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The Boston University Office of Development and Alumni Relations is sponsoring its first Giving Day fundraiser Wednesday to foster cooperative contributions from students, alumni and parents in the BU community.
Giving Day is the first fundraising event of its kind implemented at BU as a part of the Campaign for Boston University, the university's comprehensive fundraising and development program enacted earlier last year.
Hilary Shepard, director of annual giving for BU's Office of Development and Alumni Relations, said while Giving Day is modeled after similar approaches undertaken by other national universities, it will provide a sense of collective action and enthusiasm unique to BU.
"A few other schools like Columbia [University] and [University of] Notre Dame have recently done really successful Giving Days that have gotten their entire communities involved and energized," Shepard said, "and also made a huge impact on fundraising and what these schools are able to provide for their students. We wanted to do something similar to give BU students, alumni, faculty and staff the chance to participate in a day where they could support what they most love about BU."
Giving Day is an extension of the ongoing Campaign for BU, in terms of both strategy and goals, Shepard said.
"Along with the Million Hours Project and the $1 billion goal, a key goal of the campaign is to increase the number of alumni and students who give back no matter what the amount," she said.
Along with such a focus on inclusivity and expansion of fundraising networks, Giving Day will rely exclusively on online donations and advertise heavily on social media outlets to reach out to a broad contingent of current and former students, according to Shepard.
Giving Day will employ a dollar-for-dollar strategy, in which the first $1,000 of all gifts will be matched by Trustee Stephen Karp, according to the event's official website.
Karp, a 1963 College of Arts and Sciences graduate, pledged to match funds donated by the community during the 24-hour period. Shepard said this strategy is geared toward expanding both the funds donated in the event and the awareness of personal impact that each donating community member can feel.
"The idea of a 24-hour timeframe where your support can make twice the difference is really powerful," Karp said. "I think we as humans all respond to a fun event where you can also do some good, and that is exactly what Giving Day is all about. Everyone has the chance to make double the impact."
Shepard said the creativity and unique strategy of Giving Day could develop into the single largest day of donations on record at BU.
"The goal is to make Giving Day the single largest day of giving in the history of BU in terms of how many people give back the University," she said. "The BU community is truly great … and I am very confident that the community will come together and make history on Wednesday."
Shepard also said fundraising and community outreach and development events such as Giving Day and the Campaign for BU raise the university's prestige and standings both nationally and internationally.
The donation period will begin at 12 a.m. Wednesday morning and end 24 hours later. Shepard said she remains extremely confident and optimistic about Giving Day and its prospects for success.
"One reason for such an event is because it factors into our rankings as a university," she said. "We all know that BU deserves to be ranked in the top tier of schools in the country. In terms of what to expect, the sky is the limit."


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Rookie Blue Sneak Peeks: What About Marlo?Matt Richenthal at . Comments
The Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs last week to win the NBA Championship... which was exciting for both LeBron James and fans of Rookie Blue.
Because this beloved ABC summer series finally returns after a sports-imposed hiatus on Thursday!
It will do so with "Different, Not Better," an episode that finds Andy butting heads with Swarek's new girlfriend during their first patrol together. Watch her ask a few questions about Marlo in the following Rookie Blue clip:
Elsewhere, the rest of 15 will hunt down down an armed burglar with a unique MO after a string of ATM robberies, while Dov wil be forced to work with new officer Chloe Price after their indiscreet first encounter. Juicy!
Visit TV Fanatic soon after the latest Rookie Blue Season 4 installment airs and watch the official teaser now:
Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.

subset: commoncrawl


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I am now on to week two of my gluten free diet and feeling pretty good besides two occasional episodes, which I think were dairy related. I only had one slip up last week when I was at a wine tasting anniversary party for a local winery and I nibbled on a few crostinis and sliders completely forgetting about my diet. I was actually reminded by a coworker about my diet, whoops! Last night, I actually made a dish that if it weren't gluten, which was bothering me, than surely something in this dish would upset my stomach because it has cheese, butter, wine, and tomatoes in it. And you know what? I felt pretty good after.
My momma sent me an Easter basket of goodies, including my favorite food: artichokes! My folks live in Northern California where it is peak artichoke season right now and every spring my mom sends them to me.
As a side dish I made steamed artichoke (steamed with garlic, lemon juice and a bay leaf) with a balsamic mayo dipping sauce.
This was actually my first time making risotto, other than the barley risotto I made and I think it turned out really well. I tried to remember to stir constantly and let all the liquid to be absorbed before adding more. This may be a new fav in our house.
Will wants me to hurry up and take this photo so we can dig in!
Tomato and Sausage Risotto
serves 4
I found this recipe on
, but she adapted the recipe from
Everyday Food.
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casing removed
1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bunch flat leaf spinach, washed well, stems removed, and chopped (about 7 cups)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons butter
In a medium saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.
Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid, in fact I had about a cup remaining).
Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.


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2012 - Current:
2009 - 2011:
Pre 2008:
Parkview UDF
This project encompasses the framework for Tyrone Avenue, which aims to retain and enhance the character and heritage of Parkview by guiding future developments and densification over time in a suitable and sustainable manner. It aims for an increased quality of open space including addressing unfavourable public/ private relationships by increasing the performance of the street edge.
The Parkview Community Vision recognizes that our communal spaces - streets, parks and high street - are an integral part of our community and require constant attention. As part of the public open space initiative, is to work with Tyrone Avenue property owners and business people to develop a vision for the future of the node and a plan to turn that into reality.
As a first step the plan will address the parking and traffic flows in Tyrone Avenue, improve the sidewalk pavements, install additional streetlights and add some urban furniture.
Integrating street traders into the formal workings of the street is seen as a second stage of the vision. Current occupation of pavements by traders is to be stopped and make way for formal trader stalls and shops along the western edge of Tyrone Avenue. These small shops will be rented to vendors of start up businesses and traders. Apart from integrating smaller shopkeepers into the street, it activates a currently problematic and dead street edge.
A third and more ambitious project is the conversion of the parking zone in front of the library into what is referred to as the Parkview Square. This will be achieved by creating an uninterrupted flow of space between the library and Tyrone Avenue. The newly established square will still accommodate the parking, but will double as market venue over weekends or place for community celebrations and festivals.


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A single mother of a 12-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son moved from New Jersey to North Carolina, where the children's father left them, and finally to Savannah, where the three stayed with relatives, then in a shelter, a transitional apartment and now a three-bedroom unit in an inner-city public housing complex.
All the while, the mother never lost faith.
"I thank God for the blessings He has given us," the woman wrote on her application for assistance this holiday.
Among those blessings is a caring aunt and a family friend who came to their aid when the mother and two children were stranded in North Carolina.
"My kids' father and I lived together in North Carolina until he left me and the kids in a cold trailer," the woman wrote. "My aunt and a close friend of the family came and helped me move to Savannah."
After providing a roof over their heads and food on the table, little is left over for the holidays.
But you can help this family by making a donation to The Empty Stocking Fund. The Savannah Morning News Empty Stocking Fund is a campaign to raise money and give a helping hand to those in need.
Savannah Morning News © 2018. All Rights Reserved. Contact Us | Privacy Policy


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Pity the Middle East; its sorrows come in battalions. Over the past five weeks alone, Egypt's generals have overthrown President Mohamed Morsi in a coup that has cost scores of lives, as Syria has continued hacking itself to pieces. A Tunisian opposition leader has been assassinated and Iraq has suffered its worst violence in years. "The birth pangs of a new Middle East", is how Condoleezza Rice, former President George W Bush's secretary of state, described Lebanon's "Cedar Revolution" of 2006; she spoke too hopefully, and too soon. The region went into labour with the Arab Spring of 2011, but it would take unusual clairvoyance to predict how the offspring will look. It may be a monster.
Some things are a bit clearer. Those hated "lines in the sand", artificial borders drawn across the Levant by Britain and France after the First World War, are finally being buried; for Syria and Iraq the future holds either a managed transition to some kind of federal arrangement or – as seems more likely – a driverless Balkanisation at breakneck speed. The second is that the Arab "voice" that made itself heard in more than a dozen countries since Tunisia erupted into revolution at the beginning of 2011 will not be silenced. The people of the Middle East may be divided over what is good for them, but they are no longer afraid to issue their demands – in the streets and violently, if necessary.
In no large area of the world are the principle of the nation state and the character of that state as disputed as they are in the Middle East, and yet English-language reporting on the Arab Spring and its effects has prioritised keeping up with events over analysing them. The late Jon Leyne, who reported on the Egyptian uprising for the BBC (and who died last week), was a thoughtful exception to this rule. Now Paul Danahar, a veteran BBC bureau chief, offers his account of "the world after the Arab Spring", as he puts it in The New Middle East.
Danahar is a well-travelled journalist who was awarded an MBE for leading the BBC team that covered the American entry into Baghdad in 2003. He divides his book into sections devoted to such hotspots as Egypt, Libya, Syria and Iraq, as well as to the US response to events. There is a smattering of horror (Danahar was the first to report last year's massacre by Syrian government forces in the village of Qubair) and an exotic frisson (the artist Francis Bacon declaring that he would "like to get into bed with Colonel Gaddafi"). On the whole, though, The New Middle East contains little to surprise an even moderately attentive reader of the foreign news. The world after the Arab Spring is more complicated than it was. America's support for Middle Eastern dictators was unwise. The obvious holds no terror for Danahar. "History," he writes, "has given us some unbelievably evil rulers." He goes on to inform us that "in war, seconds and inches are the difference between life and death".
Some of Danahar's speculations already look shaky. He writes that the Arab Spring has left "a stronger Sunni, and a weaker Shia, Islam," but this is debatable in the light of the continued resilience of the Assad regime and its Shia backers, Iran and Hezbollah, not to mention the setbacks suffered recently by the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood. To his statement, "God has returned to the Middle East," one might reply: "did he ever leave?"
Much of this goes to show the hazards of extrapolating from events whose precise significance will only become apparent after years or even decades. As the historian François Furet wrote of the French Revolution of 1789, it did not "come into port" until the proclamation of the Third Republic almost eighty years later. Touching 19 Arabic-speaking states, besides non-Arab neighbours such as Turkey and Iran, the Arab Spring's legacy is likely to be even more patchy and contested. It is surely no coincidence that the place Danahar writes about with the most authority has been affected only tangentially by the current convulsions: Israel. He reports perceptively on the internal contradictions of the Jewish state, from militant settlers to the ultra-orthodox Haredim. "Israel," he concludes, "is becoming more religious and more nationalist, and those two things put it at risk of becoming less democratic." That prognosis and the advancing years of the last Palestinian leader of national stature to favour a negotiated settlement, Mahmoud Abbas, underline the difficulties facing John Kerry as he hustles the parties back into the negotiating room.
An alternative to Danahar's all-in style is to dissect one aspect of the Middle East to try to understand how it operates; this approach works well for the American political scientist Carrie Rosefsky Wickham, whose excellent new history of the Muslim Brotherhood reveals much about the most influential political organisation in the Middle East, shedding light in the process on the Brotherhood's inability to cope with the transition from opposition movement to government for all Egyptians. Generous, pious and efficient, the Brotherhood has also been regarded with unease and distrust almost since its inception in the 1920s – a paradox that partly explains its calamitous recent collapse in public affection. (According to polls, Morsi's popularity went from 80% last autumn to 30% shortly before the coup.)
Ambiguity, Wickham insists, is intrinsic to the Brotherhood. For long periods, the movement and the regime were not so much enemies as reluctant cabin mates. For the benefit of his backers in the West, Mubarak blamed the Brotherhood for all Middle Eastern terrorism. The brothers milked what sympathy they could get as a repressed opposition. All the while, between spikes of brutal confrontation, the two sides tolerated each other – within limits. As recently as 2010 the movement's supreme guide publicly wished Mubarak well when the then-president travelled abroad for medical treatment.
In or out of power, the main question concerning the Brotherhood is its aptitude for modern democratic politics. Wickham gives no definitive answer because there is plenty of evidence both for and against – she has experienced no "'aha' moment when the 'true' nature of the Brotherhood is suddenly revealed.'"
Instead, over more than a decade, her research in both Arabic and English has revealed several brotherhoods, oscillating between secrecy and transparency, modernity and the example of the Prophet Muhammad. The tradition has produced neo-fascist militias as well as democratic modernisers such as Abdel Moneim Abu el-Fotouh. He split from the Brotherhood in 2011 after being convinced, as one commentator put it, that democracy means "supporting whatever the people choose, even if it contradicts Islam or rejects it in principle". This leads Wickham to muse whether el-Fotouh can be called an Islamist at all. He won a creditable 17% of the 2012 presidential vote that brought Morsi to power.
Wickham's research was financed by the Carnegie Corporation, in New York. One wonders how long American institutions will maintain interest in a place from which their government clearly wants to withdraw. The answer may be connected to the readiness of the US and other countries to use expensive processes such as fracking to shift the weight of oil and gas production away from the Middle East. For many Americans, retreat would be a blessed relief. In the words of one political scientist cited by Paul Danahar: "There is a kind of fatigue with spending all our time and energy on a part of the world that doesn't seem to be very responsive to us."
To be fair to the US president, he is only carrying out the promise to disengage that he made before coming to power – and which made him popular around the world. But some sages now miss the old western readiness to get involved in remote spots. One of our own, of course, is David Miliband, who as he leaves these shores to take up his new position as head of International Rescue, laments the West's inertia in the face of the Syrian tragedy and warns of "a decade of disorder". This all takes me back to VS Naipaul's sour prediction in the New Republic last year that nothing will come of the Arab Spring but "chaos, one-man rule, which is how these things usually end in the Muslim world". One hopes that it will not be 80 years before he is proved wrong.
• Christopher de Bellaigue's Patriot of Persia is published by Vintage.


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The Good, The Bad and The Disappointing: Environmental Highlights From Obama's First Year
Many environmentally minded Americans welcomed Obama to the office of the President a year ago with high hopes that he would be able to at least start righting the environmental wrongs that had occured during the previous administration.
No matter how critical you want to be of the things that were or were not accomplished by the Obama administration, you have to admit that they took over quite a mess. With a war overseas that was quickly disintegrating into chaos and an economy that was at its lowest point in decades demanded Obama's immediate attention, while an impending climate crisis threatened to change the very face of the planet that we all depend on for survival, the only guarantee was that no matter which he tackled first, someone was going to be put out.
Needless to say, it's been a busy year.
Part of our responsibility as Americans (and planetary citizens) is to hold our political representatives accountable, which means that we must look back to see whether or not actions over the past year have matched the promises that were made before the election.
Here are some of the highlights from this past year under the first year of the Obama White House. Ask yourself whether you're happy with the progress, and if the answer is no, ask yourself what you're going to do about it. And then take action!
The Good: Renewable Energy, Green Jobs, and Regulation
- Purposeful action was taken to put clean energy at the top of legislative lists in both the House and the Senate, right from the start of the Obama term.
- The administration followed-up on the 2007 Supreme Court ruling and declared carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases a threat to public health; mandated that major facilities publicly report carbon emissions beginning early this year; and proposed the first-ever greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks, a measure expected to save 1.8 billion barrels of oil (NRDC).
- An investment of more than $50 billion available for renewable energy investments and improvement in the energy efficiency of homes, cars and workplaces created green collar jobs and meant that the U.S. has taken its first steps toward an ecomony based on renewable, domestically available energy sources, a change that can't come a moment too soon.
The Bad: Endangered Species, Mountain Top Removal Mining
- In a shock to many who had hoped that the Obama administration would be able to correct the irresponsible environmental and wildlife policies that riddled the Bush administration, the hunting of the gray wolf was once again made legal in the United States, for the first time in decades.
- The end of 2009 saw an unprecedented chance for the United States to take a leading role in the climate change change debate by bringing an agressive climate regulation bill to Copenhagen, but despite thousands of petition signatures, political controversy prevented the House and Senate from reaching an agreemement.
- While big ticket issues like climate change and healthcare monopolized most of the public and media attention, less popular issues like the negative impact of mountain top removal mining were shoved to the back burner. Despite the initial positive action of freezing over 70 new mountain top removal mining permits in the begining of the term, and declaring that it would finally take an in depth look at the potentally hazardous environmental consequences of this destructive practice, the EPA cracked under the pressure, and approved more mountain top removal mining sites in the already devastated West Virginina mountains.
The Dissapointing: Copenhagen, Superfund Sites, Ethanol
- Without a doubt, the President's unwillingness to commit to a meaningful appearance at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen was one of his more obvious environmental dissapointments. Concerned environmentalists begged, wrote letters, pleaded, and signed petitions for months leading up to the conference, only to finally find out in the 11th hour that he would attend only for one day. The decision was presented almost as an after thought, and reports included the qualification that Obama would only stop in "on his way to Oslo to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize."
- Although many thought that under Obama the EPA would emerge stronger and more empowered than ever before, the reality has been a lackluster agency that seems to take one step forward only to take two steps back. Many were shocked when Obama's EPA announced that that over its first three years it would clean up less Superfund sites—the nation's most contaminated places—than any administration since 1991, including the Bush administration (Mongabay.com). The EPA will only finalize clean up on 42 sites in the next two years, although 527 sites remain that require cleaning-up.
- When the U.S. first started to wake up to the fact that oil and coal were both dirty and unreliable sources of energy, science was frantic to come up with an alternative that could be produced here at home. Many thought ethanol (a corn-based gasoline additive) could have been that silver bullet, but instead it drove up the price of food, and remained unaccessible and impractical for many drivers. Despite the fact that subsequent studies have shown that ethanol is anything but environmentally friendly, "the President continues to stand behind ethanol, bowing to political pressure from lobbyists with powerful agricultural companies and representatives from the Midwest who want subsidies on ethanol, even though science has proven it is inefficient" (Mongabay.com).
Can you think of a Good, Bad or Disappointing environmental move that Obama made in the past year, but isn't on this list? Please share it in a comment!
Image found at: www.american.com
Copyright by The Bergman Group/Darren Wamboldt.


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Note: Photographs below might not be suitable for those sensitive to blood or extreme cuteness.
Today marks a very important day in our family. One whole year has passed since Enzo's birth. I don't know why I haven't written down the details of his birth until now. It's hard to compile facts and emotions that are so close to my heart, but I don't want to forget. So here I go.
Travis and I, always talked about having a handful of kids. But when we discovered I have a bicornuate (heart-shaped) uterus, we quickly realized that none of this is in our control. Pregnancy wasn't easy with Lucia, but she came to us full-term and perfect. So we didn't anticipate the roller coaster ride we would be on this time around.
My third trimester was when I started to feel well enough to go on walks and exercise at the gym. I really enjoyed being pregnant. I was keeping busy with client meetings, crafts with Lucia, nesting and enjoying the sunshine we would get after days of rain.
At 33 weeks, I was fairly certain my water broke (7 weeks before my due date). We went to the hospital late on a Wednesday night, and after doing an exam they determined I was fine, and sent me home. I spent all of Thursday at home taking it easy (as easy as you can with a busy 2-year-old). I was absolutely positive my water broke and decided to wait until Friday morning. I didn't want to be sent away again! On Friday morning, I drove myself to the hospital, and they admitted me. Finding out that my water actually broke, and that my baby would be coming much, MUCH sooner than we expected or planned was terrifying news to get when you're all by yourself. It was a slow enough leak that they wanted to wait until I went into active labor before delivering, ensuring our baby had the most time possible for growth and development in the womb.
I had so much to do — spring cleaning, organizing, emails — but all I could think of was all the time I was losing with Lucia. I was losing the time I planned to better prepare her for the arrival of her brother. It all became very scary and real to me. I wasn't prepared, mentally or emotionally. I was losing nearly two months to prepare! Fear and doubt were creeping in.
Later on that day, Travis brought Lucia to see me. Seeing them made all my fears disappear for a moment. I wanted Travis to be with Lucia as much as possible so she could still have a little bit of normalcy. So I was alone most of the time in the hospital. When we let family and friends know what was happening, phone calls and messages came flooding in. So many prayers and positive energy were sent our way. I was so grateful and felt so loved. It was very difficult for me to talk to anyone other than Travis, though. I felt so vulnerable, and I just tried to hold it together, as I prayed our little boy would stay in for just a bit longer.
Being on official bed rest at the hospital (a possibility that loomed over both pregnancies), meant that I had a lot of time on my hands. It was so weird to not be cleaning something, getting work done or playing with our girl. Doctors and nurses were in and out of my room all day, so it was hard for me to actually relax.
Saturday was supposed to be my baby shower, so my loving and thoughtful girlfriends threw me onein the cafeteria at the hospital. My dear friend even came to do my hair beforehand. Because you know, sitting in a wheelchair, in a hospital gown isn't the most glamorous look. I wasn't up for visitors that weren't close family the rest of my hospital stay, but my baby shower was a huge bright spot during those dark days. (Literally and metaphorically. It was so rainy and yucky outside!)
The days seem to blend together. I received two steroid shots to help the development of the baby's brain and lungs. They also gave me two ultrasounds to ensure I had enough amniotic fluid for him and to check his weight. They were pretty sure he would weigh between two and a half and three pounds. They talked about the NICU, breathing tubes, and a myriad of concerns premature babies can have.
All I could do was pray, drink a ton of water (amniotic fluid can regenerate!), and try my best to not let stress get to me. I received a blessing that comforted my heart. Comfort I so desperately needed. We had to hope for the best, but we were prepared for the worst. This helped clear my mind.
I had contractions for a couple of days, but they were not progressing. Late Monday night, I realized they were becoming much stronger, but was so tired, I tried to sleep it off. The nurse came in to check me at 2:00am, and she could feel his leg coming down. Within a minute, my room was filled with half a dozen nurses, prepping me for surgery, asking me questions, and moving me to a gurney. I called Travis in shock and sobbing, hardly able to get the words out. I told him to hurry. The on-call doctor was ready to put me completely under and perform the surgery without my doctor or husband. I cried as silently as I could and told the nurse I wasn't ready. When the nurse contacted my doctor, he told them to have the anesthesiologist give me a spinal block, and to WAIT. He was going to be there and they were going to wait for Travis, too. He was out of town when I was admitted to the hospital and came home from his trip a few days early. What a saint.
It wasn't long before I was on the O.R. table, getting my spinal block while laying down. The anesthesiologist said he hadn't performed one in this position for a long time. My previous experience was horrible, so to hear him say that wasn't comforting, at all. A couple minutes passed, and my doctor walked in. I had been crying, and when I saw him, he held my hand, looked me in the eyes and told me that everything was going to be alright. Immediately, a calmness swept over me. The doctor that delivered Lucia, was on his sabbatical, and his son (my current doctor) took over his practice. I am so grateful to those two men that safely brought my babies into this world, with such care. I'll always have a soft spot for both of them.
Travis walked in the O.R. just as they started, and I finally accepted the fact that our boy was going to be delivered. It would be ok, because he was by my side. There were still so many unknowns, but I knew we would be ok. This whole pregnancy, I kept reminding myself that no two pregnancies are alike. Neither are the babies. I am grateful for this, because I knew our son would be whisked away, and I wouldn't have that same bonding I had with Lucia in recovery.
When our doctor announced our baby was about to be born, I held my breath. Often times, preemies don't cry when they come out of the womb and have to be hooked up to oxygen. But just a split second later, we heard a loud wail. I caught a glimpse of him, and through my tears, I could tell this child was not as small as we had anticipated. They cleaned him up and let me touch him. He was crying, and when our cheeks touched, he calmed down, immediately. It was magic. This child was ours. He was a miracle from God (in many ways). I couldn't be happier, in that moment. Travis looked at me and said, "Enzo?" and I said, "Sure." We had a hard time coming up with names, but that one was the only one we both liked. We hadn't even talked about it much, because well, we thought we had more time! But knowing him now, it suits him perfectly.
It wasn't long before they took him up to NICU. Our doctor walked Travis up to check in on Enzo while I was taken to recovery. Because I had a bad reaction to the medication after giving birth to Lucia, they gave me something that wasn't as powerful, which made recovery much worse. I was in excruciating pain, and the medication just wouldn't work fast enough.
Travis came back after what seemed like a decade. He was holding up an index card that read: "5#5oz 18in". I could hardly see and was confused at what he was showing me. After Travis asked if I could read it, I quickly realized what it was. Our baby that was measuring normal for 33 weeks was actually the size of many full-term babies (on the smaller side of the spectrum). Lucia was 7lbs 10oz, so it seemed odd that he would be this huge baby, considering they carried almost identically. We both just cried tears of joy and tears of gratitude. It truly was a miracle.
Enzo stayed in the NICU while I was at the hospital. I was so eager to see him and to be physically able to care for both of my children. I quickly started walking around my room, then the hall, and then the wing. The quicker I got moving, the quicker I would be able to care for two children. We would walk to the NICU to deliver the tiny drops of milk I pumped and spend hours holding him, skin to skin. I left the hospital a day early, because I so desperately missed my Lucia and only saw Enzo a few times a day, anyway. So we made plans with family and friends, to arrange babysitting, and rides for me to be with Enzo in the morning, returning in the evening with Travis.
From the first day, Enzo was able to nurse, which was somewhat surprising to us because he was so small. When I wasn't there feeding him, I left milk for them. He got stronger and stronger by the day, and we prayed fervently that he would come home with us, very soon. They warned us it would likely be a month, at a minimum. But he was only being monitored. There were no issues with his development or how is body functioned. They simply wanted to be sure his heart and lungs worked and that he could put on weight. After a couple of days under the lamp his bilirubins went down, and they were able to put him in the intermediate care nursery. After a day, he was able to maintain his temperature, so he was able to come out of the incubator, and into an open-air crib. Every day was an answered prayer.
We were told on day eight that he would likely be able to go home the following day. We were shocked and happy (and maybe a bit nervous) to bring him home. We called our dear friend, Jeff, to see if he would be able to capture Enzo coming home and meeting Lucia for the first time. This all had taken such a toll on Lucia, but true to her sweet nature, she was so thrilled to meet him for the first time.
It was agony for me to have my children separated for this period, but I am so grateful we have their first meeting on film. It is easily, one of the most special moments of my entire life. They are truly best friends, and watching them grow closer every day, is my favorite part of being their mama.
This past year has been beautiful. It has been filled with so much joy, some heartache, trials and challenges (as life is and should be for our growth). I wouldn't change it in any way. The journey to motherhood has not been easy, and I have left many of those very personal challenges out. But I realize, how fortunate I am to have these two beautiful, healthy, thriving children. I have written these words because I believe there is power in sharing our stories with each other. I am a visual person, but sometimes photos don't tell the whole story. I want our Enzo to know, from the very beginning of his life, he has been a fighter. There was a time early on when we were pretty positive I was no longer pregnant. In every way, he has surprised us, time after time. He's one tough little guy, and I am so grateful I have been given the opportunity to nurture and love him.
Happy first birthday, my sweet Enzo Travis. We love you so very much.
You love to say: papa, mama, bubba, hi, bye, dudu (Lulu). You give the most generous kisses and hugs. You're so close to walking, and I know it will be when YOU want to. For now, you would probably win an Olympic medal for speed crawling. You're super stealth and a master of getting into things and creating messes in less than a second. You have 6 adorable teeth that are razor sharp and a super strong grip. You've been strong your whole life. You are rarely displeased, and you love to growl and squeal when you're happy.
You love to observe your surroundings and clap. You are simply a happy baby. I'm pretty sure the only time you cry are when you are hungry and mama just isn't fast enough, or if you close your fingers in a drawer. You love any type of ball, and your favorite hobby is slamming your Nerf baseball bat on the floor. Sissy is your best friend, and you two make each other laugh constantly. I love to hear you when you're both going down for a nap or bedtime, and you laugh and giggle with each other. No one makes her happier and vice versa. You are a great blessing to our family, and we're so happy you're ours.


text:
Wild West Video Poker - 0.99 USD
by ShrinkRay, Version: 1.2 , 1400 KB Official Site
Package name: uk.co.shrinkray.wildwestvideopoker , Last Update: 2012-09-11 06:29:36
55 ratings (4.255 average)
1,000-5,000 downloads
What's new in this version (1.2):
Fixed a minor bug with large displays (e.g. Samsung Galaxy).
Large balances should display better.
Added an "Easy Mode" in the options... selecting will improve your chances of improving your hand when you draw.
Added information about the options in help.
We're looking into issues with the card size on the Nexus 7 (now we finally have one to hand).
Optimised graphics for phones with high density screens like the Droid and Nexus One.
4 game types, including Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Joker Poker and Double Double Bonus.
Last comments from Android Market
Anonymous (****)
Love it. Easy to see and use.
Marc (*****)
Good job definitely the best video poker on the market. Wish the odds weren't so steep that I have to reset the bank so often. Smooth on SGS.
Derek (***)
This is a great game, easy to use and see. Actually tougher to hit a jackpot than in Vegas. Makes it a little frustrating, not being able to win!
Beate (*****)
Really easy and fun!
Joseph (****)
All good
Cindy (*****)
Best there is! I would recommend above all others.
Daniel (*)
Way to hard to hit 4 deuces. Have played thousands of hands. It's a game. Make it fun. I have done better on real machines in Vegas!
Scott (****)
Best video poker game here...would be 5 star if the stats could be saved/reset...bonus points for multihand
Mandie (*****)
I am a big fan..but still haven't hit the elusive royal flush..maybe next time..
Mark (*****)
Great video poker with multiple gametypes, works flawlessly on HTC evo.


text:
Target: FREE Hydrogen Peroxide
With the new Target Mobile Coupons, you can score FREE Hydrogen Peroxide at Target. I will be going over to pick up freebie! Why? Well, as you know my dog loves to play with black and white "cats" aka skunks. Peroxide and Baking Soda are the one thing that seems to help. So anyway, back to the freebie!
Up & Up Hydrogen Peroxide $.89
use $1/1 Up & Up First Aid Item Target Mobile Coupon x5/16
FREE after coupon
Thanks, Totally Target


text:
Electrical Equipment for Practical Hazardous Areas for Engineers and Technicians - One Day Refresher Training - Outside Europe
This workshop provides you with an understanding of the hazards involved in using electrical equipment in potentially explosive atmospheres. This refresher workshop is suitable for you if you have a good understanding of the requirements for electrical equipment in hazardous areas (if not; contact us for further suggestions). It is based on the international IEC60079 series of standards that are now replacing many of the older national standards. Installation utilising Explosion-Protected (Ex) equipment can be expensive to design, install and operate. The wider approaches described in these standards can significantly reduce costs whilst maintaining plant safety.
The associated terminology and its correct use are explained throughout the workshop. It covers area classification, selection of explosion protected electrical apparatus as well as describing how protection is achieved and maintained in line with these international requirements. Standards require that engineering staff and their management are trained effectively and safely in hazardous areas and this workshop is designed to help fulfil that need.


text:
Ranch-raised beef featured at family-owned quality burger place
Of the several options for driving home to Boulder from Crested Butte, we decided on US 50, since we hadn't been through the Arkansas River Valley in a long time. Name a fast food chain, any chain, and one of its locations is probably along US 50 in or near Cañon City. Since I won't go to fast food restaurant, except to use the restroom, food prospects looked bleak — until I spotted the welcome unfamiliarity of the sign for Bunk House Burgers. The squat building on the frontage road looks as if it had been reclaimed from a chain, but the genuine welcome and the genuine food elevate it above what I refer to as the "McBurger King Bell" chains that dominate too much of the American landscape, including the Cañon City strip.
Opened earlier this year, BHB is family-owned and -run by Kathleen Bowman and her husband, Bruce, and a sister whose name I didn't get from an article in the Cañon City Daily Record. The grass-fed, all-natural Angus beef comes from Yampa Valley Beef, a family-run ranch up in the Toponas-Steamboat area.homesteaded by Wayne Shoemaker's great-grandparents. Little wonder that BHB burgers, which come in three sizes, are far better than those of the chains down the street — and unquestionably worth the addition expense too. Bottom line is that I'd rather have the smallest BHB burger than the largest from a chain. BHB makes just about everything in-house.
Price check: Burgers (4, 6.3 or 8 ounces), $6.25 to $9.55, plus Build Your Own Burner with a choice of patties. buns, cheese and fixin's; chicken sandwiches and veggie burger, $4.35-$7.55; Little Squirts (children's menu), $3.75-$4.25; cookies, $1.95 and deep fried cheesecake (which we didn't dare try!).


text:
Give Now
FluMist is a live form of the vaccination that is administered as a nasal spray and was a preferred choice for many young children because there's no needle.
Experts say a vaccine-resistant mutation may be to blame for the rise in the number of flu cases this year.
More seniors appear to be dying this year from the flu.
Health officials are encouraging people to get vaccinated so they are protected from the flu.
Clinicians and doctors are protecting patients from influenza early this year.
The worst part of the flu season is expected later this year.
Health officials are reporting the first influenza death in Indiana this flu season.
Officials at the Indiana Department of Health are advising Hoosiers to start getting their seasonal flu shots.


text:
Ser vecinos
By: Maya Ajmera and John D. Ivanko
Around the world, children live in community with others, sharing homes, resources, and experiences with their neighbors. This book celebrates what it means to be a neighbor the whole world over--from Vietnam to the United States, Austria to Kenya and everywhere in between.
Look Inside the Book:
Author Bios:Maya Ajmera, author
Maya Ajmera is the creator and spokesperson for Children from Australia to Zimbabwe: A Photographic Journey Around the World and co-author of the global education guide, Raising Children to Become Caring Contributors to the World. Maya is the founder and executive director of SHAKTI for Children. In the January 1999 issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Maya was named among "A new guard of non-profit leaders...that will shape the charity world in the next century."
Read more about Maya.John D. Ivanko, author
John D. Ivanko is an award-winning photographer and author, writer, national speaker, and conservationist who has done a fair bit of globetrotting. In 1992 John jumped off the corporate treadmill at an advertising agency to journey around the world on what has become known as his "quest for understanding." One year and 29 countries later, he returned to the United States with over 15,000 photographic images and stirring accounts of his journey. He never set foot in a cubicle again.
Read more about John.
Ages: 5-8
Page count: 32
If you like this book, you'll enjoy these:
To Be a Kid
Children from Australia to Zimbabwe
Come Out and Play


text:
Perfect for social media campaigns and blogs. Web photos (up to .5 MP). 1 Seat.
Learn More
Build a high res library or promote your brand. Up to Large (2.5-4.5 MP). 5 Seats.
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Get more high res photos and more. Up to Large (2.5-4.5 MP). 25 Seats.
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plants, metal, structure, plant, metallic
plants behind metal structure


text: Message-Id: <firstname.lastname@example.com> Date: Tue, 02 Jul 1996 04:09:40 +0900 From: Ka-Ping Yee <email@example.com> To: On-Off Switch Comments <firstname.lastname@example.com> Cc: email@example.com Subject: Re: Proposal: "On Off" switch HTML forms Input Object My personal opinion is that the functionality of this proposed ONOFF widget is essentially identical to that of a CHECKBOX, and they are too similar to warrant another widget. Excuse me, what happened to INPUT TYPE=RANGE? I was looking forward to seeing it, and it seems like one of the most useful additions to forms i can think of. Did anyone implement or plan to implement RANGE when it appeared in HTML 3.0? Ping


text:
Houston, TX (PRWEB) February 07, 2013
Adonis Golden Ratio that is all about attaining the so-called "perfect" shoulder to waist circumference ratio through a tailored a workout and nutrition program that makes the body burn up fat for energy and build its lean muscle mass at the fastest rate possible by adding in the aspect of one's personal DNA has caught the attention Stan Stevenson of AdonisGoldenRatioReviews.com, prompting an investigative review.
"One thing we particularly like about the Adonis Golden Ratio is that it works for every guy, no matter what your age or stage of training. You might be right at the beginning of your workout plan, or perhaps you've been pushing weights for years – it matters not! That's because the training plan can be tweaked to be suitable for whatever your level of fitness," reports Stevenson. "Whether you're 17 and just starting to take an interest, or perhaps you're in your 50s or 60s, and still know how important it is to train to look good, the Adonis Golden Ratio will work – period! You also get some in-depth knowledge on the types of exercise you should avoid, as well as what you should be doing."
After a closer Adonis Golden Ratio review it shows that it includes a 12 Week Workout Program designed to work with the body to literally force it to lose fat and build lean muscle, 78 Advanced Video Lessons to perfect the technique and gain maximum effect from each and every workout, The Adonis Golden Ratio Nutrition Guide where people learn how to customize their nutrition according to their own personal "Adonis Index", and The Adonis Golden Ratio Supplementation Guide about using the correct supplementation that honestly can help accelerate one's efforts to lose fat and build lean muscle. People also get lifetime free upgrades, just in case any future knowledge means that John adds or changes anything in his program. If so, any program or technique changes will be provided to them free of charge, forever.
"One of the best things about the Adonis Golden Ratio is that not only does it show you exactly what you need to do to create the body to die for, but it also tells you why. Why you need to work out in a certain manner as well as how to do it, is probably one of the best things going for this program," says Stevenson. "Boredom is one of the biggest reasons that folk don't stick to their workout plans. The variety is excellent, meaning that your interest remains piqued throughout. There's more than enough opportunity to customize the Adonis Golden Ratio to create your own powerful and target driven workouts."
"The program is simplicity itself to follow, and one that leaves no room for error. It really is a completely comprehensive method towards muscle building and body sculpting. In fact, if you truly follow the program, there's literally no way you can fail to work towards the body you've always dreamed of. In a nutshell – this is a great workout program. It's interesting that John has created a training regime almost in a topsy-turvy manner. This means that he first studied the ideal physique, and then put into place the exact methods needed to create that body. And there's no denying that it works – whatever shape and type your body might be."
Those wishing to purchase Adonis Golden Ratio, or for more information, click here.
To access a comprehensive Adonis Golden Ratio review, visit http://adonisgoldenratioreviews.com/adonis-golden-ratio-review


text:
Install YouTube++ on your iOS 10 devices if you want to save YouTube videos and want YouTube Red features for free. There are many ways to save YouTube videos on your iOS devices but YouTube++ is by far the simplest of all. To install YouTube++ on your device, you don't need to jailbreak your iOS 10 iPhone or iPad.
YouTube++ isn't just an app to save YouTube videos but it also adds other features to your stock YouTube app that you download from App Store. If you're a music buff and listen to YouTube a lot, you must know about YouTube Red Program, the premium service feature offered by the developer company of YouTube app.
Install YouTube++ to save YouTube videos on iOS 10
YouTube Red is a paid add-on to the stock YouTube app with some exclusive features. These features include an ad-free experience for your YouTube app. With YouTube Red you don't have to see another ad again. Another important feature of YouTube Red is that you can play YouTube videos in the background on your iOS device.
YouTube Red is a premium service and it is here that the YouTube++ tweak comes into the picture. When you install YouTube++, you get all the premium features of YouTube Red for free. It not only saves your money but also adds other functionality to your YouTube app. It lets you save YouTube videos right from your YouTube stock app into your iOS 10 iPhone or iPad. Best thing is that you don't even need to Jailbreak your device.
To install YouTube++ and save YouTube videos in your iPhone or iPad without Jailbreak you only need Cydia Impactor and an Apple ID and password.
Install YouTube++ on iOS 10 without Jailbreak
To install YouTube++ on your iOS 10 without Jailbreak, you need .ipa file of YouTube++ and Cydia Impactor. Cydia Impactor will basically sign you up with iOS developer account with your Apple ID and password and let you use the .ipa file to get YouTube++ on your device.
- You can download YouTube++ .ipa file from http://mega.nz
- Download Cydia Impactor.
- Connect your device to your computer.
- Open Cydia Impactor.
- Drag and drop the .ipa file into Cydia Impactor.
- Enter your Apple ID and Password.
- Wait for the app to install YouTube++ on your device.
- Now go to Settings > General > Device Management.
- Find the profile for YouTube++ with your Apple ID. Trust the profile.
Now launch your YouTube app and experience the difference. You will not see a single ad in your stock YouTube app and will be able to enjoy YouTube music in the background. It is evident that these special features of YouTube Red Program are available to you for free due to YouTube++.
Save YouTube video on iOS 10 without Jailbreak
You will notice that now you can save the YouTube video you like in your iPhone or iPad with just a click. Download the video file and enjoy your favorite songs offline in the background and on the lock screen. There is only one party pooper though, you'll have to repeat the above steps to download and install YouTube++ every seven days.
If you don't want YouTube Red features and only want to save YouTube videos for offline view or listening, you don't need to install YouTube++ through Cydia Impactor. There are other methods to save YouTube videos on your device but none is so simple and straightforward. Therefore, we recommend you to install YouTube++ to save YouTube videos and enjoy YouTube Red features as a bonus.


text:
Archive - Aug 2006 - Story
Pennsic Chirurgeonate Concerns
Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2006-08-31 19:36
Jason Williams, Chairman, SCA Inc., addresses concerns about the closing of Chirurgeon's Point at Pennsic XXXV.
Medieval Law Saddles Queen with Rat-Infested House
Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2006-08-31 18:50
Residents of Manchester, England have declared Her Majesty owner of of an abandoned and vandalized house thanks to a 607-year-old law that turns over ownership of abandoned buildings to the Crown.
Lords & Ladies, Welcome Aboard the Floating Ren Faire!
Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2006-08-31 14:20
For those who want the Middle Ages with all the comforts of a cruise: Mirth & Merriment Aboard The Carnival Miracle!
Today in the Middle Ages: August 31, 1057
Submitted by Ursula on Thu, 2006-08-31 09:45
Leofric, Earl of Mercia and the husband of Lady Godiva, died on August 31, 1057.
Flight of the Falcon II Photos Online
Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2006-08-31 06:54
Antonio Felluci has posted photos from Flight of The Falcon II, an event in the Kingdom of Atlantia that emphasized classes for newcomers.
August 30th
Round Table Building Discovered at Windsor Castle
Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2006-08-30 17:40
Channel 4's Time Team may have discovered evidence of the existence of the original round table at Windsor Castle. The team has found some evidence of a round structure built by Edward III constructed to house the table and the original 300 Knights of the Garter.
Vellum & Parchment Makers' List Created
Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2006-08-30 13:52
Sir Aengus MacBain of the Kingdom of AEthelmearc has created a discussion list for parchment and vellum makers
Today in the Middle Ages: August 30, 1125
Submitted by Ursula on Wed, 2006-08-30 10:02
Lothair of Supplinburg, Duke of Saxony, was elected King of Germany on August 30, 1125. He would later become Holy Roman Emperor Lothair III.
Drachenwald Establishes Shire in Romania
Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2006-08-30 05:37
Arnulf der Zeilner, Kingdom Chatelain for the Kingdom of Drachenwald, has announced that the Incipient Shire of Corvinia has been established in Romania.
August 29th
Fashions for the Well-Dressed Reenactor
Steve Tarter of the Peoria, Illinois Journal Star "went medieval" when he visted with Valerie Lilley of Sofi's Stitches to discuss the meaning of "dressing for success" medieval style.
Photos from Purgatorio
Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2006-08-29 13:33
Ysabella Dolfin, Autocrat for the West Kingdom's Purgatorio event, has posted photos from the day.
Today in the Middle Ages: August 29, 1475
Submitted by Ursula on Tue, 2006-08-29 10:50
Edward IV of England invaded France on August 29, 1475, a few years after eliminating Lancastrian resistance at the Battle of Tewkesbury.
Blood Spilled During Australian Demo
Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2006-08-29 08:19
A medieval educational demo for elementary school students in Brisbane, Australia turned bloody when one of the re-enactors was slightly injured by a rapier blade.
August 28th
Today in the Middle Ages: August 28, 1549
Submitted by Ursula on Mon, 2006-08-28 10:07
On August 28, 1549, the Baron d'Aguerre and the Lord of Fendilles fought a duel with bastard swords after quarreling in the King's chamber.
World's Oldest Condom Found
Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2006-08-28 09:22
Archaeologists have discovered the world's oldest surviving condom in Lund, Sweden. The artifact dates to 1640 and is made of pig's intestine.
Justin's photos from Pennsic War 35
Submitted by Justin on Mon, 2006-08-28 06:30
SCAtoday.net Publisher Iustinos Tekton presents his photos from Pennsic War XXXV (2006).
August 27th
Iron Rosebuds Discussion List Created
Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2006-08-27 18:21
THL Grian Ruadh ingen Aed, Matriarch of House Ironrose, has announced the establishment of a new list for participants in Youth Combat called Iron Rosebuds.
Today in the Middle Ages: August 27, 1172
Submitted by Ursula on Sun, 2006-08-27 14:59
Marguerite, wife of Henry Plantagenet "the Young King", was crowned Queen of England on August 27, 1172, two years after her husband was crowned during his father Henry II's lifetime.
New Peers Made at Pennsic
Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2006-08-27 07:26
The Pennsic Independent reported on a number of peerages offered and accepted at this year's Pennsic War.
August 26th
Possible Benedictine Guesthouse Found Under Pub
Submitted by JaneStockton on Sat, 2006-08-26 15:27
Archaeologists believe they have unearthed a medieval Benedictine hostelry beneath a pub near Byland Abbey near Coxwold.
King and Queen of the Acadiana Medieval Faire Announced
Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2006-08-26 10:54
The Acadiana Medieval Faire (Lafayette, Louisiana) is pleased to announce the selection of its King and Queen for the 2007 season. Portraying 14th century English monarch Edward III will be Wade Heaton. Dionne Charlet will be portraying his wife, Queen Phillippa.
New Montana Shire Hosts "Whipping Winds"
Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2006-08-26 07:40
Williamson Park in Shelby, Montana heard the sound of sword on metal recently when the Shire of Windegate hosted Whipping Winds III, an event that included armored combat, classes and archery. Terrell Cotterell of the Promoter covered the story.
August 25th
Darwin Awards Author at Pennsic
Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2006-08-25 20:12
Wendy Northcutt, author of the Darwin Award books, attended Pennsic 35 and collected a few SCA stories for future volumes.
Oldest North American Settlement Found - Quebec City
Submitted by JaneStockton on Fri, 2006-08-25 17:22
The Government of Quebec is to spend CDN$8 million on excavating a site believed to be the site of a fort built by Jacques Cartier built during his third and final voyage to the French colony.
Medieval Punishments "Sensible and Humane"
Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2006-08-25 14:00
Think you know everything about the cruelty of medieval justice? An article by Heather Whipps of LiveScience may surprise you. A new view is that justice in the Middle Ages was quite progressive.
Eirik Andersen's Pennsic War 35 Opening Ceremonies Photos
Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2006-08-25 10:29
Eirik Andersen has posted the first of his Pennsic 35 photo albums: Opening Ceremonies.
August 24th
Woad may have modern use in cancer-busting drugs
Submitted by Radagar on Thu, 2006-08-24 18:18
The medieval Scottish rebels made famous in the movie Braveheart used dye from the woad plant to paint their faces blue for battle. Now Italian biochemists say this plant could become a promising weapon in the fight against cancer.
Fantasy "Dane's Head" league seeks interested parties
Submitted by louis on Thu, 2006-08-24 14:38
A SCAdian is organizing a "fantasy football [American]" league for those interested in the modern version of period bloodsport.
Today in the Middle Ages: August 24, 410 C.E.
Submitted by Ursula on Thu, 2006-08-24 10:04
On August 24, 410, King Alaric the Goth sacked Rome. This event is sometimes regarded as the beginning of the Middle Ages.
Liam St. Liam's Pennsic 35 Photos Online
Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2006-08-24 06:21
Pennsic Independent photographer Liam St. Liam has posted an album of photos taken at Pennsic 35.
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text:
Except for the production line, I hate teams at work, although some of my best work experiences were with teams composed of friends who all trusted each other. That is the rub: There is usually an insufferable shmendrik who ruins it for everyone by his insane rush to conquer the world one work group at a time.

So, my advice is don't do it if you don't have to, but if you must, make sure it is clear that:

- deadlines are serious

- poor quality data from one party to the next is a mortal sin

- Do your damn work and don't whinge about it

- Meetings should be short and sweet, get the the project knocked out so you can do more pleasant work
And if a person for whatever reason does not pull his load, kick him off the team and get a better replacement.
Im not saying im flawless but when it comes to family and my job im quite logical and rational and of course women find me irresistable. :)
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text:
RUFC - Notice to Fans
Rotherham United are reminding both sets of supporters that it is a criminal offence to invade the field of play before this afternoon`s game at Don Valley with Torquay.
In preceding years, it has been a tradition for fans to run onto the pitch after the final whistle of the last game of the season but the club have been informed that, in light of recent events, they WILL face financial penalties if supporters go on the pitch today.
To thank everyone for their fantastic support this year, the team have planned to do a lap of honour
Vital Rotherham on:
Vital Rotherham on:


text:
Apr 02,2007
Refugee riots break out in Pakistan
by UPI
PESHAWAR - An eruption of riots after an Afghan refugee was killed in Pakistan prompted United Nations officials to stop the refugee repatriation program indefinitely.Police fired tear gas shells and used batons to disperse the rock-throwing demonstrators who had blocked the Peshawar-Torkham road Saturday, the Dawn news agency reported. A U.N. refugees commissioner said the refugee verification center was closed as a precaution.Witnesses said a refugee died when paramilitary forces fired on a crowd that was beating a U.N. worker for allegedly demanding a bribe. A senior police official denied that the Afghan had been killed by law enforcement personnel.Thousands of Afghan families have converged on the center since the government set April 15 as the deadline for the unregistered Afghans. The U.N. agency said unregistered Afghans will not be paid a $100-per-head assistance fee after the grace period.
Copyright © 2007, by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Help & Support
Switching to Power NI
Do I need to cancel my Direct Debit with my previous supplier?
No, there is no need for you to contact your previous supplier. We'll tell them that you're switching supplier and, after the final bill is paid, they'll cancel the Direct Debit.
We're sorry to hear that
Please tell us how to make this content better
Thanks for taking the time to do that!
Thanks for taking the time to do that.
If you need a personal response, be sure to Contact us.


text:
I did not compile in netfilter in the cross compiled kernel I made in the previous post, so I had to recompile. Here is how to compile and install the kernel natively on the NAS.
Install mkimage.
The package
u-boot-tools is needed to get the
mkimage command to make an U-Boot kernel image.
emerge u-boot-tools
Compile the kernel.
Go to the sources and reconfigure them using menuconfig.
cd /usr/src/linux
make menuconfig
Compile kernel.
make zImage ox820-pogoplug-pro.dtb
Compile and install modules.
make modules
make modules_install
Create the kernel image.
cat arch/arm/boot/zImage arch/arm/boot/dts/ox820-pogoplug-pro.dtb > arch/arm/boot/zImage.fdt
scripts/mkuboot.sh -A arm -O linux -C none -T kernel -a 0x60008000 -e 0x60008000 -n 'Linux-3.11.1+' -d arch/arm/boot/zImage.fdt arch/arm/boot/uImage
Write the image to the disk.
Edit the disk_create script to change the target drive in the variable
disk to
Integrate the new kernel into WarheadsSE's tool.
cd /usr/src/disk_create
cp /usr/src/linux/arch/arm/boot/uImage uImages/gentoo
Write the image.
Happy hacking.
I bought an USB WIFI dongle, on ebay, to use with the Raspberry Pi. I thought the chip was a Ralink chip which is supported, but it turned out it was a MediaTek MT7601.
Bus 001 Device 005: ID 148f:7601 Ralink Technology, Corp.
All this is for Raspian and I have gathered all the steps needed here.
2015 August update
There are now a couple of alternative drivers, and an in kernel one, from 4.2 on.
|Kernel version
|from 3.0
|Between 3.19 and 4.2
|From 4.2
|Included in kernel as
Old MediaTek driver
The driver is available at MediaTek's download page here (there is an error on that page, select 71610U for linux. Link. Find the one called "MT7601U USB". I have the file mirrored here.
These instructions work for building the driver.
Become root.
sudo -s
Download latest updates.
apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
Download linux kernel source, this is needed to compile the driver module.
cd /usr/src
git clone https://github.com/raspberrypi/linux.git
sudo ln -s /usr/src/linux /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build
cd linux
Prepare the kernel with the current kernel config from the running system.
make mrproper
zcat /proc/config.gz > .config
cp .config .config.org
make modules_prepare
Download the module symbols of the current kernel, to avoid having to recompile the kernel.
wget https://raw.github.com/raspberrypi/firmware/master/extra/Module.symvers
Get the MT7601 USB driver into your home directory. Then, lets uncompress the file.
cd ~
tar -xvjpf DPO_MT7601U_LinuxSTA_22.214.171.124_20130913.tar.bz2
cd DPO*
The default driver is really noisy and spits out a lot of debug information. This
behaviour can be stopped by changing a line in
os/linux/rt_linux.c from:
ULONG RTDebugLevel = RT_DEBUG_TRACE;
ULONG RTDebugLevel = 0; // RT_DEBUG_TRACE;
Finally build the driver and install it.
make install
Raspbian configuration
Configure the ra0 interface for DHCP and make it start at boot. Edit
to look like:
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
iface eth0 inet dhcp
auto ra0
allow-hotplug ra0
iface ra0 inet dhcp
wpa-conf /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
iface default inet dhcp
Then add your WIFI name and key to
ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
The wireless network is then brought up by:
ifup ra0
or a reboot.
I was given a Medion MD86517 NAS without a drive for free. I wanted to put a 2.5" disk in it, and use it as a web-server. The NAS runs Linux, and the sources are here.
A large part of the installation was done on a regular Gentoo x86/x64 PC, using a SATA to USB converter. Start with a clean drive with no partitions, connected to the host computer (Not the NAS).
During the install, I have aimed to have all files needed for a new intall,
located on the NAS drive itself, in the hopes that it will make a reinstall,
easier. You can of course remove these files from
/usr/src, if you do not
want this.
Much of this stuff needs root permissions, and all the NAS side stuff is done through a serial connection. If something is unclear, read The Gentoo handbook, this is in essence the same procedure, except I boot into the system instead of chrooting.
A lot of thanks and credit to the people in this thread, without whom I would never have gotten on the right track.
To boot from the SATA disk, a special partition layout is needed. The ox820
reads the start of the drive, to check if it is bootable. A script has been
written to put the right data in the first part of the hard disk.
Download disk creation files created by
WarheadsSE, extract the files somewhere, and
enter that directory. Edit the disk_create script to change the target drive
in the variable
Creating the partitions
Prepare the disk using WarheadsSE's tool.
Fire up fdisk to partition the disk.
fdisk -c=dos /dev/sdb
Create a small partition for U-Boot, stage1, and the kernel. WarheadsSE recommends a 10M partition. This partition must start at sector 2048.
Create a second partition for the root file system, leave a little space left for a swap partition.
Create a third partition for swap space. Set it as swap type.
Format the second and third partition, I use ext4 as the root file system.
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb2
mkswap /dev/sdb3
Last, mount the second partition to /mnt/gentoo, your partition may have another
designation than
cd /mnt
mkdir gentoo
mount /dev/sdb2 /mnt/gentoo
Root file system
Download a stage 3 Gentoo for ARM5, and extract it to /mnt/gentoo. Though the processor is ARM6 compatible, I could not get it to boot beyond the kernel using and ARM6 stage 3.
tar -xvjpf stage3-armv5tel-20140115.tar.bz2 -C /mnt/gentoo
Set the baud rate in /mnt/gentoo/etc/inittab to 115200. Change:
#s0:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty -L 9600 ttyS0 vt100
s0:12345:respawn:/sbin/agetty -L 115200 ttyS0 vt100
resolv.conf from your host
/etc directory, to have DNS working.
cp -L /etc/resolv.conf /mnt/gentoo/etc/resolv.conf
Create a link from
net.lo to
net.eth0 to enable the network at first
cd /mnt/gentoo/etc/init.d
ln -sf net.lo net.eth0
/mnt/gentoo/etc/fstab to set the devices for the root and swap file
system. The file should contain something like this:
#/dev/BOOT /boot ext2 noauto,noatime 1 2
/dev/sda2 / ext4 noatime 0 1
/dev/sda3 none swap sw 0 0
#/dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom auto noauto,ro 0 0
#/dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto noauto 0 0
Copy passwd and shadow from the running system to have your logins and passwords when you boot the NAS.
cp /etc/passwd /mnt/gentoo/etc/passwd
cp /etc/shadow /mnt/gentoo/etc/shadow
cp /etc/group /mnt/gentoo/etc/group
Select mirrors for portage.
mirrorselect -i -o >> /mnt/gentoo/etc/portage/make.conf
mirrorselect -i -r -o >> /mnt/gentoo/etc/portage/make.conf
Set the timezone.
echo "Europe/Copenhagen" > /mnt/gentoo/etc/timezone
Set the hostanme.
nano -w /mnt/gentoo/etc/conf.d/hostname
nano -w /mnt/gentoo/etc/hosts
Set the keymap (just in case).
nano -w /mnt/gentoo/etc/conf.d/keymaps
Last edit and change
UTC to local if needed.
nano -w /etc/conf.d/hwclock
You will need an ARM cross-compiler, Gentoo's
crossdev comes in handy.
crossdev -t armv5tel-softfloat-linux-gnueabi
Clone linux-oxnas into
cd /mnt/gentoo/usr/src
git clone https://github.com/kref/linux-oxnas
ln -sf linux-oxnas linux
cd linux-oxnas
make ARCH=arm ox820_defconfig CROSS_COMPILE=armv5tel-softfloat-linux-gnueabi-
make ARCH=arm menuconfig CROSS_COMPILE=armv5tel-softfloat-linux-gnueabi-
Boot options --->
[*] Use appended device tree blob to zImage (EXPERIMENTAL)
[*] Supplement the appended DTB with traditional ATAG information
disable PCI support if you device does not have one
Remember to compile in support for the root file system type, if you did like me this means enabling the ext4 file system.
File system --->
<*> The Extended 4 (ext 4) filesystem
Compile and create kernel image.
make ARCH=arm zImage ox820-pogoplug-pro.dtb CROSS_COMPILE=armv5tel-softfloat-linux-gnueabi-
cat arch/arm/boot/zImage arch/arm/boot/dts/ox820-pogoplug-pro.dtb > arch/arm/boot/zImage.fdt
scripts/mkuboot.sh -A arm -O linux -C none -T kernel -a 0x60008000 -e 0x60008000 -n 'Linux-3.11.1+' -d arch/arm/boot/zImage.fdt arch/arm/boot/uImage
Final disk creation
Copy WarheadsSE's disk creation files (contents of onax-sata-boot.tar.gz) to the
mkdir /mnt/gentoo/usr/src/disk_create
cp -Rv (Where you unpacked the files)/* /mnt/gentoo/usr/src/disk_create
Integrate the new kernel into WarheadsSE's tool.
cd /mnt/gentoo/usr/src/disk_create
cp /mnt/gentoo/usr/src/linux-oxnas/arch/arm/boot/uImage uImages/gentoo
rm uImage
ln -sf uImages/gentoo uImage
Preparing for first boot
Unmount and sync the disk.
cd /
umount /mnt/gentoo
Remove the drive from the host computer and physically install it in the NAS.
First Boot
Set the clock. MMDDhhmmCCYY is month, date, hour, minute, century, year
date MMDDhhmmCCYY
Get the portage tree.
emerge --sync
Set the Profile.
eselect profile list
I selected
eselect profile set 18
Configure the locales, first put the locales you want supported in
nano -w /etc/locale.gen
Generate the locales and select the system-wide one.
eselect locale list
eselect locale set *locale nr.*
env-update && source /etc/profile
Add the network interface to the startup.
rc-update add net.eth0 default
Update and install some needed stuff.
emerge -uDNv world ntp cronie syslog-ng openssh logrotate dhcpcd
Add it to the startup.
rc-update add syslog-ng default
rc-update add cronie default
rc-update add sshd default
rc-update add ntp-client default
rc-update add swclock boot
rc-update del hwclock boot
The end
You now have a basic Gentoo system running, from here you can install a web server, a DLNA server, or whatever you want.
A friend of mine had an iPhone 3 that was getting really flaky, it was still running IOS 3.1.2 as she was afraid to update, things could go wrong, she could lose all her texts. What she wanted was essentially a PDF with her messages.
I went searching and found some tools ranging in price from $5 to $20, but I was stubborn and cheap, and wanted another solution. There are some free services where you upload a file from an iTunes backup to some web application and it'll extract the texts for you. Neither I, nor my friend wanted all her texts uploaded to a service on the net.
From there I found out the file, that the web app uses, is actually an SQL database file. If you ask iTunes to make an unencrypted backup to your local drive, most of the backup files are actually in easily understandable formats like SQL and jpeg. The location of these files are:
- Windows XP: \Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSyncBackup\
- Windows Vista, 7 or 8: \Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\
- MacOS X: \~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
It turns out the file named 3d0d7e5fb2ce288813306e4d4636395e047a3d28.mddata is in fact an SQL database file with all text messages in the backup. After eyeballing the file with SQLite Database Browser, exporting it to a CSV file, importing it in LibreOffice Calc, I found it hard to manage the more than 30,000 messages that way.
In the end I made a python script that saves the messages to text files, each having the address (phone nr.) of the person you were conversing with. I am unsure how it handles MMS messages, I know that the multimedia content is lost, and I think the text is lost aswell, but I don't know. The result is here:
When using the Enrf24 library with Enegia these are the connections for the NRF24L01 module.
As I have mentioned, I am building a MIDI controller using the PIC18F4550. The controller has a MIDI in port, and acts as a MIDI to USB converter as well.
- 10 potentiometers (knobs)
- MIDI in
- USB MIDI interface
Missing hardware:
- Drill and mount the front panel
- Create and mount the PCB
- Mount the guts in the case
Missing firmware:
- Active sense handling
- MIDI channel selection
As always more details, source code, schematic, and PCB will follow.
I am in the process of building a MIDI USB device, using a PIC18F4550. I have trimmed the Microchip USB framework MIDI example, and is using this code as my base. It is a blessing to not have to code the entire USB stack with descriptors, from scratch, but it is a pain using someone elses code, and learning to use this framework as a sort of black box.
The goal is a combined MIDI to USB converter and knob box.
MIDI is an interface for sending musical notations and messages through a wire. I will only brush up on the protocol of MIDI in this text.
A MIDI message consists of a status byte and up to 2 data bytes, the protocol is serial, and runs at 31250 baud. A table with all messages can be found here. On thing that was not obvious to me was that only the bytes needed are send, no zeroes. As an example an "active sense" message only sends the status byte. This may seem obvious, but starting from the USB side of this stuff made it seem otherwise.
Another thing that I wasted a fair amount of time discovering, is "running status". When you sent the same voice or mode command multiply times you can omit the status byte from all but the first message. An example, you want to sent "note on" on channel 1, key number 60, and a velocity of 128, when a key is pressed. Then "note on" on channel 1, key number 60, and a velocity of 0, when a key is depressed. For the second package you only send the data, e.g. key number 60, velocity 0, the receiver assumes the status and channel are the same as the first message.
MIDI packages on the USB cable are 4-byte fixed length packages, unused bytes are zeroed. The first byte is the cable number (16 virtual cables) and the Code Index Number, which acts sort of the same as the first 4 bits of a MIDI status. The following 3 bytes are an ordinary midi message. The standard is here.
MIDI to USB MIDI
For a long time, a note on page 17 of the USB MIDI standard eluded me. I thought that since the Code Index Number almost mirrors the ordinary status of a MIDI message, I would have to parse and classify every message coming from the MIDI port. It turns out that you can send each byte received along without out classifying it, and set the Code Index Number to 0xF. Using this Code Index Number every byte received on the MIDI port is simply packaged in a 4 byte package, first 4 bits, the cable number, then 0xF, then the byte from the MIDI port, and in the end padded with 2 zero bytes.
Generated on 2017-10-10 09:11:09.634731


text: Galvanized is the process done by dipping the material that will be used for the purpose of protection or coating into molten zinc. This process which is especially done against corrosion is done to prolong the life of metals which will function outside in the open air under all kinds of weather conditions. Iron and steel materials are affected by the atmospheric environment they are in and are corroded by loosing their physical, chemical and electrical properties in time.


text:
There are generally two ways to search for information online - by keyword or by topic.
When you search by keyword, the system is looking in the text of all of its cataloged collections for the words you enter. If the word or words you search on are found in many contexts, you may find yourself overwhelmed with irrelevant results. Often by experimenting with different words or combinations of keywords you can zero in on the information you are looking for.
When you search by topic, you have to know what topics the system has listed. Just as with the Yellow Pages, you may be looking for movie listings, and not think to look under "Theater-Film" for the number.
It can help to look first by keyword, then find a few listings that are close to what you are looking for, and jot down what topics those listings fall under. Then you can look under a specific topic and often find a rich trove of just the information you wanted.
Ask us! See the Ask a Librarian page.
A database is a collection of articles, facts, images and information from all types of publications.
The library subscribes to multiple databases, such as those with issues of popular magazines, textbooks, scholarly journals, trade journals, world newspapers, and specialized encyclopedias.
You have access to all of them just by having a library card.


text:
Much ado about popcorn – How to sell more
Can you name some mundane things that seem to happen the exact same on a constant basis? How about a couple of people who all use the same set of phrases over and over? Then there are kids who come to your door selling overpriced food for some unnamed organization.
Are they all reaching the maximum possible profits? Perhaps they are, but more likely they are stuck in a rut.
Just because everyone does something one way does not make it the best way. It doesn't even mean it's going to make you money. It just makes it the way the majority of people do things.
My whole life I have been interested in finding ways to maximize profits in whatever project I am working with. I became the top popcorn seller in my troop and here are some of the top tips that I have found to be helpful.
Believe in yourself – even if you aren't the best.
You need to present the best image possible, and that starts on the inside. I'm not going to have you chant phrases to build up some positive self confidence, but if that's what it take!¦
Believe in your product – even if it isn't the best.
If I would have told people that the gourmet popcorn that I was selling them was simply overpriced bags of dried corn, than I would never have been the top seller and our troop would never have made it to summer camp.
Always refine your method – even if you make a sale 90% of the time
When I was off selling my popcorn, I always wanted to sell more in the same amount of area. It became obvious that timing was crucial. You can't sell to people who aren't home.
Always refine your method – even if you make a sale 99% of the time
Once I had somebody open their door, I was given precious seconds to convince the person both that I was trustworthy and that it would benefit both of us. They would get to have some delicious popcorn. I would get to sit under a tree and whittle a stick.
Smile – even if things aren't going your way.
Even though I just told you that I was not going to make you chant or do lots of self esteem exercises, I am still going to ask you to smile. If you smile you will present a better image than someone who doesn't. It can really stand out among the crowd and steps you above the rest.
These are the lessons that I have taken from door to door popcorn sales years ago. I have found them to be very useful to me in many more places, they are very applicable.


text:
- Thin, sleek, modern and luxurious genuine leather case for the iPad Air/Air2.
- Our magnet technology supports the iPad's wake-up feature.
- Foldable stand case for watching media or video chat.
- All ports and buttons are accessible and unobstructed.
- Fits tightly and securely thanks to our Velcro closure.
- Black, Brown etc.


text:
When I am in Heaven, where everything is possible, I will cling to the mantle of the Mother of God and I will not turn my eyes from you. But do not forget what this poor old man has said to you.
--Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo from his deathbed
For there are three ways of performing an act of mercy: the merciful word, by forgiving and by comforting; secondly, if you can offer no word, then pray - that too is mercy; and thirdly, deeds of mercy. And when the Last Day comes, we shall be judged from this, and on this basis we shall receive the eternal verdict.
--Saint Faustina Kowalska


text:
Economic development continues to be a major objective of state governments. Some states appear to be much more successful than others are at achieving it. For example, as can be seen in Table1, economic growth among Southern states differed widely during the 1980s. Texas and West Virginia had very slow growth, while Florida, Georgia, and Virginia achieved extremely high growth rates. However, Louisiana and Oklahoma experienced economic declines during the decade.
Governors from across the political spectrum are searching for ways to reduce tax burdens and improve education in order to enhance their state's economic growth. At the same time, due to the need to be globally competitive, firms are seeking places with low-cost labor. What role do taxes, education, and wage rates play in determining the ability of a state to increase the growth of its economy?
This study examines the economic competitiveness of the economies of the Southern United States by using Gross State Product (GSP) data from 1982 through 1989 (as reported in the Survey of Current Business). In it, factors affecting the competitiveness of each of these states are empirically tested for their significance.
In order to determine the competitive position of each state, shift-share analysis is employed. Shift-share analysis enables the researcher to isolate the competitive position of a state from the impact on it of national trends and the industrial mix of GSP that existed in the state at the beginning of the time period being studied. To account for changes in the industrial mix during this period, dynamic shift-share analysis is applied. [Barff and Knight,1988] Once the competitive positions of the states are found, factors which help determine them are considered.
Shift-share analysis is used to analyze the composition of the growth of the Southern United States in the 1980s. This technique makes it possible to separate growth into three components: national growth, industrial structure, and regional competition. [Niemi, 1985]
The national growth component, N, measures the increase in GSP that will occur if all the industries in the state grew at the same rate as GDP. Shown below is the equation that represents this effect:
(1)N = S [Ny * Ri] where
Ny represents the growth rate of GDP during the period;
Ri represents the percentage of GSP originating in
industry i.
The industrial structure effect, I, accounts for the impact of the state's industrial composition. A state with a high concentration of high growth industries will have a positive industrial structure effect; a state with a high concentration of low growth industries will have a negative industrial effect. The industrial structure effect is represented by the equation below:
(2)I = S [Ri * (Ni - Ny)] where
Ni represents the national growth rate of industry i.
The regional competition effect, COM, measures the difference between state and national industrial growth rates. A positive competitive position implies that, after accounting for national growth trends and the industrial mix of the respective state, the state's economic performance is superior to the average state. It can be represented as follows:
(3)COM = S [Ri * (Si - Ni)] where
Si represents the state growth rate of industry i.
By combining (1), (2) and (3), the joint impact on these states' GSP of national growth, these states' industrial structure, and regional competition can be explained. The following equation illustrates the procedure:
(4) Growth rate in GSP = S [Ny * Ri] + S [Ri * (Ni - Ny)] + S [Ri * (Si - Ni)]
In order to account for continuous changes in the industrial mix of the region, this technique was applied annually to the data during the time period under study and then summed to determine the dynamic effect over the entire period. [Barff and Knight, 1988]
The results shown in Table1 indicate that the industrial structure of the region had a positive effect in seven states, though it was quite small in Florida and Maryland (3.9 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively). It was a detriment to economic growth in nine states with Louisiana, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Texas exhibiting particularly negative effects. Although these states benefitted from the mining boom of the 1970s, they suffered from the major decline of mining which took place in the 1980s. Recognizing this problem, diversification of industry has been a goal of these states' governments so that they can achieve more stable economic growth. Energy-related employment as a percent of overall employment in these states has declined by approximately fifty percent since the early 1980s .[Brown and Yucel, 1995]
Half of the states had positive regional competition effects, which indicates superior economic performance. Five of these states (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia) achieved in excess of twelve percent. Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Texas had negative regional competition effects, with Louisiana and Oklahoma experiencing negative effects in excess of thirty percent.
After determining the competitive position of each state (COM), the question arises: why are some states competitive, while others are not? Many studies have analyzed local economic development, but, thus far, there has been little consensus about the relevance of specific factors in explaining relative economic performance.
Most studies have considered the effects of taxes, wages, and education. Traditionally, state and local taxes were thought to play a minor to insignificant role. [Due 1961, Carlton 1979, Schmenner 1982, and Wheat 1986.] However, more recent studies indicate that state and local taxes do have a significant negative effect. [Bartik, 1991 and Munnell, 1990] Although the literature cited suggests many alternatives, a common measure of taxes used is state and local tax revenue per capita. [Place, 1986.]
Both economic theory and past studies [Munnell 1990, Bauer and Cromwell 1989, and Carlton 1979] suggest that wages have a significant effect on business activity and growth. Higher labor costs are likely to reduce the rate of employment growth. Several measures of labor costs have been used in previous studies, including those cited above. Chosen as the measure for this study was the average annual wage in a state.
Many believe that human capital also enhances a region's ability to grow, but a recent study [Duffy, 1994] indicates that it plays a marginal role at best. Used to measure human capital in this study is the percent of college graduates in a state. Some studies have attempted to incorporate a state's provision of public goods. However, much difficulty has arisen about how public services should be measured, and the results concerning their impact are mixed.
Typically, the amount of state funds spent on education or infrastructure is used as a proxy for public goods, but no common approach has been adopted. According to Bartik [1991], "Studies use a wide variety of arbitrary definitions of public service quantities, so the exact magnitude of effects on state and local growth is difficult to calculate for most studies, and even more difficult to compare across studies." (See End Note.)
A cross-sectional model of the sixteen states under study was estimated with the competitive position of each of the states being the dependent variable and taxes, wages, and education being the independent variables. To measure the tax burden, per capita state and local revenue, excluding that received from severance taxes, was used.
Severance taxes, particularly taxes on the extraction of resources, are prevalent in states with large oil and mining sectors and, thus, may serve as a proxy for those states. In addition, the burden of such taxes tends not to be borne by the states themselves, but are exported.
Taxes were expected to have a negative effect on competitiveness. Wages (average annual wage by state) were expected to have a negative impact, while education (percent of college graduates) was expected to have a positive impact.
In accordance with previous studies, data for the independent variables were from 1982, the beginning of the period studied. [Niemi 1985, Duffy 1994] This is proper because the long-run factors affecting economic competitiveness are considered. As such, values of the factors at the beginning of the period are appropriate. All the necessary data were obtained from the U.S. Statistical Abstract. The model was estimated using OLS on the sixteen states studied with the following results:
adjusted R-squared = 0.53; F = 6.73
where the t-statistics are in parentheses. The coefficient on COL was positive and significant at the 1 percent level, while the coefficient on WAGE was negative and significant at the one percent level (Note: similar, though slightly weaker, results were obtained using high school graduates; the coefficient was slightly lower and significant at the five percent level). Although the coefficient on TAX was negative, it was not statistically significant.
An F-statistic of 6.73 indicates the equation was significant at the one percent level. The adjusted R-squared of 0.53 is unexpectedly high given that the competitive position is similar to a residual effect in that two major determinants of state employment growth - national growth and industrial structure - were already taken into account.
Finally, education and wages were found to have significant impacts in explaining state competitiveness; the former positive and the latter negative. Wages having a negative effect is in accordance with the literature cited earlier. The significance of education differs from that found by Duffy [1994]. However, in his study, he examined employment, while this study considers growth in GSP. Education is likely to have a larger effect on value-added, and hence economic growth, than on employment.
Taxes were found to have a statistically insignificant effect on competitiveness. Literature on the effect of taxes has been inconclusive. Previous studies have yielded different results. The insignificance of taxes in this study may be explained by the minimal differences in tax burden in the states included in the study. In a national study which included higher tax states from outside the South, taxes might play a more significant role.
The conclusions this study produced would be strengthened if like analyses of other time periods, other regions of the country, or of a larger sample size produce the same results.
Bartik, Timothy J. Who Benefits from State and Local Economic Development Policies? Kalamazoo, Michigan: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 1991.
Bauer, Paul W. and Brian A. Cromwell. "The Effect of Bank Structure and Profitability on Firm Openings." Economic Review 25.4 (1989): 29-39.
Brown, Stephen P. A. and Mine K. Yucel. "The Energy Industry: Past, Present and Future." The Southwest Economy 4 (1995): 1-5.
Carlton, Dennis W. "Why Do New Firms Locate Where They Do: An Econometric Model." in Interregional Movements and Regional Growth. ed. William C. Wheaton. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute, 1979.
Due, John F. "Studies of State-Local Tax Influence on Location of Industry." National Tax Journal 14.2 (June 1961): 163-173.
Duffy, Neal E. "Determinants of State Manufacturing Growth." Journal of Regional Science 34.2 (May 1994): 137-162.
Munnell, Alicia H. "How Does Public Infrastructure Affect Regional Economic Performance?" New England Economic Review (September/October 1990): 11-33.
Place, Frank. "The Relationship of State and Local Government Spending and Taxing to Economic Performance: An Econometric Analysis of the States from 1972 to 1984." Wisconsin Department of Development, Division of Policy Development. Bureau of Research Report No. RP-86-7, September 1986.
Niemi, Albert W. "Gross State Product and Comparative Economic Growth in the Southeast, 1950-80." Review of Business and Economic Research 20 (Spring 1985).
Schmenner, Roger. Making Business Location Decisions. Englewood Cliffs. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1982.
Trott, Edward A., Ann E. Dunbar, and Howard L. Friedenberg. "Gross State Product by Industry, 1977-89." Survey of Current Business 71. Commerce Department, December 1991.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1984-1985.
Wheat, Leonard F. "The Determinants of 1963-77 Regional Manufacturing Growth: Why the South and West Grow" Journal of Regional Science 26.4 (November 1986): 635-659.


text:
Extra NBA: Power Rankings | Professional Picks | Newest information & notes
Last season, Stephen Curry did something we had never seen before. He hit 272 three-pointers in a single season, breaking Ray Allen's earlier report of 269. He achieved that by making a ridiculous forty five.3 p.c from downtown to set the document with the utmost effectivity.
While he didn't quite scorch the nets in the identical way we saw final season, Curry once again made history together with his exterior shooting. With 24 seconds left within the second quarter of an overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Golden State Warriors' star knocked down a three-pointer off of a Harrison Barnes pass to grow to be the first participant in NBA history to hit no less than 250 3-pointers in consecutive seasons.
Solely four gamers have made 250 three-pointers in a season. George McCloud and Dennis Scott did it in the 1995-ninety six season, after which Allen's report 269 makes happened as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics in 2005-06. McCloud and Scott's 3-point marks have a slight asterisk subsequent to their totals within the file books because it occurred in the course of the three-12 months stretch in which the NBA tried to spice up scoring by moving the line in to a fair 22 ft around the total arc.
Curry hasn't been as prolific this season as he was final season, however he's still managed to shoot 42.1 p.c from beyond the three-level line. His present total of 254 three-pointers has come on 602 attempts from beyond the arc. His 602 makes an attempt are the tenth most in a season, beating out his 600 attempts during his file-breaking season in 2012-thirteen. If Curry performs within the last two video games and holds to his common of seven.7 makes an attempt, he'll end with 617 makes an attempt on the season, which would transfer him to the seventh highest whole tried in a season in NBA history.
McCloud's 1995-96 season holds the attempts file with a ridiculous 678 tried.
Curry made 7-of-14 within the loss to the Blazers, but if he has two more video games comparable that, he may threaten to tie or break Allen's document once again. He is made eight 3-pointers or more in a sport six instances in his profession with three of those happening this season.
He's additionally the owner of probably the most three-pointers made by way of the first five years of a profession and it isn't even close. Curry's seven made 3-pointers Sunday night put him at 898 by means of his first five seasons (with two games to go). The following closest within the first 5 years of a career are Ben Gordon at 770 and Nick Van Exel at 750. Allen's complete by the first five seasons of his career was 699 and he is the present all-time chief 2,969.
If Curry is able to sustain his current pace, especially considering the elevated quantity we've seen the last two years, he would cross Allen's probably final profession complete within a decade.