box! LOL.
The third and final session was "From Idea To Enterprise: What Does It Take?", another open forum discussion, this time between Mr Keeran of MeSixty and Mr Simon, the Director of Mint and moderated by Mr Tom of Rapidea Solutions Sabah.
Unfortunately there wasn't much time for this session as it was the end of the conference soon enough. =(
Overall, it was a great event. Good job to the Organizers!
Andrew, Marul, BruneiTweet, Ranoadidas, EmmaGoodEgg, Maurina & Anakbrunei
I'm glad I attended the event. Thanks Sarawak Bloggers for the opportunity! Not only did I learn a couple of things, I also made a couple of new friends! Can't wait for the next SocMedBN event!!! =D
Last but not least, dear Delwin, may I have the pic of "the four of us" you took please? =)
Special thanks to
@AhimRani of #candidsyndrome for permission to use the amazing pics above! See his full set here.
The recordings for "Brunei Online – Social Media: That's Where it's @" is now online http://bit.ly/mW2UsH thanks to
@cornergeeks !


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OEKO-TEX® for retailers
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For any questions about existing certificates the OEKO-TEX® test institutes are happy to offer support to the (retail) trade.
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This means they are allowed to mark advertised products with a uniform OEKO-TEX® label in catalogues, adverts, leaflets, online shops, social media, etc. - the products for sale retain the original certificate number from the supplier, though.
OEKO-TEX® for sales people
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This enables the International OEKO-TEX® Association to check at any time whether a right to use the label exists. This ability to clearly verify authorisation is one of the basic principles of the certification system and ensures the end user's confidence in the label. The validity of an OEKO-TEX® label can be verified at any time on the internet using the test number provided.
The label can be attached to the product in different ways – as a hang tag, as a sewn-in label, as an imprint on the packaging etc. Labelling is not mandatory, however, some manufacturers decide against it. That means: There are far more certified products on the market than can be seen at first glance. The buyers' guide on this website shows which goods without labels have also been tested for harmful substances. This knowledge helps sales personnel in their sales discussions.
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- Added value


text:
Zap2it: Did your son, Army Sgt. Track Palin (who deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year) or your wife, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, influence you to participate in a show ("Stars Earn Stripes") that pairs celebrities with military operatives and first responders on simulated missions?
Todd Palin: No. 1 would be the cause, the military charity. Track was major, Sarah was major, and then my working experience on "Sarah Palin's Alaska," knowing (producer] Mark Burnett puts out a great product.
Zap2it: Did you bond with your military operative partner?
Todd Palin: My guy was [former Marine] J.W. Cortes. Our common ground is he has a son with autism, and I've got a son with Down syndrome. Just being a father, you have a bond. With the additional challenge, there's that extra bond. I'm a little older than he is, and I'm like, "We are blessed. There's a reason why God put this child in our hands, in our family."
Zap2it: How is your son, 4-year-old Trig, doing?
Todd Palin: He's doing good. When we were filming, he said his first words. He told his older brother to quit picking on him, or something like that. And when J.W. went back to New York on one of the dark days, he said his name, so that was pretty exciting.
Zap2it: Did you get hurt?
Todd Palin: Our minds think we're 20, but our bodies remind us that we're not.
Zap2it: What was your charity?
Todd Plain: Armed Services YMCA Alaska. They make military-family lives better. They've been up there in Alaska for 70 years.


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"If a conservative is a liberal who's been mugged, then a progressive is a Republican who's gotten sick."
10 October 2007
Ezra Channels Malkin
Posted by shadowfax at 9:58 PM
8 comments:
Yep, freaky.ReplyDelete
Check out www.satiricalpolitical.com to see Sesame Street explain to kids the difference between the 'V-chip' and 'S-chip'
What's freaky about it, other than the lack of reading comprehension by the agenda-driven lefties? She already pointed out that "there are serious problems with our health insurance system, particularly in the market for individually-purchased (non-group) coverage." She then considered her options and wisely chose an MSA, like any reasonable person would do. She didn't get sick, she just took responsibility for her own health care needs.ReplyDelete
Such a concept is only freaky to liberals, I suppose.
"...a progressive is a Republican who's gotten sick."ReplyDelete
A Republican is a Republican who has gotten sick in a high-quality free market system with abundant state-of-the-art medical care and doesn't want to get sick anywhere else.
A progressive is someone who has gotten sick and then blames the government for not doing enough to keep them healthy.ReplyDelete
For what it is worth, I kind of hate these slogans. I'm a liberal because I believe in liberal values, including working together to solve our largest problems and treating all people equally under the law. Other people are conservative because they believe we should address our problems as individuals.ReplyDelete
It irritated me when people claim that if I made more money I'd become conservative or that if I road a bus everyday for a long time, or if I worked with the poor. Fuck off. I believe what I believe.
There are lots of people who have been the victim of malpractice, who have suffered from weakened labor movement, are weakened public education that remain conservative.
There my two cents.
She didn't get sick, she just took responsibility for her own health care needs.ReplyDelete
Such a concept is only freaky to liberals, I suppose.
Malkin takes the right approach, just as every citizen in every other developed nation in the world does, which is to say, takes care of his own health care needs, never regarding the matter as anything government could or should manage in order that the health care system be run in a more cost-effective and efficient way and that every citizen had access to it, much less consider health care some kind of birthright, you know, like being protected by the police and army or having safe roads, because in every other civilized, developed nation in the world...
Oh, wait...
Safe roads are a birthright? Wow, whodathunk?ReplyDelete
A British woman who left Britain to live in Florida instead is telling me that OUR system is inferior? Priceless.
A British woman who left Britain to live in Florida instead is telling me that OUR system is inferior? Priceless.ReplyDelete
I left England as a six-year-old, Mr. Scalpel, and was led around the Western Hemisphere for a while before settling here when I was still underage. No-one laid out the various differences in health care systems for me, and even if they had, it's not as though I'd have had any choice.
I am not saying the US system is inferior per se. Indeed, in many respects, American health care is the finest in the world--for those whose talents and abilities and general good fortune combine to provide them with lots and lots of money. And even then, a typical upper-middle class family in the States is, all too often, in the precarious position of being one catastrophic illness or accident away from complete financial ruin.
For those people, as well as for the working class and artist classes who aren't hedge fund managers or personal injury lawyers or plastic surgeons, the US system of health care does not compare so well to what's offered abroad, even, yes, England, where the NHS leaves much to be desired but at least poor families don't have to rely on the ER for what should have been well-care and middle class families won't go bankrupt if they get into a car accident.


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You may access the Council Agenda and Staff Reports online for upcoming City Council meetings. This information is posted six days prior to the next regularly scheduled Council meeting. The City Clerk's staff can answer questions about upcoming Council meetings. You can reach them by calling 707.778.4360. Free copies of the agenda are also available from the Office of the City Clerk. Information can also be obtained from the City Manager's Office by calling 707.778.4345.
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When and where are the City Council meetings?
The City Council meets regularly on the first and third Mondays of each month. Closed Session, if any, is generally scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Open Session is held at 6:45 p.m. The meetings are held at City Hall, 11 English Street, in the Council Chambers.
How can I speak in front of the City Council? Do I need to fill out a form?
Members of the public may speak in front of the City Council during Public Comment. For items not on the agenda, General Public Comment takes place at the beginning of Open Session. Public Comment on Agendized Items takes place before each item on the agenda. Speakers are limited to 3 minutes each.
Members who wish to speak must fill out a Speaker Card. These forms are available in the rear of the Council Chambers. They are to be submitted to the City Clerk at the meeting.
Individuals wishing to make an audio/video presentation using computer equipment in the Council Chambers should read the Instructions for Making Presentations During Public Comment page.
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By State law, Closed Session meetings are not open to the public. Members of the public may address the City Council, under Public Comment, prior to a Closed Session.
Where can I obtain a Resolution or Ordinance?
The City's Records and Document Search program allows you to search, browse, and read important documents - without having to come to City Hall!
We continued to add more records as time allows. As of March 2014, the following are available:
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To enter a records and document search, click below: City of Petaluma - Document Management System
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Are the Council Meetings televised? ON THE WEB?
Council meetings are recorded and televised the same day live on the Petaluma Community Access Government Channel 28. All meetings are recorded.
Meetings are also streamed live and archived on the City's website on the City of Petaluma Meetings page.
Where can I obtain a DVD of tonight's Council meeting?
DVDs of the Council meetings are available from PCA or from the City Clerk's office. Cost will vary depending on the specific request. Meetings since February 2005 may be viewed on-line. Contact the Office of the City Clerk at 707.778.4360 for more information.
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Agendas and staff reports for all City Citizen Board, Committee, and Commission Meetings are available on-line on the City of Petaluma Meetings page.
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City of Petaluma Meetings with links to staff reports are posted to this web site after being approved by the Council and streaming video records can be found on the City of Petaluma Meetings archives page.
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Legislative matters are often discussed by a Citizen Board, Commission or Committee prior to placement on the City Council Agenda. For more information about the members of these committees and their meeting times, follow the navigation buttons at the top of this page.
Contact Information
City Clerk,
Claire Cooper, CMC
Deputy City Clerk,
Samantha Pascoe, CMC
11 English Street
Petaluma, CA 94952
phone: 707.778.4360
fax: 707.778.4554
email: email@example.com
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Mon-Thurs
Closed Fridays


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How To Make a Toaster From Scratch
An interview with Thomas Thwaites.
Listen to Episode 6 of Slate's new podcast, The Afterword:
Where do toasters come from? That was the question Thomas Thwaites asked when he examined the appliance he had bought for $6 at a local store. How can a piece of equipment that contains more than 400 separate parts gathered from around the world be so inexpensive? In an attempt to calculate its real cost—and to prepare himself for life on a desert island—he set out to build a toaster from scratch. The Toaster Project chronicles Thwaites' effort to get his hands on iron ore, mica, plastic, copper, and nickel and to shape those raw materials into a working toaster. The interview runs around 25 minutes.
The Afterword, which will appear in the Slate daily feed every other Thursday, features interviews with the authors of new nonfiction books.
The show's email address is firstname.lastname@example.com.
Podcast produced by June Thomas. The executive producer of Slate's podcasts is Andy Bowers.
See all the pieces in the new Slate Book Review.


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Apple and carriers that will offer the iPhone 5 in the United States will begin taking online pre-orders for the smartphone at 12:01 a.m. PDT on Friday.
And that's bad news for Houstonians, except for those who work the graveyard shift or are night owls. The time difference means you'll be up at 2 a.m. Friday if you want to ensure you're among the first to get an iPhone 5. The phone ships Sept. 21, and that's also when in-store sales begin.
In the past, Apple has depleted pre-order stocks of its most-anticipated devices in less than a day. An iPhone 5 ordered right away early Friday morning from Apple likely will arrive at your door on the 21st. Those who don't get in on the first batch may have to wait a while, if the pattern holds true.
You'll be able to order the iPhone at Apple's online store, as well as the websites for AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. Ordering from the carriers' sites may be a good alternative if Apple's own site bogs down under the load, which has happened before.
Update: Even Wal-Mart is getting into the iPhone 5 pre-order gambit, but you won't have to wake up quite as early to do it.
Show up at your neighborhood Wal-Mart at 8 a.m. on Friday, pay a $25 deposit and you'll get a reservation card. Bring the card and your receipt back to the store on the 21st and you'll be able to pick up your iPhone 5.
Wal-Mart also will sell the iPhone 5 at a slight discount – $189.97 for the 16-GB model.


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There is no competitive market for tablets in the enterprise since just about everyone wants the iPad, the new version of which is available this Friday.
A new survey of more than 1,600 enterprise IT buyers conducted by ChangeWave found that the iPad accounted for 84% of planned tablet purchases in the second quarter of 2012. In ChangeWave's previous survey, the iPad accounted for 77% of planned enterprise tablet purchases.
RELATED: 10 terrific apps for the new iPad
GOOGLE REED-ER: The iPad is still the tablet industry's daddy
Apple's dominance in the enterprise is so strong that no rival manufacturers even account for 10% of planned tablet purchases in the latest survey, as Samsung (8% of planned purchases), Amazon (6% of planned purchases), HP (4% of planned purchases) and Asus (3% of planned purchases) rounded out the top five. Research in Motion, whose BlackBerry PlayBook just received native corporate email capabilities in the latest update to its operating system, accounted for 3% of planned purchases in the second quarter. Overall, 22% of business IT buyers surveyed said they planned to buy tablets for their employees sometime in Q2.
ChangeWave speculates that the impending release of the new iPad is the chief reason why so many enterprises are planning to buy iPads this quarter, thus resulting in "an across-the-board decline in next quarter buying of tablets from other manufacturers." The new iPad (see unboxing video) features LTE connectivity, a Retina Display screen that has a resolution of 2048x1536 pixels and the new A5X chipset that has a dual-core CPU processor and a quad-core GPU processor.
Those surveyed by ChangeWave plan to evenly split their tablet data plan subscriptions between AT&T, which accounts for 30% of planned tablet subscriptions, and Verizon, which accounts for 29%. Another 26% of business IT buyers said they didn't know which carrier they would select for tablet data services, while just 4% said they would go with Sprint. Neither Sprint nor T-Mobile offers iPad subscription plans to its users.
Although rival manufacturers have released a flurry of low-priced tablets onto the market, including the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet, the iPad is still projected to be the dominant tablet for many years to come. Gartner last fall projected that the iPad will account for more than two-thirds of the global tablet market in 2012 and will still hold a commanding 45% share in 2015. Android-based tablets are projected to steadily increase their market share, however, as Gartner forecasts that they will jump up from 22% of the market in 2012 to 36% in 2015. Microsoft's Windows-based tablets, meanwhile, are projected to have a 10.5% market share in 2015, followed by RIM's QNX-based tablets at 8%.
Read more about data center in Network World's Data Center section.


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Throughout the year, the Northwest Texas Council will offer you the opportunity to participate in many council and out-of-council events.
Some of these events are offered to you at a discounted rate because of your association with the Boy Scouts of America. For instance, most of the cost for Cub Scouts and their adult partners to attend Cub 'N' Pals is covered by funding provided by various organizations.
We hope that you enjoy these special events with your family or as a unit.
For text reminders about signups and deadlines or for changing weather conditions that might prompt changes in venues or times, please sign up for the NWTC Text Alerts here:NWTC Text Alerts


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Nokia has announced that it has signed an agreement with VimpelCom Ltd, a global provider of telecommunications services (reportedly the 6th largest mobile operator in the world). The partnership will deliver a new way for consumers to enjoy digital entertainment in the Windows Phone Store, and is also being backed by Microsoft.
VimpelCom has said that consumers who are subscribers on the mobile network will be able to use their phone bills as a payment gateway, much like what we're seeing with some mobile operators already. Instead of using a credit card, customers will also be able to add the cost of a game or app to a monthly bill or have it deducted from prepaid credit.
Nokia is a leading brand in many of VimpelCom's markets, which provides a strong platform for the mobile operator to offer an enhanced mobile experience when using an app store to purchase content from developers. The company will also provide a dedicated "VimpelCom Shelf", which will make it easy for VimpelCom customers to navigate their way through the content available in the Windows Phone Store.
Available via the local Windows Phone Store, the "VimpelCom Shelf" will feature up to 200 selected applications, tailored to offer local content and services. Pretty neat addition for consumers who are subscribed to the network. Mikhail Gerchuk, VimpelCom's Group Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer, had the following to say on the deal:
"The Windows Phone mobile partnership will enable us to significantly enhance the smartphone experience for our customers. With the 'VimpelCom Shelf' we will bring tailored content to VimpelCom customers around the globe who use Windows Phone smartphones and will provide them with the most convenient way to access and pay for apps. In many of our markets we will be the first operator to launch mobile account payments for the Windows Phone Store."
It's expected that VimpelCom will roll out carrier billing and the new "VimpelCom Shelf" later this year.
Source: Financial Times, Stockhouse; thanks, riffraffy, for the tip!


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Lubna Pal, MBBS, FACOG
Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences; Director, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Program; Director, Menopause Program; Interim Section Chief, REI; REI Fellowship Director
Departments & Organizations
Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences: Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility: Endometriosis Program; Fertility Center: Fertility Preservation Program, In-Vitro Fertilization Program, Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Program; Perimenopausal & Menopausal Therapy Program; Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Program | Reproductive Sciences
Yale Women's Sleep Health Program (WSHP)
Office of Cooperative Research
Dr. Lubna Pal is the director of two clinical programs at Yale Reproductive Endocrinology: the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Program and the Menopause Program. Dedicated to helping couples conceive, Dr. Pal develops individualized treatment plans to help infertile couples overcome specific fertility-related challenges they may face. "It is a privilege to assist couples achieving healthy pregnancies," she says.
In 1988, Dr. Pal received her MBBS from Dow Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan. She received postgraduate training in the United Kingdom, becoming a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 1994. She completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility at Massachusetts General Hospital, and then made her way to Connecticut in 1997 for an Ob/Gyn residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH). Ten years later, after completing a second fellowship, a master's in Clinical Research and post-doctoral work at Yeshiva University in New York, she returned to Yale as an assistant professor with a clinical and research focus on infertility and reproductive aging.
In addition to menopause and PCOS, Dr. Pal's clinical interests include diminished ovarian reserve, obesity-related reproductive dysfunction, osteoporosis and low bone mineral density, menstrual disturbances, fibroids and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Her research work focuses on the role of vitamin D in reproduction.
With four offices in Connecticut, Dr. Pal and the Yale Fertility Center are positioned to offer new research and treatment options to patients across the region. Dr. Pal is board certified in Ob/Gyn and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. She is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Endocrine Society and the North American Menopause Society.
Education & Training
|Yeshiva University (2006)
|Dow Medical College (1988)
|Post Doctoral
|Yeshiva University
|Albert Einstein/Montefiore Medical Center
|Yale-New Haven Hospital
|Massachusetts General Hospital
|Board Certification
|AB of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Obstetrics & Gynecology (2005, recertified: 2015)
|Board Certification
|AB of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility (2007, recertified: 2015)


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No, Fox, There Isn't A "Reverse Don't Ask Don't Tell" Targeting Christians
August 16, 2013 11:15 am ET by Luke Brinker
Fox News hyped a far-right organization's trumped-up charges of Christian persecution in the military, asserting that the country could be witnessing the beginning of a "reverse Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy in which gays and lesbians can openly serve but "Christians now have to be closeted."
On the August 16 edition of Fox & Friends, the network's Shannon Bream began a segment on a case brought by the extremist Liberty Institute where she reported the organization's allegations as fact. The segment, titled "The Fight For Faith," opened to ominous music:
BREAM: Well he served 19 years in the Air Force and has an impeccable record. But when a senior master sergeant refused to agree with his openly gay commander about gay marriage, he was relieved of his duties and reassigned. So is this a reverse Don't Ask Don't Tell? Do Christians now have to be closeted in order to serve?
While Senior Master Sgt. Phillip Monk claims his anti-marriage equality views led him to be relieved of his duties, there's no evidence, besides the sensationalistic coverage of far-right news outlets, that that's actually the case. After devoting four minutes to touting the Liberty Institute's claims, Bream briskly noted that officials at Lackland Air Force Base said Monk was at the end of his assignment. A spokesperson for the base told Fox News Radio's Todd Starnes that while Monk and his lesbian commander did disagree on marriage equality, they "agreed to disagree," adding "the wing commander said there was no punishment."
That the Liberty Institute has taken Monk's case should raise red flags for any responsible news organization. The group has a long history of making hyperbolic assertions about the impending end of religious freedom. For example, in the last two years, the Liberty Institute has:
- Pushed A Debunked Story That A Texas Track Team Was Disqualified "For Praising God." In May, the Liberty Institute promoted the myth that a Texas track student had been disqualified after appearing to point skyward to thank God. But as the student's own father admitted, his son was not making a religious gesture and the student acknowledged that he did not feel as though his "religious rights or freedoms were violated."
- Declared That Health Care Reform Indicated That The U.S. Was Becoming "Totalitarian." In August 2012, the Liberty Institute's Kelly Shackelford proclaimed the end of religious freedom as a result of the Affordable Care Act, which, he said, ushered in the "totalitarian" idea that "citizens [cannot] have allegiance to one higher than the government."
- Compared IRS Rules On Churches To Nazi Germany. In May 2012, Shackelford suggested that an IRS prohibition on church endorsement of political candidates was the work of "Satan," and could lead to Nazi Germany-like conditions.
This time, apparently, the Liberty Institute really means it: It's only a matter of time before open Christians are tossed out of the military. Further demonstrating that it has not, in fact, "gone gay," Fox is perfectly content to broadcast unsubstantiated accusations in order to depict LGBT people as trying to oppress people of faith.
Don't Worry, Hate Groups: Fox News Has Not "Gone Gay"
"The Biggest Con In The World": Fox News Reacts To California Student Gender Identity Bill
Fox Hosts Family Research Council To Continue Its Fact-Free Attack On Transgender Student Bill


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Death: Humans need fantasy to *be* human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.I use the above quotation a lot. One might even accuse me of abusing it (*ahem*), but it's so bloody profound that I think it would actually be hard to overuse. However, I think it is very easy to underestimate the power, the point, or the import, of what is packed into this set of lines. And what's so neat about these lines is that the meaning and depth of them keep unfolding for me. I think I've got my brain wrapped around the message, and then WHAMMO! whole new perspective opens up before my eyes. Awesome.
Susan: With tooth fairies? Hogfathers?
Death: Yes. As practice, you have to start out learning to believe the little lies.
Susan: So we can believe the big ones?
Death: Yes. Justice, mercy, duty. That sort of thing.
Susan: They're not the same at all.
Death: You think so? Then take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder, and sieve it through the finest sieve, and then show me one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy. And yet, you try to act as if there is some ideal order in the world. As if there is some, some rightness in the universe, by which it may be judged.
Susan: But people have got to believe that, or what's the point?
Death: You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?
--"Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett
I've spent a lot of time this morning thinking about cases for action--that is, reasons for why action is better than inaction, or worthwhile at all, or not a waste of time, etc. I'm talking about this in a very generic sense on purpose. I'm not talking about "the case for fighting climate change" or "the case for adapting in place" or any other particular "case for blah-blah-blah". I mean the more generic "what is the strategy by which one determines that something is worth doing." Because I'm sure there are plenty of things that really are worth doing, and plenty that are not worth doing, and it might matter which one is which when deciding things like, oh, how to live your life.
I've seen lots and lots of "cases for action" for a variety of topics, and I like a lot of them in various situations. For example, I've always thought that Pascal's Wager is a perfectly awful rationale for agreeing with any particular religious doctrine, but a pretty wonderful rationale for changing one's lifestyle to combat climate change. I'm also favorably disposed to arguments for action based on the marketing strategies of "opinion leaders" (and I really could have sworn I'd written a post about that at some point, but right now I'm not finding it. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, linkit, wouldja?) I find these positions and others fairly persuasive, at least for certain topics.
There is one core problem with all of these, though (isn't there always)? Almost all of the cases for action I've seen are predicated on the idea that one has the power to purposefully change their world, or at least, their own situation. Any case for action you want to pick, that's pretty much operating somewhere in the background. Your decision to make X, Y, and Z changes in your life will (at least likely) have the affect of A, B, and C in the world, in society, in your own life, etc. These cases for action, then, revolve implicitly around the need to convince you of your own power--that you can do these things. Think of the great (if overused) quotation from Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
But what if you don't believe that we have the power to purposefully change the world? What if you genuinely, thoroughly, not-gonna-be-convinced-otherwise believe that the rank & file humans (i.e., us) have been so thoroughly stripped of our power that we cannot even make purposeful decisions in our own lives? That whatever sense of decision-making and personal power we have is little more than self-deception in order to keep us chugging along? When the distinction between "redesigning your life to plan for the collapse" and "redesigning your life to react to collapse" becomes deep and meaningful, and you think that the first one is off the table, what then?
This isn't an academic question for me (and certainly not for my husband), because I pretty much agree with this position, at least when I pull off my self-deception goggles. I don't think that we are really capable of working to change our society in ways that will have any effect. If we ever really had that power, it's long gone. Deep down, I believe that the most power we have left is to attempt to map out a lifestyle that will be capable of reacting to collapse when it happens, not in any way to steer how it goes or work towards any specific outcomes. We'll be riding the wave, not driving it.
So if I really believe this (and I do, so I'm guessing there are others who do as well), what could possibly function as my case for action? No power = no action, right? That seems almost like a self-sealing argument. Where does my source of normativity come from--that little, insistent "ought to" voice in the back of my head, urging me on to new and different lifestyles? Why doesn't she just shut the bloody hell up and let me enjoy my Playstation and my dryer?!
Here's my answer. It comes from the lies we tell ourselves about our power. It comes from hanging onto beliefs that we still can effect the world if we work hard enough and are sincere enough, from drinking Margaret Mead's kool-aid. Assuming that the world isn't just "a headless blunder operating under the illusion of a master plan," and there really are powerful people in it, I think those really powerful people would find this amusing, and are generally glad that there's something to keep people occupied who don't have televisions. But they're wrong to think so. They should be far more concerned about people who mistakenly think they have power.
You see, here's the catch. I do not believe that we have the "power to change the world!" But at the same time, it is manifestly the case that the world does change, is changed, all the time at the hands of people that I think are powerless, like me--often those small groups of sincere people that Mead described. The difference is, the change that comes is not planned or purposeful. You see, the real source of our powerlessness, I think, is not that we have no power, but that we really don't have any control over that power. It's not the lack of power per se, the problem is with the "planning" or "purposefulness" end of things. I think there's a lot of reasons for this: a genuine lack of control over our lives, the usual human condition of not knowing the full scope of our actions and their effects, and so on. Be that as it may, we have power, but we don't have purposeful power.
So we delude ourselves--what else could we do? And here is where my case for action comes in. As I said before, I do not believe we are existentially powerless, I think there's just too much evidence to the contrary. I suspect strongly that about 99.8356% of us will never do anything on purpose with our lives which results in the sorts of history-changing events that so many of us activists work towards, and that maybe 99.365% of us won't even manage to pull that off. But there is this slim percentage of people who will make these changes--and they have absolutely no idea who they are or how they will do it. They do not have control. They react to their environment. The changes that take effect are the billiard-ball reactions to a thousand other things which somehow careen themselves into events which make our world a better place (or worse, it works both ways). Maybe they can prepare a bit, maybe they can be well-read and have a bright imagination; all of that will help, I suspect. But at the end of the day, they react to their environment and the gods *bing* them with their wands of power-granting and the world morphs.
So what? So why lie to ourselves about all of this? Because, as the quotation above says, I think that we have to believe the little lies in order for the big ones to become. We have to act to create the preconditions for the world-changing events to happen. We have to be the sorts of people who will change the world, even if we simply never will be. We have to continually create and maintain that culture, and bring other people into our delusion. Because someone, somewhere, will be the source of important and good things, even if the huge majority of us really, really, really never will be. We have to create the world that allows those people to exist, and that means we have to believe that maybe, just maybe, it will be us. But if we do not believe that we will be, if we do not act as if we will be, then the chances of the change we desire happening go to naught. We shrink the options, the possible times when great things could happen. Mohandas Gandhis turn into lawyers who never felt the compulsion to turn their back on their profession. Dietrich Bonhoffers become quiet Lutheran ministers. Anyone who's watched enough Dr. Who should have no problems understanding this sort of reasoning, convoluted and wibbly-wobbly as it might be.
So if you believe that people do have the power to change the world--on purpose--then go on your merry way! I'm not interested in dissuading you from this belief, because I think it's a fundamental part of what will in fact make our world a better place, even if I disagree on the particulars of how we'll get there. And if you don't? If you feel utterly helpless and hamstrung by our current situation, stripped of all motive for action, then think on this post. Maybe it will help, maybe not. But I think there is a case for action, purposeful-yet-pointless action, in the long span of human history, and even over the course of a human lifetime. Act like you will change the world, and somehow, someday, in ways we would never imagine or plan for, the world will change.


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Recently i started playing FF7 again for the first time in freaking ages, heard about the HD remake and had to see for myself. So after playing for awhile i google a guide/ secrets ..ext.
I start finding allot of "fake secrets" and theories, most notably the one about how aeris wasn't supposed to die, or was supposed to be resurrected but Square had a deadline. People even making a freaking petition?! LOL come on now.
Here's my 2 cents on that, and it kind've opens up the door to some things nobodys thought about yet..
Aeris has to die because without her presence in the lifestream Sephiroth would continue to plague the planet and return, maybe partially because hes made of jenova cells, alien to the planet like his mother. In ways Advance Children backs this up, they explain that sephiroth although dead, wasn't really dead but "swimming through the lifestream".
Think about this though, i guess Aeris could have lived if the team had dispatched sephiroth the same way jenova presumably was originally, contained and fired into deep space. I mean that IS how jenova came to the world of FF7 to begin with, and the shinra space program was a decent part of the story..
Here's a quote from the FF wiki page on Jenova..
"The creature destroyed most of the Cetra civilization. Their daughter race, the humans, hid from the creature while the Cetra were nearly wiped out. The few Cetra who survived banded together to defeat the creature and quarantined it inside the North Crater where it would lie dormant for thousands of years. Despite their victory over the "Calamity from the Skies" the Cetra civilization was lost, and their numbers dwindled down to almost nothing while humans spread over the Planet. As time wore on humanity forgot about the creature and the Cetra fell into legend."
They didn't kill jenova, just basically put it into stasis.
So what i wonder is, where did jenova come from?
Just something to think about, we'll probably never know lol.
Here's a crackpot theory though, maybe jenova was a failed Esthar(FF8 Tech city/race) experiment so they confined it like sorceress Adel and fired it into space haha.