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In the previous years in analyzing the Texans roster and performance, you could look to the first round and predict with reasoned certainty what position the Texans were going to pick. You look at all the Rick Smith GM'd drafts, and they are all dire need picks for those years: defensive tackle, left tackle, linebacker, corner, (and with the plan of moving Mario Williams to OLB) defensive end.
This year, I'm not sure that there is a no-brainer need first round pick. Everybody, including Smith talks about Best Available Player, but at the bottom of the first round especially, the differences between one player and the next are jumbled. The BEST player for you might be the one that plays for a position of need because they can actually see the field.
Opportunity to get on the field makes draft more difficult because you've developed your own group of veterans. The Texans 2006 draft was great, but it also helped those guys that there was such a need for them to be on the field. Does Brooks Reed have a great rookie year if Mario Williams doesn't get hurt in 2011? The other second round pick from last year, corner Brandon Harris, couldn't play due to the veterans in front of him.
So what is the Texans greatest need in the first?
An reasoned argument can be made that the Texans should take a wide receiver in the first round. Lance Zierlein's first mock draft has Texans drafting Rueben Randle, WR, LSU.
I'm not sold yet on wide receiver in the first. Here's some of my thinking. The number of arguments do not reflect the strength of the arguments, but rather, I might be saying some things I just haven't seen much discussed elsewhere:
Arguments for Texans picking Wide Receiver in the 1st Round.
1. Need spot. Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter not getting any younger. Last year with injuries, they barely had enough wide receivers to dress out. (Johnson's injury was the most notable one, but both Walter and Jacoby Jones played through some injuries last season). In addition, many fans feel that Jones has not had the consistent production that you would like from someone with his speed and size, and proved unreliable for punt returns in the playoff game against the Ravens.
2. Draft offense. The Texans have had to focus a lot of their draft/free agent resources on the defensive side of the ball because it was so bad for so long. Would be nice to draft an offensive skill position to give Andre Johnson more help and put more playmakers on offense.
3. Relative need. On a team without huge, obvious, neon-flashing glaring needs, a high pick wide receiver with some special team skills is more likely to see the field than some other positions. (What happens in re-signing current free agents may have some effect on this, of course).
Arguments against Texans picking Wide Receiver in the 1st Round.
1. No WR worth a first round pick. At the spot that the Texans are picking, there may not be a wide receiver worth that spot that is so much better than the wide receivers that will be drafted in lower rounds. The wide receivers that will be picked ahead of the Texans spot aren't worth the cost of moving up in the draft.
2. Deep WR draft. When a draft is deep for a position, you may be better off picking a different position in the first round, and getting good WR value in lower rounds.
3. Don't want pressure to start rookie WR. Wide receiver is a hard position to learn in the Texans system. Precise route running and blocking is very important for Gary Kubiak's system to work. The Texans like for their first/second round picks to be starters and impact players, and there isn't a starter-ready wide receiver at the bottom of the first round.
4. Texans system doesn't demand 1st round WR talent but it is nice. Arguably, the best three wide receivers in the Kubiak-style offense over history are: Andre Johnson, Jerry Rice and Rod Smith. Johnson and Rice were first round picks, both smart players with very high work ethics. Johnson came into the league with an unusual combination of insane size and speed. Rice is the prime example of a great wide receiver with terrible timed speed. Certainly that pick turned out pretty good, but you wouldn't want to make a habit of drafting slow wide receivers in the first round unless you were a GM who liked to be fired.
Rod Smith is on the other side of the spectrum. He is the only undrafted free agent wide receiver to surpass 10,000 yards receiving. He was an incredibly productive player at a division II school and draft interest went away for him after his left knee was destroyed due to an extreme cheap shot before a punt return. I strongly suggest reading this Denver Post article, "Bronco's Rod Smith retires." You want to get a sense of what the Texans want in a wide receiver. Extremely hard worker, productive player with great hands…not the blown out knee thing.
This is a wide receiver-friendly offense for a player who does what the system asks them to do. Insane skills are nice, but the thing that these players have in common is willingness to work hard and great hands.
5. Kubiak appreciates wide receivers knowing the system more than maybe you do. Last year was a weird year to try to evaluate the current Texans wide receivers. They were often hurt. Their starting quarterback missed a bunch of the season. The defense had an astonishing season, which meant playing with a lead, which meant destroying teams in the second half of games with the running game, which also meant not having to take as many offensive risks.
Wide receivers on this team have three basic functions: 1. Never drop passes to move the sticks; 2. Run your routes precisely/do your blocks so the plays work; 3. Create explosive plays . Yes, they would like explosive plays, but the never drop passes thing, do your job is more important. No team is good with long down and distance, but the Texans put a priority of positive yards and no negative yard plays.
I would like you to take a moment and look at the career of Bronco wide receiver Ed McCaffrey. (I know I keep taking you back into the wayback machine, but often it is the best way of figuring out current thinking). He was a third round pick by the New York Giants. Ended up being a key part of the successful Bronco teams, so beloved in Colorado that wiki says that he has his own regional brand of horseradish sauce.
If you think "possession receiver," McCaffrey likely comes to mind, and his reputation for making tough catches wasn't undeserved. (including holding onto a catch after suffering a really gross looking leg fracture I will not link to).
Check out this McCaffrey YouTube. Includes kill shot blocks. We gonna find one of these guys this draft?
"Possession receiver" translates for some to slow white guy, but as this article from 1991 notes, McCaffrery was one of the fastest guys on the Giants team. Running a 4.47 40 at 6'5″ is a good thing.
Even with those raw numbers, McCaffrey's most productive years didn't happen until he was 8 (!) years into the league and in his 4th year with the Broncos.
Notably for those looking for the next Texans wide receiver, McCaffrey, like the other wide receivers I've already mentioned, was a very productive college wide receiver.
6. Texans developing wide receivers they drafted last year. The Texans spent a lot of their draft last year focusing on defense. They were able to get as undrafted free agents three of the best ones available: Lestar Jean, Jeff Maehl, Terrence Tolliver. (As an aside, the Texans haul of free agent wide receivers made Jaguars fans mad. They have wide receiver lust like Texans fans have defensive tackle of size lust).
Tolliver is off the Texans with an injury settlement and eventually ended on the Lions practice squad. Maehl ended the year on the Texans roster and Jean was kept on injured reserve. Neither of these players saw the field much given the players in front of them, but Jean had a flashy game in the preseason against the Jets. I'm guessing the Texans will want to add some more wide receivers in the draft, but do they have to be from the first round to have the skills the Texans value?
Rod Smith wasn't a drafted player. Neither was Arian Foster. I'm not saying these guys deter you from drafting wide receiver but it would be nice to see what these hungry players can do with a full camp and a second year in the playbook. (There was a thought that 7th round pick Dorin Dickerson was going to be one of their developmental players, but I think transitioning from developmental tweener tight end, I'm not sure body-size he ever felt comfortable getting to a wide receiver weight. He's currently with the New England Patriots practice squad–perhaps that might work out for him as they have done interesting things with unconventionally-sized receiving targets who have played multiple positions).
7. Best Player Available. What player in the first round would make the biggest impact for the Texans? A first round wide receiver that could be found at the bottom of the first with the learning curve that any receiver has jumping to the NFL? Or maybe a run stuffing defensive tackle of the size fans wish they had. Getting a quality swing tackle for future development? Or maybe, with the improbability of being able to keep Mario Williams, more playmaking at outside linebacker? The Texans had to play a backup tight end as a linebacker at the end of the last game of the season because they wanted to protect Reed for the playoffs, and Bryan Braman got hurt.
8. Good systems don't require first round wide receivers. Would you like another Andre Johnson for the Texans? Sure. Yepper. Please. I'd be first in line. Is there an Andre Johnson in this draft? Don't think so. If you look at a list of the most productive wide receivers in 2011, there's plenty of them who were not drafted in the first round, and some of the best lower drafted wide receivers play for teams with proven offensive systems.
How the Texans have used wide receivers in recent years (or that Jacoby thing):
I don't put the following in the for or against first round receiver argument. It's information that might be relevant to your thinking though so I'm throwing it in. Also because I think it is interesting.
Understatement alert: Texans fans likely do not appreciate Jacoby Jones much. The recency effect means that that ugly performance against Baltimore likely sits badly with you this offseason, like eating rancid fish. Even so, 2011 would have been difficult had Jones not been a player familiar with the playbook to fill in for Andre Johnson. This is especially true given the circumstances of the lockout. Nobody can truly replace AJ because he is a historically gifted player, but who would have taken his reps?
Via Football Outsiders, here's the catch percentages for the top three Texans wide receivers recently. His first two seasons, Jones had minimal receiving yards as a third round pick. (Remember, this is a hard offense for incoming receivers though Kubiak has stated that he wishes he had given Kevin Walter more reps his first year with the team). The numbers in parenthesis are number of targets.
Andre Johnson: 2011 – 65% (51), 2010 – 63% (139), 2009 – 59% (172), 2008 – 67% (171)
Kevin Walter: 2011 – 66% (59), 2010 – 64% (80), 2009 – 76% (70), 2008 – 63% (95)
Jacoby Jones: 2011 – 50% (64), 2010 – 65% (78), 2009 – 68% (40)
[Just to throw them in for 2008 because there's numbers on them: David Anderson – 66% (29), Andre Davis – 46% (28)]
Jones' first two years of production are consistent with what the Texans need from their offense as catch percentage. Fans may remember Jones' drops in 2010 because they tended to come at inopportune 3rd down times with catchable balls. Hard to explain the 15 % point drop off from 2010 to 2011 with fewer targets. To paraphrase Giselle, some of it may be from Jones not being able to throw to himself. Some of those targets would be difficult catches.
I am certain that most fans underestimate the help he gives the running game with his blocking. Watch some of the Texans' long runs and you will notice his blocking.
Your turn.
The main reason I run this blog is that if I'm going to have the football conversations I want to have, then maybe I should start them. I already know what I think, but I want to have a polite football conversation with you to see what you think. That's how I learn stuff. And it makes the off-season less painful.
Do you want the Texans to take wide receiver in the first round? If so, who do you think is worth drafting at bottom of the first or giving up a ton to draft up for? (remembering of course, the value the Texans have been able to get from lower rounds).
If you don't think the Texans should draft wide receiver in the first, who are some wide receivers you think would be good fits for what the Texans do? Rick Smith when evaluating a draft usually comes up with an ideal player for a position, and then works back to see how a drafted player fits what the Texans want. Here are some ideal Texans wide receiver qualities.
Hands, hands, hands. Possession. Production on the college level.
Blocking ability. (This often translates to getting players of size. Essential to the Texans running game, and it allows the Texans to run plays out of formations where usually teams use tight ends to block).
Hard worker. Locker room guy. Leadership. Self-Starter. Bright. Something going on behind the eyes. They put a premium on guys who are willing to do the work. You can't have quitters with 100 degree training camps. Wide receiver is a hard position to learn on this team, and they want guys who don't struggle with the playbook.
Special teams. Kubiak doesn't like specialists taking up room on his gameday roster. So the Texans put a premium on wide receivers who can excel at special teams. Speed helps at this spot. Special Teams coach Joe Marciano puts a premium on speed. (Trindon Holliday, Jacoby Jones, Jerome Mathis).
I don't think they are looking for choir boys but the guy has to be coachable. Has to have the ability to "get it." Texans don't do well with divas because if The Andre Johnson isn't a diva, nobody else is allowed to be.
What I think.
I have a working familiarity about what people say about the players in the draft and what their bios read. Watch a few YouTubes highlights. See what people I respect say about the players. Not in a position to look them in eye, talk to them, that sort of thing. I'm not sure that there's a wide receiver worth picking where the Texans are in the first round of the draft or giving up all you need to give up to move up a lot higher. Don't feel strongly enough about that view that I can't be persuaded otherwise.
Would not surprise me if the Texans drafted a couple of wide receivers. Maybe a physical guy. Maybe a shorter speedster. Want playmaking ability but has to have good hands. Good college careers often mean that despite lots of targets, a wide receiver can deal with defensive attention.


text: Do you want to learn more about how to fund an Education Abroad experience? Join us in the Education Abroad Gateway Office in MSC 3301 every day during the week of September 24-28 to learn more about scholarships, financial aid, student loans and much more. This is a great opportunity to get your financial questions answered about study abroad by the people who know best. It is also a fantastic setting to hear other students' questions and concerns about this important topic.

subset: commoncrawl


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Salesforce and Google Apps
The announcement of Salesforce for Google Apps has again raised questions about why Google hasn't been successful in getting major corporations to widely deploy its Web-based productivity applications, particularly the Google Apps Premier Edition.
With the Salesforce for Google Apps announcement, it looks like Google is hoping that Salesforce.com will be able to jump-start the migration of Google Apps into the Enterprise, said Guy Creese, research director with the Burton Group.
In an interview with eWEEK, Creese said the Salesforce.com deal was unlikely to add significant momentum to enterprise adoption of Google Apps.
While the "integration within the Salesforce.com application is quite nice," Creese said, the Salesforce for Google Apps deal is "an installed base play-non-Salesforce.com customers won't be touched by this initiative."
Click here to read more about the Salesforce for Google Apps deal.
In a blog on the Burton Group site, Creese wrote that Google still faces a tough sell in getting Fortune 500 enterprises to switch from Microsoft Office applications to Google Apps because Google Apps is still missing important features that enterprises want, such as role-based administration, the ability to work offline, records management for documents and automatic footnoting.
Google is working on some of these issues, Creese noted, but their absence means that even corporate users who want access to Google Apps may face opposition from IT and their business managers.
Records management is an important issue to enterprises who always have to be concerned that they may be hit with a lawsuit or a regulatory inquiry that would require them to produce huge volumes of corporate documents, Creese said.
Creese said he believes there are situations where Google Apps could be successful, perhaps in enterprises that need low-cost productivity apps and are "a bit leery of spending all that money on Office."
The good news, Creese said, is that users get "nice cheap e-mail and a word processor and everything they need to get their jobs done because they aren't power users." But the requirement for users like this is, "They must be pretty much self-contained," he said.
However, Narinder Singh, founder of Appirio, which provides applications and services to support the adoption of both Google Apps and Salesforce.com, claimed that significant number of large corporations have at least launched pilot programs to deploy Google Apps to workgroups of 200 to 1,000 users.
"We have got a bunch of manufacturing and biotech companies" and one large bank that have started major Google Apps deployments, Singh said, but they generally work under strong nondisclosure agreements and "prefer to fly under the radar."
One of these organizations that has gone public is the Republican National Convention, which is running the organization on Google Apps and is also using Salesforce.com, Singh said.
He said Appirio has also worked with Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago to deploy Google Apps Premier Edition and to transfer users' e-mail boxes from an older e-mail system to Gmail.
Singh also noted that biotech company Genentech made a splash early in 2008 when it announced that it was deploying Google Apps across the enterprise. Arthur Levinson, Genentech chairman and CEO, is also on the Google Board of Directors.
Most major enterprises are very shy about publicizing their Google Apps deployments and pilot projects because "they don't want to cause panic in their own company" with speculation that the company is planning a full-scale deployment of Google Apps, Singh said.
Nor do they want "to find themselves getting pressure from Microsoft if they reveal that they might be considering a large-scale move to Google Apps," he said.


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NCLB Update
Spotlight: High-Performing Schools
ADA Anniversary
The Big Read
Arts Instruction
Brief Interruption
Quotes to Note
Upcoming Events
NCLB Update (http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov/)
According to an initial survey of the No Child Left Behind Act's Reading First program, there are considerable differences between what Reading First teachers report about their instructional practices and the responses of teachers in non-Reading First schools which are demographically similar. Among the highlights:
- On average, Reading First teachers reported they spent significantly more time on reading than did teachers in non-Reading First Title I schoolsa difference of about 19 minutes per day or about 100 minutes per week.
- Reading First schools were significantly more likely to have a reading coach to support teachers in the implementation of their reading programs than were non-Reading First schools.
- Reading First teachers were significantly more likely than their counterparts in non-Reading First Title I schools to place struggling readers in intervention programs.
- Reading First teachers were more likely to report applying assessment results for varied instructional purposes (planning, grouping, progress monitoring, and identifying struggling readers) than their counterparts in non-Reading First Title I schools.
All 50 states have been awarded Reading First grants. As of July 2006, states have awarded sub-grants to approximately 1,600 school districts, and these districts have provided funds to 5,300 schools. A final reportdue in 2008will include data on changes in student reading achievement. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/other/readingfirst-interim/.
On July 26, the Department announced the extension and expansion of two No Child Left Behind pilot programs designed to help struggling K-12 students. One will allow four school districts designated "in need of improvement" to be providers of tutoring. The other will allow several districts within five states to offer tutoring ahead of schedule to students in schools in the first year of improvement. The pilots were initiated last year and proved successful. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/nclb/choice/help/sespilot.html.
Then, yesterday (July 27), the Department announced a partnership initiative designed to provide focused support for improving appropriate and valid accommodations and content assessments for limited English proficient (LEP) students in reading and math. As part of this partnership, the agency will provide targeted technical assistance and support to state partners. Also, the agency will sponsor opportunities for all states to participate in forums on best practices concerning the instruction and assessment of LEP students. No Child Left Behind focuses attention on the academic achievement of more than five million LEP students in the U.S. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/nclb/methods/english/lepfactsheet.html.
Spotlight: High-Performing Schools
Speaking of best practices, the National Center for Educational Accountability has released a series of state-based studies that delineate the practices of nearly 200 high-performing schools. The studies used three years of performance data to identify top schools in 20 participating states, and, through the use of consistent protocols, researchers found strong similarities in the methods the schools utilize to improve student achievement. The studies include schools ranging from elementary through high school, as well as interviews with district leaders, principals, and teachers from high- and average-performing schools. For more information, please go to http://www.just4kids.org/jftk/twenty_states.cfm.
ADA Anniversary
Earlier this week, Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services John Hager joined representatives from across the federal government to celebrate the 16th anniversary of the signing of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The day's events included remarks by National Council of Disability (NCD) Chairman Lex Frieden on the current state of disability (based on findings from NCD's soon-to-be-released annual report) and three ADA-related panels relating to ADA's goals: equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency. The ADA has played a key role in raising awareness of disability issues and the broad social benefits of equal opportunity for 50 million Americans with disabilities. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/
Ever timely, the Assistant Secretary also released his office's new long-term goals:
- achieve true excellence in education for all children and youth with disabilities;
- expand meaningful and competitive employment for people with disabilities and emphasize the transition of youths with disabilities to postsecondary education, employment, or both;
- improve outreach, communications, and visibility;
- build partnerships leveraging resources with federal and other government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector; and
- expand the access to, utilization of, and reuse of assistive technology.
For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/goals.html.
The Big Read
Building off the success of "city reads" programs across the U.S., the National Endowment for the Arts' The Big Read seeks to provide citizens with the chance to read and discuss a single book within their communities. Communities are encouraged to apply for one of approximately 100 grants that will be awarded in 2007; 50 will be awarded for programming occurring between January and June (deadline: September 12, 2006), and 50 more will be awarded for programming occurring between September and December. In addition to a direct grant, communities will receive a library of resources, including reader's and teacher's guides and audio guides with commentary from renowned artists, educators, and public figures. Communities will also get publicity materials. For 2007, communities will choose from eight American classics: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury; My Antonia by Willa Cather; The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway; Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston; To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck; and The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. For more information, please go to http://www.neabigread.org/.
Note: On July 25, the Secretary announced $19 million in Improving Literacy Through School Libraries grants to 78 school districts in 26 states and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. These funds can be used to increase library holdings, improve schools' technological resources and capabilities, facilitate Internet links and other resource-sharing networks, enhance professional development opportunities, and expand hours of access to library services. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/.
Arts Instruction
A new Issue Brief from the Department's National Center for Education Statistics provides a descriptive look at the prevalence of arts instruction received by first- and third-grade public school students. In both grades, most students received at least weekly instruction in art (87%) and music (86%), but dance (23%) and theater (11%) instruction occurred less often during the year. Likewise, a majority of students who received weekly instruction in the arts experienced no change in art and music instruction from first- to third-grade, yet about half experienced a decrease in dance and theater. In each arts area, the incidence of instruction varied by school characteristics. For example, students in suburban schools were more likely to receive weekly instruction than students in either rural or urban schools. For more information, please go to http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006099.
Brief Interruption
As we move into August, I am breaking ED Review's regular two week cycle to escape the heat and tour "the Last Frontier." In the interim, I strongly encourage you to visit http://www.ed.gov/ and check the headlines. Also, watch for the August 25 issue of ED Review, which will cover the major activities of the previous month.
Quotes to Note
"As a former teacher and librarian and a lifelong reader, I understand not only the importance of literacy to a society but also the pure joy and personal enrichment that comes with sitting down with a good book."
|First Lady Laura Bush (7/20/06),
Honorary Chair of NEA's The Big Read
"Harry Potter has a positive impact on kids' reading and their performance in school: 51% of Harry Potter readers ages 5-17-years-old say they did not read books for fun before they started reading the series, while 65% say they have been doing better in school since reading Harry Potter."
|Scholastic's "Kids and Family Reading Report"
Upcoming Events
September 19-21, in Washington, D.C., the Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence is sponsoring "Persistently Safe Schools." The conference is intended to be a creative and informed debate about the state of school violence research and its practical application in schools. J. Robert Flores, administrator of the Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, is among the keynote speakers. There is a registration fee. For more information, please go to http://hamfish.org/cms/view/203.
Credits, Subscribe & Unsubscribe
Please feel free to contact the Office of Communications and Outreach with any questions:
Director, Intergovernmental AffairsRogers Johnson, (202) 401-0026, email@example.com
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To be added or removed from distribution, or submit comments (we welcome your feedback!), please contact Adam Honeysett. Or, visit http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/edreview/index.html.
This newsletter contains hypertext links to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user's convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Furthermore, the inclusion of links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites.


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Once upon a time, working on an IT project in a large organisation meant reams of documentation, tangles of red-tape, and then burning the candle at both ends to get everything finished on time.
Then, someone discovered this Agile thing that dispensed with all of that.
The upshot ? Well, the documentation has been reduced ( although the red-tape is still problematic).
Many large organisations now adopt an approach that is almost – but not completely – unlike SCRUM.
It is at the business end of such a project I now find myself…burning the candle at both ends.
To pile on the excitement, Milton Keynes' own Welsh enclave has become increasingly voiciferous in recent days.
The only SCRUM Deb is interested in is that of the Welsh Rugby Team grinding remorselessly over English bodies come Sunday.
She keeps giving me oh-so-subtle reminders of the result of last year's game, such as when picking lottery numbers :
"Hmmm, three is supposed to be lucky…but not if your English. How about THIRTY !"
"But you're married to an Englishman", I pointed out during one of her more nationalistic moments.
"Which makes him half Welsh !", came the retort.
At this point, I decided that discretion was the better part of logic and let the matter drop.
As a result of all this frenzied activity and feverish atmosphere, sometimes I've not been quite at the top of my game.
One particularly embarassing mishap occured late one evening and involved PL/SQL Tables – or Associative Arrays as they're called these days – and the dreaded ORA-06531: Reference to uninitialized collection.
This particular post therefore, is mainly a reminder to myself of how to initialize and (just as importantly) clear down a Collection to prevent mysterious missing or, just as problematic, additional, records ( as well as less mysterious runtime errors). Continue reading


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A number of companies have signed up to a sustainability campaign designed to ensure seafood suppliers follow guidelines for farmed and wild-caught seafood.
The latest recruit to the latest Global Aquaculture Alliance initative is Meijer who has promised to formalise its efforts to ensure its seafood suppliers maintain the highest standards regarding sustainability practice.
|A Meijer in Midland, Michigan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
To sell their products in Meijer, suppliers will have to be certified to show they meet environmental standards to prevent over fishing and damage to the environment.
The company is also working with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership to improve and develop of fishery and aquaculture improvement partnerships. Read more...
Media contact: Shandra Martinez,
This blog is written by staff at International Aquafeed Magazine which is published and supported by Perendale Publishers Limited. To get your copy of PPL's web application, 'PPLAPP' click here.


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Dubbed the "Liberty Preservation Act," HB 2759 seeks to protect the people of Washington State from the unconstitutional provisions of the NDAA — most notably the astounding and unprecedented federal claim that the U.S. government may now legally detain an American citizen indefinitely with no access to a lawyer or a trial, let alone a jury.
"Washingtonians are guaranteed the right of due process in both the U.S. and Washington State Constitutions," said Rep. Jason Overstreet (above left), the Republican who introduced the bill this week. "The U.S. Congress and President have overstepped their constitutional authority. The Washington State Preservation of Liberty Act seeks to preserve the rights of Washingtonians so brazenly tossed aside by Washington, D.C."
Other troubling sections of the NDAA targeted by the bill include the purported ability of the President to transfer Americans abroad, presumably for torture or other nefarious purposes. The unconstitutional authority to use military tribunals instead of civilian courts to prosecute U.S. citizens is attacked in the legislation, too.
"Policing the citizenry of the United States of America by the armed forces of the United States, as purportedly authorized by the 2012 NDAA, is contrary to the fundamental principles of our republic, and is generally repugnant to a free society," notes the text of the legislation, which has already attracted five co-sponsors. The bill also condemns the federal overreach in "no uncertain terms" as a direct violation of the U.S. and Washington Constitutions.
To help protect Washingtonians against the usurpations, state and local officials — including members of the Washington National Guard – would be prohibited from participating in or assisting the federal government in the unlawful activities purportedly authorized by the NDAA. The bill would also outlaw any of those actions by the U.S. armed forces within the state.
The text of the legislation highlights several provisions of the U.S. Constitution that the NDAA violates. The unconstitutional powers include, among others, the federal government's presumed authority to deny a citizen's right to seek a writ of habeas corpus — a liberty held dear even by British subjects over 500 years ago.
Other constitutional guarantees cited in the Liberty Preservation Act which are violated by the NDAA include the right to petition the government for redress of grievances; the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures; the right to be free from serious charges without a grand jury indictment; the right to be free from deprivations of life, liberty, or property without due process; the right to a speedy trial by an impartial jury; the rights to confront witnesses, be informed of the allegations, and have the assistance of counsel; and several others.
The NDAA violates a broad array of rights enshrined in the Washington State Constitution as well, the legislation notes, citing multiple examples. And because state lawmakers are required to take an oath to uphold and defend the Washington Constitution, they have a duty to do so.
"The bill affirms that it is indisputable that the threat of terrorism is real and that the full force of appropriate and constitutional law must be used to defeat this threat," noted Rep. Overstreet. "However, winning the war against terror cannot come at the great expense of eviscerating the unalienable rights recognized by and protected in the United States Constitution and the Washington State Constitution."
If America gives up its freedom in order to fight the terror war, the terrorists will have won, Overstreet pointed out. "Undermining these constitutional rights serves only to concede to the terrorists' demands of changing the fabric of what has made the United States a republic, granting the greatest number of people the greatest amount of freedom," he concluded.
The controversial NDAA was signed by President Obama on December 31, along with an accompanying "signing statement" promising not to abuse the new pretended authority. But even before the legislation became official, critics across the country vowed to fight it for as long as needed. Opponents of the legislation even branded as "traitors" various U.S. Senators who backed the bill.
Since its passage, a broad coalition of Democrats, Republicans, libertarians, constitutionalists, and others has joined forces to undo the damage. Counties and states across America have drafted resolutions to nullify the NDAA, with Virginia entering the fray this week.
Activists in Montana are taking other measures — several prominent patriots are now working to recall the state's U.S. Senators, Democrats Max Baucus and Jonathan Tester, for disobeying their oath of office. Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg is also being targeted for violating his oath and voting in favor of the NDAA.
"These politicians from both parties betrayed our trust, and violated the oath they took to defend the Constitution," said recall campaign leader Stewart Rhodes, the president of the national group Oath Keepers, composed of law enforcement and military personnel who pledge to defy unconstitutional orders. "It's not about the left or right; it's about our Bill of Rights. Without the Bill of Rights, there is no America. It is the Crown Jewel of our Constitution, and the high-water mark of Western Civilization."
More state legislatures are also expected to join the battle soon, according to the Tenth Amendment Center. The national organization, which works with state governments to nullify unconstitutional federal usurpations such as the NDAA, blasted the idea of indefinite detention and praised Washington State legislators for their efforts to protect the Constitution.
"Washington lawmakers have the opportunity to stand in the gap and ensure their citizens will not find themselves subject to the capricious whims of federal agents," wrote Mike Maharrey, communications director for the Tenth Amendment Center. "By taking a stand, Washington can join those heroic state officials who stood up against federal power to protect black citizens in the waning years of slavery."
As states take action to protect citizens, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, a GOP presidential contender who called the NDAA a "slip into tyranny," introduced a bill in Congress to repeal the indefinite-detention provisions. "This is precisely the kind of egregious distortion of justice that Americans have always ridiculed in so many dictatorships overseas," the liberty-minded Congressman said while introducing the legislation.
In the courts, NDAA opponents are taking action as well. Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist Chris Hedges, for example, is suing President Obama in federal court for signing the bill. "The executive branch is now functioning as judge, jury, and executioner," Hedges told radio talk-show host Alex Jones.
Indeed, the Obama administration, going even further than George W. Bush, has taken to publicly assassinating American citizens without charges or trial. Most recently a 16-year-old U.S. citizen was murdered by the administration using a drone strike over Yemen.
Washington's "Liberty Preservation Act" has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. If approved, it will take effect immediately.
Related articles:
Government Cites NDAA as Authority to Detain Gitmo Prisoner
Virginia Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Nullify NDAA
Montana Launches Recall Efforts Against NDAA Supporters
Lawmakers Submit Letter Opposing NDAA's Indefinite Detention Provisions
One Lonely State Representative Opposes Indefinite Detention
NDAA Would "Quash Dissent" on Internet
The NDAA and Suspension of Habeas Corpus: Not Just for "Enemy Combatants" Anymore
Judge, Jury, & Executioner: Should Presidents Have a License to Kill?
Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist Files Suit Challenging NDAA
Obama Admin Pushed for Indefinite Detention Provision
Oath Keepers Launches Effort to Recall Members of Congress
Ron Paul Introduces Bill to Repeal NDAA's Indefinite Detention
Obama Signs National Defense Authorization Act into Law
Ron Paul Calls National Defense Authorization Act "Slip Into Tyranny"


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Hello, my name is Karen Kordsmeier and I am the Library Media Specialist. I received my bachelor's degree in early childhood education from the University of Central Arkansas, a master's degree in instructional technology from Arkansas Tech University, and National Board Certification in K-12 Library Media.
My husband is an administrator at Russellville Jr. High and we have 3 sons, two attending ATU and one at RHS. I enjoy cheering on the Cyclones as a football and basketball mom, scrapbooking is a favorite hobby, and I can see becoming a crazy cat lady in my future.
I began teaching in 1993. I taught first, second, and third grade for 10 years before becoming the media specialist at Center Valley in 2004. I love being immersed in children's literature, learning about new technology, and working with a variety of grade levels. My goal as the librarian is to serve the students, staff, and patrons by maintaining a top-notch collection of books and resources, inspiring a love of reading, and teaching students to be information literate.


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The purpose of this web page is to establish and communicate the State of New Jersey's position regarding Web Accessibility requirements for executive branch Web sites and online services. The objective of this policy is to improve the ease with which all citizens, including those with disabilities, can access and benefit from Web based government services and information.
Section A. ScopeThis policy applies to all Web sites and Web services provided by New Jersey state agencies in the executive branch of government that operate Web sites as a public service, other than independent state entities. Independent state entities are strongly encouraged to adopt this policy or a similar policy.
Section B. DefinitionsThe Access Board is an independent federal entity, established by Section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 792), whose primary mission is to promote accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
Content provider is a generic term that refers to an individual who contributes to the creation or maintenance of a Web page. Content providers include but are not limited to Web designers/developers/programmers, Webmasters, graphic and multimedia designers, and Web publishers.
Independent state entities are authorities, boards, commissions, and other agencies of the state of New Jersey, which are not subject to the policies, supervision, and control of the governor. An example of an independent state agency is the NJ Transit Authority.
Reasonable steps are steps that do not impose undue financial or administrative hardship on an agency.
Senior management refers to the chief executive, chief information officer, and chief technology officer, chief financial officer and any other official reporting directly to the chief executive of a principal department or agency, including NJOIT.
W3C (the World Wide Web Consortium) refers to the independent, computer industry group that develops interoperable technology, specifications, guidelines, software, and tools designed to enable the Web to its full potential as a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding.
Universal Web Accessibility refers to the condition of a Web site designed to meet the needs of the widest range of people's abilities.
Section C. IntroductionThe Internet and the World Wide Web have become a tremendous source for government information and are becoming a preferred channel for government service delivery. However, if Web sites are not designed and developed for accessibility, then certain segments of the population, particularly the physically disabled, will not be able to reap the benefits that the Internet brings to society. In New Jersey there are approximately 1 million people over 5 years of age with a long term disability, according to the Census 2000 Supplementary Survey Profile for New Jersey, published by the United State Census Bureau. It is imperative that New Jersey state government Web sites do not create obstacles for citizens with disabilities in their pursuit of information. Compliance with these guidelines will help to ensure that New Jersey Web sites serve the largest possible audience.
In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to reflect the newly emerging focus on technology. The amended act added provisions requiring federal agencies' electronic and information technology be accessible to persons with disabilities, including employees and members of the public. The law applies to all federal agencies as they develop, procure, maintain, and/or use electronic and information technology. In addition, Section 508 of the act also assures that people with disabilities in the general public have equal access to federal government information. While state governments are not directly subject to Section 508, Section 504 of the Act prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in any federally funded programs or activities. It requires that programs receiving federal funds must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. And while Section 504 does not specifically address electronic and information technology accessibility issues, it may be inferred that federally funded state programs have some responsibility to meet the requirements of Section 508.
The U.S. Department of Justice issued an opinion in September 1996 stating that the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Titles II and III require state and local governments and the business sector to provide effective communication whenever they communicate through the Internet. This effective communication rule applies to covered entities using the Internet for communications regarding their programs, goods, or services, since they must be prepared to offer those communications via an accessible medium.
Usability of information technology is a serious issue for New Jersey citizens with disabilities. Web pages that are not designed to be accessible bar individuals with disabilities from participating in and reaping the benefits of e-government and e-commerce.
Accessible Web design provides benefits beyond the community of disabled persons. The most significant benefit is that accessible Web design enables users of simple technology to access information requiring more sophisticated technology. Thus, people with slow modems and low bandwidth can access the electronic content of an accessible Web site even if they do not have state-of-the-art computer equipment. Additionally, people with personal digital assistants and cell phones can access the content of Web sites incorporating accessible Web design features.
Section D. PolicyNew Jersey state agencies subject to this policy shall take reasonable steps to design and develop Web sites and Web services so that they are accessible to people with disabilities as well as those without disabilities.
Agency Web page developers, designers, programmers, and content providers shall become familiar with the guidelines for achieving universal Web accessibility and shall apply these principles in designing and creating any official state of New Jersey Web sites.
Agencies shall take reasonable steps to meet the Web accessibility standards issued by the Access Board, Part 1194 to Chapter XI of Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Subpart B Section 22, under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Many items in the Section 508 standards are similar to the Priority 1 level checkpoints of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG) developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), but there are some variances.
Any revisions to the Section 508 Web access standards shall be incorporated as a requirement of this policy unless agencies are otherwise notified.
Agencies are strongly encouraged to go beyond the Section 508 accessibility standards and incorporate the additional Web design techniques contained in the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
All state agencies subject to the policy shall take reasonable steps to incorporate Web accessible design techniques when developing new Web pages, sites, and services. As existing Web pages, sites, and services are revised and updated, agencies shall take reasonable steps to ensure the accessibility of those pages, sites, and services.
Section E. Roles and Responsibilities
|department: home | about | NJ commuter | in the works | business | engineering | freight, air & water | capital | community | data | links | index
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State of New Jersey, 2002-2019
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Last Updated: May 21, 2007


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Spread the word! New members welcome!
Nothing like having a big bender in the workshop! Nice bit of kit.... While you're in the mood to buy astonishingly heavy machine tools, could I interest you in a circle cutter able to create a 36" circle in 1mm ish steel!?
LOL - Have you still got that thing! It might come in handy for cutting the round vinyl labels I'll need on the bonnet, maybe....!
Page created in 0.051 seconds with 25 queries.


text: Ok my time have come when I have to sacrifice to the mighty hardware good. I have problem with my harddrive and yes I have a backup on everything so I been playing with reformating with a peacefull mind. Basiclly I am getting I/O errors to my harddrive and after runing chkdisk it finds alot of corrup files and bad clusters. After reformat and reinstalling the OS it do the same thing within minutes. The thing is that if I take the drive and reinstall it in another puter it all works perfectly fine. I been trying this with 3 different harddrives now and they all do the same thing. The problem started without any newly installed hardware or software. I been trying with nothing more installed then the NIC and Graphic card on the motherboard. To me all this sounds like a failing IDE controller on the motherboard (been trying both Primary and Secondary controller with same result) but before I get a new one I would like to hear some more opinions. As a side note it is a asus A7V133 mother board AMD 1200 proc and win 2000 wich I am getting pretty sick of reinstalling by now.


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Visit our main website at www.StDavids.com
Amy Scholten, MPH
Hemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels in and around the anus and lower rectum. They stretch under pressure and are similar to varicose veins in the legs. Hemorrhoids are either internal or external.
Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.
The exact cause of hemorrhoids is unknown. The major contributing factor appears to be too much pressure on the veins in the rectum. If the pressure continues, the veins become enlarged and protrude.
Hemorrhoids are more common in older adults. Factors that increase your risk of getting hemorrhoids include:
In most cases, symptoms will go away within several days. Although many people have hemorrhoids, not all experience symptoms.
Common symptoms include:
Bleeding from the rectum or blood in the stool can be a symptom of other diseases involving gastrointestinal tract or colon/rectal cancer. It is important to see a doctor if you have any rectal bleeding.
You will be asked about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done. Your anus and rectum will be examined to look for swollen blood vessels. A digital rectal exam will be done. This is done by inserting a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum to feel for abnormalities. Sometimes, it is necessary to do the exam with the use of an endoscope that allows the rectal canal and other parts of the colon to be viewed.
Initial medical treatment of hemorrhoids is aimed at relieving symptoms. Measures to reduce symptoms include:
If these treatments do not provide relief, one of several nonsurgical procedures may be used to shrink or destroy the hemorrhoidal tissue. These procedures, which are generally performed in a doctor's office, include:
If nonsurgical procedures are not an option or fail to resolve the problem, surgery may be needed.
is the permanent removal of hemorrhoids by cutting the hemorrhoidal tissue away. Some of the newest surgical treatments involve using stainless steel staples. While many surgeons favor these treatments, there is some evidence that techniques that are more traditional produce more consistent and long-lasting relief.
The best way to prevent hemorrhoids is to keep stools soft so they pass easily. The following practices can help:
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © EBSCO Publishing. All rights reserved.
Women's Center of Texas12221 N. Mopac Expwy.Austin, TX 78758Telephone: (512) 478-3627Map & Directions


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By Reginald Kaigler (DEMCAD)
Days after a mentally unstable man stole an AR-15 rifle and two pistols from his mother and went on a shooting spree that resulted in the deaths of at least 20 children and 6 adults, politicians are calling for gun control. Despite the fact that the man acquired the guns illegally and violated the so called gun free zone to kill innocent people, Democrats are now coming for more gun control.
Currently, the law makes it illegal for anyone (including principals, teachers and parents) to bring firearms onto school property. Unfortunately, the mass shooter decided to ignore that law and therefore enjoyed a target rich environment with defenseless victims.
Instead of Congress acknowledging the failure of the so called no gun zone laws, they have doubled on a new call for even more gun control. Apparently, Obama and the Democrats are convinced that new laws will deter criminal behavior. But I don't think an assault rifle ban is about making people safer. it's about control. The mainstream media and the politicians are looking to restrict liberty. They are not interested in empowering anyone but themselves. And now we're seeing people's true colors.
Fake conservative Joe Scarborough (yeah, one of Mitt Romney's cheerleaders) is now calling for gun control.
"our Bill of Rights does not guarantee gun manufacturers the absolute right to sell military-styled high-caliber semi-automatic combat assault rifles with high capacity magazines to whoever the hell they want."
Read more...
Let's review the U.S. constitution.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
The second amendment is not about hunting or sports. It's about making the government recognize the people's natural right to defend themselves from tyranny (i.e. Nazi Germany and Soviet Union.)
Online retailer Cheaper Than Dirt! has suspended sales of firearms.
"Cheaper Than Dirt! has temporarily suspended online sales of firearms. As a long time supporter of the Second Amendment, Cheaper Than Dirt! will continue to promote the safe and responsible use of firearms by law abiding customers. During this temporary suspension, we will review our policies and promotions."
Read more...
They're not the only ones. Look at Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods pulling certain types of guns off of the shelves in some stores.
Read more...
Here's a message from Dick's Sporting Goods.
"We are extremely saddened by the unspeakable tragedy that occurred last week in Newtown, CT, and our hearts go out to the victims and their families, and to the entire community."
"Out of respect for the victims and their families, during this time of national mourning we have removed all guns from sale and from display in our store nearest to Newtown and suspended the sale of modern sporting rifles in all of our stores chainwide."
So their response is to make it more difficult for law abiding citizens to defend themselves, because a psycho shot a lot of unarmed people who couldn't defend themselves. Think it through, Dick!
Gun owners now have an opportunity to see who is really a supporter of the second amendment and who's just lying. A lof of so called pro gun Democrats are revealing their true colors and I think we'll see if the Republican Party really is pro-second amendment. 2012 GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney actually signed an assault rifle ban in Massachusetts. So will the House Republicans cave or stand their ground? Will the American people publish law abiding gun owners? I remain pessimistic.
In closing, the same politicians and media types who sold us out with the banker bailout (TARP), are the same ones who supported the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, National Defense Authorization Act and now possibly a new assault rifle ban. So I'll leave you with my favorite quote. And I don't care if it's a perfect quote from Benjamin Franklin or not. True words have never been spoken.
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."


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Looking for design inspiration? Browse our curated collections!
Boundary: Bleed area may not be visible.
Click and drag to re-position the image, if desired.
The watermark at the lower right corner of the image will not appear on the final product.
by David Arment
Image Size
The image is near the edges of the product but doesn't cover the entire product. Some of the background color may appear around the outside edges of the image.
Background Color
Decorate your bathroom and dry yourself off with our luxuriously soft bath towels and hand towels. Our towels are made from brushed microfiber with a 100% cotton back for extra absorption. The top of the towel has the image printed on it, and the back is white cotton. Available in three different sizes: hand towel, bath towel, and bath sheet.
Care Instructions
Machine wash cold and tumble dry with low heat.
Ships Within
1 - 2 business days
The Amish buggy and horse makes a great silhouette image!
David Arment replied:
Thank you Suzanne.
Average Rating (4.20 Stars):
Cindy Vogel
July 1st, 2019
Previously posted picture revised to a Black and White version.
Hello and Welcome! Hi I'm David. My wife is Pam. Pam and I love to travel and capture what we can of the places we visit. As has been said many times, "there is no place like home" and we also love to photograph this part of the world around Shipshewana, Indiana. We love our Amish neighbors and hope to respectfully capture their way of life in photographs. Photography is difficult because everyone has a nice camera in their phone and can take a picture that is pretty darn good. I shoot with Nikon D800's and Nikon lenses so the quality of the image is very high. I do everything I can to produce very good work and I try to be consistent in working on it every day. This is how some of us connect with the world around us. We can't stop...
Our return policy is very simple:
If you're not happy with a purchase that you made on FineArtAmerica.com, for any reason, you can return it to us within 30 days of the order date. As soon as it arrives, we'll issue a full refund for the entire purchase price. Please note - Fine Art America does not reimburse the outgoing or return shipping charges unless the return is due to a defect in quality.
Fine Art America sells thousands of pieces of artwork each month - all with a 100% money-back guarantee. We take great pride in the fact that hundreds of thousands of artists have chosen Fine Art America to fulfill their orders, and we look forward to helping you select your next piece!
All hand towels ship from our production facility within 1 - 2 business days of your order.


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Oct. 29, 2011
NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA-The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's volleyball team split their tri-match with visiting Western Connecticut State and Framingham State on Play for the Cure Day at the Tripp Athletic Center Saturday.
The Corsairs lost to Western Connecticut, 25-22, 26-24, and 25-17, and defeated the Rams, 25-16, 25-10 and 25-20. The Colonials defeated Framingham State, 25-17, 25-12 and 25-16.
Against Western Connecticut, senior outside hitter Allie Mastrocola (Swansea, MA/Case HS) led the Corsairs with 12 kills, while senior middle blocker Cami Ascher (Natick, MA/Natick HS) added seven. Junior setter Jess Goncalves (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford HS) had 24 assists and four service aces, senior middle blocker Kaitlin Hogan (Tewksbury, MA/Shawsheen HS) had five blocks, senior libero Shannon Brodie (Chelmsford, MA/Chelmsford HS) had 13 digs, and Mastrocola had 11. In the Framingham match, Goncalves had 24 assists, Mastrocola had 17 kills, Ascher added 12, and Brodie had eight digs. Mastrocola and Hogan each had four blocks, while Ascher had two.
"We played well against a very good team in Western Connecticut," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Steve DeRossi. "Defense was our strong suit, we had a lot of extended rallies and we won a lot of them, but when they got the ball into the middle, we couldn't shut them down. Our hitting was more efficient, we only made seven errors. We had a good game in serve receive against Framingham, with only one reception error for the entire match. Cami and Allie played two of their better matches of the season. In the third set, we were able to get everyone into the match."
The Corsairs are now 14-17 and 1-6 in the Little East Conference, while Western Connecticut State is 24-8 and 6-2 in LEC play and Framingham State is now 19-12. Western Connecticut advances to next week's Little East Conference playoffs, while Framingham will participate in the MASCAC playoffs. The matches were the final action of the season for UMass Dartmouth.


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Mono Lake bacteria build their DNA using arsenic (and no, this isn't about aliens) and Science gets it (mostly) wrong again: My take on the NASA astrobiology paper and Lots of Ink for a few extremophiles: We've been invaded by aliens, Monolakians, from the Duncecap Galaxy
The Real Scoop on Aliens Oops Arsenic in Old Lakes and Bacteria Use Arsenic As Basic Building Block In A Pinch and Poison Nil: Mono Lake Bacterium Exhibits Exotic Arsenic-Driven Biological Activity and It's not an arsenic-based life form.
Arsenic-associated bacteria (NASA's claims) and Arsenic-permissive bacteria – implications for arsenical cancer chemotherapy and Are there viruses of arsenic-utilizing bacteria? and The 'Give Me a Job' Microbe
Of Arsenic and Aliens and NASA's real news: bacterium on Earth that lives off arsenic! and Close Encounters of the Media Kind and A Life Less Ordinary and Life With Arsenic: Who'd Have Thought? and Medicine! Poison! Arsenic! Life itself!
Why "alien" life, aka arsenic-loving bacteria, embargo fiasco was deja vu for Sun Spaceman Paul Sutherland and Did you know you could have bet on the NASA arsenic-based bacteria find? and On science blogs this week: Alien abductions
Arsenic-Eating Bacteria May Not Redefine Life, But Could They Be Useful in Oil Spill Cleanup? and A new life form? Not so fast and Arsenic and Old Lace and Arsenic-Based Life
The Wrong Stuff: NASA Dismisses Arsenic Critique Because Critical Priest Not Standing on Altar and NASA: science shouldn't be debated in media and blogs?! and Not getting it and "This Paper Should Not Have Been Published": Scientists see fatal flaws in the NASA study of arsenic-based life.
Unquestioning dogma: the gatekeepers of science and Death for "Arsenic-Based Life"? and My summary of NASA's arsenic-thriving bacteria story and Arsenic and Bacteria: "nothing in that paper is going into my biochemistry textbook" and Why was #PLoS ONE blamed for the media hype about the Darwinius and Red Sea papers, but when it comes to the latest overblown #Science paper, it is #NASA that's blamed for the hype? (same applies to Venter's synthetic life: Venter gets the blame not Science) and Heavy Metal
And the skeptics keep chiming in…George Cody on arsenic life and NASA discovers life on Earth and Extraordinary claims attract extraordinary blogging and The Value of Blogs and Ordinary evidence would do
[guest post: Alex Bradley, PhD] Arsenate-based DNA: a big idea with big holes and On how science happens – Case Study: NASA, Arsenic, and Controversy and Is That Arsenic-Loving Bug — Formerly an Alien — a Dog?
Hat die NASA Aliens gefunden? (natürlich nicht) and Die Arsen-Bakterien: Doch ein lohnendes Forschungsobjekt? and Inside scoop from the NASA man who was way ahead of the rest of NASA on those Mono microbes with arsenic in their genes.
An arsenic bacteria postmortem: NASA responds, tries to pit blogs vs. "credible media organizations" and The Right Place for Scientific Debate?: Scientists snub media as controversy over arsenic-eating microbes rolls on and Hey, NASA: this is what peer review actually looks like.
NASA arsenic story – let's lay off the personal attacks on all sides
Follow up <--


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For a while now, the Market Samurai Affiliate Program has been one of our most requested "features".
So, in less than 72 hours, we will be publicly launching the Market Samurai Affiliate Program with a BIG celebration event.
This means:
- BIG opportunities for BIG commissions;
- Plenty of BIG rewards and bonus prizes for affiliates;
- And much, much more…
If you already own a copy of Market Samurai, and you want to reserve your spot in the affiliate program, make sure you enter your details here to receive your affiliate code on Monday (when the affiliate program launches):
If you want to find out more about the affiliate program, and the cool gadgets and gizmo's we're giving away, keep reading…
12 Great Reasons to Join the Market Samurai Affiliate Program
There are a lot of great things about becoming a Market Samurai affiliate.
For starters – Market Samurai is an established, reputable tool, with a solid user base.
It sells well already (and keeps selling better and better every month), and the commissions on sales you refer are big – so being a Market Samurai stands to make you good money.
It takes practically no effort to promote. (Chances are you're already telling 1 person a month about Market Samurai anyway. Why not make commissions when they buy.)
PLUS – as an affiliate you have the opportunity to earn some BIG rewards. (Did somebody say iPads?)
Let's look at the facts:
FACT: Earn Big Commissions
Just by telling people about Market Samurai, you earn a big 48% commission when they buy.
This sees you earning between $46.56 and $71.52 for every sale.
This means…
FACT: It's Easy to Make Good Money
If all you did was tell ONE friend per month about Market Samurai, and based on your personal recommendation they bought, that's between $550 – $860 extra per year in your pocket.
If you put a banner on your blog, and refer 1 more sale per month, that's now $1,100 – $1,720 in your pocket.
Do a few blog posts (one a month – perhaps talking about different tools inside Market Samurai and how you use them), refer just 10 sales from each blog post, and you're now earning $6,680 – $10,300.
And if you have an email list – start multiplying these numbers. (I'll show you why in a moment.)
It doesn't take much effort to make a lot of money as a Market Samurai affiliate. Promoting a free download has never been so profitable!
FACT: No Selling Necessary, No Pitching Necessary
As you're starting to see, promoting Market Samurai is so easy that you can barely call it "promotion":
All you need to do is invite as many people as you can to download a free trial of this cool marketing software called Market Samurai. (A "no-brainer" – people love free software.)
Once they've signed up, you can sit back and let us do the "selling" for you.
Our autoresponders, free training content and special offers do the hard work selling Market Samurai for you – on autopilot.
Of course you can choose to promote the sale yourself (and convert even more signups to buyers, based on your own personal recommendation to buy).
But if "selling" isn't your skill, we've got you covered. You just get as many people to download a free trial as possible and we'll do the selling for you.
The best part is – it doesn't matter WHEN or HOW someone buys – if you referred the sale, you get the commission.
FACT: Permanent Hard-Coded Lifetime Affiliate Cookies
Having permanent, hard-coded, lifetime affiliate cookies is something every affiliate program should offer – but most don't.
A lifetime affiliate cookie means it doesn't matter if someone you refer buys Market Samurai today, or in a year from today – if you've referred the signup, you earn the commission when they buy.
Plus, hard-coded affiliate cookies means your affiliate code is permanently tied to the user when they download Market Samurai – for life. And this means, unlike other affiliate programs, there's no need to worry about losing sales when people clear their cookies, or the cookies expire.
Our cookies never expire – they signups you refer locked in your name for life.
(So the more people you refer to download the free trial of Market Samurai, the more people are locked in our system to your name, the more commissions you make.)
FACT: High Conversion Rates – Market Samurai Sells Itself
Did I mention Market Samurai sells well?
Here are some stats we've never released before…
So far, 20-25% of everyone who has ever downloaded a free trial of Market Samurai has ended up buying.
(One big partner even achieved a 46% conversion rate – download-to-sales – and earned a whopping 6-figure commission payment that month. But even if you ignore that single promotion, the average conversion rate still sits around 20-25%.)
Yes, 20-25% are our average conversion rates – sales from downloads.
Obviously your mileage may vary – depending on a whole heap of factors (such as how qualified the leads are that you refer, and whether you follow up and promote the sale – not just the download.)
But if you're promoting Market Samurai to fresh, qualified leads that are targeted to online marketing, there's no reason why you can't achieve these high conversion rates too.
Again – your goal is simple… Just get as many people as possible to download the free trial of Market Samurai. From there, Market Samurai sells itself.
More signups means more sales and more commissions in your pocket.
FACT: You Get Access To Our Best Promotional Offers
This is one of the secrets to our selling success – we've created offers that are practically too good to refuse.
These offers have been reviewed, tested, mailed and proven by some of the most respected names in the internet marketing industry who have recommended Market Samurai to their lists…
…We'd be crazy if we didn't let you have access to these high-converting offers too!
So as a Market Samurai affiliate, you'll get access to all of our proven promotional materials – for you to "swipe" and use as you choose.
The best part is the feedback you'll receive when you promote Market Samurai.
FACT: People THANK You For Recommending Our Top Rated Software
People's love of Market Samurai is obvious whenever you see it mentioned on forums, blog posts, comments, at seminars, in training, or even on our own site…
Any time Market Samurai is mentioned, people talk about Market Samurai with glowing praise, talking about it as the best investment they've ever made.
On forums and in blog posts, Market Samurai makes the list as one "must-have" internet marketing product. And it's independently rated one of the top 10 internet marketing products of all time according to IM Report Card.
Market Samurai isn't one of "those" internet marketing products that you probably receive 100 emails a day about… (You know the ones – here today, gone tomorrow, never making an impression – the type of product that burns the reputations (and email lists) of everyone who promotes.)
Instead, Market Samurai is something that you can promote with confidence – because it's solid, valuable, and actually works.
In fact, many people who have recommended Market Samurai to their lists have actually received THANK YOU emails!
(Get that! – You promote something because it works for you, you earn commissions on sales, and then you receive letters of thanks saying "Thank you for promoting this product to me."!!)
This is a reputation we've worked hard to create, and a reputation that we'll continue to protect, so that you can promote Market Samurai with confidence.
FACT: Over 150,000 people already use our products…
From 0 to 150,000+ people using Market Samurai in under 2 years.
This speaks for itself as a sign of how big demand is for Market Samurai worldwide.
If you're thinking "With over 150,000 users, surely everyone who wants Market Samurai already. Surely demand is dropping by now…" – you're dead wrong!
FACT: …Demand For Market Samurai STILL Keeps Growing!
Yes, we've had explosive growth over our 2 short years… But every month, demand seems to grow faster.
Last month, we didn't do any big promotions. Yes, we released some training and some free new updates – but no big JVs, no huge partner promotions… When it comes to marketing and sales, last month was a boring month.
But, last month was STILL one of our biggest months for sales and signups to date.
Every month, more and more people decide to start marketing online, and go looking for the best tools for the job; Or they decide to switch from their other (less reliable, more expensive, lower-featured) software – and find Market Samurai; Or they hear about Market Samurai through word-of-mouth referrals.
And every month, demand keeps growing.
FACT: Untapped International Opportunities
There are also a lot of untapped markets out there waiting for affiliates to exploit, where few people know about Market Samurai.
For example, we have disproportionately low numbers of users in the UK, South America, Asia, and Continental Europe – just to name a few.
These are some of the biggest (growing) markets for internet marketing in the world.
So if you have a following in any of these markets, or if you know how to get into these untapped regions, there's big potential to make big commissions as a Market Samurai affiliate.
FACT: The Early Movers Will Catch The Biggest Opportunities
Until today, the only way to become a Market Samurai affiliate was by-invitation-only, as a Market Samurai partner.
This means we have relatively few Market Samurai affiliates.
But when we open the floodgates on Monday, so that all Market Samurai owners can become affiliates, it will be the fast-movers who make the biggest gains.
FACT: The Affiliate Program is EXCLUSIVE to Market Samurai Owners
That means, if you already own the full version of Market Samurai, you can sign up right now to get your affiliate code on Monday.
And, when the affiliate program launches on Monday, you won't have to worry about competing against mega-affiliates who have never used Market Samurai and just want to cash in on our affiliate launch…
Why is the Market Samurai affiliate program open exclusively to Market Samurai full version owners?
In short, because we want to reward YOU – our loyal customers.
To Full-Version Owners of Market Samurai:
Your purchase helped us to fund our growth, and improve Market Samurai to the point where we now have well over 150,000 people using our software worldwide. For this, we are thankful.
Plus – When you recommend Market Samurai to others, your recommendation carries integrity because you actually own and use the software yourself. And we want affiliates who have integrity.
Because of these two points, we want you as an affiliate.
Sure, we'd make a lot more money if everyone could promote Market Samurai – regardless of whether they've even used Market Samurai or not…
But why should we put "mega-affiliates" ahead of the real, genuine, loyal customers who supported us when we were just starting out?
That is why we're opening the Market Samurai Affiliate Program exclusively to you.
To Trial Users of Market Samurai:
If you don't own the full version of Market Samurai yet, it's not too late…
All you need to do is purchase a copy of Market Samurai before signing up to the affiliate program.
If you purchase and sign up to the affiliate program by Monday, you can use this discount link to purchase.
Get In Early to Earn Additional Bonuses:
NEW iPhone 4G's, NEW iPad 3G's and more!…
To celebrate the launch of the Market Samurai Affiliate Program, and to reward fast movers, we're going to have some fun!
For every signup you refer between Monday the 14th of June and Sunday the 27th of June, you have the opportunity to unlock big bonus prizes.
These prizes include iPads, the new iPhone 4G (the yet-to-be-released one that was announced this week), and more!
We're aiming to give away dozens of each prize – you won't need to be a "top 10″ affiliate to win – instead, prizes are "unlocked" when you reach signup targets.
By getting more signups, you unlock bigger and better prizes.
To find out full prize details, you'll need to sign up here – we'll send all your affiliate details, plus details on prizes and milestones on Monday when the affiliate program launches.
Full legal terms and conditions of the affiliate program, and launch competition, can be found here.
Want an iPad, iPhone – and more?
The Grand Prize: The Apple Pack-intosh
The Market Samurai Affiliate Program launch wouldn't be complete without a Grand Prize.
Our Grand Prize, for the affiliate who gains the most sign ups during the first two weeks, is the huge "Apple Pack-intosh".
This is a collection of the latest expensive Apple gadgets and goodies – including:
- MacBook Pro - 15″ full-spec'd out, and portable - Estimated Value: $2,300
- iPhone 4G – the yet-to-be-released NEW iPhone 4G 32GB - Estimated Value: $300
- iPad 3G – top of the line iPad WIFI+3G 64GB – Estimated Value: $830
- Apple TV - 160GB of entertainment TV awesome – Estimated Value: $230
- Apple Keyboard – Bluetooth wireless keyboard for iPad/MacBook – Estimated Value: $70
- Magic Mouse – with multi-touch interface – Estimated Value: $70
- AND a set of Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin Speakers – simply because they're cool… - Estimated Value: $600
Total Estimated Value: $4,400 USD
We have only ONE of these "Apple Pack-intosh" mega-packs to give away in the next two weeks – so once you reach the final signup target, it's a "King of the Hill" race to see who will walk away the grand prize away.
Market Samurai Affiliate Program Launch Details
The Market Samurai Affiliate Program will launch on Monday the 14th of June.
To be eligible for the prizes above, you must promote between Monday the 14th of June and Sunday the 27th of June 2010. Only signups within these dates will be counted towards your prize.
(These times will be measured in Australian Eastern Standard Time – so make sure you check out the clock in the affiliate area to make sure you're synced up.)
Remember: Every Market Samurai sign up you refer is locked to your affiliate code for life.
So the next two weeks mean you earn double…
Not only do you unlock big prizes, you also earn big commissions when the leads you refer buy Market Samurai (whether that's right away, or years from now.)
Affiliate Program Eligibility
If you already own a full-version copy of Market Samurai, make sure you sign up now – so that you receive your affiliate code on Monday (as soon as the affiliate program launches):
But, again, if you don't own Market Samurai yet, it's not too late…
You can still upgrade to the full version of Market Samurai – and then join the affiliate program, promote, and recoup your purchase cost and more through the affiliate commissions you earn. (If you sign up before Monday, you can use this discount link to get Market Samurai at the discounted price of $97.)
Word Of Warning:
The Market Samurai Affiliate Program Is NOT For You – IF…
Remember how I said we were limiting the affiliate program because we're more interested in rewarding loyal customers – and maintaining our integrity – than pimping ourselves to every affiliate who wants to make a quick buck selling Market Samurai?
It's all true.
We're willing to make less money – and refuse or reject affiliates – if it means we get the RIGHT affiliates.
The Affiliate Program is NOT for you if…
If you want to promote Market Samurai using car-crash-style "Market Samurai is a scam" ads, SPAM, black hat techniques (like cookie-stuffing), lies, dirty tricks and scams…
…Then don't even bother applying.
You will be rejected, refused or simply booted out – and applying to the affiliate program will just waste your time and ours.
Our reputation is worth far more to us than a few extra sales. (That's why we're "Noble Samurai" – not "Evil Ninjas".)
The Affiliate Program IS for you if…
But if you own Market Samurai, and you want to make some extra cash recommending Market Samurai, plus help a whole lot of people achieve better results online in the process…
…Then you're the kind of high integrity VIP we want to reward (with prizes and big commissions) through the affiliate program.
If this is you, make sure you sign up now so that you're ready to go on Monday when we email you your affiliate launch pack.
Speak to you again on Monday!
Brent Hodgson
Noble Samurai
P.S. – Don't forget – it all begins on Monday! (Roughly 72 hours from now.)
So make sure you've signed up before the floodgates open to maximise your signups and commission earnings (and get your hands on the best signup bonus prize in the process!)
Here's the signup link again.


text:
Seismic readings show 2 landslides within minutes in Washington state, smaller slides for days
SEATTLE – Seismic signals showed there were two major slides about four minutes apart during Saturday's disaster in Washington state, and afterward smaller slides continued for days, University of Washington researchers said.
A report on the landslide readings was sent to the U.S. Geological Survey and posted Wednesday on the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network blog by Kate Allstadt, a university researcher.
The "very rapid and energetic" event was detected on 17 seismic stations ranging from 7 to 170 miles away.
They showed the biggest slide started at 10:37 a.m. and lasted more than two minutes. This is the slide that crossed the North Fork Stillaguamish River and hit the community of Oso, killing more than 25 people
"The big pulse was the main volume of material that broke down from the slope and tumbled down toward that valley," said Bill Steele, the seismology lab coordinator and spokesman for the seismic network.
"Another big pulse followed that, breaking loose another section of unstable slope," he said.
The second slide at 10:41 a.m. was material breaking off the steep cliff created by the first slide, Allstadt said Thursday. Smaller slides continued for an hour and occasionally for days later, similar to earthquake aftershocks.
The landslide moved with surprising speed, said Ralph Haugerud, a USGS research geologist at the University of Washington.
"Not very many move this fast," he said Thursday. Typical landslides in the Nooksack Valley "crept down the hill."
The vibration of falling can cause a landslide to turn into a debris flow that moves like water.
"My hunch is the slide may have dropped farther than many, and as it did it liquefied," Haugerud said.
The study of seismic signals showed no earthquake triggered the slide, Allstadt said.
The closest quake was a magnitude 1.1 on March 10. That would have been too weak to lead to a slide, Allstadt said. There have been eight such quakes in the Oso area in the past year.
The tiny tremor was insignificant to the forces of the river and gravity working on the unstable hillside, Steele said. Layers of clay in the hillside collect rainwater, creating a lubricated surface that easily gives way.
"This area is glacial moraine and sandy outwash — very unstable soil being cut by a very active river moving around in the channel," Steele said.
However, it's possible the 1.1 tremor was related to some movement in the hillside.
"It could have been an indication of something moving within that slope," Steele said.
That points to the new area of research called landslide seismology that Allstadt is pursuing.
Landslides are harder to study than earthquakes because the signals are less clear and don't travel as far, said Allstadt, who used seismology tools to research landslides for her doctorate.
She plans more research that eventually could lead to monitoring that will indicate when slopes are becoming unstable.


text:
American shooting athlete Mike Tagliapietra taking aim during competition.
Shooting first became a medal sport at the 1976 Paralympic Games in Toronto after a successful demonstration at the prior Games in Mandeville, England.
Shooting is divided into rifle and pistol events, air and .22 caliber. The rules governing Paralympic competition are those used by the International Shooting Committee for the Disabled. These rules take into account the differences that exist between disabilities allowing ambulant and wheelchair athletes to compete shoulder to shoulder. Shooting matches athletes of the same gender, with similar disabilities, against each other, both individually and in teams.
Paralympic shooting competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
E-mail your questions about shooting. Find a local program in your community - visit the Paralympic Resource Network.
2011 Military & Veteran Shooting Program Standards


text:
Staybridge Suites Seattle North-Everett
Situated on the shores of Puget Sound, Mukilteo is a scenic, waterfront suburb located just north of Seattle. Whether visiting for business or pleasure, the Staybridge Suites® Seattle North - Everett hotel offers exceptional service and quality amenities to ensure a carefree stay. Surrounded by top companies, such as Boeing Everett, Fluke and Intermec, the hotel is the ideal choice for your next Mukilteo business trip. The hotel's guests enjoy free Wi-Fi access throughout the property, including the Business Center. If you're looking for hotels in the North Seattle area that can host your next meeting, we have a ballroom with space for up to 75 people, as well as an Executive Boardroom. Whatever your interests may be, you're sure to find something exciting to do in Mukilteo. The hotel's just minutes from both the Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour, Historic Flight and the Flying Heritage Museum. Check out the Mukilteo Lighthouse for amazing views of the waterfront. We are also about 20 miles from downtown Seattle.When choosing hotels in the Seattle area, remember our convenient amenities, such as an indoor pool, Fitness Center and a free, hot breakfast buffet. Borrow a putter from the Front Desk and practice your game at our five-hole putting green. We also have a media room with 16 easy chairs. Make your reservation today, and take advantage of all we have to offer!
Quick Info
- Check In: 4:00 PM
- Check Out: 12:00 PM
- Minimum Check-In Age: 21
- Parking: Free
- Print Fact sheet
Hotel Highlights
- On-site Guest Self-Laundry Facilities
- Complimentary Breakfast Buffet
- Standard Wireless Internet service is free for all members
- On-Site Fitness Center Available
- Complimentary Shuttle Available
- Guest Rooms with Full Kitchens
Limited Time Offers
Mukilteo Lighthouse
Mukilteo loves Seafair-stay with us
Events at Rosehill Community Center
Guest Reviews
Overall Experience


text:
There are rules. Follow them, or you get warned. Continue to break them, and you get suspended. Continue to break them after suspension, and you will be banned.
I don't know when it began, but at some point this idea sprung up that "hey, I've been a member here for a long time, I can do whatever I want". That shit's not going to fly anymore. We're not a dictatorship, we've probably unbanned more members in the past 24 months than we've banned. We hate doing it. But we also want better discussion and less baiting. Perhaps we let it go too far, perhaps we gave too long a leash. How many "chances" did Fuji get? 800? If we have to start deleting posts, we will. If people don't listen to our warnings and keep doing it, we'll hand out suspensions. We're tired of it.
And I'm not coming after any specific person, this is about everyone. A lot of people have been pushing buttons, multiple people actually daring admins or moderators to ban them when they're warned to stop doing something minor.
It's really simple. There are rules. Don't follow them? You'll be warned, and those posts will get deleted. Keep on doing it after the warnings? You're going to get suspended. This staff is no longer going to be a doormat to all this bullshit. We're tired of it. If you're warned and you feel you shouldn't be, you can always PM an Administrator to discuss it.
And again, these are minor things. I can't even believe that I have to make a post like this, but it's long overdue. We've seen too much of this over the last 3 months. Stop baiting members in to arguments, stop trolling. You get warned, you better listen. We're not trying to be mean, we're not trying to be power trippers, and we're not trying to ruin the fun. We let a lot of things slide, and we're going to continue to let those things slide. But personal attacks, going off subject in a topic, and baiting are not going to slide any more.
You have a problem with this, you can PM me.
- Sports Insomnia
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Announcement: Rules
Posted by GMF1991
- Head Administrator
- 34,494 posts
Shocking The World
- Location:'Merica
- Sports Insomnia
- → Sim Leagues
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- Board Rules ·


text:
Number: 105-4
Date: June 12, 1997
On June 10, 1997, the House Ways and Means Committee reported its recommendations to the Committee on the Budget for inclusion in an omnibus budget bill. The provisions adopted were in an amendment offered in the nature of a substitute by Chairman Archer and Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Shaw. Provisions of interest to SSA are as follows:
- Extends the current period for SSI and Medicaid eligibility from 5 years after entry to 7 years after entry for refugees, asylecs and noncitizens who have had their deportations withheld under section 243(h) of the INA.
Would be effective as if enacted in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA).
- Provides that noncitizens receiving SSI on August 22, 1996, would not have the PRWORA provisions apply relating to noncitizens' eligibility for SSI. Specifically included in this group of noncitizens that would be "grandfathered" would be Amerasian immigrants and Cuban and Haitian entrants.
Would be effective as if enacted in PRWORA (August 22, 1996).
- Provides that noncitizenmembers of federally recognized American Indian tribes who are lawfully admitted for permanent residence may be eligible for SSI.
Would be effective as if enacted in PRWORA (August 22, 1996).
- Provides that noncitizens who are ineligible for Medicaid, would be eligible for Medicaid if they receive SSI benefits and if the State's Medicaid plan provides Medicaid eligibility for SSI recipients.
Also provides that noncitizens who are otherwise ineligible for food stamps would not be made eligible for food stamps because they receive SSI.
Would be effective as if enacted in PRWORA (August 22, 1996).
Disabled Children
- Extends current 12-month period (ending 8/22/97) to 18 months (ending 2/22/98) for redetermining the disability of children under age 18 under the new standards. Any child whose red.etennination is not done within the I8-month period is to be assessed under the new standards as soon as possible after the close of the period.
State Supplementary Payments
- Increases fees for SSA's administering supplementary payments (currently $5 per check) under the following schedule: FY 1998--$6.20; FY 1999-$ 7.60; FY 2000--$7.80; FY 200 1--$8.10; and FY 2002--$8.50. Beginning FY 2003, fees would be indexed to increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or such different rate as the Commissioner determines would be appropriate for the State.
Amounts of fees collected in excess of $5 per check would be available for SSA administrative purposes.
- Repeals section 1618 of the Social Security Act that requires States with supplementary payment programs to pass through cost-of-living increases in the SSI Federal payment rate.
Would be effective upon enactment.


text:
FBI Director Robert Mueller revealed himself as an internet newbie yesterday when he admitted to nearly being duped by an email phishing scam.
He told Commonwealth Club of California forum attendees that he recently responded to an email that appeared to come from his bank, stopping only when he was asked for his password. Using his experience as an example, he went on to speak about the ever increasing threat of cybercrime. One smart-ass citizen responded to his warnings thusly:
"I'm not worried about a teenage hacker reading my e-mail. I'm worried about you reading it."
Ballsy—I'll give him that. But it appears that we have little to worry about as far as Muller is concerned. He's too busy reading every email in his inbox that's from Zimbabwe or in all caps. [SFGate]


text: I am sorry I have been putting off the Geocaching Maine shirts that I had made that the wife and I wore at the September cache event. The reason I was holding off was because the owner of skydivergear.com was working with me on using his graphics that he designed on the back of his shirts and putting our logo on the front. Well after the cache event in September he told me that he was to busy to finish putting the shirts together. I have been sending him email every month now and he has been replying saying he is to busy with another project he is working on and will not be able to get to it anymore. So I regret to say that this will not happen now. I am pretty bummed about it myself. But he did get two shirts done. The Lady Geocacher and the Geocacher shirt with the Geocaching Maine logo on the front were added before he got to busy. So I guess we got lucky enough to have them for options. We still have some different shirt options on the site with our logo on the front.


text:
Tottenham defeat Reading 3-1 at White Hart Lane in the Premier League
Emmanuel Adebayor scored his first home Premier League goal of the season as Tottenham beat Reading 3-1.
By Rob Parrish - Follow me on Twitter @skysportsrobp
Last Updated: 01/01/13 8:18pm
Pavel Pogrebnyak had nodded Brian McDermott's men into a shock early lead, but from that point on the game was bossed by the hosts, who were swiftly back on terms thanks to Michael Dawson before taking the lead through Adebayor's excellent header early in the second half.
Andre Villas-Boas will be concerned by the fact that his side failed to put the game to bed earlier despite their clear superiority, with Reading close to snatching a leveller in the second period before substitute Clint Dempsey's deflected effort made the game safe 11 minutes from time.
Reading made a dream start as they took the lead with only four minutes on the clock when Ian Harte's superb free-kick from outside the box crashed off the crossbar with Hugo Lloris well beaten and Pogrebnyak reacted first to nod home into an empty net.
Spurs were stung and Adebayor nodded wide at the far post from the excellent Aaron Lennon's cross, before they restored parity almost immediately as skipper Dawson got ahead of Royals striker Pogrebnyak at the near post to glance home Gylfi Sigurdsson's corner from the left.
The first half continued with consistent pressure from Spurs, but they were unable to find a way past the impressive Adam Federici in the Royals goal, with many of their attempts coming from range, typified by a blistering long-range drive from Mousa Dembele which was narrowly wide as he burst clear despite his shirt being pulled by Jem Karacan.
Jermain Defoe then turned Mikele Leigertwood inside and out before firing in a powerful shot which whistled inches past the post, with the England striker going close again as half-time approached, but his second shot from outside the box lacked power and was gathered by Federici, who had to be alert moments later to gather another effort from distance by Dembele at the second attempt.
Jobi McAnuff blazed over the bar on a very rare foray forward for Reading before Federici was called into action once again, plunging low to his left to turn away a deflected effort from Sandro which clipped Sigurdsson on its way towards the goal.
The second half commenced in the same manner with which the first ended, Federici diving away to his left to comfortably gather a curling effort from Defoe, but the Royals keeper was powerless to keep out a towering header from Adebayor after Lennon took on Harte and clipped over a delightful cross in the 51st minute.
Reading were offering nothing as an attacking threat and Spurs nearly made it 3-1 when Lennon burst clear and saw his initial shot blocked before being fed by Adebayor, only for Alex Pearce to make a vital interception. The winger was at the centre of yet another attack with the game into its final third, cutting a low cross into the area which Defoe could only fire wide, with Sigurdsson well-placed behind the striker.
Spurs were almost made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal as Pogrebnyak burst into the area and forced Lloris to forego his role of virtual spectator with a low save with the Royals forward then heading the follow-up narrowly wide of the target.
Jimmy Kebe was also inches away from levelling in the 75th minute, only to be denied by an excellent last-ditch tackle from Kyle Walker, with Pearce's header from the resulting corner heading towards goal only to be unwittingly deflected wide by Pogrebnyak with Dawson and Lloris in close attendance.
The increasing nerves among the home supporters were eased in the 79th minute when substitute Dempsey, who had only been on the field for four minutes, struck a shot from outside the box which took a wicked deflection off the leg of Leigertwood and looped over the unfortunate Federici, who reserved his best save for last as he tipped away Scott Parker pile-driver.