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BRYAN WHITMAN (Pentagon deputy spokesman): Well welcome, and good afternoon. Today we're here to discuss the proposed regulations for the National Security Personnel System, or as many of you know it as NSPS. You may recall that NSPS was signed into law in November of 2003. And for the past year or so, DOD and OPM officials have been working to design a modernized performance-based civilian personnel system.
NSPS has many qualities, some of which are improving the way in which the department hires, assigns, compensates, rewards its employees while preserving the core merits of the merit principle, the veterans preference, important employee protections that are in the current system.
These proposed regulations that are going to be discussed today are the result of a broad-based effort that included input from employees, DOD employees, supervisors, managers, senior leaders, union representatives, as well as public interest groups.
And with us today to do this is at least one gentleman that's no stranger to you, but joins us in many different settings on different topics, but today Navy Secretary Gordon England, who serves as the Department of Defense's senior executive who oversees the National Security Personnel System, and with him is Dan Blair, who is the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management. And Charlie Abel has joined us, I think most of you know the principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. And with him, I'd just like to also recognize Mary Lacey, who is the program evaluation office -- heads the Program Evaluation Office for NSPS, as well as George Nesterczuk, who is the senior adviser to OPM director on defense matters.
With that, I will turn it over to these two gentlemen who will provide you with some overview and then take your questions.
Mr. Secretary.
SEC. ENGLAND: Bryan, thanks very much. And good afternoon to everyone. It is a pleasure to be with you.
It's nice to have Dan Blair with us. Normally it would be Director Kay Coles James. As you may know, she retired at the end of January. And Kay Coles James/OPM has been a partner with us during this whole first phase of the program. And OPM will continue in that role. We will continue to have this great relationship with OPM, and I'm pleased that Dan is with us today and working with us.
We are pleased to announce that this Monday we will have published in the Federal Register the proposed regulations for the National Security Personnel System. And this is the end of one phase, the very first phase of developing the NSPS system. And Monday we begin a new phase.
Now this first -- the phase we're about to complete started last April, and since then, as Bryan said, we've had this very, very broad- based collaborative process. It's involved literally hundreds of our employees, supervisors, managers, our labor partners, senior leaders and many public interest groups. We've held over 100 town-hall meetings and we've had over 50 focus groups.
And I want to thank everyone who has contributed since last April to helping us design this system.
Now NSPS is going to replace a 50-year-old system. It's an outdated system, frankly, and we're going to replace it with a very modern system that we need to attract, recruit, retain, compensate fairly and manage our employees. The focus of this system is indeed on performance, flexibility and accountability. It will be much more responsive to the national security environment, and as Bryan said, it will fully preserve our employee protections, our veterans preference and employee benefits.
Now the next collaborative phase starts on Monday. The proposed regulations will be available for public review and comment for 30 days through March 16th. Now this will be an opportunity during this 30 days for all of our employees, our unions, and any interested party to review the proposed regulations and submit their comments. And we encourage everyone to participate.
We will then collect and analyze the comments and give them full and fair consideration.
Now, in recognition to union special status, as many of our -- for many of our employees, their representatives, the congressional statute provides for a meet and confer process with those leaders at the end of the 30 days' review and comment periods. Thirty days review and comment, then a meet and confer period. And we have encouraged our unions to work constructively with us, and also with the federal mediation and conciliations services so we can find common ground and make this an even better system. At the completion of that process, we will report the results and the outcomes to the Congress before finalizing the regulations.
Our plan, then, is to begin the implementation this summer. We'll learn through doing. We'll do this in phases. And we will progressively add more and more employees, learn as we go until completion at the end of 2008. A lot of the people that were introduced earlier, they're here today and can answer a lot of detail questions. If you have any detail questions, we're pleased to respond to whatever level you may have today. But before we open it to questions, I do want to ask Mr. Dan Blair -- again, he's the acting director of OPM -- to offer some remarks.
MR. BLAIR: Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
Good afternoon, everyone. I appreciate the kind words and introduction. I also appreciate on Kay's behalf your kind words towards her. She thought very highly of you and your organization during this whole process.
SEC. ENGLAND: Thank you.
MR. BLAIR: And I know that she's excited that it's been brought to this milestone today.
The publication of these proposed regulations mark -- will mark a significant point in our efforts to reform not only DOD's civilian personnel system, but it gives us much needed momentum to our efforts to transform and modernize the entire civil service. We expect these proposed rules to generate a number of comments and spur a healthy debate. We will work hard at assimilating those comments and in smoothing out any potential rough spots.
Frankly, it'll be hard to overestimate the interest these new rules will generate for not only DOD's employees and from other stakeholders, but from groups interested in the health and welfare of the nation's civil service. With this proposed system, we've reached a tipping point. Combining with the Department of Homeland Security and a myriad of other agencies whom Congress has granted personnel flexibilities in the past, more federal workers will be covered by reformed and modernized systems than the current general schedule. These changes haven't come easily. But this new system, coupled with the DHS system, show that transformation can take place in an environment which honors merit and ensures collaboration and cooperation.
While the new system breaks ground for what it changes, it should also be noted for what doesn't change. And these core values represent the fundamental premise underlying our merit-based civil service system. Merit system principles remain unchanged. Veterans' preference in hiring and retention remains unchanged. Anti- discrimination laws remain unchanged. Whistle-blower protections remain unchanged. Prohibited personnel practices are to be fully enforced. Fundamental due process is assured. Employee benefits remain the same.
Our next steps include the statutory 30-day comment period and the 30-day meet and confer process, while keeping Congress notified of the results of these deliberations. Once completed, we expect the department will proceed with its implementation plans later this summer, I'm told.
Today's announcement marks an important milestone, and we're going to work hard to make sure we get it right.
Thank you very much.
SEC. ENGLAND: Dan, thanks very much.
With that, we will open it to questions. And again, if they're very detailed, we have a lot of people here to help us.
Pam, is your hand up?
Q It is.
SEC. ENGLAND: Okay. Pam.
Q I was trying not to be rude right off the bat ?
SEC. ENGLAND: (Laughs.) Please, don't be rude even later. (Laughs.) (Laughter.)
Q I'll see what I can do.
One of the main concerns about this program is the pay-for-performance aspect, considering that so much of the power, particularly here in DOD, is held by political appointees and they would be gauging the performance of civil servants who might not agree with them politically. What kind of protections are there in this to make sure that there's no sort of political payback for people that aren't seen as supporters of whatever administration's in power?
SEC. ENGLAND: Well look, there's about 650,000 people who are under this system in Department of Defense. I'm not sure how many political appointees, but obviously very few compared to the 650,000. I mean this affects people around the world who work for DOD. People --
Q Yeah, but the political appointees are high.
SEC. ENGLAND: But they don't review people. I mean, we only review the people who work for us, and all the supervisors, managers, almost all of our federal employees, of course, are not here in Washington, D.C. They're certainly not here in the Pentagon. I mean, a relatively small number --
Q Let's take the political adjective out of it. Personal problems. What do you do if you're somebody down low and your supervisor just doesn't like you and is using these streamlined ways of evaluating your performance and you've evaluated badly.
SEC. ENGLAND: Well look, this is going to be -- look, it is pay for performance. That means in advance, employees and supervisors will know what is expected in terms of performance over the next period, and there will be measures and metrics that they will agree to in terms of did they accomplish those objectives.
So there will be a very strict process in place. And in fact the managers and supervisors will also be evaluated, because they now are responsible to do this program correctly. So they will be evaluated at their very next level, to make sure that they actually run this program fairly and accurately.
Then we do have appeal process also put into the system. So there are safeguards built in.
But look, this is a very important attribute of this program. I mean, today we basically have time and grade, and people get paid for time, as opposed to performance. So it's very, very important for us to be able to recruit and retain the very best people, that we pay them for their performance. So this is a critical attribute for us to be able to recruit and retain very excellent people that we need in the federal government.
MR. BLAIR: May I just supplement that for a moment? We're going to be holding our managers accountable for results. That's what pay-for-performance is about. I think the secretary hit the nail on the head when he said we're changing the culture. We're changing the culture from a longevity-based culture to one that will be performance-based. It's going to take training. It'll take time, implementation. But the work that this department does is too important not to move in that direction.
SEC. ENGLAND: Can we try someone else?
Q Secretary, can you explain specifically why you think this type of system will help the Defense Department defend the country more ably?
SEC. ENGLAND: Well, it's a much more flexible and agile system. First of all, we should be able to recruit the very best people. And we need to be able to recruit scientists and engineers, and people who enter the federal government -- they want to know that, based on their performance, they can be promoted and be paid based on their performance and not their time and grade. And they don't want to look out in the future and say, "Gosh, if I'm here a very long period of time, I can work my way up." We need to be able to hire very good people, and we need to be able to provide them opportunities to advance in this department.
So it starts with our recruiting. It's a way to retain our people. We have much more flexibility in terms of our assignments, the speed that we can act. It's a much more agile system.
This is the modern system. This is a system that many, many companies have incorporated, and we need to be able to compete with the marketplace for those people, plus we have a national security mission. So we need to be able to pull resources and move resources, and reassign people. I mean we need to do what is necessary to respond to the threat that emerges and the threat that we face every day. So we need this flexibility in the workforce.
I mean it's very, very difficult in many of our circumstances today to respond quicker, even to the hire -- if we need to hire specialty people today, it's very, very difficult. It's a lengthy process. So this makes for a much faster and agile system for the Department of Defense.
Q You talked about performance measures and metrics. I was wondering, are those in the proposed regs, or are those going to be developed later?
SEC. ENGLAND: Here's the way the system will work. I mean, the secretary of Defense has certain objectives for this department and I have certain objectives in the Department of the Navy, and I will pass those on to the people who work for me and they will cascade through the organization. So, as we say in the Navy, even on the deckplate, the person on the deckplate will know the job that that man or woman does to meet the objectives of the secretary of Defense. So these objectives cascade down, and the system does now require -- I mean, the power of this system is this system now requires that we manage our human capital. So our supervisors and managers will get with their people -- throughout the organization they will get with their people in advance and discuss objectives and how those objectives will be measured. So they will be myriads of objectives throughout the organization, all different; you know, attuned to that particular work to be accomplished, and in a way to measure that accomplishment. If you're going to pay for performance, you have to be able to measure for that pay for performance. So that will be a critical attribute of the system.
Let's go to this side a minute.
Q Sir. Secretary England, how much of this plan will condense the time that it takes for somebody coming from the outside who needs a security clearance, for example, that right now can take a year with the bureaucracy and the clearance procedure, to get a job? Is that going to be effected?
SEC. ENGLAND: We are not -- the National Security Personnel System does not address the clearance process. Nick, that is an issue. We'd like to work that quicker, but you know, we did take some steps here about two years ago to speed up that process. You know, at one time we literally had, I believe, as I recall, a couple hundred thousand in backlog, and that system was redesigned two or three years ago, as I remember, to speed up this process. So there have been actions taken on that side, but the National Security Personnel System itself, you know, is not involved with the security clearance process. That's a separate, independent process.
Q Sir, if you're going to get this going in the summer, there's going to have to be a pretty good training effort for both workers and supervisors, obviously. When is that going to start?
When are you going to start that?
And second, pay banding, all of this compressing the jobs series, is that going to be affected by the regulation
SEC. ENGLAND: Yeah, let me answer the first one. I'll turn to Dan for the second one, if I can.
The first one, we started the process -- I guess now it's been about two weeks ago. We had the kick-off down in Florida. We brought in all of our senior people. And between now and July, we will have orientation and training. The first group of employees will be about 60,000. And it's volunteer -- I mean, these groups have volunteered -- not every individual employee but the particular groups have come forward and volunteered. We've had all these people together to start the orientation and training process. So between now and July, we will be in that orientation and training phase to be sure that our supervisors and managers are ready for the initiation of the first 60,000 people.
I would comment, by the way, at the end of six months of that first group we will receive feedback from how the process is working, and we will then use that feedback to improve the process as we move the system along. So we'll constantly be learning as we go and improving this system, and that will be training and all aspects of the system.
Now, Dan, if you could --
MR. BLAIR: Certainly. Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
One of the key components of this new system is the move from a 15-grade 10-step general schedule to a series of pay bands, which have occupational clusters in them. This is based on the experience that the federal government has had over the past 20 years at places like China Lake with the Navy and other DOD installations.
I think that this is a vast improvement over the current classification and general schedule system. We'll be working that through the next few months, but I think that that's a key component in the changes that we've been promoting and have seen -- that can work and that we anticipate will be working within DOD.
MR. WHITMAN: Could we go to Mr. Barr (sp) in the back?
SEC. ENGLAND: Sure. Steven Barr (sp). (Cross talk.)
Q Secretary England, could you give us a couple of examples of the efficiencies that this change will bring to the department?
SEC. ENGLAND: Well, first of all, I hope -- and my expectation, Steve, is that in every single group we will see increased efficiency, because, again, underlying this are specific objectives, literally for everyone in the work place. I mean, there will be a structure in place that we will have objectives -- from the top to the bottom of the organization -- linked so everyone will know what is to be -- what the objective is and what's to be accomplished over a period of time.
My feeling, frankly, is that the greatest value of this system -- this system requires interaction between the management staff and all the employees at every single level of the organization. It requires a dialogue, and on a continuing basis. I mean, if a person's having trouble, then how do we help them? Do they need training? Do they need education? I mean, this is not just a question of lay out objectives and check at the end of the year. This is a continuing process to make sure that we get very excellent performance.
Frankly, my judgment, this is magnificent for our employees in terms of their productivity in terms of how it operates, and also for the entire department.
Dan, I'll let you add.
MR. BLAIR: I couldn't have said it better myself on that one.
SEC. ENGLAND: Okay, do you want to circle around again?
Q Yes, please.
SEC. ENGLAND: You're going to be nice still, right? (Chuckles.)
Q Still very polite, officially.
SEC. ENGLAND: Okay, thank you.
Q Negotiated grievance procedures with arbitration is retained, it says, but certain matters are excluded. What matters are excluded that used to be covered under arbitration?
SEC. ENGLAND: Okay, let's get an expert in. (cross talk)
RONALD P. SANDERS (associate director, Strategic Human Resources, OPM): Among other things, the proposed rules provide that performance appraisal grievances will now go through a special administrative process. Because they're so important to the pay-for-performance system and the credibility of that system depends on a fair hearing, if an employee believes that appraisal is not appropriate, we're going to set up a special administrative process to handle those. That's the kind of thing that's excluded.
Q Anything else excluded?
MR. SANDERS: No, not from standard negotiated grievance procedures.
Q I have some other questions, a broad question on the problem that you all are facing. You say there are 650,000 employees that this affects. What's the dead weight in there? What's the percentage that you think are getting rewarded that perhaps shouldn't be? I've got to assume that you would have done that sort of analysis before sweeping through this the system?
SEC. ENGLAND: Well, we have some people, obviously unsatisfactory performers who get rated unsatisfactory. I don't know what that percentage is, frankly. I would hope, I would hope that this makes every employee a productive employee. I mean, again, this improves the management process, which every employee wants to have improve. So this is not a process to eliminate poor performers -- you may have to do that; you may have poor performers. But the real process is to make every employee as good a performer as they can.
You know, my approach to this -- and I've always been a firm believer management's first role is to provide an environment for employees to excel. I mean, that's the first requirement, the first thing that leaders are required to do is provide an environment so every employee can excel.
So what you want to do is raise up everyone in the employ -- I mean, hopefully, you know, the boat will raise for everyone in this organization. We want this to be a win for every employee, a win for the department, and a win for America. This is a win-win-win, and that's what we're striving for, a triple win.
Q Okay. One of the things --
SEC. ENGLAND: Can I -- wait. Can we get someone else?
Q For Director Blair. Frank Blankman. I'm with NPR. I wanted to -- something you mentioned earlier on was the relation of this to plans to make sort of broad changes in pay-for-performance throughout the government. Is this plan and the one at DHS going to be sort of a template for what we might see from legislation coming out of OMB soon?
Could you talk a little bit about sort of the broad goals?
MR. BLAIR: Well, the broad goal was enunciated in the president's budget when he indicated he wanted to extend the pay-for-performance culture that we're implementing here at DOD and at DHS government-wide. We're working on that right now and developing these proposals. It's premature for me to talk about the specifics of that, but I think you can certainly gain insights on what we're looking at from the efforts that we've done with DHS and DOD.
Q Can you clarify, either one of you, union rights under this system? I mean, the unions are basically saying that their -- particularly collective bargaining, that their rights are being threatened by this system.
MR. BLAIR: They are assured the right to organize. Their right to exist is not infringed at all. We have done -- the process ensures collaboration and cooperation. I think that, if anything, that what it's done is streamline the process. But it's also looked at what was not working, and we wanted to make sure that we improved and had a better system in which we could manage our employees, given the state that we find ourselves today in the world and the mission that DOD has.
Q I have two questions. If I could ask one and then just follow up.
First, what kind of a -- you know, my company actually has a performance review system, and it seems to put a burden on the managers that work with -- what kind of bureaucracy are you creating for the managers? How often or frequently are they going to be doing this? How much time are they going to be spending filling out these forms?
SEC. ENGLAND: Well, look, it's not a burden on managers. And we have pay-for-performance systems because we get better performance for our employees and for the organization. You're right; it is a bigger job for managers. But frankly, that's what managers are supposed to do. They're supposed to manage the human capital resources.
This is an incredibly valuable resource, our human capital. You've heard me say before, you know, we can spend $5 (billion) or $6 billion for an aircraft carrier and it has no asset value to the nation until we put people on board. So people are the most valuable resource, and our management team -- like in any company, the management team has to spend time with their people so we accomplish the objective of the organization, so our people grow in terms of their knowledge, capability and experience, and we continue both to improve the employees and the organization. You're right; it takes management time and attention, and we will evaluate our managers. That's part of their job task and responsibility, and we will evaluate them to that basis.
It's exactly what we want to do.
MR. BLAIR: There's really no incentive in the current system to do that. Good performers, average performers, poor performers, for the most part, all get paid the -- all get the same pay raise. And so what we're trying to do here is change the culture to give incentives to good performers, that we can keep and retain them and reward their -- and reward the work that they're performing for the government.
SEC. ENGLAND: Pardon me. If I can add one more thing, see, I would say today that managers -- the time they spend with their employees -- they probably are skewed to spending their time with the poorer-performing employees, rather than the very good-performing employees. What you want to do is spend time certainly with your good employees and with all your, you know, average-performing at least as much as you with those that aren't performing well. So this system, again, is designed to work with all of our employees. And again, that is a manager's job and our expectation for that manager.
Q If I could just ask that second question, sir --
SEC. ENGLAND: Oh, I'm sorry.
Q Yeah. That's okay.
SEC. ENGLAND: Yeah.
Q It's slightly off-topic, but you're here, so I'm going to ask. The Washington Post today has a story about sexually oriented interrogation techniques being used at Guantanamo. Do you know if any of the investigations that have been launched has confirmed any of those?
SEC. ENGLAND: I know nothing at all about -- I know nothing at all about those investigations.
Q What role do the FLRA and the MSPB have under the new system?
SEC. ENGLAND: Ron, you want to come up here and explain their new role?
MR. RON SANDERS (OPM): Yup.
Let me take MSPB first. Merit Systems Protection Board adjudicates federal employee removals and demotions and long- term suspensions. The MSPB stays in place. It is still available by the law that established the National Security Personnel System. It is still available for employees to appeal.
And in fact, the department, at its discretion, has commissioned the Merit Systems Protection Board's administrative judges to continue to hear cases in the department. The department will review those cases, but an employee still has the ultimate right to go to the board, and if he or she doesn't like the board's decision, they can go to the federal circuit court of appeals. So there's, at that level, no change from current law. The NSPS statute does change the criteria of review by the board. That's been legislated.
The Federal Labor Relations Authority will have some duties left under the National Security Personnel System, but the proposed rules establish something called the National Security Labor Relations Board. That will assume most of the FLRA's functions, adjudicating unfair labor practices, resolving questions of management rights and scope of bargaining.
The FLRA remains in place to handle union elections and things like that.
However, the decisions of the National Security Labor Relations Board, whose members are appointed by the secretary, are subject to outside review, first by the FLRA and then by the courts of appeals. So there is an external review to the National Security Labor Relations Board's determinations.
But the NSLRB is created so that you have a body in place adjudicating labor disputes that knows something about the department's mission and has some expertise in that regard.
Q Ron, Can you expand on the new criteria of MFPB?
MR SANDERS: The MFPB criteria for review of a Department of Defense adverse action mirrors the criteria that the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals applies to MSPB today. So they simply drop that down a level.
MR. WHITMAN: We have time for about one or two more.
SEC. ENGLAND: When the proposed regulations come out Monday, then it may be appropriate we get together again at some point in a couple weeks, talk about where we are and a little more about the proposed regulations themselves. But maybe one or two more.
Q You mentioned that 60,000 employees will be covered by the system, hopefully beginning in July, some point this summer. I wonder if you could take us through when they will be converted, when they will get their performance appraisals evaluated and when their actual pay will be changed based on those evaluations.
SEC. ENGLAND: I believe I know that precisely, but let me make sure I have that. So maybe somebody -- Mary, can you do that?
MS. LACEY: Good afternoon. Actually, we are looking at moving all Department of Defense employees under the labor relations portion of the system when the system goes live or when the final rules are published. Relative to the human resources portion of the system, we're going to start with about 60,000 folks. We will not evaluate them or make any adjustments to their pay until they've had almost a year of run time under the new performance objectives. I mean, it's just not fair to do anything else. We have to have their performance objectives in place, evaluate them, and then and only then will there be an adjustment to their salaries.
Q So you're saying the summer of 2006? Would that be about right? About a year after --
MS. LACEY: Well, we're an event-driven program, and right now, notionally, we'd like to move folks in in the July time frame, and we're likely to do their performance evaluation after a year. Now that said, we don't want everybody in the department on different performance cycles, so for those first couple groups that roll in, we may have to make some adjustments. So we might be nine months as opposed to a year, so that we can start to get everybody on cycle in a given organization.
Q The earliest someone's pay would be affected?
MS. LACEY: Would be a year from now -- a year from July would be the earliest.
Q So the GS grade would go away in July.
MS. LACEY: The GS grade goes away when someone is converted into the human resource part of the system.
So for those 60,000, yes.
Q Okay.
MS. LACEY: That part would go away for those folks. And they're -- they would be converted into the National Security Personnel System at the pay that they're getting right now.
Q Will disciplinary changes take effect immediately at MSPB for everyone?
MS. LACEY: No. That is part -- that is tied to the human resources portion. It's just the labor portions that come in play all at once.
SEC. ENGLAND: How about one last -- well, somebody who hadn't -- okay. Barry, last one.
Q Well, I just wanted to talk about the pay. I seem to hear her saying that pay raises will not necessarily be given out in January every year, that you might be going to a different cycles, at least for some people. And then there's, secondarily, the larger issue with the pay is where does the money for pay-for-performance come from, what do the people give up in order to have that pool created, and what kind of commitments are you going to make to the employees regarding adequate funding going into that pool?
MS. LACEY: Okay, let's start with the middle question: where does -- where does the money come from? Right now the department is going to use the money that traditionally goes into the within-grade raises, the longevity raises, as well as money that we normally use for promotions, and what -- plus the general performance increase that comes out every year. That will go in what we call a pay pool. And that pay pool are the funds that will be available for distribution across an organization to make those salary adjustments.
Now, how are we going to make sure that money's there? We're going to do that by policy. We're putting that money at risk, if you will, where it normally would have automatically gone to employees. So, by policy in the Department of Defense, we are going to protect that money to ensure that it is available as part of our covenant with our people.
Q If everything goes well, then everybody gets lower raises? Is that how it works? (Laughter.)
SEC. ENGLAND: Say what again?
Q You said that you wanted everybody to do well in this. And if everyone's drawing from the same fund and everyone does well, then everyone gets a smaller raise?
SEC. ENGLAND: Oh, look, everyone will not do this. I mean, people are people.
Q (Off mike.)
SEC. ENGLAND: There will be -- every single person is not going to be superior. There will be a range of performance, so there will be a range of pay-for-performance out of a centralized pay pool. You know, every year, I mean, the pay is -- basically, the pay pool is determined by the Congress, so funds are made available by the Congress. Now, instead of that being just equally distributed in terms of an annual pay raise, it will go into a kitty for pay-for- performance.
MR. BLAIR: One of the key aspects of these reforms is that we develop pay-for-performance systems that make meaningful distinctions in relative performance. And so if you can encourage everyone to make those kinds of improvements in performance, I think you're getting a better bang for the buck on the part of the government and the taxpayer.
SEC. ENGLAND: All right. Okay, this is the last one this time. Steve?
Q On the -- following up on the pay question. So if I heard Ms. Lacey right, the locality pay adjustments that all employees get will continue to be given to all Defense Department employees, so they're protected from inflation?
MS. LACEY: When we start, the locality pay will be as it is today. But we have provided for in the proposed rules is over time for that locality pay to be adjusted based on market conditions. So we could, working hand in hand with OPM, determine that we had special circumstances in a given area, that we needed to make different locality adjustments from -- then this happening in other -- for other government agencies.
SEC. ENGLAND: Okay.
Q Thank you.
SEC. ENGLAND: Good. Thanks very much. Good to see you all today. Thank you.
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THURMAN They work long days, tending their goats and making their cheese, a far cry from the urban lifestyle in Oakland, Calif. that they left behind.
Lorraine Lambiase and Sheila Flanagan have been running the Nettle Meadow Goat Farm in Thurman since July of 2005 when they closed on the property. Both had worked in the legal field, Flanagan as an attorney and Lambiase as a legal secretary, for 20 years in California. Flanagan is originally from Connecticut and Lambiase from New Jersey.
While in California, the two had begun raising some Nigerian Dwarf Goats, for their milk and to make cheese about a year ago.
We used to joke about quitting our jobs and raising goats, Lambiase said. We did.
Well, almost. Flanagan continues to work full time for the California law firm she previously worked for, via telephone and computer.
I need to continue my law work until we can begin making a profit with the farm, she said. I telecommute to California every day and then I work on the farm.
Sometimes shell be taking a deposition on the phone with a baby goat on her lap, Lambiase said.
The two have Denise Hill as herd manager and Helen Baker who helps in the cheese room to help with the work of running the farm and business. Flanagans mother recently retired and now lives and works at the farm as well.
Nettle Meadow had an excellent reputation for its goat cheese before the two bought it, and now theyve built on that reputation. Lambiase said that they had steady customers when they took over the business and theyve not only kept those customers, but doubled the number.
We have some high volume customers now that want a lot of high end cheese, Flanagan said. She said the four best cheese shops in New York City are now regular customers, and one of them, Murrays Cheese, has named Nettle Meadows Kunik cheese as one of the top 300 cheeses in the world in its handbook.
Weve tried to standardize Kunik so it will be consistent every time, Flanagan said. We have the trademark on Kunik.
Up until recently, Flanagan and Lambiase did most of their deliveries themselves, taking several days each week to travel and deliver.
We drove 96,000 miles last year and had three accidents, Flanagan said. We just made a huge change by going with a distributor that will deliver our cheese up and down the East Coast. It frees us up to work on the farm.
She said that they would continue to personally deliver their cheese to the local farmers markets and other small customers.
We want to stay an artisan cheese that we make by hand in relatively small batches, Lambiase said. Our goats get organic feed and theyre very happy and healthy. Each goat is bottle fed and named at birth and are kept even after they no longer are productive.
We have a retirement community of goats here, and some rescue animals, Lambiase said. We even have a bachelor pad for the males when theyre no longer breeding.
The women own llamas as well, which are aggressive enough to scare off coyotes and other wildlife that could threaten the herd.
Nettle Meadow has eight different kinds of goats, with a total of 77, including their retired goats. They are allowed to inter-breed, and Flanagan said the hybrid goats tend to be heartier, a bonus here in the Adirondacks.
They continue to make improvements on the farm, and Flanagan said that their plan is to renovate a greenhouse into a barn for their adolescent goats, making room to add more to the herd.
I think we would be able to be comfortable with 200 or 250 goats, Flanagan said.
Nettle Meadow welcomes visitors to the farm for tours and porch sales of its cheese.
We just ask people not to show up before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. because thats milking time, Lambiase said. We love to see the kids with the goats, and teach them to love all animals.
Nettle Meadow Goat Farm is at 484 S. Johnsburg Road in Thurman. Call them at 623-3372 or email at email@example.com .
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Dog friendly hotel, Kirkby Lonsdale
The Sun Inn hotel in Kirkby Lonsdale is a dog friendly place to stay
A selection of our standard, superior and deluxe hotel bedrooms are dog friendly, (accompanied by with well behaved owners of course). We provide dog bowl and a small towel for every overnighting pooch.
As well as dog friendly hotel accommodation, dogs are welcome in the bar and we offer a lunch, dinner and nibbles menu, for persons not pooches.
The Sun Inn overlooks St Mary's churchyard in Kirkby Lonsdale which leads through to a riverside and woodland walk or you can roam the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and Trough of Bowland, all just a short drive from Kirkby Lonsdale.
We charge just £20.00 for one dog per stay or £30.00 for two dogs, in a dog friendly bed and breakfast hotel rooms.
Don't worry about getting muddy whilst out and about we have a newly installed Dog & Boot Shower for the use of all our guests
We can arrange additional services of Dog Walking and Dog Sitting for your pooch whilst staying at the inn if you have an event to attend, costs are from £10 for 30 minutes and further information is available at www.mandmpetsitters.co.uk.
In Kirkby Lonsdale we have an excellent Dog Trainer and Behaviour Therapist who can offer behaviour consultations, training session to address any problems and, if you are thinking of getting a puppy, some pre ownership advice. Further information can be found at www.dogtrainingincumbria.com and prices start from £45 for a training session and £85 for a two hour behaviour consultation.


text:
Two Earrings
Much ancient Egyptian jewelry was essentially decorative, like the pair of gold earrings shown here, which are simply thick hoops. But other items of adornment sometimes acted like amulets to protect the wearer, such as the necklaces mounted together here. These necklaces include ancestor bust figures for communicating with the dead; cornflowers, which were associated with renewal; a frog, symbolizing rebirth; and the pregnant hippopotamus, protector of pregnant women and thus a guardian of rebirth.
This text refers to these objects: ' 48.66.43; 05.382a-b; 48.66.40; 35.2023; 48.66.42
- Medium: Gold
- Dates: ca. 1539-1292 B.C.E.
- Dynasty: XVIII Dynasty
- Period: New Kingdom
- Dimensions: a: 13/16 x Diam. 15/16 in. (2 x 2.4 cm) b: 15/16 x Diam. 1 in. (2.5 x 2.6 cm) (show scale)
- Collections:Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
- Museum Location: This item is not on view
- Exhibitions:
- Accession Number: 05.382a-b
- Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
- Rights Statement: Creative Commons-BY
- Caption: Two Earrings, ca. 1539-1292 B.C.E. Gold, a: 13/16 x Diam. 15/16 in. (2 x 2.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 05.382a-b. Creative Commons-BY
- Image:
- Record Completeness: Good (78%)


text: |Royal Consumer Information Products, Inc. is a leading supplier of office products, accessories and supplies for the consumer and small business markets. With its' roots in the Royal Typewriter Company, founded in 1904, Royal's product line has evolved to include cash registers, shredders, PDAs/electronic organizers, postal scales, weather stations, and a wide range of imaging supplies supporting today's most popular printers, faxes, and copiers. . Shreds up to 10 sheets in a single pass. Chops pages into cross-cut 1 7/10" bits. Reaches a maximum shred speed of 4.25 feet per minute. The 8 3/4" throat width accepts letter-size and legal-size pages. Tough blades slice through staples and credit cards. Jam-free rollers offer easy operation. Includes 3.8-gallon mesh wastebasket with full-basket light so you know when it is time to empty. Features overload protection, manual reverse and auto start-stop. Measures 19 3/4"H x 13 1/2"W x 9 1/2"D.


text:
DES MOINES - The sales of Iowa Telecom to Windstream Corp. was approved Wednesday by the Iowa Utilities Board, which said the deal would allow for expanded services.
High speed broadband Internet service is a key component to the future of Windstream's core business, according to the board. It said economies of scale will allow Windstream to expand broadband offerings into more rural areas.
Little Rock-based Windstream announced a $1.1 billion deal last November to acquire Newton-based Iowa Telecom. Because Iowa Telecom is a state-regulated utility, the acquisition required state approval.
Windstream testified in the case that the merged operations will continue to maintain a strong local presence in the service area, and said the customer call center in Newton will be expanded. It said personnel in Newton will receive the same general pay and benefits as they currently receive.
No Iowa Telecom asset is to be removed from Iowa or transferred to a non-regulated environment other than certain wireless spectrum that may be sold, the company told the board.
In its order, the board said it appears Iowa Telecom's overall financial position will improve. That improved financial position should help customers, it said, as both Iowa Telecom and Windstream contend the reorganization will not cause rates to go up or sacrifice service quality.
Iowa Telecom had about 255,000 access lines, 95,000 high-speed Internet customers and 26,000 digital television customers as of Sept. 30, 2009.
The Iowa Utilities Board's full decision can be found in the order posted on its web site.
Iowa Telecom has about 350 employees in Newton. An undetermined number are expected to lose their jobs as many headquarters functions are moved to Little Rock.
The sale is expected to close in mid-2010.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa News, Sports, and Weather


text: Gil brings to InsideTracker more than 18 years of experience in systems biology, computational biology, aging, metabolism, and caloric restriction research. Gil previously worked at MIT (Guarente Lab), the Weizmann Institute (Israel), and several Systems Biology / Computational Biology companies. InsideTracker combines strong science with the unique aspects of a person's physiology to give consumers relevant and targeted information so they can best manage their wellness and overall performance based on their blood biomarkers followed by simple recommendations such as lifestyle, nutrition, exercise and supplements to improve their well being and performance.


text:
this wiki
| Flower fairy
Mermaid (temporarily)
|Blue Guardian's Apprentice
|Voiced by
| Kelly Sheridan (speaking voice)
Erin Elizabeth Coors (live-action)
| Barbie Fairytopia
Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia
Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow
Barbie: Mariposa and her Butterfly Fairy Friends
Elina is a flower fairy who first appeared in Barbie Fairytopia film series as the main protagonist. She appears in Barbie Fairytopia, Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia and Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow. She is also appears in the theater production of the film in Barbie Live in Fairytopia, is portrayed by Erin Elizabeth Coors. Elina appears as the storyteller in Barbie: Mariposa and her Butterfly Fairy Friends, where Mariposa is the main protagonist. She is voiced by Kelly Sheridan and is played by Barbie.
Barbie Fairytopia
Elina is a wingless fairy who lives in a flower called Peony in the Magic Meadow of Fairytopia. She is often taunted by other fairies and pixies for not having wings, but her best friend Dandelion always stands up for her. An evil fairy named Laverna uses a formula to make all the flying creatures of Fairytopia weak, and makes her minions unleash it.
In the morning, Elina discovers that Fairytopia is weak, and the Magic Meadow's guardian, Topaz, has been kidnapped. She takes it upon herself to find Azura, the guardian of Fairytown, and ask her for help. Dandelion and Bibble accompany her, but in the forest, Dandelion flies into Laverna's formula and falls to the ground. She leaves Elina and Bibble, who get to Fairytown and follow a pixie to find Azura.
Azura gives Elina her magic necklace and Azura gets kidnapped by Laverna. Hue, a butterfly, comes to take Elina to the Withering Wood. There, they plan to meet a dryad named Dahlia, who can help them defeat Laverna because she used to work for her. On the way, they are chased by firebirds, and they go to a mermaid cove for safety. A prince named Prince Nalu helps Elina and their friends and they get to the Wildering Wood.
Dahlia doesn't want to help at first, but she wants to help Azura because she believed Dahlia was good after she stopped working for Laverna. They go to Laverna's lair and stop her from taking the Fairytopia guardians' powers. For this, Elina is rewarded with wings from the Enchantress, the ruler of Fairytopia.
Only weeks after Elina finally got her wings, she was already a great flyer. Bibble realizes Elina is being followed by a Sea Butterfly, but only so she could tell Elina about what she had overcome at the crystal cove. Elina ventures off with Bibble and realizes the water has been poisoned. Laverna is behind it all. She is making her henchmen kidnap Nalu and use him to lead them to the immunity berry, so Laverna can eat it and be the most powerful fairy in Fairytopia. She meets Nori and asks for help, but instead Elina argues with her. A sea turtle helps Elina follow Nori by feeding her the special seaweed to breathe underwater. She then begins her journey to Mermaidia.
When Elina finds Nori, she is invited inside the Merfairy's home to learn about the oracle named Delphine. The Merfairy tells Elina a riddle to help her out: "If you want to find Dephine, it's not hard to do, talk to the Fairy Guide, and listen well to. Dephine has a secret which from she will hide, the shell matters not, best heed what's inside." Elina desperately follows Nori, and races her to the Fairy Guide. Later, Elina discovers that the mermaid in the shell, is not the real oracle. It's Shelly, the fairy guide. In order to travel through the depths of dispair to reach the mirror of the mist, Elina learns she has to give up her wings and trade them for a tail. Elina argues with Dephine and is instead given a necklace, which Elina can use to wish for a tail. After she has a tail, the necklace will fade back to white. If she isn't out of the water when the last pearl is fully white, she will lose her wings forever.
Elina travels to the Depths of Dispair with Bibble and Nori. The current is too strong for Elina and she struggles to swim through it. Nori swims far ahead but is snached by some seaweed and trapped. The only way for Elina to save Nori is by swimming down and getting her. Elina trades her wings for a tail and bravely releases Nori. They make it to the mirror of the mist and discover that Nalu is tied up and held out of the water. They follow a magic bubble to start them on the right path. Meanwhile, the Fungus' find the immunity berry and head back to crystal cove. The bubble pops when it is at a tunnel, filled with hot flaming geysers! Elina and Nori make it through but lose Bibble. Nori quickly swims back and saves him. They then swim through a large garden with many different kinds of berries, including one that reveals your true self, which is in the same shape as the immunity berry.
Elina and Nori find Nalu, and use Bibble to distract the fungus'. They eventually get the berry and save Nalu but are chased by the fungus'. Elina reaches a dead end and has to chose from giving the fungus the berry, or letting the poison choke all of Mermaidia. Her pearls are almost all white when she gives the fungus the berry. He then deviously throws the poison into the cove but is saved when Elina dives down to get it. Her pearls are fully white and she is a mermaid forever-or at least until Nori kindly gives her the true self berry which turns Elina back into a fairy. It is revealed that Nori and Elina switched the immunity berry with the true self berry meaning the fungus took the wrong berry. Laverna eats the true self berry and is turned into a toad. Elina had successfully saved Fairytopia once again.
Magic of the Rainbow
Elina goes to a fairy school to learn how to perform the Flight of Spring as an apprentice under Azura. There, she meets a fairy-boy named Linden who can talk to animals. When they meet again in the Fairy School, they become good friends. Elina also meets other pupils of the school who train along with her. Glee becomes good friends with her and Lumina is warm towards her. But Sunburst, Shimmer and Faban do not like Elina. However, in the end of the movie, Elina is liked by everyone, and tells Linden that she will miss him very much, hinting that she likes him.
Bibble is Elina's puffball and is perhaps the closest to her. The quirky pet always sounds squeaky when he speaks but is adorable to everybody. Even in the most dangerous circumstances, he is next to Elina.
Dandelion is Elina's best friend. She is very protective of Elina and always tries to help her in any situation. Elina also cares for her and worries about her.
Prince Nalu
When they first met, Elina and Nalu seemed to like each other. Nalu saved her and didn't want Elina to leave. However, Elina and Nalu are just friends now. Elina tells Nori that she isn't in love with him, but Nori is.
As an older fairy, Azura tries to teach Elina and comfort her. For Elina, it is a big honor to be with Azura and be her apprentice. Azura was the first one to notice Elina was special by seeing that she has rainbow in her eyes.
Linden and Elina are very close friends. The two develop feelings for each other in the third movie. Linden is very protective of Elina as he is the first apprentice that believes in Elina at Fairy School. It's possible that they'll be a couple in the future.
Glee is another fairy who Elina becomes friends with in Fairy School. From first meeting with Elina, she tried to be nice with her. Compared with the others she immediately decided to make friendship with her. They became closest friends in the school.
It is mentioned at the start of Barbie: Mariposa and her Butterfly Friends that Elina and Mariposa know each other and are good friends. However it doesn't mention how they met or how they know about each other.
Physical Appearance
Elina has long blonde hair that she usually ties in a bun, and she has emerald green eyes.
Barbie Fairytopia
Elina is seen with light pink top and skirt which inspired by flowers bud, and green shoes. At first, she has no wings, but at the end of the movie, she's rewarded with a butterfly necklace by the Enchantress, which make magic and there's a pair of big pink sparkly wings behind her.
Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia
Mermaid form
Elina trades her wings for a mermaid tail to save Nori in the Depths of Despair. Her top is pink with dark flowers and roses detailing, and her tail is also pink, it was scaly and had flowers detailing. She wears two necklaces; her usual butterfly necklace and the blue pearl necklace from Delphine, which the pearl color was changed to white.
Fairy form
Her top is same with her top in mermaid form. She wore a pink mini skirt inspired by roses bud, butterfly necklace, and pink shoes. Her wings color and style is also same with her tail in mermaid form; it was pink and have pink polkadots.
Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of The Rainbow
When she's confronting Laverna, who sabotages The Flight of Spring, her dress and her wings completely change colors. Her top and wings are rainbow colors, and her skirt is pink and inspired by flowers bud. She also wears the outfit in Barbie: Mariposa and her Butterfly Fairy Friends.
Elina lives with Bibble, a puffball. When she is made fun of, she doesn't retaliate, and remains calm. She is a kind, nice, friendly, smart, brave and strong but often paranoid fairy. She usually shows the way for other fairies, and mermaids too. She always has hope and in difficult times, she comes up with great ideas.
- Elina has the Luminescence power.
- Elina is the first Barbie character that doesn't have anything known about her family, the second is Mariposa, the third is Liana, the fourth is Keira and the fifth is Kristyn.
- Elina is the first Barbie character who has green eyes. The second is Eden Starling.
- Elina is the first Barbie character who transforms as a mermaid with a necklace. The second is Merliah Summers.
- Elina is the second Barbie character as a student of the school, the first is Barbie, the third is Princess Sophia, and the fourth is Kristyn.
- Elina is the first fairy who has a puffball as a pet, the second being Mariposa, and the third is Princess Catania.
- Elina is the first fairy to eat a plant that enables the ability to breath underwater. The second is Mariposa.
- Elina's wings a similar to Barbie from the movie Barbie: A Fairy Secret where she and Raquelle forgive each other about their mistakes and become good friends and their fake wings tranform into real wings.
See Also
|Barbie: Mariposa and her Butterfly Fairy Friends
Quote: "The most beautiful thing you can be is yourself."
Media: Barbie: Mariposa and her Butterfly Fairy Friends
Characters: Anemone | Bibble | Coral | Dizzle | Elina | Fairy Speck | Flutterpixies | Henna | Lord Gastrous | Mariposa | Prince Carlos | Queen Marabella | Rayla | Rayna | Skeezites | Willa | Zinzie
Locations: Flutterfield | Queen Marabella's Palace | Bewilderness | Waterwhirls | Cave of Reflection
Objects: Ilios | The Antidote of Ilios
Other: Merchandise


text: Rick, Thanks for the pointers to demos. However, it seems to me that they won't load new instruments. I could be mistaken, so I'll have to check them out. If I get any of them to load my large soundfonts and play anything, I'll report back on how they did compared to Specimen. I don't see myself buying any of these any time soon. (The best audio software of all time for me has been gcc, but it does require a little bit more work on the part of the user.) For others: MOTU MACH-5 for Windows is "coming soon." Halion doesn't have a demo, but a demo movie, from what I see.


text:
I've spent the last week in Austin, TX having a wonderful time seeing new plants, new birds, and new ecosystems. My first full day here I was truly blessed to be given a private tour of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center with Kelley, a volunteer at the center and Beautiful Wildlife Garden's own Meredith O'Reilly. What a joy to tour this beautiful space with such welcoming new friends!
The whole property at the Wildflower Center is a Certified Wildlife Habitat, and they are devoted to education about how the native plants are intricately connected with the wildlife.
Water conservation is of utmost importance here in Texas, and the rainwater harvesting system is is a wonder to behold. Aqueducts run along the top of the archway walls and from the rooftops to large cisterns spaced all around the property.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center was a marvelous view of spring to this winter-weary Pennsylvania! It was so nice to feel the warmth of the sun on my face and walk among these beautiful blooms. A big huge thank you to Kelley and Meredith for sharing this special place with me!
What native plants are blooming in your early spring wildlife garden?
More of my visits to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center:
- Springtime at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Return to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Lady Bird Johnson: A Woman With a Love of Natural Beauty
Carole Sevilla Brown lives in Philadelphia, PA, and she travels the country speaking about Ecosystem Gardening for Wildlife. Check out her new free online course Ecosystem Gardening Essentials, 15 free lessons delivered to your inbox every week.
© 2011 – 2013, Carole Sevilla Brown. All rights reserved. This article is the property of BeautifulWildlifeGarden.com We have received many requests to reprint our work. Our policy is that you are free to use a short excerpt which must give proper credit to the author, and must include a link back to the original post on our site. Please use the contact form above if you have any questions.


text:
Can not record the video but can take a picture. there is no were to repair.
so I got this HD Toshiba Camileo camcorder with a video upload option so I can easily upload my videos straight to youtube. the problem is they load up without sound..???? when I upload them to my laptop I can watch them with the sound no problem. they're in .avi format. if I convert them to .mov or .mp4 first and then upload them to youtube they work fine. but it takes forever!!! so if this camera has this button to load the videos up to youtube directly... why doesn't it work?? I checked and youtube supports avi format... so what's the problem???
We were given this as a gift when our son was just under a month old. We have been using it to record some of his most memorable moments and it works well. We are impressed with the video quality when we hook it up to the TV. We have had no problem with volume or with transfering the clips from the card to the computer. We use Microsoft Movie Maker to edit and create and have had no problems there either. As far as still pictures go, not the best camera, but it does the trick in a pinch. Overall we really like it.
The video is pretty good and the camera is easy to use but the audio volume control is terrible. I have seen many complaints about this as an on-going Toshiba problem that they just ignore. I am able to coax just barely enough audio out of the files using Avidemux at its highest manual gain. Why does Toshiba refuse to fix this junky firmware?
Its a great starter camera but its not reaching my needs anymore...it would be nice if this camera had a manual focus instead cause its trying to focus on everything but what i want....cant use it with windows movie maker and don't play as good HD as i thought it would.... i need to upgrade.


text:
Travel and Equipment Application
The Travel and Equipment Application (TEA) is UISG funding budget for student organizations who need travel or equipment funding outside of the Non-CFO Fiscal Year budget.For more information see the TEA legislation:TEA...Read Full Post
Green Initiative Funding
* *Are you a student organization that promotes sustainability? Then you might qualify for funding from UISG & ECGPS Green Initiative Funding.The Green Initiative Fund, or GIF, is a grant offered through UISG &...Read Full Post
Student Orgs Online
Apply for website funding today!Starting Spring 2014, student organizations may apply for template-based student org websites through the UISG's new Student Orgs Online on-boarding service. If you are in an organization without a...Read Full Post
Supplemental and Non-CFO Deadlines
FY16 Fall Supplemental – TBD FY16 Spring Supplemental – TBD FY16 Non-CFO Annual Budget – Friday, April 10, 2015 at 5pmRead Full Post
Delegating a Treasurer
From the Home page of your Student Organization in OrgSync, click on "People" and select "All People." Check the box that appears to the left for whomever you wish to make the Treasurer....Read Full Post
Requesting Budgeting Funds
From the Home page of your Student Organization, click on "Treasury" and select "Budgets." Select the "Period" that you are currently in. It will start with "FY" and then have the two numbers...Read Full Post
Max Funding Standards
The FY15 Supplemental I Period Funding Deadline is September 12, 2014 at 5:00 pm. Student organizations must submit a detailed budget online through their OrgSync profile before the deadline to be considered for any additional...Read Full Post
Instructions for Applying for Fiscal Funding
*If your organization relies on funding from UISG, it is highly recommended that you submit a fiscal budget request as your organization may find it difficult to obtain adequate funding through supplemental periods...Read Full Post
About UISG funding
UISG Finance operates within its own bylaws, available here. UISG Finance BylawsUISG funding allocations are made using a portion[funding/assets/Uploads/SAF-breakdown.pdf] of Student Activity Fees. Supplemental I allocationsSupplemental II allocationsFiscal Year 14 allocationsNeed a high resolution image of...Read Full Post
Video Tutorials
Process Overview Designating a Treasurer Filling out a budget request form Reviewing SABAC allocation decisions Spending allocated fundsRead Full Post


text:
Writer's Voice …where the conversation goes deeper. We talk to writers of all genres about matters that move us and make us think.
The program features interviews and readings, as well as reviews, with authors such as Louise Erdrich, James Risen, Ursula K. LeGuin, Russell Banks, poet Richard Wilbur and many more notable writers. Writer's Voice is produced and hosted by Francesca Rheannon, and has been on the air since 2004 with more than 400 shows produced, broadcasting on stations around the United States.
Writer's Voice managing editor and Web content producer is Bill Weye. Love the Writer's Voice logo? We've received tons of complements about it. They should all go to graphic designer, Ian Callahan.
Kudos for Writers Voice
"Host Francesca Rheannon executes an interview not only with intelligence, but with great depth. Allow me to briefly gush, I think she is the alpha of radio interviews (step aside Terry). I'm hooked on Writers Voice."
Bill Ravanesi, film producer and photographer, director of Health Care Without Harm
"You are such a good interviewer – informed and engaged, both well-prepared and able to pick up on things [guests] say, offer your own experiences and observations, and expand the conversation – in fact, your interviews really are conversations, and that's terrific."
Chris Rohmann, author and listener.
"It was truly a pleasure being on Writer's Voice – thanks so much for understanding what my book was up to." Nicholson Baker


text:
- About Us
- At the Library
- Kids Page
- YA Page
- Contact Us
- Online Resources
- Book Clubs
- Library Use Value Calculator
- Picture Gallery
- Meeting Hall Art Gallery
- Endowment Website
- Friends of the Townsend Public Library
The Gallery is open during all Library and Senior Center hours. If you find the Meeting Hall Gallery doors are locked please enter through the library or senior center.
Please keep in mind that the Meeting Hall is used for other events. Before visiting, please check the library's Calendar of Events. You are welcome in the gallery during events, as long as your visit will not disturb the occupants. If a lecture or performance is scheduled, we ask that you visit another time.
Townsend Library Hours:
Tuesday - Wednesday 10 am - 9 pm
Senior Center Hours:
Monday - Thursday 9 am - 3 pm
Meeting Hall Art Gallery
From Rt. 119: Take Rt. 13 north towards NH at town common in Townsend Center. About 1/4 mile on your left is the entrance for the Townsend Public Library, just before the Townsend Police Station. Follow signs into the parking area. The Meeting Hall is the white center building of the Senior Center/Library complex.
From NH: Take Rt. 13 just past the Townsend Police Station. Turn right and follow the signs for the Townsend Library into the parking area. The Meeting Hall is the white building in the center of the Senior Center/Library complex.


text:
Buying a fighter jet on eBay
By Tony Hicks
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 at 2:58 pm in Uncategorized.
Some kid in England totally rules.
A 7-year-old boy from London recently – briefly – owned a real Harrier fighter jet. Which was almost the greatest thing that's happened to a little boy since … ever.
Unfortunately, he didn't have $113,000 . Which sounds pretty economical, even without missiles.
Of course, his dad found out about his shopping spree, and the fun was over. Dad called up Jet Art Aviation Limited, the company that was selling the jet, and explained about his ambitious young man and his thirst for blood.
People complain about their kids not being ambitious. I'd be pretty proud if that was my boy. And pretty frightened of what he might bring home next.
[You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.]


text:
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text:
There are many uses for an RS232 port, but I am most interested in it for debugging. The master console can be directed to the RS232 port using the console kernel parameter. This will hopefully make it easier to debug kernel problems.
Under the SIM card there is an 11 contact interface. Three of the contact are for the RS232 port.
rs232_1.JPG 38.96KB 994 downloads
What you will need.
- A 3V RS232 adapter. Most PC RS232 ports are 5V, do not hook that up directly to the phone. The are many options here, I used one of these, but there are many other choices. The FTDI USB solutions appear to be well supported, but a MAX232 based serial converter would also work and should be a bit cheaper.
- Some wire. You want fairly small single core wire. I used 30awg because I have a spool of it, but a bit bigger would be fine.
- Soldering iron.
- Flux.
- An RS232 console application. I'm using minicom on linux, but there are heaps of alternatives on all platforms. I think PuTTY does RS232, so if your on windows take a look at that.
Pin-out ======= 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 4=TX 10=RX 11=GND Connections =========== Phone --- PC adapter GND --- GND RX --- TX TX --- RXrs232_2.JPG 60.71KB 967 downloads
Red = TX
Green = RX
Blue = GND
Cut some wires. The shorter the better. The longer the wires the greater the chance of interference.
Connect TX on the phone to RX on the RS232 adapter.
Connect RX on the phone to TX on the adapter.
Connect GND to GND. It will work without GND connected, but you will probably get more noise.
I recommend soldering, but you could try tape or hot glue if you don't want to solder on the board. Unfortunitely this isn't very good if you actually use your phone.
I needed to use a bit of flux to get the solder to stick on the board.
rs232_3.JPG 57.04KB 972 downloads rs232_4.JPG 82.68KB 970 downloads
rs232_5.JPG 101.16KB 966 downloads
All done. Now connect it to your PC.
Configuring the PC
First, figure out what your comm port is called and if needed install drivers. The FT232R doesn't need any drivers in linux (as long as right driver is in the kernel) and appears as /dev/ttyUSB0.
Now start your console software. You will need to configure the port.
The setting you want are 9600 8N1, no hardware or software flow control.
Connect with the console software
On the phone run
echo Hello > /dev/ttyMSM2You should see 'Hello' appear in the console on the PC.
Next, on the phone run
cat /dev/ttyMSM2Now enter 'Hello' in the console on the PC and press enter. You should see 'Hello' displayed in the phones shell.
If that all worked you now have a working RS232 port.


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Geology Courses
GL105 Exploring Geology. 4 hours (3 lecture/2 lab hours). This course introduces students to the science of geology. Topics include the study of the origin of the earth, plate tectonics, volcanoes, weathering, metamorphism, geologic time, evolution, and the history of life on earth. Labs explore minerals, rocks, fossils, and the living organisms characteristic of different geologic ages.


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Is the Great Commission more your Great Predicament? Are you at a loss as to how to balance your congregation's local outreach with your desire to make a global impact? Then AIMS Harvest Connection DVD Equipping Series is for you!
For more than 20 years we have used Harvest Connection to equip tens of thousands of churches around the world to minister among unreached peoples. From these trainings our partners have planted more than 32,000 churches. This proven training system will teach you the Biblical Basis for missions, reveal the current state of the gospel in the world, inform you what a Great Commission Church is like, and will lay out for you the Eight Best Practices of a mobilized church.
Contact AIMS today and find out how you can take the first step to mobilize your church for strategic, cross-cultural ministry. Let Harvest Connection connect you to the Lord's vast harvest fields.
Contact Information:
Pamella Foster
The Charisma Podcast Network is now live. Featuring a variety of programs including news, leadership, inspiring stories, women's topics, sports, and even more.
Subscribe now for free!


text:
Stephen Schmidt
House Republican
Carroll 4
59 Spruce Road, Wolfeboro, NH 03894-4113
Home Phone: 603-569-0848
Work Phone:
Email: email@example.com
Please send any errors, corrections or questions to email@example.com.
Running for Re-Election to Represent District Car06: WOLFEBORO
House Member or Candidate Position on Key Issues
Budget Issues
This section contains a selection of budget votes, please see other sections – particularly "Children and Families" and "Public Safety" for more budget-related votes. A few roll call votes have been listed in both sections if the legislation is particularly important.
Budget Priorities
Budget Cuts
Budget Give-Aways
Budget Forecast
Businesses and Corporations
In Focus: Blatant Corporate Tax Give-Aways
Children and Family Issues
Education Issues
Cutting Class
Politics Vs. Science, Standards
Education Funding
Privatizing Public Education
Valuing Educators
Elections & Voting Rights
Voting Rights
Environmental Issues
Focused Like a Laser on Jobs
This tongue-in-cheek label is applied to legislation that was debated and voted on during the 2011-2012 session that had nothing to do with improving our economy or helping our communities.
Guns & Deadly Weapons
Health Care Issues
Infrastructure Issues
Legislative Overreach
Local Communities
Marriage Equality
Middle Class Issues
Minimum Wage
Pensions, Health Care and Retirement
Public Safety
Special Section: "The Isms"
This label is applied to legislation that was deemed discriminatory in nature.
Transparency & Good Government
Women's Health
Worker's Rights


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Considered a jewel of the Adriatic, Montenegro offers mountains and forests, and beaches, that will appeal to people of all tastes. Montenegro is a country which has blossomed since the dark days of the Yugoslav wars in early 1990s. Now widely regarded as one of the world's most appealing tourist destinations, it offers a warm Mediterranean climate, and great contrasts of landscape and environment.
A small country, with a population of approximately 630,000 people and covering around 14,000 square kilometres of territory, its capital city is Podgorica. Mountains typify the country's northern regions, while its southern Adriatic coast offers excellent opportunities for a more conventional beach holiday. The Ulcinij South Coast region has been highlighted by many who have taken Montenegro holidays as an especially fine place to visit. The landscape is superb all across the country, from the sea to the mountains, and many Montenegro apartments possess stunning views as a matter of course. There are as yet no motorways in the country, meaning that much of it is considered unspoilt. However, that does mean that getting around is more difficult than normal by western European or American standards. There are four National Parks in Montenegro, with the Durmitor National Park near Zabljak regarded as one of the finest. This is a great place to visit for the outdoors enthusiast, and biking and hiking are popular activities here. Vivid blue lake waters and deep forests bathed in sunshine frame the view of what residents in Montenegro apartments can enjoy here. Near Durmitor there is even a ski resort - Kolasin.
Many people taking Montenegro holidays are attracted to the country's culture and history, as well as its outstanding natural beauties. The nation exists at something of a cultural crossroads, combining elements of both Slavic and Mediterranean culture in an intoxicating mix. Situated close to Niksic, the country's second-largest city, is one of Montenegro's finest historical attractions. The monastery at Ostrog is well worth the visit for anyone enjoying Montenegro holidays. At one stage the home of the Orthodox Saint Basil, its upper part provides visitors with a view of just about all of Montenegro.
This is where you can find your reminder list,
recently viewed accommodations and lots more!


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Winter X Games snowmobiler dies after Colo. crash
DENVER Caleb Moore was a Texas kid drawn to the snow, rehearsing complicated tricks on a snowmobile into a foam pit back home until they became second nature and ready for the mountains.
With his younger brother following along and constantly pushing him, Moore became a rising talent in action sports.
The innovative freestyle snowmobile rider, who was hurt in a crash at the Winter X Games in Colorado, died Thursday morning. He was 25.
Moore had been undergoing care at a hospital in Grand Junction since the Jan. 24 crash. Family spokeswoman Chelsea Lawson confirmed his death, the first in the 18-year history of the X Games.
"He lived his life to the fullest. He was an inspiration," Lawson said.
A former all-terrain vehicle racer, Moore switched over to snowmobiles as a teenager and quickly rose to the top of the sport. He won four Winter X Games medals, including a bronze last season when his younger brother, Colten, captured gold.
Caleb Moore was attempting a backflip in the freestyle event in Aspen last week when the skis on his 450-pound snowmobile caught the lip of the landing area, sending him flying over the handlebars. Moore landed face first into the snow with his snowmobile rolling over him.
Moore stayed down for quite some time, before walking off with help and going to a hospital to be treated for a concussion. Moore developed bleeding around his heart and was flown to a hospital in Grand Junction for surgery. The family later said that Moore, of Krum, Texas, also had a complication involving his brain.
Colten Moore was injured in a separate crash that same night. He suffered a separated pelvis in the spill.
The family said in a statement they were grateful for all the prayers and support they have received from people around the world.
X Games officials expressed their condolences and said Moore, a four-time X Games medalist, would be remembered "for his natural passion for life and his deep love for his family and friends."
The Twitter accounts of many athletes from a wide range of sports expressed their sympathy Thursday:
- New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow: "So sad to hear about the passing of snowmobiler Caleb Moore. My prayers go out to his younger brother Colten & their entire family."
- Freestyle skier Kaya Turski: "The spirit of Caleb Moore will be floating among us forever. RIP."
- Surfer Kelly Slater: "Tragic. Don't even know what to say."
- Snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler: "Our world has lost another bright light. Sending my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Caleb Moore."
- Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria, who made a visit to Winter X last weekend: "Tragic day for the family of Caleb Moore. Our deepest sympathies go out to all who he influenced and touched. RIP."
- Motorsports standout Travis Pastrana: "So sad to hear about Caleb Moore. My condolences and prayers go out to his family and friends."
- NASCAR driver Austin Dillon: "Just heard about Caleb Moore. I don't know what to say other than I'm praying for his family and friends. He was a true Action Sports Hero."


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U.S. Politics Events
The National Conversation: Putin's Return & The U.S.-Russian Reset
May 23, 2012 // 12:30pm — 2:00pm
Kennan Institute
On May 7, Vladimir Putin began his third term as president of the Russian Federation. With the Russian political season over, and the American political season heating up, what are the implications of political transition for the important issues in the U.S.-Russian bilateral relationship?
Congress and the Global Energy Crunch
May 21, 2012 // 4:00pm — 6:00pm
Congress Project
The debate over national energy policy is bound to heat up as the presidential and congressional elections grow closer, both on the campaign trail and in the halls of Congress. This panel will explore just how much can realistically be expected out of Congress this year in altering the country's energy course and what new challenges and opportunities we might confront in the expanding global market for energy resources.
Charting a Path in U.S. Education Reform
May 16, 2012 // 9:00am — 11:00am
Program on America and the Global Economy
With the recession eroding school budgets, educators today are being forced to do more with less. Leading education reformer Paul Vallas and Kenneth Wong of Brown University discuss practical, tested, and cost-effective solutions to improve America's K-12 schools.
The Path to Lower Nuclear Numbers?
May 04, 2012 // 12:00pm — 1:30pm
International Security Studies
Speaker: Jon Wolfsthal, Deputy Director, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute for International Studies.
The Culture of Congress, Yesterday and Today
April 30, 2012 // 3:00pm — 5:00pm
Congress Project
Many have commented on how much Congress has changed over the last 40 years for a variety of reasons, most noticeably from the increasing importance of political parties in the legislative process and their increased polarization from each other. In this roundtable discussion, former Members, congressional staff and area political scientists will discuss the ultimate question of whether there is any way to restore a greater measure of deliberation and bipartisan national problem-solving.
The Start-up Act: Building America's Entrepreneurial Future
April 24, 2012 // 9:00am — 12:00pm
Program on America and the Global Economy
Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), both first term Senators, discussed key components of the Start-up Act, which they have authored and introduced. The two Senators oulined why we need to keep talented people in the United States, especially in STEM fields and how the government can best serve entrepreneurs through regulations, taxes, and encouraging talent.
Game Change in the Asia-Pacific: The South China Sea and TPP
March 27, 2012 // 4:00pm — 5:15pm
Asia Program
China has recently been a major force in political games in the Asia-Pacific. For example, it has succeeded in partly disengaging the United States from the trade framework in Southeast Asia by promoting "low quality" Free Trade Agreements in the region. China has also viewed the ASEAN Regional Forum and East Asia Summit as convenient non-binding and consensus-based arenas that allow Beijing to avoid dealing with hard issues such as maritime disputes in the South China Sea. The Obama administration's much-discussed "Asia Pivot" is an attempt to reinsert the United States into regional political games and is perhaps most evident in the administration's focus on the Trans-Pacific Partnership multilateral FTA. How is the United States' reemergence as a regional player changing the existing components of the political game? What trade and strategic initiatives is Washington undertaking? How will other regional players, such as Japan and India, respond to American and Chinese moves?
Report Launch: Emerging Global Trends in Advanced Manufacturing
March 26, 2012 // 4:00pm — 5:30pm
Program on America and the Global Economy
This report by Institute for Defense Analyses and done at the request of the National Intelligence Manager for Science and Technology in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, aims to identify emerging global trends in advanced manufacturing and to propose scenarios for advanced manufacturing 10 and 20 years in the future.
Congress & the Politics of Trade
March 19, 2012 // 4:00pm — 6:00pm
Congress Project
This panel will explore the intersection presidential and congressional politics as they play-out against the President's trade agenda.
Book Discussion: The Last Great Senate: Courage and Statesmanship in Times of Crisis
March 01, 2012 // 4:00pm — 5:30pm
Program on America and the Global Economy
In The Last Great Senate Ira Shapiro describes how Senators of the 1960s and '70s overcame southern opposition to civil rights, passed Great Society legislation, and battled the executive branch on Vietnam, Watergate, and its abuses of power. The right's sweep of the 1980 elections shattered that Senate, leaving a diminished institution in its wake.


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Narrow your search
The Meizu MX4 Ubuntu Edition goes on sale this week in a lottery-style sale.
A computer consultant with bipolar disorder helps develop a free app that lets others with similar conditions track their mood and behavior -- and earn rewards like gift cards for doing it.
The venerable comic book maker has inspired movies, television shows and video games. Now, for the first time, the trend is working in reverse.
Horrorstör doesn't look like a traditional horror novel, but it promises a chilling look at what it's like to be a modern worker.
"The New World," a digital novel by Chris Adrian and Eli Horowitz, tackles topics like love, grief, memory, and immortality. Special e-book design elements add to the immersive experience.
The boy wizard takes centre stage next summer in a play from author J.K. Rowling, musician Imogen Heap and the people behind the stage adaptation of "Let the Right One In".
For the first time, Kindle owners can bypass Comixology's app and buy Marvel comics directly.
Can't get enough "Game of Thrones"? Here's what to devour once you've finished every episode of HBO's show and the books it's based on.
The iconic actor, who portrayed Dracula, Saruman in "The Lord of the Rings" and Count Dooku in "Star Wars," left an astonishing legacy in cinema.
Get your Lannister Lemon, Tyrion Teal and Winter White ready. A new "Game of Thrones" book is coming, though not the one that most fans are hoping for.


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August 19th, 2010
National Day of Action: August 25
Coinciding with the week of the fifth anniversary of Katrina, CitizenGulf's National Day of Action — promoted by Gulf Coast Benefit — seeks to help fishing families affected by the BP oil disaster find a new, more sustainable future by providing education resources for their children.
On August 25, events are planned in cities around the country. If you can attend one in person, please do. If not, please consider making a donation.
Thank you.


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You can now invite anyone to meet at your favorite Starbucks.
Limited-time feature
27 year old woman | Frederick, CO, USA | Seeking men 25-35 within 50 miles of Firestone, CO
~ Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together!
I'm a very spontaneous, free spirited, loving kind of person who goes all in with the right one.. My family, friends and faith are very important to me along with my sweet little puppy Riley.. I love the game of Volleyball, I am very active and enjoy traveling. Looking for someone who has a great personality, loves to have fun and enjoys life! I'm a very easy going person who can honestly say I'm up for anything... I enjoy life to the fullest and make the best of every situation. I think it's important to be positive and look at the bright side of things... We only live once. I want someone who is open and ready to find there soul mate. Someone I can be best friends with and there's that instant connection. Someone who is straight forward, easy to talk to, loving in every aspect and doesn't play games... If your interested keep the good vibes going. No need to waist time! My job, family and friends are very important to me. I currently run our family business doing drug and alcohol testing but looking to build a career with South West airlines as becoming a flight attendant... Traveling for wk and traveling for free doesn't sound so bad to me!!!! I want someone who is very driven and has made a good life for them self. I'm a very independent confident person who wants someone who is on my same page and wants the same things out of life!!!!! I'm always down for good conversation so send me a message if you wanna talk! :)
Camping , Coffee and conversation , Cooking , Dining out , Fishing/Hunting , Movies/Videos , Music and concerts , Exploring new areas , Nightclubs/Dancing , Playing sports , Shopping/Antiques , Travel/Sightseeing , Volunteering , Watching sports , Wine tasting
Bowling, Cycling, Dancing, Football, Golf, Other types of exercise, Running, Swimming, VolleyBall, Walking / Hiking, Weights / Machines, Yoga
I exercise 3-4 times per week.
I have Dogs
I have a 14lb dog. he is a shorkie. shih tzu/yorkie mix. His name is Riley!
Middle of the Road
Love to go Dancing! Dinner and a movie with Friends and Family...
University of Phoenix–Southern Colorado Campus, Colorado Springs, CO
Volleyball, sushi, working out, long runs, great conversation, my family friends and dog! LOL Traveling, random road trips, reading, sleeping, relaxing! HAVING FUN!
I love to pretty much do anything active and out doors. Volleyball is my sport! Love to play and watch the game! Dancing is a huge stress reliever for me! along with going on long runs and working out! Being spontaneous!
Learning about Essential Oils so I've been reading a lot about that!
Z{{Cta}} {{#if HasMoreInfo}} ?{{CtaSecondary}} {{/if}}
|What she is looking for
|5'11" (180cms)
|5'11" (180cms) to 6'5" (195cms)
|Body type:
|Athletic and toned
|Slender, Athletic and toned
|No preference
|No preference
|No Way
|No Way
|Social Drinker
|Social Drinker
|Other profession
|No preference
Running the Family Busines!
|$35,001 to $50,000
|$25,001 to $35,000, $35,001 to $50,000, $50,001 to $75,000, $75,001 to $100,000, $100,001 to $150,000, $150,001+
|Never Married
|No preference
|Have kids:
|Wants kids:
|White / Caucasian
|Latino / Hispanic, White / Caucasian
|Christian / Other
|Christian / Other
Enjoys going to church or is open to it!
|Some college
|High school, Some college, Associates degree, Bachelors degree, Graduate degree, PhD / Post Doctoral
Went to UOP in Colo spgs, CO went for a couple years but have not finished yet!


text:
Written by Tim Talley
Willimantic, Conn. - Eastern Connecticut State University's Department of Physical Sciences is hosting a show titled, "Seeing the Sky--How to Get the Most out of Your Stargazing" at 5:30 p.m. on May 2 in the Robert K. Wickware Planetarium. The public is invited. Admission is free.
Guests will be shown how to use a planisphere, a device that shows the constellations any time of the night and any time of the year. They will also learn how to maximize and preserve night vision so they can see the faintest stars. If time allows, the visitors will be shown several simple ways to take pictures of the stars and some of the celestial events that might be visible in the coming months, such as the Perseid meteor shower in August or the Northern Lights.
Russell Sampson, associate professor of physical sciences and assistant director of the Planetarium, wants guests to learn how to identify constellations, brighter stars and visible planets that are in the night sky. "We will use the star projector to simulate the starry sky and give the visitors a sense of what they can expect to see under the clear eastern Connecticut skies," said Sampson. "We hope our show will give students a better appreciation of the night sky, how to understand it and how to appreciate it. It is one of our greatest natural wonders, but at the same time it is threatened by the spread of artificial lighting. By educating our students as to the great beauty contained in a pristine night sky, we hope to help preserve this natural resource for future generations to come."
For reservations or more information contact Zosia Carlquist at (860) 465-4317 or email her at firstname.lastname@example.com, or Russell Sampson at (860) 465-0188, or email him at email@example.com. Tickets are free. Seating is limited to 55 available seats. Eastern's Planetarium offers yearly public and private shows. Public star shows are intended for ages 10 and up.


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I know I've felt like that about a lot of my holy grail products, but what I've never really felt is a "why didn't anyone think of this before?"(though, I have to admit when flat irons became all the rage, I wondered why they were never popular before and how I had lived without one.)
Today's post, my friends, is about Clinique Bottom Lash mascara. I think anyone who brushes off this product as a "gimmick" needs to take another look and discover the awesomeness of this product.
To the people who argue it's just another mascara, I beg to differ. The brush is teeny tiny. Like as small as the length of your pinkie nail tiny (or even smaller than that!)
Why hadn't they thought of this before!?


text:
What's New
Awesome new Features!
Download it now!
App Description
Brought to you by the creators of the hit game A Bike Race in Route 66!!!
But wait, this time we are at the Copacabana Beach!
Ride as fast as you can with that Ninja bike and show the girls who's the boss here!
App Changes
- July 31, 2013 New version 4.1
- June 09, 2013 New version 2.4
- April 13, 2013 Initial release


text:
#1 -- Look at the old rustic wood lintel above the window just below the open cabinetry. Nice interesting touch, don't you think? I like the copper all lined up in the cubby holes, too.
This kitchen is the heart of a 1940s home in inner city Houston. I visited it just before the homeowner-realtor put it on the market. And it was during a time the country began to feel an economic squeeze. I thought to myself what terrible timing. But she sold it almost immediately -- and at or near full price. Her remodeled kitchen fulfills my mind's eye vision of what I might find in the countryside of some small quaint European village. Its somewhat weathered casual look translates into a comfortable and inviting space. Easy living. She kept the look somewhat trendy -- the open cabinetry, stainless steel counters and farm-style sink -- but not so much so that it was over the top or a turn off to potential buyers. It is casual elegance at its best. She filled other rooms with either slip covered chairs or Old-World antiques. I will show the rest of the house another time, but it was the kitchen that caught my eye. It felt good . . . like a hug. I want to bake bread here . . . .
#2 --She unhinged the cabinet doors and stored them away. The pick-a-boo space lightens up the overall space and nicely showcases her old yellow-gold pottery.
She said she sat on the floor one night with a wine glass and a bottle of red keeping her company. And she contemplated her plan. She wanted to use the original footprint of the space -- approximately 12x12 (my guess)-- as much as possible to save on construction costs. She also wanted to paint her wood cabinets a light, distressed gray-blue color. A friend helped her with the paint job.
#3 The porcelain farm sink is the centerpiece here. She put in the window and added the stainless steel countertops and backsplash, leaving a ledge for herbs and some greenery.
She earmarked a large part of her budget for great-looking high-end appliances.
#4 -- Viking Stove and hood makes a stylish statement.
#5 -- I love under lights. Good planning.
#6 -- Can't remember the fridge brand; thinking it's Sub Zero.
But if it makes sense and adds to the look, I say build it in.
#7 -- I personally like to find unexpected pieces like this one in a kitchen. It customizes the look without construction cost. Also ties into the look and feel she wanted to achieve.
So, what do you think?


text: DOH! I finally understood an earlier comment someone else made about <= being worse for stable sorting. This is because with a partial rather than total order, (< x y) !=== (not (<= y x)), but rather (< x y) === (and (<= x y) (not (<= y x))) It seems plausible that this is why CL did what it did. Probably more efficient... David


text: Business Gmail adds easy unsubscribe button to stem the tide of promotional email Above: Gmail's new unsubscribe option.Image Credit: Illustration: Eric Blattberg / VentureBeat February 24, 2014 9:34 AM Eric Blattberg 0 If you're not reaching, engaging, and monetizing customers on mobile, you're likely losing them to someone else. Register now for the 8th annual MobileBeat, July 13-14, where the best and brightest will be exploring the latest strategies and tactics in the mobile space. Unsubscribing from mailing lists just got a lot simpler for Gmail users. Google's Gmail team is rolling out a one-click "unsubscribe" link that appears in the header of some promotional emails. The prominent unsubscribe option, which shows up right next to the name and email address of the sender, will prevent people from having to search through the fine-print at the bottom of an email for a minimized unsubscribe link. When you click the unsubscribe button, you don't need to go through marketers' standard unsubscribe options. Instead, Google will send an automated email to a company requesting it excludes you from future messages. Companies looking to grow their business via email won't be thrilled about the new Gmail feature, but there is a silver lining for marketers: Now that it's easier to unsubscribe from mailing lists, fewer people will mark unwanted promotions as spam. IDG first reported the news last week after Google announced the tool at the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group conference. Millions of Gmail users (including this reporter) are seeing the button for the first time today. Google will continue rolling out the tool to Gmail users over the course of the week. Related articles Here are some real problems for Google to solve while it's tinkering with Gmail Gmail goes down, and the Internet freaks out Gmail's new inbox sorting proves that email is still very much broken Gmail now does marketing automation, thanks to Cirrus Insight More information: Google Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major glob... read more » Powered by VBProfiles VB's research team is studying mobile user acquisition... Chime in here, and we'll share the results.