text:
Please visit our Open House at 207 1515 2ND AVE W in Vancouver (R2429780 ). $748,000
Open House on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 10:00AM - 12:00PM
Enjoy STUNNING water, city and mountain views from this two level 1 bedroom and 1.5 bathrooms in fabulous False Creek. Open floor plan with floor to ceiling windows, beautifully updated kitchen, hardwood floors throughout and an AMAZING 200 SQ FT VIEW PATIO which is perfect for entertaining, gardening and lounging. Spacious master bedroom down with an abundance of closet space and a large updated ensuite. The storage options are endless here. This concrete, FREEHOLD building has a gym and secure parking. A unique second entrance gives a townhouse feel with direct access to Granville Island's restaurants and shops, aquabus to downtown, and Vancouver's seawall to walk, cycle, or run this gorgeous waterfront scenery. Everything you need and want is just steps away... Love where you live.


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Android/Maemo: We've been following the development of Firefox Mobile (aka Fennec) for awhile now, but today Mozilla released the first beta of the mobile web browser, complete with noticeable performance improvements, Firefox Sync, and other cool usability features like pinch-to-zoom.
If you're a Firefox user on the desktop and you've been itching to sync bookmarks, history, tabs, passwords, and form-fill data with your smartphone, Firefox Mobile has it all. It also has some pretty cool features like pinch-to-zoom and the "Awesome Screen", which gives you access to bookmarks, history, and tabs just by tapping the address bar. The custom start page is also a nice touch, giving you access to your past browsing sessions and open tabs from other computers.
Most impressive, though, is the massive performance boost that Firefox Mobile sports compared to its predecessors. Those of you that tried out the Fennec alpha and pre-alpha builds were justifiably put off by the incredible slowness of the app, making it mostly unusable. In my brief usage of the app, it took a moment to load, but then ran pretty darn smoothly under normal usage. In fact, it was responsive enough to even compete with the default Browser (most of the time), and unlike earlier versions, is something I could actually see myself using. It still has a few quirks (it is a beta, after all), but definitely worth a download if you're a Firefox fan. Hit the link to read more, and if you take it for a test drive, let us know what you think in the comments.
Firefox 4 Beta is a free download for Maemo and Android 2.0+ devices.
Firefox 4 Beta for Android and Maemo Now Available [The Mozilla Blog]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Audie Cornish.
And I'm Robert Siegel. Just under an hour from now, polls close across Wisconsin, where voters are deciding the fate of first-term Republican Governor Scott Walker. If Walker wins today's recall election, he stays in office. If he loses, Democratic nominee Tom Barrett becomes governor. Barrett is currently the mayor of Milwaukee. The vote caps off 16 months of bare-knuckled politics in Wisconsin. The recall was prompted by Walker's push shortly after taking office to dramatically limit the collective bargaining rights of public sector unions. Today, Mayor Barrett described the election as historic.
MAYOR TOM BARRETT: And we are just fortunate to be here at this time, trying to make sure that our government represents us and not interests that don't care about this state.
SIEGEL: And this morning, Governor Walker recognized the need to heal the state's political wounds.
GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER: Certainly, we're going to have the honor of winning the election tonight. I'll certainly talk about ways to bring the state together this evening. But the most important thing we can do is actually not just talk about it but do it. And I think tomorrow will be the first of many steps.
SIEGEL: Well, joining me now are NPR's David Schaper and Don Gonyea, both of whom are in Wisconsin. And first to Don, who is at Governor Scott Walker's election headquarters in Waukesha. Don, Walker described himself yesterday as cautiously optimistic. Does that reflect the mood there tonight?
DON GONYEA, BYLINE: Yes. They are looking at these very high turnout numbers across the state. They're not quite sure what to make of it. Both candidates have been saying they want very high turnout. But still, you know, the polls were generally trending Walker's way over the last week or so - some of them still have it very close. But, again, that high turnout - nobody quite knows what to make of it.
SIEGEL: Well, let's turn now to NPR's David Schaper. He's at Mayor Tom Barrett's election night event in Milwaukee. David, what are you hearing from people there?
DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Well, the Barrett campaign is cautiously optimistic as well, and they believe that the strong turnout bodes well for Mayor Barrett. Some of the turnout figures I just heard from his spokesman were 119 percent turnout in Madison. And the way that that's possible is that you can register the day-of the election. And that means that a lot of people who didn't vote in 2010 in that governor's race - which was narrow but won by - this is a rematch of this race - so, it was won by Scott Walker pretty handily. Many more people are turning out in Democratic strongholds - Milwaukee and Madison - this time around.
SIEGEL: David, let's turn back to Don Gonyea, who's at Governor Walker's headquarters. Don, how do you think the presidential campaigns of President Obama and the Republican, Mitt Romney, look at this race in Wisconsin?
GONYEA: They were just a little wary of it. You know, each of them had their guy in the race. Mitt Romney backed months ago when the Republicans were holding their presidential primary here, you know, talked about Walker and said he's doing marvelous things and really praised him. But he hasn't come here since the actual recall election got underway. President Obama kept his distance as well. The Republican National Committee was all-in. Of course, Reince Priebus, the chairman of the RNC is from Wisconsin. The DNC was a little more cautious. But, Robert, I can tell you the president put out a tweet last night. Depending on the outcome, people will say it was just enough or too little too late. He tweeted last night from his official account: It's election day in Wisconsin tomorrow and I'm standing by Tom Barrett. He'd make an outstanding governor. That was it.
SIEGEL: I have one question for both of you very quickly: I wonder what you're hearing there from people in Wisconsin, which is - and we'll start with you, David Schaper - do people describe this as a choice like any other gubernatorial election or do they regard it as something special to recall the governor? Is it a different bar they're applying? I've lost David Schaper, but, Don, what do you hear from people about that?
GONYEA: I mean, I think different people see it different ways. I can tell you this one's a lot more personal. I mean, people have, you know, chosen up sides and they're fighting in families and amongst friends. So, I think that they look at it differently.
SIEGEL: And on that note, guys, I'm going to have to let it go. And we all look forward to hearing the results from Wisconsin when the polls close at 8 p.m. Central, 9 p.m. Eastern. That was NPR's Don Gonyea at Republican Governor Scott Walker's headquarters in Waukesha, Wisconsin and David Schaper reporting from Milwaukee, where Democratic challenger Tom Barrett is awaiting today's election results. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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In the ever changing tapestry of my art life several threads recur. Woven into everything is my fascination with exploring new territory or examining old territory from new perspectives. With this come recurrent threads of breadth and interconnection, a weaving together of new and old.
Dancing strands of improvisation connect with underlying rhythms. Playing off many aspects of the cosmos, I create ekphrastic linkages of art made in response to other art. For me these other arts include nature above all, but also dance, music and poetry. Sometimes I help create art in response to my own art. The film, "Traces of the Cosmos," was made as a poetic response to my installation of the same name. It was a fruitful collaboration that included videographer Ian Lucero, jazz improviser Dennis Plies, composer Susan Alexjander and fabricator and light designer William Madill. Collaboration is a joyful counterpoint to all my treasured hours of solitude in the studio. The painting details shown above are from "Traces of the Cosmos."
During studio time I primarily paint and draw. I also do calligraphy, photography and collage. Shining filaments of color link and illuminate each other in my paintings. Curved shapes, ever shifting and inter-relating mirror and connect with the cosmos.
Following my two universe-inspired painting series, I have come back to earth to my most complex intertwining of series, which are nearing completion. These include "Worlds Behind Worlds," a geology-inspired series; "Inner/Outer," inspired by Carl Jung's concept of the shadow, which itself consists of 5 subseries; and "Renga," inspired by the poetry of Tibetan Buddhist, Connee Pike. Currently, several new series are in the process of queuing up.


text:
News Story
The App that Fights Congestion, Emissions
The average American lost 41 hours to rush-hour congestion in 2017, according to a scorecard published by transportation analytics company INRIX, placing the U.S. with nations like Indonesia, Venezuela, and Russia on the list of top five countries with the highest average peak hours spent in congestion. And while expanding road networks and public transit systems may seem like the only way to combat gridlock, researchers at the University of Maryland A. James Clark School of Engineering are betting they can meaningfully shave these hours down with a more personal approach.
They've built an AI- and big data-based travel app that nudges users to make smarter travel decisions—ones that benefit the environment, the user, and other travelers.
"We know that we will never build our way out of congestion," said Lei Zhang, director of the Clark School's Maryland Transportation Institute (MTI) and the Herbert Rabin Distinguished Professor of civil engineering. "But with artificial intelligence, we can build tools that get more accurate and helpful with each use, allowing us to manage travel demand while also helping people get where they want to go more smoothly."
incenTrip, part of a $4.5 million project funded by the Department of Energy to reduce energy consumption in personal transportation, awards points based on how a user chooses to get around, giving more points for taking public transportation or commuting outside peak travel times, for example. These points can then be redeemed for gift cards to Amazon and the Apple Store.
Like other travel apps, incenTrip offers users a handful of travel modes to choose from: car, ridesharing, bus, subway, and biking. But the UMD app takes this formula a bit further, showing travelers how much fuel is consumed by each option and even suggesting that a user travel at another time or mix-and-match modes to ultimately cut time spent in traffic.
The options displayed—as well as the points assigned to them—are generated by algorithms that consider real-time road and transit conditions, how traffic will change throughout the trip, and the user's individual behavior. The modeling and data fueling these algorithms come from MTI and the Clark School's Center for Advanced Transportation Technology Laboratory, which manages the largest big data transportation archive in the world.
Zhang, along with collaborators Chenfeng Xiong and Ya Ji, began piloting incenTrip in the D.C.-Baltimore region in 2017. Today, they have 35,000 total users on Android and iOS.
That might not seem like many for a region with around 4 million commuters, but the pilot phase has shown that significant reductions in congestion, energy use, and emissions are possible through even a small number of travelers adjusting their decisions.
"Our research indicates that when an incenTrip user saves one minute in traffic, there's a five to 18 minute travel delay savings systemwide for other travelers," Xiong, an MTI assistant research professor, explained.
To reach their goal of cutting regional congestion and energy use by 10 percent over the next few years, Zhang and Xiong estimate they'll need just 160,000 active users. They'll leap closer to that goal later this year when the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments adds incenTrip to the Commuter Connections accounts of tens of thousands of members.
Zhang, Xiong, and Ji are also working to expand beyond the pilot region through partnerships with government agencies as well as fleet managers, not-for-profit organizations, and others interested in immediately deployable solutions for reducing costs, energy use, and congestion.
Download incenTrip on Google Play or the Apple Store. For more information on becoming a partner, visit incentrip.org/Partnership.html.
Published October 17, 2018


text: American White Oak remains a very popular choice of hardwood due to its textured grain and strength properties. Mainly used for furniture construction, joinery, windows, doors, floors and internal mouldings. Oak is rarely painted due to the beautiful grained appearance when machined. Oak can be greatly enhanced by applying clear vanish or lacquers to enhance the beauty of the timber.


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Price list for legalization
The prices for legalization and certification of documents are calculated on the basis of affixed certification and/or legalization.
The total price represents the sum of the administrative state fee and the company's fee.
Administration | Service | State fee | Company fee (ex. VAT) |
Дирекция "Консулски отношения" на МВнР | Легализация на документ - Документи издадени от Посолство в България - 4 р. дни | 20 BGN | 25 BGN |
Translation of documents
Translations from and into more than 50 languages from certified (sworn) translators by the Directorate "Consular Affairs" to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Legalization of documents
Preparation of documents for legalization and certification, as well as their their filing in various state administrations and embassies.
Interpreters for simultaneous and consecutive translation. Accompanying and performing the formalities relating to executing transactions before a notary public. Providing equipment for simultaneous translation.
Specialized translations
Translation of documents with technical, medical, legal, financial etc. terminology by specialized translators.
Online translations
Online translations through a specialized centralized information system and client profile.
Certified Translations
Certification of translations of official and private (unofficial) documents and other papers.


text:
My Home In Noirmoutier COVID guarantee
In an exceptional situation, exceptional measures.
Considering the period we are going through and always with the aim to protect you, My Home In Noirmoutierhas set a special COVID cancellation policy. The terms and the way those special conditions apply are hereby described, and included as part of My Home In Noirmoutier booking terms as well.
If, at the dates of the reservation, the government takes an administrative decision reflecting on a travel ban between the tenant's residence and the location of the property rented, the reservation can be cancelled with no penalty. The tenant is entirely refunded.
By administrative decision reflecting on a travel ban, we hereby mean a full closing of the borders from country to country, a lock down of the entire country population at home, or a distance travel interdiction not allowing the tenant to move to the location of the place rented. Any other reason (such as closing of the restaurants, beaches, recommendation from the state not to travel, quarantine on arrival or return, etc.) are not taken into account and do not constitute a legitimate reason to cancel.
In all the other cases than the one exposed above, the standard cancellation policy linked to the property reserved applies.
With My Home In Noirmoutier COVID guarantee, you have two possibilities:
To define new travel dates, this is the easiest option for all the parties. There is no fee for moving a booking from its original dates. There is no additional payment unless the price that applies to the new travel dates is higher than the original price. In case the price is lower than the one applying to the original dates, you are refunded for the difference.
To be entirely refunded through a wire transfer for 75% of the rental price and through a 25% credit note. This credit note is valid for a period of 12 months from the starting date of the stay originally booked and applies to any My Home In Noirmoutier destinations. If the rental price has been partially paid at the time the reservation is cancelled, the value of the credit note issued cannot be inferior to 25% of the rental price.
Application field
The following conditions prevail on the standard cancellation policy defined in the property description and booking terms, except if tenant and owner mutually agree on another way to proceed.
As "residence", we only take into account the address communicated by the tenant, meaning the person who made the reservation and his/her address at the time of the reservation. Even if the group is composed with several persons, having all different addresses, the only address taken into account is the one from the person who made the reservation.
If the government imposes lockdown, travel interdiction that can possibly affect the reservation or if the travel situation remains unclear, the owner has the possibility to cancel the reservation without any penalty. The tenant can refuse a cancellation from the owner but in such case, the tenant is no longer entitled to benefit from the COVID cancellation policy terms.


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Mittney, we hardly knew ye!
Who were you, anyway? You streaked across the dark, Obamaesque sky like a comet, and then just as quickly--you we're gone. A nation weeps.
You were, like the man who defeated you, an empty person, a Nowhere Man. Basically, a shmuck with a haircut. But there is one crucial difference: whereas your rival stands for nothing at all, and thus got filled up with Wall St. and the Pentagon--in other words, wound up as a corporate shill and a war criminal--you did have a philosophy. True, it wasn't much--warmed-over Reaganism, really--but you believed it. You believed that 47% of the American public were worthless layabouts; that the government is there to promote the rich and grind the poor into the dust; and that we should project American power to every corner of the globe, just for the hell of it. You probably think trees cause pollution, that ketchup is a vegetable, and that the homeless are homeless because that's what they really want for themselves. Pretty thin gruel, intellectually speaking, but at least it was something.
Of course, your rival has done enormous damage to America in four short years. He shredded the Bill of Rights, institutionalized kill lists and destroyed thousands of civilian lives in Pakistan and Afghanistan, increased hatred and bitterness toward the US, funneled $19 trillion into the pockets of bankers while the real unemployment rate stood at 18%--man, the list goes on and on. He even murdered American citizens on a whim, and has probably implemented the torture of many more. But what bothers me about your defeat, O Great Mittney, is that you could have done more, you could have made things even worse, and faster, too. And that's what America really needs, O My Mitt: to just fucking get it over with, instead of dawdling around with social/economic and cultural disintegration. So we'll continue slouching towards Bethlehem, committing suicide in piecemeal fashion, where you might have put us on the fast track to hell. This is indeed a sad day for our great nation, as you sat in your hotel room eating meatloaf, and composing your concession speech.
Who will remember you, in a month's time, O Mittney? Who remembers John Kerry? Who the hell was John Kerry? You get my point. Ay, Mittney: we hardly knew ye!


text:
Jeff Lange takes you on a trip back in time to experience classic Walt Disney World "Tomorrowland" attractions. This second volume in the series features the following:
Mission to Mars (1992)
Join your Audio-Animatronic host, Mr. Johnson for a pre-flight briefing from mission control! Continue your journey as you board your rocket and experience liftoff, followed by entry into Hyperspace. Upon arriving at Mars, probes are launched to show the Martian landscape up close. Will you survive the meteor shower that damages the ship?
Delta Dreamflight (1992)
Explore the history of flight through whimsical scenes of barnstormers to modern day air travel. Fly over 1930's Tokyo and Paris before landing in the present age.
Mickey's Mart (1991)
A complete tour of this original Tomorrowland gift shop, featuring all of your favorite character displays and merchandise of the era!
Wedway PeopleMover (1991)
Join the "commuter computer" ORAC-1 for a relaxing tour of Tomorrowland. Highlights include: the Epcot architectural model, Skyway, RYCA-1, Space Mountain (with lights on), Grand Prix Raceway, Star Jets and more!
Carousel of Progress (1993)
Experience the joys of living through the advent of electricity and other technological advances during the 20th century via a "typical" American family. This version of the attraction features the Sherman Brothers song "Best Time of Your Life" (Now is the Time).
RYCA-1: Dream of a New World (1991)
Enjoy this rare look at the Space Mountain post show featuring a diorama of life on another planet.
Skyway to Tomorrowland (1992)
Soar high over Fantasyland enroute to Tomorrowland in this nighttime flight on the Skyway!
Relive these Tomorrowland Classics year after year or experience the magic for the first time by purchasing a copy of "Jeff Lange Remembers Tomorrowland Classics".
Running Time: 66 Min
Buy 2 or more DVD titles from my store and recieve free shipping with no handling charges.
I strive to provide my customers with superior customer service.
All orders shipped within 24 business hours guaranteed!


text:
Take it easy, tough guy.
Russian officials are acknowledging that President Vladimir Putin has been slowed by back problems, but they insist he won't be sidelined for long.
Rumors about an injury began to float in early September, when the Russian leader was seen wincing at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vladivostok.
A Kremlin spokesman said it's a minor injury, about what you'd expect in an athletic fellow like the 60-year-old Putin. Nonetheless, several overseas trips have been canceled.
There's no word on what the president may be using in terms of liniment, but it must be a bitter treatment for someone who has carefully cultivated his image as an all-around man of action.
Just days before the Vladivostok meeting, Putin had appeared on TV, taking part in a project to help endangered Siberian cranes.
The project involves getting cranes raised in captivity to follow a motorized hang glider that will lead them on their southward migration.
Russia's state-run TV channels showed the president, clad in a puffy white flight suit. He was said to be reassuring to the cranes.
After the short flight with another pilot in the glider, Putin told reporters that flying the lightweight craft was trickier than flying a fighter jet — something he has also done.
In the video, it can be seen that Putin's co-pilot has his hands on the controls at all times.
Over the years, the president's well-documented adventures have shown him riding bare-chested on a horse in Siberia, boxing, swimming and practicing his favorite martial art, judo.
In 2009, he boarded a research submarine on a dive to the bottom of Lake Baikal, where he enthused over the clarity of the water.
The president's action photo-ops tend to take place in late summer, and in August of 2011, he outdid himself, diving on an archaeological site in the Black Sea.
In just a few minutes of diving, Putin was shown "discovering" big, clean, well-preserved pieces of ancient pottery in the shallow waters.
Detractors pointed out that the pottery was a bit too clean — and a spokesman later admitted it was planted on the site for the president to find.
State-controlled TV anchors and government spokespeople say all of Putin's stunts have a serious purpose — to showcase worthy scientific projects or raise awareness for conservation.
Critics say the show is a lot more about presidential ego and PR.
Either way, the president's back injury may sideline him from any more he-man exploits in the near future.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Support ticket system for WooCommerce is WordPress ticket system that integrates with your eshop adding a helpdesk trouble ticketing system in your WordPress website. Your support will be well organized, better, faster and will look way more professional.
The WordPress ticket system Plugin extends WooCommerce and creates a Tab and a new Page in My Account Section where Customers can ask for Support in General or Per Order (PRO Version) . Customers will be able to track their issue from this screen but will also be notified once a response is sent. Moreover, the plugin provides a shortcode [stsw_user_tickets] where you can use in any custom page you would like to build, where Logged in users will be able to use . Ajax Ticket submission for nice UI interaction
How I can benefit from it
Provide Better and Faster Support to your Customers, Keep Track and increase your Revenue
- Gain trust and look more professional to your customers adding an easy to use support ticket system
- Provide better and faster Support by Automating the process – auto assign tickets in different users
- Never lose track as notifications via email are also included for customer, assignee(PRO Version) and eshop admin
- Stay organized in your support as you keep track in wordpress backend and front end – Handle Tickets from the frontend for Better Management
- Helpdesk
- Technical Support
- Trouble Ticket
- Customer Relations
The WordPress ticket system plugin creates a post type for managing your customers issues. The tickets list columns are customized to include important information such as Ticket Status, Last Response Date, plus that the Tickets list can be Easily Filtered per status.
Settings Page: this is the page where you can change various setting s of the plugin
* Define a Name for the Support Tab in My Account Page
* Define a Name for the button displayed in the Orders Table in my account
* Decide whether to display only Open tickets to the frontend
* Ability to define a default Assignee for all tickets
* Choose whether to notify Assignee, Admin, Customer via Email once a ticket opens or a new response is added
* Write different Text for Email Notification for admin and customer
The WordPress ticket system plugin creates a Support Section UI in My Account Page, adding a new Tab – with customizable text for title – that leads to this section where Users can view their tickets and create new.
A button per Order is added – with customizable text for title – that leads to the support page.
Customers can keep track on the Tickets they opened and view any new response added from the website.
You can also manage the tickets from the front end and provide support directly.
Along with this integrated functionality, you can use a shortcode to add the Support System to any page you have created so that any Logged in User can view and manage.
PRO WordPress ticket system Plugin Features
- Allow Users to submit tickets for Specific Orders
- Files can be atached during the ticket or response to ticket submission
- Tickets Priorities: Predefine ticket priorities according to your business needs and manage better the Troubleshooting Process. By default once you install the plugin you get Low, Normal and High with specified color – visible on ticket list. You can add as many as you want and define a color as well to be noticeable.
- Private Notes that site users can exchange – hidden by the customers.
- Tickets can be assigned to other Users in various ways
- Tickets Subject: Pre Define subjects for the tickets to categorize tickets and manage them better
- Auto Assign tickets to specific User based on the selected Subject
- **Manage Support directly from the frontend for the assignees **- Users that are assigned a specific ticket and are other than Administrators, do not access backend for Ticket Management but directly via My account section, or from a dedicated page that admin can build using the shortcode [stsw_user_tickets]
- Administrator can define a default Assignee for all tickets
- Choose whether to also notify Assignee via Email once a ticket opens or a new response is added
- Write different Text for Email Notification for assignee and customer. This can work as a template as various placeholders can be added
- You can enable Attachments on ticket and response submission
- You can define Attachments Allowed Max size and File Extension
- You can define Define number of Attachments Allowed to be submitted with a ticket or response
- You can enable Priority to be chosen By User or not
- In the Backend Tickets table list is filled with various important information such as, assignee name, priority, subject, Order number (if ticket referes to order)
- Take advantage of various ticket specific placeholders on your Email Template to customer or assignee for your notification system
- Upload the WordPress ticket system plugin files to the
directory and unzip, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly. - Activate the WordPress ticket system plugin through the 'Plugins' screen in WordPress
- Use the Tickets wp menu tab
I don't see the tickets dashboard in My Account Page – what to do?
In this case just flush your permalinks, go to Settins/Permalinks and press Save Changes.
How to use the WordPress ticket system?
Use the shortcode [stsw_user_tickets] in any page you built or guide the users to their account tab
Can I receive Email notification when a ticket is submitted?
Yes of course, you just need to enable it in the plugin's settings page.
Will the customer receive Email notification when a ticket is submitted?
Yes of course, you just need to enable it in the plugin's settings page.
Can I assign the ticket to other User ?
This is available in the PRO Version
Can the user send me attachments for the issue?
This is available in the PRO Version
Can I exchange PRIVATE notes?
This is available in the PRO Version
Contributors & Developers
"Helpdesk Support Ticket System for WooCommerce" is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
ContributorsTranslate "Helpdesk Support Ticket System for WooCommerce" into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Change log
fix query bug on Tickets section in my account page
fix query bug on Tickets section in my account page
fix who sent the ticket response when from admin in tickets edit screen
fix css issues
Check woo hpos compoatibility
Check compatibility and fix localization


text:
Bilirubin blood test
Total bilirubin - blood; Unconjugated bilirubin - blood; Indirect bilirubin - blood; Conjugated bilirubin - blood; Direct bilirubin - blood; Jaundice - bilirubin blood test; Hyperbilirubinemia - bilirubin blood testThe bilirubin blood test measures the level of bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is a yellowish pigment found in bile, a fluid made by the liver.
Bilirubin can also be measured with a urine test.
Urine test
Bilirubin is a yellowish pigment found in bile, which is a fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. This article is about a lab tes...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleHow the Test is Performed
A blood sample is needed.
Blood sample
Venipuncture is the collection of blood from a vein. It is most often done for laboratory testing.
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleHow to Prepare for the Test
You should not eat or drink for at least 4 hours before the test. Your health care provider may instruct you to stop taking medicines that affect the test.
Many drugs may change the bilirubin level in your blood. Make sure your provider knows which medicines you are taking.
How the Test will Feel
When the needle is inserted to draw blood, some people feel moderate pain. Others feel only a prick or stinging. Afterward, there may be some throbbing or a slight bruise. This soon goes away.
Why the Test is Performed
A small amount of older red blood cells are replaced by new blood cells every day. Bilirubin is left in the blood after these older blood cells are removed. The liver helps break down bilirubin so that it can be removed from the body in the stool.
A level of bilirubin in the blood of 2.0 mg/dL can create jaundice. Jaundice is a yellow color in the skin, mucus membranes, or eyes.
Jaundice is a yellow color of the skin, mucus membranes, or eyes. The yellow coloring comes from bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells. Jau...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleJaundice is the most common reason to check bilirubin level. The test will likely be ordered when:
- The provider is concerned about a newborn's jaundice (most newborns have some jaundice)
- Jaundice develops in older infants, children, and adults
A bilirubin test is also ordered when the provider suspects a person has liver or gallbladder problems.
Normal Results
It is normal to have some bilirubin in the blood. A normal level is:
- Direct (also called conjugated) bilirubin: less than 0.3 mg/dL (less than 5.1 µmol/L)
- Total bilirubin: 0.1 to 1.2 mg/dL (1.71 to 20.5 µmol/L)
Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Some labs use different measurements or may test different samples. Talk to your provider about the meaning of your specific test results.
What Abnormal Results Mean
In newborns, bilirubin level is higher for the first few days of life. Your child's provider must consider the following when deciding whether your baby's bilirubin level is too high:
- How fast the level has been rising
- Whether the baby was born early
- The baby's age
Jaundice can also occur when more red blood cells than normal are broken down. This can be caused by:
- A blood disorder called erythroblastosis fetalis
Erythroblastosis fetalis
Hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) is a blood disorder in a fetus or newborn infant. In some infants, it can be fatal. Normally, red blood cells...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - A red blood cell disorder called hemolytic anemia
Hemolytic anemia
Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells provide oxygen to body tissues. Normally, red ...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article -
Transfusion reaction in which red blood cells that were given in a transfusion are destroyed by the person's immune system
Transfusion reaction
A hemolytic transfusion reaction is a serious complication that can occur after a blood transfusion. The reaction occurs when the red blood cells th...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article
The following liver problems may also cause jaundice or a high bilirubin level:
- Scarring of the liver (cirrhosis)
Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver and poor liver function. It is the last stage of chronic liver disease.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Swollen and inflamed liver (hepatitis)
- Other liver disease
- Disorder in which bilirubin is not processed normally by the liver (for example, Gilbert disease)
Gilbert disease
Gilbert syndrome is a common disorder passed down through families. It affects the way bilirubin is processed by the liver, and may cause the skin t...
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The following problems with gallbladder or bile ducts may cause higher bilirubin levels:
- Abnormal narrowing of the common bile duct (biliary stricture)
Biliary stricture
A bile duct stricture is an abnormal narrowing, most often of the common bile duct. This is a tube that moves bile from the liver to the small intes...
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Cancer of the pancreas or gallbladder
Cancer of the pancreas
Pancreatic cancer is cancer that starts in the pancreas.
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Gallstones are hard deposits that form inside the gallbladder. These may be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball.
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There is little risk involved with having your blood taken. Veins vary in size from one person to another and from one side of the body to the other. Obtaining a blood sample from some people may be more difficult than from others.
Risks associated with having blood drawn are slight, but may include:
- Excessive bleeding
- Fainting or feeling lightheaded
- Multiple punctures to locate veins
- Hematoma (blood collecting under the skin)
- Infection (a slight risk any time the skin is broken)
Daniels L, Khalili M, Goldstein E, Bluth MH, Bowne WB, Pincus MR. Evaluation of liver function. In: McPherson RA, Pincus MR, eds. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 24th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 22.
Pratt DS. Liver chemistry and function tests. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology/Diagnosis/Management. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 73.
Blood test - illustration
Blood is drawn from a vein (venipuncture), usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. A needle is inserted into the vein, and the blood is collected in an air-tight vial or a syringe. Preparation may vary depending on the specific test.
Blood test
Blood test - illustration
Blood is drawn from a vein (venipuncture), usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. A needle is inserted into the vein, and the blood is collected in an air-tight vial or a syringe. Preparation may vary depending on the specific test.
Blood test
Review Date: 2/28/2023
Reviewed By: Jacob Berman, MD, MPH, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.


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Is 'The Fog' Remake Really One of the Worst Movies Ever Made?
In The IMDB.O. List, ScreenCrush editor-in-chief Matt Singer watches every single movie on the Internet Movie Database's Lowest Rated Movies list to determine whether they truly are the worst movies ever made. Previous chapters can be found here.
Movie #7 (In Honor of Halloween [and Halloween]): The Fog (2005)
Director: Rupert Wainwright
Writer: Cooper Layne
Release Date: October 14, 2005
U.S. box office: $29.5 million
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 4 percent
Metacritic score: 27
Letterboxd average grade: 1.6
CinemaScore: C-
IMDb Bottom 100 Ranking: 62
Is This Movie Bad?
I'm afraid so.
How Bad Is It?
Dude, this movie's not even that foggy! The clouds in two-thirds of this movie are so sparse they wouldn't even warrant a push notification from your phone's weather app.
It's been decades since I watched John Carpenter's The Fog, but in my memory, it's an atmospheric ghost story. This update retells the same basic concept with about 40 percent less panache and fog, which barely even shows up until a full hour of this 90 minute movie has passed. That's like paying $15 to see a movie called Dracula where the vampire doesn't appear until the third act and doesn't bite someone's neck until the post-credits scene.
Perhaps the lack of suspense, tension, anxiety, or memorable visuals of any kind would feel less important if there was even one remotely interesting human being to watch. The stars are Tom Welling at the height of his Smallville stardom, and Maggie Grace from Lost. They play Nick and Elizabeth, former lovers who are reunited when she returns to their hometown after a few years away. They live on an island off the coast of Oregon that is preparing to honor the anniversary of their community's founding. As a law, the founders of every old movie town were evil. The Fog is no exception.
Nick's a boat captain; one day, his vessel's anchor dredges up something from the depths. Soon — actually not that soon, it takes friggin' forever — supernatural happenings begin disturbing the island's residents. On the night of the dedication of the town's new statue of its founders — Most public monuments are dedicated in the middle of the, right? That's how that works? — a full-blown evil flog blows in.
The fog is dumb. It has no rules and is portrayed with zero consistency. Some of the beings inside it are transparent ghosts and others are more solid and look like zombies. Sometimes the fog seems to be held back by walls or windows — one survivor of an early attack notes that it couldn't get him inside his boat's freezer — and other times, it's not. (In one sequence, the fog gets into a house via kitchen sink drain, including an entire zombie arm that reaches out of the sink, grabs a woman on the arm, and then turning her into a decayed corpse. How'd a whole fog arm get in there?!?) There are scenes where people run away from an overcast sky, which is really just one or two steps removed from The Happening (which, to my surprise, is not on the IMDb Bottom 100). Other times, people get enveloped by the fog and then ... nothing happens. Basically, the fog does whatever the f— it wants.
Selma Blair plays the third lead, a local radio DJ who races to save her son after the fog rolls in. She is saddled with one of the worst continuity errors I can ever recall in a non-Ed Wood movie. She nearly drowns after the fog knocks her car off a road and into the ocean. A few scenes later, she's reunited with her son and ... she's bone dry! Her hair's not even damp. I have no idea how a mistake this colossal happens. Maybe the fog absorbed the moisture out of her clothes? Since the fog does whatever the f— it wants, that's as good an explanation as any.
Otherwise, The Fog is relatively competent, but it's beyond dull. Basically nothing happens for an entire hour. Maggie Grace wanders around outside alone at night in her underwear (as women are wont to do), Tom Welling looks mildly concerned while wearing a series of turtleneck sweaters, and Selma Blair flirts over the radio with a local weather guy. Director Rupert Wainwright is so hard up for any shred of excitement he actually interrupts a flashback explaining the fog's origin with a jump scare in the present day — a level of desperation I'm not sure I've ever seen a horror movie stoop to before.
In a world where Carpenter's The Fog still exists — and is even returning to a few theaters in a 4K restoration this month — I cannot think of a single valid reason to watch this, except in the event that you're a very dumb person who's trying to watch every movie on the IMDb Bottom 100.
Does It Belong On a List of the Worst Movies Ever Made?
It does. If you're ever hard up for supernatural fog, and instead want to use boredom to decimate a small island town as part of a plan to get revenge for your dead leper ancestors, this would be a fine instrument of destruction.
The Fog is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime. Next week on another Halloween month edition of The IMDB.O. List: An infamous exorcist.
My Personal Ranking of the IMDB.O. List So Far From Worst to Least Crappy
- The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure
- The Master of Disguise
- The Fog (2005)
- The Avengers
- Jaws 3-D
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
- Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
Gallery - The Worst Movie Posters Ever Made:


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Rich Christians in An Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity Ron Sider
Continues to make the evangelical community aware of what the Bible says about our responsibilities to the poor, and calls Christians to do something about it.
Christian Zionism: Road-map to Armageddon? Stephen Sizer
A comprehensive survey describing how Christians have embraced a theological perspective that has encouraged justice for Jews, but has also led to the oppression of Palestinian people and extreme hostility between Christians and Muslims worldwide
The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical Shane Claiborne
If you want to get a glimpse of what radical obedience looks like when lived out by a Red-Letter Christian, then this book is a must.
God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It Jim Wallis
A New York Times bestselling book offering an alternative to the polarizing politics promoted by many in the religious culture wars. Wallis helps us find unity with a politics that addresses the needs of the poor and oppressed.
The Prophets Abraham J Heschel
Provides rich insights from the Hebrew prophets as they empathized with the pathos that God shows upon seeing the oppression of the poor.


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Welcome to Monday! May I direct your attention to a review of several mini comics posted late Friday? If you enjoyed John Allison's COMIX REMIX of the above photo, you might want to check out the entire series he posted to FLICKR.
REVIEWS: Delos reviews Odori Park by Chris Watkins and El Santo reviews the Xeric Grant-winning Haunted by Joshua Smeaton.
INTERVIEWS: Growly Beast has an interview with Alice Hunt and Tracy Williams of Goodbye Chains.
REMIX: The Webcomic Builder has a lengthy essay on fan-comics; something maybe we ought to relabel "remix comics"?
NOT WEBCOMICS: Kickstarter fund drive for an American Elf videogame? I'd buy that for a dollar!
- Scott McCloud highlights something I'd actually missed in reading the new Zahra's Paradise at First Second: its availability in multiple languages: English, Farsi, Arabic, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch.
- Not sure if this is good or bad but Bleeding Cool notes that "After filing for bankruptcy, German TV company TV-Toonland has sold Svetlana Chmakova's manga-adapted TV show My Life Me to Classic Media. It will air in France and Canada later this year."
- Digital Strips has some factoids on webmanga, including Shuhuo Soto's earnings this year alone.


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This is part of my series of interesting newspaper articles that I find in the old Latvian newspapers available through Periodika. Most of the articles I post are in some way related to migration, wars or other events that are of particular genealogical note.
Today's article makes reference to people referred to as "optanti" – people who have opted for Latvian citizenship as opposed to Soviet citizenship in the 1920s. The rules governing this process were complex, and not always observed, but it did mean that thousands of people of Latvian descent were able to make their way out of Soviet Russia and into Latvian territory in the early 1920s.
Source: Latvijas VÄ"stnesis (Latvian Herald), June 6, 1921.
"The First Who Opted for Citizenship"
Eight families with 36 good horses and cows, having come approximately 200 versts [NB: approximately 213 kilometres] to the border on foot, arrived in RÄ"zekne on June 2, by way of Zilupe. They are on their way to the LiepÄja, Nereta and Jelgava districts.


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Right now, information about the kind of purchases you make, the prescriptions you pay for, the stores and websites you frequent, it's all gathered up by data brokers. That data profile is then bought and sold, and the price is a lot lower than you might think. While your age, income, race, and other factors play a role, the cost of an individual profile is just a fraction of a penny. So what makes the data brokerage industry big business?
Emily Steel is a correspondent for the Financial Times, and has spent a lot of time looking into how this works. Emily, welcome to the program.
EMILY STEEL: Thank you.
CORNISH: So, you've actually developed an online calculator that shows how much an individual's data might be worth. Explain how it works?
STEEL: Yeah. So what we did is on the very basic level, most all of these companies know basic information about you, such as your age, your gender, and your location. So the price for that is very, very cheap. That sells for about .0005 cents per person or about 50 cents per a thousand people. But you add in more specific details, like if you're influential in your social network, then that jumps up to .00075 cents per person or 75 cents per a thousand people.
CORNISH: So, Emily, let's try the calculator here. I'm going to check off a couple of boxes. Am I a millionaire? No.
CORNISH: Nonprofit, that's the business I'm in. It goes up to and 80th of cent. And then things get interesting when it says, like: Are you expecting a baby, no; are you a new parent, no. But I gather this health section is really important.
STEEL: Yes, the health section is very important. As soon as you start checking off those items that say: do you have acid reflux or ADHD, depression, or cancer, then the price really jumps up.
CORNISH: I'm going to check arthritis than high cholesterol. Oh, and I checked off obesity and it went up to 60 cents right away.
STEEL: Right, I guess the lesson from that is that the more sensitive the data, the harder it is for these data brokers to get their hands on that information. And, at the same time, the demand from pharmaceutical companies, marketers, and others to use that information is at a very big high.
CORNISH: I'm trying to get up over a dollar here. I feel like I would be a very unhealthy person.
STEEL: So, one of the things that really kind of changes the way that the state has valued is there's a couple of times in a person's life where they are making huge life decisions that are likely to influence purchases they make for years to come. One of those times is when you are engaged, and then another time is when you're having a baby.
CORNISH: Now, ultimately the level of detail that these companies have about us, I mean it's really astounding. And you write of a Senate Commerce Committee investigation which found that a list of rape victims, their information, was worth quite a bit.
STEEL: Yeah. So, the Senate Commerce Committee, led by Senator John Rockefeller, has conducted a series of investigations. And one of the topics that he is most concerned about is how data brokers are collecting information about people who are financially vulnerable, or have certain health conditions. So during one of the hearings, there was a woman who revealed that this one company, MEDbase, she had found that they were selling lists of rape victims for as little as seven cents a name.
And that really shocked people because they thought, number one, why does a company need to sell that information? And number two, if they're selling it, there is probably a market for that data. And how in the world are companies using that information? And then number three, is that something that could really take advantage of people who are in a dire situation?
CORNISH: Emily Steel is with the Financial Times in New York. Emily, thanks so much for talking with us.
STEEL: Thank you.
You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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A tearful reunion, 38 years in the making, took place Saturday at Comox Valley Airport.
Courtenay resident Michelle Alksne met her biological mother, Debbie Touet, for the first time Saturday. With Michelle's loved ones on hand, holding signs that said "You Found Me" and a balloon saying, "It's a girl," they waited in anticipation, and when Michelle saw her mom approaching the terminal, she jumped up and down and ran for an embrace. Mother and daughter hugged for several minutes, before Michelle starting pointing out who was who to her mom.
Debbie flew in from Barrhead, Alta. for the meeting.
Michelle was born in Mission. She and her adoptive parents, Steve and Wendy, moved to Vancouver Island in 1991, when Michelle was 10.
She found out she was adopted five years later, and has been searching for her biological parents ever since - including some time back on the mainland.
"I actually spent an entire year, driving from Surrey to Mission every day, trying to find clues," she said.
Little did she know that her biological parents were doing the same.
Though their intimate relationship ended shortly after Michelle's birth, Debbie and Michelle's biological father, Sean Ferguson, have maintained a connection all this time, in hopes of someday meeting their child.
"She (Debbie) told me they never stopped looking for me," Michelle said. "That means the world to me."
One of the challenges was that Michelle's birth name was Kelly-Anne. Her adoptive parents named her Michelle.
For Debbie, if it was a short flight from Alberta, Saturday's meeting marked the end of a much longer journey. She remembers the day she gave birth vividly, saying the nurses differed on whether she should even hold the baby.
"Give the mom a second to even hold the child, give her a first kiss," Debbie said.
In the end, she didn't get the chance. She and her mother even went back to the hospital a few days later, but her baby was gone. What followed were some difficult choices, as she moved into the city to spare her family. Along the way, there was misinformation and deception from social services people, as she had been told things, like being able to get a photo of the child at age 19, then was not allowed to, or having the records released. She waited in anticipation for the baby's 19th birthday but was given no information.
"They didn't give me anything after she was 19," Debbie said. "I always stayed positive. I knew I would find her."
The name changes and everything else only made the search harder. Social media, though, helped her track down her biological daughter.
"I was extremely nervous because after 38 years, you don't know if you're going to get rejected," Debbie said.
Debbie reached out to Michelle's partner, Dave Goodall, on Facebook, July 10.
"Dave didn't know what to think at first… some random woman claiming to be my mom, contacts him out of the blue," said Michelle. "This is so surreal. This is … years of wondering if she is alive, who she is, what she looks like, all these different things."
Michelle said an important part of the reconnection is learning about her medical background.
"I have been through a lot of medical issues. So for me to find out a lot of that medical background is wonderful, because now I know who I get if from and why I have these issues.
"It's a big puzzle piece that was missing. I feel complete now."
Sean, who now lives in Edmonton, did not make the trip to Courtenay, but they have already been in contact. Michelle found Sean on Facebook and the two met through a FaceTime visit.
"The weird thing is my dad lived in Union Bay for about six years," said Michelle. "This is a pretty small community, so chances are good that we'd met before."
Michelle has four step-sisters from Debbie's side and two brothers from Sean's side.
"Then there's my adoptive brother, here, so I have seven siblings," she said.
Debbie will be visiting until Aug. 28.
(With files from Mike Chouinard)
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Glenn W. Smith : It's Getting Hot in Houston
Likely Arson in Houston, and
Voter suppression from the Right
By Glenn W. Smith / The Rag Blog / August 31, 2010
A mysterious fire last Friday destroys all of the voting machines in Harris County (Houston), Texas. Arson investigators have not yet issued an opinion.
Meanwhile, a well-funded right-wing group emerges in Houston and begins raising unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud. A video on their website pictures only people of color when it talks of voter fraud. White people are shown talking patriotically about the need for a million vigilantes to suppress illegal votes.
In the video, an unidentified spokesman for "TrueTheVote" says, "If we lose Houston, we lose Texas. And guess what? If we lose Texas we lose the country."
The former Mayor of Houston, Democrat Bill White, is running against secessionist Republican Gov. Rick Perry this year. White's counting on a big turnout in his home town. The fire and the voter suppression campaign guarantee a greatly diminished turnout.
TrueTheVote's video [see below] is well produced. Participants speak in calm and knowing tones, disguising the racist agenda behind their project. We don't yet know where the group's money comes from. But they have money.
As I've said before, right-wing voter suppression campaigns are the most under-reported political scandal of the last 50-100 years. But there's never been anything like the criminal destruction of all the voting machines in the nation's fourth largest city.
You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to suspect the machines in Houston were destroyed by an arsonist. Warehouses don't regularly and spontaneously combust at four in the morning, especially warehouses containing all the voting tools in a pivotal city in a pivotal election.
In other details, the suppression campaigns follow a familiar pattern: raise suspicions of widespread voter fraud. Accuse "others" of stealing elections from us (read: white people). Threaten would-be voters with criminal charges. Limit polling locations in poor and minority precincts. Distribute spurious "felon lists" that disenfranchise legal voters who happen to share a name with a felon. Staff phone banks that make election calls to minority and poor voters giving incorrect polling locations and dates. Dress up vigilantes in cop clothes to intimidate would-be voters.
Huffington Post contributor Greg Mitchell wrote one of the best accounts of such a suppression and intimidation campaign in his book about the 1934 California governor's race, The Campaign of the Century. At least since then, voter suppression has been a part of nearly every election cycle.
There are simply no machines available to replace the loss of Houston's machines. That means either a return to paper ballots (there may be very few scanners to count them) or a greatly reduced number of polling locations. The latter would require the emergency suspension of state law and run afoul of the Voting Rights Act. In any case, confusion will reign, and confusion reduces turnout.
What about that TrueTheVote statement, "If we lose Houston, we lose Texas. And guess what? If we lose Texas we lose the country."? That may be the only true thing TrueTheVote has said.
For much of the country, Texas is a vast right-wing breeding ground. Actually, Democrats have nearly reached parity in the state House of Representatives. All the elected officials in Dallas are Democrats. Austin, too. Most of the judges and many of the officials in Houston are Democrats.
With a strong turnout in Houston, White could very well beat Perry. Without a national effort to counter the largest voter suppression effort in my memory, that turnout won't happen. Even if the fire is ruled accidental, its consequences remain the same. If a great number of Houston voters are disenfranchised as a consequence of the fire and the right's election vigilante effort, democracy loses, and so does the country.
Keep in mind that population shifts will hand Texas several new congressional seats lost in the Democratic rustbelt. This election will decide the players who will draw new lines in redistricting. The stakes are high. The question is, do Democrats have the will to do battle with right-wing forces who believe they can choose who votes and who doesn't?
[Austin's Glenn W. Smith, according toDaily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas, is a "legendary political consultant and all-around good guy." His excellent blog on politics and culture is DogCanyon, where this article also appears.]
UPDATE: Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
The Houston Chronicle reported today:
Despite a fire that destroyed Harris County's voting machines last week, County Clerk Beverly Kaufman said Monday that she intends to keep all polling places open with replacement machines on Nov. 2.Despite her apparent confidence, Kaufman urged residents to vote early to avoid long lines and said she would seek "loaner machines" from other counties.
Commissioners Court approved Kaufman's emergency plan Monday to spend $13.6 million to buy 2,325 electronic voting machines and supporting equipment.
Kaufman's plan includes 1.4 million paper ballots, which will be distributed to polling stations as a backup in case a shortage of machines leads to long lines.
Despite Kaufman's confident predictions of a timely and fair election, 16 Democratic state senators and representatives have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to oversee the development of an emergency plan for voting that begins in 48 days. Their letter asks for the department's involvement to "protect the voting rights of racial and language minorities" against any plans to close some of the 739 scheduled polling places due to a lack of equipment.
"Removing neighborhood voting locations and fostering conditions for longer lines must be avoided to prevent suppression of minority voters," the legislators wrote...
The Chronicle reported no new information about the cause of the fire, but said that an arson investigation is under way.
'TrueTheVote' Video
The Rag Blog


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When the 15 mushers registered in the 2020 Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race get to the starting chute in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Feb. 1 to start the 1,600-kilometre trek to Whitehorse, all eyes will be on the mushers and dogs who've spent years preparing for the trip.
There is, however, another equally as important cog in the machine that is the Quest — the sleds.
More than just a platform to carry the musher behind the dogs, the sleds used in long-distance mushing are technological marvels in their own right, composed of high-tech materials and refined over the years to be as light, durable and reliable as possible.
Hans Gatt, a four-time Yukon Quest winner and Whitehorse resident, has been making sleds for as long as he's been in mushing.
"I got a couple of Huskies — that was about 30 years ago — and immediately started building a sled out of skis," said Gatt. "That was the first step and it just went from there."
People liked his sleds, he said, and soon orders started to come in.
"That's how it all got started."
Traditionally made out of wood, sleds today are typically constructed from much fancier and more suitable materials — typically fibreglass, carbon fibre, aluminum and plastics.
Although the Iditarod allows mushers to use multiple sleds during the race, the Yukon Quest limits each musher to just one sled.
"You've got a wooden sled and you hit something, it's pretty hard to fix and you're very likely out of the race," said Gatt. "So we were looking at different materials over the years and came up with this. There is a lot of aircraft aluminum used in them now."
With the changes in materials, sleds got lighter, stronger and more flexible — all things Gatt said are ideal in a sled.
Gatt builds his sleds with aircraft aluminum runners that come from the United States designed to work with the Matrax runner system, allowing mushers to quickly and easily swap out the plastic runners.
The stanchions, the posts on the sled that serve as the base for the frame to secure the sled bags, are carbon fibre and use a linkage system to both provide flexibility and make repairs easier.
"Everything is built to be super flexible," said Gatt. "There's a linkage system and the sled can bend any way. That's important to get the strength because if you built a sled really stiff, it will break every time you hit something."
The sleds are typically able to withstand anything the trail throws at them.
"We hit trees all the time out there," said Gatt. "Sometimes when there is not enough snow, you're slamming into stuff. Jumbled ice is another one — if you hit one of those ice blocks, they're very unforgiving so the sled just has to take that impact without breaking.
The front of the sled, sometimes called the brush bow, is made of the same material as the plastic sled runners — ultra-high molecular weight plastic, a material that is both very strong and has a very low co-efficient of friction that allows it to slide through and over the snow better.
As for the sled bags, Gatt said he uses 1000D Cordura — a nylon product much more durable than the ripstop he previously used.
"I used to run with lighter material, but really that stuff is only good for one race," said Gatt. "There is so much rubbing going on and you end up with holes."
Gatt said he also uses just two different size bolts on his sleds, explaining loose bolts is one of the most common mid-race repairs mushers may face.
"We use a lot of thread lock on all the bolts and so on, but they still rattle loose," said Gatt. "I try to keep it very simple on my sleds … so you don't have to carry a whole toolbox with you."
Aside from the wrenches required to tighten the bolts, Gatt said wire and duct tape are two absolute essentials.
"Generally there is not much which can break," said Gatt. "Some people do crash really, really hard and have to fix some stuff but over the years I think I came up with a design which is super reliable."
One of the biggest changes to sled design for long distances was the introduction of "tail dragger" sleds, ones with a prominent seat or storage area located behind where the musher would stand, an idea Gatt credits to Jeff King, a past Quest and Iditarod winner.
"The idea was to distribute the weight a little better, so you've got some weight in the front, some weight in the back and you're standing in the middle of the sled," said Gatt. "It makes a turn very easy and you have a seat of course, which comes in pretty handy in a long-distance race."
Another name for tail draggers, Gatt added, is OMS sleds or "old man sleds" although used by almost all long-distance mushers today.
The tail draggers have another trick up their sleeve though, as Gatt is quick to point out that by removing a handful of pins, the entire rear section of the sled can be removed — perfect for a finishing kick over the mountain summits headed to a Fairbanks finish line, for example.
"It can be done in like a minute at a checkpoint and we all do that at the end of the race," said Gatt. "Last year in Central before going up Eagle Summit I did not want that box at the back because you really have to run behind the sled. At that point, it's only 200 miles to go so you don't need the extra space anymore."
Having to run beside a tail dragger rather than behind, it turns out, is one of the few disadvantages.
While mushers are stopping by to have their sleds looked over, Gatt said he always builds a new sled for each 1,000-mile race.
"The biggest reason is probably because I'm always trying out new stuff," he said with a laugh. "I'm always running a prototype and there are always some new ideas I want to try out."
Sled building, it turns out, is quite a cooperative process with ideas like King's tail dragger innovation quickly being adopted by others.
"I've come up with a lot of new stuff over the years and other people take the idea and implement it into their own sleds," said Gatt. "There is nothing wrong with that. I mean, you could put a patent on everything but what's the point in that?"
Contact John Hopkins-Hill at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Apigee Developer Services portal (or simply, the portal) is a template portal for content and community management. The on-premises version is based on the open source Drupal project. The default portal setup provides the following services:
- Content management: Use the portal to create and manage:
- API documentation
- Forums
- Blog postings
- Testing: Use the portal to test APIs in real time using a built-in test console
- Community management: The portal manages:
- Manual or automatic user registration
- Moderation of user comments
Portal's Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) model controls the access to features on the portal. For example, you can enable controls to allow registered user to create forum posts, use test consoles, and so on.
This version of this document has details specific to version 4.51.00. Any references that are specific to previous versions are oversights and should be reported as bugs.
For more information, see What is a developer portal?
Supported network topologies
The portal components can be installed in the following configurations, or topologies:
- 1 node: All portal components (Drupal, NGINX, PHP, Soir) installed on a single machine with Postgres.
- 2 nodes: All portal components on one machine; Postgres on the second machine
The following images show the supported topologies:
1 Node
Figure 1 shows a 1-node portal topology in which all portal components are on a single machine:
2 Nodes
Figure 2 shows a 2-node portal topology in which Postgres is on a separate machine from the rest of the portal components:
Note that:
- These topologies are the only topologies supported by Apigee. If you use a different network topology, Apigee will not be able to support it.
- On a new install of 4.51.00, the installation script installs Postgres and NGINX.
- On an update to 4.51.00 from an install that uses Postgres and NGINX, the installation script updates Postgres and NGINX.
- On an update to 4.51.00 from an install that uses MySQL/MariaDB/Apache, you must first convert your installation to Postgres/NGINX before you can update to 4.51.00. For more information, see Convert a tar-based portal to an RPM-based portal.
- You can leverage features of Drupal to ensure high availability in large and custom topologies. For information on setting up and maintaining these configurations, Apigee recommends that you engage with the Drupal community.
In this figure, the Public core contains the components that are publicly accessible. The Private core contains components that are not publicly accessible.
Component | Description | Installed by |
An Enterprise Load Balancer (ELB). |
Your network provider. For example, both Amazon and Rackspace provide Enterprise load balancers for use with their instances. |
NGINX 1.10.1 | The NGINX web server used for installations of 4.51.00. | Apigee |
Postgres 9.6 |
The database used by Drupal for new installations of 4.51.00. |
Apigee, or connect to an existing installation. If you want to connect to a remote Postgres installation, it must be version 9.6. |
Drupal shared storage |
The shared storage area used by Drupal for uploaded files, static scripts, and other information. |
Apigee |
Drush 6.2 |
The Drupal command line interface. |
Apigee |
Server-side scripting engine. |
Apigee |
Apache Solr |
The Drupal search server. Apache Solr uses the Apache Lucene search library. |
Apigee, but it is not enabled by default. Only enable it if you have a large amount of data on the portal. See Install the portal for instructions on enabling it. |
Access the Apigee community for your questions
The Apigee Community is a free resource where you can contact Apigee as well as other Apigee customers with questions, tips, and other issues. Before posting to the community, be sure to first search existing posts to see if your question has already been answered.


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GDPress is providing tools for privacy and more.
Major features in GDPress include :
- a privacy request form
- a menu in the admin_bar to see at once confirmed privacy requests
and since version 2.0 a set of tools to help you comply with GDPR
* a set of protection and wellness tools, because protecting personal data starts with a healthy and protected installation to prevent potential data breach.
* a RoPA assistant to help you building your Records of Processing Activities – a GDPR obligation (Article 30).
* a logging of all events related to export/erase requests by/for the data subject (see settings page).
* a specific wp role for dpo.
* and a dedicated Privacy/GDPR/ISO27701 dashboard for your d.p.o. !
GDPR compliancy is a never ending process.
Technical Details
GDPress is not calling any external web services
and is not using any external software other than WordPress core.
GDPress stores events related to the data subject and core privacy processes if archive setting is set.
Archives are under the authority of the Data Protection Officer for legal purpose ONLY.
They are retrieved to the data subject, but not deleted.
These are legal obligations in GDPR. In front of your local data protection authority or a judge :
* You are accountable of your actions to reach GDPR compliancy and must prove it (activating this plugin is not enough).
* If sued, you will have to provide some evidence : you acted lawfully and replied to the request of the data subject (archive all activities for Legal Purpose is allowed in GDPR and must be declared in your Records of Processing Activities).
Other Major Obligations
- Records of Processing Activities, expecting WordPress team to publish it for core. And for any theme or plugin, adding a new Privacy Section in readme.txt is a must do.
- Communication of a personal data breach to the data subject (and to your local D.P.A.)
Privacy by design
This concept is in GDPR too. In wp, Privacy is a component like Gutenberg, Admin, wp-cron …
Privacy by design is or should be declined and included in ALL wp components. Should all components publish their "Privacy Section" just like the above recommandation for themes and plugins ?
Pending Questions
- Privacy settings in core : only one setting on a unique page that cannot be amended (no hook) : the privacy policy page
- any privacy request is a personal data and should be retrieved to the data subject
- removing an export request do not delete the export file (security issue, potential data breach)
- external processors to be identified (privacy by design)
- Gutenberg blocks coherence with embed handlers and oembed providers as set on the server side (privacy by design)
- oEmbed responses cached in transients (no more postmeta html cached) for blog posts or oembed providers (privacy by design)
- ability to remove blocks in Gutenberg such as "/map" for Mapbox (privacy by design)
- future "Icon" component : from Dashicons to svg (privacy by design)
- Nowadays, emails such as "θσερ@εχαμπλε.ψομ" are valid but rejected by wp function is_email() (privacy requests rejected)
Web standards should apply and this can be a legal issue : one of the "variety of privacy issues around the world" !
Upload the GDPress plugin to your blog, Activate it.
To set up the privacy request form you can :
- Replace your comment form on the privacy policy page by a request form.
** copy two files in your wordpress theme folder :
*** a page template
*** a file template - Maybe a quick and fast adaptation to your theme : 9 samples are provided in gdpress/gp-content/themes
The last 3 options (yes 3) are identical with a nice animation using the same code in the background :
3. a widget
4. a shortcode [gdpress]
5. or
And a lot of options to take control of your installation
- Visit the settings page and read the help.
see wordpress.org/support/plugin/gdpress/
Contributors & Developers
"GDPress" is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
ContributorsTranslate "GDPress" into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
css compatibility with wp 5.5
hulu not a oembed provider anymore
bug fix on GDPress role
More options and advices to reach a better GDPR compliancy
Changing some admin urls


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In the twisted jungles of Paradiso, humanity fights for its survival. The fierce, alien warriors of the Combined Army have poured through the Acheron Gate, descending upon the emerald jungles of the newest colonial world in a seemingly unstoppable torrent. The bestial Morat pound the Paradiso front, where brave men and women fight ceaselessly to maintain a defensive line which the sly Shasvastii penetrate with devastating ease. In the star-swept skies above, the collected might of humanity's armadas maintain a life-or-death blockade to cut off an endless horde of alien reinforcements. And if any of humanity's fractious forces falter, then all may be lost...
But beyond the terrifying holding action, the intrigues and adventures of the human sphere spin on. Space pirates cruise through the shattered planetoids of Human Edge. Scientists and adventurers delve the oceans of Varuna. Merchants guilds scheme amidst the scourging sands of Bourak. From Yutang, the Emperor gazes forth from an uneasy throne. Titanic war machines stride across the icy plains of Svalarheima. Byzantine hypercops struggle for dominance amidst the chrome towers of Neoterra.
For the last ten years, players have tested their mettle upon the battlefields of the Human Sphere in Corvus Belli's hugely-popular Infinity skirmish game. Now you can expand your adventures, diving deep into the amazing, never-before-seen depths of the Infinity universe with the ultimate science-fiction roleplaying game.
- An immersive Lifepath character creation system, that allows you to choose from a wide range of backgrounds, from crazed Dog-Warrior, to empathic Tohaa.
- Choose or roll to create the character you want, defining options such as attributes, faction, heritage, homeworld, social status, education, and career.
- Select your starting gear from a wide range of equipment such as the hacking device and programs you'll utilise, or the type of weapon and ammo you prefer.
- All the 2D20 rules you'll need to play, including Heat, Momentum, task resolution, and the triple dynamics of Warfare, Infowar, and Psywar.
- A gazetteer of humanity's near future, covering the systems and factions of the Human Sphere and beyond.
- Bonus content exclusive to the Player's Guide including the Agent Handler guide, 2d20 to N3 conversion guide, and stats for the iconic miniatures produced for this very RPG.
You will also receive a FREE 142 page PDF delivered on purchase via download.
Payment & Security
Your payment information is processed securely. We do not store credit card details nor have access to your credit card information.


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Also known as a Prince of Wales, this Glen Plaid Tie will add a familiar pattern to your outfit coupled with our sophisticated Six-Fold construction. Traditionally, Glen Plaid Ties and patterns are used in weddings; however, it is versatile enough to be used for any occasion.
Each tie is made of 100% woven silk from Como, Italy. The silk is then sewn by hand using our Six-Fold method which ensures a superior knot and a better drape, leaving you with a delicate yet durable tie that will hold a place of pride in your wardrobe.
Painstakingly handmade with intricate details by a family of artisans, our six-fold ties represent the pinnacle of necktie craft. Our understated design complements the artisan craftsmanship and superior materials—ensuring an enduring place in your wardrobe for decades.
- Glen Plaid
- Six-fold
- Jacquard
- 100% Silk from Como, Italy
- Dry Clean
- Handmade in Italy
- Woven by Fermo Fossati/Seteria Bianchi
- 28MM Silk
- Wool Interlining
- Ideal WidthThe epitome of the "goldilocks principle".
- 100% Como SilkThe softest natural fabric, straight from Italy.
- Wool InterliningPerfect knots. Wrinkle-free ties. Everyday.
- Slip-StitchThread running the full length of the tie so it looks perfect every time.
- Bar TackA heavy handmade stitch that reinforces the slip stitch, so your tie looks great day-in, day-out.
- Self-Loop KeeperHandstitched, and made with the same high-quality fabric as the tie.
Be The Most Polished
Versatile. Timeless. Our ties will fit perfectly within your wardrobe.
Made In Italy
Legendary artisan craftsmanship that leaves you with no regrets.
Went to a fancy lunch meeting today, where I presumed (mostly correctly) that the 75 people in attendance would dress up. Opting for the monochromatic look, I had the good sense to pair a dark grey suit and crisp white shirt with your Micro Dotted Six-Fold grey tie.
To be clear, I wasn't the youngest, smartest or best-looking person there, but I do believe I was in the running for best dressed. All thanks to you.
Your fan and friend.
If a word could adequately describe my two Aklasu ties it would be "Stunning". Ordered both the Navy Blue Tonal Stripe and Burgundy & Navy Houndstooth Six Fold to fill urgent gaps in my wardrobe for New Year's celebrations.
The depth of color, meticulous construction and silken quality at any price point exceeded even their internet catalog likeness. An Aklasu tie would add character to the most casual, or stylish pairings.
The ties arrived in practically no time accompanied by chocolate and a thoughtful note, all of which sent me rummaging through my closet to match future Aklasu prospects.
The customer service is second to none. The tie is lovely, well constructed. It is much higher quality than other Swedish-brand ties of similar type. It pairs well with all colors of shirt and suit, especially dark gray, navy, and charcoal brown.
The tie can take on a creamy mocha color if the lighting is dark, or a more brighter green if contrasted against a brighter blue. The photo in the review shows the tie against a Hungarian made-to-measure brand's natural linen shirt. The fact that the tie is available is a godsend for a person like myself who is 6'5".
Overall this is a very good quality considering you can purchase two of these for the cost of boutique brand counterparts. I look forward to purchasing more.
Overall I was really impressed with the service experience, attention to detail and quality of the ties. This company is on the right track.
From the easy to navigate web site with fashion and matching advice, to the tie packaging (best storage container ever) and personal follow-ups. The ties themselves are high quality, with great weight and wear easily.
They bring an extra level of refinement and sophistication to any outfit and are a must have for the discerning gentleman. I now own four :)
This was our first purchase with Aklasu. We ordered a stunning tie. There was a minor shipping issue (on our end); Chantelle reached out immediately to clarify - very efficient, professional, and warm.
Then the tie came. It arrived very quickly from Italy to the US! It was exactly as pictured on the site - very high quality.
It was packaged carefully and beautifully, and even included a hand written Thank You note, and a special treat - a full size candy bar! We will absolutely be purchasing more from Aklasu.
Thank you both!


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Lady Gaga is opening up about being sexually assaulted by a music producer when she was 19.
The pop superstar recalled the experience on the premiere episode of Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey's new docu-series "The Me You Can't See."
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, said she had a "total psychotic break" after being raped and becoming pregnant by the unnamed producer.
Gaga said they locked her away in a studio and threatened to burn her music if she didn't take her clothes off.
The Grammy and Oscar-winner said she doesn't "ever want to face that person again."
Gaga said she was diagnosed with PTSD years later, and for years she "was not the same girl."
According to the Associated Press, Gaga first spoke publicly in 2014 during an interview with Howard Stern, saying the producer was 20 years older than her.


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The Gay Cinema Video On Demand experience at TLAgay.com has your entertainment needs covered! We're always working to expand selection of new and old gay-themed movies available for your viewing pleasure. As it's FRIDAY THE 13TH (muahaha!), we're spotlighting TEN of our favorite gay-themed horror and thriller flicks – ALL available to watch INSTANTLY! These aren't our all time favorites, by any means – just a handful of flicks we want to highlight that you can watch RIGHT NOW.
2017, Great Britain
Director: Joe Ahearne
"They made their bed… now they'll have to die in it." One of the newest movies on our list, B&B earned major praise from LGBT horror/thriller/suspense fans at festivals. Lovers Marc and Fred (Tom Bateman and Sean Teale) initiated a major legal battle after they were refused a double bed at a remote Christian guest house. They came out of their court case victorious and now they're back at the establishment to claim their conjugal rights. Triumph, however, quickly turns to terror when a scary Russian neo-Nazi also checks in. Their weekend of celebratory fun soon becomes a bloody battle for survival. B&B is a whip-smart and brutally funny dark comedy-thriller that has been earning rave reviews from critics – some of whom have even compared it to the work of Alfred Hitchcock. The Hollywood Outsiders, specifically, called it "a film Alfred Hitchcock would be proud of." The Horror Society said it's "frickin' fantastic and a trailblazer for LGBT cinema."


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In the SCOTUSblog symposium on the contraceptive mandate cases, Elizabeth Wydra argues that:
Allowing the religious values of the individual owners of a company to be passed through to the corporation itself would not only run counter to well-established constitutional law, but it would also run counter to fundamental principles of corporate law. As a brief filed by corporate law scholarsexplains, "[t]he first principle of corporate law is that for-profit corporations are entities that possess legal interests and a legal identity of their own—one separate and distinct from their shareholders." In fact, as recounted in the brief, this legal separateness is "the corporation's most precious characteristic," according to one early American treatise writer, because it creates "limited liability" for business founders and investors, shielding their personal assets. If the Court were to accept attempts by Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood to blur the distinction between a corporation and its owners, it could undermine key features of corporate law.
The difficulty with Wydra's argument, of course, is that the Brief is a crock. As I explain in A Critique of the Corporate Law Professors' Amicus Brief in Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood, which is now forthcoming in the Virginia Law Review Online:
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) effected numerous changes in the legal regime governing health care and health insurance. Among the ACA's more controversial provisions is the so-called contraceptive mandate, which requires employer-provided health care insurance plans to provide coverage of all FDA approved contraceptive methods.
On March 25, 2014, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood cases, in which the shareholders of two for-profit family-owned corporations argue that requiring them to comply with the contraception mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Forty-four law corporate law professors filed an amicus brief in these cases, arguing that the essence of a corporation is its "separateness" from its shareholders and that, on the facts of these cases, there is no reason to disregard the separateness between shareholders and the corporations they control. The Brief is replete with errors, overstated claims, or red herrings, and misdirection.
Contrary to the Brief's arguments, basic corporate law principles strongly support the position of Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood. In particular, the doctrine known as reverse veil piercing provides a clear and practical vehicle for disregarding the legal separateness of those corporations from their shareholders and thus granting those shareholders standing to assert their free exercise rights.Keywords: Hobby Lobby, contraceptive mandate, free exercise, piercing the corporate veil, reverse veil piercing, amicus brief, corporate law professors, constitution, supreme court, Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, RFRA, Religious Freedom Restoration Act


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Joseph Stiglitz: Nationalized Banks Are "Only Answer"
Nationalized banks are the "only answer," economist Stiglitz says. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Nobel-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz talks about nationalizing banks, the outlook for developing countries, and the need for an international financial regulator.
DW-WORLD: Many experts fear that while things are bad now, we haven't seen the worst of the crisis yet. Do you share the belief that we are facing a long decline that could rival the Great Depression?
Joseph Stiglitz: We live in a very different world than during the Great Depression. Then, we had a manufacturing economy. Now we have a service-sector economy. Many people in the in the United States are already working part time because they can't get full-time jobs. People are talking more about the "comprehensive" measures of unemployment, and these show unemployment at very high levels, around 15 percent. So it clearly is a serious downturn.
Another big difference between now and the Great Depression is then we didn't have a safety net. Now we have unemployment insurance.
Economists Nouriel Roubini and Nassim Taleb, who predicted the global economic downturn, have called for a nationalization of banks in order to stop the financial meltdown. Do you agree?
The fact of the matter is, the banks are in very bad shape. The U.S. government has poured in hundreds of billions of dollars to very little effect. It is very clear that the banks have failed. American citizens have become majority owners in a very large number of the major banks. But they have no control. Any system where there is a separation of ownership and control is a recipe for disaster.
Nationalization is the only answer. These banks are effectively bankrupt.
The Institute of International Finance estimates that the private flow of capital to developing countries will shrink by about two-thirds. Are we facing a situation where we could see a total collapse of many developing countries?
I think many governments of emerging nations actually have a much better central banking system than the United States. They realized the risks of excessive leverage, excessive dependance on real estate lending and so they took much more prudent actions. Many developing countries also built up large reserves and are in a better position to meet this crisis than they were a decade ago.
But some will face very difficult times, potentially defaults. Some of these countries are suffering from having paid too much attention to what has gone on in the United States.
Should steps be taken to help these developing countries?
Very definitely. I think it is absolutely imperative not just for the interest of these countries, not just from a humanitarian perspective, but from the perspective of global stability. It is not possible to have a strong global economy when there are large pockets of economic turmoil.
The World Bank has called for advanced industrial countries as they are bailing out their own industries and provide subsidies, to set aside some amounts for the developing countries, who can't compete on this uneven playing field.
US President Obama blasted banks for paying out billions in bonuses to executives while still on brink of collapse. Do you agree with him that their behavior is "shameful" and "irresponsible"?
Yes, it is shameful and irresponsible. But it is not a surprise ... for years the executives of American firms have defended their outrageous compensation, saying it's important as an incentive scheme. How in the world can you give bonuses of billions of dollars when your firm has had record losses of billions of dollars? Unless you're rewarding people for failure you shouldn't be getting bonuses, you should be getting penalties.
In her speech at the World Economic Forum, German Chancellor Merkel warned the U.S. of protectionism and criticized subsidies for American auto companies. Is she correct? Do you see a danger that the U.S. will resort to protectionist measures?
Yes, very clearly. We have always been aware that protectionism takes two forms: Tariffs and subsidies. Subsidies distort the playing field just like tariffs do. Subsidies are even more unfair and even more distorting, because while developed countries can give subsidies, poor countries can't afford to do so. Rich countries are distorting the level playing field by giving huge subsidies, not necessarily in the intention of protection, but with the consequence of protection.
Merkel recently called for an international financial oversight body, and concensus on the issue is growing. How realistic do you think it is that governments and companies would give up sovereignty to an international entity?
Merkel's idea is a very important one, which I have long supported. You need to have coordination of global economic policy that goes beyond the IMF, which has failed, and the World Bank. You cannot say that we have open borders without global regulation. It is inconceiveable as we go forward that we would allow financial products that are risky, manufactured in countries with inadequate regulation, to come without regulation into the United States and vice versa. International companies that are committed to gobalization should be at the forefront of calling for international regulation.
[Source: By Michael Knigge interviewed Joseph Stiglitz, Deutsche Welle, Deu, 06Feb09. Joseph Stiglitz was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics in 2001. Under US President Bill Clinton he served as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers from 1995- 1997. He was chief economist of the World Bank from 1997-2000 and was a lead author of the 1995 Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He is currently a professor at Columbia University in New York.]
This document has been published on 09Feb09 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. |


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Services |
ARS Water DatabaseThe ARS Water Database is a collection of precipitation and streamflow data from small agricultural watersheds in the United States. This national archive of variable time-series readings for precipitation and runoff contains sufficient detail to reconstruct storm hydrographs and hyetographs. There are currently about 16,600 station years of data stored in the data base. Watersheds used as study areas range from .2 hectare (0.5 acres) to 12,400 square kilometers (4,786 square miles). Raingauge networks range from one station per watershed to over 200 stations. The period of record for individual watersheds vary from 1 to 50 years. Some watersheds have been in continuous operation since the mid 1930's. Various types of ancillary data are also maintained with the precipitation and streamflow. These include air temperature, land management practices, topography and soils information. Click on highlighted states on the map below to view available information concerning the individual research areas in that state. Click on a state to go to data files FTP connections have been disabled. Where to go next
ARS Watershed Research Center Web Sites
Using ARS Data for PublicationsThe Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is a research organization. There are no legal mandates for the agency to collect or to distribute data collected for specific research projects. These data are being made available to the research community to promote the general knowledge of the processes relating to our country's natural resources. ANY PUBLICATIONS WHICH ARE GENERATED FROM THESE DATA SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THE ARS AS THE SOURCE. In addition we request that you notify the Water Data Center of all publications, including dissertations, which use or refer to these data. Citations may be sent by email to email@example.com or by mail to: Water Data Center, USDA-ARS Hydrology & Remote Sensing Lab, Rm. 104, Bg. 007, BARC-West, 10300 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705-2350Your cooperation in this matter will promote further research and cooperation, help to validate the usefulness of the ARS data collection activities and influence agency policy regarding future data collection. |