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Poor IT is causing delays across the justice system
Inadequate IT is causing delays and inefficiencies across the criminal justice system, according to an Audit Commission report...
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The report follows years of difficulties with IT systems implemented by the police, the courts and the probation service. "The lack of a modern, shared IT system restricts the exchange and monitoring of information both locally and nationally," the commission said.
The report highlighted the lack of interoperability across the criminal justice system, which is made up of seven main agencies: the police, the Probation Service, the Crown Prosecution Service, criminal defence, magistrates' courts, crown courts and the Prison Service.
It said, "The sharing of performance and management information between criminal justice system agencies and areas is severely hampered by out-of-date and non-integrated IT.
"Practitioners recognise the problems and want to resolve them but the agencies are often mid-way through lengthy programmes to update their individual IT systems."
Andrew Foster, controller of the Audit Commission, acknowledged the Government's efforts to overhaul IT in the criminal justice system but underlined the importance of making it more efficient. He said, "Resolving issues of inefficiency in the criminal justice system is vital to ensuring that justice is delivered."
The commission found that, even where integrated IT systems exist, some criminal justice system staff continue to fax rather than e-mail case papers, suggesting potential cultural and skills barriers to the use of IT.
"These barriers need to be overcome with a comprehensive training programme that will allow the full potential of IT to be realised," said the report.
Auditors also highlighted the ongoing issue of out-of-date information on the Police National Computer (PNC). In the areas visited, "there was a general acceptance that delays [in updating information] were the norm," the report said.
Last year a report from the Home Affairs Select Committee found that up to two thirds of PNC data contained errors, and urged the Government to postpone the launch of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), which enables employers check job applicants.
Originally scheduled to be launched in July last year, the initial stages of the CRB began operating in March.
The Government has already announced targets to establish e-mail links between all criminal justice system agencies by 2003 and to enable the exchange of all case-file information electronically by 2005.
The Home Office was unavailable to comment at the time of going to press.
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More coverage of Louisiana's new rum distillery, TIKI takes back Denver, city specific signature drinks and much more in this week's rum news.
The people have voted and a new rum drink has become the signature libation of the city of Naples, Florida. WINK News.com has all the details.
Mark your calendars and make travel arrangements!! The second annual Conched in Key West Bar Crawl is coming up and you're invited. Click here for more.
Just in case you haven't heard, a new rum distillery is coming to Louisiana! NOLA.com has the latest in the continued coverage.
"If you are looking for an unusual twist to your standard pizzeria and want one to eat, drink and dance the night away, then visit Stonegate Pizza and Rum Bar." Patch.com has all the details about Washington's latest cane spirits hot spot.
Madison Street, the popular cocktail bar in Denver's Congress Park neighborhood, is bringing back tiki in a big way and their lead bartender, Matty Durgin, is taking them there. Click here for more.
Our friend Robert Burr has the scoop on the English Harbour line of rums. Get all the details on Antigua's best at the Rum Examiner blog.


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When I designed my Easter/Halloween basket pattern in the fall of 2012, I knew that I wanted show you how to sew a fabric egg. So I designed a free fabric egg pattern for you!
My free fabric egg pattern can be printed – the directions are included! To share with friends, please link back to this post rather than directly to the PDF – I appreciate your kindness!
Because this pattern is great for beginners, this can be a fun family project. Our two girls chose the fabric and had a blast sifting through my scrap stash. My older daughter likes to sew – when she's in the mood 🙂
And my younger daughter thoroughly enjoyed stuffing them:
In fact, she kept begging to stuff more and more!
Over the course of a weekend, we made an even dozen! These have not only been used for hiding and decorations, but my youngest invented her own game with the eggs and the basket.
Enjoy the free fabric egg pattern and sew some to display, some to hide, and some to share with friends! 🙂
Enjoy sewing your own fabric eggs! If you enjoyed this tutorial, please follow on BlogLovin' (button in the right sidebar) or follow SewMcCool by e-mail (the link is at the top of the right-hand column) so you don't miss any great sewing and ribbon tutorials!
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Santa-Cali-Gon Days Festival
August 30, 2011
Where can you find the largest annual arts and crafts festival in Missouri? Here in Independence, Missouri of course!
Spanning Labor Day Weekend is the Santa-Cali-Gon Days Festival, which is named after the three trails that originated here: Santa Fe, California and Oregon. It's free to get in, and there's lots of fun for everyone! Three main stages provide entertainment, and there's a midway full of carnival revelry. Add that to the over 500 booths with crafts and food and you've got yourself a great weekend.
The festival, which is held on the historic Independence Square, is open the following hours this weekend: Friday - Noon to 11 p.m., Saturday - 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday - 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Monday - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If you want to find out more information, check out their official webpage here!
Jennie V.
South Independence Branch


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Social networking sites are generating a lot of anger, according to a study from researchers at China's Beihang University.
The study, by Rui Fan, Jichang Zhao, Yan Chen, and Ke Xu, examined human emotions on China's Twitter-like micro-blogging site Sina Weibo.
They found that anger spreads faster and wider than other emotions like joy. It suggests that posts you write out of anger will have more impact than those expressing happiness.
If a user sent an angry message, researchers looked at how likely the recipients were to also send out an angry message or retweet the same emotion.
After reading 70 million messages from 200,000 users of Weibo, they determined the sentiment of each by analysing emoticons.
The correlation of anger among users was significantly higher than that of joy, which indicates that angry emotions could spread more quickly and broadly in the network, the study said.
However, the correlation of sadness was surprisingly low and highly fluctuated.
The closer you are to a poster, the stronger the "sentiment correlation". Users with larger number of friends have more significant sentiment influence to their neighbourhoods.


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9505 72nd Ave. Suite 400
Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158
Phone: (262) 605-4810
Contact: Dennis Beauchesne, General Manager
Web: www.ecm-usa.com
ECM Technologies started manufacturing heat-treatment furnaces in 1928. Since that time, ECM personnel have always been completely committed to extending their knowledge in the field of temperature control, high pressures, vacuum and the behavior of materials. This expertise, on an industrial scale, has always been enriched by our close partnership with furnace users, engineers, heat treat engineers and developers. Today, our knowledge base is at the core of all our customers' production lines. It is this concern for caring and listening, combined with our passion for our profession, which has forged ECM Technology and ECM USA's recognized spirit of innovation.
Our range of products can be divided into two families:
A) Furnaces under vacuum and gas pressure: ECM Technology manufactures a complete customized range of fully automatic vacuum furnaces with unique engineering designs. Configuration of our furnaces can be horizontal, vertical, bottom loading, or bell type, temperature range from 200°C to 3000°C with primary or high vacuum, at pressure as high as 100 bars. This line of products includes the crystal growing machine (GaAs) for electronic and the polycrystalline silicon for solar cells.
B) The low pressure carburizing installations ICBP and the INFRACARB® process: ECM Technologies and ECM USA are the world leaders in this field. This equipment has over 200 installations using over 1000 cells of manufacturing capability and today accounts for our largest installed base of vacuum furnaces. Today we offer new features to our equipment which include front and back doors to our cells and a new larger capacity cell called JUMBO. In addition, our high pressure gas quenching cell has been updated and allows for optional features on any of our systems
We provide technical benefits that are more effective, reproducible and are efficient heat treatments that comply with the applicable standards. Economic benefits can be due to shorter cycles, and the integration of the heat treatment into the part flow or manufacturing cell. An engineering design office using CAD and a welding shop for vacuum and pressure vessels along with wiring, piping, heat insulating, experienced manufacturing, test platforms and a metallurgy laboratory are just some of ECM USA's in-house technical resources. These industrial choices guarantee our autonomy and the peerless quality of the systems we sell.
ECM Technologies' and ECM USA's expertise is available for every customer, wherever they are, to ensure they get the best from their systems. Our field service can provide "as needed" solutions. Remote assistance has been set up to accelerate and facilitate service on most systems. On our teams, everyone contributes to the quality of the furnaces you buy. From the first draft specifications to production, each step is hallmarked by quality. Individual expertise and collective effort drive our success.
Visit www.ecm-usa.com


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The Experience: There's nothing like a good promotion to get the Burgermeisters' attention. Though they had other Burger Adventures planned, a like-gated free french fry offer on Facebook drew the Burger Weekly crew to the brand new BurgerFi location on the Upper East Side.
Originally a Florida burger joint, BurgerFi has spread its "Burgerfication of the Nation" to the east cost, midwest, and Texas. It's new home in the east 80s might draw comparisons to the New York staple Shake Shack (counter service, buzzers, clean design), but a few differences makes this establishment unique enough so as to avoid a copycat status. Here, the music is loud, there is beer on tap, sports play on flat screen TVs, and the all-in-one Coca Cola machine indulges the sweet tooth. The burger and (free) fries also showed why BurgerFi is making its own name across the country.
Burger Ordered: BurgerFi Cheeseburger
The Taste: With the Facebook promotion, a double cheeseburger, fries, and a soft drink cost ten dollars. That's a steal by New York standards. At first glance, the burger was modest in size while the fries came in abundance. The Burgermeisters quickly learned that this was a dense burger, not to be underestimated. The soft bun molded itself to the American cheese and patties, creating a tight ball of cheesy burger flavor. For a fast food burger, the BurgerFi cheeseburger packed quite a punch, and left the Burgermeisters bursting at the seams. Don't let the emphasis on natural ingredients fool you, this is a burger as decadent as you need.
The stars of BurgerFi are the fries. Crispy, salty, and hand-cut, these bad boys are impossible to resist, even in their large numbers. Even your Second Stomach doesn't stand a chance against these fries. You've been warned.
The Verdict: A serious contender in the New York fast casual burger scene, BurgerFi made a good impression on Burger Weekly during its opening week. The staff is friendly, the food is tasty, the restaurant stays open late, and the price is definitely reasonable. Give it a try and see where it ranks in your cheap-eats burger rankings.
BurgerFi is located at 1571 2nd Avenue between 81st Street and 82nd Street.


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$10.50 On Hold
Rare Looney Tunes TAZ & TWEETY BIRD & SYLVESTER Glass Candy Jar Warner Bros 1995 Never used!
Only 1 available
Shipping: US-Mainland: $8.50 (more destinations)
Condition: Used
*The store has not been updated recently. You may want to contact the merchant to confirm the availability of the product.


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SITRA is the new track racing club in Kent that operates throughout the year.
- Engine and Bike setup days (including throughout the winter - weather permitting) for all types of bikes above.
- Practice days (including throughout the winter - weather permitting) for all types of bikes above.
- Race Meetings (from April - October) - coming in 2017.
- SITRA will also be looking to run Experience Days in 2017, where people new to motorcycle racing will have the opportunity to try one of our exciting classes - Solos, Sidecars, Moto X or Quads.
- SITRA will work alongside existing clubs and riders, who need a regular track, so they can use our facilities. Riders will never have to put their bikes away for the winter again.
- SITRA welcomes riders and bikes of all ages. We can cater for vintage machines to the most modern of equipment.
- SITRA also has the facility to use the Iwade mini track, and therefore ALL ages can join us for a great day out.
- Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Environmental Campaigns (Scotland)
Registered Charity Number: SC030332
Stirling, Falkirk
Environmental Campaigns preserves Scotland's environment for the benefit of the public, and it aims to educate the public about the environment generally by promoting awareness of the ways in which the environment is at risk.
Contact Us
Environmental Campaigns (Scotland)
Wallace House
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Find out more about Environmental Campaigns (Scotland) including what their money is spent on, amount raised for every £1 spent on fundraising, 5 year financial information and how your donation helps.
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Need further information on Environmental Campaigns (Scotland)? Order a detailed financial report from Charity Financials.


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Monster Rancher EVO Release Date Announced
Monster Rancher EVO is truly the next generation of Monster Rancher, said John Inada, General Manager at Tecmo Inc., I truly feel that all anime fans will appreciate the new art direction that EVO has taken. The cinematics pull you into the game, and fully immerse into the enchanting storyline. The fans of the Monster Rancher series will value the evolution of this game.
EVO follows the adventures of Julio, a young circus performer with dreams of becoming a champion monster breeder. You'll travel with the circus to seven different towns, each with its own story and unique 3D environment. New features include more role playing elements, deeper gameplay, and a character-driven story.
1/30/2006 Aaron Thomas
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I just don't think this guy's problem is overwork. I think his pitches are too good, they get too much of the plate. I don't think he quite has the stuff to get away with it.
But, yes, Hoover has been overused.
I just don't think this guy's problem is overwork. I think his pitches are too good, they get too much of the plate. I don't think he quite has the stuff to get away with it.
But, yes, Hoover has been overused.
"You only have to bat a thousand in two things; flying and heart transplants. Everything else you can go 4-for-5."
-Beano Cook
Hanigan with a soft liner to 3rd. 1 for 26.
Hanny finally hits the ball hard but right at someone.
Last year the Reds and Cardinals, like nearly every MLB team, had almost identical stats with RISP as they did overall.
Their success with RISP might be why the Cards are doing better offensively than the Reds so far this year, but it isn't a sign that they are better at it than the Reds. History tells us it will even out over the season.
Izturis grounds out to short.
Look at article in Enquirer...about Price not losing confidence in Hoover. He is the one talking him up.....and explaining his issues. HIS, not Baker's. Still a bad usage of him today, did not mind yesterday..beacuse he looked good in STL.
Robinson grounds out to 3rd. 3-1 Pirates mid 8th.
Just pathetic.
Meh...I don't have much hope for this game. I just don't get this team sometimes.
I see great things in baseball. It's our game.
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5765 E Kilgore Rd, Kalamazoo, MI 49001Request info Add to list
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5765 E Kilgore Rd is an industrial property for lease in Kalamazoo, MI.
AVAILABLE FOR SALE - 10,775 SF industrial/office building situated on 2.52 acres near Sprinkle Road and I-94. Fully heated and cooled throughout, this facility also features a truck well, 8' grade-level door, 800-Amp, 120/208-Volt, 3-Phase service with 220-Volt disconnects located throughout, ample parking and monument signage.
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— Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones has left a game against the Minnesota Twins with an illness.
Jones started in center field as usual and struck out in his first at-bat before being replaced by Matt Angle, who pinch-hit for Jones in the second inning.
Jones has played in 124 of Baltimore's 126 games this season, batting .297 with 22 home runs and 77 RBIs. Angle was recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Norfolk when the Orioles designated slumping outfielder Felix Pie for assignment.


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Responding to what they see as a one-sided battle in the court of public opinion, gun advocacy groups have surfaced in recent days to pledge legal support to the defense of George Zimmerman, the Florida man who fatally shot an unarmed teenager in February. Zimmerman has claimed self-defense, but has not been charged with a crime and is not in custody.
The case, which is being investigated by federal officials, has triggered national outrage and calls for the civilian neighborhood watchman to be prosecuted. But some gun advocates have jumped to his defense, saying his reputation -- the subject of much media scrutiny and public scorn -- has been ruined.
"We wanted to help someone who we feel has been wronged and found guilty in the court of public opinion," Chris Kossmann of Legal Boom, a Tampa, Florida-based gun rights group, told HLN Monday in a phone interview.
Read more: Photos: Rallies seek justice for Trayvon Martin
"People have been crying for justice but we don't think people know what real justice is. As of yet nobody's stood up for him (Zimmerman)," Kossmann said. "There's never really been an outlet for people to support Zimmerman. They are numerous people supporting the other side," he said. "But anyone who has sided with Zimmerman has been ridiculed for it."
Kossman said Legal Boom has been in contact with Zimmerman attorney Craig Sonner about contributing to the neighborhood watch captain's defense fund. "We have spoken with him (Sonner) on two different occasions." Declining to cite specifics, Kossmann said, "We're currently working together to further our talks."
Another gun rights organization, the National Association for Legal Gun Defense, seeks to donate $10,000 toward Zimmerman's legal expenses.
"We're an association that wants to help the legal cases of gun owners who claim self defense," Fort Worth, Texas, attorney Blue Rannefeld, a member, told HLN late Monday.
Rannefeld said the group is not trying to decide the case in any way -- but one particularly disturbing development in the saga has spurred the group to action. "This is not a statement about guilt or innocence of George Zimmerman. This is really a response to the bounty that was placed on his head. We really think that that was egregious."
Last month the separatist New Black Panther Party, described as a hate group by a civil rights organization, offered a $10,000 bounty offer for Zimmerman's capture despite vehement opposition, including from Martin's family.
The National Association for Legal Gun Defense has yet to get in contact with Sonner but the group has heard from numerous supporters, Rannefeld said. "We've been getting a tremendous response, and it's been more positive than negative. People have been calling in asking if they can make $30 contributions," he said.
Sonner, in a Time Magazine interview Sunday, said that he has received death threats and that his phone has been jammed. "The facts of the evening (of February 26) … have been spun by the media," he was quoted as saying.
HLN tried to reach Sonner for a comment but was unsuccessful.
On Monday, Martin family attorney Daryl Parks raised new concerns about the initial Sanford Police investigation on the night of the shooting, saying "(On the police report) they list Trayvon's address and date of birth but they don't contact the family, so there's some concern whether that information was put in there initially or added at a later date. All of that is fair game for the inquiry by the officials that they do a fresh look at this case in its entirety," he told CNN's Soledad O'Brien.


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I wish this would have a sequel
It was amazing
Uncover the secrets of Amalur in hundreds of hours of gameplay, from the vibrant city of Rathir to the vast region of Dalentarth to the grim dungeons of the Brigand Hall Caverns.
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Ms. Roshan Sirran is widely recognized in Afghanistan and internationally as one of the leading voices for Afghan women's rights. Through various roles, she has 40 years of experience fighting for the rights of Afghan women; as an NGO leader, an advocate, an elected legislator, a municipal worker, an education director, a trainer, and a writer.
Sirran has served as the Women's Advocacy Training Consultant for IFES' Support for Increased Electoral Participation (SIEP) program in Afghanistan for three years where she assists in program design and outreach, curriculum development, participant recruitment, and training. Ms. Roshan is the founder and Executive Director of Training Human Rights Association (THRA) for Afghan women, which is a leading non-political and non-profit organization working for Afghan women's capacity development. She has designed and implemented countless women's rights advocacy and outreach programs across the country, including complex face-to-face education and training of trainers programs.
Sirran spoke on the rights of women and interests of civil society leaders of Afghanistan at the Bonn 2 Conference in Bonn, Germany in December, 2011. She maintains a long history as an outspoken advocate on both the national and international stage, advocating for women's rights at Afghanistan's formative traditional Loya Jirgas and speaking on struggles of Afghan women at events in 15 different countries. Her efforts have brought forth numerous civil society networks and organizations, including the Civil Society and Human Rights Network (CHRN), Afghan Civil Society Organizations Network for Peace (ACSONP), and the Free and Fair Elections Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA).


text: Date: Thu, 28 Dec 95 23:31:28 PST From: firstname.lastname@example.com (Paul Ramsey) Message-Id: <email@example.com> To: email@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, Subject: Re: www in URL's?? Cc: firstname.lastname@example.com > I have no problem with that, but some companies have registered > > productname.com > > for each one of their N products. What an explosion of *trash* > in the DNS space! Imagine: > > www.ginsu-miracle-potato-slicer.com > > Does the world really need this? > > -Philip > > P.S. Don't bother flaming me, yes, I know we are digressing > *badly* from HTML... I agree that it is bit silly but there is no point in getting worked up about it. Now these people have to pay $100 for each domain name they register so at least they are paying for the waste. Just think about all the paper that is generated every time a company trademarks something. Compared to that domain name consumption is not so bad. paul r.


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Sci2Arts Alliance
American composer and conductor who has been the music director of the New York City Symphony since 1985. David is President and co-founder of the Peace Music Foundation, a non-profit organization that has sponsored an international peace-song writing contest and various peace-related cultural activities around the globe.
ROBERT PEPPERELL, PhD
Professor of Fine Art and Head of the Fine Art Department at Cardiff School of Art & Design. Executive Editor of the journal Art & Perception; Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; Member of the Higher Education Academy; Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness; British Psychological Society.
TONIETTA A. WALTERS, PhD
Chair & Sci2Art Director, co-founder of The Arts Office Net Inc. [TAO Network} and Adjunct Professor of Philosophy for Broward College.
EDWARD A. VESSEL, PhD
Cognitive Neuroscientist and Full Research Scientist, Center for Brain Imaging; Co-director of ArtLab, New York University.
JAMES CATTERALL, PhD
Director of Centers for Research on Creativity, Emeritus, Dept of Education & Information Studies, UCLA.


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LA CHORRERA, Panama - In a riveting encounter at the Estadio Agustin "Muquita" Sanchez on Saturday, host Panama booked its place at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, posting a 4-2 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship quarterfinal victory over Trinidad & Tobago.
The result ensured that the Canaleros will meet Canada -- winners by the same score over Jamaica earlier in the day -- on Wednesday in the semifinals of the regional event.
It looked to be the Caribbean side's night, when Andre Fortune took advantage of a back-tracking Panamanian defense in the 19th minute to rocket a shot from 25-yards out into the upper right corner of the net.
The goal did nothing to diminish the speed of play, however, as both teams continued to motor up and down the field as if fatigue would not be a factor.
Panama netted a deserved equalizer 10 minutes before the break. Captain Jesus Araya latched on to a loose ball in the Trinidad box, turned a fired a shot that goalkeeper Johan Welch got his fingertips on, but could not prevent from finding the back of the net.
In the 62nd minute, the Panamanians went up 2-1 through Luis Zuñiga. The 16-year-old struck a right-footed effort from 25-yards out that slipped under Welch, who was in outstanding form up until that point.
Shortly afterwards, Welch kept the young Soca Warriors in the contest with two tremendous saves, including one off the foot of Ismael Diaz on a breakaway.
Diaz, though, would score the first of his two goals in the 79th minute. Milciades Molina dribbled down the left wing and passed to the tireless Ervin Zorrilla, sprinting into the Trinidad box. The Tauro FC product, demonstrating skill and awareness beyond his age, back-heeled the ball exquisitely to Diaz for a clinical finish.
Trinidad would not quit and made it 3-2 seven minutes later, with Weah Adams slotting home from close range after a brilliant individual effort from the fleet-footed Akeem Garcia down the left wing.
As the clock elapsed, Diaz netted his second of the goal game two minutes from time.
Panama, which finished third at 2011 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship, will be making its second straight U-17 World Cup appearance. Trinidad was eliminated from contention.
Champions League


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Yesterday's Journal Can Become Tomorrow's Memoir
New life stories are created in many ways. Sometimes a whole new life story happens itself upon us, and we have to decide how to make the best of it. Often, we deliberately decide it's time to change our lives for the better and set out to compose a new life for ourselves.
An important part of building a new life story is understanding, healing, and coming to terms with our past life stories. We use our old lives to propel ourselves forward, use them as fuel, use them as compost for new growth.
Rather than denying or hiding our past, we mine it for the surprising and hidden riches it may contain.
Journal keepers and writers already have a wealth of material to draw on. As we look back, we strengthen ourselves by reinterpreting or reframing events of our past. Writing a memoir can become a powerful healing process as we literally become the authors of our own stories.
June 5, 2012 6 Comments
Someone Will Be with You Shortly
I was lucky: my family listened to me and read to me.
I waited in the front yard at dusk for the newspaper man to kick up dust on graveled Main as he threw the Kansas City Star into the yard. I'd rip off the string and run inside as fast as I could to have my favorite comic strip read to me [Read more →]
June 19, 2011 3 Comments
One Solution for Meetings You'd Rather Not Attend
Let's face it, some meetings are necessary, well run, even enjoyable. Others, well, you've surely been to some (as I have) that make you want to stick a pencil in your eye and set your hair on fire. Or at least run out of the room screaming.
Am I exaggerating? You tell me.
In the most horrible of meetings, I'd usually just hunker down and pretend to pay attention while doodling on a legal pad. Try to stay out of any disputes. Just grin and bear it. Tell myself, "This too shall pass."
The organization was undergoing changes of management, and of course, politics being what they are with each faction warring with the other, there was a lot of bitter conflict among the staff. The daily meetings were agony, just watching the barbed looks and vitriol shot across the room. Nobody wanted to go to them.
Here's a solution some friends and I dreamed up: [Read more →]
June 13, 2011 13 Comments
Stories about Stories and Stuff, Stuff, Stuff
Don't know about you, but my life (and life's work? Work?) is all about stories: listening, telling, writing. I grew up in an extended family of storytellers. Stories, true life and otherwise, could erupt at any time. Often during family gatherings on Sunday afternoons, and always at bedtime tuck-in with one or the other parent.
Those stories encouraged me to become a person interested in almost everything at one time or another, from archaeology and botany to x-rays and zoology. The natural, physical world and a lot in the invisible realms. World literature, the human condition—heart, mind, and soul—all of it. My curiosity knows no limits. Like my family, I've been a collector of books, music, hand-made objects, and beautiful things I've found in nature: smooth stones, sticks, feathers. Now that my hair is whiter and my glasses thicker, I've amassed an amazing amount of stuff. And of course, I would end up marrying a man with the same interests and similar collections. Put them together, and what you've got is stuff, a lot of stuff.
All those childhood stories gave me permission to become a generalist, not a specialist. A fox, not a hedgehog. That's just who I am and what I came here to do. I'd have to agree heartily with E. M. Forster who wrote: "My defence at any Last Judgement would be that I was trying to connect up and use all the fragments I was born with." So, on good days, I call myself a Renaissance woman. Other days, well, I'm scattered, that's what I am, especially now that I'm working from home instead of from my downtown office and am sorting through dozens of boxes of books and papers.
Having so many varied interests means I've never [Read more →]
June 8, 2011 No Comments
Follow the Thread
What is the thread that leads you safely through the labyrinth of life? Once you know where you are in the great scheme of things (see previous post "You Are Here"), what is the path you follow?
Is it a set of philosophical or spiritual beliefs and practices? A path you've carved out for yourself or one given to you by a teacher?
As the saying goes, [Read more →]
September 19, 2008 1 Comment
You Are Here
What are your most basic questions? My first question has always been "What's going on here?" Then "What's really going on here?" Sometimes not easy questions to answer, but important to whatever comes next.
Don't you love the maps found in large shopping malls or office complexes? The first thing you see is the circle with the X inside it saying "You are here."
"Oh," you say, "This is where I am, so now I know which direction to turn to get to where I want to be."
Without the knowledge of where you are, you can't know how close or far away you are from your destination. Just so, it's important to know where you are in the great scheme of things in life. This question presupposes that you know something about the big picture and something about your destination (destiny).
And within these questions: "Who am I?"
My mother always told me, "Just be yourself, and you'll be fine." But who is that self? And how do you find out? [Read more →]
September 10, 2008 4 Comments
"Only connect," wrote E. M. Forster. How to be connected in a world that seems to be pushing all of us toward disconnection with stress, information overload, long work hours, and the breakdown of community social structures that no longer function? In the past, most new acquaintances would be introduced by a friend or close connection so that you knew something about that person and his or her background.
Connection makes life rich. To have happy and nurturing connections is to live a life of joy and fulfillment. Easily said, but sometimes difficult to do. One of the best ways to connect with someone is to listen. Listen with all the resources at your disposal.
That means not interrupting. Paying good attention (not reading the newspaper or playing video games), giving eye contact and "squaring off," facing another person directly, not looking over your shoulder. You might want to draw the other person out by asking "Is there more?" or "Can you tell me more about that?"
When Frank and I met 16 years ago, one of the first and most important things I noticed about him was how intently and acceptingly he listened to me with his whole being. He mirrored my feelings on his face and provided a comfortable "container" for me to open up and be myself. It was a wonderful, comfortable feeling.
When someone is angry with you, good listening alone can often restore the peace. Just hear the person out. Let them express their feelings freely. Wait. Let the anger dissipate. Only then do you say what you want to say. Give them several chances to get the anger out until it's exhausted.
And the same with someone who is upset or anxious. Listening is a healing balm. Often that's the main thing someone wants from you. A good listening.
I grew up with an extended family who all listened to me, and I am privileged to be able to listen to my sister, Charla, as she inspires me by walking courageously and confidently through her cancer testing [Read more →]
September 9, 2008 3 Comments
And In A Moment, Everything Changes
The phone rings. It's my sister, Charla, with news from her mammogram and other tests. Cancer.
Suddenly nothing is the same.
A new life story for us both as we walk this new path. I want to be with her (at least in spirit) and support her as much as possible. How can I be most helpful? What can I do? I can't do what I most want to do: [Read more →]
September 1, 2008 No Comments
How Do You Know When a New Life Story Begins?
Sometimes you plan for new life stories, carefully laying the groundwork, planning, getting information, journaling possible new futures, visualizing, taking it step-by-step.
Sometimes a new life story develops gradually, growing and gaining strength beneath the surface. "Roads not taken" often do that. For one reason or another you consciously take a path and leave others untaken, then over the course of months or years, that path reappears, often in a different form giving us undreamed of possibilities.
Sometimes a new life story "happens itself upon us" in an instant. A chance meeting, a letter, a phone call, a change in a relationship, an illness, a promotion, and suddenly everything is different. Everything [Read more →]
August 26, 2008 1 Comment
Did William James Know Something We Don't?
"If you want to change your life: Do it immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No excuses."
August 18, 2008 No Comments


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Affluent Lifestyle Guide
NEWPORT BEACH, CA--(Marketwire - Jan 25, 2013) - Beauty Research, a beauty blogging web site, recently discussed two important issues when it comes to men's grooming: hair thinning and daily shaving. For thinning, the blog article recommended HairMax, an FDA approved hand-held laser tool which stimulates healthy growth and minimizes hair loss. For shaving, the blog recommended luxury specialty products from The Art of Shaving, a company dedicated to the daily ritual of hair removal.


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Saddam Hussein's trial for the killing of 180,000 Kurds in the 1980s resumed Monday with the late president's seat empty, nine days after he was executed. The court's first order of business was to drop all charges against Saddam.
Six co-defendants still face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for their roles in a military campaign code-named Operation Anfal during the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war. According to the AP, Chief Judge Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa said the court decided to stop all legal action against the former president, since "the death of defendant Saddam was confirmed."
"The court received a letter from the IHT on January 7 concerning the execution of defendant Saddam Hussein," the judge said. "The court has decided to stop legal procedures against defendant Saddam Hussein, according to article 304 of the Iraqi criminal procedure law issued in 1971."
All seven defendants in the Anfal case, including Saddam, had pleaded innocent to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The six remaining defendants - all senior members of Saddam's ousted regime - include his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for his alleged use of chemical weapons against Iraqi Kurds. The other defendants are former Defense Minister Sultan Hashim al-Tai, who was the commander of Task Force Anfal and head of the Iraqi army 1st Corps; Sabir al-Douri, Saddam's military intelligence chief; Taher Tawfiq al-Ani, former governor of Mosul and head of the Northern Affairs Committee; Hussein Rashid Mohammed, former deputy director of operations for the Iraqi Armed Forces and Farhan Mutlaq Saleh, former head of military intelligence's eastern regional office.
[1] http://www.albawaba.com


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Big Ag Circles the Wagons Against Activists
When voices for a sustainable food system are loud enough to be seen as threats, they can pat themselves on the back, at least a little. Formation of the US Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) shows some nervous reaction in the big-agriculture ranks. Major farm associations are circling the wagons to fight off critics. The alliance's introductory video calls for farmers and ranchers to come together: "Let's change the perception of modern farming and ranching from negative to one that inspires a nation."
Behind the the calls for "a collective voice" are some familiar faces. The major commodity associations are there, such as the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Sheep Industry, United Egg Producers, U.S. Grain Council, Cattlemen's Beef Board and the Dairy Farmers of America. John Deere and DuPont have signed onto the Premier Partner Advisory Group.
American Farm Bureau (AFB) president Bob Stallman is one of the founding members. In a speech he gave at the AFB convention in January 2010, he said, "A line must be drawn between our polite and respectful engagement with consumers and how we must aggressively respond to extremists who want to drag agriculture back to the day of 40 acres and a mule. The time has come to face our opponents with a new attitude. The days of their elitist power grabs are over."
The "elitist power grabs" he was referring to were such pesky things as climate legislation. In the July 25, 2011, FB News (AFB's newspaper), other nuisances were named, such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Is USFRA a Threat to Small Farmers and Activists?
In reporting on the new group, the Financial Times spoke with three people USFRA would see as among production agriculture's critics: Mark Kastel of The Cornucopia Institute, Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms and Kathy Ozer of the National Family Farm Coalition. All are proponents of sustainable farming. None is included in the USFRA's plans to "lead the dialogue and answer Americans' questions about how we raise our food—while being stewards of the environment, responsibly caring for our animals and maintaining strong business and communities."
While Ozer was simply quoted as saying people care about how their food is produced and are asking questions, the other two had more skeptical comments. Salatin called the USFRA campaign "laughable." Kastel said production agriculture "is frightened about the marketplace and concerned about more regulatory constraint. They are afraid the ugly stories out there are tarnishing their reputation."
The Financial Times pegs USFRA's marketing campaign at some $30 million a year, but it is too early to tell how successful it will be. Farmers and ranchers tend to be an independent lot. What unifies the member groups at this point is a sense of being under siege because of increasing concerns about our global food system.
What is likely to divide them, from each other and their industry partners, are some of the issues that cannot be swept away with a marketing campaign. The spread of superweeds, overuse of antibiotics, loss of soil and soil quality and the effects of exposure to agricultural chemicals are only four on a growing list of serious problems related to our current model of industrial agriculture.
The family farmers I've known over the years, from a woman on Vancouver Island who sold a few thousand dollars of organic vegetables each year to a cattleman in Texas whose ranch was a day's drive from one side to the other, work hard and and are proud of the food they produce. As climate change, drought, environmental degradation, rising costs and burgeoning population take their toll, farmers and ranchers of all stripes will find they have more in common with each other than with the corporations who have sold us an unsustainable vision. We have a planetary debt to pay, and Mother Nature is calling on us to resolve it.
Related Care2 Stories
Photo from USDA Agricultural Research Service


text: Can someone tell me how to coat a bulb and have it come out smooth? I tried pouring epoxy over the bulb and heating it with a hair drier but I get ridges and lumps(and it wastes a lot of epoxy). If I put it on with a brush I still get the ridges. When I try to sand the ridges I usually sand through the thin areas before it gets smooth. Does anyone have a slick method they are willing to share?


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Advocate community leader honored for years of service
March 30, 2010 at 10:01 p.m.
Updated March 30, 2010 at 10:31 p.m.
John Roberts recalled growing up as Kay McHaney's younger brother, laughingly calling her a "distinguished" sister, baby sitter and teacher.
McHaney was honored Tuesday night by the Boy Scouts of America South Texas Council with the 16th annual Distinguished Citizen Award.
"My sister is the poster girl for active community service," said Roberts, publisher of the Victoria Advocate, where his sister is secretary/treasurer.
The event also marked the 100th anniversary of the Boys Scouts of America.
"She exemplifies principles of Scout as the type of the life they need to live," said John Beauregards, Scout CEO.
The honor is given every other year, but Beauregards said it might become annual.
Elton Calhoun of the Boy Scouts organizing committee, noted the the first recipient of the Citizen award was McHaney's father, Morris Roberts.
"She's a shining example of a great leader," said Michelle Hall, executive director of the Victoria Symphony, who was part of the full house in the Victoria College student center.
Along with praise, jokes flowed. Ron and Kay Walker recognized McHaney's accomplishments with a sash of badges recognizing the many adventurous sides of McHaney's personality.
Glasses chimed after McHaney's oldest son, Gordon McHaney, and his wife, Sarah, formed a rhyming toast that evoked both tears and laughter in McHaney.
When it was her turn, McHaney recalled attending the first event in honor of her father. The governor and lieutenant governor also were there in 1988 for her father, but she joked she could attract only "this ragtag" team of organizers.
She reminded the audience the event was a fundraiser for Boy Scouts.
"It's about the Boy Scouts," McHaney said.
She thanked all for nominating her and expressed appreciation for being part of such a participatory community.
Throughout the event, people emphasized how many ways McHaney contributed to the community.
"She's a community icon and very deserving," said Chad Hall, an operations manager.


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I keep finding myself in heaven this summer. Each time I arrive, the furniture and the people are slightly different, but so far, every heaven I have landed in this summer has several things in common.
To get to heaven, I usually take a boat across some water, although sometimes I can get there in our plain old Toyota. It rains in heaven, but the rain is warm and forgiving, and then the sun comes out over the lake or the ocean, and the air clears of its dampness. In the morning, it is quiet, aside from the waves and the songbirds. When I wake up, I get to do some yoga stretches and drink coffee with hot milk, and then I take up my computer and write. Later, when the other lucky people in heaven wake up, we spend the day singing or swimming, or just sitting, talking, and laughing about all the days of our lives before now.
No, I am not dead. I am also not having a manic episode with delusions. But yes, this is in fact heaven. The real one that all those hymns were written about. I didn't get here by deserving it, or believing it. Instead, I got here by simply opening up my eyes and noticing that I had arrived.
The heaven where I landed this particular weekend was a rental house in Fire Island. It's my friend's 40th birthday, and there are six of us here to celebrate. And — get this — we all left our kids home. Our little group has celebrated five 40th birthdays together, and she is the youngest, so we had to do something particularly decadent for her. As much as we adore our children, dedicate nearly every waking moment to their care, taking this few days away for them gave every one of us a little extra room to breathe.
The house in heaven is close enough to the beach to boast an ocean view, but impersonal enough to house different groups of happy people every week or so. It looks like Ikea threw up inside, with low modern sofas and white melamine side tables and a few yellow throw pillows here and there.
Our first evening together, we couldn't quite get over our luck. We ate together, and shared a bottle of rosé and some beers, and laughed together until our sides hurt. Around ten o'clock, we all decided to walk down to the beach, despite the soft rain falling. We stood on the sand, and heard the powerful waves crashing onto the shore, and we looked at one another, unsure who would be the first of us to rush down and dive into the water. We stood there in the soft rain, or floating on the rise and fall of each wave. And we knew, without a shadow of a doubt, this was a moment we would never forget. We were parents without children. We were children ourselves. We were 40 and more. We were immortal.
It's easiest to notice heaven when something particularly sparkling happens. A big birthday weekend with terrific weather and even better friends. The sound of the tympani and the horns and the strings colliding at the end of an outdoor orchestra performance. For me, I'm a lot more likely to discover it during the summertime, when the muscles of my back unknit their tension, and the sun shines gentle and bright.
But the more I get here, the more I see heaven waiting for me around even the most mundane of corners. In the way my words spill when the writing is going well. In the curve of a seashell. In the sound of my mother's laugh. In the sway of the trees in the wind. In the length of a day. In the smile of true friends.


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The revolutionary Asus P52F-SO105D Laptop simplifies your everyday computing and maximizes productivity. It boosts the overall speed, helping you complete the work in less time. Stylishly designed in matt black, this laptop becomes a perfect pick for younger generation as well as professionals. Combining style and performance, you get the best of both worlds.
Engineered with Intel Core i5-460M (2.53GHz) and 4GB DDR 3 RAM, it eases your use and speeds up your work. It runs effectively on Dos OS version.
Though the laptop comes in a compact body, it is equipped with a 15.6" wide display that offers ultimate viewing experience. The large display supports maximum resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and brings to you crisp and clear view. With Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD graphics and 4 GB graphics memory, it displays vivid and high quality images. What interests the users the most is the product's large storage capacity. With 500GB storage space, it offers enough room to store all your data and stuff. It is equipped with a 1.3 MP webcam and it proves useful for its users.
The Optical Drive supports range of media types and formats. With support for WLAN, it allows seamless wireless connectivity of the internet. Quick and easy data transfer is possible with the Bluetooth option. Expansion option is offered in the form of Card Reader.
The battery back up offered by this laptop is phenomenal. Using 8 Cell Lithium-ion batteries the device lasts for an impressive 6 hours. With weight of 2.62kgs, the product becomes very handy. Asus P52F-SO105D Black Laptop comes complete with 1 Year Limited warranty.
Post your comments / questions
what a review!! superb "With
what a review!! superb
"With weight of 2.62kgs, the product becomes very handy"


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If you didn't know already, the remainder of our Wings + Horns fall collection has arrived in store. The boys from Vancouver never disappoint with a great selection of cashmeres, cotton fleeces, and beautiful wools.
Thermal Tube Scarf, in navy and charcoal
A simple shape, comfy cotton, and a beautifully textured knit. What else could you need?
Cashmere Tube Scarf, in heather gray and charcoal
Sorry, we were wrong. You could add some cashmere to the mix, too!
Cashmere beanies, in heather gray, black, and charcoal
Perfectly slouched and impossibly soft, these beanies are all you'll need to cover your cranium.
Cashmere Crewneck Sweaters, in charcoal and black
Boring basics? Puh-leez. These crewnecks have ribbed trim at the shoulders, cuffs, waist, and even under the arms and are ridiculously comfortable. Wear it alone, over your favorite Gitman shirt, or underneath a Nom de Guerre blazer. You can't go wrong.
Thermal Shawl Cardigan and Heavy Thermal Pullover
Whether you want to button up or just slip it on, these thick cotton thermal sweaters are perfect for everyday wear now and are perfect top layers for next spring. The ribbed detailing on the shoulders, sides, cuffs, and waist are pretty awesome, but the real icing on the cake are the darted elbow patches that curve to fit your arm.
Shawl Collar Fleece Cardigan
Sturdier than its thermal cousins and made from a deliciously cozy cotton/wool blend, this cardigan has tonal stitching details throughout and a nubby texture that anybody (not just the usual Wings + Horns addicts) can appreciate.
Utility Coat
If you've been hemming and hawing over what to wear this fall, then just STOP IT. Button front, leather details (at the elbows, collar, and sleeves), hidden knit cuff for warmth, eight pocket front…need we go on? We have a super limited run of these, so come get them now, now, NOW!


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EURUSD Elliott Wave Analysis: Heading Much Lower
As expected, the EURUSD has turned down from above 1.3700 area where we labeled end of an expanded flat formation that now shows signs of completion after sharp fall trough 1.3500. A decline is showing signs of an impulsive price action so we suspect that EURUSD is heading much lower. Trend is down as long as 1.3683 remains in place, while any rallies should find resistance in 1.3540/1.3600 zone.
EURUSD 4h Elliott Wave Analysis
EURUSD 1h
EURUSD on the other hand, did not move much in the last few sessions which was expected as we were looking for a wave iv) pullback up to 1.3530/60. If we take a look closely at the substructure from the latest low we can see an overlapping price action, which is personality of a corrective rally so we think that pair will turn back to the lows in sessions ahead. Resistance or swing region for wave iv) remains at 1.3530-1.3570.
EURUSD 1h Elliott Wave Analysis
Written by www.ew-forecast.com
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Hi all,
Am a rookie in web development. I have built some webpages which are interlinked.
i have used  tag for linking purpose.
i can surf through my website smoothly on my pc, but when i try to access it from my friends pc it gives an error. [i.e. when i open my homepage its visible, but when i click on the link associated with other page on my computer it gives me an error.]
can u help me out with this stuff?
[note that the both the pc are in our office connected in a network like lan etc..]
so why am unable to access the link pages on other computers in the network?
please let me know the solution its urgent.


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We fly south on Friday !!
Hey Kids !
We don't want to make Shea do anything we haven't tried ourselves, so here goes UnkyDuck's test blog.
We leave for Jamaica in three days to shoot Episode 2 of Shea's Rockin' World Tour ! Everybody's excited and as usual the technology is makin' us crazy. We are sorting, organizing and packing a pile of TV gear, plus our snorkels and sunscreen. Visit us at www.sheasrockinworldtour.com and with any luck there'll be a link there to Shea's personal blog.
Follow the adventures of our heroine, and her trusty sidekick/cameraguy Robin as they check out the food, culture, music and adrenaline in Jamaica West Indies.


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The weather God is becoming seriously egotistical. OK we get it! We fully understand that you can bury my poor little puppy under a mountain of snow in .02 seconds. And that you think its funny when I trip on a deceptively mushy pile of snow and butt dive on Michigan Ave (high point - old lady behind me thought it was hilarious). WE KNOW. I think we should maybe treat the situation like dealing with a toddler....like maybe if we ignore him (and you groundhog!), this little snowstorm tantrum … [Read more...]
Creamy Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
PHEW. We survived the end of the world! According to my weather lady it actually ended twice. Three times? I can't remember. I was too busy drowning in my thermal pjs, XXXL sweatshirt that I could literally hibernate in, wool socks....fleece robe....occasionally I would peek out of one of the sleeves and beg a passerby for a cup of hot tea. Or the TV remote. Temps are back up to a balmy 30 degrees, but I'm not going to lie... -46 wind chill or 35 degrees I am a GIGANTIC weather wimp! If I was … [Read more...]
Favorite Recipes of 2013
Out on the town toasting the holidays with my dad! Hi! It's me. Kristina... Remember?? I feel like I need to reintroduce myself after this long hiatus I've taken from blogging over the holidays! Things like sugar cookies, onDemand movie marathons, and literally doing nothing have gotten in the way of me being anything close to productive. I just shamelessly self tanned (little NYE prep - which may or may not have been a terrible decision, we'll see what color I turn tomorrow...) … [Read more...]
Hearty Minestrone Soup & Your Christmas Shopping Survival Guide!
Alright ladies. Today I want to talk shopping... Somewhere between Black Friday and December 24th, shopping is no longer a leisure activity - it is a sport. Blood, sweat, and tears baby. My Starbucks latte is no longer just delicious, it is fuel. And yes, I am wearing sneakers.. with my skinny jeans. Because I will be walking around the mall for 4 hours looking for the perfect present and low heels will just slow me down. But with the busy parking lots, long lines, and mobs of people, Mrs. … [Read more...]
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
There is something so comfortably satisfying about a big warm bowl of creamy tomato soup on a lazy Sunday. I have a presentation at my old high school this week and I think all the preparation has got me seriously nostalgic for some of my childhood favorites - Tomato Soup. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. White Keds. And my Malibu Barbie with...Gymanstic Barbie's head. I was just as OCD efficient at 5 yrs old as I am now. I didn't want to take the time to change Barbie's clothes.. so I would change … [Read more...]
Buffalo Chicken Chili
Tomorrow's my first official tailgate of the football season and I am SO excited! A whole bunch of us are heading to the Notre Dame v. Michigan game at Notre Dame in the morning (some as early as 6:30am. Yikes! Definitely not my car...). It's going to be a lot of fun - lots of people, lots of food, ...and lots of rain! (Boo on the rain reports! I really hope weatherchannel.com is lying) Only problem... I didn't go to Michigan. Or Notre Dame. I went to University of … [Read more...]
Skinny Veggie Chili and Ask Ashley!
I have an extra special post for you guys today! Not only am I introducing you to my fabulous veggie chili recipe... I'm also introducing you to the queen of fabulous - Whipped's resident dietitian, Ashley! She's been the secret machine behind my health topic posts (remember my Girl Power Bars, Probiotic Stir Fry, and White Bean Nicoise Salad recipe??), researching all things healthy and nutritious to help me put together some powerhouse recipes for you all! I wanted to take today to let … [Read more...]


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Where Does Brian Urlacher Rank Among Greatest Players in Bears History?May 23, 2013
It seems like yesterday that the Chicago Bears took a young, converted safety out of New Mexico with the ninth overall pick in the NFL draft.
Debuting in 2000, Brian Urlacher spent 13 seasons in a Chicago uniform before retiring. In a great lineage of Bears players, we can finally start the debate of where Urlacher ranks in franchise history.
Who makes the Mount Rushmore of Bears players? You immediately have Walter Payton, Dick Butkus and George Halas making the list. You could debate the fourth member being either Mike Singletary, Mike Ditka, Gale Sayers or now Urlacher.
Urlacher has to be among the top five greatest players in franchise history, although he's not getting past Payton or Butkas. You can start an argument for him at the third spot, but most likely slide him in at No. 4 right after Halas and before Singletary.
Now, here is where the great debate begins. Singletary had two more Pro Bowl appearances and three more selections as a First Team All-Pro than Urlacher. Keep in mind that Urlacher missed all but one game in the 2009-10 season to a wrist injury. Singletary also had that elusive Super Bowl ring that Urlacher was never able to bring home.
What makes Urlacher better is how dominant he was during his prime. Singletary was great and as consistent as it gets, but he could never change a game the same way Urlacher could.
Urlacher had 22 interceptions, including two for touchdowns. He forced 11 fumbles and recovered 15. Most impressive was that Urlacher had 41.5 sacks while Singletary had 19.
You never saw a middle linebacker with the combination of size and speed as Urlacher before he arrived in the NFL. He truly revolutionized the position in that regard.
Urlacher could cover a tight end, chase down a running back or contain a quarterback like Michael Vick in the pocket.
Remember Urlacher's 85-yard interception return for a touchdown on Brett Favre in 2007? How about his game against Atlanta in that magical 2001-02 season where he sacked Vick and forced a fumble recovered by Atlanta. Two plays later, Vick was sacked again and Urlacher picked up the loose ball and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown.
Urlacher's speed and hustle were on display when he was the lead blocker for Nathan Vasher on his memorable 108-yard return of a missed field goal attempt for a touchdown against the 49ers in Week 10 of the 2005-06 season.
Last season, Urlacher had dazzled the Tennessee Titans, picking off Matt Hasslebeck, jumping over a couple of defenders and scoring the Bears' seventh pick-six in the team's first eight games.
Urlacher was one of the top three linebackers the league has seen in the past 25 years. Only Ray Lewis and Junior Seau could match his level of play during that time.
He was an amazing talent as well as an inspiring leader and an honest man who loved the Bears and fought hard for Chicago. Urlacher will undeniably go down as one of the greatest linebackers in league history and will have a spot for him in Canton one day.


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Gridlink Share a 'Hopeless Anger' on 'Orphan' — Song Premiere
One of the most exciting bands in the grindcore scene today is Gridlink. The band's greatness is no surprise when you look at a list of its members' previous bands. Discordance Axis, Human Remains, Phobia, and Burnt By the Sun are just a few of the legendary groups represented within Gridlink's ranks. The band's intoxicating mix of death metal, thrash, and Japanese-informed hardcore is admittedly not for everyone. However, if your tastes are on the eclectic and extreme side, you won't be let down.
Noisecreep is thrilled to premiere the title track from Gridlink's new album, 'Orphan,' out on March 29.
Listen to 'Orphan'
"I wanted my riffs to show the complicated mind, sadness, and hopeless anger of what the word 'orphan' means," said Gridlink guitarist Takafumi Matsubara. The song, like the rest of the album, is an incessant barrage of speedy riffs and vocal assaults courtesy of Jon Chang. His banshee wails and death grunts are infamous within grind collector circles from his previous work with Discordance Axis. Noisecreep expects 'Orphan' to make many year-end lists.
'Orphan' be released on March 29 on CD, digital, and on an LP with a re-mixed & re-mastered version of their first album, 2008's 'Amber Grey.'


text: TortoiseHg - gives the distributed flexibility of Git, and a GUI similar to TortoiseSVN. Plus Mercurial is really easy to use for one directory projects. -----Original Message----- >From: Tymm Twillman <tymmothy at gmail.com> >Sent: Feb 17, 2012 1:08 PM >To: Anders Nelson <anders.k.nelson at gmail.com> >Cc: noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net, Dorkbot Dorkbot <dorkbotsf-blabber at dorkbot.org> >Subject: Re: [dorkbotsf-blabber] Embedded code - version control experience? > >I really like Git for both embedded & non-embedded. Especially as I >do a fair amount of editing on the go, and the ability to commit to a >local repo & then later sync to my master repo is great. I've made >the move from SVN recently, and haven't looked back. > >Doing source control with integrated IDE systems I've found to be a >little annoying (figuring out which IDE files you want excluded from >the repo, and how to make your settings files repo-friendly... i.e. >getting things to use relative paths instead of putting paths that >have your home directory name in them)... > >Git also supports submodules (SVN might also by now; I know there's >been a lot of work on subversion recently)... which means you can have >projects that import other projects as dependencies, rather than >replicating code in multiple repositories. > >On Fri, Feb 17, 2012 at 11:47 AM, Anders Nelson ><anders.k.nelson at gmail.com> wrote: >> Hello fine people, >> >> Does anyone use version control for their embedded project code? I want to >> start using MPLAB X, which has version control built into the IDE but I'm >> curious to know if using a more accepted standard (SVN, etc) is a better >> idea. Then, of course, what's the best way to organize a repository? >> >> Me thinks appending a new dated name to each file I modify is not the way to >> go anymore... >> >> =] >> -- >> Anders Nelson >> >> www.erogear.com >> >> >> ---------- >> >> dorkbot: people doing strange things with electricity >> http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotsf/ >> SUBSCRIPTION AND UNSUBSCRIBE OPTIONS HERE: >> http://music.columbia.edu/mailman/listinfo/dorkbotsf-blabber >> >> ---------- > >---------- > >dorkbot: people doing strange things with electricity >http://dorkbot.org/dorkbotsf/ >SUBSCRIPTION AND UNSUBSCRIBE OPTIONS HERE: >http://music.columbia.edu/mailman/listinfo/dorkbotsf-blabber > >----------


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We can set aside the dell w3000 and mark it as having a broken logic board. Basically the stuff that would get tossed into e-waste are the things that are obviously broken. Anything that looks like it works but is on the floor and unmarked, we'll just have to consider abandoned and move it to the hack shelves.

-Al

On Sun, Dec 29, 2013 at 10:30 AM, Johny Radio <firstname.lastname@example.com> wrote:

On 12/29/2013 4:55:01 AM, "Zach" <email@example.com> wrote:

Ā i would just like to suggest that things from the member shelf floor at least get moved to the hacker shelves before going into e-waste.Ā

Ā

Genius. Hope people cleaning the Member Shelves area agree with you!

Ā

Johny Radio

If you have to police the space, you're doing it wrong!

Ā


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Online Extra: Political Notes: Mixner, Jones endorse termlimits for LGBT board seats
by Matthew S. Bajko
Longtime gay activists David Mixner and Cleve Jones voiced support for term limits on boards of major LGBT organizations while addressing an LGBT media forum held over the weekend in Philadelphia.
Asked about how board members overseeing the nation's various LGBT groups are selected, both Mixner and Jones backed seeing routine turnover on such governing bodies.
"I have long believed in term limits on LGBT boards," said Mixner, who campaigned to elect President Bill Clinton in 1992 only to become a vocal critic of his anti-gay stances on military service and marriage equality. He later added, "I believe in new blood and turnover and mentoring of new members."
Mixner, 67, was a co-founding board member of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and instituted term limits for its board.
"When I was national co-chair of the Victory Fund, I said I wouldn't be co-chair if we did not have term limits," recalled Mixner, who lives in upstate New York and blogs about a variety of topics at http://www.davidmixner.com/.
A co-founder of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation as well as the Names Project, which oversees the AIDS Memorial Quilt that he conceived, Jones also called for turnover on nonprofit boards.
Such groups "should make space for new people coming up," said Jones, 58, a resident of the gay Castro district in San Francisco.
He also voiced support for giving a nonprofit's membership a say over who becomes one of its board members. At most organizations, the executive director and current board members recruit people to the board.
Nonprofits "should have the membership elect boards," said Jones, an organizer for the labor union UNITE HERE, in response to a question.
Their comments prompted attendee Sean Bugg , editor of Washington, D.C. paper Metro Weekly, to write on Twitter that he found it "odd when you're a 30-year-plus activist lecturing on need for term limits in LGBT leadership."
In an email to the Bay Area Reporter this week, Gay USA co-host Andy Humm wrote that he felt the issue his question as submitted raised – if board members should be "elected by the grassroots" - was not addressed.
"Until the bureaucratization of LGBT organizations, power was all among the members of a group - not boards and certainly not self-appointed, self-perpetuating boards," wrote Humm.
A number of LGBT nonprofits already institute term limits on their board members.
SFAF for instance enacted a policy that states each director on its board, which has a maximum limit of 30 people, serves a three-year term and can be re-elected for a total of six years of service, noted SFAF spokesman James Loduca.
The Family Equality Council, a Boston-based group that advocates nationally on behalf of LGBT families, restricts its board members to serving three three-year terms for a total of nine years, if the person renews twice. Board members of the Human Rights Campaign are also required to cycle off after serving several terms.
At the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force members of the board of directors are initially elected to a one-year term. Afterward they may serve a maximum of two successive terms of three years each, and until a successor has been elected and qualified, explained spokeswoman Inga Sarda-Sorensen, adding that a board member can rejoin the board after a one year absence.
Term limits can be advantageous, according to the D.C.-based BoardSource, a nonprofit that trains board members of nonprofits across the country. Such policies can attract diversity to a board, regular infusions of "fresh ideas and new perspectives," and provides a mechanism where "passive, ineffective, or troublesome board members can be more easily rotated off."
They can also become problematic, adds BoardSource, due to the "loss of expertise and organizational memory" or if too much time is spent to recruit and orient new board members.
There are also disadvantages in not capping the time a board member can serve, though, such as concentrating too much power to a small group or losing connection to the constituency that the nonprofit is meant to serve, according to BoardSource.
Those who serve on boards deserve credit for volunteering their time, Mixner said.
"I will never be ungrateful to those who step up and serve," said Mixner.
But at the same time, board members must be willing to do the necessary work serving on a nonprofit board requires, added Mixner.
"I do not believe in stacking boards with people who don't work," he said.
Mixner and Jones were the featured guests at the opening reception Friday, February 22 of the fourth annual LGBT Media Journalists Convening. The forum brought together 70 journalists and bloggers from various LGBT newspapers and websites from around the country.
It is funded by the Evelyn & Walter Hass Jr. Fund, based in San Francisco and created in 1953 by heirs of jeans purveyor Levi Strauss. Matt Foreman, director of the fund's gay and immigrant rights programs, conceived of the LGBT media forum and teamed up with Bil Browning, editor-in-chief of the Bilerico Project, to organize it.
The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association serves as a sponsoring organization, while the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation assisted with this year's gathering.
"LGBT newspapers and blogs are not only critical sources of information for our community, they also drive public opinion and action," stated Foreman, previously executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "The annual convening for LGBT editors and bloggers gives these thought leaders the chance to get in-depth information about leading issues of the day, such as immigration reform, and to get to know one another."
The conversation with Mixner and Jones ran a gamut of topics, from marriage equality to labor issues. The two have teamed up this year to promote a week's worth of actions leading up to the Supreme Court hearings next month on two marriage equality lawsuits.
The justices will hear oral arguments in a case seeking to overturn California's ban against same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8, Tuesday, March 26. The next day the court will hear a New York-based lawsuit against the federal ban known as the Defense of Marriage Act.
Jones and Mixner are calling for actions to be held in cities throughout the country in advance of the highly anticipated court proceedings. They created a website at http://www.lighttojustice.org to serve as a clearinghouse for the various events set to take place.
"It is extraordinary to hear gay people talk about getting married," said Mixner, marveling at how fast the LGBT community's concerns have changed over the years.
He noted that in his youth during the 1950s it was routine for gay people to undergo lobotomies in order to treat their homosexuality.
"We've come a long way," said Mixner.
Jones also grew up under such threats, saying that he waited until he turned 18 to come out to his father so he "wouldn't be lobotomized."
He said he worries that younger LGBT people today are ignorant of the community's past struggles and don't find it necessary to learn about their forebears' experiences.
"They don't know their history and don't seem to be particularly interested," he said.
He also lambasted LGBT groups and individuals for turning their back on the labor movement, which was an early supporter of LGBT rights. Jones criticized NLGJA and its members for hosting its 2010 convention in San Francisco at a Hyatt hotel being picketed.
He also called out the National Minority AIDS Council "for crossing our picket lines" when hotel workers are largely people of color.
And Jones said he has "real problems" seeing the Human Rights Campaign name corporations like Hyatt, BP and Goldman Sachs as good places to work for LGBT people.
"They should not take money from large corporations that are regulated by our government," said Jones.
Looking back over the LGBT advances of the last decade, Jones and Mixner credited much of the work to grassroots activists and not national LGBT organizations.
"It didn't come from large groups, it came from the grassroots," said Jones.
Mixner pointed to former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom 's 2004 decision to marry same-sex couples as an example. He said that Newsom "thought he was granting a marriage license to" pioneering lesbian couple Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon and was not prepared for when "6,000 people showed up" from around the country. (Martin died in 2008 but was able to legally wed Lyon in June that year during the brief time such unions were allowed before passage of Prop 8.)
When that action by Newsom led to the passage of Prop 8 in 2008 and the new group Americans for Equal Rights filed a federal lawsuit to strike it down, Mixner pointed to how the majority of national LGBT groups opposed doing so at first despite having lawyers Ted Olson and David Boies arguing the case.
"Are we fucking crazy?" asked Mixner, astounded at the lack of support behind "two of the best lawyers in the country willing to fight for us."
Those same groups are now on board and have filed amicus briefs in the case.
The men's push to have local actions in March on behalf of marriage equality is partly based on the advice of Olson, said Jones, as the nine Supreme Court justices do take note of public opinion.
"It helps to show the depth and breadth of support," he said.
In addition to rallies, teach-ins, and marches, they are asking people to request the editorial boards of their local newspapers write editorials in support of striking down both Prop 8 and DOMA.
In New York the night of Sunday, March 24 Mixner plans to be in Times Square silently holding a candle to protest the anti-gay marriage laws.
"I want to show that we are still here, still fighting and that we won t go down without a fight," said Mixner.
A meeting to plan events in San Francisco ahead of the Supreme Court hearings will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 2 at the Metropolitan Community Church-San Francisco, 150 Eureka Street, in the Castro.
Keep abreast of the latest LGBT political news by following the Political Notebook on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/politicalnotes.
Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 861-5019 or e-mail email@example.com.


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Introduced in May 2016, the campaign benefitted 10 charities in 9 different markets
Press Release – LEAWOOD, Kan. (Feb. 9, 2017) – In May of last year, Houlihan's Restaurants launched its Cookies for a Cause campaign in nine markets throughout the nation in an effort to raise funding for 10 local charities. The campaign encouraged guests to indulge in Houlihan's signature, homemade chocolate chip cookies for 50 cents each. All cookie sales were donated to various local charities chosen by each market's team members based on what they wanted to support locally. Prior to the Cookies for a Cause campaign, Houlihan's treated lunchtime diners to a complimentary chocolate chip cookie.
During the final eight months of 2016, 30 restaurants in nine markets sold 34,319 lunchtime cookies, equaling a total donation of $17,159.50 nationwide. The Cookies for a Cause campaign continues in 2017 in the same nine markets. Houlihan's plans to launch the campaign in additional markets.
The Cookies for a Cause campaign initially launched as a three-month test campaign in Chicago, and due to its overwhelming success, quickly expanded to Houlihan's locations across the country.
Cookies for a Cause benefitted the following charities in 2016:
Kansas City:
Saint Louis:
San Antonio:
About Houlihan's:
Established in 1972, Houlihan's has 72 locations, primarily throughout the Midwest and the eastern United States. An American restaurant and bar that "feeds your lifestyle," Houlihan's menu features center-cut steaks, fresh seafood entrées, baked-to-order flatbreads and artisan salads and sandwiches along with an interesting, everyday wine and cocktail selection. Houlihan's offers dishes in both small and large portions and is dedicated to developing menu options that address ever-evolving consumer lifestyles — be it meatless, gluten-sensitive, organic, or smaller portioned items. The restaurants feature design-forward finishes and architectural elements and a custom, curated playlist that changes monthly; many locations feature display kitchens, original artwork, and patios designed for social lounging. Houlihan's is privately owned by Houlihan's Restaurants, Inc. which developed and owns several restaurant concepts including Bristol Seafood Grill, Devon Seafood + Steaks and J. Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steaks & Seafood. The company is headquartered in the Kansas City metro area. For more information on franchise opportunities, please visit www.houlihans.com/franchise.


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July 29, 2009 Wednesday at 4:18 pm


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York County District Court
Looking for a Passport Acceptance Agent? You'll find them at the Passport Acceptance Facility at the York County District Court in York, NE. Passport Acceptance Agents are crucial to the processing of applications for New Passports, Minor Passports, and Replacement of Lost, Stolen or Damaged Passports. They review the application … Continue reading »


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Links which appear in Office documents, like http://www.consumingexperience.com/ in the screenshot of Word above, normally open in Internet Explorer when you click them - even after you've set Outlook email links to open in Firefox. But you can force links in Microsoft Office (i.e. Word, Excel and Powerpoint) documents to open in the fab free browser Firefox instead when you click (or Ctrl-click) on a hyperlink that's shown in a Word document or Excel spreadsheet etc.
Here's a tip for how you can make links in a Word etc document open in Firefox when you click the link - in Windows XP at least:
- Change your file associations so that hyperlinks generally open in Firefox.
- (Non-geeks, skip to item 3 for the easy way!) Make this registry edit having closed all Office apps first (NB, usual warnings: backup your registry first, and you edit or change your registry at your own risk! also don't know if it'll work in Vista):
- in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\ create a subkey called Internet if it's not already there
- in that subkey create a new DWORD value named ForceShellExecute with a value of 1 (or change its value from 0 to 1 if that value already exists)
- If step 2 was gobbledygook to you, not to worry. You can instead - after you backup your registry first, and this is definitely at your own risk! - close all Office programs, then try this .reg file I uploaded earlier (how to use online .reg files - just click the link and run it or save then run it, saying Yes to let to change your registry).
- If links still don't open in Firefox after you've re-opened Word etc, try rebooting. And of course you'll need to allow Word, Excel etc to access the internet through your firewall if you haven't already.
It seems that what registry change does is to force hyperlinks in various Office documents to open according to what's been set for their file associations (in Windows Explorer, Tools, Folder Options, File Types). So now you can click links embedded in Word, Excel etc files and they'll in Firefox instead of IE. Good trick, eh?
I've tested it in XP Service Pack 2 and Word, Excel and Powerpoint 2003, but it also seems to work in Word, Excel and Powerpoint 2000 and 2002 versions too.
Warning: note that this doing tweak may muck up any links in Office document to a bookmark location in another locally-saved (i.e. on your computer) document - see this article.


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floral Jan 11
Beautiful floral taken at Botanical Gardens Chicago.
Uploaded on 8/15/2009 2:18:44 AM
Made with Sony Alpha A700 Digital SLR Camera
Copyright for this photo belongs solely to Kerby Pfrangle. Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.


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We understand that financial aid can be challenging to understand and are here to assist you for all of your questions and concerns. Please view our checklist as a great starting point as you navigate the financial aid process.
Financial Aid Office Monthly Updates:
May 2017
June 2017
July 2017
Aug-Sept 2017
Fall 2017


text:
Police in the Bloomington area are taking part in a week-long exercise to hone their driving skills, which are often put to the test in emergency situations. Officers with the Indiana University Police, the Bloomington Police, and other law enforcement agencies, are conducting the emergency vehicle operations course on the west side of Memorial Stadium. Bloomington Detective Joe Qualters says the training provides officers with skills that are crucial in emergency pursuits. IUPD Captain Jerry Minger says the training involves fast starts and stops, weaving, and even driving backwards at high rates of speed.
The exercises will be conducted near Memorial Stadium from 6 a.m. until midnight through Thursday.


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We signed up to bring drinks to my daughter's preschool class and it would pain me to just bring in…well…just regular drinks. To flair it up a bit, I turned our drinks into a craft and made little Capri Sun people. You could do a million different themes and variations on these for parties.
Ours were simple. I took some awesome coordinating card stock strength scrapbook paper and two packs of huge googly eyes I found at Kroger. I made little bows for the "girl" Capri Suns and the not so shocking, mustaches for boys. I cut out my own template, stacked the paper and cut four or five bows/mustaches at a time. I dabbed on the hot glue and my girls stuck them on and in about 15 minutes, we were all done!
Cheap, easy and fun for the kiddos. Without further adieu, I present Capri Sun ladies and gents.


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Question: This might sound like a funny question, but is it hard to find a white bear on white ice and snow.
Answer (Scott Schliebe) (Laughing): It is, it is difficult to find a white bear on a white background. And when we do aerial surveys, we often look for signs of polar bears--tracks in the snow. We look for areas where they would prefer to use like these cracks where the leads are where they hunt. And then we also look for movement-- if we see any movement while we're flying--that's one way we detect them. And then, actually you develop what they call a "site picture." You're looking for a certain type of site a polar bear image while you're flying and with training and experience you become fairly good at finding polar bears on that white background. That doesn't mean that we don't miss them - they are difficult to see for sure.


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US streamlines offshore drilling permits
Published 7:00 pm, Saturday, June 11, 2011
By Jennifer Dlouhy
Hearst News Services
WASHINGTON -- Federal regulators on Friday launched a streamlined process for vetting applications for offshore drilling permits in response to complaints from oil and gas companies that the government's previous system was unwieldy.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement also issued a checklist oil and gas companies can use to make sure their proposals are in order before they are filed.
The document is meant to outline the main components that oil and gas companies must include in their permit applications.
Michael Bromwich, the ocean energy bureau director, said the changes would give oil and gas companies greater clarity.
"We are constantly looking for ways to create a smarter, more efficient and more transparent permit review process," Bromwich said in a statement. "Our goal is to make the process of submitting permit applications easier, reduce the time it takes to review permits and improve BOEMRE's communication with operators during the permit review process."
Industry leaders have asked regulators for more clarity about permit applications, in some cases requesting blueprints to guide their proposals or unsuccessfully seeking a peek at competitors' applications.
Before last year's Gulf spill -- and the adoption of new safety and environmental mandates governing offshore oil and gas development -- deep-water drilling applications frequently were less than 100 pages long. Now, operators say they are filing permit applications with thousands of pages, even before they add the detailed plans for containing blown-out deep-sea wells using systems from the Marine Well Containment Company or the Helix Well Containment Group.
The sheer size of the applications has made them difficult to manage, said George Morris, chief operating officer of Houston-based ATP Oil & Gas Corp.
"We went from 39 pages to 3,900 pages on a permit," Morris said. "It's just volumes of paper, and because it's volumes of paper, you need to make sure everything is correct, and it takes a lot of time to get these out."
Under new procedures outlined Friday, BOEMRE staff will examine applications to make sure they are complete before they launch a substantive review of proposed drilling projects. The goal is to identify any lapses early on, rather than identifying omissions during the detailed analysis of a proposal's substance.
Officials at BOEMRE -- which is part of the Interior Department -- also hope the change will reduce the number of times that permit applications are returned to operators as incomplete.
"BOEMRE personnel currently spend significant time reviewing incomplete permit applications and sending the applications back to operators multiple times before receiving a complete application," said a bureau spokesperson. "This wastes precious time and staff resources and has proved frustrating for agency staff and operators alike."
The government also clarified how it will prioritize permit applications, with complete proposals for more work at ongoing operations getting the most urgent attention. Applications deemed complete are next in the queue, followed by those that aren't quite ready.
Proposals to drill emergency relief wells will still take precedence at the agency.
Oil and gas industry officials welcomed the changes.
"Much of the permitting process has been confusing and frustrating to our members, particularly in the last year," said Randall Luthi, president of the National Ocean Industries Association. "This is a great example of what can happen when industry and the regulators communicate their frustrations and suggestions with one another."
Luthi said the new guidance would help oil and gas companies "make their applications as thorough as possible."
Jim Noe, senior vice president of Hercules Offshore, Inc., and head of the Shallow Water Energy Security Coalition that has lobbied for similar changes, said the government's new plans "are instrumental to making this process function more efficiently."
But he said BOEMRE should go a step further and prioritize applications to drill in shallow waters that generally have lower geological pressures and fewer environmental risks than do deeper wells.
Unless shallow-water permits are given priority and the administration provides "clear and unequivocal" support for offshore energy development, Noe said, "our expectations that these steps will meaningfully improve the permitting process are limited at best."
BOEMRE has approved 15 deep-water projects after the companies proved that they have the resources and equipment to contain a blown-out well. Twenty-four deep-water drilling permit applications are now pending at the agency, and another 18 proposals have been returned to operators with requests for additional information about containment and other issues.
(Jennifer A. Dlouhy can be reached at 202-263-6400 or at the e-mail address jdlouhy(at)hearstdc.com)


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Jacob Aron, technology reporter
(Image: Spencer Platt/Getty)
Online retailer Amazon has today stepped up its hardware offerings with a tablet, the Kindle Fire. Unlike previous Kindle models, which are are only designed to read ebooks, the Fire provides access to the videos, games and apps sold by Amazon. These are displayed on an LCD touchscreen, rather than the regular Kindle's e-ink screen, as current colour e-ink technology is not fast enough to display moving images.
All content is backed up on Amazon's cloud servers, meaning you can delete and redownload it at any time, and if you start watching a video on your tablet, you can later resume from the same spot on your TV - provided your TV is supported, of course. This makes the device US-only for now, as Amazon's cloud services are only available in the US due to legal reasons.
Amazon's servers also help power the tablet's new web browser, Amazon Silk. When you access a complex website on the tablet, certain elements are loaded in Amazon's cloud before being pushed to your device. It's an approach already taken by the Opera Mini web browser and Amazon claims this will lead to faster load times and prolong battery life. Amazon's browser will also take the additional step of using machine learning to pre-cache websites - for example, if most visitors to newscientist.com click the leading story, it will load that page in the background.
The tablet runs a modified version of Google's Android operating system but lacks a number of features found in competitor devices, such as a camera or microphone. It also cuts back on storage and screen size in comparison to the likes of Apple's iPad 2, but is far cheaper - $199 vs $499.
Amazon also announced a new range of Kindle e-readers at its press conference in New York today, including a model with an e-ink screen with infrared-powered touch controls at $99 and a non-touchscreen model at $79 - or the cost of a few hardback books. With Amazon already selling more ebooks than paperbacks, is it time to declare "dead trees" dead?


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Wunnenberg's Street Guides
Our guides are prepared from the most reliable information obtainable from local sources. The guides draw out every road, highway, county line, municipality, and zip code. Our street guides also map out parks, conservation areas, schools and colleges, airports, golf courses, cemeteries, hospitals, shopping centers, stadiums and sports complexes, libraries, lakes and rivers.
Every guide features a street index in the back, making it easy to find any street instantly!
St. Louis Area Street Guides: