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Thread: A belated vent
5/17/2007 5:01am, #1
A belated vent
After reading the thread by h_sh_m, I have a sudden desire to vent about a situation which I witnessed and had some minor involvement in a few months ago. It was most odd.
I was jogging back from the gym, discretely observing the buttocks of a young lady jogging ahead of me.
Passed an intersection where cars were stopped. Suddenly, this jackass sprints out of a bar across the road, wrenches open the door of one of the cars , drags out the driver and starts kicking the **** out of him. So I ran straight there (at the same moment the front seat passenger shifted to the drivers side and took off, leaving his mate).
The kicker and the kickee were both about 17 or 18. Fuckin kids.
Anyway, they ended up in some crude approximation of a half standing grapple and ended up on the pavement outside the bar.
I reached them at the same moment as four or five other bystanders and seperated them.
The attacker was yelling something like "YOU RIPPED ME OFF ****!".
So , presumably they were known to each other and this was the continuation of a dispute of some sort.
Then a REALLY big fucker walks out of the bar. He was wearing faded jeans and a white singlet. Had a massive beer gut and was all round HUGE. Im a big bastard but he he had me dwarfed. Although about half a head shorter, he had arms almost as thick as my legs.
Guy stomped out and started shoving people aside yelling **** like "IF MY SON WANTS TO SMASH SOMEONE OVER, YOU DONT GET IN THE FUCKIN WAY!".
Ok, I thought, he's the attackers dad.
Then for a brief moment I was the only one standing in front of him.
"Oh ****" I thought. Then the bouncers at the bar seized him from behind and managed to hold him in place after something of a scuffle.
The word "Whew" came to mind.
The victim then started trying to reason with the attacker and ask him for his side of the situation. At this point the attacking kid was struggling against the grip of a few bystanders.
So I got the victim and dragged him down the street. I told him if he wanted to discuss it, he shouldnt be doing it while the other guy was rabid.
I took him around the corner and he called the cops on his cell phone.
A minute or so later, I went back around the corner to see what was happening. The dumb kid followed me. Seeing him, the assailants father started storming towards us. The bouncers grabbed him again and he just shrugged them off and kept coming. They didnt pursue any further.
I remember telling the kid to run and thinking "****! IM TOO YOUNG TO DIE!".
The kid stupidily stayed put and kept yacking to the dispatcher on the phone, while I silently committed my soul to any god that would be able to find it amongst the imminent ruins of my corpse.
Then an old lady, a tiny, senile waif, abandoned her table outside a cafe and stepped in between us. She started prodding this goliath in the chest and angrily yelling at him about being a bad parent and stuff (i gather she must have witnessed the whole thing).
He stopped dead in his tracks. After a minute or so, he backed off ten feet or so and started stamping the ground and yelling.
Then the old lady grabbed the kid, took him to her car (parked on the curb) and drove off with him.
The father then turned around and wandered off, while his son decided to make a last symbolic act for the day and ran after the car yelling abuse.
I was a little wierded out and started talking to a pair of old men who also witnessed the incident. They bought me a beer. It was good beer.
The whole thing was just totally fucked up and stupid. Why are teenagers so idiotic?
5/17/2007 5:29am, #2
Becuase they are teenagers.
5/17/2007 9:55am, #3
Fun story.
At least they don't hydrate with beer!
5/17/2007 10:34am, #4
Originally Posted by VirusRead this for flexibility and injury prevention, this, this and this for supplementation, this on grip conditioning, and this on staph. New: On strenght standards, relationships and structural balance. Shoulder problems? Read this.
- Join Date
- Oct 2005
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- Porcupine/Hollywood, FL & Parmistan via Elbonia
- Posts
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My crapuous vlog and my blog of training, stuff and crap. NEW: Me, Mrs. Macho and our newborn baby.
New To Weight Training? Get the StrongLifts 5x5 program and Rippetoe's "Starting Strength, 2nd Ed". Wanna build muscle/gain weight? Check this article. My review on Tactical Nutrition here.
t-nation - Dissecting the deadlift. Anatomy and Muscle Balancing Videos.
The street argument is retarded. BJJ is so much overkill for the street that its ridiculous. Unless you're the idiot that picks a fight with the high school wrestling team, barring knife or gun play, the opponent shouldn't make it past double leg + ground and pound - Osiris
5/17/2007 10:43am, #5Originally Posted by El Macho
5/17/2007 11:17am, #6
The gene pool needs more chlorine and a life guard.
White trash concentration camps from here on out!SEANBABY:
"The seventh law of thermodynamics is that every time a fat person gets near a trapdoor, they fall in. Its the closest thing we have to scientific proof of God."
5/18/2007 3:58am, #7Originally Posted by Jkdbuck76
AMEN! :psyduck:
5/18/2007 4:35am, #8Then a REALLY big fucker walks out of the bar. He was wearing faded jeans and a white singlet.
Poor troll
5/18/2007 5:53am, #9Originally Posted by Cracky McSlugHoot
Sadly I concur.
5/18/2007 5:56am, #10
help me improve my english :is a singlet one of those vests without sleaves?
btw i believe colonolpong2,so far he has great posts.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Some Benefits of Mudjacking:
Safety: Eliminates tripping hazards and drainage problems.
Work completed in hours not days.
Concrete available for immediate use after completion.
Minimize further deterioration of concrete.
Aesthetics: Helps curb appeal.
Landscaping and yard not disturbed.
The mudjacking process that Pingel Mudjacking uses works to raise and support settled and uneven concrete by injecting grout under the settled area. This is done by drilling 1 5/8" holes through the surface. Grout is pumped through the slab to float slab in proper place. After mudjacking is complete, holes are patched and textured to match the existing concrete as closely as possible.
Leveled concrete that is at least 10 years old, can be expected to stay in position until the end of its useful life.
Parking Lots
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Industrial, Commercial & Residential


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Former Bury Your Dead Bassist Joins Legend
Former Bury Your Dead bassist Aaron 'Bubble' Patrick has a new gig playing bass for Michigan's Legend. Bubble joins the band as its second guitarist, reports the band — who just wrapped the recording of their Rise Records debut, 'Valediction,' which is scheduled to drop May 25. The disc was produced by Zeuss, who has worked with the likes of Hatebreed and Vision of Disorder.
Legend frontman Chad Ruhlig says Legend are "excited to have Bubble aboard. He's a good friend and an amazing performer. He fits in the puzzle perfectly."
Rumors started circulating back in October that he had left Bury Your Dead, news that was not confirmed until early January, when For the Fallen Dreams guitar player Chris Cain revealed he would be taking over for Patrick. An official explanation for Patrick's departure has never been offered.
"I'm really excited to get involved with a new band that has such potential," says Bubble. "I've been friends with Joe and Chad for quite a few years, and we have toured together a few times. It's pretty awesome to get to play music with friends and be a part of Legend in its beginning stages."


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Always a popular choice with our single travellers, we are once again pleased to have secured a top 4-star hotel for one of our short breaks, with no single supplement added to the selling price. We travel into Northamptonshire, a county that has an abundance of fascinating visits and unique locations, helping to create an interesting itinerary, which includes Bletchley Park, the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum and the Cowper & Newton Museum.
The 4 star Hilton Northampton is located just a couple of miles from the town of Northampton, a modern hotel with the standards and facilities you would expect of Hilton. All bedrooms are en suite with TV, telephone, tea making facilities, iron & ironing board, hairdryer, and Wi-Fi. There is a restaurant and bar, leisure club with spa, pool, sauna and steam room. There is no lift but low floor rooms are available.
We travel south into Warwickshire and visit the beautiful town of Royal Leamington Spa. We continue to the outskirts of Northampton for 3 nights half board accommodation at the Hilton Hotel.
We travel to Bletchley Park where we spend time exploring the fascinating WW2 Codebreaking Huts and marvel at the achievements of the 'Code-breakers'. Later in the day we return via the interesting village of Stoke Bruerne, here we include a visit to the Canal Museum.
This morning we relive Georgian Life as we pay a visit to the Cowper & Newton Museum, the house where one of England's favourite poets William Cowper lived. Enjoy his garden where he wrote, and where he used to meet his neighbour, the preacher and former slave trader John Newton, author of the hymn 'Amazing Grace'. After our visit we have free time in the historic town of Olney, followed by a visit to the town of Northampton.
We depart for home and visit the Trentham Estate where you can indulge yourself at the Trentham Shopping Village with shops, cafes, restaurants and Garden Centre. We continue our journey arriving into our local area late afternoon.
3 nights dinner, bed & breakfast, Luxury coach travel, Services of experienced tour driver, Excursions - including entry to Bletchley Park, the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum and the Cowper & Newton Museum.
DEPOSIT: £30.00 per person
Single supplement: None


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Installing 997 (2005-2008) racing seats is one of the most noticeable changes you can make to your vehicle. These premium products are of the highest level of quality and exceptional workmanship. These seats are combining comfort and ergonomics with safety and performance. Keep in mind that racing seats almost never mount up to your factory seat brackets. This means that installing racing seats may require you to purchase brackets. If you have any questions about how to install Porsche racing seats, please give us a call.
Showing 1 to 14 of 14 (1 Pages)


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With sales growth of eight percent during 2013, Lindt & Sprüngli AG reports it outpaced the overall chocolate market with sales reaching $3.27 billion for the year.
The company had projected gains of six to eight percent for the year and reports organic growth reached 8.6 percent, slightly ahead of estimates. The growth was driven by higher volumes and increases in share in key markets as well as emerging regions.
In addition, Lindt reports its Global Retail Division, which includes some 200 outlets, boutiques and Lindt Chocolate Cafés, grew around nine percent during 2013. The company notes this is a important distribution concept, especially for making headway into emerging markets that have no strong chocolate tradition. Further, it helps establish the premium brand values and familiarity with the brand, according to Lindt.
Looking toward 2014, the company anticipates continued volatility in raw material markets and continued competition at retail to pressure price movement, particularly for weaker brands.


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English Prime Minister David "One is an Ordinary Bloke" Cameron is facing a scandal as his number one chum media adviser Andy Coulson is about to be hauled into court in a hacking case.
Coulson has been told to explain to the Wigged Ones how hacks working for his News of the Screws rag were hacking people's phones while he was editing the paper.
The case is being bought about by the former MP George Galloway who has told his briefs that he does not want any out-of-court settlement in a claim for breach of privacy unless Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers, owners of the News of the World, are prepared to make full disclosure of the paper's involvement in phone-hacking.
Cameron has repeatedly said his spin doctor deserves a "second chance" after resigning over the phone-hacking scandal in 2007. The second chance appears to be a top job with the best expense fiddlers Westminister can offer.
Generally life is not going great for Downing Street. There was speculation that the Foreign Secretary William Hague would resign because of smears over a Little Britain style relationship with his aide Christopher Myers. Coulson wrote the statement for Hague defending his marriage, just as fresh information was emerging in the phone-hacking scandal. Coulson's statement for Hague is being seen as "poor judgement".
Another News of the Screws hack Dan Evans, is currently "suspended from reporting duties" following a complaint by a female television personality that her voicemail was intercepted this year.
Mr Galloway lodged a claim for a minimum of £300,000 in damages in the High Court in July, claiming his voicemail was illegally intercepted between February 2005 and August 2006, when Coulson was editing the News of the World.
Galloway was advised by coppers to change his mobile telephone after his name was found on a list compiled by Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator who worked for Coulson's rag. Mulcaire was jailed in 2007 along with the News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman after they were convicted of hacking into the phone messages of royal aides.
The chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association Gordon Taylor and the publicist Max Clifford, have sued News Group for damages and were paid off.
Galloway, the former Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, wants the case to be public.
According to the Independent, Galloway thinks that with Coulson now in Downing Street there is an establishment cover-up. Of course that and the fact that it keeps his name in the media. Galloway has not had much to do since he was no longer elected and he did not make it onto Ultimate Big Brother.
Galloway was the target of a sting operation by Mazher Mahmood, the News of the World's undercover reporter, in 2006. He thinks that Mahmood tried, and failed, to implicate him in Holocaust denial and financial irregularities.
The News of the World claims it had no knowledge or evidence that Mr Galloway's voicemail was accessed.


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And they Live Happily Ever After…
It was a wedding of fantasies, frills and frolic. But the love expressed was real, and transcended the grid. Emotions ran high for those watching the fairy book unfold before their screens.
The union between Editorial Clarity and RicoRacer Flux is one that will not be easily forgotten by those who attended, those who helped in its creation, and the two beautiful men who shared their loving vows between one another in front of a large audience.
I take you now to the end of the story when Prince Frolic proclaimed their virtual life as one: "By the power vested in me by this place we call Second Life, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Rico, you may now kiss your bride !
The kiss was amazing.
Alas, did I count at least three? A lucky number and a sign of a wonderful virtual life together. The setting was the home of Frolic Mills, and the theme was Alice in Wonderland. Complete with all the characters, and an incredible fashion experience that highlighted the whimsical and the imagination of so many leading designers, friends to BOSL
The reception was wild and vivid, with colorful fashions mingling on the dance floor. The ceremony certainly brought many friends together to rethink the power and passion of this virtual life we know, and sometimes take for granted. Friendship and love are valuable in any life.
This is merely a snippet of the larger story to be shared in the October issue of Best of SL Magazine. And the photos at this point are unedited. This is history in the making.
And you know the happy ending, but the joy is expressed through the details. The rest of the story is forthcoming…. Stay tuned.
Congratulations, Edi and Rico!!!


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Welcome to the Church of Cantheism
I am your host and pastor Saint Joseph II. In this glorious corner of the internet, I welcome you to join us in discussing the benefits and drawbacks of Marijuana for both medical, and recreational use. If you would like to join the discussion panel, please register and send an email to email@example.com
(Legality of Marijuana varies by location. The Church of Cantheism does not condone illegal activity. Please respect local laws and ordinances.)


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White Papers and
Application Notes
- Thermal Management of Buildings
- Hardware and Simulation Software Advancements
- Modeling the Lithium-Ion Battery
Conference Collections
- User Presentation 2017
- User Presentation 2016
- User Presentation 2015
- User Presentation 2014
- User Presentation 2013
- User Presentation 2012
Additional Reading
Fluid Motion Between Rotating Concentric Cylinders Using COMSOL Multiphysics® Software
P. L. Mills [1], K. Barman [1], S. Mothupally [1], A. Sonejee [1],
[1] Texas A&M University - Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, USA
Introduction Fluid flow patterns in research or process-scale equipment where a fluid is contained between concentric rotating cylinders in the absence of bulk axial flow has received notable attention in the field of fluid mechanics. Annular flows occur in many practical applications, such as in the production of oil and gas, fluid viscometers, centrifugally-driven separation processes, ...
CVD Graphene Growth Mechanism on Nickel Thin Films - new
K. Al-Shurman[1], H. Naseem[2]
[1]The Institute for Nanoscience & Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
[2]Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
Chemical vapor deposition is considered a promising method for synthesis of graphene films on different types of substrate utilizing transition metals such as Ni. However, synthesizing a single-layer graphene and controlling the quality of the graphene CVD film on Ni are very challenging due to the multiplicity of the CVD growth conditions. COMSOL Multiphysics® software is used to investigate ...
Simulation of the Temperature Profile During Welding with COMSOL Multiphysics® Software Using Rosenthal's Approach - new
A. Lecoanet[1], D. G. Ivey[1], H. Henein[1]
[1]Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
A 3D finite element analysis is carried out, using COMSOL® software, to reproduce the thermal profile obtained with Rosenthal's equation. The implemented heat transfer equation has been modified as a means to approximate Rosenthal's solution. An analysis of the differences between the simulation and Rosenthal's solution, when the geometry of the domain and the source are changed, has been ...
Simulator for Automotive Evaporative Emissions Restraint Systems
S. Schlüter [1], E. Schieferstein [1], T. Hennig [1], K. Meller [1],
[1] Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Oberhausen, Germany
Fuel vapor restraint systems are used in vehicles to avoid discharge of volatile hydrocarbons from fuel tanks. The topic of this paper is the proper operation of fuel vapor restraint systems depending on the composition of bioethanol-fuel-blends. Experimental data serve as input to a model built with COMSOL Multiphysics® to simulate the performance of fuel vapor restraint systems depending on ...
COMSOL Multiphysics® Software and PV: A Unified Platform for Numerical Simulation of Solar Cells and Modules
M. Nardone [1],
[1] Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA
Introduction: Existing solar cell (photovoltaic, PV) device simulation software is either open source with limited capabilities (1D only) [1,2] or extremely expensive with obscure functionality [3]. PV researchers need an accessible and versatile simulation tool to optimize existing technologies and to reduce the time from concept to prototype for new technologies. This work demonstrates how ...
Simulation of Supercritical Fluid Extraction Process
P. Katiyar [1], S. Khanam [1],
[1] Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
This paper deals with the simulation of mathematical model for supercritical extraction. Reverchon, 1996 extracted sage oil using supercritical extraction method from sage leaves at 9 MPa and 50 ᵒC. Four mean size of sage leaves ranging from 0.25 to 3.10 mm were taken for extraction with other experimental conditions and process parameters. Experimental results were fitted in the model developed ...
Charge-Discharge Studies of Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries
A. K. R. Paul [1], R. D. Pal [2],
[1] CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
[2] Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
A lithium-ion battery comprises of two intercalating electrodes separated by a membrane, sandwiched between aluminum and copper current collecting plates. The battery performance depends upon several parameters and its operating conditions. In this work we developed a model for a lithium iron phosphate battery and validated our results with experimental charge-discharge curves. We however note ...
Development of a User Interface for Design of SO2 Oxidation Fixed-Bed Reactors
A. Nagaraj [1], P. L. Mills [1],
[1] Texas A&M University - Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, USA
H2SO4 is a very important chemical commodity, and indeed, a nation's H2SO4 production has been a reasonably good indicator of its industrial strength for the last century or so1,2. Nearly 350 MM tons of H2SO4 was produced in 20143.The demand for H2SO4 in United States exceeds the supply and hence to increase production, recycling and innovative clean technologies must be explored. From ...
The Effects of the Contact Angle on the Dynamics of Water Droplet Impingement
J. Hu [1], X. Huang [2], X. Xiong [1], K. T. Wan [2],
[1] University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT, USA
[2] Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
INTRODUCTION The dynamic behavior of droplet impingement on a solid surface is important to many engineering applications, such as rain drops on automobile windshields, inkjet deposition and metal deposition in manufacturing processes, spray cooling of electronics, and spray coating for various applications. The droplet can spread, splash, and rebound after hitting a solid surface. Contact ...
Modeling of Supercapacitor
G. Madabattula[1], S. K. Gupta[1]
[1]Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Low cost high energy density batteries that can be charged and discharged rapidly are required in a number of applications. Tapping energy from renewal resources such as solar, wind and tide requires rapidly generated energy to be first stored and then used round the clock. Storing energy of a moving vehicle as it slows down and recovering it to accelerate the vehicle later can significantly ...


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New York City Police Department today announced street closures
and media parking areas during the Macy's 30th Annual Fireworks Display over the
East River. The event will take place on Wednesday, July 4, beginning at about
9:20 p.m. and ending at 9:50 p.m. Drivers are advised to use public
transportation and avoid the following locations between 2 p.m. and 2 a.m.
The Department reminds spectators that no large backpacks, coolers
or alcoholic beverages will be allowed in the viewing area. All restricted items
are subject to search and seizure.
From Houston Street to East 63rd Street (both directions)
From Broad Street to Brooklyn Bridge
Between FDR and First
Ave. All streets from Houston to East 63rd Street
HEAVY TRAFFIC CONGESTION2 p.m. to 2
First, Second, and Third Avenues 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd, 57th,
and Houston Streets
MEDIA PARKINGEach media outlet will be
permitted to park ONE "BROADCAST VEHICLE ONLY" along the service road of
the FDR Drive by the Water Club parking area accessed from East 23rd Street and
the FDR Drive. Spots are allotted on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning
at 8 a.m. Media support vehicles may park on any side street west of First
Avenue, EXCEPT for the following streets: 23rd, 25th, 34th, and 42nd.
Parking is prohibited in crosswalks, bus stops, and at fire


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Exactly computes the dot product between vectors as an nonoverlapping increasing sequence.
npm install robust-dot-product
var robustDot =
require("robust-dot-product")(a, b)
Computes the dot product of a and b as a nonoverlapping increasing sequence
b are both arrays of numbers
Returns A nonoverlapping increasing sequence representing the dot product of a and b
(c) 2013 Mikola Lysenko. MIT License


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Gays Aren't Making Straights Shun Marriage, Study Confirms
The Religious Right loves to claim that legalizing gay marriage will turn straight people off marriage. There's just one problem: it simply isn't true, and now we have data analysis to show it.
The study, released in Plos One this month, sees researchers Alexis Dinno and Chelsea Whitney from the School of Community Health, Portland State University in Oregon, analyze marriage data from all fifty states plus the District of Columbia from 1989 through to and including 2009.
The study's authors corrected for the general flux of marriage rates using a generalized "error correction" model on the premise that any deleterious effects gay marriage and gay unions bring to straight marriage rates should show up in the data.
What did they find?
"This research shows that increasing legal recognition of same-sex marriage has no effect on rates of opposite-sex marriage in states that passed same-sex marriage laws," said Alexis Dinno, assistant professor of Community Health and the lead researcher for the project. "Concerns about potential harm to the rate of opposite-sex marriage resulting from same-sex marriage laws are not borne out by this research."
The authors also note that this clarifies that marriage equality was not shown to boost straight marriage rates either. To put it simply, legalizing marriage equality doesn't appear to have had any impact on heterosexual marriage rates at all. Why is this important?
As the study notes, anti-gay marriage forces regularly argue the line that marriage equality will have unforeseen consequences that could destroy heterosexual marriage.
Speaking directly to this, the study quotes testimony direct from the Proposition 8 case:
In a recent ruling of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Perry the proponents argue "if the definition of marriage between a man and a woman is changed, it would fundamentally redefine the term from its original and historical procreative purpose. This shift in purpose would weaken society's perception of the importance of entering into marriage to have children, which would increase the likelihood that couples would choose to cohabitate rather than get married" (Perry v. Brown, No. 10–16696, 111-112–9th Cir. Feb 7, 2012).
The study's authors go on to say that if, as is accepted, the circumstances of marriage benefit a couple's health and can benefit their children and it were proved that heterosexual marriage rates did decline as a result of allowing same-sex couples to marry, there may be a legitimate government interest in preventing same-sex marriages.
However, as the data does not reflect this, there is no such legitimate interest.
Furthermore, denying marriage to same-sex couples on this basis is not only unfounded, it prevents them from accessing the benefits of marriage and so this deprivation does them harm – something that has been shown to be true in other studies.
Dinno acknowledges that more states have now legalized marriage equality than was the case when conducting this analysis. As a result, we cannot draw direct conclusions on patterns in states like New York and, as the study notes, a trend away from reporting overall marriage rates means that data is now harder to come by anyway.
Another important caveat is that, as marriage equality is relatively new, data sets are limited and therefore picking out specific trends at the state level (say by county) is not yet possible.
However, these limitations do not directly dissuade us from addressing, in strict terms, the topic of study here: that gay marriage has not demonstrably affected a decline in straight marriage rates. It must be said that it would be easy to dismiss this study as telling America what it already knew — easy, but a mistake.
Studies like this are important as evidence-based counterpoints against the assertions of the Religious Right who accuse that gay marriage will destroy straight marriages. Unfortunately, this tactic is used with alarming frequency.
Just this week, anti-gay forces in the UK released a "Ten Good Reasons" to oppose marriage equality list. As part of that overview, the makers cite that marriage rates in Spain continued to fall after the country legalized same-sex marriage in 2005, as though to imply one caused the other. Needless to say, there is no evidence to support the inference.
The most we can say is that same-sex marriage failed to halt the downward trend in heterosexual marriage — but, of course, there's no reason that it should, so this is not a criticism of same-sex marriage but the errant logic of marriage equality opponents.
The Dinno and Whitney analysis is therefore not only important for America, but for combating the claims of anti-gay groups across the world who continue to parrot that gay marriage is a poison pill to heterosexual relationships when in reality it is a relatively simple, benign matter: marriage equality grants same-sex couples the same status and rights as heterosexuals, as should have been the case all along.
Image credit: Thinkstock.


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Alright, it's time for the 4/8/2014 Daily Dose! Here you will find a round-up of all the best deals and coupons that were posted throughout the day. I hope this helps save you lots of time and lots of money!
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New Buy 1 Get 1 FREE Meow Mix Wet Cat Food Cup Coupon
Rare $0.55/2 Dozen ANY Brand Eggs Coupon
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Walgreens: The Best Weekly Deals That Require No Manufacturer's Coupons (4/6-4/12)
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50 Pack of Crayola Washable Super Tips Fine Line Markers w/ 12 Silly Scents Only $6.99
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Victoria's Secret: Lotions and Sprays as Low as $3.14 Each Shipped (Regularly $12!)


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Genesys Software Systems Announces Comprehensive HIPAA e-Learning Available Through PeopleComeFirst Healthcare Learning Advantage
METHUEN, Mass. — October 22, 2002 — – Genesys Software Systems, Inc., a provider of software and outsourcing services for learning management, human resource (HR) management, payroll, and benefits, announced today the availability of new e-learning courses covering a range of information and training needs related to the protection of patient privacy under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The courses include an overview, which discusses the fundamentals of patient privacy and the associated legal requirements, as well as specialized training courses for specific healthcare constituencies: executives and department heads, HIPAA task force members and compliance officers, physicians and office staffs, and insurance verifiers, coders, and other employees involved in the transfer of medical information.
These new courses are fully deployable through PeopleComeFirst Learning, a competency and learning management system, and can be associated to specific jobs and competency requirements for employees in virtually any healthcare organization. The courseware was developed by Graphic Education, a partner company with years of experience developing computer-based training to meet the mandatory training needs of the healthcare industry.
The HIPAA training courses are supplemented by a glossary and reference database, which details HIPAA regulations, clarifies terminology, and discusses how specific regulations apply to different departments and organizations. Required forms and documents are also included.
The federal privacy regulation guarantees patient access to medical records, gives patients more control over how health information is used and disclosed, and provides a clear avenue of recourse if medical privacy is compromised. The rule will protect medical records and other personal health information maintained by healthcare providers, hospitals, health plans, and health insurers. Organizations have until April 14, 2003 to comply with the training requirements outlined for privacy protection.
In addition to the new HIPAA courses, PeopleComeFirst Healthcare Learning Advantage offers an extensive e-learning library comprised of more than 80 courses to address JCAHO and OSHA training requirements, as well as those of other accreditation and regulatory organizations. All courses include performance assessments.
"Essentially, Healthcare Learning Advantage gives any healthcare organization the ability to fully meet HIPAA training and reporting requirements from a single source, without the assistance of outside consultants," said Steve Munini, chief developer of PeopleComeFirst Learning. "And just as importantly, the same learning management efficiencies can be applied to other mandatory processes."
"In many areas, HIPAA requirements are vague and potentially confusing. Since this is a new regulation, there's still misinformation and misunderstanding out in the market," said Jon Rosen, president of Graphic Education. "We've designed these courses to help organizations fully understand and comply with all legal nuances and designed tools to streamline the reporting process without hiring outside services."
PeopleComeFirst Healthcare Learning Advantage is offered through integration partnerships with Graphic Education and the WynnLyn Group, architects of a healthcare job description and competency database that gives organizations the ability to quickly develop unique, detailed job descriptions.
Healthcare Learning Advantage is available as a licensed solution for installation on corporate intranets or as a hosted solution, using Genesys Software's state-of-the-art data center facilities. A demo is available on request.
About Graphic Education
Graphic Education is a healthcare digital learning company creating and selling computer and Web-based education since 1997. Graphic Education's training products cover a wide range of topics, including age-specific care, asthma management, breastfeeding, clinical delegation and nursing roles, alcohol risk assessment and counseling, ethical care for home health, infection control for home health, pain management, and safety in home health. Graphic Education customers include more than 1,700 North American service and academic healthcare organizations. Known for outstanding product design and effectiveness, Graphic Education received Sigma Theta Tau International's 1999-2000 Technology Award for best professional education. For more information, visit www.graphiced.com or call 888 354 6600.
About Genesys
PeopleComeFirst Learning, a web-based learning and competency management system, is a new addition to the Genesys portfolio. PeopleComeFirst Learning, was recently selected by Christiana Care to centralize learning and professional development for its 10,000 employees.
Genesys Software Systems is a privately held company with headquarters in Methuen, Massachusetts, and offices throughout the United States. Founded in 1981, the company offers an extensive solution suite for comprehensive payroll, human resources, benefits, and learning and competency management. All products and services are based on a high-performance, Web-native architecture that enables users to conduct day-to-day business activities — including complex payroll production, data entry, reporting and inquiries — with a standard Web-browser interface.
For the past eight years, hundreds of clients have depended on Genesys Software Systems for outsourcing and ASP services for confidential, mission-critical business and employee data. Headquarter facilities include a state-of-the-art data center with extensive security, backup, and redundant systems. For more information, visit www.peoplecomefirst.com and www.genesys-soft.com or call (800) 580-5450.


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The Irish boys of Central Saint Martins
There's a pureness about how Irish women dress, says up and coming designer
Meet Rory Parnell-Mooney, Sean McGirr and Michael Power. To employ an overstuffed pun, they're in a class of their own – that class being the notoriously tough MA in Fashion at London's Central Saint Martins. The three represent the largest nationality pie-slice of this year's graduates, a small class of 21. "I don't think there are even three English people in the year," says Parnell-Mooney.
It is the most respected course of its kind in the world, with an astonishing number of graduates at the helm of their own label (think Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, or Ireland's own Simone Rocha) or in covetable positions at other companies. Michael Power, one of the course's stars and a winner of the L'Oreal bursary, which is awarded to students for an outstanding graduate collection, applied to Central Saint Martins "just because of the alumni, really. You know, it has such a reputation. There's so much mystery around it – from the outside you're not too sure what to expect. I used to look at the show every year and just be amazed at what was being created."
Under the supervision of the singular Prof Louise Wilson, the three have undergone a fairly gruelling two-year personal and creative process to finish their graduate collections.
"You're always a piece of shit," says the admirably blunt Galwegian Parnell-Mooney. "Then [Wilson] says that something's OK, and you hold on to that little glimmer of 'OK' for the rest of the year and then eventually she says the word 'fab' and you go outside of the room and you start crying. I haven't done that, though. I haven't cried once on this course. Not once."
It's difficult to draw a connecting line between the three designers' graduate work, so diverse are their influences and outcomes. Sean McGirr's menswear collection, in white denim with powerful graphic blue biro scribbles, is about "rent boys. Of course you can't print that," he says, laughing.
He has a true and lasting love for denim. "Denim is quite an easy fabric to work with, but then you finish it like you would a tailored jacket or you do a huge amount of hand-stitching and make it really beautiful, so yeah. I always think that denim is quite important. It can be reworked and reworked and reworked."
His fashion education has been unusually diverse, with interning stints at Burberry, Vogue Hommes International Japan and Taiwanese fabric producer Singtex. He has also worked as a writer for trend-forecasting company Stylus. "Huge amount of research. Massive," say McGirr.
He's close to his grandmother, who fed his love for fashion. "I was talking to her about my graduate collection last Sunday and she was like, 'Are you not doing any hats? You should really do a hat like that one you did before.' She's always giving me ideas, and sometimes she's really on the money."
Michael Power has lived in Gorey, Co Wexford, "all my life. It was a pretty traditional Irish childhood. I stayed there until I was 18, then I went to NCAD in Dublin. I did fashion design for four years."
Power's bursary-clenching, intricate, bead-and-mesh womenswear collection is based around three distinct influences: the swirling, circular sculptural forms of artist Jean Dubuffet; traditional Hopi kachina dolls "used to represent the gods and the spirits and all these different things, covered in all these amazing patterns"; and Daniel Cronin's photobook, The Gathering of the Juggalos , a documentation of devoted fans of the hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse. "They're just really sloppy, and they wear all these graphic T-shirts. It's just really grungy and kind of horrible and . . . You know what I mean. And they wear this silly makeup."
Modern primitivism
The three influences seem disparate, but all draw a line together of a modern primitivism – in pattern, ritual and, importantly, attitude. "I'm not really drawn to anything polite," Power says. "I think it's the edge that I was drawn to, really."
Similarly, Parnell-Mooney is not interesting in straightforward, decorative notions of beauty. "I'm not a soft, lovey-dovey kind of person – I'm quite straight to the point and that comes across in my collection as well. Even in the way that things are done up: there aren't 100 buttons, there's one tie, you pull it in and you pull it out and you're done."
Parnell-Mooney's collection was initially based on pictures of nuns in Dublin in the 1920s and 1930s. His menswear collection is severe, angular, minimal. "One of a nun's main aims is to never have pride, so it's very much about covering the body."
Some of his looks are very heavy. "In some looks there's two pairs of trousers, a shirt, a scarf, a jumper, a bib and a full hat. I suppose it comes from that idea of a nun getting dressed to cover up the body and to be completely humble."
Is there such a thing as an underlying Irish aesthetic in design or in the way Irish women dress? "There is a look," says Sean McGirr. "There's a pureness about it. That's what Irish fashion is all about, really – coming from the sticks, referencing rural life, something that feels really raw. There's a real rawness about Irish design."
"I think it's very down to earth and I think it's very real," says Power. "There are no airs and graces about the way Irish women dress, and that's nice."
Parnell-Mooney sums it up: "People call it Catholic guilt but I actually think it's the perfect example of being humble. [Irish women] are like, 'Oh no, don't look at me. I'm so shy, don't, no.' And they do look great, you know."


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Coquina Beach, located on the south end, is the longest stretch of beach on Anna Maria, with plenty of free parking, lifeguards, concessions, picnic tables, a playground, restrooms and showers. Remnants of old piers jutting out into the water (dividing sections of the beach) make it awkward for running, but a choice spot for surfers. It's also the place where you'll mostly find younger groups of people gathering around a boom box, sunbathing, or playing frisbee on the sand.
A boat launch is across the street as well as Coquina BayWalk at Leffis Key where footpaths and boardwalks lead visitors around tidal lagoons and mangrove shoreline. Dolphins are often sighted not far from fishermen doing some fishing of their own.
Plenty of Parking, Shade Trees, Sunshine and breathtaking Sunsets!
More information about Anna Maria Island
The vacation rentals on Anna Maria Island vary from apartment efficiencies and motel rooms to cottages and rental condominiums. The atmosphere is relaxing and casual with plenty of good restaurants, performing arts and quaint little shops. What makes Anna Maria so attractive to visitors is its private island feel ….so book early and go back in time with this little island paradise. RECOMMENDED ACCOMMODATIONS
DIRECTIONS: From Sarasota/Bradenton airport, go north on Tamiami Trail (US 41) to Cortez Rd. Turn Left (west) on Cortez, continue for approximately 8 miles. When you cross over drawbridge, turn Left at the traffic light. Coquina Beach is on the right.
From I-75, Take exit #217, go west on SR 70 for approximately 11? miles. Turn Left (west) on Cortez Rd., cross over drawbridge and turn Left at the traffic light. Coquina Beach is on the right.


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Guyra Central School secondary students gathered at the Guyra Swimming pool for their carnival on Wednesday, February 8.
It was an overcast day with the top temperature 23 degrees!
Congratulations to the age champions:
Girls: 13 years-Tayla Mitchell; 14 years-Kasey Gaukroger; 15 years-Ashleigh Richardson; 16 years-Bronte Stanley; 17 years-Sophie Gaukroger.
Boys: 12 years-Fletcher Richardson and Michael Looker; 13 years-Billy Youman; 14 years-Myles Williams; 15 years-Taylor Brennan; 16 years-BJ Cameron; 17 years-Hunter Davidson.
Thank you to Mrs Linley Ryan for organising the carnival and the secondary staff team for fulfilling other important roles and Taylah Martin for her photography.
Special thanks to Miss Clea Townsend and the Year 12 students for the organisation of the sausage sizzle.
Primary held their annual swimming carnival the following day.
We had great success on the day and some records were broken.
Students have commented that it was a fun day due to the novelty events being introduced this year.
Junior boy champion-Cooper Wilson; Junior girl champion-Sophie Mitchell; 11 year old boy champion-Cooper Brennan; 11 year old girl champion-Maddison Bull; Senior boy champion-Sam Atkin and Robert Sisson; Senior Girl champion-Ellie Mitchell.
On February 24, 24 students will compete at the Zone Swimming Carnival in Armidale.


text: The Jakarta Post reports that the bad stewardship of Bali's environment will result in a possible food and water shortage in the near future.A joint study conducted by the Environmental Study Center of Bali's Udayana University and the provincial Bali Development and Planning Agency blames the threatening scenario on skyrocketing population; shrinking water supplies caused by pollution and over-exploitation; and the conversion of arable land to other uses.I Wayan Arthana, the head of environmental studies at the University, said: "The authorities needs to carry out strict population control and ongoing campaigns to raise people's awareness of the current environmental issues to reduce the impact of the problem."According to the study: Bali requires 516,000 hectares of productive agricultural lands to feed its population of 3.3 million. Bali has only 325,000 hectares of fertile land. When the needs of Bali's nearly two million visitors is factored into the equation, the island needs, in total, 521,000 hectares of fertile land. Agricultural land is being transformed into residential and business uses at an alarming rate. This loss of arable land and is most pronounced in Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, Jembrana and Buleleng. One regency of Bali, Bangli, has the largest remaining reserves of arable land. In addition to a dwindling ability to be self-sufficient in food supplies, Bali is also facing a increasingly critical shortage of water. The island has a sustainable supply of 4.7 cubic meters of water per year, hoverer, 5.4 million cubic meters is currently being used threatening the long-term supply of fresh water for Bali. Bali is badly overpopulated. Quoting a report from the World Health Organization, the survey says the ideal carrying capacity of the island is only 1,00,400 1,600,000 compared against a current population count of 3,320,000. Bali's administrator must stop converting productive land to other uses. The former head of Bali's Chapter of Friends of the Earth (WAHLI), Agung Wardana, is urging local officials in Bali to halt constructions projects, especially those related to tourism facilities. WAHLI said the worst violations by tourist projects of existing zoning laws are occurring at the Dasong forest and Buyan Lake in Buleleng regency, Padang Bai and Kelating Beach in Tabanan.


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me: Not yet – no screen!LOL
Mr. Amazing: It's a thunderbolt display, docking station for a macbook pro
me: blah blah blah
Mr. Amazing: built in sound, ethernet, usb hub, firewire
me: meh meh meh meh meh
Mr. Amazing: I take that as a definite maybe
me: ROTFLMAO!
See that was a Quickie!!!
Completely Unrelated Fact: Most of the traffic I get to my blog are mislead porn searchers…


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Bulls rumble past Scarlet Knights
Andre Hall ran for 168 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday to lead the South Florida Bulls to a 45-31 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers lost this game as a 2-point favorite at home, and with the loss fell to 6-3 on the year. The game's combined 76 points soared OVER the posted total (48).
Quarterback Pat Julmiste completed 13-of-21 passes for 135 yards, and rushed for a TD. Terrence Royal recovered a fumble and returned it for an 11-yard TD, and Johnnie Jones returned an interception for a 32-yard touchdown in the victory.
For the Scarlet Knights, Ryan Hart threw for 217 yards, three touchdowns and was picked off three times. Brian Leonard rushed for a TD, and Raymell Rice racked up 158 yards on the ground in the loss.


text:
Who or what is the antagonist of The Giver?
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Expert Answers
M.P. Ossa | Certified Educator
You can safely argue that the antagonist of the Giver is basically the concept of "Sameness", that is, that collective feeling of limbo that the dystopian (at first seemingly Utopian) society presented in the story chose to adopt in order to not suffer emotional conflicts.
When Jonah became the new Receiver, he discovered all the things to be learned from what society was like before Sameness took place He realized that there is a lot to be learned from conflict and complexity, and that there is a place for pain in one's life. Therefore, Sameness and all that it represents, is the main antagonist which directly contradicts the role of Jonah in the story.


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Undetected / Dee Henderson.
Electronic resources
View other formats and editions
Record details
- ISBN: 9781441264534 (electronic bk)
- Physical Description: 1 online resource
- Publisher: [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 2014.
Content descriptions
|Summary, etc.:
| When asked what he does for a living . . .Commander Mark Bishop is deliberately low-key: "I'm in the Navy." But commanding the ballistic missile submarine USS Nevada, keeping her crew trained and alert during ninety-day submerged patrols, and being prepared to launch weapons on valid presidential orders, carries a burden of command like few other jobs in the military. Mark Bishop is a man who accepts that responsibility, and handles it well. And at a time when tensions are escalating around the Pacific Rim, the Navy is glad to have him.Mark wants someone to come home to after sea patrols. The woman he has in mind is young, with a lovely smile, and very smart. She's a civilian, yet she understands the U.S. Navy culture. And he has a strong sense that life with her would never be boring. But she may be too deep in her work to see the potential in a relationship with him.Gina Gray would love to be married. She has always...
|Reproduction Note:
| Electronic reproduction. Ada : Bethany House Publishers, 2014. Requires OverDrive Read (file size: N/A KB) or Adobe Digital Editions (file size: 4089 KB) or Amazon Kindle (file size: N/A KB).
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|Electronic books.


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Econsultancy on the future of wire services
Vikki Chowney writing last week on econsultancy examined the role of wire services as part of the modern corporate communication mix. We caught up to discuss the press release, the distribution of news, and search marketing.
Unsurprisingly none of the big name wire services took part or have commented on the story.
Check econsultancy for the full post. Here's my comments.
"The public relations industry is embracing social media and slowly moving to direct relationships where relationships are built via direct engagement. It's a long haul that will take a decade to work out. In the meantime wire services provide a short cut and though diminished will continue to have a role whilst these changes work through."
"The press release has become a general purpose document that an organisation publishes on its web site and issues via a wire service, not to inform the media of a news event, but typically to reach broader audiences and more often than not to satisfy an internal audience.
"Wire services will always have a role in the financial market where a legislative framework demands that information is communicated simultaneously via prescribed channels.
"During the downturn there has almost certainly been an increase in demand for wire services as a catch all means of ensuring that a press release reaches as broad an audience as possible. It's often an issue of scale for large international organisations.
"The online search industry has recognised the opportunity that press releases and wire services offer to build inbound links as a tactic to improve keyword search rankings.
"Faux news content is often distributed via a wire service with the goal of securing widespread coverage around target keywords and web links on editorially driven web sites that are ranked highly by search engines. It's a mechanical process to game results that is a flawed. It creates confusion and can result in reputational damage.
"Wire services need to innovative and work out their relative to information flows as media continues to fragment and social media develops. Those that recognise these changes and figure out how to continue to be relevant by embracing social media will thrive."
Thanks Vikki.


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Click here to print the obituary below
In Memory of
Frederick H. Avery Jr.
April 4, 1957 - January 1, 2013
Uncasville- Frederick Harrison "Fred" Avery Jr., of Rte 163, passed away January 1, 2013 at the Lawrence and Memorial Hospital.
Fred was born April 4, 1957 in Hartford, the son of Catherine Plumstead Avery and the late Frederick Harrison Avery Sr.
He was a graduate of Montville High School. He was employed for 31 years as a heavy machine operator for the Town of Montville.
He married Pamela Bonanno November 17, 2011 in Salem CT. She survives him.
Fred was an avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt, fish and enjoyed riding his quad. He was a true woodsman. But more than anything else, he loved his wife Pamela with all of his heart.
In addition to his loving wife Pamela, he is survived by his mother Catherine Avery, son Robert Avery, brother Mike Avery and partner Sheryl, sisters Michele, Victoria and her husband John, step-children Jimmy, Katie and Jon, grandson Harrison Avery, Aunt Gen, Cousin Kay and by many nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and coworkers. Fred's family would like to extend a special thanks to all of his friends that provided love and support throughout his courageous fight.
Calling hours will be held at the Montville Funeral Home of Church and Allen on Friday evening from 4 to 6 pm.
In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in memory of Frederick Harrison Avery Jr. to support cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 or via
To leave a message of condolence for Fred's family, please visit his memorial at
The Montville Funeral Home of Church and Allen, 53 New London Turnpike, Uncasville, is entrusted with arrangements.
Friday, January 04, 2013 | 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Montville Funeral Home of Church & Allen
53 Norwich New London Tpke, Uncasville, CT 06382 | (860) 889-2374
Driving Directions


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Philadelphia noise punks Creepoid have announced a series of tour dates across the US and Canada starting later this month. The tour includes dates with Seahaven, Balance and Composure as well as Against Me! The band's latest release is their Wet EP which was put out on Record Store Day via Graveface Records.
Full dates below:


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* Q2 GDP +0.3 pct qtr/qtr vs f'cast +0.6 pct
* Growth slows as consumption boost wanes
* Consumption up 0.1 pct, external demand shaves off GDP
* Japan Q2 annualised growth 1.4 pct vs U.S. growth of 1.5
By Stanley White and Leika Kihara
TOKYO, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Japan's economy expanded just 0.3
percent in April-June, half the pace expected, fuelling concerns
growth will continue to flag as a rebound in consumer spending
starts to lose momentum and Europe's debt crisis weighs on
global demand.
The data provides further evidence of a global slowdown
raising expectations in financial markets that policymakers will
take action to lift their economies. The United States, Japan
and China have all reported weaker growth in the April-June
quarter compared with their previous-quarter figures.
Japan's growth undershot expectations for a rise in gross
domestic product of 0.6 percent and was sharply lower than an
expansion in the previous quarter of 1.3 percent, a revision
from 1.2 percent reported initially, the Cabinet Office said.
Financial markets showed a muted reaction to the data.
"As domestic demand is losing momentum and exports will
likely weaken further due to Europe's debt trouble, there is a
possibility that Japan will go back into an economic lull in
July-September," said Yuichi Kodama, chief economist at Meiji
Yasuda Life Insurance in Tokyo.
The data highlights the Bank of Japan's growing concern that
slowing exports will weigh on economic growth in the months
ahead, which could set the stage for additional monetary easing
in coming months.
"Europe's sovereign debt crisis remains a major risk to
Japan and the global economy," said Tatsushi Shikano, senior
economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities in Tokyo.
"The Bank of Japan will likely take a wait-and-see stance
but it could act again next month if financial turmoil and
further monetary easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve prompt a
spike in the yen, threatening Japanese exporters' earnings and
the economy's recovery prospects," Shikano said.


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Anyone who knows us well enough knows that we rarely know where we're going next let alone when. This is particularly true when it comes to travel.
Those same people are about to have their minds blown.
October 24th at 10:00h we'll be leaving San Diego for Mexico, and on November 4th we'll be in Cabo San Lucas. Why such specific times? We've decided to enter a cruisers rally called the Baja Ha Ha.
When we originally decided on our September departure date we thought briefly about joining the Ha Ha, but didn't seriously consider it mostly since we were hoping to get down to Mexico a bit earlier (beat the rush). That was before we had a look at tropical storm patterns. NOAA releases an interesting data set called IBTrACS which holds the paths and intensity of tropical cyclones over the past 150 years. The data is pretty interesting on its own but even more so after aggregating it by day of the year (working with weather data for a living paid off!). The result is pretty interesting, heres a plot showing the maximum tropical cyclone induced wind speeds recorded over the last 150 years on several different days of the year. (click to see it larger)
The first map shows September 18th (the day we'll be setting sail); certainly best not to be near Baja then (and definitely stay clear of the Caribbean!). By October 24th (the beginning of the Baja Ha Ha) most activity has calmed down (at least for northern Baja) and by November 4th (the end of the Ha Ha) there has never been a storm in Baja (though one tropical depression has come a bit close). By Thanksgiving it looks like clear sailing.
But, timing isn't the only reason we've decide to join the Ha Ha. Participating will mean that our first real long passage will happen with a large group of other people, many of whom we'll continue to run into as we head south and across the pacific. Imagine running into someone in Mexico … and then several months later in some far off atoll in Polynesia. Now try and imagine not making friends with them.
Want to play around with the data? Download Panoply (Nasa's data visualizer) and then download my processed IBTrACS data set.
While searching for a way to stitch those four images together I found a solution … on my friend Marcos's blog! What a small internet, thanks Marcos!


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Previous Story
Folk Dancing Fun
Posted On 02 Aug 2012
On Aug. 12, Laguna Beach Folkdancers club will host a workshop at the Susi Q Community Center, 380 Third St.,from 7-9:45 p.m.
The program will feature instruction and recreational folk dancing, with an emphasis on Bulgarian dance. Professional dancer and choreographer Daniela Ivanova and accordionist Angel Nazelemov will lead the event. No partner or experience needed.


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Downtown Savannah traffic will be rerouted during rush hour today as nearly 2,000 runners and walkers participate in the annual Shamrock Run/Walk and Kiddie Run. Traffic tie-ups are expected.
Police will close Congress and Jefferson streets and surrounding roads to traffic just before 5:30 p.m., and the rest of the route will be closed as participants approach. Traffic will be allowed to proceed where and when possible, according to a Savannah-Chatham police news release, but the event is known to tie up traffic.
Constance Cooper


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Whether you're a high school student, graduate student, international student, nontraditional student or military service member, now's your chance to discover CMU and put your stamp on the world. More...
Ask us! We're here to help. You'll find mountains of info online plus email addresses and phone numbers if you need to connect with a human. More...
CMU is a diverse and dynamic intellectual community. Make yourself at home, starting with this gateway to campus resources and services for faculty and staff. More...
Welcome to your home for everything maroon and gold. The CMU Alumni Association brings Chippewas together through social media and at events across the country. Catch the Central spirit here. More...
Find out how parents and family can immerse themselves in Central's culture, activities and events, and discover how we support you and your student. More...
We thank you — a member of our local or regional community — for your support and partnership. Come visit. Come be a part of it all. We're here to serve you, too. More...
There's more to Tyler Demski's graduation from Central Michigan University than being the first student to complete undergraduate majors in both electrical and mechanical engineering.
The Saranac, Michigan, native's CMU experience was more about being surrounded by professors and mentors who supported his ambitious goals. These are the people Demski said helped him inside and outside the classroom to develop the skills he needed to secure his dream job as an electrical engineer at Roush Industries in Livonia.
...Read the full story here
When it comes to snoring, Jinxiang Xi knows as well as anyone how disrupted sleep can affect daily life.
The Central Michigan University assistant professor of mechanical engineering is a self-professed snorer who studies respiratory dynamics.
His current research has the potential to develop snoring and sleep apnea treatments that will help him and countless others who are dealing with snoring-related issues.
...read the entire story HERE
Michigan-based electronics technology company Gentex has donated 12 oscilloscope instruments to the College of Science and Technology at Central Michigan University. Three CMU alumni from the company delivered the machines to Mount Pleasant on....
...read the entire story HERE...
Engineering a business idea
CMU students partner with Spectrum Health to address issues with medical device
Every day medical professionals insert little rubber tubes, known as nasogastric tubes, into patients' nostrils and down into their stomachs to deliver food or medicine or to remove harmful substances. Although common, several issues and risks are associated with this practice, including one that could lead to death.
...read the rest of the story HERE...
CMU engineering professor leads program to support STEM learning in underrepresented groups.
$561,793 National Science Foundation grant supports science and engineering education
Kumar Yelamarthi, associate professor of engineering in Central Michigan University's College of Science and Technology, has been awarded a $561,793 grant from the National Science Foundation along with Janis Voege, director of the Central Michigan Science/Mathematics/Technology Center. Led by Yelamarthi, the NSF grant will help establish a strong science and engineering learning partnership between Central Michigan University and other educational entities in rural Michigan, and support them as they raise the STEM knowledge base of their students, increasing their opportunities for employment and for becoming entrepreneurs.
Over the three-year grant period, CMU engineering faculty will mentor in-service secondary school teachers, community college faculty, and pre-service teachers from CMU's science education program, with a focus on those serving groups that are underrepresented in science and engineering.
"Engaging pre-service teachers in cutting-edge research ensures that they begin their careers well-equipped with research experience and confidence to take into their classrooms," Yelamarthi said. "Similarly, pre-service teachers with nurtured next generation science standards (NGSS) based curriculum design and implementation expertise will take on leadership roles in their employing schools, thereby multiplying the effect of this project."
Program participants will begin by engaging in cutting-edge research on Smart Vehicles, under the guidance of a CMU engineering faculty mentor who leads an active research program.
Researching Smart Vehicles will allow the participants to be "exposed to leading research spanning mobile robotics, kinematics and kinetics, vehicle manufacturing robots, vehicular sensor networks, ergonomics, material science, and circuit design," Yelamarthi said. "The multidisciplinary nature of Smart Vehicles will provide a coherent ground for developing creative course modules in physics, chemistry, engineering, and technology that aligns with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Criteria for STEM curriculum."
Ongoing activities throughout the academic year will include on-site instructional coaching, team meetings, engineering faculty involvement in secondary school and community college classrooms, and cross classroom collaborations to ensure the proper translation of research experience into practice.
Participants will work cooperatively with CMU engineering faculty mentors, curriculum development specialists, instructional coaches from CMU's Science/Mathematics/Technology Center, and staff from CMU's Center for Teaching and Learning to create new instructional material on engineering principles for middle and high school students, create improved instructional resources for community college faculty, develop a national model for replication at other institutions, and generate technological advancements in the broader area of Smart Vehicles.
The goal, upon completion of the program, is to provide participants with the necessary technical and pedagogical resources to be able to influence the learning and career paths of young students in rural Michigan who have traditionally been underrepresented in STEM education and employment, with the knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes that are in high demand.
CMU Electrical Engineering Sophomore to Spend this Summer in Japan
April 20, 2015 - Katherine Kolar, an Electrical Engineering sophomore researching Photonics and Optical Communications in Dr. Adam Mock's lab, is the first ever CMU student and 1 of only 14 students nation-wide, to be accepted to this year's NanoJapan IREU: International Research Experience for Undergraduates Program.
The NanoJapan Program is a 12-week, summer research internship focusing on Terahertz (THz) Dynamics in Nanostructures. The program is open to freshman and sophomore engineering and physics students from universities nationwide and is supported by an NSF Partnerships for International Research & Education (NSF-PIRE) grant.
This summer the program will focus on nanotechnology and encourage U.S. undergraduate students to pursue graduate study and academic research in the physical sciences.
The program has been nationally recognized as an innovative and effective model for international STEM programs. In 2012, NanoJapan was profiled in a National Academy of Engineering Report and in 2008 NanoJapan received the IIE Heiskell Award as a 'Best Practice in Study Abroad' for expanding opportunities for STEM students.
"I can't wait to be in Japan this summer," said Katherine, "learning more about the Japanese culture and doing research in such a cutting-edge field."
Katherine will travel to Japan in May, and after some cultural, nano-science, and Japanese training, will travel to her host lab at Chiba University in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, to begin her research on the study and fabrication of Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) Transistors which show promise in creating new electronic devices in renewable energy or even optoelectronics.
February 19, 2014 -
Che Ting Ho, a sophomore
from Alma, Mich. majoring in biomedical engineering, has been nominated to compete for a Goldwater Scholarship.
Ho is a member of the Society of Women Engineers and the Science and Technology Residential College.
She is currently working on a research project with assistant professor of electrical engineering
Tolga Kaya, involving electrotation. Their goal is to develop a technique for detecting disease through the entrapment and rotation of diseased cells.
"This could potentially help medical professionals detect diseases, such as cancer, more quickly," Ho said.
Ho is currently working to direct the movement of polymer particles, a technique that she hopes to eventually use to separate diseased cells from healthy ones.
"Our goal is to induce the diseased cells to gather at the center of an electromagnetic field where we can trap them," she said.
Ho was first introduced to Kaya as a student in one of his courses. Impressed by her problem-solving skills and strong work ethic, he offered Ho the chance to help design and fabricate printed circuit boards for a summer program called Research Experience for Teachers. RET provides pre- and in-service teachers with research skills and projects to incorporate into their own classrooms.
This past summer, Kaya offered Ho the opportunity to join his research team. She was grateful for the opportunity to become involved in faculty-led research. "I love research because it challenges not only my knowledge and technical skills, but also my creativity," Ho said.
Ho plans to earn an M.D. or Ph.D. and pursue prosthetics-related research, an area that she became interested in after learning that many people living with disabilities cannot afford current models. Ho hopes to design more affordable prothestics using lower cost materials to improve the quality of life for individuals who have suffered amputations.
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Barry Goldwater, who served for 56 years as a soldier and U.S. Senator. Scholarships are awarded each year to 300 college sophomores and juniors committed to pursuing research careers in mathematics, engineering or the natural sciences.
February 18, 2014 - CMU's College of Science and Technology and Global Campus are introducing a master of science in administration degree and graduate certificate in engineering management. The program will give professional engineers and engineering studetns the leadership and team-building skills they need to advance in management positions.
Developed by Trisha Chase in the MSA department and School of Engineering and Technology director
Mohamad Qatu, the new MSA is available in a face-to-face instructional setting in metro Detroit and will be offered online this fall.
"This program targets working engineers, technologists, business students and other recent graduates - particularly those who see themselves working in environments such as Michigan's auto industry," said Qatu.
"Graduates will acquire leadership skills that will not only advance their careers, but also help strengthen the state's economy by being management-competent employees."
The course work will help students learn to make administrative decisions and manage a variety of industrial, engineering, high-tech and green energy organizations. Areas of concentration include production concepts, project management, lean manufacturing and Six Sigma, sustainability, and technology and the environment.
Click here to learn more about this program.
September 24, 2013 - Step by step, CMU engineering students are generating electricity.
Last year, in the entrance of the Engineering and Technology Building, students constructed an electrical panel that serves as a vibration energy harvester to create renewable energy for powering a temperature display.
The project was a success and now this year, assistant professor of engineering
Tolga Kaya and four students - Indian River senior
Brianna Ohlert, Livonia senior
Steven Shapardanis, China senior
Fei Pang and Elk Rapids senior
Jared Jorgensen - are looking to make further enhancements, adding solar and wind power capabilities.
The team is hoping to increase the device's current output of 5 watts per hour to 50 watts per hour - enough energy to power a digital display in front of the building.
Click here to read more about this exciting research project.
September 23, 2013 - CMU senior and
electrical engineering major
Steven Shapardanis recently received an NSF Bioelectronics Student Travel Award for the
2013 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Sensors Conference, one of the biggest and most prestigious international conferences in the field of sensors.
Written under the research guidance of assistant professor of electrical engineering,
Tolga Kaya, Steve is the primary author of a conference paper, "Design and Implementation of Collagen-Based Capacitive Relative Humidity Sensors," and has also been selected to present in a lecture session at the conference, scheduled for November 3-6 in Baltimore, Md.
Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Bioelectronics Student Travel Award is given to only twenty students internationally and covers some additional tutorial session registrations and lodging expenses.
The IEEE Sensors Conference is a forum for presentation, discussion and exchange of state-of-the-art information including the latest research and development in sensors and their related fields. It brings together researchers, developers and practitioners from diverse fields including international scientists and engineers from academia, research institutes and companies to present and discuss the latest results in the general field of sensors.
June 4, 2013 - A team of undergraduate
engineering students secured a first place win in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Region 4 Student Paper Contest held at the 2013 IEEE International Conference on Electro/Information Technology (EIT) from May 9-11 in Rapid City, S. Dak.
Electrical engineering majors
Steve Fenton,
Jiao Liang,
Brian Olszewski and
Brian Tworek presented their research, "RFID Positioning Robot: An Indoor Navigation System." Assistant professor of electrical engineering
Kumar Yelamarthi served as their mentor.
The students all graduated last month and have since moved on in their careers: Steve Fenton is a college graduate-in-training at 6M Power Train in Pontiac, Mich.; Jiao Liang is off to the west coast and to graduate school, pursuing an M.S. in electrical engineering at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles; Brian Olszewski has taken a position as a staff engineer at Design Systems, Inc. in Farmington Hills, Mich.; and Brian Tworek is working as a systems engineer at Schrader Electronics in Auburn Hills, Mich.
IEEE, an association dedicated to advancing innovation and technological excellence for the benefit of humanity, is the world's largest technical professional society with more than 425,000 members in over 160 countries. It is designed to serve professionals involved in all aspects of the electrical, electronic and computing fields and related areas of science and technology that underlie modern civilization.
May 13, 2013 - CMU's Baja Society of
Automotive Engineers (SAE) team recently placed second best in the state at the Baja SAE 2013 Collegiate Design Series competition held at Tennessee Tech University from April 18-21 in Cookeville, Tenn.
One hundred teams from across the globe gathered at TTU's 300-acre Shipley Farm - where courses and events were set up over woods, creeks, hillsides and other obstacles - to challenge each team's best design.
Team Chippewa Performance - consisting of recent CMU graduate
Tony Bolek, seniors
Ryan Brew,
Travis Bussell,
Michael Grundner,
Derek Hoffman,
Megan Leonard,
Garrett Mancillas and
Daniel Matash, and sophomores
Derek Donovan,
Michael Gollin,
Nicholas Nelson and
Jesse Smith - placed second best in the state (just over 200 points behind the University of Michigan) and 29th in the world.
Baja SAE consists of three regional competitions that simulate real-world engineering design projects and related challenges. Engineering technology students are tasked to design and build an off-road vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of races that cover rough terrain and sometimes water.
The object of the competitions is to provide SAE student members with a challenging project that involves the planning and manufacturing tasks found when introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market. Teams compete against one another to have their design accepted for manufacture by a fictitious firm. Students must function as a team to design, build, test, promote and race a vehicle within the limits of the rules. They also must generate financial support for their project.


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Betty Shelafo, a medical assistant who has spent decades providing care to Amarillo patients, is not excited about the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but said she is trying to keep an open mind.
"I am not impressed with it," she said. "It's very similar to military (care) and I had my first child in a military hospital. That was not a pleasant experience."
Shelafo was one of hundreds to attend an Amarillo Area Foundation symposium aimed at answering questions about the law many have dubbed Obamacare. Health care providers, administrators, business owners, and other citizens showed up to have their questions answered, foundation Vice President Charlotte Rhodes said.
"We wanted to make sure that we did something that was a neutral setting and we wanted to present the facts," she said.
Republican State Representatives John T. Smithee and Four Price, and Republican State Sen. Kel Seliger, began the discussion Thursday morning in Amarillo Civic Center Grand Plaza. Seliger spoke of rising health care costs in Texas, and said the time is near when lawmakers would have to have a "substantive discussion" on how those costs will be covered.
"There is no indication there will be a slowdown or cessation of that growth," Seliger said.
"We are headed, I think, for something of a budgetary crisis," Seliger said.
Price said state lawmakers achieved a great deal in improving health care during the 83rd Legislative Session. Among those accomplishments were increasing funds for mental health programs, allotting new resources to detect Medicare fraud and other measures.
State lawmakers struggled to address the Affordable Care Act due to the politicized nature of the law and because they received few answers from the federal government over how the law would work, Price said.
"There was so much concern, so many unanswered questions," he said.
Texas Hospital Association Senior Vice President of Government Relations John Williams echoed Seliger's statement that health care expenses are unsustainable at their current rate.
One major expense he pointed out was the $5.5 billion hospitals have reported in uncompensated care, often resulting from patients who don't have access to primary care or mental health and substance abuse treatment.
"You have to invest in services to help people get more appropriate medical care," he said.
Repealing the Affordable Care Act, Williams said, is not an option unless lawmakers can work with insurers and health care providers to find a viable alternative. Maintaining the status quo is untenable, he said.
"So the dilemma is, how do you make insurance available to folks, make it more affordable ... do you do it through a mandate? Do you do tax incentives? Do you de-link it from employment? Do you create risk pools for folks who are uninsurable?" Williams said. "I think these are the debates we're going to have going forward."
Texas Medical Association Vice President of Medical Economics Lee Spangler talked about how the U.S. is demanding "more for less" from health providers.
Spangler said uncertainty over health care regulations has kept
practice-owning physicians from hiring new doctors and prevented new physicians from starting their own practices.
"Physicians basically get frozen" in the face of stringent regulations, he said, and costs to provide care to Medicare patients makes making a living hard for physicians who accept those plans.
Another problem with the Affordable Care Act lies in how physicians are supposed to provide care for the millions of additional Americans who will begin receiving insurance coverage, Spangler said.
In light of the act, physicians, insurers and hospitals are forming "affordable care organizations," defined by the Department of Health and Human Services as a group of health care providers who coordinate patient care to improve overall quality of care.
Spangler warned that regulation on which groups can call themselves ACOs are lax, and that patients and providers should do their research on any ACO they are asked to join.
Dr. William Biggs, CEO of local ACO Amarillo Legacy Medical, said his organization of 110 health providers has seen numbers of hospital admission rates, re-admission rates, and rates of diabetes, pneumonia and heart failure drop among patients under the Legacy Medical umbrella.
The organization allows providers among five different practices to share patient information and compare performance standards among physicians.
"We are promoting the right care at the right time in the right place," Biggs said.
Shelafo said she would like to see the government be more transparent and make information on the Affordable Care Act available to people in terms that they can understand.
"I think the federal government needs to be more open ... with what all of these rules are," Shelafo said.
"There's a lot of people that have a lot of questions."


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Victoria began integration before Civil Rights Act
March 31, 2013 at 4 p.m.
Updated March 30, 2013 at 10:31 p.m.
Editor, the Advocate:
Concerning a story in the Jan. 17 Victoria Advocate, last year there was a piece written about a former black student. The same information was given that VISD did not integrate until 1966. I called the Advocate and informed the gentleman that the blacks started attending public school in 1960. I was in the ninth grade at Crain Junior High. I was told he would have the reporter contact me. Well, guess what? Never heard from them - surprise, surprise.
Two of the students were in our school band. In fact, we voted Bobby Green to be our drum major. This was before the Civil Rights Act. Because Victoria had no protests, police intervention, barricades, etc., this does not make for very good "news." Just because you try to change history does not make it correct. My friends and I loved to watch Gross's school band, the Bumblebees, in their maroon and gold uniforms, in our local parades - yes, they were integrated, too. They always put on a show and outdid the white schools.
I don't know what took place in 1966 - the closing of F.W. Gross High?
On another note, I thought Stewart, in a recent letter to the editor, was being facetious. Then I realized he was serious. First of all, the money given to a welfare recipient is not a free gift. It is given by the taxpayer to provide food, shelter and clothing to the elderly, disabled and the lazy. The food money is to last all month, so they can buy a whole chicken instead of parts, hamburger instead of chopped sirloin and round steak instead of sirloin. That way the food will last all month, and you don't only eat for a week. Then what do you do? Oh, I forgot; there's Christ's Kitchen, the food bank and the local churches. They have it made!
Simone Tipton, Victoria


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Catholic World News
Pope places 'affectionate' call to outgoing Italian premier
February 21, 2014
Pope Francis made a private phone call to Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta as the Italian leader prepared to leave office.
Letta—who was unseated by Matteo Renzi, an upstart member of his own Democratic Party—said that he "thanked the Pope from the bottom of his heart" for the friendly gesture, and would always remember it.
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"Core" earnings, a non-GAAP measure that excludes special items, fell from $0.59 to $0.58 per share. The latest quarter included a $0.07 per share non-core write-off charge, whereas the year-earlier quarter had a $0.06 per share non-core benefit.
This post examines Edison's Income Statement for the quarter and compares the entries on each line to our "look-ahead" estimates. Reported and core earnings both missed our EPS estimate of $0.63.
The principal sources for this income statement analysis were the earnings announcement, the formal 10-K, the conference call presentation, and the call transcript. The latter is made available by Seeking Alpha.
In a second article, we will report Edison's scores as measured by the GCFR financial gauges. The follow-up post will also provide the latest figures for the various financial metrics we use to analyze Cash Management, Growth, Profitability and Value.
Before getting into the details, we will take a step back to introduce the subject of today's analysis.
Edison International is the parent of Southern California Edison and Edison Mission Group. SCE, which traces its roots back to 1886, operates a regulated electric utility serving a population of about 13 million people in central, coastal and southern California. SCE contributed more than 80 percent of Edison's revenue in 2009.
Edison Mission Energy owns, or has interests in, various independent power-generation facilities.
The two other large electric utilities in California are PG&E Corp.'s (NYSE:PCG) Pacific Gas and Electric Company and the San Diego Gas and Electric subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE).
Edison International earned $1.25 billion for its shareholders in 2010, up sharply from $849 million in 2009. Revenue was approximately $12.4 billion in both years.
The company increased the dividend on its common stock for 2011 from $1.26 to $1.28 per share.
Edison's current market value is approximately $12 billion, on a fully diluted basis.
In 2009, Edison reached an agreement with the IRS settling all of the company's federal tax disputes, most notably those involving "cross-border, leveraged leases," for the tax years between 1986 and 2002. The settlement resulted in numerous special charges, including some for lease terminations. In the second quarter of 2010, the state tax impacts of the federal settlement became clearer when the California Franchise Tax Board accepted the company's tax positions.
SCE is increasing its use of power from renewable sources to comply with California's Renewables Portfolio Standard. In 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger signed an Executive Order requiring that 33 percent of energy sold in 2020 be created from renewable energy sources. In 2009, renewable energy sources provided about 17 percent (13.6 billion kilowatt hours) of SCE's total power portfolio. Given this figure and its purchase of 65 percent of all the solar power produced in the nation," SCE claims to be "the nation's leading utility for renewable energy."
Please click here to see a normalized depiction of the actual and projected results for the just-concluded quarter, as well as the quarterly Income Statements for the last couple of years. Please note that our organization of revenues, expenses, gains, and losses, which we use for all analyses, can and often does differ in material respects from company-used formats. The standardization facilitates cross-company comparisons.
Edison did not provide a complete Income Statement for the fourth quarter. We derived the results from the annual data and the reports from the first three quarters of the year.
Revenue in the December quarter increased 0.7 percent, from $3.05 billion last year to $3.07 billion in the most recent three months. Our $3.0 billion estimate, which was based on typical seasonal patterns, was 2.3 percent too low.
The SCE electric utility supplied 80.4 percent of total Revenue in 2010, about the same as in 2009.
We group, for convenience, Edison's reported Fuel, Purchased power, and Operations and maintenance costs and treat the combination as the Cost of Goods Sold. CGS in the latest quarter was $2.2 billion, or 72.2 percent of Revenue. This rate translates into a Gross Margin of 27.8 percent, 140 basis points more profitable than last year's 26.4 percent.
The Gross Margin was 30 basis points stronger than the 27.5 percent we had estimated.
Depreciation, Decommissioning, and Amortization expenses increased 8.2 percent to $395 million, as a result of increased capital spending. The reported amount was exceeded our $380 million estimate.
The December quarter included $44 million in additional operating charges.
Subtracting the various operating expenses mentioned above from Revenue yields Operating Income of $415 million. Operating Income decreased 5.5 percent from $439 million in last year's fourth quarter. Higher depreciation expenses and special charges outweighted the improved Gross Margin.
Our Operating Income target of $445 million proved to be 7.2 percent too high. The special charges recorded in the latest quarter were the principal difference between our Operating Income target and the actual result.
Equity in income from partnerships and unconsolidated subsidiaries fell from $9 million to $6 million. We had expected $20 million.
The other various non-operating items totaled a net expense of $151 million, $1 million more than expected.
The effective Income Tax Rate was 34.4 percent in the December 2010 quarter. We had estimated the tax rate would be 30 percent. A change in the apportionment of state taxes was a negative factor.
After adjusting for non-controlling interests and discontinued operations, the bottom-line Net Income attributable to Edison's common shareholders was $161 million ($0.51 per diluted share). This result was much weaker than earnings of $212 million ($0.65 per share) in the year-earlier period.
We had expected nearly flat earnings growth ($0.63 vs $0.65 per share). The GAAP results were, therefore, disappointing. However, Core earnings were more consistent with expectations, falling from $0.59 to $0.58 per share.
For the year, core earnings per share increased to $3.48 per share, from $3.25 in 2009.
Full disclosure: Long EIX at time of writing.


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The best bottles are the quickest emptied: Mugnier edition
The best bottles are the quickest emptied. But you knew that.
Last week, I made my wife a birthday dinner. But before I started covering the kitchen counter and, inadvertently, the floor and my clothes with flour to make fresh pasta, I popped open a bottle of slightly chilled Mugnier Clos de la Marechale 2007. By the time we got to the table, I was dismayed to find most of the wine had evaporated!
The 2007 Clos de la Marechale is drinking very well now. I had the good fortune of tasting the 08 and the 09 this week too at a trade tasting. While the 07 is the least heralded of these vintages, it is certainly not one to overlook with delicious balance of fruit, acidity and tannin. The '08 has more red berry notes, acidity, tannin, balance and gorgeous oomph that bodes well for a long cellar life. The '09 has more dark fruit character, slightly more ripeness and roundness and elegant concentration, with a spice note that culminates an a faint whiff of pepper. All bear the signature of Frédérique Mugnier for the "bargain" price of under $100. (Find these wines)
Peter Wasserman, who works to export the wines, told me that "Freddy" Mugnier, the winemaker and a former petrochemical engineer, has undertaken a geological survey of the vineyard this year. While the wine making remains very hands-off, for the first time, he will be harvesting the grapes from similar soils and making the wines by those parcels instead of by vine age (45 – 70 years old). All the vats will still be blended in to the 2011 Clos de la Marechale.


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Overview :
Future II v2.0 for 9900,9930,p9981 themes
size: 361 kb
model: os7.0 9900, 9930, p9981
v2.0 Add page 2 and page 3 ! Touch the blanks to change or use the rollerball . Add 9800 and 9380 support ! v1.1 is coming soon . Some guys think the transitions is too lag or slow ,because it was a animation with 2sec .
So I take it fast in the v1.1 that u don't like it . And changed today icons in 480x360 phone . Hope u can love !
Real OS 10 Like Homescreen;
Real OS 10 Icons;
Real OS 10 Wallpaper;
All of Real OS 10 .
- HS Weather icon(slot0) or Camera icon switch;
- HS Today area display or hide switch;
- Big Time show; - Battery charging animation;
- Two windows Animated transitions switch like OS 10 lock or unlock;
- HD icons of Real OS 10;
- Rollerball and touch screen was Perfected combination;
- Every theme Size is less than 1MB;
- U must love it ! I belive ! U will never refuse her !
**The OS 7 theme will take the icons of folder disappears . But this does not affect the use. You can use the search function to find them. You can move the icons to the folder if you want to hide the icons. So that others can not find them. It can be said is unique to the new features in your OS 7 BB**


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At a meeting in Berlin ahead of the G20 summit in London in April, the leaders called for new sanctions to punish unco-operative jurisdictions and tax havens, which member states plan to name in the coming weeks.
In a joint statement, the heads of government and finance ministers of Germany, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Luxembourg, as well as the president of the European Commission and central bankers endorsed a plan to create a comprehensive regulatory framework that covers all financial markets, products and participants including hedge funds and other private pools of capital which may pose a systemic risk.
Details on the plan still need to be worked out before meeting in London in April.