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Celebrities of all sorts have attached their names to pre-paid cards pushing the industry into the spotlight. But just because Lil Wayne, Justin Bieber and other big-names are endorsing these cards, that doesn't make them the right fit for all consumers.
Continue Reading Below
As of September 2011, prepaid cards have become the fastest growing payment type, according to the Federal Reserve. These cards offer perks the purchase perks of debit and credit cards but there is no application process to open an account and there is no danger of overdrawing the account and landing in piles of debt.
Personal finance experts say prepaid cards are great for young people, particularly college students, who are just starting to learn about fiscal responsibility and for consumers who want to get better control of their spending and avoid overdraft charges.
Many prepaid cards firms promote them as a viable alternatives for people who don't have – or can't have - bank accounts, a number the FDIC estimates at nine million people.
The Mercator Advisory Group reports that nationwide, transactions on pre-paid cards rose to $71 billion in 2011 from $2.7 billion in 2005. And analysts expect that amount to more than double this year and soar to $201 billion in 2013.
Prepaid Debit Cards: Big Business
The surge in popularity of these cards is probably one of the reasons why retail giant Wal-mart teamed up with American Express in October to offer a pre-paid card.
The two companies unveiled a new card known as Bluebird that gives customers access to perks typically reserved for credit card holders such as roadside assistance, customer service and mobile banking. The two companies tout the prepaid debit card as a sensible option for consumers frustrated by bank fees.
Both companies say Bluebird will have no minimum balance requirement and no monthly or annual fees, traits that are standard for most pre-paid cards. Each out-of-network ATM withdrawal will cost $2 as will each withdrawal without direct deposit.
In an economic climate where banks and credit card issuers have tightened their lending standards and consumers are cutting their spending to beef up savings, many are turning prepaid debit cards.
However, there are a few things to consider before signing up for a prepaid debit card, especially if you have other options, including credit cards and checking accounts:
- Many companies that issue prepaid debit cards add on fees that could sometimes run into hundreds of dollars a year.
- Prepaid cards don't build credit with the three major credit bureaus. Unlike certain debt obligations like credit cards, car loans, mortgages and even rent, there is no debt involved with prepaid cards.
- Most prepaid cards also offer little or no protection to users. While banks and credit card companies are legally obligated to cover most losses in cases of fraud or theft, prepaid card companies do.
- Prepaid cards don't offer a reward system. You don't earn points or other incentives that might result in cash back or frequent flyer miles.
Roman Shteyn is co-founder of creditland.com. He writes frequently on credit-related topics.

subset: commoncrawl


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Katarina (League of Legends) – Cosplay of the Day
We're big believers in quality over quantity over here at Arcade Sushi, and so sometimes we'll come across a cosplayer who might not have many photos or a wide variety of cosplays, but instead displays great mastery of their craft. We've found one such cosplayer who's got a cosplay for League of Legends' Katarina that's so good, we couldn't help but feature it as Cosplay of the Day!
Katarina, the Sinister Blade, is a deadly female assassin with an incredible amount of speed and an affinity with daggers. She's a pretty famous champion to use in the game and it's not hard to see why!
This is Tasha, a Korean cosplayer from the Spiral Cats cosplay team, wearing Kat's outfit and her signature daggers. We've featured Tasha in our 25 Hottest Cosplay Girls list and for good reason. There may only be a few pictures of this talented, beautiful cosplayer, but they are very high-quality photos of an amazingly-crafted costume.
Come check out her massive gallery of costumes on her WorldCosplay profile and be prepared to drop your jaw on the floor when you see her mind-blowing Sarah Kerrigan cosplay!
Want your Cosplay to be seen? Send your info to email@example.com and we may feature you in our Cosplay of the Day!


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100. Arguing over rankings. If anything in America is more popular than football, it's rankings. We rank crackers and breakfast cereals and almost come to blows over it. With something as serious as college football, the struggle is real. Just remember to pace yourself and stretch before taking part in this exhausting, contentious and unquestionably worthwhile endeavor. -- Martin Rickman
RICKMAN: Florida State, Alabama headline post-spring practice Power Rankings
99. Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Old Dominion making their FBS debuts. The FBS welcomes three new programs this fall, including the one that upset Michigan in 2007, the one that stunned Florida in the Swamp last November and the one that lost to North Carolina 80-20 last fall. Worth noting? Appalachian State opens at the Big House on Aug. 30. -- Ben Glicksman
98. Charlie Weis and the third year of a five-year plan. What's that old Mao quote about the masses digging up mountains? Well, Jayhawks coach Charlie Weis has been digging away at his "pile of crap" (his words, not mine) for a while now, and the end isn't quite in sight. Still, behind all-purpose threat Tony Pierson and All-Big 12 linebacker Ben Heeney, progress can -- and needs to -- be made in year three. -- MR
97. Miami (Ohio) and Georgia State's quest to win a game. The RedHawks and Panthers combined to go 0-24 in 2014. The expectation for both programs entering this fall is simple: Win. But first-year Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin will have to navigate a wild MAC schedule, and Georgia State headman Trent Miles must play road games at Washington (Sept. 20) and Clemson (Nov. 22). One thing is certain: For both schools, the end result couldn't get any worse. -- Zac Ellis
96. Fifth coach in five years: The plight of Arkansas State. It's almost like something out of Greek mythology: The Red Wolves coach will be successful, but he will promptly leave for another school. Whether it's a gift, curse or a byproduct of every coach being downright terrified of Arkansas State's logo, someone has to stick around sooner or later. Will that guy be former North Carolina offensive coordinator Blake Anderson? -- MR
95. Mike MacIntyre's continued reclamation project at Colorado. No one doubted that MacIntyre would require a grace period when he took over the Buffaloes before the 2013 season. And he turned a 1-11 team into a 4-8 squad, earning a contract extension through '18 in the process. But MacIntyre's second step could prove more challenging than his first. That's especially true in the thick of a loaded Pac-12, and without departed wideout Paul Richardson. -- ZE
94. Two five-stars recruits seeking to save Mike London's job. Since coming to Virginia before the 2010 campaign, London has gone a meager 18-31 (8-24 ACC). However, he landed a highly touted '14 recruiting class, led by blue-chip defensive tackle Andrew Brown and safety Quin Blanding. The two will be tasked with helping turn things around, and fast: The Cavaliers play UCLA (Aug. 30), Louisville (Sept. 13) and BYU (Sept. 20) in the first month of the season. -- BG
93. Terrance Broadway and the class of the Sun Belt. Leave your Goo Goo Dolls puns at home -- Broadway is far from dark any night entering this fall. Louisiana-Lafayette is quietly building a consistent dynamo under coach Mark Hudspeth, who brought the team its third straight nine-win season and New Orleans Bowl victory last year. Broadway amassed 2,861 total yards (2,419 passing, 442 rushing) and 27 touchdowns in 2013. What does he have in store for an encore? -- MR
92. Quarterback Wes Lunt's return at Illinois. Remember Lunt? In April 2012, the then-early enrollee was named Oklahoma State's starter. Not much has gone right since. He injured his knee against Louisiana-Lafayette. He lost his job to J.W. Walsh. His transfer options were initially limited, and he landed at Illinois in July '13. Now, he has a chance to resurrect his career, and the Fighting Illini need help: They went 1-7 to close out last season. – BG
91. Utah eyeing Pac-12 ascension after two down years. It wasn't long ago -- 2008, in fact -- that coach Kyle Whittingham led the Utes to a stunning upset of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. But since joining the Pac-12 in '11, Utah has been relatively quiet. Talented quarterback Travis Wilson returns. Can new offensive coordinator Dave Christensen help the Utes make a charge in the Pac-12? -- ZE
90. Indiana's promise, but familiar area of concern. Last year was supposed to be when the Hoosiers finally broke through and reached bowl eligibility. Offensively, they were right there. Indiana ranked ninth nationally in total offense, averaging 508.5 yards per game. Although head coach Kevin Wilson lost offensive coordinator Seth Littrell to North Carolina in the offseason, the pieces are in place for more scoring outbursts. Still, the team isn't going anywhere if doesn't allow fewer than 38.8 points per game. -- MR
89. Craig Bohl bringing his established coaching brand to Wyoming. Bohl made it big at North Dakota State, clinching the school's third consecutive FCS national title in 2013. Then he jumped at the opportunity to take over a Wyoming program looking to escape mediocrity in the Mountain West. Quarterback Brett Smith is off to the NFL. Only time will tell of Bohl's magic will translate to Laramie. -- ZE
88. Georgia Tech's push to emerge from its recent rut. Has coach Paul Johnson's career plateaued in Atlanta? The Yellow Jackets haven't won more than eight games in a season since 2009, and fans are growing restless: One diehard Tech fan even wished for Johnson's ouster in his obituary. Though offensive standout Vad Lee has transferred, Justin Thomas and Zach Laskey return. Can they turn the Jackets into an ACC threat? -- ZE
ELLIS: Georgia Tech searching for a new quarterback entering the 2014 season
87. Steve Addazio and his rebuilding band of dudes. Last year, coach Addazio inherited a program that went 2-10 in 2012 and led it to a 7-6 record and a bowl berth. This year, his up-and-coming Eagles look to take the next step. Heisman Trophy finalist Andre Williams and quarterback Chase Rettig are gone, but plenty of raw talent remains. Among the headliners: wideout Spiffy Evans, running back Myles Willis and transfer quarterback Tyler Murphy. – BG
86. Beware of the return specialists: Ryan Switzer and Tyler Lockett. We beg you, college football: Keep kicking to these guys. North Carolina return man Switzer tied an NCAA record by taking five punts back for touchdowns in 2013, including an 86-yard scamper against Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl. Meanwhile, Lockett earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year honors after averaging 26.5 yards per kick return for Kansas State. -- ZE
85. Dave Clawson's task: Make Wake Forest relevant. Jim Grobe left the Demon Deacons tied for the most wins in program history. But nothing (black and) gold can stay. The Deacs collapsed down the stretch in recent years, and the roster is a mess. Clawson has a knack for program-building and just won the MAC with Bowling Green. However, his work is cut out for him in Winston-Salem. -- MR
84. Dino Babers and MAC-favorite Bowling Green. Babers brings his high-octane attack to the FBS from Eastern Illinois, where the Panthers averaged 48.2 points per game in 2013. Babers is armed with a potent group of skill players and a potential star in quarterback Matt Johnson. Can the admitted movie buff deliver a promising MAC championship sequel this fall? -- MR
83. Sonny Dykes' second chance to jumpstart Cal. Cal took a step back in Dykes' debut in Berkeley. Cal's 1-11 campaign was a far cry from the coach's history of success at Louisiana Tech. With prolific passer Jared Goff (3,508 yards in '13) back for his sophomore season, can the offensive-minded Dykes make the Bear Raid a winner? -- ZE
82. Pittsburgh's attempt to enter ACC contention (From special guest and friend of the blog Spilly). There are certain college football teams that exude confidence, precision and ferocity. Oregon is a screaming attack fighter. Alabama is a fearsome, unyielding tank. Pitt, on the other hand? Pitt is an overweight mail clerk rolling backwards down a hill in an office chair. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd is pretty good, though. -- Spilly
81. Way-way-way-too-early 2015 NFL draft speculation. This year's NFL draft is in the books, which means it's time to blindly project where next season's stars will land. Marcus Mariota! Jameis Winston! Cedric Ogbuehi! Draftniks, consider this a way-way-way-too-early reminder: Players' performances during the '14 college football season are probably more indicative of their future success than their measurables at the annual underwear combine. -- BG
Click the following links for 80-61, 60-41, 40-21 and 20-1.
BURKE: 2015 NFL Mock Draft: Texas A&M's Cedric Ogbuehi goes No. 1 overall


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If you were a kid in the 1970s, chances are you got your baseball news through newspaper box scores, brief and sporadic radio and television reports, and perhaps on the backs of the baseball cards you collected without concern for their appreciable value.
Those lucky enough to live in major league cities had an opportunity to experience their diamond heroes by attending games, supplementing the weekly richness of the televised Game of the Week with first-hand observation that made those heroes come to life.
Less than a week after yet another brushback pitch to the sport — several players, including Alex Rodriguez, the most highly paid practitioner of the game, were suspended for using performance enhancing drugs — and more than 40 years since his major league debut in 1973, Bob Coluccio related enough memories to put a smile on even the most hardened baseball fan's face.
The longtime Costa Mesa resident and real estate agent, 61, who was drafted in the 17th round of the 1969 Major League Draft by his hometown Seattle Pilots, played five seasons for three teams. The Centralia, Wash. native debuted with the Milwaukee Brewers and also played with the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. In addition, he had a minor league stint with the Houston Astros organization and was traded to the New York Mets organization before instead electing to retire at age 28 after 370 big league games that included 1,095 at-bats, 241 hits (a .220 lifetime average), 26 home runs and 114 runs batted in.
His best season was his 1973 rookie campaign in which he hit .224 in 438 at-bats with 15 homers, 58 RBIs, 44 extra-base hits and 13 stolen bases.
Coluccio, who married his wife, Terry at age 19, estimates the couple traveled to 42 states during his professional baseball odyssey, which he said he appreciates much more now than he did then.
"It was $500 a month [his first season in the minors] and they offered me $8,000 to go to college," said the 5-foot-11, 183-pound Coluccio, who remains as chiseled as he was in his playing days. "I went off to Billings, Montana to play in the Rookie Pioneer League."
After a three-year rise through the minors, Coluccio said he was invited to major league spring training with the Brewers in 1973 and made the team as an outfielder. But Coluccio said he was anything but awed by having made "The Show" at age 21.
"I never dreamed of playing in the major leagues," he said. "I didn't see a major league game until I played in one. I really didn't understand what it was like until I got there. I really didn't see it as being any different than where I came from. You just got on the field and did the same things you did every day: run and hit and slide and throw."
Coluccio said fielding his position was his strongest asset and a series of photographs depicting one of his many catches while colliding with the outfield wall appears beside a photo of Hank Aaron hitting the first American League home run of his career with the Brewers in a frame that is displayed on a wall at his house.
Coluccio said he obtained an autographed bat from Aaron, whom many still consider the all-time home run king (755), though Barry Bonds later eclipsed that mark (762) as a lightning rod for the steroid era. But he added that most of the artifacts from his playing days are those that have been purchased on eBay by his sons, Brannon, Chad and Rett.
Coluccio recalled negotiating his post-rookie contract with then-Brewers owner and president Bud Selig, who is now in his 21st season as commissioner.
"[Selig] said: 'You had a great year Bob and I don't want you to worry about anything in the off-season. I'm going to give you a $5,000 raise and an off-season job with our Schlitz beer distributorship in Arizona,''' Coluccio said. "My salary went from 18,000 a year to 23,000 and I made pretty good money driving that beer truck, too."
Coluccio said his decline as a hitter came after heeding the advice of then-Brewers' hitting coach Harvey Kuenn, who in an effort to make Coluccio a prototypical leadoff hitter, diminished his aggressiveness at the plate.
"If I had stayed with my style and what I do, I probably would have been much better off," said Coluccio, who hit 16 homers in his final four seasons, never more than six in a single campaign.
Coluccio said a large Italian community in Milwaukee created a sizable rooting contingent and Brewers broadcaster Merle Harmon, paired with the legendary Bob Uecker, came up with a colorful nickname that cemented his popularity among his fellow Italians.
"Uecker and Harmon were talking about Joe Pepitone, [a power-hitting first baseman] who was known at the time as the Italian Stallion," Coluccio said. "So I'm playing one day and Uecker says 'That little Coluccio is like a little horse, a little stallion out there.' And Harmon says 'Yeah, he's like a little Macaroni Pony and it caught on."
Among his personal highlights, Coluccio recalled a doubleheader with the White Sox in which he hit a game-winning home run in both games.
Though he is only a casual fan of today's game, watching virtually no games until the playoffs and World Series, Coluccio said he retains his affinity for the diamond.
"I still love it. I've always loved it," said Coluccio, who coached his three sons in youth baseball and later taught private lessons to area kids. "It was a passion. When you grow up in the Northwest, where you only have about three months a year that you can play baseball ... I had a rubber ball and I was out banging it against the side of the house, even if I was soaking wet from the pouring rain."
Coluccio said when baseball takes a hit, as with the recent suspensions, he is genuinely disappointed.
"I hate to see it," Coluccio said of the recent negative publicity. "Its just a bad scene, especially when [the players] are making this kind of money, and the notoriety they have."
Coluccio said there were no PEDs in his days.
"As far as enhancement drugs, believe me, there were no drugs that we took that ever enhanced us," he said with a laugh. "It all went the other direction."
Coluccio said he took lessons from his former manager, Chuck Tanner, about dealing with people that he has used in every aspect of his life. He also said the discipline he learned as an athlete has served him well in his real estate career.
He beamed when asked if any of his five grandchildren had shown any baseball skills.
"My little grandson who is 3 can hit the ball," Coluccio said. His granddad and his father showed him how to do it and he knows what it's all about."
The grandson's name? "Bobby C.," Coluccio said.


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It's been awhile since we've shared any updates on Itsdagram, the full-featured Instagram client for Windows Phone that is being written by Daniel Gary as we speak.
The app's development is rolling right along with regular updates (private beta, sorry) and we figured we would share some of it with you.
As of today, Itsdagram now has the following working features:
- Notifications – Lockscreen (icon and detailed info), Toast and Live Tile for comments and likes
- Social integration – You can now login with Twitter and Facebook accounts for auto-sharing
- Delete photos
- Create new account
- Search for friends – Go through your contacts to find and follow people you know
- Full commenting, following, liking enabled
- Activity screen – Single list-view of all notifications (new follows, likes and comments)
- Loads faster, more reliable connection
The app now is in our opinion, entering the final stages of development. More to the point, it's awesome. We're certainly confident that the app will clear the Store, but we're unsure how Instagram proper will react to it (if at all).
Listen to our podcast from yesterday for a more nuanced discussion of Itsdagram—that will be going up on the site in the next 30 minutes or so.
So what do you folks think? Do you like the look and feature offerings? The app is spec'd to be priced at $1.49 with a limited free-trial and should be out in the near future. And yes, before you ask a Windows Phone 7.x version is planned assuming all goes well.


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fxmarketinginc needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 30 designs submitted by 18 freelance designers.
We would like a logo designed for our seminars that we hold around the country and eventually around the world. The logo will be used for banners and banner stands.
Gateway to Wealth
The logo must be sleek simple and have a nice web 2.0ish look and when finished must be designed in high resolution for print graphics (at least 2 1/2 feet wide)
- Tagline can be created by contestants
- Some type of Arch in the logo but not the cheesy kind everyone has
- No rainbows.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Colombia's FARC guerrillas thank US lawmakers for supporting Havana peace process
HAVANA – Colombia's largest rebel army is thanking a group of U.S. lawmakers for supporting peace talks that have been conducted in Havana since last fall.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, also say they are open to the creation of a commission that would investigate the cases of victims of the decades-old conflict.
A guerrilla known by the alias Victoria Sandino Palmera read a statement Thursday expressing gratitude to 62 American legislators who signed a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry backing the peace process and a political solution to Colombia's conflict.
The FARC and representatives of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos restarted talks in the Cuban capital this week after a brief, planned recess.


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All clients entering SATOP must complete a SATOP screening. This screening may recommend one of the following programs for SATOP completion: OEP, WIP, CIP or SROP.Read More
An individualized treatment plan can be developed for each client seeking to attain sobriety from alcohol and other drugs.Read More
A twelve anger control education program devised to educate the client about responses and reactions that cause them to act with anger, and a 26-week Batterer's Intervention Program.Read More
An 8-hour course certified by the Missouri Safety Center for a points waiver if ordered by the court.
Read More
Midwest ADP offers supervised probation services, SATOP, alcohol and drug education and counseling, and other court services programs in the Kansas City Metro area..


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The final entry in Samsung's bevy of new camcorders, the F80 is a family friendly model which, according to Samsung offers upgraded image quality in an affordable, yet stylish, package.
Some of the features housed in the F80 include 52x optical zoom, and 65x intelli-zoom, which Samsung states "brings users closer to the action." In addition to the zoom capabilities, the F80 also allows for 1280 x 720 30p recording and vivid video capturing in a clear and bright detail on the devices 1/3.2-inch 5 megapixel CMOS Sensor as well as 1080i video upscaling via the integrated HDMI. The F80 even lets you add custom soundtracks thanks to camcorders Smart Background Music II feature.
Again, in keeping with the slate of new SMART cameras, the Samsung F80 offers Wi-Fi capabilities that allow you to upload and share your content straight to the web.
If the implementation of all this new technology has you excited, you're not alone. It appears Samsung is pretty jazzed about its new camcorders too — and feels strongly with what the latest iterations have to offer. According to Senior Vice President and Head of Digital Imaging Business, Samsung Electronics Myoung Sup Han, "Our latest camcorder line-up is our strongest yet, offering the perfect camcorder for every lifestyle and budget."


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So much to post about, so little timeMay 13, 2010 at 1:09 pm | Posted in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) | 6 Comments
Tags: cancer, cold, de-stress, flare, floret, holiday, hot flashes, hot flushes, RA, Rheumatoid arthritis, stress, thyroid, work
It's been ages since I posted! First of all I was on holiday (fab) and then I was back (less fab) with intrays (both virtual and paper) bulging at the seems, even though 'the boss' was doing a sterling job of dealing with stuff while I was away. My stress levels weren't helped by the tax office sending out wrong info about maternity pay just when I needed to look into it, as 'the boss' is nearly half way to having a baby! Their calculator told me I could claim back about 10% of what I paid out in statutory maternity pay – which worried me a bit, since I'd thought I could claim back 100%. Turns out I CAN claim back 100% – but I had a stressful week or two before I found that out. Then they decided to keep me on my toes by telling me I'd not paid April's PAYE, so I had to waste time phoning them up, only to be told 'Oh sorry – the computer is accidentally sending out non-payment notices every time someone sends in an end of year tax statement.' Marvellous!! Work itself has been pretty stressful too – but at least busy, which as usual I have to keep reminding myself is GOOD THING!
On top of all this I've recently heard that a good, and local, friend of mine has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. She also has RA! As my friend Weeny would say, 'You really must stop going for those buy one, get one free offers!' Seriously though – you'd think RA would be enough to cope with!
As to the good ol' RA, it's MOSTLY been behaving itself. I thought I was in for a holiday flare as I watched my hands getting redder and redder and more and more swollen as hubby drove us down to Dorset, but a few hours after we had reached our friend's house, where we were to stay the week, they'd settled right back down. Perhaps my body suddenly went 'Hey, chill out penguin – you're on holiday!' Had a blipette (florette, flarette?) this week, probably due to finding out about my friend's cancer, but again it hasn't materialised into a flare, thank goodness.
I've also just had a thyroid test (again) because I'm feeling tired and FROZEN all the time. While this MIGHT have something to do with the fact it's bloody cold and we're getting early April weather in mid May, I'm frozen even when it's quite warm, so I think there's more to it than that. The only time I'm really warm, in fact, is when I'm having a hot flush. Imagine the fun of dressing for a day of being 90% frozen and 10% boiled – it's kinda tricky!
I think there's about six things that could be expanded on in separate posts here, not to mention an interesting bit of info about blood tests that Maggie sent me before I went away and that I'm still planning to blog on at some point. But meanwhile it's nose back to the grindstone – a rather grim mixture of interviews on child abuse and prostitution, and a disciplinary hearing! Oh well – it can't be chocolate every week – last week was mostly all about chocolate, so I suppose I shouldn't complain!
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Hildray Engineering needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 92 designs submitted by 40 freelance designers.
Hildray Engineering
Hildray Engineering offers the below services:
Project Management
Statutory Safety and Compliance Auditing
Programmable Logic Controller System Design and Program
Electrical System Design and Upgrade
Maintenance System Planning
Maintenance Risk Assessments
Water Management Systems
Heavy Diesel Machinery and System Overhaul
General Electrical Maintenance
Associated Training (If Required)
This list is to expand in the near future to include:
Labour Hire (Electrical/Mechanical)
Manufacturing and Repair (Boiler Making)
Hildray Engineering is company holding the highest safety standards in its practices, and is flexible in its nature towards the completion of works. Our vision is "to provide a range of engineering and system design services to the mining and industrial sector companies".
The target audience are mining and heavy industry participants, this is to include executives, engineers, as well as maintanence, IT/systems and general staff.
The logo design is to reflect the company's nature as well as to represent the evolutionary possibilities of company. Please take liberties with design but colour must be relatively conservative due to the nature of our chosen market, they tend to be conservative.
If you find this to be too restrictive, please design something with softer edges, ie no lightning bolts, which is a large focus of our current logo.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text: On Sun, 28 Sep 2008, Jon Forrest wrote: > There are two philosophies on where a compute node's OS and basic > utilities should be located: You forget a NFS-root setup, this doesn't require memory for the RAM disk on which you later mount NFS dirs. > In both cases it's important to remember to make any changes to this > distribution rather than just using "pdsh" or "tentakel" to > dynamically modify a compute node. This is so that the next time the > compute node boots, it gets the uptodate distribution. I prefer to look at the nodes as disposable, instead of "let's keep the node up as long as possible", so I usually don't modify a running system. Instead I modify the node "image" and reboot the nodes after the current jobs finish - this is easy to do when using a queueing system and is easy to hide from users when the typical jobs are longer than the reboot time. > However, on a modern multicore compute node this might just be a few > percent of the total RAM on the node. This also depends on how much of the distribution you keep as part of the node "image" and how you place the application software. It's often the case that the application software is distributed to the nodes from a cluster-wide FS, either from a directory holding software only or from the user's home dir; extending this to also include most of the libraries needed by the application software (f.e. fftw) means that the node "image" can be made very small without putting any part of the distribution on NFS (I know that some people totally dislike system utilities coming from a NFS mounted directory or depending on libs coming from one). > Approach #2 requires much less time when a node is installed, > and a little less time when a node is booted. I don't agree with you here as you probably have in mind a kickstart-based install for approach #1 running upon each node boot. I use for a long time a different approach - the node "image" is copied via rsync at boot time; the long waiting time for installing the RPMs and running whatever configuration scripts happens only once when the node "image" is prepared, the nodes only copy it - and it's a full copy only the first time they boot with a new disk, afterwards it's the rsync magic which makes it finish within seconds while making it look like a new disk :-) -- Bogdan Costescu IWR, University of Heidelberg, INF 368, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany Phone: +49 6221 54 8869/8240, Fax: +49 6221 54 8868/8850 E-mail: bogdan.costescu at iwr.uni-heidelberg.de


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© Acure Health Corp. All rights reserved. | 1-866-416-2259 | firstname.lastname@example.com | ™HealthSure is a registered trade-mark of Acure Health Corp.
Acure Health is the distributor of HealthSure (Medical Access Insurance). Our products are sold exclusively by licensed insurance representatives.
Please have your benefit consultant or insurance agent contact us. If you require an agent, we can provide you with names of licensed representatives in your area.
HealthSure Insurance Employee Benefits Pays For And Expedites MRI and CT Scans
as well as Specialist appointments and Surgery in private facilities in Canada and the U.S.
Are you in a group of 2 or more people who are interested but not sure which coverage you should choose?
It starts with a visit to your family doctor; you are told you will have to see a Specialist for a proper diagnosis. You wait 6 months for the appointment where you are told you will need an MRI to confirm the diagnosis. Two months later, the Specialist's office calls to review the MRI results and schedule surgery for 6 months later. Your life has been put on hold for 14 months.
HealthSure provides coverage for 10 types of Specialists including GI and Orthopaedic, a variety of diagnostic procedures such as MRI, CAT or CT, as well as surgery for procedures such as heart bypass, hernias and gall bladder, knee or hip.
Pre-existing conditions are covered once the policy has been in force for 24 consecutive months. Please note that chronic conditions and those related to chronic conditions are not covered by HealthSure. For a full list of exclusions, refer to the Policy.


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The 2015 Edition of the Vault Guide to the Top Law Firms for Appellate Litigation, part of the Vault Law 100 Series, highlights the strongest firms in this practice area as determined by associates at peer firms. This year, Vault released a variety of law firm rankings based on a survey of nearly 17,000 law firm associates. This survey generated the Vault Law 100 (Vault's overall prestige rankings), as well as regional, practice area, quality of life, diversity and summer associate program rankings. This guide focuses exclusively on the Top Law Firms for Appellate Litigation and includes detailed profiles of each of the law firms ranked in this practice area, as well as candid reviews from current employees.
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Welcome to the Louisiana Job Vacancy Survey Web page! What began as a small, regional survey has now grown into a comprehensive statewide study. The Vacancy Survey covers all eight regional labor market areas (RLMAs) in Louisiana: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Alexandria, Shreveport, and Monroe, as well as Statewide totals. The results will contribute to our understanding of workforce supply and demand levels, and will also help to identify areas where labor shortages exist. Additionally:
If your firm was chosen to complete a survey, you may be representing hundreds of firms in your area or industry - that's why it's so important that we receive a response from you. Nearly 10,000 Louisiana establishments were selected to participate in the survey through a stratified random sampling design. The population of establishments was stratified by industry, region and firm size to ensure that the resulting sample was representative of the population of firms in each region/industry/firm size strata. Your response is extremely important to the study, so if there is anything we can do to make it easier for you to respond, we'd like to help.
All private establishments covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax laws were eligible to be included in the Job Vacancy Survey. UI tax laws do not cover most non-profit firms, nor do they cover self-employed individuals - so these types of firms were not included. Additionally, all federal, state, and local government agencies were eligible to be included in the sample, so the results from this survey are representative of all sectors covered by Unemployment Insurance tax laws.
Sampled firms receive a mail survey, which they are asked to fill out and mail back. The survey includes a series of questions about each job vacancy employers report, such as how much education and experience the opening requires, what the starting wage is, and what types of difficulties employers have faced in trying to fill the position. Firms that do not respond to the first mailing either receive a second follow-up survey, and/or may be contacted by phone as well.
Responses are due by the end of the quarter in which they are conducted.
Yes, responses are completely confidential. Your responses will be combined with others to produce statistics on hiring needs in Louisiana. No information identifying your firm or its responses will be published or released.
The results from vacancy surveys can fill a variety of needs: Job seekers can use the results to find out which occupations (or regions) have the highest demand for workers; Employers can use the information to gauge the existence of labor shortages and to plan solutions to hiring needs; Policy analysts and policy makers can use the information to determine where there are discrepancies between labor supply and demand, and to begin to consider how to address such issues of labor mismatch; and Workforce development personnel can use the information to determine where and how training dollars would be best utilized.
The results will not give you the names or addresses of employers seeking workers, nor will they list specific job openings. However, they can offer a great deal of general information about the patterns of labor demand in your area; including which fields have the most openings, how much these openings pay, and how much education and experience they require. This information can help you plan a successful job or career change. Of course, you should keep in mind that regional demand can fluctuate depending on the season, business births or deaths in the area, and/or broader economic or demographic trends. Therefore, the results from a different point in time might differ somewhat from results of another survey. Nonetheless, the results provide an accurate measure, or indicator, of labor demand in Louisiana at the time of the survey.
Results from the Job Vacancy Surveys are available at: http://www.laworks.net/qm_JVS.asp. You may view or download these results, or you may call the LWC Research & Statistics Division at (225) 342-3141 or toll-free at (888) 302-7662 to request hard copies of any of these brochures.
Beginning with the 2004 survey round, all eight major regional labor market areas (RLMAs) of Louisiana were included in the sample (New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Alexandria, Shreveport, and Monroe) as well as statewide totals. The 2002 Job Vacancy Survey sampled Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette, and Shreveport metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), and the Balance of the State (meaning all areas outside of those four metropolitan areas were pooled together as one "area" and then sampled). Thus, vacancy information is currently available for each of the eight regional areas, as well as statewide. Individual parish and sub-parish data is not publishable.
You may call the LWC Research & Statistics Division at (225) 342-3141 or toll-free at (888) 302-7662. Ask to speak to the Job Vacancy Survey Administrator.


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Pink Dog offers 50 percent off most marked prices in Saddle Brook
estate sale•2 day sale •sale is over
Oct 19
10am to 4pm
Oct 20
10am to 4pm
First come, first served. There will be a sign-up sheet on the front porch. Cash or major credit cards accepted. Bring help to move large items. No large bags, please. Not responsible for accidents or damage. All items sold as is, all sales final, no returns. Respect area driveways! No early birds.
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Deals of the Day: Dell Investor Aims High on Price
Deals of the Day compiles this morning's biggest news about mergers and acquisitions, banking, bankruptcy and more. Catch us on Twitter, @WSJDealJournal.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Dell Investor Aims High on Price: Dell's largest outside shareholder faces an uphill battle in its argument that the tech company is worth $24 a share—$10 more per share than the current $24.4 billion LBO. Dell stock hasn't seen $24 since 2008. [WSJ]
Dell Defends Deal: The board of Dell, facing criticism from some of its biggest holders, says it looked at other options before deciding to take the all-cash offer from founder, Chairman and CEO Michael Dell and his private equity partners. [WSJ]
U.S. Likely to Clear Airline Deal: U.S. regulators would likely clear US Airways' proposed merger with American Airlines, despite particularly active antitrust enforcement over the last year. [WSJ]
Constellation Wants Legal Role in Merger: Constellation Brands asked a federal judge to include the company in legal proceedings on the Justice Department's challenge to the proposed merger between beer makers Anheuser-Busch InBev and Mexico's Grupo Modelo. [WSJ]


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Should meat be on the menu?
That's the question posed in a provocative new book written by David Mason-Jones. And, for just $4.99, those of you with e-readers can purchase the book and find his answers to that question.
According to the book description on Amazon.com, "This book explores the widely held misconception that sheep, cattle and other grazing animals are responsible for an enormous net production of new global warming gases. The reality is that livestock are part of a closed atmospheric carbon cycle where the carbon they emit is equal to the carbon they take in. With the information in this book, food lovers who enjoy eating meat, chefs, restaurant owners, catering managers, cooks at home in their own kitchens and the general public, can feel confident that they can put meat on the menu without fear of warming the earth. Not only are sheep and cattle neutral with respect to the carbon cycle, they can be the positive agents by which carbon dioxide can be drawn down from the atmosphere and sequestered in farmland soils. Read how farmers and graziers, together with their plants and animals, can be the heroes of the environmental movement."
A contradiction to highly-acclaimed books like Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma and Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals, that criticize animal agriculture and blame meat-eating on everything from obesity, to heart disease, to global warming, Mason-Jones takes a less popular, more accurate angle -- promoting beef production as a healthy addition to the planet's carbon cycle and touting ranchers as outstanding stewards of the land. His stance is polar opposite of many books in this genre, and it's because of this, that his work is considered sensational and provocative; however, he is simply reiterating to his readers what producers already know -- farmers and ranchers are the original environmentalists.
Fact: Agriculture was green before green was cool!
Without a doubt, this book will spark a discussion on beef production and the environment. The Meatless Monday trend continues to grow, as consumers attempt to lower their global footprint by foregoing meat at least once a week. Many might be surprised to learn that this sacrifice isn't necessary. Perhaps riding a bike to run errands instead of taking a vehicle, recycling and reusing old goods are better options for doing your part in caring for the planet.
Here are a few facts from Explorebeef.org that are relevant to this discussion:
"Today's cattlemen are significantly more environmentally sustainable than they were 30 years ago. A study by Washington State University in 2007 found that today's farmers and ranchers raise 13% more beef from 30% fewer cattle. When compared with beef production in 1977, each pound of beef produced today:
- Produces 16% less carbon emissions,
- Takes 33% less land, and
- Requires 12% less water.
"The U.S. cattle industry continues to be a model for the rest of the world in terms of greenhouse gas mitigation. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, beef production accounts for only 2.8% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions, compared to 26% for transportation."
Have you checked out BEEF magazine's Earth Day page? If you're interested in beef production and the environment, this resource is a compilation of articles related to this subject.
From the Earth Day page: "As ranchers, we labor to grow a healthy and nutritious product while efficiently and sustainably caring for the environment and animals under our stewardship. Our romantic history with the land dates back longer than any anti-agriculture trend or activist group, but while our role in this world is just as important as in the past, our numbers have dramatically shrunk."
Check out the Earth Day page here.
Will you be reading the book, "Should Meat Be On The Menu?" How do you care for the environment as a rancher? What makes you a good steward of the land?


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The performer pours liquid into a glass from a soda bottle. He "absent-mindedly" lets go of the glass during the performance, and the glass stays suspended in mid air, as the liquid continues to pour. This model is designed for use with any standard plastic soda bottle with screw on cap. (Coke, Pepsi, Fanta, Sprite, etc) of any size from 8 oz. to 2 L. We supply you the gimmicked clear glass and the special gimmick. Use them with any regular soda bottle.
Do you own this product? Write a review.


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(CNN) -- Manchester United fans are used to dramatic finishes, but not against Stoke City at Old Trafford.
Alex Ferguson's recently published autobiography maybe full of tales of derring-do against more illustrious opposition, but these are wildly different days at United at present.
United were a goal down inside five minutes when Jonny Evans attempted clearance rebounded off Peter Crouch and past David De Gea.
Robin van Persie calmed United nerves with an equalizer two minutes before the break but the relief was short-lived when Marko Arnautovic restored Stoke's lead moments later with a well-executed free kick.
And that's how it stayed until the 78th minute before Wayne Rooney came to the rescue with a header to bring United level before Javier Hernandez scored the winner two minutes later.
Read more: Russian racism furore is latest headache for FIFA
The 3-2 win eases the pressure on David Moyes and keeps United, who have 14 points from nine matches, in touching distance of the league leaders Arsenal.
Arsene Wenger's side dispatched bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace 2-0 at Selhurst Park in the day's early kick-off.
The Premier League newboys, who are currently without a manager after Ian Holloway's resignation in midweek, were on equal terms after a competitive first half but Mikel Arteta's 47th minute penalty gave the away side a deserved lead.
The Spanish international was later red-carded for a professional foul on former Gunners forward Marouane Chamakh, but Arsenal made sure of the three points when Olivier Giroud headed in Aaron Ramsey's deftly chipped cross.
The win keeps Arsene Wenger's side two points clear at the top of the table with 22 points from nine games.
Liverpool move up to second after thrashing West Bromwich Albion 4-1 at Anfield. Luis Suarez got the Merseysiders off to a flier with goals in the 12th minute and 17th minute before completing his hat-trick 10 minutes after the break.
James Morrison pulled one back for West Brom when he converted from the penalty spot in the 66th minute, but hopes of a comeback were extinguished 11 minutes later when Daniel Sturridge scored a delightful fourth, chipping the ball over goalkeeper Boaz Myhill.
Everton's superb early season continued with 2-0 away win against Aston Villa. Romelu Lukaku scored his fifth goal of the season in the 68th minute before Leon Osman doubled the lead 13 minutes later.
The Toffees' fifth win in six league games sees them leapfrog Chelsea to go fourth.
Jose Mourniho's men can return to second in the table if they beat Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Southampton's good form also continued with a comfortable 2-0 win over Fulham at St Mary's Stadium.
First-half goals from Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez lift Southampton to third in the table. Mauricio Pochettino's side have the best defensive record in the league with only three goals conceded in nine matches.
Norwich City and Cardiff City drew 0-0 in the other league fixture played Saturday.


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Cloops needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 241 designs submitted by 62 freelance designers.
We're a small, nimble startup. We like to keep things simple. Including our logo.
Local businesses and their customers.
We need a logo and favicon that can be used on our website and in print (high res). I will be used on a red background (#800).
The logo should be clear (very easy to read), memorable and cannot be larger than 150px width by 50px height for our site (and half that size is preferable). Larger, high res version for print.
The logo should look good on a solid red background (#800). See attached screenshot. The logo that we are currently using is a placeholder.
The favicon should work with a single letter, like the Facebook "F" or the Twitter "C". We need a Cloops "C." See attached screenshot of our current placeholder.
Questions welcome. Good luck and thank you!
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text: On Thu, 29 Mar 2001, Chris Richard Adams wrote: > I need to create the module for the 3c905C-TX card. I got the source > code from the Scyld site and followed the directions explicitly. I > compiled with only a few warnings. When I try to install the module > with 'insmod 3c90x.o' I get the error: 3c90x.o init_module: Device or > Resource busy. I think that you are making some kind of confusion here. AFAIK, the Scyld site does not distribute any driver called 3c90x - this is the one distributed by 3Com. Don's driver is called 3c59x and you should have it already compiled. RedHat is distributing both drivers and announcing 3c90x as the right one for 905B and 905C cards, although 3c59x supports them too. But I do have the impression that their detection is not very good: anaconda would use (and add to /etc/conf.modules) 3c59x, while later, kudzu would install 3c90x. Maybe this situation will change with the 2.4 kernel, as 3c90x in its current form is not 2.4 ready. Sincerely, Bogdan Costescu IWR - Interdisziplinaeres Zentrum fuer Wissenschaftliches Rechnen Universitaet Heidelberg, INF 368, D-69120 Heidelberg, GERMANY Telephone: +49 6221 54 8869, Telefax: +49 6221 54 8868 E-mail: Bogdan.Costescu at IWR.Uni-Heidelberg.De


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Announced at the beginning of the year in conjunction with its distributor S&S International, Viz Media is expanding distribution of its English language print manga titles into India. This is the first time Viz Media manga has been legally imported into India and follows a similar expansion by Viz into the Philipines in Fall 2013.
The new initiative will launch with about 75 series from the Shueisha side of the company—Viz is the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese manga houses Shueisa and Shogakukan. The distribution deal is limited to print only at this point and will include fan favorite series like Blue Exorcist and Death Note. "We didn't want to overwhelm the retailers, so we're seeding key series now and then we'll add more of the backlist," says, Kevin Hamric, Viz Media, senior director sales and marketing, during a phone interview. Retailers include Indian online booksellers Flipkart, Landmark and Crossword, the later two also have physical stores.
India has a large domestic English language publishing market, says Hamric, "English is the second language. There's no problems with a dialect or in conversation at all." As a result, in the absence of legal Viz titles, a "big" semi-legal gray market—unauthorized importation of Viz manga by some retailers—has grown in India to supply the demand. "Some of our inventory has been brought into the country by retailers, and it gave us a sales history on our top titles, like Naruto, Bleach and One-Piece," Hamric says.
Hamric has been traveling through India, working with S&S India in New Delhi and meeting Indian retailers. "We get hundreds of requests a month for our books in India," he says. Distribution was launched at the recent Mumbai Film and Comics Convention in December (attendance 35,000) and Comic Con New Delhi (attendance 50,000)—there are three Indian comic-cons. Hamric said, "It speaks volumes that the cons are growing so fast. Our books were selling briskly and our booth was so mobbed it caught the S&S India staff off-guard."
India fans are well versed in Japanese and U.S. comics, Hamic says. "Marvel and DC have been in India for a few years," he says, noting that what the fans want is not very that different from what he would see at a show in the U.S. "It's not that different. Indian fans are just hungry for product. There is Indian manga but it's just not that popular. Anime is also strong in India, there are three or four cable shows devoted to it. Fans already know the product."
"We plan to do the whole Viz Media catalog [in India], after we get some numbers back," Hamric says.


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Sit. Stay. Smoke. Now that's a good … man.
In "Wilfred" (9 p.m. June 23, FX; **** stars out of four), it's the human who learns new tricks from a dog, not the other way around. Stuffed with absurd situations and piles of bad taste, "Wilfred" is the strangest new show on TV. And the funniest.
Elijah Wood stars as Ryan, a depressed lawyer who is so messed up from trying to live up to everyone else's expectations that he attempts suicide by drinking a smoothie of anti-anxiety pills. So it's no surprise that when his sexy neighbor, Jenna (Fiona Gubelmann), asks him to dogsit for her, he thinks he's hallucinating as Wilfred (Jason Gann) strolls into his house (on two legs, by the way), fluffs a pillow on the couch, turns around a couple of times, then plops down for a chat.
To everyone else, Wilfred's just a regular pooch.
"It's all about perception," Wilfred (Jason Gann) tells Ryan in the series premiere. "You've got to change the way you're seeing things."
To that end, Wilfred leads Ryan down a dark path of shady exploits that include breaking into their neighbor's house to steal his pot plants and leave steamy calling cards in his boots. To further the lesson about cutting loose and living dangerously, Wilfred intentionally leaves Ryan's wallet at the scene of the crime.
It's a hard lesson to learn, but slowly—and painfully—Wilfred teaches Ryan how to stand on his own hind legs.
Adapted from Gann's original Aussie show by "Family Guy" writer David Zuckerman, "Wilfred" works on many levels, the least of which are the jokes about bodily functions.
Then there's the question of why Ryan sees Wilfred as a guy in a dog suit. Is it a figment of his imagination (like in the Jimmy Stewart film "Harvey") or does he have a badass alter ego (like in "Fight Club")?
No one questions Ryan when he assigns human qualities to the dog, because pet owners often treat their animals as people. But it's also fun watching Wilfred do all the "dogisms"—from walking in circles before sitting down to chasing a motorcycle to burying his snout in a waitress' chest. (And other things I can't mention here.)
Gann's hilarious as Wilfred, both with the broad comedy and subtle voice inflections, looks and dogism movements. Wood plays mostly straight to Gann's silly, but he does so perfectly. His timing is impeccable. Gubelmann and a surprisingly broad list of guest stars (Ethan Suplee, Chris Klein, Ed Helms, Rashida Jones) also promise bring the funny.
Finally, and this is my favorite part of the many layers at play, Wilfred's wisdom never gets preachy or corny, because he uses such tough love on Ryan.
It might be difficult for Ryan to hear the truth, but as Wilfred says, nothing should be easy. "I'm not going to bite you. Biting's the easy way out."


text: His First Big Cock is a website that brings you a ton of hot men getting their first massive dick! Some of these boys are straight and have never had dick before, never the less a huge cock! Most of these boys have had plenty of experience with sucking and fucking hard pricks, but never huge titanic monster cocks such as the ones they find themselves presented with on this site! See these boys get their asses split wide open by cock on His First Big Cock.


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TV two-timers: Actors in 2 shows at once
Some actors just refuse to sit back and put their feet up. These busy bodies, I'm calling them two-timers here, are showing up on our TV screens in two or more series at nearly the same time. And I'm not talking just guest roles. These folks are putting in the time as series regulars and/or recurring characters in multiple series. Curt Wagner, RedEye's Show Patrol
Copyright © 2019, Chicago Tribune


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Creative design talks directly to people's heart. Creative designers must be equipped with software tools that enable them to easily craft and adjust the product's emotional content through their designs,while collaborating with engineering to ensure proper coverage of product functional scope.
Successful products in the market are usually those with designs that elicit positive emotional response from their consumers. CATIA is at the service of creative designers and their creativity. Whether starting ideation in 3D from scratch or from 2D sketches, industrial designers can manipulate shapes with unrivaled freedom and take advantage of a true creativity accelerator to explore more ideas in the early conceptual phase. CATIA fully addresses the Automotive Class-A process with a solution for surface refinement that integrates industry leading ICEM surfacing technologies. By combining the V6 technology strengths, which include knowledge capture-and-reuse paradigm, it delivers a powerful and intuitive suite of tools for modeling, analyzing and visualizing aesthetic and ergonomic shapes for the highest Class-A surface quality.
CATIA Extended STEP
Read and write data in STEP AP214 and STEP AP203 formats
CATIA STEP Core Interface helps users working in a heterogeneous CAD/CAM environment to exchange data through a neutral format. This utility allows users to interactively read and write data in STEP AP214 and STEP AP203 data formats allowing reliable bi-directional data exchange between dissimilar systems. To facilitate access to data, CATIA V6 offers a homogeneous user interface for all supported formats, using Windows-compliant user interface controls and automatic recognition of the STEP file type.
- Supports for Application Protocol
- Access to STEP files
- Supports of geometry and assembly structure
- Transfer quality
- High data transfer performance
Supports for AP214 and for AP203 including Edition 2The CATIA STEP Core Interface supports both the AP214, and the AP203. Regarding the AP214 (including Edition 2), the Class 1 and 2 are supported: the Class 1 and 2 elements are curves, surfaces, shells and solids. Concerning the AP203(including Edition 2), the Class 2, 3, 4, and 6 are supported: the Class 2 elements are curves and surfaces, the Class 3 elements include curves and associated topology (edges), the Class 4 elements include curves, surfaces, and associated topology (faces) and the Class 6 elements are exact solids.
Supports geometry and assembly structuresThe CATIA STEP Core Interface provides integrated interoperability with STEP data formats through Import, Export. For instance, users can read a STEP file, edit its contents in CATIA V5 workbenches, and save the results directly as a STEP file. The common and intuitive V5 interface make easier the use of STEP files, allowing simple and sure data transfers between systems.
Ensures the transfer quality and reliabilityThe geometry is preserved at a high level (solids, shells). And the geometry is adjusted (without or with controlled deformation) so that it can be used in the best conditions in the CATIA V5 modeler. If the STEP file contains an assembly structure (NAUO entities), then the structure is preserved: a CATProduct document is generated. The AP214 and AP203 Edition 2 mechanism of external references to STEP files is supported, in order to handle large and complex assemblies. Data imported from STEP are created as new references. A time stamp is added to the reference ID. In case of several updates of the STEP files, this mechanism allows to easily retrieve from the database any version of these STEP imports.
High data transfer performanceImport and export Geometric Validation Properties (GVP) embedded in the STEP files ensures users of the quality and the reliability of the data transferred. Indeed, in addition of existing OK/KO transfer information, some specifics properties on solids, products and instance of products, such as center of gravity, volume, or wet surface, can be included in the STEP file. During the import, according to the validation of these properties, a user knows if the data are reliable or if he has to perform some corrections to start with a consistent design (For AP214 and AP203 Edition 2).
Interactive and batch transfersHandle very large STEP files, allows the users to exchange large designs. The translator does quick conversions.


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A strong ATS trend for WK 5 is to find 1-3 teams fighting for their playoff lives against teams over .500. This week Miami, KC, Jax, and Tennessee qualify. Like you guys I'm on the Titans and for all aforementioned reasons.In WK 5 1-3 teams off a loss and playing at home against over .500 teams off a win are 10-5 ATS against the numbers. Play KC in this situation. I've bet on the Chiefs a couple of times this year and got absolutely blown out. I'll hold my nose and make the bet but KC, for the most part, has looked horrible and I'm including weeks 2, 3, and 4 of the preseason which makes me wonder if Crennel should be the guy in KC. Before the season KC had, and hopefully still has, playoff aspirations which gives a little more validity to the desperation angle.
Andy, good luck with your plays. I am really curious to see how this Jets game plays out. I am all for betting on a team, when everyone has written them off, but I think the Jets are in a world of trouble, with a QB that is regressing and as injuries mount, I wonder if they will be motivated themselves.I think any team that has a chance to bring the hammer down on Mr. Ryan will certainly do so. I might wait this one until half time, as if the Jets get down early, I don't see a rally out of them and might set up for a good second half play. Good luck on your picks this week Always appreciate your insight (and Glyde's, among others) in this forum.
CFL is friggin crazy(just by hearing some of the rules you are throwing out).
That moose was nuts in that Montreal game....and I say that not entirely understanding wtf was happening. LOL. I've been planning a Canada vacation for years(never seem to make it), but once I get there, I wanna check out a CFL game. Andy/XFL, real quick without overthinking it......33 year old guy. Looking for booze, chicks, drugs, craziness, fun in Canada......what is the best area of Canada to visit???
^^^This cracked me up.
Hey Andy, for the most part my play on the Chiefs is nothing but gut instinct mixed with a little experience betting the NFL all these years. It just feels right. Also, you spoke about motivation when breaking down your Jets wager, and you can bring that same mindset with this game. IMO.
Kansas City is a team that has been getting beat up all year. They have a serviceable QB, and some offensive weapons that are really hard to matchup against(charles, moeaki, mccluster, bowe), especially for a Baltimore defense that IMO isn't NEARLY as good as they were the last decade or so. So coming into 2012 it was thought that their D can build off a decent finish to last year, and their offense while all healthy can make some noise. It hasn't exactly happened that way, and KC is a 1-3 ballclub who has looked horrible for pretty much all of the 240 minutes of football this year. Cassel is taking major heat, and Crennel has hinted that it might be time for a change. I feel that is a motivational bluff though and KC backers have nothing to worry about in that regards. The fans are getting on the team, and a promising season is getting very close to getting flushed down the toilet. It is a do or die game at home behind a raucous crowd, with a very winnable game next week against the Bucs before they go into their bye week. Losing this game might be the season, but two wins and heading into the bye 3-3 is a whole other beast. On the other side, Baltimore is 3-1. They are cruising along. They won their early season Super Bowl over the Pats recently. While Cleveland made them sweat a bit, they controlled that game for the most part. They have two huge games in the next couple weeks against Dallas and Houston. Not to say they are looking ahead by any means, but maybe THIS road game against lowly KC isn't gonna be their most "motivated" one. The media is sucking Flacco's person to no end. They are in talks as being 2nd or 3rd best in the AFC and a major contender for a SB berth, and IDK, I just don't think they are as good as prior years. Flacco is a much better QB at home(this game on the road), and Crennel's style defense I think can come up with a good plan to stop Baltimore's attack(take that with a grain of salt as they have been AWFUL so far this season).
Most of KC's woes have been because of turnovers. Costly turnovers. In a couple of their losses, early turnovers absolutely crushed them in games and ended them before they started. I just can't see them continuing to give up the ball the way they have. Also, for a 1-3 team who has pretty much been hammered in each game, they have won the total yards in all four games. Granted, get down early in each game and you can amass yards in desperation and garbage time, but the bottom line is they are moving the ball. I think KC wins this game straight up.
Another game I like is Jacksonville. I think they beat the Bears straight up as well. I don't like being a guy who says, "yeah, I think they win SU, BUT I'M GONNA TAKE THE POINTS," but it is still early in the season, and I'm looking to build up my bank a bit. Week 12, I have no qualms unloading on ML +250-400 teams, but week 12 I can mentally watch Jax or KC or NYJ play great and lose 20-17 rather than take those hits this early in the season. Anyway, the Bears offense is an absolute joke right now and laying a TD on the road is insane. I know I got +7, and I hope no one thinks I'm coming in here with BS lines. You know me...I'm not that guy. I just have a local who shade favs ridicolously and being it is my only book this year(I pulled out of all offshore lines for various reasons, and my other local closed shop about 24 hours before Week 1), I have to deal with shitty lines...for better or for worse. It's great for dogs so i can't complain there. At the same time, I'm beat with Cincy -4(looks to be 3 everywhere now), and probably NO(looking at 4.5 now).
Anyway, Bears offensive line....dogshit. Cutler seems to have zero chemistry yet with his receivers. Forte is banged up and I think gets bottled up here. Only way Bears win this is if JAX turns the ball over 3-4 times....and that's possible. Chicago has a decent D. But they are a bit undersized, and if Gabbert can be OKAY, and put the Bears in a spot where they can't load the box with 8-9 guys on 1st and 2nd down, I think JAX can bulldoze their way to a time consuming 125-150 yards on the ground. Run the ball, keep the clock moving, be balanced, and let their defense manhandle the brutal Bears offense.
Jets game, I agree with your writeup 100%. Same thoughts by me. MOTIVATION.
As for the Bengals. I friggin love this team. Dalton won me so much money at TCU(their defense as well), and the same intangibles he won games with in college, he brings to the NFL and brought it immediately. He doesn't panic under pressure. He can get tough yards with his legs. Not the strongest arm, but he can make every throw. He is very much in sync with his WR and TE's, and it doesnt hurt to have the best WR in all of football(imo AJ). Miami is scrappy, playing good ball. Their defense is physical and they are decent against the run, but they can be exploited throwing the ball, and I think Dalton has a field day. Can see this being 31-10 kind of game. Cincy's defense also is a bit underrated. I like their secondary and linebackers. And they bring crazy pressure on the QB. I don't have any numbers in front of me, but just from what I've seen with my eyes so far, they have to be averaging at least 5-6 sacks per game. Tannehill is in for a loooong day.
GL as always, buddy.
Watching KC is gonna take 5 years off my life. The turnovers, the bad coaching calls, the penalties, the awful refs. If I wasn't high as a kite, I would wake my mom out of bed and donkey kick her!!!!
andarmac I'm fuckin pullin my hair out right now- got the chiefs like glyde said above, I've turned that garbage off the TV, watching the Colts fight hard but they are down 8, and am disgusted with that 2-brain cell dumbass in Griffin for taking that big hit they are down 4 and i got 3,
I'm on the Seabags pretty big so hopefully that works out for us
Thank Christ Rice got that 1st down. MT, I have GB, but can't understand why Indy goes for 2 that early in the game.....good for me, but Jesus Christ a bad call.
Originally Posted by andarmac99: Add:Jacksonville +7 hookGL.
Thats a winning play.
crazy day man a lot of head scratching but I'm doing ok
Really need the Seabags here
Feel like throwing the remote watching the Seahawks right now
Same here. Between them and Jax, I'm ready to murder people.


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This resource is no longer available
How Bloomberg's Cloud Tackles Information Management: Social Media, Voice, Dodd-Frank and More
Growing data volumes, new formats like social media and voice, Dodd-Frank regulations – it seems like today's business trends are conspiring against financial services firms and other highly regulated industries to make data management an IT nightmare, leaving most companies struggling to adapt.
In this expert resource, learn why the answer to your most pressing data management challenges can be found in the cloud. Topics covered in this resource include:
- Key data management questions you need to answer
- Advantages of cloud-based data management
- What to look for in a data management solution
- And more


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Leading SAFe (4.5) - - SAFe Agilist Certification WorkShop
In this two-day Scaled Agile Framework(SAFe) training course, you will gain the knowledge necessary to lead an enterprise-level Agile transformation by leveraging SAFe and its underlying principles of Lean thinking and Product Development Flow.
Scale Agile Across Multiple Teams or the EnterpriseOrganizations have been using Agile methodologies for years to deliver more value to their customers in less time. Most organizations are complex systems that require collaboration and coordination across multiple delivery teams. This two-day class will show you how to do it well. Additionally, when other areas of your company are not leveraging Agile, the ability to skyrocket results becomes a daunting task. You will learn how to handle these hurdles in this class. The SAFe framework, developed by Dean Leffingwell, outlines an approach to help organizations harness the power of Agile across delivery teams and your full organization.
Become a Certified SAFe AgilistThose who wish to pursue certification in SAFe are eligible to complete the exam to earn the SAFe Agilist certification. As more organizations look to scale Agile, the recognition of your knowledge and experience is valuable both to you and others. Attendees will develop an understanding of how the principles and practices of the framework support Lean thinking, Agile Development, SAFe ScrumXP, Agile Release Train, Agile Portfolio Management, Agile Architecture and Scaling Leadership. Whether at the team, program, or portfolio level, attendees will be able to explain and implement the practices necessary to achieve business and technical alignment and consistent, sustainable delivery of value.
If you are an aspiring project manager or project leader, then definitely this tutorial is for you which will take you through almost all the important management concepts one by one using a simply easy learning approach.
1. What is SAFe?
✔  SAFe Implementation Strategy
✔ History of SAFe
✔ SAFe Core Values
2. Lean Thinking
✔  Lean Tools
✔  House of Quality
✔  Optimal Batch Size
✔  Product Development Flow
✔  Controlling Flow Under Uncertainty
✔  Decentralized Control
✔  Value Stream Mapping
3. Agile Development
✔  Accelerating Value Delivery
✔  Brief Agile Overview
✔  Business Benefits
✔  Case Studies
4. SAFe at the Team Level
✔  Overview of Scrum plus XP in SAFe
✔  Roles in ScrumXP
✔  The Power of "Ba"
✔  Backlog Sizing and Estimating
✔  Estimating and Planning
✔  Code Quality and Continuous Integration
5. SAFe at the Program Level
✔  What is an ART?
✔  What are the Rules of an ART?
✔  What new Roles are added?
✔  Identifying ART opportunities
✔  Program Vision and Roadmap
✔  Optimal ROI and the Economics of the Cost of Delay
✔  ART Duration Estimating
✔  Release Planning and Managing the Train
6. SAFe at the Portfolio Level
✔  What is Portfolio Program Management (PPM)?
✔  What is PPM's role in Strategy and Investment Funding?
✔  What is PPM's role in Governance?
✔  Dealing with Legacy Mindsets
7. Agile Architecture
✔  Architecture in SAFe
✔  ART and System Architecture
✔  7 Principles of Agile Architecture
✔  SAFe's Architectural Runway
8. Scaling Leadership How to scale Lean and Agile leadership across the enterprise.
✔  Becoming a Lean Agile Leader
✔  Managing your Knowledge Workers
✔  Creating Purpose and Articulating
✔  Product Vision
✔  Analyzing the Value Stream
✔  Assessing Agile Teams
✔  Coaching with Powerful Questions
✔  This course is beneficial to all members on an Agile team, but it is primarily oriented towards those leading the efforts to adopt and scale Lean and Agile principles and practices via the Scaled Agile Framework.
✔  This course is ideally suited for managers, program managers, coaches, and anyone helping lead the SAFe implementation.
✔  Project Managers/Leader/ Heads/ Consultants
✔  Engineer
✔  Manager
✔  Director
✔  Sponsor
✔  Business Analyst
✔  Tester
✔  Team Leader
✔  Quality Manager
✔  Product Owner
✔  Senior Executive (VP, Director, CXO)
✔  Architects
✔  General Managers or Department Head
✔  QA Managers
✔  Application Development Managers
✔  Systems Analysts
✔  Systems Architect
✔  Project Consultants
✔  Learn how the framework supports Lean Thinking, Agile Development and Architecture, SAFe ScrumXP, Agile Release Train, Agile Portfolio Management and Scaling Leadership
✔  Leverage the power of Lean Thinking Manager-Teachers in support of your Agile teams, switching your leadership from a "role" to a "task"
✔  Rapidly pull together various agile and non-agile development teams into a progressively managed "Release Train" focused on common delivery cadence while successfully keeping integration points and dependencies in check
✔  Understand the Principles of Product Development Flow and how to achieve maximum business value in the time available
✔  Involve and collaborate across all the layers of your organization to enable teams to deliver complex, cross-functional features in 10-12 week increments
✔  Effectively integrate architecture and other shared services into an Agile delivery process
✔  Improve the communication and focus of your organization's Agile implementation
✔  Infuse Agile into your entire organization-not just your IT delivery teams
✔  Leverage the value of lightweight business cases
✔  Learn to commit to objectives instead of a set-in-stone plan
✔  Understand and implement the Weighted Shortest Job First economic prioritization method to always prioritize and deliver the most valuable features first
✔  Learn how to lead an effective Inspect and Adapt Workshop using root cause analysis methods such as 5 Why's, the Fishbone Diagram and Pareto Charts
✔  Earn your requirement for the Scaled Agile Framework Agilist (SA) certification
Eligibility :
There is no pre-requisite to attend the training, however to gain the SAFe Agilist Certification there is a minimum requirement of the following:
✔  5+ years of experience in software development, testing, business analysis, product or project management.
✔  Experience in Scrum.
Certification Process
✔  Within a day or two after the training is complete, the trainer will email the Exam Link along with Instructions to the participants (from Scaled Academy).
✔  The participant has 10 days (from the date of receiving the link) to give the exam. If the exam is not undertaken, the link will expire.
✔  Five days after the date of expiry of the exam link, Scaled Academy will directly report the results to the participants.
✔  On successful completion of the exam, Scaled Academy will certify the participant as a SAFe Agilist.
✔  If the participant does not clear the exam, he or she can apply for a re-exam after 45 days from the date of expiry of the exam link. There will be an additional charge of USD 50 for the re-exam. Scaled Academy will directly send the exam link to the participant as well as the results.
Early Bird Offer: 1200 Euro
Standard Price: 1400 Euro
Discount Policy:
✔ Early Bird registration apply 20 days before the training dates
✔ 5% Discount for group of 3 to 4 participants.
✔ 10% Discount for group of 5 and above participants
✔ Group Discounts will not apply for group of Early Bird registration.
✔ 5% Discount for our Alumni company participants.
✔ 5% Discount for Government company participants.
✔ 5% Discount for NGO's or Social Welfare company participants.
✔ All above mentioned Discounts will apply for group of Early Bird registration as well
Terms And Condition:
✔ Please note above rates constitute only towards the training charges and does not include any taxes. All the taxes as applicable by local laws should be borne by the Participant or the Participant Company.
✔ Early Bird Discount payments should pay before cut-off date.
✔ Special Offer applicable for Standard Prices Only(not applicable for early bird offer).
✔ Group Discounts will apply only for same organization.
✔ Individual Discounts apply only for Individual(Participants ) invoices only.
✔ All the refunds will be processed within 30 working days starting from the day of cancellation
✔ For more information on Refund Policy


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Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-Second Coming), in a letter to UAW officials last Friday, endorsed a plan to push through $4 billion in aid to prop up the Detroit Three. The package of tax credits and loan guarantees is a proposed part of a second (and real) economic stimulus package working its way through congress for a September vote. Those billions would then be used to secure up to $25 billion in loans, which now starts to look like some real big-boy money.
Included in the bill, at the behest of Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow, is an additional $250 million for advanced battery funding, which seems to be the sexy thing to fund these days. On the opposite side of the presidential horse-race fence, Senator John McCain (R-Everybody's Friend) is backing large tax credits for consumers purchasing economical cars and an X-Prize-like $300-million contest for much-improved batteries. We just want this long national nightmare of endless election "news" to be over. One hundred and one days left. [Freep]


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New Catholic Dictionary – Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Confessor born Castiglione, Italy, 1568; died Rome, Italy, 1591. The son of a princely family, he was educated at the courts of the Medici of Florence and of Philip II of Spain. Returning to Italy, he renounced his inheritance in favor of his brother, and entered the Society of Jesus, 1585. He distinguished himself in philosophy and theology, and pronounced his vows, 1587. In 1591, when famine and pestilence spread through Italy, he devoted himself to the care of the sick, was stricken, and died. Devotion to him is widespread, and the practise of receiving communion on six successive Sundays is observed in his honor. Patron of young Catholic students. Invoked against sore eyes and pestilence. Canonized, 1726. Relics in church of Saint Ignazio, Rome. Feast, Roman Calendar, 21 June.


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The 8-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 is the latest example of the company's weird pricing decisions. At $300, the Tab 3 is expensive for a small tablet that -- aside from its 1.5GB of RAM -- has fairly modest specs and hardware features.
In the "small tablet" space -- 7- to 9-inch screen sizes -- great models are more affordable than ever. The Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD, Fire HD 8.9, Nook HD, and Nook HD+ are all available for $269 or less. Of course, one reason they're so affordable is that they're all 2012 models that are effectively on closeout, with new models due imminently (or likely not at all, in the case of the Nook).
That's where the 8-inch Tab 3 steps in. Of the three new Tab 3 models -- there's also a $400 10-inch version and a $200 7-incher -- it's the one with the best feature set: a sharp bright screen, good performance, a light comfortable design, and Samsung's multiwindow feature that allows two select apps to run concurrently on the screen. It also has an easy-to-set-up remote control/TV guide component and microSD expandable storage.
My initial reaction to the Tab 3's price was, "Wow, if only it were a tad lower, they'd have my money!" After all, $30 more would get you an iPad Mini, which still boasts the best app ecosystem around.
On the other hand, the 8-inch Tab 3 is $100 less than the nearly identical Note 8 -- and all you're not getting is the stylus that comes with that model. So, while I would have liked to see the 8-inch Tab 3 clock in at closer to $270, it's still a pretty satisfying package at $300.
While other 8-inch tablets like the iPad Mini and Galaxy Note 8 push the one-handed cupping limit, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 feels slim and trim by comparison and fits comfortably into not only my considerably large hands, but based on anecdotal usage around the CNET office, much smaller hands as well. It's essentially a thinner, narrower version of the Note 8 without any S Pen Stylus slot to worry about; it's bezel width and overall girth have received a notable cleaving. It's a hair heavier than the iPad Mini, but its narrower design makes it easier to hold.
|Tested spec
|Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (8-inch)
|Samsung Galaxy Note 8
|Apple iPad Mini
|Google Nexus 7
|Weight in pounds
|Width in inches (landscape)
|Height in inches
|Depth in inches
|Side bezel width in inches (landscape)
The Tab 3 is still obviously plastic, but with its smooth, rounded corners and well-placed physical features, it doesn't feel cheap. The navigation array from the Note line makes a return here with the bottom bezel playing host to a home button, menu button, and back button, features typically found on the actual screen of pretty much every post-Honeycomb (Android 3.0) tablet. The removal of the array from the Tab 3 screen translates to apps and games getting just a little extra room to stretch their legs, resulting in a game like Real Racing 3 using the full screen as opposed to only some of it, as it does on most Android tablets.
I've always been a fan of physical home buttons, and unlike the iPad Mini's, the one featured here is raised just enough above the bezel to be easily found while not attracting many errant presses. The back button functions as you'd expect, and the menu buttons provide quick access to options like search, settings, and creating folder. Recent apps are accessed by holding down the home button for a second. The hit boxes for the menu and back buttons are calibrated accurately, so you likely won't press unless you actually intend to, something with which the 10.1-inch version of the Galaxy Tab 3 struggles.
Along the right edge of the Tab 3 are the mic pinhole, power/sleep button, volume rocker, and IR blaster. The bottom edge includes a pair of dual speakers surrounding the Micro-USB charging port. On the left edge is a microSD card slot, and on the top, a headphone jack. The top bezel has an ambient light sensor and 1.3-megapixel camera. The smooth, plastic and "gold-brown" (it also comes in white) backside houses a 5-megapixel camera (thankfully) in the top-left corner, where all back cameras should be.
Software features
The Tab 3 ships with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and includes Samsung's TouchWiz UI skin. Though some take issue with the somewhat Fisher-Price-ian look of the interface, Samsung of late has added a number of useful features to balance out the over-use of pastels. The most useful feature is the easily accessible shortcut tray that lets you turn off features like Smart Stay, Multi Window, Screen Mirroring, Wi-Fi, Reading Mode, and GPS among others by simply swiping down from the top of the screen and tapping the feature on or off.
Samsung's multiwindow feature allows for two select apps to run simultaneously onscreen with a fairly deep pool of compatible apps, including Twitter, Facebook, and Chrome. Each window can be easily resized to support virtually any ratio, but doing so with your finger is a little less precise compared with using a stylus to accomplish the same thing on the Note 8.
Smart Stay is the now overhyped feature that should put your tablet into Sleep mode if, using the front camera, it detects that your eyes aren't watching the screen. While the feature works on our 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab 3 unit, it didn't function correctly on our 8-inch tablet.
Group Play lets you share files with other Samsung users on the same Wi-Fi network and alter the files in real time. This ranges from pics, docs, music, and select multiplayer games. It's a cool concept and something I could see being used effectively in work meetings, but I can't think of many practical uses for a consumer. Also, once you've joined a group, you won't be able to connect to the Internet until you manually disconnect from the group.
Watch On
Watch On is Samsung's universal remote/video hub app that integrates streaming-video content and OTA and cable TV. It includes typical social sharing "this is what I'm watching" options and is a pretty effective and accurate TV guide, but the real standout feature is its powerful and potentially very useful search.
Searching for a particular piece of video content returns results sorted by delivery system. In other words, if you search for "Thor," Watch On returns a number of matching options. Choosing the "Thor (2011)" movie option takes you to an information page with its Rotten Tomatoes score, sharing options, IMDb info, and related content. Then, tapping the "Watch Now" button shows a list of video delivery services like Samsung's Media Hub and Blockbuster Video. You then choose through which service to watch the movie, and that service's app will launch and take you directly to the "Thor" page, where you can choose to stream, purchase, or rent the video.


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Pine County pushing for economic development
Pine County is moving closer to hiring a person to lead economic development efforts.
At last week's county board meeting in Sandstone, county board chair Stephen Hallan of Pine City noted this effort was very "near and dear" to the heart of county commissioner Doug Carlson of Sandstone, who passed away at the courthouse shortly after one of the meetings held to focus on economic development.
Hallan also noted the efforts of another Pine County commissioner, Mitch Pangerl of Pine City, for working with University of Minnesota Extension on the economic development study.
There are three economic development authorities (EDA) already in the county in Pine City, Hinckley and Sandstone. Hallan said there are several models out there for the county to follow, making a county-wide EDA or just having an EDA director.
"There is a lot that an economic development person could do," noted Hallan.
The county board is planning to spend half a day at an upcoming committee of the whole meeting to discuss the pros and cons of what would work best in Pine County.
Administrator David Minke said the board should first meet on what goals they would want to have this person accomplish. If there is consensus on that effort, the board then could bring in someone to help the county come up with a plan. Minke also said it was important to get input from cities in the county on what they would like for this person to accomplish.
"I would like to hear success stories," Pangerl said of what model might work best in Pine County.
Pangerl also said he would like to see "what is the return for our investment."
"It would be good to look and see what happens in other places so we don't have to reinvent the wheel," Pangerl said.
Hallan said Chisago County has a Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) which has EDA powers. Both Aitkin and Mille Lacs counties don't have a full-blown EDA but have a person to lead economic development efforts. Hallan noted if the county did set up an EDA, it would be another government.
Hallan noted one surprise in these economic development meetings held at the courthouse is how one business can affect other businesses in the county. He noted that Luoma Egg Ranch in Finlayson has 32 employees but helps lead to employment for 200 other people in the county.
"We don't have many value-added jobs in Pine County," Hallan said.
NLX debate continues
The debate on whether to continue membership on the high speed rail project Northern Lights Express (NLX) board took place before the county board for the third straight meeting.
NLX opponents spoke at the past two board meetings. Last week, two local residents spoke in favor of the NLX.
Charlie Rike of Pine City said he always favored high-speed rail and noted Amtrak service was always slow when it was used to serve the area.
"For the future of our kids, grandkids, we need to build it now," Rike said. "In honor of Doug Carlson, I hope it gets built."
Jeanne Larson of Sandstone also said she would like to honor Carlson's memory by advocating for NLX.
Larson said, "if Uncle Sam has money for us to put in high-speed rail," why not accept it and do the project in northern Minnesota.
In other business:
– The board approved a resolution recognizing correctional officers and employees for National Correctional Week, which was held.
"It is a very well run department and you should be proud of that and the people who work in that facility (county jail)," said Terryl Arola, County Probation Director.
– The board approved a county employee formal credit card policy, something it had not officially had in the past.
"I felt we needed to have something in black and white," said County Auditor Cathy Clemmer.
Clemmer noted it does not change the voucher system already in place. She also said she has authority to take away a credit card if it is not being used in a good manner. The new policy will not change anything the county is doing now, just putting current protocol in writing.
– With the passing of Commissioner Carlson, Hallan approved several committee assignment changes, something he will review again in September after the election. Curt Rossow of Willow River was also elected as vice-chair, another position he used to hold.
"It is a different board," Hallan noted. "We will continue to remember a lot of 'Dougisms' when we move forward in this process ... we were lucky to serve with him."
Hallan moved himself into the NLX committee.


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The injury report calls him doubtful. His head coach has said that he is actually questionable. When the list of inactive players is submitted, he will be characterized as out.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that 49ers defensive lineman Justin Smith won't play tonight in Seattle, due to an elbow injury suffered last Sunday night against the Patriots.
Smith's status has been cloaked in mystery all week. From the absence of any information about his MRI results to coach Jim Harbaugh's persistent efforts to create the impression that Smith will play, it appears that the Niners have been trying to dupe the Seahawks into thinking that Smith will be on the field.
The reality is that the 49ers are a different defense when Smith isn't. It's no coincidence that the Patriots' 28-point comeback came when Smith was gone.
Meanwhile, we can only wonder whether the league office will tell coaches moving forward that they can't officially give one designation to a player on the final injury report and then publicly contradict it.
Either way, a streak of 185 straight appearances for Smith will end tonight. It's the first game he will miss since a contract holdout in 2001 as a rookie with the Bengals.


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Ataxia means without coordination. People with ataxia lose muscle control in their arms and legs. This may lead to a lack of balance, coordination, and trouble walking. Ataxia may affect the fingers, hands, arms, legs, body, speech, and even eye movements.
While the term ataxia usually describes symptoms, it also describes a group of specific degenerative diseases of the central nervous system called the hereditary and sporadic ataxias:
A defective gene makes abnormal proteins that cause the nerve cell degeneration leading to ataxia. As the disease progresses, muscles become less and less responsive to the commands of the brain. This causes balance and coordination to worsen.
Symptoms and time of onset may vary according to the type of ataxia. Typically, the most common include:
The symptoms of ataxia may look like other conditions or medical problems. Always see your healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
Along with a thorough medical history, family history, and complete neurological and physical exam, these tests may be done:
These tests may also be used to rule out other conditions that can cause ataxia. Certain conditions can cause ataxia to develop suddenly, such as head injury, stroke, brain hemorrhage, infections, exposure to certain drugs, and also if the heart or breathing slow or stop.
Some conditions can cause ataxia to appear gradually, such as hypothyroidism, alcohol abuse, certain vitamin deficiencies, chronic exposure to certain drugs, multiple sclerosis, and other disorders.
There is no cure for the hereditary ataxias. And, there is no medicine to treat the specific symptom of ataxia.
If ataxia is due to a stroke, a low vitamin level, or exposure to a toxic drug or chemical, then treatment is aimed at treating those specific conditions.
The treatment for the lack of coordination or imbalance mostly involves the use of adaptive devices to allow the person to maintain as much independence as possible. These devices may include a cane, crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair. Physical therapy, speech therapy, and medicines to help symptoms, such as tremor, stiffness, depression, spasticity, and sleep disorders may also help.
Research is being done on cerebellar and spinocerebellar degeneration, including work aimed at finding the cause(s) of ataxias and ways to treat, cure, and ultimately prevent them.
Progression of the different types of ataxia may vary with each specific syndrome. In the worst case scenario, the person may have untreatable rigidity, breathing trouble, or choking which can lead to death. Some of the most difficult symptoms require management with continuous positive airway pressure devices (CPAP), tracheostomy, or a feeding tube.
Falling or becoming chair- or bed-bound may lead to other life threatening complications, such as injury, pressure sores, infection, and blood clots. Dementia, behavioral problems, and depression may influence compliance and care. Other complications of ataxia may include:
Many things can be done to improve the quality of life of the person with ataxia.
Symptoms and time of onset may vary according to the type of ataxia. Each person may experience symptoms differently. Contact your provider if you have any of the following symptoms:
Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider: