text:
Most Americans have never heard of Sibel Edmonds, and if the U.S. government has its way, they never will. The former FBI translator turned whistleblower tells a chilling story of corruption at Washington's highest levels–sale of nuclear secrets, shielding of terrorist suspects, illegal arms transfers, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, espionage. She may be a first-rate fabulist, but Edmonds's account is full of dates, places, and names. And if she is to be believed, a treasonous plot to embed moles in American military and nuclear installations and pass sensitive intelligence to Israeli, Pakistani, and Turkish sources was facilitated by figures in the upper echelons of the State and Defense Departments. Her charges could be easily confirmed or dismissed if classified government documents were made available to investigators.
But Congress has refused to act, and the Justice Department has shrouded Edmonds's case in the state-secrets privilege, a rarely used measure so sweeping that it precludes even a closed hearing attended only by officials with top-secret security clearances. According to the Department of Justice, such an investigation "could reasonably be expected to cause serious damage to the foreign policy and national security of the United States."
After five years of thwarted legal challenges and fruitless attempts to launch a congressional investigation, Sibel Edmonds is telling her story, though her defiance could land her in jail. After reading its November piece about Louai al-Sakka, an al-Qaeda terrorist who trained 9/11 hijackers in Turkey, Edmonds approached the Sunday Times of London. On Jan. 6, the Times, a Murdoch-owned paper that does not normally encourage exposés damaging to the Bush administration, featured a long article. The news quickly spread around the world, with follow-ups appearing in Israel, Europe, India, Pakistan, Turkey, and Japan–but not in the United States.
Edmonds is an ethnic Azerbaijani, born in Iran. She lived there and in Turkey until 1988, when she emigrated to the United States, where she received degrees in criminal justice and psychology from George Washington University. Nine days after 9/11, Edmonds took a job at the FBI as a Turkish and Farsi translator. She worked in the 400-person translations section of the Washington office, reviewing a backlog of material dating back to 1997 and participating in operations directed against several Turkish front groups, most notably the American Turkish Council.
The ATC, founded in 1994 and modeled on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, was intended to promote Turkish interests in Congress and in other public forums. Edmonds refers to ATC and AIPAC as "sister organizations." The group's founders include a number of prominent Americans involved in the Israel-Turkey relationship, notably Henry Kissinger, Brent Scowcroft, Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, and former congressman Stephen Solarz. Perle and Feith had earlier been registered lobbyists for Turkey through Feith's company, International Advisors Inc. The FBI was interested in ATC because it suspected that the group derived at least some of its income from drug trafficking, Turkey being the source of 90 percent of the heroin that reaches Europe, and because of reports that it had given congressmen illegal contributions or bribes. Moreover, as Edmonds told the Times, the Turks have "often acted as a conduit for the Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan's spy agency, because they were less likely to attract attention."
Over nearly six months, Edmonds listened with increasing unease to hundreds of intercepted phone calls between Turkish, Pakistani, Israeli, and American officials. When she voiced concerns about the processing of this intelligence—among other irregularities, one of the other translators maintained a friendship with one of the FBI's "high value" targets—she was threatened. After exhausting all appeals through her own chain of command, Edmonds approached the two Department of Justice agencies with oversight of the FBI and sent faxes to Sens. Chuck Grassley and Patrick Leahy on the Judiciary Committee. The next day, she was called in for a polygraph. According to a DOJ inspector general's report, the test found that "she was not deceptive in her answers."
But two weeks later, Edmonds was fired; her home computer was seized; her family in Turkey was visited by police and threatened with arrest if they did not submit to questioning about an unspecified "intelligence matter."
When Edmonds's attorney filed suit to obtain the documents related to her firing, Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft imposed the state-secrets gag order. Since then, she has been subjected to another federal order, which not only silenced her, but retroactively classified the statements she eventually made before the Senate Judiciary Committee and the 9/11 Commission.
Charismatic and articulate, the 37-year-old Edmonds has deftly worked the system to get as much of her story out as possible, on one occasion turning to French television to produce a documentary entitled "Kill the Messenger." Passionate in her convictions, she has sometimes alienated her own supporters and ridden roughshod over critics who questioned her assumptions. But despite her shortcomings in making her case and the legitimate criticism that she may be overreaching in some of her conclusions, Edmonds comes across as credible. Her claims are specific, fact-based, and can be documented in detail. There is presumably an existing FBI file that could demonstrate the accuracy of many of her charges.
Her allegations are not insignificant. Edmonds claims that Marc Grossman—ambassador to Turkey from 1994-97 and undersecretary of state for political affairs from 2001-05—was a person of interest to the FBI and had his phone tapped by the Bureau in 2001 and 2002. In the third-highest position at State, Grossman wielded considerable power personally and within the Washington bureaucracy. He had access to classified information of the highest sensitivity from the CIA, NSA, and Pentagon, in addition to his own State Department. On one occasion, Grossman was reportedly recorded making arrangements to pick up a cash bribe of $15,000 from an ATC contact. The FBI also intercepted related phone conversations between the Turkish Embassy and the Pakistani Embassy that revealed sensitive U.S. government information was being sold to the highest bidder. Grossman, who emphatically denies Edmonds's charges, is currently vice chairman of the Cohen Group, founded by Clinton defense secretary William Cohen, where he reportedly earns a seven-figure salary, much of it coming from representing Turkey.
After 9/11, Grossman reportedly intervened with the FBI to halt the interrogation of four Turkish and Pakistani operatives. According to Edmonds, Grossman was called by a Turkish contact who told him that the men had to be released before they told what they knew. Grossman said that he would take care of it and, per Edmonds, the men were released and allowed to leave the country.
Edmonds states that FBI phone taps from late 2001 reveal that Grossman tipped off his Turkish contact regarding the CIA weapons proliferation cover unit Brewster Jennings, which was being used by Valerie Plame, and that the Turk then informed the Pakistani intelligence service representative in Washington. It is to be assumed that the information was then passed on to the A.Q. Khan nuclear proliferation network.
Edmonds also claims that Grossman was instrumental in seeding Turkish and Israeli Ph.D. students into major American research labs by godfathering visas and enabling security clearances. She says that she reviewed transcripts in which the moles in the U.S. military and academic community involved in nuclear technology reportedly carried out several "transactions" involving the sale of nuclear material or information relating to nuclear programs every month, with Pakistan being a primary buyer. In the summer of 2000, the FBI recorded a meeting between a Turkish official and two Saudi businessmen in Detroit in which nuclear information stolen from an Air Force base in Alabama was offered: "We have a package and we're going to sell it for $250,000," the wiretap allegedly recorded. "The network appeared to be obtaining information from every nuclear agency in the United States," Edmonds told the Times.
She further reports that beginning in 1999, the FBI was investigating senior Pentagon officials who were assisting agents of foreign governments, including Turkey and Israel. Edmonds has not publicly named names at the Pentagon, but a website linked to her appears to be a non-incriminating instrument for identifying suspects without doing so directly. Its "rogues gallery" includes photos of Richard Perle and Douglas Feith. Perle was chief of the Pentagon's prestigious Defense Policy Board when Edmonds was working at the FBI, and Feith was undersecretary of defense for policy. If either were being investigated, it would be a matter of record, as would any reasons for dropping the investigation. "If you made public all the information that the FBI have on this case, you will see very high-level people going through criminal trials," Edmonds told the Times.
She claims to have also learned that corrupt officials in the Turkish and Israeli Ministries of Defense falsified end-user certificates on weapons purchased in the United States to enable sales to third countries not allowed access to the technology. Principal recipients include the five "Stans" in central Asia—Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan.
Furthermore, Edmonds says that former House speaker Dennis Hastert and at least two other congressmen were investigated as suspected recipients of illegal political contributions or even bribes from Turkish sources. Her website gallery includes photos of Congressmen Roy Blount, Dan Burton, and Tom Lantos, though she has not otherwise implicated any of the three directly.
A low-level contractor might seem poorly positioned to expose major breaches of national security, but the FBI translators' pool, riddled with corruption and nepotism, was key to keeping these secrets from surfacing. Edmonds's claims that the section was infiltrated by translators who should never have received security clearances and who were deliberately failing to translate incriminating material are supported by the Justice Department inspector general investigation and by an FBI internal investigation, which concluded that she had been fired after making "valid complaints." One translator, Melek Can Dickerson, who had worked for three Turkish front organizations under investigation—she failed to reveal this when applying for employment—allegedly stamped many documents of interest "not pertinent," removed classified documents from FBI premises, and forged signatures on classified documents relating to 9/11 detainees. An Urdu translator was the daughter of a Pakistani Embassy employee who worked for Gen. Mahmoud Ahmad, the head of the Pakistani intelligence service who is accused of authorizing a $100,000 wire transfer to Mohammed Atta's Dubai bank account immediately before 9/11. The Justice Department IG report confirmed Edmonds's charge that translators' section managers issued a go-slow order shortly after the terrorist attacks to create an artificial backlog that would justify an increase in budget and manpower. Those managers are reportedly still in place. Some have been promoted.
Edmonds's revelations have attracted corroboration in the form of anonymous letters apparently written by FBI employees. There have been frequent reports of FBI field agents being frustrated by the premature closure of cases dealing with foreign spying, particularly when those cases involve Israel, and the State Department has frequently intervened to shut down investigations based on "sensitive foreign diplomatic relations." One such anonymous letter, the veracity of which cannot be determined, cites transcripts of wiretaps involving Marc Grossman and a Turkish Embassy official between August and December 2001, described above, in which Grossman warned the Turk that Brewster Jennings was a CIA cover company. If the allegation can be documented from FBI files, the exposure of the Agency cover mechanism took place long before journalist Robert Novak outed the company in his column on Valerie Plame in 2003. The anonymous informant conveniently provides the FBI file number containing the transcripts of the recorded conversations: FBI Washington Field Office, Counterintelligence Division, Turkish Unit File 203A-WF-210023. According to the source, the FBI also recorded a subsequent conversation in which a Turkish official contacted the Pakistani Embassy to inform an ISI officer of Grossman's warning. The FBI also reportedly informed the CIA of the Grossman conversations to determine if there was any "conflict of interest," presumably to determine if the CIA was running its own operation that might be compromised as a result of the phone tap.
Curiously, the states-secrets gag order binding Edmonds, while put in place by DOJ in 2002, was not requested by the FBI but by the State Department and Pentagon—which employed individuals she identified as being involved in criminal activities. If her allegations are frivolous, that order would scarcely seem necessary. It would have been much simpler for the government to marginalize her by demonstrating that she was poorly informed or speculating about matters outside her competency. Under the Bush administration, the security gag order has been invoked to cover up incompetence or illegality, not to protect national security. It has recently been used to conceal the illegal wiretaps of the warrantless surveillance program, the allegations of torture and the CIA's rendition program, and to shield the telecom industry for its collaboration in illegal eavesdropping.
Both Senators Grassley and Leahy, a Republican and a Democrat, who interviewed her at length in 2002, attest to Edmonds's believability. The Department of Justice inspector general investigation into her claims about the translations unit and an internal FBI review confirmed most of her allegations. Former FBI senior counterintelligence officer John Cole has independently confirmed her report of the presence of Pakistani intelligence service penetrations within the FBI translators' pool.
Edmonds wasn't angling to become a media darling. She would have preferred to testify under oath before a congressional committee that could offer legal protection and subpoena documents and witnesses to support her case. She claims that a number of FBI agents would be willing to testify, though she has not named them.
Prior to 2006, Congressman Henry Waxman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee promised Edmonds that if the Democrats gained control of Congress, he would order hearings into her charges. But following the Democratic sweep, he has been less forthcoming, failing to schedule hearings, refusing to take Edmonds's calls, and recently stonewalling all inquiries into the matter. It is generally believed that Waxman, a strong supporter of Israel, is nervous about exposing an Israeli lobby role in the corruption that Edmonds describes. It is also suspected that Waxman fears that the revelations might open a Pandora's box, damaging Republicans and Democrats alike.
Edmonds's critics maintain that she saw only a small part of the picture in a highly compartmentalized working environment, that she was privy to only a fragment of a large operation to penetrate and disrupt the groups that have been stealing U.S. weapons technology. She could not have known operational details of what the FBI was doing and why.
That criticism is serious and must be addressed. If Edmonds was indeed seeing only part of a counterintelligence sting operation to entrap a nuclear network like that of A.Q. Khan, the government could now reveal as much in general terms, since any operation that might have been running in 2002 has long since wound down. Regarding her access to operational information, Edmonds's critics clearly do not understand the intimate relationship that develops between FBI and CIA officers and their translators. Operations run against a foreign target in languages other than English require an intensive collaboration between field officers and translators. The translators are invariably brought into the loop because it is up to them to guide the officers seeking to understand what the target, who frequently is double talking or attempting to conceal his meaning, is actually saying. That said, it should be conceded that Edmonds might sometimes have seen only a piece of the story, and those claims based on her own interpretation should be regarded with caution.
Another objection is that Edmonds would only have seen "raw intelligence" that does not provide nuance and does not really indicate whether someone is guilty. That argument has merit, and it is undeniable that many intercepted communications lack context. But it ignores the fact that someone recorded in the act of taking a bribe or interceding to have a suspect in a criminal investigation released is behaving with a certain transparency. One either takes money or does not. There is very little interpretation that can change that reality.
Sibel Edmonds makes a number of accusations about specific criminal behavior that appear to be extraordinary but are credible enough to warrant official investigation. Her allegations are documentable: an existing FBI file should determine whether they are accurate. It's true that she probably knows only part of the story, but if that part is correct, Congress and the Justice Department should have no higher priority. Nothing deserves more attention than the possibility of ongoing national-security failures and the proliferation of nuclear weapons with the connivance of corrupt senior government officials.


text:
Bro Muslin Blanket
Be at peace that your little one is wrapped in love! Our
blankets are incredibly soft and gentle on your baby's
skin. Our blend of bamboo and cotton is hand selected
to be the softest and most durable blanket you will ever
Comfort paired with this modern design will be your
little one's favorite blanket for many years to come.
Mothers agree that these are not only the softest
blankets they've had but also the most vivid, colorful,
and beautiful.
Our muslin blankets have various uses from swaddling,
nursing covers, stroller cover, play mat, and of course
just cuddling!
At a Glance:
47" × 47" Muslin Blanket
* 70% Bamboo and 30% Cotton
* Vivid Modern Design
* Breathable, Lightweight, and Safe*
Conveniently packaged with a cardboard tag
and ribbon.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Compare and Contrast
X vs. ?
What makes Solo Build It! (SBI!) the optimal choice over standard small business solutions? SBI! is the only all-in-one, step-by-step system of process-and-software that delivers thriving online businesses. SBI! helps you build a genuine, profitable, evergrowing business. No other product can match SBI!'s rate of e-business success.
Let's assume that you have just decided to place your business at a standard Web host (e.g., GoDaddy, 1&1, etc.). Let's follow your progress.
First, ask yourself why you would make this decision? It won't be due to overwhelming proof of success like this. There is none. Nor will you find a Family Bulletin Board -- typical hosts only take pride in financial statements (theirs). More than likely, you've been tempted to accept the lure of cheap (even free!), quick, easy "business hosting."
Soon, though, you realize you're spinning your wheels. You need to upgrade to their "next level" package. You buy two key add-on modules or plugins. And you may have to hire a webmaster to help you coordinate all this, as well as customize one of the programs that "came free" with your hosting.
In a few months, you're spending an hour or two per day researching the Web to "keep up" and trying to figure out how to build traffic. You're reading several Internet marketing newsletters, worrying about technical and search engine issues. You're buying more third-party software, on the excited say-so of this expert or that.
Click Here To Order and Start Today, Risk-Free
So How Are You Doing After All This?
Not as good as you had hoped? Remember this triangle?
Your site is more than likely in the dark blue section, near the bottom.
Solo Build It! sites used to be largely in the Top 3%, as shown in the graphic. Today there are 200 million active websites (up from 56 million in 2006), and SBI! sites are largely in the Top 1% (click here for more info).
Despite the increased "competition," SBI! sites continue to outrank other sites and blogs.
And, after one year, SBI! members have spent a fraction of your time and dollars. Every bit of that has gone into building a business, not fighting the barriers.
Non-SBI! site owners waste so much time and money chasing the holy grail of traffic. Despite paying all those dollars for upgraded packages, plugins and help, their sites sit idle, unvisited.
They occupy the bottom of the triangle because they all follow a doomed route. Here's the big picture, typical hosting vs. Solo Build It! comparison...
high prices (those add-ons add up) vs. one low price
major time loss (fighting barriers) vs. efficient focus on business
learning curves and complexity vs. "follow the Action Guide"
"marketing noise" chasing you at every turn vs. "follow the Action Guide"
no clean step-by-step process vs. "follow the Action Guide"
scattered information, process, and tools vs. complete and integrated set of the right tools
fragmented communities of folks seeking help and answers vs. the success minded, help-and-be-helped SBI! Forums.
corporate focus on their bottom line vs. we focus on your bottom line.
Net comparison? The majority of non-SBI! sites languish unvisited. SBI! sites receive up to hundreds and thousands of visitors per day. Free, interested, warm visitors. Imagine what that would mean to your bottom line.
That's the big picture comparison.
SBI! keeps adding 1) "visible" features you use and 2) hidden power (automating what you don't need to do), both of which help build your profitable business.
When you compare apples to apples, there is no comparison. Those 's and 's are the difference between success and failure. Try a special comparison for yourself...
The Big Picture Wrap Up
Compare proof-by-proof with any other small business Web host.
Compare SBI!'s total focus on your business success.
Then act.


text:
Get Residential Homeowners Insurance in Aurora Colorado
Owning a residential property is a wonderful thing but protecting it from harmful external elements should also be your priority. And in that case, you require homeowner insurance that can successfully safeguard all your interests.
A residential home insurance can benefit you in many ways. If you are still not convinced enough to get one, we have listed the top most apparent and useful benefits below.
Benefits of home insurance for Aurora Residential Properties
Here is why you should contact us as soon as possible and get your home insurance in Aurora Colorado.
It protects main dwellings
Imagine your Aurora house suffering from a theft or a fire disaster. Won't you feel bumped after losing all the valuables that you have gained after working for years? Obviously, you will, but with home insurance, you will get coverage for most of your possessions and parts of your house lost in the disaster.
This insurance protects your dwelling, the area where you live, if your insurance value is ideal. Make sure to either get insurance on the 100% value of your house or go for the standard 80% to 90%.
Luckily, you will find many policies that will easily cover the entire replacement costs and any minor or major damages.
Save any detached structures
Homeowner insurance can also help you protect any detached structures such as sheds, fences or garages. You can also get coverage against a dog house located within your Aurora residential property.
Most policies offer 10% coverage on such structures. However, you can always customize your insurance policy and increase the level of coverage that you find adequate.
Liability coverage
If you don't want to be held liable after someone has suffered an injury in your home, a home insurance for your residence is a perfect way to escape this situation.
It is important to note that this policy won't cover the injuries that you or other residents might have faced during this incident. However, this insurance will provide coverage for any lawsuit that might arise from such situations.
Protection of contents found in your Aurora home
Before you find a perfect insurance policy, you need to consider your overall inventory available in your house. This may include things like furniture, appliances, electronics or any other sub-property found in your house that you want to cover through a policy.
Most homeowners overlook this benefit that a home insurance can reimburse you for any losses incurred after you have lost assets in a disaster. This reimbursement is usually made in parts or as a whole payout, depending on the rules of your policy.
Covers losses while your property is being repaired
This benefit is quite rare, and also very attractive for people to get home insurance. Imagine your house is being rebuilt after a specific covered event and you have to move out and live somewhere else. In that case, you will incur expenses related to accommodation, travel and food.
However, many home insurance policies also help cover these expenses to a certain limit. So, instead of just covering your damaged property, this insurance provides enough support for you to deal with the hard times.
Rockies Home Insurance Experts in Aurora Colorado provides peace of mind for residents who might experience storm damage or fire disasters. However, many people don't opt for this insurance because of the high premiums that they might have to pay.
Luckily, there are many different ways in which you can get a reduction or discount on your total yearly premium. And interestingly, some of these ways are also sustainable and eco-friendly.
So, if you consider sustainability and reduce carbon footprint when looking for home insurance, some adjustments to your home below can help you contribute towards a better environment and low expenses.
New wiring and plumbing
Lead or galvanized pipes can corrode and rust quite easily. Any kind of damage to these pipes can lead to leakages that can further affect the quality of water. If your Aurora property has lead pipes, replace them with copper ones.
Moreover, if your finances allow, insulate these pipes so they don't burst during winter months.
Similarly, an inefficient wiring system can increase a risk of fire disaster. So, make sure you update your wiring system as well.
Even if your insurer doesn't give you a discount on a premium for these changes, they are imperative for the environment and also for your overall safety.
Solar panels
Installing solar panels in your home can not only contribute towards eco-sustainability but many people also use this option to get discounts on their home insurance.
Solar panels do make an expensive investment, but they serve you for many years. Moreover, you can also enjoy reduced electricity bills for at least 25 years.
So, how do solar panels impact the environment? Interestingly, the use of these panels doesn't produce any degree of air pollution. There is no emission of carbon dioxide and even the electricity resources are less utilized.
Make sure that your home insurance covers the cost and damages incurred to install these solar panels. It is important because your roof might not be strong enough to withstand the weight of solar panels and might break or fall off.
Improved security
Every insurance company will ask you about any home-related security. In that case, you can install an alarm system, monitored by a third-part for your safety and contribute towards a decrease in your premium.
With motion lights in your home, you might save up to 10% on your premium. You can also install locks on doors and windows for any additional security.
Again this measure will reduce pressure on the security department in your community and will also benefit you from a reduced premium.
Fire protection
With fire sprinklers installed in your house, you can curb down the effects of fire or smoke on your home. This measure is most suitable for people who live quite far from the nearest fire stations.
A fire sprinkler can also help in reducing your yearly premium. Besides, the water flow from these sprinklers ensure that no water gets wasted and is used for the right purpose.
Reduce gas combustion
Instead of heavily relying on gas combustion, you can opt for appliances such as heat pumps and electric induction units to make your home more "green" and safe from residential fires.
This shift can also reduce your premium. But most importantly, the lack of gas-based appliances helps improve the air quality of your house and reduces the chances of many health issues.
Shut off devices and water leak sensors
For your smart home, you need to install shut off devices and water leak sensors. In case of a damaged water pipe, the devices automatically shut down and reduce any further disaster.
If you want to experience a reduction in your home insurance and simultaneously, want to benefit your environment as well, taking the above measures will help you achieve your goals.
However, some insurance policies only cover houses that follow all sustainability standards. But there are also a few that will suggest replacing your losses with sustainable options.
Get In Touch Today!
We want to hear from you about your Aurora Home Insurance needs. No insurance question is too big or too small for our experienced team!
Frequently asked questions
Here are some common questions that you might find helpful while making a decision that suits you for a home insurance policy for your Aurora home.
Can you get home insurance for an uninhabitable house in Aurora?
A standard home insurance policy doesn't provide coverage for any liabilities, fire damage or claims made on a vacant or unoccupied property. In that case, you will have to get a separate vacant home insurance that can provide you with all your required protection.
What is sustainable insurance?
A standard home insurance policy doesn't provide coverage for any liabilities, fire damage or claims made on a vacant or unsustainable insurance refers to the idea that insurers are well-positioned to meet the increasing demands of people towards a sustainable and environmentally friendly world. This insurance also makes sure that it offers policies that help give support to people fighting against frequent natural catastrophes.
For instance, a sustainable home insurance gives its customers discounts on every sustainable practice they might have integrated in their home. Moreover, many companies also deal with companies that manufacture eco-friendly products and suggest these items to their customers.
Sustainable insurance is a wonderful way to benefit from environmentally friendly practices and also financially protect yourself from different natural calamities.
occupied property. In that case, you will have to get a separate vacant home insurance that can provide you with all your required protection.
What to look for when buying home insurance for your green home?
Here are a few things that you should consider:
- Compare different quotes by reaching out to more than three insurance companies. You need to ensure that your chosen insurer is capable of providing you a discount based on different sustainable features of your home. Moreover, you should also evaluate the services of the company before signing a contact.
- Evaluate the total coverage that you might be getting from your home insurance. It is useless to invest in insurance that would fail to provide you with adequate support in case of a disaster.
- Read all the details of your policy. What is the deductible amount and how much is the replacement cost? Moreover, is the premium amount acceptable and are there any liability coverages?
Your insurer will help you find an answer to all these questions, but you should also go through the policy word-by-word to get a clear understanding.
If you want to learn more about sustainable home insurance, call on our helpline or meet one of our representatives.


text:
10/01/01 Ban the Use of Animals in Circuses
Request to the President of the Republic, to the Mayor, Minister of Forestry and the Ministry of Environment Protection
Dear Sirs,
We are the witnesses of a growing concern among the citizens of Zagreb about the (mis)treatment of animals. This year's Animal Protection Day shows it best, as the whole week people talked about the animals everywhere and thousands of citizens expressed their interest in animal protection and supported our efforts.
But the citizens expressed a special interest in the campaign against the use of animals in circuses. After articles that were published in several big Croatian daily newspapers and several interviews at radio and television stations, the citizens reacted and their concern for the animals in circuses was obvious. They were joined by many groups, media, public figures and a forum of young people from one political party who gave their support.
As an animal protection organization, we ask the City of Zagreb to join hundreds of cities throughout the world that are opposed to the use of animals in circuses. City councils all over the world disapprove circuses that perform acts with animals and don't allow them to perform in their cities because of the horrible cruelty happening in the circuses during the training, transport and accommodation of the animals they use.
Animals in circuses are kept in chains most of their lives or confined to small spaces such as their transport vehicles. They are deprived of food and water in order to avoid a mess. Chained, confined, lost and often even sedated, they are 90% of their time waiting for the training or the show to begin. Whips, cattle prods and other "tools" are often used in order to make the animals perform.
There are no legal standards that would regulate the treatment of animals in circuses, their accommodation, transport or the tricks they perform. Let us not forget that these are wild animals that are not used to traveling, different climates, performing tricks or to a life in confinement. The animals participating in shows are miserable victims of human manipulation, whose physical, social and other natural needs are ignored by those who benefit from their exploitation. The recent incidents in which elephants killed or seriously injured their trainers led to a more serious consideration of the stress that the animals suffer if they are taken out of their natural environment and brought into the world of "entertainment," which for them represents a world of long life confinement and performance of difficult and pointless acts.
Circuses and other acts that involve animals do not represent preservation or education. Not are they amusing. Watching somebody suffer and looking at the pointless and painful movements caused by the beating could never be amusing. No, it is not amusing - it is a tragic.
We ask the City of Zagreb that the governing body of this city - whose citizens love animals and are not blind to their suffering - as well as the Mayor and everybody who is responsible for the reputation and appearance of Zagreb, to condemn such attitude towards animals. We ask them to prevent the suffering and misery of those animals and to ban circuses with animal acts in our city. Zagreb is a city full of good people who do not participate in the torture of animals and the protests in front of the Medrano Circus - which is currently in Zagreb - proved this, as well as the numerous signatures on our petitions all over Croatia to demand a ban on animals in circuses, and, finally, the compassion that the citizens showed for animals in circuses by offering their help in campaigning against it.
We ask for a ban in our city on circus acts with animals. Regardless of the possible profit they yield: that blood-stained money is less important than the suffering of innocent animals. Zagreb is not corruptible!
By such act, Zagreb would join cities in Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, Israel, the United States of America and other countries that have banned the use of animals in circuses and therefore do not participate in the horrible suffering and exploitation of animals.


text:
A new CSS class has been added with instructions for formatting part of a page with equal sized columns. See the Help article for details.
You can insert highlighted boxes for text and other content easily using the "snippets" feature of the page editor. See the Help article for details.
You can now create a custom parent menu that displays the sub-menu items. When you edit the custom menu, specify "Menu Page". When a user clicks on that menu item, a page will display with a "tree" of sub-menu items.
The storage allowed in each subscription was doubled. This allows using larger images in competitions without being concerned about exceeding the storage allowed by your subscription.
When a Content Manager views a custom page, an "Edit Custom Page" button appears at the bottom of the page. This can be used instead of navigating through the Administration menus to edit a page.
The website will now allow you to use a link to a "Documents and Files to Download" page that will only display a subset of the entire tree.
On the "Manage Documents and Files" page, each category will now display a relative link to a page that will only display that category and its subcategories. You can place that link on a custom page or your Home page.
If a member accidentally blocked email from your website by marking a message as spam, all future email will be blocked by the email service. A member can now clear that flag themselves by using the website menu "My Account", "My Account Settings".
The ICM Show Style has a new option to sort images by their submitting organization id before using the selected sort option. This inly applies to styles used with the "Show" tab. This option was requested by clubs that host competitions with submissions from other organizations.
Administrators can create Custom Groups (formerly "Custom Groups and Roles") and assign a group manager. The group manager can update the list of people in the group and set options for the group.
Group Managers will automatically hold the role of "Group Manager" that allows the menu item "Manage Custom Groups" to display on the "Administration" menu. Group Managers can only edit groups where they have been assigned as a manager.
An option on a Custom Group allows members to add or remove their account from the Custom Group. A new menu item now appears as "My Account", "My Groups".
You can now set an option on a competition to allow members to critique competition entries. These critiques will only be visible to the image author. Member critiques can be added when voting or when displaying competition results. Authors view critiques from their Image Library.
Member critiques are independent of critiques created by judges during the judging process. Those critiques can optionally be displayed for all members to view.
If you have configured Google Analytics, you can now add the Google Analytics Tracking Id on your Manage Organization Profile page. Just enter the Tracking Id, not the script.
It is not unusual for members to accidentally upload duplicate images and certify that they are different. If you make this mistake, it can now be corrected by the author or a Competition Manager.
Use the new menu "My Account", "Merge Duplicate Images" to search your Image Library for duplicate images. Competition Managers can also search and merge duplicates for other members. Full instructions are located on that page.
Organizations using rank voting asked for a change to make it easier to rank images when there are a larger number of images present. Instead of relying on drag and drop to order images, you can now set a value for your rankings on multiple thumbnails.
When you use the Images button on a Manage Competitions page, two additional columns are now exported when you export to Excel. The "Critique Requested" indicates if an author requested a critique of the image. "Critique Judge" name any judge already assigned to perform the critique.
These same fields also display when you use the "Report" button from a Manage Competitions page and you select the option to print critiques.
You can now generate print labels on A4 size paper. Options are available for 6 or 8 labels per page. 6 labels per page is recommend to allow larger fonts for displaying the title of the print.
If your organization submitted images to another organization hosting a competition with the Visual Pursuits service, you can now view and export historical submissions using the menu "Competitions", "Submissions to Other Organizations and Results".
During the submission process you would always see your submissions. Once the competition was closed, however, there was no way to display the submissions you made to other organizations. This new menu item corrects that omission.
You can now assign multi-level awards when performing website judging by selecting "[Combine All Levels]" on the judging page.
A new option on a competition will allow you to block judges from disqualifying images. A Competition Manager is always allowed to disqualify an image. By default, judges can disqualify images.
When you assign judges to a competition, you can now specify that the judge is a "Judge in Training". The person is allowed to score and critique images in the competition, but the critiques and scores will be hidden from view and will not be used in computing scores or awards.
This feature is intended to have a person with the new role of "Mentor Judge" review the critiques and scores of the "Judge in Training". This is to help train and educate a new judge.
A new button on the Judging Queue page will display an analysis of the judging. This can only be viewed by a Competition Manager or Mentor Judge. Only a Mentor Judge can see critiques and scores from a Judge in Training.
Competitions and Competition Types can be configured to allow members to request a website critique of an image. The number of requests can be limited by Competition, Competition Type, and Competition Group.
When enabled for a competition, a check box displays after submitting an image into a competition. Checking the box will alert the judge that a critique is required.
If you have multiple judges, you can request that the critique requests are allocated evenly between the judges.
Websites were split into two servers to improve performance and reliability. The servers are hosted in the Microsoft Azure cloud service and located in Australia and Iowa. The higher speed connections and shorter distances to the servers (especially in Australia and New Zealand) significantly improve performance.
An ICM program update was required this month in preparation for moving the hosting of the websites to new servers hosted in the Microsoft Azure cloud.
ICM support completed for handling guest competitions, which are described in the April 2021 note below.
Previously, the only way to hold competitions with entries from multiple organizations was to configure member organizations. This process was established for councils and regional organization that had member organizations. All competitions would be open to the member organizations.
As an alternative, you can now invite organizations to participate in your individual competitions by selecting an option on a competition and then using the "Invite" button to select the participating organizations.
Participating organizations will see the competition in their competition lists. You can choose if invited organizations can have their members submit images directly into the competition or if images must come from competitions held by the invited organization. Competition results will also appear on the Invited Organization website.
This update does not yet support the ICM program, so you cannot use Invited Organizations if you will use the ICM program. We hope to remove this restriction soon.
Two new comment fields are now available on the Manage Members page that can be added to each membership. When you edit a member's account and click "Edit Membership" you can add text to these fields. The new values display in the membership grid.
When you define an event with a registration fee, you can specify a separate fee that applies to members. This means a registered member can have guest registrations that are priced differently. The member fee can be zero. Payment amounts are computed from your event and not used from your button definition.
Payment buttons for event registrations will now display differently when the buyer arrives on the PayPal payment page. The full price of the registration will be displayed and no quantity will be displayed. The buyer cannot change the price or quantity.
If you hold a competition and charge for competition entries, you can set the charge on individual competitions and/or on a Competition Group. Payment amounts are computed from your competition or group definition and not used from your button definition. You can display instructions for the process by using the menu "Administration", "Manage PayPal Buttons", and click "Display PayPal Button Instructions". You can also use "Help", "Help Topics" for a link to the same document.
New options have been added to a Competition to allow direct image uploads and submissions from member organizations. Previously, submissions could only be made from competitions.
New help topics have been added that cover many of the common questions and issues. These are accessed via the menu "Help", "Help Topics".
You can now select the A4 paper size when printing Award Certificates and an Images report. These reports are generated from a Manage Competitions page.
If you edit a member on the Manage Members page it will now display if the member is a competing member in other organizations.
If you specify voting using a slider, to can now specify the maximum value to use for the sliders in the range of 5 to 100.
A simplified process has been created for people to create Guest accounts. These are used by non-members so they can judge, register for public events, or participate in other public actions that require identification.
If you are not logged in and attempt to register for a public event, a button will display to allow you to create a Guest account and automatically return to the event registration page.
New member registrations will now be presented with a simplified form, rather than with several pages of forms. Account creation forms are now more mobile friendly.
If a new membership request is created and PayPal buttons are defined for a new member dues payment, the payment button is displayed at the end of the account creation process. If the person exits without payment, and goes to the Membership Information page while logged in, a payment button will appear for them.
Premium subscribers can now use website judging to assign multi-competition awards to a group of competitions. The ICM program has allowed this for many years, but this is new for website judging.
After you complete judging and assigning awards to a group of competitions, use the regular judging page and select the new check box to allow assigning multi-competition awards to images in the competitions. This is typically done to assign an award like "Best in Show".
When a new member creates an account, you can specify PayPal button to display when their account creation completes. This prompts them to make a dues payment, which can then automatically grant membership.
To use this feature you need to edit your membership button definition and check the box "Display button for new member registrations".
Competition results from a parent organization are now displayed along with the results from your own organization. This will also happen if you were invited to participate in competitions hosted by another Visual Pursuits website. In addition, Competition Managers will see a button to allow exporting competition data from the Competition Results page. You will be able to export the results from the parent organization's competitions.
Advanced users can have a HTML page inserted into an iframe tag on custom pages. This might be a requirement if you need a form placed on a page that is hosted by another service. See the new Help topic on Embedded HTML Files via "Help", "Help Topics", and look in the "Advanced" section.
If you specify a submission limit on a Competition Group, that limit will now also apply to any subgroup and competitions within a subgroup. All limits specified for a Competition, its parent Competition Group, and any parent groups above will be considered before images can be entered into a competition. Previously, Competition Group limits only applied to the immediate competitions within the group.
You can now specify submission limits on a Competition Group that affect submissions from other organizations or competitions. Previously, these restrictions could only be made at the Competition level.
Uploaded images are scanned with a Google image recognition service to generate keyword tags to identify the content of your images. These keyword tags are added to any tags embedded in your image and can be used in searching your Image Library.
The image recognition service is not perfect, but does a pretty amazing job. It reports its confidence in the keywords as a percentage. You can view the keyword tags in your Image Library by clicking the "Tags" button for an image. You are able to add, edit, and delete tags.
The display of competition results with the thumbnails button has been replaced with an upgraded display called "gallery tiles".
Gallery Tiles can now be embedded on a custom page using a special "tag" to identify the gallery or competition content to be displayed. This works very much like the process of inserting a slide show gallery on a page, except the display is completely different.
Gallery Tiles display medium size images in the sequence specified in a gallery or in descending Award Numeric and Scores for judged competition results. Headings can be inserted automatically. The display is responsive and adapts well to mobile devices.
Information about each image is displayed when you hover your mouse pointer over the image. Mobile devices do not have that feature. An enlarged image and image information is displayed when you click the image.
Instructions appear on the "Manage Web and Email Content" and the custom page builder pages.
You can now specify that a custom page should use the full width of the browser content area, instead of being restricted to the maximum page width defined for your organization. This is useful if you place a tiled gallery on your page.
Normally, your custom content is placed inside a panel with a background that separates it from the web page background. While this is useful for text displays, more complex layouts may want to suppress using this panel. A new option allows you to remove that background panel.
The password reset process for members has been simplified. We no longer use a question and answer query and instead request your email address or login name plus your last name. These items will now be sufficient to reset your password if you forget it.
You can automatically export calendar events to external calendars using an iCalendar feed. Other calendar services, such as Google Calendar and Outlook, can use the "feed" to update their calendar as events change on your organization calendar.
The export feature is only available to members. This will not import events from another calendar; it only exports. The export includes events, competition dates, and competition close dates.
Your website provides a special page to be configured with your external calendar. The page address for your iCalendar feed is displayed on your calendar page.
New CSS classes and documentation have been added to assist in creating multi-column layouts on web pages without using tables. These layouts would be "responsive" and change their layout when displayed on a mobile device.
Details on how to use this method can be found using the menu "Help", "Help" and locating the topic "Creating Columns on Web Pages" under "Advanced". HTML coding will be required.
A new option was added for competitions to allow members to see their scores from competitions in the Image Library and Image History even when competition results suppress the display of scores to other members. The default is to suppress the display of scores to members if competition results do not display scores.
Premium subscribers may now use a "ranked voting" method on their competitions where they allow members or the public to vote on images. For more information on Rank Voting, please see the Help document.
We have revised our privacy policy statement to comply with recent changes in laws. You can view our policy statement using your website menu "Help", "Privacy Policy".
When you create an Event with registrations and a registration fee, you can associate a PayPal button with the event. When a person registers for the event, the PayPal button will display so they can make a payment. When a payment is made, the registration will be marked as having paid the registration fee.
The event contact person is notified of payments made for the event. This can be done by associating the contact person with a member reference or supplying a contact email address. Treasurers are always notified of payments for event registrations.
You associate a PayPal button with an event by creating or editing a PayPal button definition and selecting the event to be associated with the button. Only events with registrations can be selected.
You can now upload your own custom CSS style sheet to simplify customizing your website using HTML. This feature is only for advanced users. Please read the Help topic for more information.
The system maximum image size has been increased to the 8K standard, 7680x4320.
An option is now available when judging images to allow images to scale up to fit into the browser. This could result is pixelation, so it is discouraged.
Users can opt-out of group messages sent to the Members or Guests groups. Administrators, Event Managers, Competition Managers, Membership Managers, and Management Committee members have the ability to override the opt-out with an option that will display on the email page. Use this only when necessary and respect the users wishes to not receive bulk email messages.
The layout for labels for prints was improved, based on a suggestion from Richard Grubola of The Photographic Guild. Check "Use Larger Fonts" is you want larger fonts on the label, which may truncate titles.
A Competition Manager can now enter critiques on competition entries after judging is complete. These critiques might be from notes recorded at a meeting during the judging process. This is done from the website judging page.
Critiques can now be entered from the judging thumbnail images.
If you have critiques or shows of images that do not using judging, displaying the images in the Competition Results was problematic because the "competition" was not marked as judged. Only judged competitions display in the results.
A new option can be set on a Competition Type to indicate that the "competitions" using the Type will be marked as judged after the competition date and time have elapsed. This allows these competitions to be displayed in the Competition Results without any additional effort.
The Images Report, generated from the Report button on a Manage Competitions page, has been enhanced to allow sorting by authors names or by image titles. These sort options might be handy when dealing with prints.
A member can now grant permissions to display their email address and/or phone number in member lists, while still hiding their address.
If you want to grant an award indicating "acceptance" into a competition instead of disqualifying images, an award can be created with an Award Numeric of 120 or greater for this purpose.
A comment can be specified for a competition that will display above the competition results on the Competition Results page.
You may now select an option to include critique comments when printing a competition report. This report is generated from a Manage Competitions page, locating a competition, and clicking "Report".
The ICM thumbnails now display a "K" in the top right corner to indicate that critiques are available for that image. You can click the "K" to display the critiques. This is most useful if displaying a show in dual screen mode and you have set a Show Style to display critiques over thumbnails.
When defining an event that uses registrations, you can specify that guests are allowed and you can ask a question of the registrants. When a person registers they can indicate if they are bringing a guest and text can enter a text response to a question defined for the event.
On the Manage Organization Profile page you can now require that new members must provide their email address and/or a phone number.
You can now set an option on a Competition Type or a specific competition to allow judges to preview images without allowing them to set scores or awards. This is useful if judging will be performed later with the ICM program.
For print competitions, to can set an option so that judges can only view thumbnail images on the judging screen. This is meant to prevent them from judging the digital image, forcing the judges to view and judge the actual print.
A new video was added to provide a general overview of setting up competitions and all of the related items. This is especially important for new organizations and new Competition Managers.
Other new videos are now available for "Competition Groups" and "Competition Levels". The "Competition Types" video has been revised.
The "Competitions" menu items have changed. A new menu item, "Setup Competitions" provides an overview of the competition setup process, step by step. The "Manage Award Sets" and "Manage Critique Definitions" menu items have been moved from the "Administration" menu to the "Competitions" menu.
An option was added to a Competition Type definition to set a default for displaying all entries in a competition or only images with awards. If not set, the initial display of competition results will only include images with awards. The user can elect to display all images with an option on the results page.
The storage size included in each subscription has been increased by 25% with no additional charge. You should easily be able to store 5 years of competition images using the system maximum image sizes.
The maximum image size was increased from 10MB to 20MB.
When searching for judges for website judging, you can now search using first and last names instead of needing the email address or user id.
When searching member names, you can now search by a First Name. Previously, you could only search by Last Name, email address, or User Id.
You can now set an option on a Competition Type to hide the display of the names of your judges until after a competition has been judged.
Competition Close and Voting Close dates are now on the calendar events. The tooltip for competition calendar events now includes the full status and all dates related to the competition.
Enhancements were made to the editor used for creating content for web pages and email. A "ribbon bar" now replaces the "toolbar" used previously. This allows better descriptions of the buttons and adds a "help" button.
You can how insert links to videos hosted by YouTube or Vimeo.
Your club website will now display better on a mobile phone. You may also notice some changes in formatting on larger devices as well. Many pages used for configuration will never be usable on a phone and some pages still need alternate versions for a phone. This update is a first step in the process and helps with some of the more common uses on a phone.
If you place images on a web page, consider using the editor and setting the CSS style on the image to "Limit Mobile Width". If the image is displayed on a mobile device, it will be scaled down to fit the width of the device. Assign the style using the "Insert" tab and the "Image Properties" button. Clear any height or width settings present.
Galleries are handled automatically do not require any special handling.
You can now mark a Competition Level to be the default level used within a Competition Type. If a member does not have a Competition Level assigned to the Competition Type within your organization, the default level will be assigned and used automatically.
Use the Manage Competition Level Definitions page to edit a level and check the box to indicate it is the default Competition Level.
You can now set a gallery option to request the display of any metadata (EXIF) data available for the images being displayed. The summary metadata is added to the image caption.
When you upload a new image, you may now see a warning if your image appears to be a duplicate of an image already in your Image Library. You are encouraged to use the existing image unless there is a significant difference between the images. The process cannot detect all image differences, so it can only be a suggestion.
The "Download Manager" role is now required for a person to use the "Manage Downloads" page via the "Administration" menu to save files that can be downloaded by members. This role is implied by the "Content Manager" and "Administrator" roles. You may find you need to add this role for a member that needs to save files in your downloads area.
The "View PayPal" role is now required for a person to use the "View PayPal Transactions" page via the "Administration" menu. This role is implied by the "Treasurer", "Membership Manager", and "Administrator" roles. You may find you need to add this role for a member that needs to view PayPal transactions, such as an event manager.
You can now configure your website to automatically apply membership payments made with PayPal buttons. Membership expirations can be extended without any administrative handling of each payment. Careful setup is required of your PayPal buttons and you must enable the feature on the Manage Organization Profile page.
Please watch the new video on using PayPal buttons for details.
An email is now sent to the payee when they make a PayPal payment using one of your PayPal buttons. The email confirms that payment has been received by your organization.
A separate email is sent to the Treasurers of your organization, or to the Administrators if no users have the Treasurer role. Payments made with buttons configured as membership payments will also optionally send a message to the Membership Managers, or the Administrators if there are no Membership Managers.
You can now place Competition Results galleries on your Home page or any custom page. Additional options are available when you place you gallery, such as setting the gallery size. A new process builds the needed tag to place on your page. Instructions are on the custom page and web content pages.
You can now place galleries with competition results on your Home page or any custom page. You can select a specific Competition, the latest Competition with results, a specific Competition Group, or the latest Competition Group with results. This new feature could be used to automatically display your latest competition results on your Home page.
A new option was added to Competition Types that allows you to force the display of author names for non-winning images in a competition. The default for new Competition Types will hide the author names for images without awards. A competition option can specify the display of non-winning authors if the Competition Type does not make that selection.
This option does not affect the ICM program, where the display of author names is controlled by show styles.
You can now set a show or judging style option to identify wildlife images in the caption for images. All images that have the "wildlife" attribute will be have the word "Wildlife" included in their caption display.
If you use PayPal buttons, each payment transaction is now recorded on your website. The transactions can be viewed by members via the menu "My Account", "My Transactions". The organization can view PayPal transactions via the menu "Administration", "PayPal Buttons", "PayPal Transactions".
Further enhancements are in development. We will try to automate membership renewals and we will create a video explaining how all of this works.
Members can now specify, via their personal profile, if a club's Event Managers can see their contact information.
The "Alternate Phone Number" field has been renamed to "Cell Phone" and the "Alternate Phone Number Type" field has been discontinued. If a cell number and the primary number are the same, only the primary number is saved.
Forum managers can now specify that all members or all competing members should get notifications from a forum or a forum topic. Members can "opt out" of these topics by un-subscribing via the forum pages.
A new option was added to the competition options that allows you to hide the author names for non-winning images in a competition results display. The default for new competitions will hide the author names for images without awards. This option does not affect the ICM program, where the display of author names is controlled by show styles.
If a user submits an image to the wrong competition, a Competition Manager can now move the image to a different competition instead of having the user remove and re-submit the image. The process is performed using the "Images" button on a Manage Competitions page. A "Move" button appears under the thumbnail for each image in the images grid.
Competition Managers can now select a member to view their competition history using the My Image History page. This was previously restricted to Administrators.
When defining an Award in a custom Award Set, you can now specify that the percentage considers other awards after computing a percentage of all entries. See Manage Award Sets for details.
A new public forum was created, shared by all organizations, to allow organizations and members to exchange information on how to manage their organizations and competitions. Access the new forum using your website menu "Organization", "Discussion Forums".
When combining levels in the ICM program, the random sort order is applied over all of the combined images. This may not be desirable for a print competition where you have printed out a report of images in the competition and are trying to synchronize projecting images with a stack of prints that are order from the report. Use the new sort option "Competition Levels and Random" in a Show Style to keep the images in the same order as the report.
If you disqualified an image while judging with the ICM program (via the Awards panel), the image remained in the competition until you synchronized. At the time it is was deleted from the competition.
If you used website judging, you needed to delete a disqualified image from the competition via Images button on one of the Manage Competitions pages.
To improve the handling of disqualified images, the old ICM "Disqualify" option has been renamed to "Disqualify and Exclude". This will continue to delete the image from the competition when you synchronize. A new "Disqualify" button on the Awards panel will keep the disqualified image reference in the competition, but the image is hidden and displays as Disqualified.
When using website judging, a judge can disqualify an image via the awards panel. There is no "Disqualify and Exclude" option for website judging.
Disqualified images will only appear in judging panels when hidden images are viewed. This allows removing the disqualified state. Authors will be able to view a disqualified state in their library. Disqualified images will appear in the images list on the Manage Competitions pages and the images are in exported lists from the ICM program.
An option can now be set on a Competition Type to allow a judge's rating values to be converted into a score automatically. A average of all non-zero ratings is scaled to the maximum score allowed for a competition image. This option requires specifying "Average Scores from Judges".
This option is "on" by default for all new Competition Types, but existing Competition Types do not have the option set. You must update your Competition Types if you want to use this option. A judge can disable the option on each critique and cannot critique or set a score for their own images.
Critiques is a feature included in a Premium Subscription. You can use "Administration", "Manage Critique Definitions" to customize the information that appears on the critique form. This allows you to name the rating sliders to match judging criteria you might use.
Without the automatic computation of a score from critiques, a scoring box still appears on the critique page so that a score can be entered there instead of waiting to return to the image panel.
If you need to hold a competition with hundreds or thousands of images, a new process allows you to split a competition into child competitions for distributed judging. See the main Help page for a reference on an article on Managing Large Competitions.
The amount of storage allowed in each Visual Pursuits subscription type has been increased by about 30%. The number of prepaid website judged images has been doubled for each Premium Subscription.
Overuse beyond your annual allocations may roll-over to the next year if we decline to invoice for the extra usage. We expect to only invoice for excess usage once per year. These changes have been made without any increase in your subscription costs.
Use your website menu "Help", "Subscription Information" for more information on subscriptions and options. Use the menu "Administration", "Subscription Status" for details on your subscription and website usage.
We have changed your Visual Pursuits website to run only in HTTPS mode instead of the normal HTTP mode. This new mode encrypts all transmissions, instead of just the login pages. The new mode has been encouraged for use by all websites since it makes it extremely difficult for anybody to hack into a website or intercept any information you might enter on a website.
No action is required by you or your users. The change is likely to be invisible to your users. In some cases, you may notice that the website address in your address bar has changed. This occurs because we are redirecting all of your website traffic to a single website address that uses the new HTTPS encrypted transmissions.
The ICM program has always used encrypted transmissions, so no change was needed there.
Have a need that is not being filled? Have a suggestion for improving the website or the Image Competition Manager program? We welcome your comments and suggestions. Consider adding a feature request to the Wish List Forum or send your comments to email@example.com.
If you have a problem, please use the Submit Support Request page via the Help menu.
Thanks for your support!
This website is hosted by Visual Pursuits, a service provided by Software Pursuits, Inc.


text:
ALLOYPOWER 1/2 inch 590Ft-lbs(800N.m) Brushless Cordless Impact Wrench, 2200RPM with 2 x 4000mAh Battery, Charger and 6 Sockets
- VendorAlloypower
ALLOYPOWER 1/2 inch 590Ft-lbs(800N.m) Brushless Cordless Impact Wrench, 2200RPM with 2 x 4000mAh Battery, Charger and 6 Sockets
- VendorAlloypower
With a maximum torque of 590ft-lbs (800Nm). Features a 2200 RPM variable speed trigger. 2*4.0Ah lithium-ion battery. With a bright... Read more
$199.99 $119.99 Excl. VAT
Shipping and Delivery
Order Processing
- Free shipping on all orders.
- We currently only ship to the US and CA.
- The processing time for orders is 1 business day. Please keep in mind that during holidays or promotion festivals (Such as Prime Day, Black Friday, etc. ), this time may vary. Thank you for your patience, our products are definitely worth waiting for.
- Successfully placed orders will receive an e-mail confirmation with the order details. If you do not receive an e-mail, please check your spam filter or contact us via firstname.lastname@example.com or WhatsApp for confirmation.
We will choose the best logistics for you according to your address, the nature of the goods, and other factors.
Estimated delivery business days:
Standard Shipping:
- United States: 2-7d.
- Canada: 2-7 d.
- Other countries: 5-15d.
Expedited Shipping:1-3 d.
Tip:The delivery time of accessories is between 5-15 days!
Except for accessories, we deliver within 3 days, but there may be some remote addresses where the fastest 3-day delivery is not possible. The fastest delivery time for some addresses is 5-6 days.
How to track your order
Tracking details will be sent to you for real time tracking. If you do not receive an e-mail, please check your spam filter or contact us via email or WhatsApp any time you have questions.
We are not responsible for any shipping deliveries that may be affected by customs, natural occurrences, transfers from UPS to the local carrier in your country or air and ground transportation strikes or delays, nor any extra fees, customs or back end charges.
Damage Caused in Transit
If your Alloymantools order was damaged in transit, we will be more than glad to offer you a free of charge replacement, please contact our Customer Support Team via Contact us Form.
Please note that you will have to provide us with:
- Pictures of the damaged item.
- Pictures of the damaged packaging.
Return Policy
Your satisfaction is our goal. If you are not 100% satisfied with the item you received, we will accept returns within 30 calendar days of receiving the item.
Something You Need to Know Before Return:
What can be returned or exchanged?
- Items ordered were received within the past 30 days.
- The product is in the same condition as when you received it.
- All packaging and accessories are still in new or like-new condition and will not affect resale.
1: If you believe you have received a defective item or have any problems with the accessories, please contact us via
email@example.com within 30 days of receipt, and our customer service will reply ASAP. Kindly notice that unauthorized returns and returns over 30 days will not be accepted.
2: Kindly contact our customer service via email and get the return address and other details for your return. Send the item(s)back after receiving the confirmation and email us the tracking number. Please note that unauthorized returns will not be accepted. Any extra fee caused by not following the instructions we offered is borne by the buyer.
3:We require a receipt or proof of purchase to complete your return.
4:Your refund will be processed and automatically applied to your original payment account after inspection. Kindly email us before the refund process if there are any changes to your payment account. We hold no responsibility as soon as the refund has been processed. Please notice that the refund might take 2-3 business days. Email us via firstname.lastname@example.com if you still didn't get the refund after that.
5:If the return is due to our responsibilities (such as incorrect products, quality problems of products, etc.), we will provide a full refund for you. No restocking fees are charged to customers for returning defective products
6:If the return is due to the buyer's responsibilities(such as: don't like/don't want, order wrong product/size, etc.), we will take off $20 from your refund as loss of freight and handling fee.
Cancellation & Modification:
The customers can cancel the order/item within 12 hours through our customer service. Kindly notice that we cannot cancel the order if the product is already shipped out.
Excessive Returns:
Information you leave on the website is safely protected. In the case that a customer's return history may be indicative of fraudulent activity, our Customer Protection Team will reach out to discuss the situation and work with you to either resolve the issue or determine if we need to refuse service going forward. While we never want to reject a customer, we must ensure the safety welfare, and comfort of all customers.
Warranty Policy
All products we sell support 30 days of 100% satisfaction and a one-year warranty to ensure you have the best experience. In the process of using the product, if you have any suggestions for the product, leave us a message.


text:
Rodney Goddard Aller
October 24, 1916 - March 21, 2005
Aller, 85, Boasts Four Gold Medals in
World Championship Masters Skiing
by Cynthia Hochswender
Staff Reporter
Lakeville Journal (Ct.)
May 2002
March 7, 2002
President of the International Ski Federation, Harold Herbert, presents Rod with the Combined Tile Award -
Abetone, Italy
Rod (86 yrs. old) takes four gold medals (Class XIII) at The FIS World Master Criterium
Salisbury, CT. -- He's 85 years old but Rod Aller's knees are still holding up, well enough, in fact to keep him schussing and twisting at high speed down slalom ski courses. So well, in fact, that he won four gold medals at an international ski event in March in Abetone, Italy, beating champions from around the world.
The 14th World Masters Criterium was held in the Italian Apennines and was attended by 538 racers from 16 countries, with the heaviest attendance from Italy and Austria. And though many of those Italian racers had been down the Abertone courses before and were familiar with the texture of the local snow, Mr. Aller was the overall champ in his division at the races, winning all four of the events offered.
There were only about nine other racers in his over-80 division, he said. But being one of the last remaining competitive skiers in one's age group is something of a prize in and of itself.
Others on the American team were Duffy Dodge, Dewey Davidson and Anne Nordhoy. Together, they collected nine gold, two silver and one bronze medal.
Mr. Aller, an attorney in Lakeville was quite casual about his triumph in Europe, which is not surprising when one sees the sizeable cache of beribboned metal discs, crystal statuettes and engraved trophies on various hooks and surfaces in his office.
He keeps them at work now, he sighs, because his wife, Anne, insisted he get them out of the house. There are so darn many of them, they were taking up too much room.
Mr. Aller also dominated the American Masters races in his division in New England this winter, a task he waves off easily.
"I only went to six of the races in his division in January, and I won them all," he said. "But I was tied for the overall winner in my class with Adelbert "Del" Ames, because he went to more races than I did."
While it may sound like he's an awfully confident fellow, in fact Mr. Aller is quite charming and humble about his accomplishments. It helps that when he describes his life on the slopes he does it in a captivating silky baritone with a Southwestern-sounding draw. He spent his childhood in Arizona but his mother, Catherine Goddard Aller, was a Salisbury native and she brought her family back to the Northwest Corner in 1934.
Mr. Aller attended The Hotchkiss School and then headed off to Princeton, where he helped found the college's first ski team. Competing in intercollegiate events, they couldn't beat the powerhouse Dartmouth team but they managed to defeat the teams from Yale, Cornell and Brown.
After college, Yale law school and World War II, Mr. Aller settled once and for all in Lakeville setting up his legal practice and also becoming president of the Salisbury Winter Sports Association.
"There were no jumps at that time because the tower had fallen into decay and collapsed during the war," he recalled. "We put the tower together and started the jumps again in about 1948."
As most Salisbury resident know, ski jumping has changed radically over the years. The senior skiers still keep their feet parallel as they lift off the slopes, while younger competitors create a distinctive v-shape with their legs. And while downhill skiing techniques haven't changed much since Mr. Aller's youth, the equipment has changed quite a bit. Skis are shorter now and have a different shape, for example.
"When I first started, skis didn't even have edges [to allow skiers to dig into the slopes for better control]," he recalled.
And boots weren't cinched onto the skis back then, leaving heels free. Anyone who has tried to make it downhill in a pair of cross-country skis, or has tried the new telemark skis, can imagine how challenging it must have been to ski back then.
It was those championship Dartmouth skiers who introduced many Americans (especially the fledgling Princeton skiers) to advances in gear.
"The boys at Dartmouth got edges and bindings first and the next year we got them," Mr. Aller recalled. "We could see the advantages of the new equipment. They keep improving boots, bindings, skis. They're all better now than they were five or 10 years ago."
There certainly are things in the world that get better with age. Ski equipment, for instance. And athletes like Mr. Aller, who look to men like local legend Ole Hegge and cross-country champion "Jack Rabbit" Johannsen who kept going until he was 112 years old.
"Men like that make you feel like you don't have to quit at 85," he said.
Do you have a memory of Rod? Please share it with us at this Email adress.
It will be posted here by Rod's family.
Application for the nomination of Rod Aller to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall Of Fame
2003 - "In men's Class 13, Rod Aller proved unstoppable, winning the Super G, then the Slalom and GS as well....the only man in Group D to sweep every event at this year's nationals."
Lisa Densmore
Letter from John Gianotti - Rod at Mad River Glen (VT) with the New York Amateur Ski Club
1998 U.S. Masters National
Mammoth, CA - Age 82
Rod selected for the 1997 U.S.
Alpine Masters Team at age 81
For the Fifth Time in Nine Years
Rod Aller swept the gold medals in his Class 6 age group in 1968 at Waterville Valley and took gold at the Championship SG at Sunday River.
Stowe Masters Celebrate Rod's
80th Birthday
October 24,
(His Achilles had been torn that season from
a skiing accident!)
Rod writes to his Yale Law School classmates on October 19, 1996:
Hotchkiss Prep School '34
Alumni Class Notes - September 1996
1994 - Big Sky, Montana
Fraser Noble, Rod Aller and Eric Windisch
The "Clark Kent" of Alpine Ski
Racing - Age 77
"...a quiet lawyer in his work-a-day life, he flies down mountains on weekends."
1993 - Rod: " What do you like most about Masters racing?" - "What do you like least?" - "What's really on your mind, Rod?" - "To what do you attribute your success?" - Best Results so Far?
1992 U.S. Alpine Masters Champion
Rod Aller: 1991 - 1992 FIS International Masters Cup Champion in Class 75 - 79 with 175 points.
Rod takes gold in the GS (Kossen, AUT); the GS (Murren SUI); two Super Giant races and the SL at the Criterium Mondial (Gstaad/Saanen SUI)
Gold in two GS races (Alpine Meadows, CA); First place in both SL races (Heavenly Valley, CA)
1992 - "Undefeated in nine races..."
1991 World Champion
Winter Park, Colorado
Volkl Giant Slalom
Sugarloaf, Maine
March 22, 1990
Rod "Clark Gable" Aller takes Gold in the Class 10 Giant Slalom
The Stowe Reporter
Rod Aller Bio 1990 Part 1 Part 2
70+ Club - 12th
Annual Club Meeting - 1989
Rod selected for 1988 U.S. Alpine Masters Team at age 72
1988 - Rod sweeps all three events in Class X at The U.S. Masters National Championships at Big Sky, Montana.
Sise Cup Champion -1988 - 1988 USSA Alpine Master's Championships - Rod's Race Record up to 1988 as he "recalled" it.
1987 World Champion at age 71
"Since 1968, he has won a total of 20 national masters championships."
Dave McCoy, founder and owner of Mammoth,
Congratulates Rod on his National Championship
March 28, 1987 -
"Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria.... R. Aller 1st"
"...team standout, gathering nine golds in nine races"
Princeton University News - Class of 1938: "Rod Aller has done it again......"
Sports Illustrated Faces In The
April 14-20,
Letter from Sports Illustrated Policy for selecting Faces in the Crowd
Rod racing at Jackson Hole, Wyoming -1986
Class VIII (Age 65-69) U.S. Alpine Masters Skier of the Year - 1986
Comet Racing Camp - 1986
Ski Racing / REDBOOK
September 1986
Rod Aller in Class VIII is honored at season's end for dominating his age group.
"The radar gun on the downhills caught skiers in the high 70's...)"
1985 - Aller named the Alpine Masters Skier of the Year (Class 9)
Rod Aller Racing Highlights 1934 - 1986
1985 -
Rod is Sise Cup winner of the Eastern Championship, the National Age-Group Champion and takes four gold medal in FIS competition.
1984 Alpine Champion - Results published March
13, 1985
in the Princeton University Alumni Magazine
Rod Aller - class of '38
Class V (Age 50-54) U.S. National Champion
1981 - President Ford invites Rod to join The Jerry Ford Celebrity Cup
Pepi Stiegler, Rod Aller, Rod Slifer, Al
Greenberg, Paul McCallister, Jack Marshal
The Handicaps: Jean-Claud Killy and Pepi Stiegler (0), Stein Eriksen (.5), Rod (3), Gerry Ford (8).
1980 - Class VI
National Senior Ski Championships
Olympic course at Whiteface Mountain
Lake Placid, NY
Reported: March 27, 1980
Rod Aller took first in the downhill, first in the slalom and third in the giant slalom, winning the combined trophy.
March 1, 1969
Rod wins the Dabney Trophy and top honors in the over 50 age group at the annual Hochgebirge GS at Franconia, New Hampshir, for the third year in a row.
1969 - Class V gold in both SL and GS at Mad River Glen, Waitsfield,Vt.
March 15 - 17, 1968 - Waterville Valley, New Hampshire
Rod Aller wins the National Veterans Alpine Championship with gold in DH, SL, and GS.
March 4, 1967 - Caannon Mountain, N.H.
Hochgebirge Team Race
"Who is this guy? He can't be 50!"
1967 Amateur Ski Club of New York, Mad River Glen, Waitsfield, Vt.
April 16, 1963
Rod wins gold in the Vetern's Class at the 7th Annual New England Kandahar
Lowell Thomas
writes to congratulate Rod for The Sixty Meter Jump Competition
sponsored by the Salisbury Connecticut Winter Sports Association
February 1948
In 1948, Rod (age 32) on the Salisbury, Ct.,
60-meter jump
Captain of the Princeton University Ski Team 1935 - 1938
Ski Jumping
Feburary 20, 1938
Rod Aller - Racing History - Summary - Anecdotes
Footnote: The year Rod Aller died from lung-related complications in 2005 at age 89, he had planned out a full race schedule.
Rod Aller Memorial ~ World Alpine Champion ~ Rod's favorite poems by Catherine Aller ~ The Aviator ~ RGA Family ~ River Rat ~ Naval Officer ~ The Iceman ~ Dad's Advice ~ The Lawyer ~ Gallery I ~ Gallery II ~ Guest Book ~ Sign the Guest Book ~ Send Photos ~ Weddings ~ Mad River ~ Termas de Chillan ~ The Goddards ~ Mountains


text:
I arrived into the office on Friday 21st Sept (launch day) to find a 64GB Black iPhone 5 waiting for me. I was still using an iPhone 4, I skipped the 4S, so after 2 years of iPhone 4 use I thought I would treat myself to a new one.
This isn't a review of the iPhone 5, there are plenty of those around so I'm not going to rehash what everybody else has said although I will add one criticism and that's about the battery life. It sucks. Yes the iPhone 5 has 225hrs standby, so that's 25 hours more than the iPhone 4S but remember I'm coming from an iPhone 4 which had 300hrs standy so I've effectively lost 75hrs standby. Other than that, the build quality and design of the new iPhone 5 are fantastic, it feels great in the hand, it's disturbingly thin and light yes feels much more rugged than the glass backed iPhone 4 and 4S.
The last thing I wanted to do with my ultra thin iPhone 5 was plonk it into an ugly and bulky iPhone 5 case and lose the benefit of the slimmer design. If you've read my previous review of the super slim Elago S4 Breath iPhone 4 case you'll know that I hate iPhone cases and if I do need to use one I'll use the thinnest one I can possibly find. Continue reading "iPhone 5 Dodo Book Back [Review]"


text:
Cell phones are a more common and lucrative commodity. The incident reminds me of a recent New York case I noticed in which:
Two correction officers were fired for sneaking booze, cigarettes, marijuana and rolling paper to accused cop-killer Lee Woods. Another officer, a woman, is under suspicion of having sex with Woods and giving him contraband.But of course, in state prisons the mother of all prison contraband cases is still unraveling at the Terrell unit south of Houston. The Back Gate recently posted these TV news reports on the topic to YouTube:
Low pay contributes to smuggling by staff; an extra $250 for bringing in a cell phone can mean a lot for employees scraping by on $2K or so per month. But there are also policy measures that would make a difference - notably searching staff on their way into the unit.
At the legislative hearing captured in the second YouTube video above, a CO predicted that if surprise searches were implemented at his unit, on any given day 8-10% of guards would turn around and walk away rather than submit to a search. Who knows if that's a correct estimate, but it's a disturbing one. If true, given TDCJ's staffing crisis it almost means the agency can't afford to rigidly enforce anti-contraband laws or some units won't have enough warm bodies left to stay open.
There's no more secure environment than a prison. If smuggling can't be stopped in that setting, no wonder it's such a struggle to keep drugs out of schools!


text:
Market Way, Liverpool, L1.
Based in Market Way, St. Johns Precinct, Stocks Retail is a clothes shop.
Stocks Retail are listed in the clothes shops section here:
Tell Liverpool about your experience of Stocks Retail...
There are no reviews for this listing yet. Why not be the first person to write a review?
Stocks Retail is in Market Way St. Johns Precinct. You can view a list of neighbouring businesses by going to the Market Way page.
If you would like a list of other fashion shops shops & other retail outlets listings throughout Liverpool, please visit the Fashion and Clothing section of this website.
More places in or near Retail Market...
Map showing business location in Market Way
Note: the pin is positioned at the postcode centre, and may not correspond with the precise location of 166-167 Market Way, St. Johns Precinct.


text:
Presenter: Kurt Smith
Description Cython is a flexible and multi-faceted tool that brings down the barrier between Python and other languages. With cython, you can add type information to your Python code to yield dramatic performance improvements. Cython also allows you to wrap C, C++ and Fortran libraries to work with Python and NumPy. It is used extensively in research environments and in end-user applications.
This hands-on tutorial will cover Cython from the ground up, and will include the newest Cython features, including typed memoryviews.
Target audience:
Developers, researchers, scientists, and engineers who use Python and NumPy and who routinely hit bottlenecks and need improved performance.
C / C++ / Fortran users who would like their existing code to work with Python.
Expected level of knowledge:
Intermediate and / or regular user of Python and NumPy. Have used Python's decorators, exceptions, and classes. Knowledge of NumPy arrays, array views, fancy indexing, and NumPy dtypes. Have programmed in at least one of C, C++, or Fortran.
Some familiarity with the Python or NumPy C-API a plus. Familiarity with memoryviews and buffers a plus. Familiarity with OpenMP a plus. Array-based inter-language programming between Python and C, C++, or Fortran a plus.
Required Packages
All necessary packages are available with an academic / full EPD installation, Anaconda, easy_install, or pip.
Users must have Cython v 0.16 or better for the course.
The tutorial material (slides, exercises & demos) will be available for download and on USB drives.
Basic slide content is based on Enthought's Cython training slides. These slides will be reworked significantly for this tutorial. In particular, the NumPy buffer declarations will be taken out and replaced with the typed memoryview content listed in the outline. Other content (an IPython notebook with the start of the capstone project) is available as well:


text:
Hydrocarbons, such as natural gas and crude oil, are formed from the decay of plants and minerals which have been buried for millions of years. They are found in porous rock formations in which the gas or oil is stored in the spaces between the rock particles, like the pores in a sponge. Because the rocks may be at great depths, the gas or oil will be under pressure and will flow to the surface when the pressure is released, for example by drilling a well.
Natural gas is generally composed of methane and other gases, such as ethane or propane.
The natural gas found at Kinsale Head is extremely pure consisting mainly of methane and requires no processing, apart from separation of water, before piping to the natural gas grid.
Gas has been used as a domestic fuel for many years and is now also widely used for power generation, with many new highly efficient gas-fired power stations being built to replace older coal burning stations. These new units are known as "combined-cycle" stations, because, in addition to burning gas to drive electricity-generating turbines, they also make use of the hot exhaust gases to generate steam which can be used to generate additional electricity.
Gas is now widely distributed by a pipeline network throughout Western Europe and the gas used by consumers in Ireland may come from a variety of sources, including Kinsale Head. Technology also allows gas to be transported by ship, as it may be liquefied by cooling to very low temperatures – this is known as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).


text:
Abbott Gets in the Ring, Approves $2.7 Million for WrestleMania
Editor's note: This story has been updated.
Gov. Greg Abbott has agreed to spend up to $2.7 million in taxpayer funds to bring the barrage of blood, sweat and spandex that is WrestleMania to Texas next year.
During his 2014 campaign for governor, Abbott expressed discomfort with such taxpayer-funded economic incentives, saying he wanted to get government "out of the business of picking winners and losers."
But last week, his office signed off on the award from the state's Events Trust Fund, state records show, one of 20 such awards approved since September. That's when the governor's office took the reins of a few incentive programs designed to strengthen Texas' hand in vying for large sporting events and conferences from the state comptroller's office.
The Events Trust Fund is designed to defray the costs of some large events by paying state taxes collected during the events, such as those levied on hotel reservations and car rentals, back to event organizers. Local governments or nonprofits they authorize must approve the events, and the cities that host them are required to chip in some of their local tax receipts, too. State officials only calculate the size of the payment from the fund after an event is held and the economic activity has been documented, according to the governor's office.
In just over three months, Abbott's office has approved more than $26 million in incentive awards for 20 events, according to a review of state records. Nearly three-quarters of that money, $19.5 million, is assigned to a single event, this year's Formula One race in Austin. That award has been a source of controversy, as it is less than the $25 million the race has received in state support in the three previous years.
Officials in the governor's office say that figure is lower than it was in previous years because they are calculating tax revenue gained from such events differently than the comptroller did. A September report from the State Auditor's Office found that the comptroller's office was at times overly generous in calculating some awards by factoring in estimates of tax revenue that were not permitted under state law.
"With this change came consistency, accountability and increased efficiency for the state's event trust fund programs," said Cait Meisenheimer, a spokeswoman in Abbott's office.
Bernie Ecclestone, chief executive of the Formula One Group, told the Austin American-Statesman last month that the reduction in state support could lead to the event's cancellation.
After Formula One, WrestleMania is the largest award Abbott has approved. WWE, which puts on WrestleMania, announced in January that its 2016 event would be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Multiple venues around the country lobbied for the event, which could have an economic impact akin to a Super Bowl, according to Marty MacInnis, chief financial officer for the Stadium Events Organizing Committee, which handles such bids for AT&T Stadium. Organizers are hoping to draw more than 90,000 attendees, which would be a record for the event.
"It's a massive event," MacInnis said. "... They've got fan festivals. They've got golf tournaments. They've got rallies. It's one of those things where people from all over the world will come to this."
The potential for a state subsidy helped the organizing committee plan out its bid and determine how much it could ultimately agree to pay WWE, MacInnis said. The total funding WWE is receiving for the event is still being worked out, he said.
"The trust fund played a part in the decision to try and bid for the event," MacInnis said. He added that while organizers weren't sure they'd get the incentive funds, they were optimistic.
The other 18 events approved for incentives by Abbott's office each drew awards of less than $1 million. The Irving Tennis Classic, scheduled for March, drew the smallest state award at $27,959.
Since 2004, the state has spent more than $300 million subsidizing over 500 events around the state, according to state records. Under state law, the Events Trust Fund can defray the costs of an event in which a Texas venue is in competition with other sites. A separate Major Events Reimbursement Program handles subsidies for a specific list of high-profile events, such as Super Bowls and Formula One races.
Information about the authors
Learn about The Texas Tribune's policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.