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A while ago I posted some first thoughts on personal psychogeography, including the germ of a project involving photography and writing. I'm grateful to comments (from Martha and Lucy) for pointing me to significant related work by Richard Long, Hamish Fulton (beware annoying Flash), and Francesco Careri. These have been helpful to me in formulating my own project, which is, in fact, very different. I am approaching the idea — call it a psychogeographic study — primarily as a photographer, i.e. one interested in making photographs. In contrast, Long and Fulton (and the architect Careri, from the little I know) consider their photographs quite secondary: the walk itself is the artwork.
more… »


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Supporters in Rumford expressed enthusiasm Friday for efforts to save the Black Mountain ski area, which announced last week that it will close due to a lack of revenue and funding.
A meeting Thursday drew 150 supporters of the nonprofit ski area, which is a key venue for high school competitions.
"I'm optimistic it's going to happen," said Roger Arsenault, the chair of the mountain's board of directors. "We've raised $50,000 to $60,000 in the last 14 hours. It's been overwhelming."
Black Mountain of Maine has been funded and run by the Maine Winter Sports Center since 2003. That year the Libra Foundation, the financial arm behind the nonprofit Maine Winter Sports Center, purchased Black Mountain as part of a statewide effort to produce affordable Alpine and Nordic skiing.
The Libra Foundation poured $9 million over 10 years into Black Mountain, changing the look of the area with a new lodge, new chair lifts, more trails, snowmaking and a $15 lift ticket price aimed at making Alpine skiing accessible to all Mainers.
With 1,380 feet of vertical, Black Mountain is Maine's fourth-tallest ski mountain, but it's never been profitable during the Libra Foundation years of ownership.
Andy Shepard, executive director of the Maine Winter Sports Center, won't divulge the mountain's finances while he searches for a new owner, but said the ski area was projecting an $80,000 loss this past year.
At the same time, Shepard said the decision this past winter to slash ticket prices to $15 increased skier visits and put the mountain closer than it has been to profitability.
"The dirty little secret in Alpine skiing is there's a posted price but there are all sorts of opportunities to get discounts. What $15 did was change the conversation. If we brought more skiers to the mountain (who all paid the same price), we weren't losing money on our day tickets. It took us nine years to find a model that worked, but we did and I'd love to see it continue."
Shepard said he needs to find a new owner, preferably a nonprofit, to take over the ski area, and a funding source, which could be in the form of a grant or philanthropist.
He said given the work needed to ready a ski area for the winter, he had fewer than 30 days to find a new owner.
He also felt it was necessary to take care of the debt the area has now, and said the Maine Winter Sports Center would do that.
Shepard said he's committed to pave the way for a secure future for the ski area. Last week he started one of the two fund-raising websites for the cause, and said Friday donations started pouring in.
He said two corporate sponsors already have committed.
Dana Bullen, the Sunday River president, said his larger ski area in western Maine donated to the cause.
"The resort is donating $5,000 in cash to the cause, but more importantly we remain in contact with Andy Shepard and will continue to assist with operational items and other programs as appropriate," Bullen said.
Shepard said efforts to save Black Mountain are moving in the right direction.
"There is support in the community, tangible support, and an overwhelming response," Shepard said Friday.
"I want to do this in 30 days. It shouldn't take more than a month to do this if the will is there."
Black Mountain stands alone as a key Nordic venue for high school and college ski racers. High school coaches and Maine skiers are watching what happens closely.
The loss of the ski area that hosted U.S. Nordic championships two of the past three years would impact the entire Maine ski community, high school coaches said.
"I think Black Mountain has been our go-to place for the state championships for a number of years. That would be a huge loss for us," said Ted Hall, the Yarmouth High principal who sits on the Maine Principals' Association ski committee.
"They set a high standard. That's how championships should be run."
Black Mountain, which boasts nearly 30 miles of Nordic trails, was expected to host at least one of the three Nordic state championships next winter.
"That would be devastating to Nordic skiing in Maine. It is one of the premier venues for Nordic skiing. It can host up to 500 to 600 skiers in a day," said Jay Lindsey, the Nordic ski coach at Winthrop High.
Meanwhile, Rumford skiers who have grown up and raised their families at the ski area wonder what the future holds, but remain determined to change its fate.
The members of the 96-year-old Chisholm Ski Club were in shock last week.
"My parents were original stockholders. I grew up at Black Mountain," said Terry Richard, 54, secretary of the Chisholm Ski Club.
"It's such a tragedy for the community but there was a lot of positive energy at the meeting. We are going to keep it open."
Arsenault, a Rumford native, said the mountain hosted its first Nordic world championship in 1950, a year without snow in the original location at Lake Placid, N.Y.
The successful event then put Black Mountain on the world map.
As recently as 2011 and 2012, the ski area hosted a U.S. Nordic championship, drawing 500 athletes from across the country, as well as 150 Maine volunteers who came to help.
Those in Rumford who have supported Black Mountain in the past are not backing down now.
"It's coming together. We're putting a powerful message out there. My phone has been ringing all day," Arsenault said. "I'm optimistic because I've got to be. We need $100,000 but my goal is $150,000. And I think we'll get there sooner than 30 days. That mountain means so much to the community."
Deirdre Fleming can be reached at 791-6452 or at:

subset: commoncrawl


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The Degrees and their Mathematical Backgroud:
Here you will find articles detailing the meaning of the 360 degrees of an Astrological Chart:
In order to understand how astrology works, we first have to break it down into its component parts and see if we can come up with some core definitions. We can begin with an overview of three of the most basic components: the houses, the signs, and the planets.
Astrology is an exceptional tool for investigating the nature of reality. Contrary to what many think, there is more to this study than character analysis and prediction; in fact, it can be used in as many different ways as there are views of reality.
If you have seen and studied some of the degrees of the zodiac, perhaps you've wondered how one could possibly learn them all? One method would be to see them all in a kind of vision. For those of us who have no such vision available, this article offers a more human method and a short rationale.


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The demand for online MBA programs is growing. The increase in acceptance of online degrees by employers and headhunters and a slow economy has led to increased student demand for online and part-time MBA programs. These programs allow students to work on their degree while still keeping their full-time jobs and without relocating. With MBA admission rates for traditional programs slowing due to the recession , more colleges and universities are implementing online programs to meet increased student demand.
When evaluating an online degree, the first thing to consider is the college or university's accreditation. A degree from an accredited institution ensures that the academic quality of the degree is undisputed, and is often very important to potential employers. Many colleges and universities list their accreditations on their website, and you can ask your admissions officer if you are unsure. MBA programs can be accredited either by AACSB or by a regional accreditation board.
In evaluating which online MBA programs to apply to, look at each school's admission requirements. Schools hold a variety of admission requirements. Some schools require specific GMAT or GRE score, while others do not require that either test be taken. Schools may have minimum regulation for your previous GPA or a certain number of years of work experience. Some colleges and universities ask for letters of recommendation by former teachers or your employer. Being aware of the admission requirements before you apply ensures that you tailor your application to meet the demands of each school you are applying to, and can sometimes save you a hefty application fee.
Look at the class requirements of each MBA program before you apply. Some MBAs require a certain amount of in-person work at the university campus. Others demand specific days or hours a week for class time. Almost all schools will demand a significant commitment to the MBA program. Evaluate the demands of each program before you apply. Ensure that you can meet all the requirements and expectations of that program.
Before submitting your application, it is helpful to look at the overall cost of an MBA. Most MBAs are expensive, so take the time to evaluate your financial aid options. If you cannot pay the cost of the entire degree out of pocket, there are grants, scholarships, loans, and other forms of financial aid. Some employers also offer assistance to help students get their MBA. Evaluate all your possibilities and make sure you can afford the degree before submitting your application.
Once you have evaluated the options and selected the programs to apply to, carefully craft your application to meet that school's expectation. Submit all the required letters of reference, copies of test scores, undergraduate transcripts, and other required material. Write your statement of purpose in a way that appeals to the admissions officials and showcases the best aspects of yourself.


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Public Works Climate Action Plan, March 2011
Greening the city's infrastructure and our business practices are an integral part of our mission and these goals are outlined in our Strategic Plan.
Additionally, the San Francisco Environmental Code requires, beginning at the close of fiscal year 2008-2009 and every year following, that all City departments submit, in a format specified by the Department of the Environment, a written update of greenhouse gas (GHG) emitted and the status of plans and actions taken. These updates enable the Department of the Environment to calculate the City's progress toward meeting the greenhouse gas emissions limits established in Section 904 of City and County of San Francisco Environment Code.
Along with informing our strategic planning process, the purpose of this Climate Action Plan is to comply with the requirements of the Environmental Code and document our carbon footprint, report on actions taken and establish or adjust strategic actions to further reduce our GHG emission in coordination with the City's Environmental Plan and contribute to making San Francisco a beautiful livable, vibrant, and sustainable city.
San Francisco's greenhouse gas emission are detailed in Climate Action Plan for San Francisco, Local Actions to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions released in September 2004, by the Department of Environment and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. The plan establishes the city's goal to reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions to 20% below 1990 levels by 2012, provides background information on the causes of climate change, and projections of its impact on San Francisco.
What We're Doing
Reducing CO2 Emissions by:
Reducing Energy Use
– Conserving energy in our facilities
– Installing more energy efficient lamps / lights in our buildings and infrastructure (tunnels and underpasses)
– Reducing fuel use in vehicles
– Consolidating and reducing computer servers and printer
– Promoting alternatives to employee commuting (walking, biking and public transportation)
Conserving water
– Installing drought resistant plants and water efficient irrigation systems
– Increase permeable surface through Pavement to Parks and sidewalk landscaping programs
Reducing Waste
– Installing and monitoring recycle compost and trash bins at each work site
– Encouraging use of virtual warehouse and reuse of building materials
– Enhancing green purchasing
– Reviewing and implementing use of alternative construction methods and sustainable and recycled materials
Ensuring all building designed, managed, maintained and construction projects strive to meet LEED Gold Standards.
Sequestering Carbon (taking GHG out of the air)
– Maintaining 40,000 street trees
– Creating Street Parks
– Supporting urban gardening and harvesting programs
– Greening infrastructure
Climate Action Plan in Practice
2011 Green and Blue Collaboration for the Climate Award for the living roof on 1 South Van Ness
2011 Green & Blue Outstanding Transportation Outreach Award
Sunset Boulevard Water Efficiency Project
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Headquarters at 525 Golden Gate
Cynthia Chono
Climate Action Liaison
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, City Hall, Room 348
San Francisco, CA, 94102


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NEW YORK (Sep. 24)
A statement issued Saturday by the Roman Catholic Carmelite order in support of relocating the convent at Auschwitz is "one more step forward" toward resolving the problem, according to Rabbi A. James Rudin, director of interreligious affairs for the American Jewish Committee.
Rudin returned this weekend from a visit to Rome that coincided with the Vatican's statement in support of the 1987 accord to relocate the Carmelite convent that was signed in Geneva by Jewish and Catholic leaders.
The agreement also was endorsed last week by the head of the Polish Catholic Church, Cardinal Jozef Glemp, who previously opposed moving the convent but reversed his stand after the Vatican announcement.
With the three central parties in the dispute now behind the agreement — the Vatican, Glemp and the Carmelite order — "all of the pieces to the puzzle are now in place," said Rudin.
The Carmelite statement, issued by Rev. Anthony Morello, stated that "all along," the position of the general of the Carmelite order, Father Philip Sainz de Baranda, has been that the agreement must be honored.
Rudin, who is the chairman of the newly formed Jewish Council for International Interreligious Relations, said he was "warmly received" at the Vatican last week and that he plans to return there after Yom Kippur.
He said that in his conversations with Vatican officials, there was no discussion as to exactly when the convent would be moved. "It was made very clear that it was up to the Polish Church to carry out," he said.


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DailyContributor.com has learned of a very disturbing story. A four-year-old Tennessee lad was found roaming the streets in the wee hours, drinking beer and wearing a little girl's dress stolen from under a neighbor's Christmas tree.
Merry Christmas was arrested last Sunday, December 14 and has spent a night in jail after causing some disturbance in Boynton Beach, Florida.
The accident damaged a nerve in Joleen's pelvis which controls desire. Now even the slightest movement like sitting on a bus, bending over or walking across a room gets her turned on.
We know that the Brits are the best at many things, especially in creating great works of art. Take for example Paul Hazelton who makes sculptures from household dust, which he gathers from furniture, pictures and window sills.
The body of former Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos was dug up and stolen from his grave sometime between Thursday, December 10 and Friday, December 11. His outraged family still continued with the memorial for the first year anniversary of his death held last Saturday, December 12.
American jazz saxophonist and composer Larry Ochs has seen many things during 40 years playing his instrument but, until this week, nobody had ever called the cops on him.
The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles reportedly borrowed around 3000 pounds in 2007 from his protection officers and later paid them. He was short with money at that time and needed it for travel expenses.
The greatest Christmas decoration ever: a set of Christmas lights, a ladder, and a life-size dummy dressed in a red sweater and jeans.
A woman in an effort to save some money used her boyfriend's ski pass and claimed that she is in the middle of a sex operation to pass through Keystone Resort, Colorado.
Prostitution is legal and allowed in Denmark. It's free if you're a delegate to the upcoming Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen from December 7-18.


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"Weather Data, weather forecast maps, and satellite weather views are Updated Every 8 Minutes - Average - Califonia live weather cams, every 2 Minutes."
Intellicast US Forecast - Today's - Tomorrows
Print Out Forecast, Today, Tonight and Five day. Go Here,
Enter Zip Or City For Local 5 days Forecast Print out


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Okay, it's photo day, so time to post.
Didn't get much done, and I started a new small pattern that I just couldn't stop thinking about.
Thought maybe I just needed to stitch something that I could finish in less than a month. It's coming right along, on a piece of scrap fabric that I'm not sure will be big enough to frame it easily.
Stitched some on the red design, but it just felt like I was painting an entire room with a brush the size of my finger. I know I'll get it done, but it's going to feel like it will take forever.
I like fussy patterns because they are so beautiful with details. I just couldn't seem to find any flow to my stitching.
1 day ago


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What is a usability expert review?
With a usability expert review, an evaluator uses a product or web site and assesses its usability against a set of principles or best practice guidelines. Expert reviews are popular because they are much quicker and cheaper to carry out than a usability test.
Jakob Nielsen's ten usability heuristics
Most usability evaluators use the set of heuristics developed 17 years ago by Rolf Molich and Jakob Nielsen. Before this work, lots of people had derived guidelines and principles for usability but there were often so many guidelines that an expert review could take many days to complete. (For example, Smith and Mosier's Guidelines For Designing User Interface Software has 944 guidelines and remains the largest collection of publicly available user interface guidelines in existence.)
Molich and Nielsen's ten guidelines are as follows.
- Visibility of system status
- The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.
- Match between system and the real world
- The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
- User control and freedom
- Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and redo.
- Consistency and standards
- Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions.
- Error prevention
- Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place.
- Recognition rather than recall
- Make objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.
- Flexibility and efficiency of use
- Accelerators - unseen by the novice user - may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.
- Aesthetic and minimalist design
- Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.
- Help users recognise, diagnose, and recover from errors
- Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.
- Help and documentation
- Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large.
Limitations of Nielsen's usability heuristics
But what Mohlich and Nielsen's guidelines gained in brevity they lost in accuracy. Smith and Mosier's guidelines were reviewed by dozens of professionals and based on scores of research papers. Mohlich and Nielsen's guidelines were derived from a database of 249 usability problems from evaluations of 11 interactive systems. As Bob Bailey has pointed out:
"These heuristics, which are widely used, have never been validated. There is no evidence that by applying these heuristics in the design and development of user interfaces that it will improve the interface."
What alternatives exist? Most usability professionals have their own favourite sets of guidelines or checklists but these suffer from the same problem: they are not research-based but are often a matter of opinion. As a consequence, they are subject to the biases and whims of the reviewer. What we need is a set of guidelines that are based on research and have some international consensus.
Alternative usability heuristics in ISO 9241
International standards meet these criteria. BS EN-ISO 9241-110: Ergonomics of human system interaction - Part 110: Dialogue principles, contains a set of alternative heuristics. These heuristics are based on research and have the benefit of international consensus. The principles, and their definition in the standard, are as follows:
- Is the dialogue suitable for the user's task and skill level? (Suitability for the task)
- "A dialogue is suitable for a task when it supports the user in the effective and efficient completion of the task. In a dialogue which is suitable for the task, the user is enabled to focus on the task itself rather than the technology chosen to perform that task."
- Does the dialogue make it clear what the user should do next? (Self-descriptiveness)
- "A dialogue is self-descriptive to the extent that at any time it is obvious to the users which dialogue they are in, where they are within the dialogue, which actions can be taken and how they can be performed."
- Is the dialogue consistent? (Conformity with user expectations)
- "A dialogue conforms with user expectations if it corresponds to predictable contextual needs of the user and to commonly accepted conventions."
- Does the dialogue support learning? (Suitability for learning)
- "A dialogue is suitable for learning when it supports and guides the user in learning to use the system."
- Can the user control the pace and sequence of the interaction? (Controllability)
- "A dialogue is controllable when the user is able to initiate and control the direction and pace of the interaction until the point at which the goal has been met."
- Is the dialogue forgiving? (Error tolerance)
- "A dialogue is error-tolerant if, despite evident errors in input, the intended result may be achieved with either no or minimal corrective action by the user. Error tolerance is achieved by means of damage control, error correction, or error management to cope with errors that occur."
- Can the dialogue be customised to suit the user? (Suitability for individualisation)
- "A dialogue is capable of individualization when users can modify interaction and presentation of information to suit their individual capabilities and needs."
In our experience, developers are more likely to fix an issue with a user interface when we point to an international standard than when we base our judgement on personal opinion. So next time you're reviewing a user interface, try out these seven guidelines. They may not be as well known, but they do have the authority and credibility of an international standard.
About the author
Dr. David Travis (@userfocus on Twitter) is a User Experience Strategist. He has worked in the fields of human factors, usability and user experience since 1989 and has published two books on usability. David helps both large firms and start ups connect with their customers and bring business ideas to market. If you like his articles, why not join the thousands of other people taking his free online user experience course?
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I do tend to top men more often than women, but sometimes — no offense, guys — the ladies' bottoms are nicer. If a lady can take a good lickin', that's even better. There's a certain NY brat I know (E!) who always gives me a REASON to pull her pants down and haul her over my lap. In the pic above, young spanking model Sarah Gregory is getting it from me. She had asked me to spank her when she was at Paddles NYC recently. How could I resist? She's got a great butt, an adorable pouty face and she can TAKE IT. (Of course, she deserved it!).
I think I may have a slightly different style when I top women, however. I tend to spank much longer with my bare hand, whereas with men I'll reach for the hairbrush, strap or paddle sooner. I do fantasize about making a female brat bend over a chair or couch, yanking down her panties, unbuckling my leather belt and giving it to her HARD. I hope I can act out that fantasy soon, and (is this wrong?) I hope there is an audience, and I hope she makes a lot of noise.
With women I often feel a little more "motherly." Maternal feelings come out SOMETIMES when I spank a guy, but it's definitely more frequent with ladies. I'm not a MLF in real life unless you count my two furry four-legged "children," but I still have those feelings. Nothing wrong with dishing out a painful punishment and then comforting the poor thing afterward.


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Please refer to the following documents for guidance/information on sponsorship opportunities:
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Senate Democrats will make one last-ditch effort this afternoon to bring the millionaire's tax to the floor for a vote.
Sen. Tony Avella (D-Queens) will introduce a hostile amendment to a local county tax extender with the personal income tax surcharge, or PIT, legislation attached. The bill is the same as the one introduced in the Assembly by Speaker Sheldon Silver.
Democrats are trying to make a point that extending the sales tax rates for counties, which the Senate has been voting on for days, the same logic should apply to the millionaire's tax. They argue that the legislation is simply an extension, not a new tax and it could generate approximately $4.16 billion in revenue for the State.
"The local tax extender will affect hundreds of thousands of middle and working class consumers who will pay the local sales tax over and over, which will only raise approximately 161.8 million," said Sen. Avella.
"The PIT surcharge will only effect around 79,000 of the most wealthy New Yorkers once a year, and raises over four billion dollars."
The bill would be a one-year extension and only apply to those individuals making one million dollars or more, unlike the current tax that applies only to those making excess of $200 thousand.
However, Gov. Andrew Cuomo opposes the reinstatement on a tax surcharge, a sentiment shared by the Senate Republican majority.


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Android Phones
HTC Rezound coming with Beats Audio to Verizon Nov. 14, ICS update coming in 2012
November 3, 2011 | by Andrew Kameka
HTC has joined Verizon to announce the HTC Rezound, the first U.S. phone with Beats Audio built-into the device.
With its dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, 4.3-inch LCD screen, 720p display, and an 8 Megapixel camera with LED flash, the Rezound is an impressive phone. However, that's not enough to keep people happy in a sea of super phones; access to Verizon 4G LTE network might do the trick, however.
HTC pitches the Rezound as the first American phone to be integrated with Beats Audio, meaning it has hardware and software optimizations made to provide clearer voice calls and richer music and video experiences. A pair of "lightweight Beats headphones" were made specifically for the device. That sounds great but based on what people have previously said about the big investment that HTC has made into Beats Audio, it might not be as big a selling point as HTC thinks.
The Rezound goes on sale November 14 at Best Buy and Verizon stores. It retails for $299.99 on a two-year contract. Here are the specs.
- Mobile Hotspot capability: share 4G connection with up to ten Wi-Fi-enabled devices
- Operating System: Android 2.3™ (Gingerbread) with latest HTC Sense – An upgrade to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will available in early 2012
- Internal Memory: 16 GB on-board memory, 1 GB DDR2 RAM
- Memory Card: 16 GB MicroSD™ pre-installed
- Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n
- Bluetooth®: 3.0 – support for headset, hands-free, stereo, phonebook access and object push for vCard and vCalendar
- Battery: 1,620 mAh
- Special Features: HDMI (through MHL), G-sensor, Light sensor, Compass, Proximity sensor, MicroUSB, USIM/CSIM/ISIM, audio jack and Wireless Charging capable
- Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM8660 1.5GHz, Qualcomm® MDM9600
- Dimensions: 129 x 65.5 x 13.65 mm


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TAMPA — A 71-year-old man driving a golf cart in Sun City Center ran a stop sign Thursday afternoon and was struck and killed, authorities said.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Carl Kopischkie of Sun City Center entered the intersection of Haverford Avenue and W Del Webb Boulevard without stopping. He collided with a 2009 Chevrolet HHR driven by Michael Dunn, 65, of Temple Terrace and was thrown from the golf cart.
Kopischkie was transported to South Bay Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:05 p.m. Dunn, who was wearing a seat belt, suffered no injuries.
Kopischkie was not using any safety equipment, authorities said.


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Home > Art / Photo > Photographs > You Can Find Me At My Oasis
You Can Find Me At My OasisReport abuse
This is where I go when I am in the area to "clear my head". It is amazing there, no matter what the weather is like.
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Big Game Hunting in Pagosa Springs
By Norm Vance In autumn a very special mood saturates the atmosphere in the great San Juan Mountains. The heat of summer gives way to cooling north winds and nights become cool and crisp. Great stands of Aspen turn pale green and then erupt into electric orange, yellow and red. The color punctuates and gives new definition to the forest….


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Gov. Timothy M. Kaine named Court of Appeals Judge LeRoy F. Millette Jr. to the Supreme Court of Virginia and replaced him with Chesterfield Circuit Judge Cleo E. Powell on the intermediate appellate court.
Kaine also named McGuireWoods LLP partner James C. Dimitri to the State Corporation Commission. And he appointed two circuit judges in Fairfax County, Jan Louis Brodie, deputy county attorney in Fairfax, and David S. Schell, a juvenile and domestic relations distrct judge, in Fairfax, and Charles S. Sharp, the commonwealth's attorney in Fredericksburg, to a post in the 15th Judicial Circuit. Noticeably absent from the appointments were posts in Hampton, Norfolk and Virginia Beach where the delegations are bitterly divided over judicial vacancies.
Judges who accepted appointments to higher courts did so at some risk. Some Republicans had warned that no appointee could be assured of election to a full term when the General Assembly convenes next year, and the candidates have no assurance of returning to their former posts if the legislature rejects them.
Kaine appointed Millette, who has been a circuit judge in Prince William County, to the court of appeals in November, and sources close to the appointment said Powell was on the very short list for that seat. She will be the only black member of the court.
By Alan Cooper


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The semiconductor industry faces a slower second half than the first of 2010, while high single-digit growth is expected for 2011, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).
IDC posted a qualitative summary update to its Semiconductor Application Forecaster, highlighting some of the key trends affecting its forecast for the remainder of 2010 and 2011.
One of the contributing factors to its forecast is a recent IT sentiment survey, which found that IT Managers are putting increasingly higher priority on software, PC, storage, networking, and security projects. There is also a significant increase in prioritising an upgrade to Windows 7 in 2011.
IDC expects mobile phone and connected device chipset sales will continue to be robust for the rest of the year. Migration to the 802.11n wireless standard is also remaining strong, while the move to LTE, with wider infrastructural upgrades facilitating the switch, is expected in 2011.
Cutbacks in PC orders by PC semiconductor vendors in the first half of 2010 have been balanced by higher DRAM prices and more stable growth in non-PC applications. IDC forecasts that spending in these sectors should increase in 2011.
Strong demand for digital TVs and lower panel pricing are fuelling semiconductor sales, but low demand for single-function portable products, which now face mounting competition from the multi-function smartphone, is negatively impacting semiconductor sales in 2010. This is expected to continue into 2011.
Another sector that is helping semiconductor sales is the automobile industry. Many vehicles are being created with more electronics equipment, while passenger vehicle sales in BRIC countries are increasing and there is higher adoption of M2M connectivity technologies. Smart grind technology is also helping overall sales.
Despite the optimistic outlook for 2010 and 2011, IDC was quick to qualify that economic problems throughout the world, such as high unemployment and low consumer sentiment, could negatively influence the recovery in the semiconductor industry that is expected over the next several months.
"Taking into account the macroeconomic trends, semiconductor supply chain behavior, and secular long-term growth seen in applications such as smartphones, mobile PCs, media tablets, and automotive, IDC expects that semiconductor revenues for 2010 and 2011 could end up one to two percentage points above what was forecasted in June 2010, representing year-over-year growth of 22-24% and 8-9%, respectively for 2010 and 2011," said Mali Venkatesan, research manager at IDC and leader of the study.


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The midterm elections are just around the corner, and the Google 2010 US Election Ratings Map uses polls from several top political sources to predict the outcome. The map lets you drill down by source, state and race; alternatively, you can view the whole country's results at once.
See some screencaps from Google's map above, and read Google's introduction to the ratings map below. How accurate do you think this map will be?
Implications - With the power balance between both the Republican and Democrat parties being called into question, you can bet that people everywhere are interested in the upcoming November 2nd elections. This interactive voter map gives viewers the opportunity to check out some of the top political figures in the running.
Interactive Voter Maps
More Stats +/-
Controversial Country Prints
Social Media Maps
Disturbing Maps
Intricate Hand-Cut Maps
Geotagged City Centers
The Google 2010 US Election Ratings Map Predicts Poll Outcomes
- By: Marissa BrassfieldNov 1, 2010 Updated: Aug 4 2011
References: maps.google & fastcompany
References: maps.google & fastcompany


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The Deputy Prime Minister Dariga Nazarbayeva visited AlmaU
On Friday, January 15, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Dariga Nazarbayeva made a working visit to Almaty Management University (former IAB).
The program of a working trip included a visit to 8 leading higher education institutions of Almaty.
The main objective of visits was discussion of project proposals of "State program of a development of education for 2016-2019."
The president of AlmaU Asylbek Kozhakhmetov told the guest about the first private business higher education institution of Kazakhstan and provided proposals to the project of the State program.
The virtual museum of university made a pleasant impression on Dariga Nazarbayeva, which does not have exhibits in contrast to the traditional museums, but there is an innovative aspect. Also, the atrium project and preparing for delivery in late January, Sport & Art Zone.


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Do we really have to have religious oaths as a formal part of the legal process? And why are solicitors obliged to go through some quasi-religious ceremony when administering these oaths, regardless of the solicitor's own beliefs or lack of beliefs? Why can't we now just have affirmations as a universal standard?
Now that the High Court has sensibly ruled that it is not within the power of a town council to have prayers as an agenda item at business meetings (judgment), the time has surely come to remove the religious aspects of being a lawyer. Unless one is dealing with canon or ecclesiastical law, the starting point should be that both the practice of law and the litigation process are entirely secular activities. There should be no element of religious ceremony in any part of the general business of law, either for client or practitioner.
But oaths remain. Those giving evidence at court, or merely signing certain formal documents, are presumed to have to swear a religious oath on a religious text unless they go out of their way to ask not to do so.
Here it is perhaps significant that there is no one form of giving an oath at common law. It is a relatively modern statute, the Oaths Act 1978, which insists on the current elaborate gesture of swearing oaths. Section 1(1) even starts off by telling us that "the person taking the oath shall hold the New Testament, or, in the case of a Jew, the Old Testament, in his uplifted hand".
(So anyone using a Bible is not being strictly correct; it has to be one Testament or the other; and it has to be in the person's hand, which definitely has to be uplifted.)
The oath-taker has to say something. If they do not know what to say, the solicitor is legally required to say it for them first. The oath-taker "shall say or repeat after the officer administering the oath the words "I swear by Almighty God that … …", followed by the words of the oath prescribed by law". So this is not a thereby personal matter for the person taking the oath; the solicitor is obliged to say all these religious words too, regardless of the solicitor's own beliefs.
Section 1(2) then places a further imposition on the solicitor. He or she has to endure this without any quibble if the person taking the oath wants to do all this ceremonial mumbo-jumbo. The solicitor "shall (unless the person about to take the oath voluntarily objects thereto, or is physically incapable of so taking the oath) administer the oath in the form and manner aforesaid without question".
And what the Oaths Act giveth, it then taketh away. Having first insisted on this quasi-religious exercise for the oath-taker and the solicitor, it then ensures none of it has any real legal meaning. Section 4 of the Act provides that in "any case in which an oath may lawfully be and has been administered to any person, if it has been administered in a form and manner other than that prescribed by law, he is bound by it if it has been administered in such form and with such ceremonies as he may have declared to be binding". So the religious texts and the hand raising is a legal requirement but one with no legal effect.
What happens if the person is not actually religious? The Act tells us that "where an oath has been duly administered and taken, the fact that the person to whom it was administered had, at the time of taking it, no religious belief, shall not for any purpose affect the validity of the oath". So it makes no difference if the the words have any meaning for the oath-maker.
So there is no point – no point whatsoever – in the exercise. It does not matter if it is done or not, and it does not matter if the person taking the oath is religious or not. It is mere symbolism, but it is symbolism set as a legal requirement for oath-taker and solicitor alike.
Section 5 of the Act provides that any person who "objects" to being sworn shall be "permitted" to make a solemn affirmation instead of taking an oath. That's rather kind of the law. But there is actually no good reason why affirmations cannot be a universal standard for hearings and formal documents alike. And it should not require an "objection" and "permission".
If a client or a citizen really wants to swear an oath on some religious text as well as formally affirm, then they can do so. No one should stop them supplementing their affirmation with whatever they want. But there is no basis for requiring legal professionals to participate in a quasi-religious exercise just so that we can do their jobs. It should not be a case of swear or affirm; in a modern society with a secular state, a solemn affirmation is enough. Just as there should not be formal prayers in town halls, there should now not be formal oaths in the courtrooms or the offices of solicitors.


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Archive: News / Features / Science & Tech (3 Stories)
Scientists find ancient plague DNA in teeth
01/29/2014 7:52amScientists say two of the deadliest pandemics in history were caused by strains of the same plague and warn that new versions of the bacteria could spark future outbreaks.
Toddlers love selfies: Parenting in an iPhone age
01/29/2014 10:02amEvery so often, Brandi Koskie finds dozens of photos of her 3-year-old daughter, Paisley, on her iPhone _ but they aren't ones Koskie has taken.
BYU teams up with Library of Congress to rescue reading
01/29/2014 4:30pmChildren have to rescue famous characters from a thief in a new interactive game developed to promote literacy.


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Workshop Your Way - Some Kinda Wonderful
See pages 38-39 of Seasonal Expressions Idea Book for description.
Kit Cost: $34. I will provide instruction sheet. If you wish to make the cards there is an additional $6 charge for card bases and to use my supplies.
Please let me know which projects you wish to complete (layouts, cards and/or pocket scrapbooking), so I can cut your paper accordingly.
You will need to bring small sharp scissors, ruler, adhesives (tape runner, glue pen, glue dots, regular and/or thin 3-D foam tape), VersaMat if you have one, and something to carry your work home in.
RSVP by 4/14
Amy Raimy - Close To My Heart Independent Consultant
6892 Dorsett Trl, Victor, 14564, NY, United States
Make sure your information is up to date. Plus use our free tools to find new customers.


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SAN FRANCISCO / Mayor boosts health plan as debate widens / Issue is who will pay $200 million cost, how they will do it
Published 4:00 am, Thursday, June 22, 2006
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom began trying to sell his groundbreaking plan to offer health care for all the city's uninsured residents, saying Wednesday he is "absolutely convinced" every county in the nation can do the same.
One day after announcing the proposal that would make San Francisco the first U.S. city to provide access to taxpayer-subsidized health care for every uninsured resident, Newsom pitched his ambitious plan during local radio and newspaper interviews -- knowing that the question of who should be required to pay for it is already generating controversy.
- SF Fire Department responds to a fire in the Castro District on Friday Sophie Haigney/SF Chronicle
- Fire breaks out in San Francisco's Castro District SF Fire Department
- Bob Melvin discusses Yusmiero Petit Susan Slusser, The Chronicle
- "Bait Bikes" help SFPD nab thief in the Mission SFPD Mission Station
- Snow in Placerville, Feb. 22, 2018 Carol Perez / Twitter: @BlogAmbiguous
- How is climate change affecting the Bay Area? SFGATE
- Hail in Petaluma, Feb. 22 Twitter / @Leeeeeeeeeeeesa
- Trump discusses removing ICE from California White House
- History-making African Americans with ties to the Bay Area Drew Costley
- Oakland A's manager Bob Melvin on Jake Smolinski San Francisco Chronicle
In a meeting that his staff requested with The Chronicle's editorial board, Newsom acknowledged that the push to offer universal heath care for the estimated 82,000 uninsured adults living in San Francisco is risky.
"Maybe this is the nuttiest idea," he said. "But the instinct that many of us have is that we actually may have stumbled onto something."
The proposal would cost about $200 million annually, with more the half the money coming from city funds, about $38 million from local business contributions, and the remainder from monthly premiums paid by plan participants.
Newsom said that by tackling the politically charged issue now and providing long-term and preventive health care to people who currently lack it, San Francisco saves more in the long run because people will no longer flood public hospitals and clinics seeking treatment.
"It's better to try to solve this problem than just keep trying to explain it away," he said.
The ambitious plan announced Tuesday, called San Francisco Health Access Program, has received international media attention. It would allow participants to carry a medical card, choose from a pool of more than 400 doctors, undergo surgeries, obtain prescriptions, and visit public and private hospitals and clinics around the city.
But it is not health insurance. Anyone enrolled in the program would not be covered if they seek medical treatment outside the city limits.
The plan has received support from a diverse coalition of city groups, including labor unions, businesses and health experts, but it requires the approval of the Board of Supervisors and several details need to be worked out.
The concept of providing universal health care has been popular in San Francisco, where voters in 2005 overwhelmingly backed California's Proposition 72, which would have required large and medium businesses to pay 80 percent of employees' health care costs. The measure, however, narrowly lost statewide.
Newsom's plan probably will run into the most controversy over how to make businesses contribute. He is proposing a voluntary program to which businesses would not be required to contribute financially, but Newsom conceded Wednesday that such a requirement would be needed for the plan to work.
Supervisor Tom Ammiano has sponsored legislation that does just that and would make businesses pay into health care savings accounts based on the number of workers they employ. His proposal, which was discussed during a hearing at the Board of Supervisors Wednesday and was continued until next week, is largely opposed by the city's business interests.
Newsom, who owned numerous local businesses before taking office in 2004, said he provided health insurance to his employees. He said he does not support Ammiano's legislation in its current form, but he nonetheless challenged the business community -- known for being strong mayoral allies -- and employers who do not provide health care to "step up."
"I don't think that's right," he said. "They need to step up. We've got a moral obligation."
Despite opposition from powerful city business groups, Ammiano says his measure has enough support on the Board of Supervisors not only to pass but also to withstand a mayoral veto.
During the supervisor's hearing Wednesday, some business advocates said Ammiano's proposal would create yet another burden on small businesses with small profit margins and could potentially force them to close.
"We have been at every public hearing saying one thing: affordability, affordability, affordability," Kevin Westlye, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, told the supervisors. "It needs to be affordable. The way it's constructed, it's not." Westlye sat on a 41-member task force created by Newsom to study and develop the health care plan.
Ammiano's plan would require that businesses with 100 or more employees contribute $1.60 an hour per employee into the health care plan.
Nathan Nayman, executive director of the business lobby group Committee on Jobs and also a member of the health care task force, said he, like the mayor, is not opposed to a mandate that requires businesses to chip in.
"Everyone is willing to pony up money," he said. "The question is how much and how. That detail remains to be worked out."
Nayman said the city should invest more than the $104 million a year it plans to spend on health care. Another possibility would be to raise the annual fee business owners pay to register their companies.
Ken Jacobs, deputy chairman of the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education, who also sat on the health care task force, said the claims that businesses will shut down as a result of having to contribute to a health care plan are overblown.
People said the same thing when city voters approved a minimum-wage law in 2003, and the fears proved to be unfounded, he said.
"If San Francisco says it's going to provide these services and there's no real mandate (forcing employers to contribute), there's a real danger in employers saying, 'Why should we pay,' " Jacobs said.
This story has been corrected since it appeared in print editions.


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"Business casual" has ruined Father's Day gift-giving for many lazy offspring who can no longer rely on the last-minute, go-to necktie. (Unfortunately, my brother and I didn't even have that option since our dad never wore a tie to work. Our fall-back gift was a Hickory Farms summer sausage gift box).
Dads also get gypped in the present department because their children probably spent their last penny/ounce of creativity on a Mother's Day gift. So this year, I've made a concerted effort to give Pops something: 1) he actually wants, 2) is available close to home and 3) won't raise his cholesterol.
Here are 30 of my picks in a variety of price ranges. And you're welcome.
Big bucks: NASCAR driving experience at Daytona International Speedway ($549+)
Bargain : Go-kart driving at Adventure Landing ($7)
Big bucks: Round of golf at TPC Sawgrass with a caddie (+$350)
Bargain: Round of glow-in-the-dark/3-D miniature golf at Batt Family Fun Center
Big bucks: Jacksonville Jaguars 2013 new logo helmet ($319.95)
Bargain: Jacksonville Jaguars football player toothbrush ($5.95)
Big bucks: "The Sports Classic" massage and body scrub at The Spa at Ponte Vedra Inn and Club ($215+)
Bargain: manicure at Parisian Spa Institute aka Parisian Beauty School ($8)
Big bucks: Chef's adventure at Matthew's with wine pairings ($125 per person)
Bargain: Rib sandwich paired with sweet tea ($9) from Jenkins Quality Barbecue
10 under $50
1. Cooking class at Publix Apron's Cooking School ($40+)
2. Historic pub crawl in St. Augustine ($39)
3. Old City Helicopters tour of North Beach ($39)
4. "Adopted" animal at the Jacksonville Zoo ($35+)
5. The GodFATHER's Day Film and Feast at Sun-Ray Cinema ($30)
6. Old-fashioned neck shave at The Art of Shaving ($35+)
7. "High-speed expedition" on El Conquistador Speed Boat … More
Since making its debut in 1996, "Pop Up Video" has been one of my favorite shows on VH-1. Combined with my love of Jacksonville and You Tube, I decided I would combine the three to create my own version.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my debut Jax Pop Up Video for "Jacksonville Theme Song."
The original "Jacksonville Theme Song," performed by Jon and Chris, was posted on You Tube by Lizzy Sitter in 2008. In retrospect, I realize Jon and Chris could very well be singing about Jacksonville, Oregon or Jacksonville, Illinois or Jacksonville, Arkansas or Jacksonville, North Carolina. No matter. As the song says, "We're all 'pioneers of the future.'" More
For 11 years, WJCT has honored the memory of Fred Rogers (aka Mister Rogers) by collecting gently-used sweaters, jackets and blankets for local residents in need. The Mister Rogers Neighborhood Sweater Drive runs through the month of November with donations being accepted at WJCT Studios and all VyStar Credit Union and Two Men and a Truck locations.
Getting residents neighbors to donate the the Sweater Drive is the whole point of this blog post, so feel free to stop reading and begin collecting your donations if you have no interest in the remainder of this completely self-indulgent (yet educational) post.
1. Pennsylvania: Mister Rogers was born in Latrobe (home of Latrobe Brewery, original brewer of Rolling Rock), and I was born in Aston.
2. Puppetry: Mister Rogers voiced many of the characters in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe including King Friday XIII, X the Owl, Daniel Striped Tiger and Lady Elaine Fairchilde. As a child, I had a Mickey Mouse ventriloquist dummy and performed at family functions until Mickey broke his neck (translation: the rubber band that attached his head to his body snapped). For the record, I am still trying to master the phrase: "Please pass me the butter" (sounds like "Hlease hass ee the utter").
3. Ministry: Fred Rogers earned his divinity degree from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and was ordained by the Presbyterian church. I received my credentials of ministry from the Universal Life Church Monastery, a non-denominational ministry, via the Internet (I can legally perform marriages, by the way, if anyone is interested).
4. Cardigans: We both love cardigan sweaters, though, my mom didn't knit any of mine like his did (she did crochet some lovely afghans, however).
5. College: Fred and I graduated from small, private colleges in Florida (Rollins College and Jacksonville University, respectively).
6. Piano: Both of us took lessons as children (in my case, "took" means "was forced to").
7. … More
Here's the thing about musicians who are still performing more than 30 years after their heydey: They have a very specific present-day audience. Case in point, Rick Springfield.
Of the millions of fans Springfield had back in the day, a small percentage are now dead or deaf; others don't remember the pretty-boy pop star (or won't admit it, at least, to their friends who were into Morrissey or The Cult); a larger section outgrew his music and now listen to Michael Bublé or Jack Johnson; and perhaps the biggest group are the fans who had fond memories of Springfield but aren't sure so sure about spending at least $50 on a ticket. And there are the loyal "Rick Chicks" who wouldn't think twice about dropping $500+ on for a VIP stage pass to meet the man—in the flesh.
It's a safe assumption groups one, two and three won't be attending Springfield's September 26 show at the Florida Theatre—and probably never started reading this post in the first place. And the Rick Chicks already have their seats and have been mainlining "Human Touch" and "Love Is Alright Tonite" since tickets went on sale. That said, I am dedicating this list to group four.
And I'll see you group five gals (and guys) on Thursday. Florida Theatre. 8 p.m.
1. "Jessie's Girl..." blah-blah-blah. Great song, obviously, but it's not Springfield's only hit. Perhaps these ring a bell...
"Don't Talk to Strangers"
"What Kind of Fool Am I"
"Affair of the Heart"
"I've Done Everything for You"
"Love Somebody"
"Don't Walk Away"
2. And he's still churning them out, at least according to one Herald & Review reporter: "Springfield has put many of his contemporaries to shame with an excellent new album ["Songs for the End of the World"]. It is superb."
3. Sure, he's a Grammy-winning musician whose sold millions of albums and been a TV star, but Springfield fights his demons just like the rest of us. His memoir, "Late Late at Night," details … More
Today was a typical Monday for J. Dash (or, as I like to refer to him "future Grammy winner J. Dash"). He was driving to his job as a computer engineer at a large Jacksonville company (sorry, can't tell you where lest more groupies find out ... no, really, they already show up there) and got a phone call from Ken Underwood.
"How does it feel to be a platinum [recording] artist?" Underwood said. (J., for those of you who have been living under a very large rock, like, a freaking boulder, is also a Jacksonville-based recording artist best known for his single "WOP" and is part of local band Fusebox Funk.)
J. says he couldn't breathe.
"It's crazy. When the song went gold, I thought it could happen, but I always had this fear in the back of my head that it would sell 999,999 and then people would stop buying it," he says on the phone. "But then the day comes ... I realized this is the day my life is going to change, and it's incredible."
Since its original release several years ago, "WOP" has become nothing short of a phenomenon. Without the support of a major record label, it has been on the Billboard Hot 100 list for 10 weeks, where it's currently #76 (just above Jay-Z and Tim McGraw, FYI). Videos shot by fans all over the world doing the "WOP" have received more than 100 million views on YouTube, and it has become a common trending topic on Instagram and Vine. The song has been featured on NBC's "Today Show," "The Teen Choice Awards" (where audience members set the Guinness World Record for twerking) and in the now infamous Miley Cyrus video.
Underwood, founder and CEO of J.'s record label StereoFame Records, says the accomplishment is especially impressive since StereoFame, based in Ponte Vedra Beach, is an independent label, though, lately, he says, "the majors" have been banging down his door.
"We are currently entertaining proposals from several major labels who are eager to become partners in J. Dash's success," Underwood says. "In … More
In case you missed my ramblings on First Coast Connect this morning, here's what's coming up this weekend and beyond—Around Town!
June 7
Food Fight, 6:30 p.m., Touchdown Club East, EverBank Field
Kings of the Mic Tour, 5 p.m., St. Augustine Amphitheatre
June 8
I Love Music Tour, 2-8 p.m.. Jacksonville Landing
Shop for Freedom:One Spark! Celebration, 2-9 p.m., Rethreaded Warehouse, 820 Barnett St.
Authentic Polynesian Show and Night Swim, 6-11 p.m., Adventure Landing
"Men Are From Mars—Women Are From Venus LIVE," 8 p.m., Times-Union Center
JCCI Forward Prom With a Vengeance, 7-midnight, WJCT Studios
June 9
WWE Live, 5 p.m. Arena
5 p.m. Arena
June 12
Billy Idol, 6 p.m., St. Augustine Amphitheatre,
Yours truly rocks the mic on WJCT's First Coast Connect every Thursday around 9:50 a.m. Tune in. Look out. More
National Hat Day isn't until January (not that I would expect you to know that), but some things are worth celebrating months in advance. And Congresswoman Corrine Brown's vast collection is one of those things.
While I haven't a clue as to how many hats Brown owns, I can only assume she has a walk-in closet jam-packed with them. I also like to imagine each one has its very own hat box labeled with a description of its contents.
Since I have never been invited to Brown's home, I can't verify any of the above, but that certainly hasn't stopped me from coming up with my own hat box labels.
Cue photo gallery ... More
Today, President Barack Obama will be at the Jacksonville Port Authority to present his vision for the economy. Jacksonville has experienced continued economic growth directly as a result of Jaxport, a trend that city leaders would certainly like to build upon.
I am so excited that I have the opportunity to be on the Tarmac (I've always wanted an excuse to use the word "Tarmac"), watch Air Force 1 land and see the leader of the free world, surrounded by scary Secret Service agents who could kill me with a pinky, descend the red carpeted airstairs on to a red carpet.
This isn't my first experience seeing the president, though...
Originally posted July 20, 2012 on specktator.com
Ever wonder where you fit in the Jacksonville socio-political scene? Up until yesterday, I never did, but after attending President Barack Obama's "grassroots rally" at the Prime Osborn Convention, I know exactly where I stand, rather, sit.
Judging by seat placement, I fall somewhere between City Councilman John Crescembeni and Edward Waters College President (and former sheriff) Nat Glover, who were four and six rows behind me, respectively, and Rhiannon Owens renowned drag queen and host of Hambingo at Hamburger Mary's, who had a primo spot standing in the barricaded section directly in front of the podium.
One of the real mover and shakers, however, turned out to be Dave McDonald (aka Jax Food Critic), who appeared to have the best seat in the house.
Check the photo gallery above for photographic evidence.
And, of course, Lee High School choir director and chairman of the music department AJ Neaher, who sang the national anthem...
Wouldn't it be great if you could reduce anxiety and stress, lower your blood pressure and risk of heart disease, and help build your immune system without medication, exercise or even visiting the doctor?
According to researchers, you can, and it's easy as opening your arms and giving someone a hug.
Sponsored by the Hugs for Health Foundation (HHF), National Hug Week, May 6-12, was created to "increase hug abundance on the planet."
In celebration of this heartwarming holiday, I aim to fill my "daily hug prescription," as suggested by HHF (four for survival, eight for maintenance and 12 for growth), every day next week.
And I encourage you to do the same, keeping in mind, of course, HHF's Proper Hug Etiquette (aka The Rules to Safe Hugging):
Always respect another's space.
Ask permission before hugging.
A hug is a compassionate gesture, hug accordingly.
A hug is a gentle embrace, not the Heimlich Maneuver.
Be "in" the hug; don't simply go through the motion.
Even if you can't embrace in person, you can hug others virtually via email, text or social media using one of these seven hug emoticons.
I'll be sharing my Hug Week experiences right here—pictures and all—so stay tuned. In the mean time, let's take a moment, shall we, to review HHF's Hugger's Creed:
We believe HUGS nurture the human spirit, promote a more positive outlook and enhance the quality of one's life.
Chances are you've at least heard of TED.
No, I'm not referring to JFK's brother or the guy who sang "Cat Scratch Fever" or the Unibomber or the foul-mouthed, beer-guzzling stuffed bear from that movie with Mark Wahlberg. I'm talking about TED, the global non-profit that brings together some of the most creative, accomplished and fascinating thinkers and doers to speak on topics as diverse as the participants themselves.
Founded in 1984 as a conference to unite leaders and visionaries in the fields of Technology, Entertainment, Design, TED has expanded to topics as broad as psychology and race and as specific as origami and cyborgs. (Not to name drop but Bill Gates, Bono, Colin Powell and T. Boone Pickens are a few of the "remarkable people" who have delivered "riveting talks" at TED events.)
TEDx Jacksonville, an independently organized program, hosts its own conference "Connecting Currents" on October 26. Presenters include internationally-recognized Afghan artist Aman Mojadidi ("Geography of Self") and Matt Rutherford, the first person in history to complete a non-stop, singlehanded voyage around North and South America ("Tales From the Ocean's Garbage Patch"), as well as local visionaries former UN ambassador Nancy Soderberg ("A New Global Compact") and JCCI president and CEO Ben Warner ("New Models for Civic Engagement").
Seeking creative people who care about our city and our planet, event organizers promise a unique opportunity to "deconstruct, decipher and explore challenges, innovation and realities that shape and are shaped by the currents flowing through our city."
What they don't promise, however, is a seat. Applications are being accepted for audience members, and the event is expected to sell out. Final invitations will be sent October 6, but don't delay. TED is waiting. More


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SEC-Proposed Amendments to Modernize, Simplify and Increase the Accessibility of Required Disclosure -
As previously reported in the October 13, 2017 edition of Corporate & Financial Weekly Digest, on...more
On 14 September 2017, the IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2017-53, setting out the requirements for 'preferred written advice' upon which a US domestic private foundation can rely when making grants to non-US charities. This...more
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") plans to release a guidance package including final rules and transition relief for dividend equivalent transactions described in Section 871(m) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code...more
Recent regulatory actions by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the European Commission (EC) are bringing an end to years of negotiation on how to regulate central clearing counterparties (CCPs)...more
On March 15, the European Commission (the Commission) adopted an equivalence decision in regards to US central counterparties (CCPs). The equivalence decision will allow CCPs authorized and registered with the Commodity...more
The beginning of a new year is often the impetus for change. For companies, this may mean a rebranding initiative involving an update to a company's house mark or logo. In 2015 several companies, including Google, Facebook,...more
Last week, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and European regulators announced that they have reached agreement on a "common approach" regarding requirements for central counterparties (CCPs) (i.e.,...more
The Commission has adopted equivalence decisions for the regulatory regimes for CCPs in Canada, Switzerland, South Africa, Mexico and South Korea. CCPs from these jurisdictions wishing to obtain EU recognition can now apply...more
On September 17, 2015, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") issued new temporary and final regulations under section 871(m) of the Internal Revenue Code regarding the imposition of US federal...more
Take note of these practical concerns for private foundations making grants to foreign organizations.
On September 25, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published final regulations for private foundations making good...more
When making grants to foreign organizations, private foundations must conduct costly and time-consuming expenditure responsibility, unless the foundation makes a good faith determination that the foreign organization is...more
Private Foundation Rules to Remember -
Private foundations must follow a variety of rules to avoid the imposition of potentially onerous penalty taxes on the foundation and its related parties...more
In December, we published a post about a Minnesota Supreme Court case that held that under a replacement cost policy, the phrase "comparable material and quality" meant that all of the siding on 20 buildings had to be...more
Registrar of the Association of Professional Engineering of Ontario v. Gurpersaud, 2015 ONSC 804 (Ont. Div Ct), dismissing an appeal by the Registrar of the Registration Committee's decision to issue a licence to...more
Receivers handling Ponzi schemes and fraud cases are familiar with the concept of suing the "winners" in the scheme to recover transfers made to them in excess of their investment. Such suits are based on the theory that the...more
The European Commission has adopted "equivalence" decisions on the derivatives regulatory regimes for central counterparties in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. Further decisions are awaited for other jurisdictions...more
On September 26, 2014, the D.C. Circuit issued an opinion holding that the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") failed to follow the appropriate statutory procedure for reclassifying a device when the Agency relied on its...more
On October 30, the European Commission (EC) adopted its first equivalence decision for the regulatory regimes of central counterparties (CCPs) located in four jurisdictions: Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. ...more
In this issue:
- HKEx publishes Amended Listing Rules to Complement the New IPO Sponsor Regime
- SEC Developments
- Noteworthy US Securities Law...more
On 3 September, ESMA published its technical advice to the European Commission on the equivalence of the US and Japanese derivatives frameworks to the EU rules. On 2 October, ESMA supplemented its technical advice with...more
On September 3, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published its advice to the European Commission (the Commission) on the equivalence of the regulatory regimes of Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore,...more
Clarity to market participants on the equivalence of derivatives rules to European requirements has been much anticipated. On 3 September, ESMA published its technical advice to the European Commission on the equivalence of...more
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Employment Law Attorney
Our firm is dedicated to representing employees as individuals or as class representatives against their employers for Labor law violations, including:
Overtime, Double Time, Failure to Provide Meal and Rest, Unpaid Tips, Unpaid wages, Improper Employee Classification, Failure to Reimburse Business Expenses , Failure to Provide Commissions, Unlawful Deductions, Failure to Provide Accurate Wage Statements, Failure to Pay all Wages at the time of Discharge or Resignation. We have recovered millions of dollars in unpaid wages and penalties for our clients. Contact us for a free consultation today.
In California, the general overtime provisions are that a nonexempt employee shall not be employed more than eight hours in any workday or more than 40 hours in any workweek unless he or she receives one and one-half times his or her regular rate of pay for all hours worked over eight hours in any workday and over 40 hours in the workweek. Eight hours of labor constitutes a day's work, and employment beyond eight hours in any workday or more than six days in any workweek is permissible provided the employee is compensated for the overtime at not less than:
1.One and one-half times the employee's regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of eight hours up to and including 12 hours in any workday, and for the first eight hours worked on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek
2.Double the employee's regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 12 hours in any workday and for all hours worked in excess of eight on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek.
In California, an employer may not employ an employee for a work period of more than five hours per day without providing the employee with a meal period of not less than thirty minutes, except that if the total work period per day of the employee is no more than six hours.
A second meal period of not less than thirty minutes is required if an employee works more than ten hours per day, except that if the total hours worked is no more than 12 hours.Unless the employee is relieved of all duty during his or her thirty minute meal period, the meal period shall be considered an "on duty" meal period that is counted as hours worked which must be compensated at the employee's regular rate of pay.
If the employer requires the employee to remain at the work site or facility during the meal period, the meal period must be paid. This is true even where the employee is relieved of all work duties during the meal period. Bono Enterprises, In. v. Bradshaw (1995) 32 Cal.App.4th 968.
If an employer fails to provide an employee a meal period the employer must pay one additional hour of pay at the employee's regular rate of pay for each workday that the meal period is not provided.
Unpaid Tips
An employer cannot collect, take, or receive any gratuity or part thereof given or left for an employee, or deduct any amount from wages due an employee on account of a gratuity given or left for an employee. Labor Code Section 351 However, a restaurant may have a policy allowing for tip pooling/sharing among employees who provide direct table service to customers.
Business Expenses
An employee is entitled to be reimbursed by his or her employer for all expenses or losses incurred in the direct consequence of the discharge of the employees work duties. Labor Code Section 2802
In California the law states that employers must authorize and permit nonexempt employees to take a rest period that must, insofar as practicable, be taken in the middle of each work period. The rest period is based on the total hours worked daily and must be at the minimum rate of a net ten consecutive minutes for each four hour work period, or major fraction thereof.
A rest period is not required for employees whose total daily work time is less than three and one-half hours. The rest period is counted as time worked and therefore, the employer must pay for such periods. Since employees are paid for their rest periods, they can be required to remain on the employer's premises during such periods.
The information is not intended to be used for legal advice, and should not be used in determining liability or damages.


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COME ON IN... ok Admins let him in
COME ON IN... ok Admins let him in
"Theres a lot of work being done today that doesnt have any soul in it. The technique may be the utmost perfection, yet it is lifeless. It doesnt have a soul. I hope my furniture has a soul to it." - Sam Maloof
The Pessimist complains about the wind; The Optimist expects it to change;The Realist adjusts the sails.~ William Arthur Ward
Hey Scott, good to have you here.
Welcome Scott!
Scott, Scott, Scott, where have you been all my life?
No....No....wait....that's not right................
Thanks, Mark.
Custom Bonehead.
My diet is working good. I'm down to needing just one chair now.
"Just think how stupid the average person is, and then realize that half of them are even stupider!" --George Carlin
Hey, Scott
Welcome! Look forward to learning more from you.
Thanks for the welcome gents! It's like a reunion around here! Lots of familiar faces.
hi scott, welcome!
Welcome Scott, glad you made it.
Welcome Scott, just realized you jumped in.
Welcome Scott
Guess I missed this one


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WHAT is FPS?
The Fax Preference Service is a central opt out register whereby businesses (and individuals if they wish) can register their choice not to receive unsolicited sales and marketing faxes. It is a legal requirement that companies do not send such faxes to numbers registered on the FPS.
The original legislation was introduced in May 1999. It has subsequently been updated and the relevant legislation is now the Privacy and Electronic (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.
Who can register?
The Service is primarily aimed at businesses as individuals have protection under the law and should not receive sales and marketing faxes unless they have given prior permission . The term individual includes consumers at the residential addresses, sole traders, and except in Scotland, partnerships. However, if individuals wish to register on the FPS they may do so.
How long will it take to become effective?
Once a number has been registered it will become effective in 28 days.
Is there any charge for registering?
No, it's free to register on the FPS.
Who pays for FPS?
No money is received from the Government to run the Service, the direct marketing industry pays for it.


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Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator
This calculator will calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and your AMR (Active Metabolic Rate). Your BMR, or basal metabolic rate (metabolism), is the energy (measured in calories) expended by the body at rest to maintain normal bodily functions. This continual work makes up about 60-70% of the calories we use ("burn" or expend) and includes the beating of our heart, respiration, and the maintenance of body temperature. Your BMR is influenced by a number of factors, including age, weight, height, gender, environmental temperature, diet, and exercise habits.
Because of the increased activity of cells undergoing division, the younger the person, the higher (faster) the metabolism. And the taller and heavier a person is, the faster their metabolism. The good news is that when you are heavier you burn more calories, and thus it is easier to lose some pounds — however, one reason weight loss becomes more difficult as you lose pounds is your BMR decreases. Because of the greater percentage of lean muscle tissue in the male body, men generally have a 10-15% faster BMR than women – so it is generally faster for men to lose some pounds. And when you go on restrictive, traditional diets, your BMR can drop, and that makes it important to increase activity levels during that time. In general, depending on the intensity and duration, consistent exercise can also increase your BMR.
To lose 1 pound per week means that you have to consume 500 less calories daily than you burn. To lose two pounds per week you have to consume 1000 less calories daily than you burn. Beyond this amount of reduction you can develop loss of muscle mass, which makes you feel tired and is not a healthy way to lose weight.
Active Metabolic Rate Calculator (Total Energy Requirement)
As you increase your activities you increase the calories you consume. The advantage of Gastric Sleeve, Lap-band and Gastric Plication surgeries is that you are satisfied with fewer calories, as opposed to feeling "starved" because you are restricting intake. There is some data which suggests that the metabolic rate drop that occurs on calorie restricted diet does not occur with weight loss surgery — perhaps the brain is fooled by thinking you have eaten a meal, and therefore it does not need to decrease the metabolism. For activity we recommend something very simple — walking. We recommend all of our weight loss surgery patients obtain a pedometer and get to where you are doing 10,000 steps per day. This generally translates to walking about two miles a day. This is something to work up to, but a good goal. Your goal should be to get to walk a mile in 15 minutes. Water aerobics is an outstanding exercise if you have joint pain, or severe arthritis.
More helpful topics for you :
Weight Loss
BMI Calculator
Glycemic Index
Lap-band Eating Q & A


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Inducing labor, thoughts?
I am 36 weeks, 2 days pregnant and I really want to be induced about 10 days early ( due date is july 20) because I would really like a certain family member to be in the delivery room with me but she lives 4 hours away. What are your thoughts on inducing labor?? Thank you :)
Wow! That an INCREDIBLE decrease! Thank you for sharing that information!
Quoting babynurse244:
You have a right to a say in your care. That being said, I'm a nurse at a regional perinatal center. We get the worst of the worst and the sickest of the sick. Our patients come to us from all over the world. Our hospital adopted ACOG guidelines about 18 months ago regarding no elective inductions prior to 39 weeks without a medical reason. Our C/S rate has gone from 34% to 21%. The only change we've made is not inducing wothout a medical reason prior to 39 weeks. It does make a difference when your body and the baby are ready. We are now well below the national average for C/S rates, even with our extremely high risk population. Any induction prior to 39 weeks without a confirmed medical diagnosis must be personally discussed with the OB chief unless it's multiples. I think the statistics sort of speak for themselves.
baby isnt fully developed completely until 40 weeks, the proffess.z say to wait until labor starts on its own.
All 3 of mine were born via inductions! The first (38w6d) because my water tore high and they wanted to start labor. The second was my choice because I was 41 weeks 1 day and I was d.o.n.e. The third (39w) was because I was a wimp and didn't want to wait anymore because I was scared he was going to be big like my first 2 were. (8.15 and 9.2) He wasn't. He was 8.6. So, obviousily I am ok with inductions. But be forewarned (I haven't read the replies so this might have already been stated) the March of Dimes calls for NO elective inductions before 39 weeks, unless medically needed. So if your family member can wait 3 more days, you might not be able to get what you want with them being in the room :(
Sorry, no.
Selfish and ignorant if it isn't medically needed.