text:
It is the policy of St. Charles City-County Library District to: (a) prevent user access over its computer network to, or transmission of, inappropriate material via Internet, electronic mail, or other forms of direct electronic communications; (b) prevent unauthorized access and other unlawful online activity; (c) prevent unauthorized online disclosure, use, or dissemination of personal identification information of minors; and (d) comply with the Children's Internet Protection Act [Pub. L. No. 106-554 and 47 USC 254(h)].
Key terms are as defined in the Children's Internet Protection Act.
Access to Inappropriate Material
To the extent practical, technology protection measures (or "Internet filters") shall be used to block or filter Internet, or other forms of electronic communications, access to inappropriate information.
Specifically, as required by the Children's Internet Protection Act, blocking shall be applied to visual depictions of material deemed obscene or child pornography, or to any material deemed harmful to minors.
Subject to staff supervision, technology protection measures may be disabled or, in the case of minors, minimized only for bona fide research or other lawful purposes.
Inappropriate Network Usage
To the extent practical, steps shall be taken to promote the safety and security of users of the St. Charles City-County Library District online computer network when using electronic mail, chat rooms, instant messaging, and other forms of direct electronic communications.
Specifically, as required by the Children's Internet Protection Act, prevention of inappropriate network usage includes: (a) unauthorized access, including so-called 'hacking,' and other unlawful activities; and (b) unauthorized disclosure, use, and dissemination of personal identification information regarding minors.
Supervision and Monitoring
It shall be the responsibility of all members of the St. Charles City-County Library District staff to supervise and monitor usage of the online computer network and access to the Internet in accordance with this policy and the Children's Internet protection Act.
Procedures for the disabling or otherwise modifying any technology protection measures shall be the responsibility of the IT Manager or designated representatives.
The Board of St. Charles City-County Library District adopted this Internet Safety Policy at a public meeting, following normal public notice, on July 13, 2009. CIPA definitions of terms:
TECHNOLOGY PROTECTION MEASURE. The term "technology protection measure" means a specific technology that blocks or filters Internet access to visual depictions that are:
HARMFUL TO MINORS. The term "harmful to minors" means any picture, image, graphic image file, or other visual depiction that:
SEXUAL ACT; SEXUAL CONTACT. The terms "sexual act" and "sexual contact" have the meanings given such terms in section 2246 of title 18, United States Code.
Approved 07/09/09


text:
For Windows XP, Vista, 7 & 8
KNCTR cannot be used for emergency calls. You will be unable to call 1-800 and other toll free numbers, 911, or emergency services using KNCTR. If you require emergency assistance, please dial 911 from your cell phone or landline.
For Windows XP, Vista, 7 & 8
© 2019 KNCTR an Itibiti Ventures Inc. company. The KNCTR name, associated trade marks and logos and the "K" logo are trade marks of KNCTR or related entities. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy and End User License Agreement (EULA)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Monocle Daily
31 Jan 2012
00:00 / 00:00
31 January 2012
Episode 67
01 hour 42 minutes
Is the Czech Republic onboard in the EU? We also travel to Florida for the Republican primaries and learn how Silicon Valley funds extraterrestrial research.
31 January 2012
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Thursday 25 April
Mexico's immigration crisis is quite different from the one described by Donald Trump. Plus: the diplomacy of prisoner swaps, Macron's plan for the gilets jaunes, transparency in fashion and the perfect Anzac biscuit.
Wednesday 24 April
Reports suggest that one of the suspects responsible for terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka studied in Australia. Plus: another record gap between White House press briefings, the politics behind Berlin's Soviet War Memorial…
Tuesday 23 April
A look into the possible international connections to the Sri Lanka Easter bombings, an anti-corruption drive by Ukraine's new president Volodymyr Zelensky, plus why Chicago has launched a street-art registry.
Monday 22 April
We head to Washington to find out about the future of the Democrats and their plans to take down Donald Trump. Plus: the latest from Ukraine, Turkey and Northern Ireland, and a flick through Asia's morning newspapers.
Friday 19 April
We discuss a turbulent week in global politics, get the latest on the ongoing Indian election and hear from director and writer Neil Jordan about his latest film, 'Greta'.
Thursday 18 April
The outcome of the Mueller report, North Korea's latest missile launch, press freedom across the globe and an aviation success story from Japan.
Wednesday 17 April
We analyse a turbulent day in Canadian politics, ask whether the EU should be doing more to avert conflict in Libya, discuss what businesses can do to help combat climate change and discuss the life of former Peruvian…
Tuesday 16 April
As Bernie Sanders reveals his tax returns, we look at how big money shapes the perception of Washington politics. Plus, the latest from Paris following the fire at Notre Dame; we also discuss the ongoing Ukrainian election…
Monday 15 April
As a fire tears through the cathedral of Notre-Dame, we get the latest from our man in Paris. We also discuss why the US and China have different visions for the future of Venezuela. Plus, how will the UK approach the…
Friday 12 April
We get the latest on Sudan, where the military has said it has no plans to hold onto power. Plus: we discuss whether Brexit broken British politics, a new streaming service that could ruin Netflix and all the news from…
Thursday 11 April
We get the latest from Sudan after the military ousted president Omar Hassan al-Bashir following months of protests, ending his 30-year grip on power. Plus: we get reaction from Westminster following the late-night Brexit…
Wednesday 10 April
The latest from Brussels as EU leaders discuss a Brexit extension, what's on the agenda for Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un if their rumoured summit actually occurs and why China is tiring of bitcoin miners.
Tuesday 9 April
We get the latest on the Israeli elections and ask how much Donald Trump's actions have emboldened Benjamin Netanyahu. Plus: a Brexit summit involving May, Macron and Merkel and the man in charge of marketing Milan to the…
Monday 8 April
As Donald Trump shakes up his security team and puts pressure on Iran, we ask whether the president's behaviour poses a threat to the international order? Plus: we look at the first 100 days into the rule of Brazil's new…
Friday 5 April
We assess the unfolding situation in Libya as the threat of another civil war grows. Plus: the state of Nato at 70, Iain Overton discusses his new book analysing suicide bombers, the writer and director of the documentary…


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23.2.2 Cumulative Results
Figure 23.3 The Profiler's Cumulative Results view
The main list displays the functions called during the last profile. For each function, the list displays the number of calls, the number of times it was found on the stack, and the number of times it was found at the top of the stack.
The Filter box lets you restrict the display of information in the Results area.
Common LispWorks User Guide (Windows version) - 21 Feb 2008


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The iOS App Store has been a huge hit, inspiring app store imitators on nearly every platform. Meanwhile, Apple's personal-computer equivalent, the Mac App Store, has also been a ferocious market-share grabber, not least because it's the only way to obtain the newest OS X update. But while consumers love the one-stop convenience, the Mac App Store is becoming a lot less popular with the other half of the sales equation: developers. Macro Arment, creator of Instapaper, has issued a blistering critique of the Mac App Store, and many other developers are speaking openly to long-time Apple source Macworld about their frustrations with the outlet.
Central to Arment's critique is Apple's newly-required "sandboxing," which severely restricts developers in the name of security. Every computer user, and especially the kind of non-technical users that Apple pursues, wants to feel confident that their applications aren't going to erase their files, spam their friends, or contribute to the self-awareness of Skynet. Apple users used to consider themselves happily virus-immune, but malware is starting to show up on the platform as its popularity makes it a more appealing target. So Apple first implemented Gatekeeper, a system application that restricts your ability to install non-App-Store software, and then declared that by the end of summer, all apps on the Mac App Store had to keep away from any operations that Apple deems risky to security, unless they specifically petition Apple for "entitlements" to access those system calls.
But it's tough for an application to do anything interesting without some access to things in the operating system. Granting entitlements seems like a reasonable compromise, but as developer Wil Shipley noted, Apple hasn't even created creating entitlement categories for all the things that developers commonly do, and actually reviewing every entitlement submitted would require a QA department the size of an iPad owner's smug self-regard. That means developers are going to have to either pull their software from the Mac App Store, or eliminate some of the features that make their software appealing.
So Apple has demanded sandboxing to give consumers the security they want, but developers are saying it's going to force them to abandon features consumers use. Security versus power: It's like a Dark Knight movie in your Home directory! Of course, developers could simply stop distributing their software through the Mac App Store, but that only works until Apple decrees that every application installed on your Mac has to be sandboxed, a nightmare already haunting many users.
Apple, of course, would rather have everyone stay in the Mac App Store and comply with sandboxing. Those lovable rogues at One Infinite Loop have weathered storms of outrage before and come out on top, and they have reason to believe this is the kind of kerfuffle that vanishes once developers acknowledge that Apple has made customers happy in a way that those insensitive programmers never could.
So far, plenty of developers are angry and are fleeing the app store in not-insignificant numbers, but others have found sandboxing to be less restrictive than they expected. Some well-informed writers say it's all proven to be nothing but Internet hullabaloo while users seem not to have noticed. Still, as long-time Apple observer Andy Ihnatko says, "It's going to take some time — maybe even a couple of years — before developers learn how to do everything they need to do under App Store restrictions, and Apple learns which of these restrictions could stand some loosening up. And until that happens, there will be some very real limitations on how good a Mac app can be." It remains to be seen whether users are willing to put up with a few years of sub-par software, or whether developers will put up with years of arbitrary treatment, while Apple figures it all out.
Editors' Recommendations
- Think iPhones can't get viruses? Our expert explains why it could happen
- The iPhone's Screen Time and Siri Shortcuts could land on Macs this year
- Google insists it's doing what it can to purge Play Store of malicious apps
- Prone to web surfing? Google Chrome's new Focus Mode fights internet distractions
- Apple TV 2019: Here's everything we want from Apple's next streamer


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Manhunt for Mississippi murder suspect goes nationwide
Authorities searching for a 28-year-old man
Authorities searching for a 28-year-old man
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the Rankin County Sheriff's Department is on a nationwide manhunt for a man wanted for murder and aggravated assault in Mississippi.
Sheriff investigators said a 30-year-old woman was found dead on Friday evening at an apartment complex called The Vineyard at Castlewoods.
Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said her family asked for a welfare check (when family calls the police to check on a family member that they have not heard from) and that's when they found her.
The victim's vehicle was missing, and it's believed that the boyfriend, Alex Deaton, 28, took the vehicle, police said.
Deaton is described as a white male, five feet, nine inches tall, weighing 170 pounds with hazel eyes and brown hair. Deaton is considered armed and extremely dangerous.
Deaton is driving a white 2012 GMC Acadia with a Mississippi Nurses Foundation Tag Number F396 NF, call police if you see him, police said.
This incident may also be connected to the Friday morning shooting of a jogger on Castlewoods Boulevard, Bailey said.
Anyone with information that leads to arrest of Alex Bridges Deaton would be eligible for up to a $2,500 reward. If you have information to help in this case, call Crime Stoppers at 601-355-TIPS (8477), submit a tip online through the Web Tip link on the home page of the Central MS Crime Stoppers website, or use your mobile device or computer to submit a tip by going to www.P3tips.com.


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Thank you, goodbye
Thank you for your support for this blog. This will be our last posting as Lasting Tribute has now become part of the iAnnounce family meaning that this blog will close shortly.
Thank you for reading our postings and commenting. Your feedback has been very important to us.
You can read more about iAnnounce – who will be carrying on our good work – here.


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DoubleSix Dice: Generation Two (Matt Fleming @ Kickstarter)
Hunt for Blackbeard Preview [video]
Commands & Colors: Medieval (GMT Games Preorder)
No Enemies Here, Season 2, Episode 4 [video]
Interview with Christopher Davis
Hill 262: Chambois, 19-21 August 1944 (new from Strategemata)
Moravian Sun: Austerlitz (new from Acies Edizioni)
The Fall of South Vietnam Review
Space Infantry Resurgence (Lock 'n Load Publishing @ Kickstarter)
The Survival and Extinction of the Teutonic Order in Prussia, 1418-1525
The Libyan Uprising
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Designers from around the world are submitting creative designs for Biesta in logo design - custom.
Nurture Pet
Nurture Pet is a trendy, corporate, online pet store. We're in the start up phase looking to build a strong brand identity. We specialize in natural, organic, food, treats and other upscale unique accessories for dogs and cats only. We have future plans to expand our services to a physical location.
Nurture Pet's main customer base is comprised of two groups: young professionals and empty nesters. We have identified our target customers as white, married couples, aged 35 – 54, no children, owner occupied home, high school graduate with some college but no degree, with an annual income level ranging from $ 50,000 - $ 100,000 plus.The primary buying is performed by the lady of the house.
I want to use two colors max with the color white if you need a 3rd color. Please use vibrant modern colors. I'm looking for logo thats very clean and simple. The look has to be very professional and corporate. It also needs to include a unique icon and text that relates to my biz and web 2.0 friendly. The icon needs to be able to stand alone and represent my company and brand. The tag line we use is "healthy pet food delivered". Please show logo on many different types of media. We seek the following file formats: esp, gif, ai, pdf and jpg 640x480px. Please no cartoons or clip art this needs to be a very professional well branded logo.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Think that toxic chemicals are bad for you? It's all part of a smear campaign, according to a new report by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based conservative think tank with documented ties to oil companies like Exxon and Texaco. The chief sources of misinformation, according to the nonprofit, are the Environmental Working Group and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, two "environmental extremist groups"—per CEI—that are inciting fear through "outrageous and bogus claims" about chemical-laden cosmetics and personal-care products.
If CEI sounds familiar, it's because the group is no stranger to stirring up controversy. An outspoken opponent of manmade climate change, CEI produced a TV commercial in 2009 that advocated for increased carbon-dioxide emissions because it's "what plants breathe in." During "Climategate" that same year, the group alleged that scientists were fudging or manipulating data about climate change, even after those assertions were debunked by several third-party investigators.
Make what you will, then, of CEI's allegation that advocacy groups like the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics seek only to frighten consumers, pressure manufacturers, and move legislators to over-regulate product ingredients. "People for the most part do not get hurt by using cosmetics and other skincare products, save the occasional allergic reaction which can occur among people with sensitive skin or allergies," writes Dana Joel Gattuso in the CEI report The True Story of Cosmetics, an obvious dig at Annie Leonard's animated short of a similar name. "Nor is there scientific evidence that chemicals present in personal-care products typically, in trace amounts—can cause cancer, endocrine disruption, asthma, or allergens."
Antimicrobial agents such as parabens have been linked to hormone disruption, neurological disorders, and even breast cancer.
Antimicrobial agents such as parabens have been linked to hormone disruption, neurological disorders, and even breast cancer.
One of the report's chief bones of contention is parabens, a family of chemicals that prevents the growth of microbes in makeup and other products. CEI's goal, according to Leann Brown, a spokeswoman for the Environmental Working Group, is to persuade consumers that they're at far greater risk avoiding these so-called essential ingredients, despite the abundant peer-reviewed science that demonstrates otherwise. "It's hard to find a reason not to err on the side of caution to avoid unnecessary additives and opt for products utilizing safe, well-tested alternatives," Brown tells Ecouterre.
Of course, no one wants to get cancer, but an eye infection or skin rash isn't much fun, either. "We agree that preservatives are important for eliminating bacteria," says Stacy Malkan, co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and author of Not Just a Pretty Face. "However, the preservatives don't have to be carcinogenic, as is the case with formaldehyde-releasers. Safer preservatives are available that many companies are already using successfully."
As an example, Malkan cites Johnson & Johnson, which removed quaternium-15, a formaldehyde-releasing preservative, in its flagship baby shampoo, but only for its United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Japan markets. (Formaldehyde persists in formulations for North America, China, Indonesia, and Australia.) It was only under significant public pressure that Johnson & Johnson agreed to no longer introduce new products with formaldehyde-releasing ingredients. No one was asking Johnson & Johnson to pull a hat trick—a safer alternative was already available and in production, so why the double standard?
We, for one, are on Team Nontoxic.


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An 80-year-old man drove his car into an apartment building Wednesday, puncturing gas and water lines, which prompted an evacuation of the building, police said.
At around 8:30 p.m., the motorist rammed into a first-floor apartment in the 400 block of East Tujunga Avenue after accidentally pressing the gas pedal of his 2003 Toyota Camry in the building's parking structure, said Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn.
When police arrived, water was shooting out of damaged pipes, and there was a strong smell of natural gas through the area. Burbank fire officials subsequently shut down the water and gas lines, Ryburn said.
Shortly after, utility crews capped off the broken pipes and the residents were allowed back in the building.
A damage estimate was not immediately available, but Ryburn said the collision "pushed in the plaster wall and support near the storage room and first-floor apartment."
No injuries were reported.
The collision marks the third such incident this month.
-- Alene Tchekmedyian, Times Community News
Follow Alene Tchekmedyian on Google+ and on Twitter: @atchek.


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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Paul Griggs drilled a 46-yard field goal as time expired and Purdue stunned Iowa 27-24 Saturday, snapping a five-game losing streak.
Robert Marve threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns for the Boilermakers (4-6, 1-5 Big Ten), who won for the first time in Iowa City in 20 years.
Purdue led 24-14 before Iowa (4-6, 2-4) rallied to tie the game with 3:32 left. But the Boilermakers stuffed the Hawkeyes on fourth down at the Purdue 35-yard line, and then drove 37 yards to set up the game-winning kick by Griggs.
James Vandenberg had 190 yards passing and a TD for Iowa, which has lost four straight for the first time since 2007.


text:
Sparkle Bronze Linen
Available in: 132″ Round & 90″x156″ 8′ Table Drape
SKU:N/A Categories: Golds, Neutrals & Browns, Table Linen
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$36.50 – $41.50
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$1.75 – $46.75
Lamour White$1.75 – $46.75
Napkins available in quantities of 5.
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Metro Band Napkins$1.30
Available in White and Ivory.
Available in quantities of 5.
Select options
Ballroom Satin Chair Cover$7.50
White Satin Ballroom Chair Cover pictured with Sparkle Organza Periwinkle Sash. Chair covers fit Stuart's Burgundy or Charcoal Ballroom Chairs. Please choose your sash by clicking on the the linen color and choosing the linen type.
If customer is providing own chairs, a sample chair should be brought to one of 3 showroom locations to ensure chair cover fits.
Add to cart


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Our ifixit store centre is Located in Chennai,India. We do Service throughout Chennai we do complicated repairs oppo a5 Led,lcd display touch Screen repair & replacement.
We are a leading oppo a5 repair service centre in the Chennai. We repair and replace oppo a5 Screen replacement Chennai,Tamilnadu. And also we can repair all types of oppo a5 mobile phones.


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I'm giving my grandma a break from my incessant interviews. Afterall, it is the holidays. Oh, and I'm sorry about the lack of photos. My photos are on my computer, but I left the power cord back in Texas, but I will add photos later.
I have never really thought of my family as being a family big on tradition, but as you "melt and merge" new families together, you realize all the small things that go into making the holidays wonderful for your family. My family always gathers together on Christmas Eve to listen to Christmas music ushered in by radio personality Delilah. We sit around the Christmas tree and open one special gift. When we were really young we got to open up a set of pajamas, but as we got older we received an ornament. My grandma Mary Ellen usually comes over to take pictures and gives my mom an ornament. Afterwards, my little brother and sister put their homemade gingerbread cookies and Pepsi out for Santa (The Pepsi thing started when my other sister and I were younger because we are lactose intolerant and apparently Santa is too.). They then sprinkle their reindeer food on the front lawn and run off to bed where they pretend to sleep. Everyone else stays up super late trying to cook and get the rest of the presents wrapped. We also set out the presents from Santa creating a picture perfect scene.
Last year, My mom gave me all of the ornaments that I had been given throughout the years to place on my own tree. All the decorations match on my tree, so instead of putting them on my tree, I put them on garland throughout our house. Ben and I decided to take up the old tradition of giving pajamas to each other on Christmas Eve. We really enjoy the pajamas because we stay in our pajamas all day on Christmas.
For the first time last year we had a dinner on Christmas Eve in addition to out Christmas day dinner with all of my mom's side of the family. Everyone came over to our apartment and I hosted our Christmas Eve party. I made bread and fresh Crab chowder with plenty of sides. We ate yummy food and opened presents from each other. This year we are doing something similar with Ben's family. They have their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, so we will be going over to my brother and sister in-law's for dinner tonight. I'm still unclear on many of their other traditions, but I will report back with more details later.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Advent Calendar: Christmas Eve
Posted by Ben and Natasha at 1:10 PM
Labels: Christmas Eve, Ornaments, Santa, traditions
1 comment:
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Kenny Chesney Goes 'Six for Six' With Sell-Outs in Pittsburgh
Kenny Chesney celebrated an iconic achievement over the weekend. The seasoned touring veteran performed to more than 53,000 Pittsburgh, Pa. fans, which marked his sixth consecutive sold-out show at Henz Field. In celebration of the rare feat, the Rooney family — owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers — presented the singer with a cast iron Six for Six plaque, commemorating Chesney's perfect record for sold out shows at the famed stadium.
"I believe this might be the best gift I've ever gotten on the road," Chesney says of his accomplishment (quote via Sony Music Nashville). "It epitomizes all the heart and energy and passion that this crowd has, that this town has."
With his six sold-out concerts, which date back to 2005, Chesney has sold a staggering 300,000 tickets at the stadium. In addition to the plaque, Chesney received a Steelers helmet signed by Franco Harris, a former Pittsburgh Super Bowl MVP and Hall of Famer. Among the backstage guests during the show were Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Hall of Fame quarterbacks Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins and Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills.
While on stage, the 'Feel Like a Rock Star' singer told the packed crowd, "Every once and a while you get a crowd that's just special, and you feel the night begin to turn. All of a sudden, the stadium becomes a club."
Chesney, with help from pal Tim McGraw, is approaching the halfway point of a 22-city all-stadium tour. The next Brothers of the Sun show is scheduled for July 7 at Soldier Field in Chicago. Chesney is on the road promoting his latest album, 'Welcome to the Fishbowl,' which is expected to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's 200 Albums chart this week. The project features 'Come Over,' his latest Top 10 chart-climber.


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By Myra Saefong
Prices for West Texas Intermediate crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange traded at a premium versus Brent crude prices on ICE futures Friday.
That was the first time WTI cost more than Brent crude since October 2010 and WTI saw the biggest price premium over Brent since August 2010, according to data from FactSet, tracking weekly settlement prices for the most-active contracts for the two crudes.
In early afternoon trading Eastern time, August WTI crude /quotes/zigman/2291781 CLQ3 traded at $108.09, up 5 cents on Nymex. September Brent /quotes/zigman/2735837 UK:LCOU3 traded at $107.89, down 81 cents, or 0.8%.
The change in the spread indicates "a major correction in the WTI market regarding perceived supply," said Jason Rotman, president of Lido Isle Advisors.
A much bigger-than-expected drop in weekly U.S. crude-oil inventories, as reported by the Energy Information Administration on Wednesday, has helped WTI crude prices gain more ground against Brent prices. The weekly supply decline was the third in a row. Supplies had tallied a fall of roughly 20 million barrels over the previous two weeks. Nymex WTI crude futures were poised for a gain this week.
"U.S.-produced oil is a substitute, in terms of volume, to non-U.S. sources, and it's geographically safe and secure, sending a hedge into the WTI price, not into Brent," said Richard Hastings, a macro strategist at Global Hunter Securities.
Hastings made the comments when the price spread between the crudes traded at less than $1 early Friday.
"Brent, in turn, reflects macroeconomic weakness from around the world, something which is less meaningful to WTI pricing," he explained. "Assuming our petroleum product consumption and exports remain at recent levels or more, then the spread is dead."
Brent had been trading at a premium of around $19 at the start of this year.
–Myra Saefong
Follow the Energy Ticker blog on Twitter @EnergyTicker
Follow Myra @MktwSaefong


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Does anyone have any experience rebuilding a spartan 100 and 300 machine? I have the new motors and switches and rectifiers and wiring for both but the damn wiring schematics aren't up to date!
The rectifiers they show in the schematic are not the same as the ones they ship you ( polls in different directions ) and the polls on the actual switches are not labeled the way that they are in the plans...It is really frustrating. Got the 300 working but wondering about switch positioning. Right now the machine works forward with switch in the down position and reverses in the up position. not sure if this is right.
Havent gotten the 100 working yet but I think that is because of the retro fit plans and using the old power jack?


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The Potting Shed
Say the word flower and thoughts of a bouquet or a single bloom come to mind. Flowers can be more than that. We give them as gifts and place them at our table for decoration. Now see them in a different mode – good enough to eat. They leave the garden
and find their way to the table in salads, as garnishes on soups, floating in punch bowls and decorating cakes.
Edible flowers are not new phenomena. The ancients used flowers as medicines and in cooking. Different cultures have incorporated flowers in their cuisines. Stuffed squash blossoms are popular in Hispanic dishes; lotus and daylilies found their way into Chinese cooking. And if you think you could not eat flower buds or petals, think again if you have eaten broccoli, cauliflower or capers. They are all flower buds.
Important tips
Check flowers for any signs of disease of insect damage.
Pick and wash flowers in cool water the same day you are going to use them.
When using them, go lightly so not to overpower the flavor of the dish.
Never use flowers purchased at a florist; best to be safe and grow your own for consumption.
Use only flowers that are free of pesticides and other chemicals.
Those with allergies, hay fever or asthma should not eat or be served flowers.
Popular edible flowers
Borage is an herb with a beautiful, deep blue flower. The brilliant starshaped flowers can be sugared to garnish a cake or decorate a drink. The leaves have a subtle cucumber taste and are a tasty addition to a salad or for brewing herbal vinegar. Borage prefers full sun and reaches heights of 2 to 3 feet.
Calendula has a showy bright-orange flower. The dried petals make a good substitute for saffron. The flowers close at night and sometimes on dark days, but reopen again in morning sun. Flowers can be single or doubles and bloom from summer into the fall, reaching from 1 to 2 feet tall in full sun.
Nasturtiums like full sun and soil with good drainage. The brightgreen, round leaves are covered with a mix of colors – deep yellow, orange, red, maroon and creamy white. Both leaves and flowers have a peppery taste and are tasty additions to salads and sandwiches. The small buds can be used like capers. Either the dwarf variety, growing no more than 18 inches in height, or the creeping variety with long stems that can trail along the ground or in a container. If left to climb, the curling variety can go vertical up to 6 feet if given a good support such as a trellis or fence.
Pansy flowers frozen in ice cube trays add an elegant touch when floated in a punch bowl or added to lemonade, iced tea or any cold beverage. Pansies make a pretty addition to a salad bowl.
Scented geraniums are noted for their fragrant and interestingly shaped leaves. The scent is noticeable when brushing against the leaves, or it can easily be smelled if you walk by the plants on a very hot day. The miniscule flowers are insignificant, and it is the leaves with exotic scents of rose, lemon rose, cinnamon, nutmeg, apricot, lime and pine that make the plant so appealing and charming. The leaves are edible and used to flavor cakes, jams, puddings and beverages or any other imaginable way you might want to add them to a particular dish as a garnish or flavor enhancer. Scented geraniums are annuals in colder climates; however, they can winter over as lovely houseplants. Outdoors in the garden or in a container, provide them with plenty of sun, welldrained soil and water during dry periods.
Edible flowers add a magical touch to a menu when serving guests. Play it safe when choosing edible flowers. Everyone's palate will enjoy a special treat.
Carole McCray lives, writes and gardens in the scenic Laurel Highlands east of Ligonier, Pa. She is an award-winning writer; her most recent award was the Garden Writers Association Award for her article on Native Seeds which appeared in The Christian Science Monitor newspaper. She can be reached at mountain26@ verizon.net.
Photos courtesy of Lynn Rawl, AgriLife Extension Service, San Antonio, Texas.


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Electromechanical Timer, 208 to 277VAC Voltage, 40 Amps, Max. Time Setting: 23 hr.
- Item # 20XE83
- My Part #
- Mfr. Model # T104PCD82
- Catalog Page # 417
Using 360° Viewing:
- Rotate: Use top-to-bottom, side-to-side by use of mouse arrow.
- Zoom In: Double click on image.
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Product Details
Technical Specs
- Item Electromechanical Timer
- Type 24-Hour
- Number of Poles 2
- Contact Form DPST
- Voltage 208 to 277VAC
- Amps 40
- Contact HP @ 240V 5
- Day Skipper No
- Enclosure Type Polycarbonate
- Finish Gray
- NEMA Rating 3R
- Min. Time Setting 1 hr.
- Max. Time Setting 23 hr.
- Max. On/Off Cycles 12
- Width 7-1/8"
- Depth 4"
- Height 11-1/2"
- Number of Trippers Included 4
- Extra Trippers Mfr. No. 156T1978A
- Operating Temp. -40 Degrees to 130 Degrees F
- Description/Special Features Clear Plastic Door
- Mount Surface
- Standards CSA, UL
- Nominal Max. Time Setting 24 hr.
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This Is Cheating: 7'5" In High School! (Tallest Player Abusing Kids In HS)
"7'5" Mamadou Ndiaye Is The Tallest Player In High
School; " - BBallislife
Posted by m
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Dear Valued Customers, We would be very much honored if TravelBook.ph could become a part of your journey to a wonderful travel experience. As a person who has so much passion for traveling, I want to assure you that we will tirelessly continue to provide you with better services. Your suggestions and comments on how we could improve our services would be highly appreciated. Thank you very much, and we hope to be a part of your future travel adventures. Travel more!
Hello TravelBook Customers! TravelBook.ph would like to be diligent, honest, and open to providing an extraordinary travel experience to all our customers in the Philippines. I believe that traveling gives you the opportunity to discover something new, deepen your bonds with your loved ones, and more. We aim to be your best travel partner with our excellent products and convenient, reliable service.
Hello to all of our customers! I am TravelBook's IT manager, and I develop products day by day here at the company. I am also always thinking about you, our customers, and how we can improve ourselves for you. Among the enhancements we've made are better promo deals, TravelBook Rewards, and a more comfortable and convenient booking system. I hope you can find hotels that fit your travel needs and make beautiful memories on your trips with TravelBook.ph.
Hey, dear travelers! As TravelBook's marketing head, I am in charge of understanding the market. This way we are able to adapt to our travelers' needs and provide paramount services and products to deliver utmost satisfaction to all our customers. Our mission is to become the preferred choice for online hotel booking when traveling around the Philippines. Here at TravelBook we continuously strive to promote domestic travel. We seek to create excitement by offering awesome travel benefits through our discounts and rewards, enabling travelers to save more and travel more.


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Uniqlo parent and Japanese fashion powerhouse Fast Retailing's reported interest in preppy American retailer J. Crew Group Inc. has garnered news headlines in the fashion world the past few days, and for a good reason.
Fast Retailing /quotes/zigman/139215/realtime JP:9983 , with its Uniqlo brand representing more than four-fifths of its more than $11 billion in sales, has counted on Uniqlo's overseas growth, about 22% of its total business, to do much of the heavy lifting in Chief Executive Tadashi Yanai's goal to grow the company's sales to $50 billion by 2020. His aim is high: To become the largest global apparel player and beat other industry giants from Gap Inc. /quotes/zigman/227242/delayed /quotes/nls/gps GPS in the U.S. to Zara parent Inditex /quotes/zigman/282633/realtime ES:ITX and H&M /quotes/zigman/177851/realtime SE:HMB in Europe.
While Yanai has bought brands including upscale labels Theory and J Brand to spur Fast Retailing's growth, those brands separately still don't hold much weight, and together only represent about 18% of the company's total sales. Buying J. Crew, however, would change that picture. J. Crew, which agreed to go private for the second time in 2010, is run by industry-termed "merchant prince" Mickey Drexler, who as a former Gap CEO grew the San Francisco retailer to the largest specialty apparel player in the U.S.
It also doesn't hurt that Drexler and Yanai have both been quoted expressing their admiration for each other.
Both J. Crew and Fast Retailing representatives have declined to comment.
Adding J. Crew will also give Fast Retailing a significant jump in market share in the U.S. While Uniqlo entered the U.S. in 2006, it only has 17 stores in the U.S. so far, with the company planning to add another five this spring and summer. That pales against Uniqlo's global footprint of about 1,300 stores, including about 450 outside of Japan in markets from Taiwan to Germany. Uniqlo has said in an interview with MarketWatch that it wants to grow U.S. sales to $10 billion by 2020, which would be equal to one-fifth of the company's targeted total sales.
J. Crew, on the other hand, has 330 stores, mostly in the U.S. The company in late February said its revenue for the most recent fiscal year jumped 9% to $2.43 billion.
According to Euromonitor data, Fast Retailing only had a 0.01% share of the $298.9 billion U.S. apparel market in 2013, compared to J. Crew's 0.7% share.
Globally, Fast Retailing had a 0.8% share in the $1.42 trillion market, trailing behind top three global players Inditex, H&M and Gap, each of which held a little over 1% global share. Nike Inc. /quotes/zigman/235840/delayed /quotes/nls/nke NKE also was bigger than Fast Retailing with a 0.9% share of the apparel market while Adidas held the same 0.8% share. J. Crew only had a 0.1% share, Euromonitor data showed.
In Japan, Fast Retailing had an 11% market share.
A purchase of J. Crew "would place the company ahead of key global rivals H&M and Inditex in the U.S. market rankings," Euromonitor said in a report. "Fast Retailing needs something meatier to beef up its market share. The acquisition of J. Crew would certainly ramp up the pace. J. Crew could be a noteworthy addition to Fast Retailing's existing portfolio. (It) would give the company access to the lucrative affordable luxury segment, while enabling its flagship brand Uniqlo to draw upon J. Crew's design expertise. The deal would bring Fast Retailing a big step closer to achieving its American dream."
— Andria Cheng
— Follow her on Twitter @AndriaCheng.
More from Behind the Storefront:
Modell's CEO in hot water for undercover visit to Dick's Sporting Goods
Watch out Lego: Barbie, Hot Wheels are coming for a bigger piece of your pie


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GLENDALE — A Dream Team? Not so fast.
At least not according to longtime Philadelphia Eagles Coach Andy Reid, who tempered expectations over his team's new look on Wednesday.
"Right now, we've got a lot of good-looking guys standing around watching," Reid, a former Glendale Community College player in the 1970s, told ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike in the Morning. "Obviously, dreams aren't reality, so the reality will come when I get my hands on them and we get them into practice and start grinding here like the other guys are grinding. That's reality. If you're dreaming in this league, you end up in about the third row with a concussion."
Still, that hasn't stopped fans from gushing over the team's latest acquisitions.
Last week, the Eagles acquired Pro-Bowl cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha (five-year deal) and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (via the Kevin Kolb trade with the Arizona Cardinals) to bolster a position that already featured Asante Samuel, a four-time Pro Bowler himself.
The glut of talent at the position presents an interesting, if not, pleasant, dilemma for Reid and his coaching staff.
"That's a pretty good situation for a coach ... you find a way to work them in and keep them all working," Reid said in the same interview. "That's what our challenge is as coaches. We kind of welcome that."
The Eagles also added running back Ronnie Brown and quarterback Vince Young. Brown, a 2008 Pro Bowler who has spent his entire six-year career with the Miami Dolphins, adds a veteran presence behind LeSean McCoy. And Young, the former college standout who led Texas to the 2006 Rose Bowl win over USC, signed a one-year deal to backup Michael Vick at quarterback.
"You hear a lot of history about Eagles Nation," Young told CSNPhilly.com. "And just to be part of it, I'm very, very happy to be here and be a part of a great, great organization."
While the roster appears stellar on paper, the team is without a few key players. Star wide receiver DeSean Jackson, reportedly holding out for a long-term contract, has yet to report to training camp at LeHigh University. And budding receiver Jeremy Maclin, who missed the start of training camp because of an unspecified illness, showed up to camp for the first time Tuesday.
About Jackson, Reid told the Philadelphia Inquirer: "You don't want any player to miss time. You don't want them to do that. You understand that's part of the game, but I don't want any player to miss time. I want them to be out here. I think the players want to be out here, likewise, but there's two sides to this. There's the football side, the business side. You have to work it through if things happen."
The Eagles absorbed another blow Wednesday when former USC defensive tackle Mike Patterson collapsed an hour into practice. Patterson reportedly fell on his back near the start of line drills and appeared to be convulsing. Reid later said that Patterson had suffered a seizure but was alert and stable at the hospital undergoing exams, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.
As a precaution Patterson remained overnight at LeHigh Valley Hospital for observation.
Despite the absences, the Eagles' acquisitions — which also includes right tackle Ryan Harris, defensive end Jason Babin, defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins and first-round draft pick Danny Watkins — has drawn a figurative bull's-eye on their backs.
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, without directly mentioning the Eagles, said: "I don't know if we win the all-hype team. That might have gone to someone else, but we're going to beat their ass when we play them."
Reid laughed off those remarks Wednesday in the interview with ESPN Radio.
"I would have been pretty upset if he'd have said it was a hot dog eating contest," Reid said. "I would have been ready then. I don't really care about that stuff. Anybody can say what they want to say. Reality is when you strap it on and play. That's where it all takes place."


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Key species
Fish Net is focusing on species of killifish and livebearers that are threatened, some of which are critically endangered or extinct in the wild. Many of these species are notable for inhabiting harsh environments and are often considered important indicators for ecosystem health.
People involved
ZSL's Brian Zimmerman is the manager of Fish Net
Partners and Sponsors
- Vienna Zoo
- Hacettepe University
- Doga Dernegi
- Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
- Faruk Yalcin Zoo
- Kastoria Aquarium
Kindly funded by: Darwin Scoping Grant, Darwin Initiative, EUAC, A G Leventis Foundation


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|BoardGameBlissCatan: New York
|Visit Store
Shopping at eBay, Walmart, or Jet.com? Click here to get $10 cashback from Ebates!
On Mars launches, Anachrony returns from the future, and the newest game from Plaid Hat takes a cute, if violent turn.
A new Star Wars game, a new Lord of the Rings game, and other embarassments of riches in this week's board game news brief.


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SALISBURY — Owners of the Waterhouses Campground off West Shore Road in Salisbury are seeking town permission to open a 30-seat restaurant in their recently renovated marina on Lake Dunmore.
The proposal is one in a series of recent and ongoing improvements to a 170-acre property that the members of Dunmore Group LLC want to make more financially self-sustaining.
Dunmore Group representatives presented their plans to the Salisbury Development Review Board on March 16. The application calls for:


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Techwin have accumulated abundant experiences in design and development of fiber amplifier, especially in double cladding fiber amplifier technology, such as suppressing ASE and the nonlinear effects of the fiber. It is an ideal choice for small signal and pulse signal amplifier applications.
The max output power is 50W.
The peak power up to 10kW.
Microwatt level small signal amplifier, low noise, high gain.


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Secure Boot distribution supportDec. 27th, 2012 07:02 pm
It's after Christmas, and some number of people doubtless ended up with Windows 8 PCs and may want to install Linux on them. If you'd like to do that without fiddling with firmware settings, here are your options.
- Ubuntu 12.10
The 64-bit version of Ubuntu 12.10 ships with an older version of Shim that's been signed by Microsoft. It should boot out of the box on most systems, but it doesn't have some of the most recent EFI patches that improve compatibility on some machines. Grab it here.
- Fedora 18
Fedora 18 isn't quite released yet, but the latest 64-bit test builds include a Microsoft signed copy of the current version of Shim, including the MOK functionality described here. Fedora 18 has some additional EFI support patches that have just been merged into mainline, which should improve compatibility on some machines - especially ones with Radeon graphics. It also has improved support for booting on Macs. You can get it here, but do bear in mind that it's a test release.
- Sabayon
According to the wiki, Sabayon now supports UEFI Secure Boot out of the box. I don't know if the current CD images do, though. My understanding is that it's based on the Microsoft signed Shim I discussed here, and you'll have to manually install the key once you've booted the install media. Straightforward enough.
- Other distributions
Suse will be using a version of Shim signed by Microsoft, but I don't think it's in any pre-release versions yet. Debian have just merged UEFI support into their installer, but don't have any UEFI Secure Boot support at the moment. I'm not sure what other distributions are planning on doing, but let me know and I'll update the list.
- The Linux Foundation loader
The Linux Foundation have still to obtain a signed copy of their bootloader. There's no especially compelling reason to use it - the use case it supports is where you have users who can follow instructions sufficiently to press "y" but not to choose to enrol a key. The most interesting feature it has is the ability to use the MOK database via the usual UEFI LoadImage and StartImage calls, which means bootloaders like gummiboot work. Unfortunately it implements this by hooking into low-level functionality that's not actually required to be present, so relying on this may be somewhat dubious.


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Foundation Stories: Jennifer Scott
Jennifer Scott is majoring in office administration (OFAD) with a concentration in medical administration. She wants to work in a hospital, but her dream is to run one.
"The scholarship made me believe Memphis was not only a good place but a great place. I want to tell others give, because you don't know whose life you'll be touching. You'll make someone's hope a reality and enable students young and old want to make their community a better place. Now, I want to help someone just like me when I graduate. It really does make a difference."
"If you just try here, Southwest will help you succeed. They will do everything in their power to point you in the right direction or open a door."


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STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS Teaser Trailer Here!
Tim here with the first exclusive teaser trailer for star wars: The Force Awakens finally upon us! Let me say that it's pretty awesome! Below is the YouTube video:
You can also head over to Apple Trailers to watch it, and if you have a an AppleTV it's able to be played on your HDTV through that by going to the Trailers app. First thoughts are that the opening shot is very JJ Abrams, and gets the trailer moving with some quick glimpses of his vision of the Galaxy Far, Far Away… It's John Beyega in Stormtrooper uniform without his helmit seemingly stranded on Tatooine. We get a brief look at a new droid, followed by an intense three (possibly four) shot sequence with Stormtroopers in a drop ship. Next we get Daisy Ridley on top of a speeder, and I must comment that she looks like a descendent of Padme Amidala based on her facial structure, and as a result the daughter of Leia and Han Solo. That seems to fit with the running theories. We then get an interior shot of an X-Wing pilot followed immediately by an exterior shot of that X-Wing being joined by two others. And we finally get the forshadowing shot: a tracking shot of a Sith, in a snowy and wooded environment, walking amongst the trees until something/someone causes him to pull out his red lightsaber. Note the cool design where the hilt of it shoots out short perpendicular blades. And the trailer concludes with the money shot: the Millennium Falcon soaring over the sky while the camera tracks it back down to the surface of Tatooine and two TIE Fighers shooting at it… and missing.
star wars: The Force Awakens is set to hit theaters Dec. 18, 2015. JJ Abrams is directing, and it stars John Boyega, Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley with Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher also reprising their roles. It's shot in 35mm Film, with some sequences shot in 70mm IMAX film, and will be a 3D conversion.


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Cottage Grote Goesting (Wevelgem West flanders)
Environ 10 km de Herseaux
10 persons
Residence Grote goesting is located in Wevelgem (West-Flanders), about 6 km from Kortrijk. It is situated in a quiet environment on the domain of a former farm and still close to shops, ... Read more
Cottages of charm Herseaux and the vicinity with wireless internet
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Select the services
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869 £ /week.
Cottage Grote Goesting (Wevelgem West flanders)
244 £ /week.
Cottage La Maison d'Adam (Hellemmes lille Nord)
Environ 13 km de Herseaux
2 persons
2 Review
"Les Moëres" is a perfect city cottage for your business trips or tourist. Near the center of Lille within 10 minutes, it is close to the University of Lille III and also ... Read more


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This is a big week in the genealogy world with both the Southern California Genealogy Society Jamboree and the Institute on Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University. I was not able to attend either event this year, but am able able to get a little taste of the fun by following my friends through Facebook posts and genealogy blogs.
Randy Seaver posted a SCGS Genealogy Jamboree Blog Compendium on his Genea-Musings blog with links to many other blog posts about the Jamboree. This is a fun way to read the play by play about the conference. The stalking report by Sheri Fenley at Jamboree 2012 and Progress on My List was one of my favorite accounts.
I have attended the Institute on Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) for the last three years, and am missing my "summer camp" with genealogy friends. If you would like to get an idea of what goes on at IGHR then you may like to join me in reading the daily posts on these genealogy blogs:
Harold Henderson on Midwestern Microhistory
(Advanced Library Research: Law Libraries & Government Documents course)
Cinamon Collins on (Mis)Adventures Of A Genealogist
(Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis course)
Judy Russell, JD, CG on The Legal Genealogist
(African-American Research course)
If you know of others who are blogging about their experience in IGHR courses then please leave me a link in the comments. I would love to read more.


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All About Chief Active Homes
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Crumbling admired ones commonly accept problems in assuming activities of circadian active such as traveling to the bath on their own, charwoman themselves, and agriculture themselves. Chief active homes abetment crumbling individuals accomplish the activities they are clumsy to do by themselves and they aswell action casework that will advance the superior of activity of these crumbling individuals. Apart from that, chief active aswell guarantees that these chief citizens access actual diet and exercise. A acceptable chief active home is a added acceptable another than just abrogation your crumbling ancestors associates on their own to bulwark for themselves.
Acrimonious a chief active home is harder plan as there are a accomplished lot to aces from and you accept to aces the appropriate one for your crumbling cogent other. There are abundant things you accept to appraise if selecting a chief active home for your crumbling ancestors associates and by far the a lot of capital is the atmosphere of the ambiance in the chief active home. An acrimonious or animated atmosphere is absolutely damaging to your crumbling about and he or she will not accept a added advantageous superior of life. In accession to that, ensure that the chief active home you end up acrimonious provides lots of alternative in their calm and alfresco activities. Moreover, if your crumbling cogent added has different bloom demands, accomplish assertive that the chief active home you adjudge on has the accommodation to cede this. It is best to accept a chief active home that works in concert with a medical centermost so that if any bloom problems arise, they are able to acknowledge appropriate and appropriately.What Do You Know About Resources
Where To Start with Caregivers and More


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Minnesota Breeding Duck Population Rises
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Despite a record late ice-out, spring waterfowl surveys show that Minnesota's breeding duck population has improved from last year.
The Department of Natural Resources estimates the state's breeding duck population at 683,000 compared with 469,000 last year. This year's estimate is 10 percent above the long-term average.
This year's Canada goose population is estimated at 250,000, considerably less than last year's 416,000. The DNR says cold temperatures and April snowfall combined with a late ice-out reduced nesting success. But DNR wildlife section chief Paul Telander says the goose population remains higher than managers want it to be.
So Minnesota will hold its first-ever August Canada goose season from Aug. 10-25 in a special zone in west-central Minnesota.
The DNR will announce this fall's waterfowl hunting regulations later this summer.


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Are they really a threat? Or are they just clowning around?
The Michigan ACLU has joined Detroit horrorcore rap group Insane Clown Posse in its lawsuit against the FBI and the Justice Department. The suit alleges the FBI wrongly classified ICP fans — known as juggalos — as a criminal gang.
The lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Detroit Wednesday, alleges that the U.S. government provoked unwarranted law-enforcement harassment of juggalos when they identified them as "a loosely organized hybrid gang" in the FBI's 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment. Four fans have joined the suit as plaintiffs.
Juggalos and juggalettes, as female fans are known, maintain a distinctive appearance, often wearing face paint, ICP-related tattoos and jewelry featuring "the hatchet man," the distinctive logo of Psychopathic Records, which was co-founded by ICP's members in 1991.
Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope — the stage names of members Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, the group's two members — have been battling the federal government in court since 2012 to obtain information about what precipitated the government's decision to label juggalos a gang. So far, they've received copies of news stories about crimes committed by suspects fitting the description of juggalos.
In a press conference Wednesday morning, Violent J described how the FBI's gang designation has negatively impacted the lives of hard-core ICP fans across the U.S.
"The FBI gang designation has caused real and lasting harm to the lives of the juggalos. Parents have lost custody of their kids, they've been fired from jobs, they've been denied housing they've been subjected to illegal searches and sometimes added to gang database for walking down the street wearing an ICP T-shirt," Violent J said at a Wednesday morning press conference.
"That's insane, if you think about it," he added.
In a tweet published Wednesday, the ACLU of Michigan wrote "it may not be your cup of tea, but it's not a gang."
Watch the full press conference here:
–Joseph Adinolfi
Follow him on Twitter @jsadinolfi.
Follow Marketwatch @marketwatch
More news from The Margin:
White House says 'polar vortex' likely caused by global warming
Satan monument in Oklahoma pitched as 'complement' and 'contrast' to 10 Commandments installation


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Alan Jackson talks Nashville, music
Written by Gayle Jo Carter/USA TODAY.com
Grammy winner, Alan Jackson is on tour now for his new CD, Thirty Miles West.
The country star, 53, is also a licensed pilot and family man. Of his marriage to high school sweetheart, Denise, Jackson says: Weve been through a lot together. As you get older, what I appreciate is that history.
Read on for more from Jackson on his family, summertime in Nashville and country music favorites.
On having only daughters: Its like second nature to me. I grew up with four older sisters and I was the only boy; all Ive ever been around was girls. I think it would have been unnatural for me to have a son in the house. I love my daughters, Jackson says of Mattie, 22, Ali, 19, and Dani, 15. When I get real old, theyll take good care of me.
Favorite shows: In the mid-90s, Jackson used to set up a lake show outside his house in Nashville: People could come by boat. It was free, just a good-natured thing. We had thousands of boats out there. Theyd anchor a day or two in advance; theyd just be waiting, Jackson says. We had Shania Twain, when it was her first year. She hadnt even toured yet. She came out in a pair of overalls [with] a couple of acoustic players and played. The crowd was so excited to see her for [the] first time.
Summertime on the lake: Weve had a lake home for years. [Its] where I feel really content [when] its late in the summer and theyre there and everybodys just enjoying this lifestyle Ive been fortunate enough to create for them and do the things I did growing up. I really still love that.
Must have on the road: Other than Jack Daniels, theres not much else you can take out there. Im pretty easy, Im not one of these artists who [has] to have all red M & Ms or something in my dressing room. I dont care what food is on the bus.
Song to perform: Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning) is such a powerful song, Ive seen people get up and leave after that song is over because theyve been waiting for it, Jackson says, about his memorable tribute to September 11. Something I have to do every night thats fun, that song Chattahoochee, I did years ago. Its just a lighthearted song.When I kick it off, people love that, and Im talking about kids that are too young to have been around when it came out and people older. It connects with people, and I dont get tired of playing it.
Place to write a song: Most of my better melodies and ideas seem to come [when] I drive, Jackson says. In the Nashville area I have a routine, which takes me down quiet country roads where nothing is going on. I dont have music on; my old cars dont have radios worth listening to. [Its] quiet and thats when a lot of my best melodies and ideas come to me.
On making music: Ive kept my music pretty much as it always was and thats the reason I came to Nashville: To make real country music, Jackson says . Its [country music] becoming less and less that type of music . Im glad I was able to keep mine real and have it work all these years.
Favorite new music: The Band Perry theyre writers. That first song about dying too young [If I Die Young] and that girls voice, shes [Kimberly Perry] unique and a great singer, the real deal. They played on the road with me, Jackson says. Zac Brown Band. He and I have done some stuff together. I really respect Zac and his band; theyre real musicians. Ive always been a fan of Miranda Lambert.
Whats on his iPod: My girls gave me an iPod and they downloaded all this old stuff I like and new stuff, Jackson says. But I dont use it that much, I dont like having those things in my ears.
Flying freedom: Jackson has his pilots license. When I started flying to work, I got interested in watching [the pilot who flew me] and he taught me. At that time, we had a farm with a pretty big grass strip and I had a plane with amphibious gear, so I [could] land on water, the lake. [I] just kind of flew around Nashville. I still have my license, I just dont fly. Denise got tired of my flying and worrying about me.


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Enviromental Groups Want Bison Listed As Endangered [Audio]
Environmental groups have filed notice they plan to sue the Federal Government to force officials to grant federal protections for the plains bison, Doug Randall has that story. Business reporter Sharon Fain says the 11th Annual Native American Expo and Wind River Business Conference will be held May 4th. Click past the jump to listen to Wyoming Radio News.


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This "two windows" problem is caused by Chrome being unable to actually launch in Windows 8 mode on my computer.
Why? Because:
• I brutally murdered all of Chrome's autostart entries and system integration stuff.
• I also mangled the metro part of my windows, I want a proper desktop OS, not a tablet.
• Also: doesn't help that I'm not actually running Windows 8, but Windows 10 Developer preview. :)
Chrome needs to stop using the "Windows 8 Mode" terminology ASAP. Windows 10 releases in less than a year!
Go to Registry
Delete everything in the Metro folder, including the folder itself. Just to be safe. I only had one key in there, which governs the mode Chrome launches in. It was set to "1", which means metro mode.
After I deleted it, I killed all chrome.exe entries in task manager (I actually use Process Explorer, but it should be the same deal in Task Manager too.)
Relaunch, you will see a "chrome has crashed" error, close it and you are golden.
If you relaunch chrome again, it will be perfect. No more double windows or "did not shut down properly" notifications.
Daniel "3ICE" Berezvai
p.s.: One of the two windows was for connecting with the metro engine, and you cannot even type into its omnibar. I'm glad the other (desktop mode) window opens after a while, when chrome realizes metro has failed to launch. That's how I was able to Google my problem (and fail to find a solution.)


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At Thursday's UMass-Lowell practice, the player with the best flow on the Tsongas Center ice was a 43-year-old alumnus. Dwayne Roloson, the stringy-haired goalie, was taking a spin in his new role among youngsters who weren't born when he arrived in Lowell in 1990.
"Different rink, different everything," said Roloson, who played in Tully Forum from 1990-94. "I haven't been back for about three years now. There's even changes from three years ago. It's totally different. The downtown core is totally redone. So is the campus itself."
The development of the school and the city is not unlike the transformation Roloson underwent to become a modern NHL goalie. Like Tim Thomas, a contemporary, Roloson adapted to the game's changes. He evolved into a goalie who came up just short of backstopping the Lightning to a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2010-11.
Now, Roloson is transitioning again, although he trusts it is a temporary shift. Roloson is Lowell's volunteer assistant coach. On Thursday, Roloson traveled from his home in Stillwater, Minn., to Lowell, where he will stay until Tuesday.
For the duration of the NHL lockout, Roloson will join the team approximately once a month. He will work with the entire team, not just the goalies, assisting the River Hawks in whatever manner they wish.
The plan was more than 20 years in the making. Shortly after touching down in Lowell in 1990, Roloson and classmate Norm Bazin became fast friends. As freshmen, they talked about how they might partner later in life, on or off the ice.
Bazin, who is in his second year as UMass-Lowell's coach, believed this would be the right time for that reunion to take place.
"It's very good for our guys to see someone who's not only been able to play at the next level, but who's been able to graduate from here and who is an alum," Bazin said. "I think it didn't hurt his career. It helped it. He was able to mature and take that extra time.
"Right after we graduated, Tim Thomas graduated from Vermont. He took some time to go to Europe to further develop, further mature. Both of them had longer careers than anyone who left early at that time.
"So many young men are in a rush nowadays to move out the door. They think if they don't grab their pro opportunity now, it may be lost. It's just the opposite. If they're prepared to do something when they have that opportunity, they'll be in better position to have a longer career."
Roloson was an undrafted 20-year-old freshman when he began his UMass-Lowell career under then-coach Bill Riley. Had UMass-Lowell not given him a chance, Roloson's 606 NHL appearances (Tampa Bay, Islanders, Edmonton, Minnesota, St. Louis, Buffalo, Calgary) might not have been possible.
"I was a 20-year-old junior guy," Roloson said. "Picking Lowell was the best thing that ever happened."
So as a form of payback, Roloson is making himself available. Last month, he was with the team for road games against Denver and Colorado College. On Thursday, Roloson was one of the first skaters on the ice — no goalie equipment, just a warmup suit — for shooting drills before practice.
Assistant coach Cam Ellsworth is the one primarily responsible for working with Lowell's goalies. Roloson's role is to serve as another resource.
"He's not trying to reinvent the wheel with us," said goalie Doug Carr. "He's just trying to fine-tune our game and give us little tips that have helped him. Now he's trying to help us, so it's great."
Coaching interests Roloson, although he acknowledges the stress that would accompany the position. But he is not ready to trade his mask for a whistle. Roloson (13-16-3, 3.66 goals-against average, .886 save percentage for Tampa Bay last year) believes he has tread remaining on his tires and has been skating with former Wild teammate Andrew Brunette to stay in shape.
"I want to play," Roloson said. "My body is just as good as it was 5-6 years ago. If I didn't feel like playing, didn't want to play, didn't have the drive to play, then obviously it's over. But I'm just trying to be ready in case that call does come or the opportunity comes to play."
If Roloson were younger, he might have signed overseas. During the 2004 lockout, knowing that a stoppage would be lengthy, Roloson joined Lukko Rauma in Finland in October. Now, with sons Brett and Ross requiring dad's attention, Roloson opted to stay put.
Roloson is facing a significant challenge. He is an unrestricted free agent coming off a down year. Anders Lindback and Mathieu Garon are the likely goalie combination in Tampa. Roloson does not want to play in Europe or the AHL.
"There are so many uncertainties now with the lockout," Roloson said. "With guys playing, they could get hurt. That could open up more doors. Right now, realistically, there's probably 3-4 teams that are looking. Other than that, it's going be tough, barring injuries or something strange happening."
But he has hope. He thinks an NHL job remains within his capabilities. It is the kind of approach his students aim to learn.
"He plays like he has the experience," said goalie Connor Hellebuyck. "He plays confident and calm. He knows he's going to make the save."
Fitness trainer has to adjust
Each summer, NHLers such as Martin St. Louis, Matt Moulson, and Max Pacioretty turn to Connecticut-based strength and conditioning coach Ben Prentiss to prepare them for another season. Prentiss's goal is to dial in his clients to peak for fitness testing at the start of training camp.
Now, Prentiss's guys have no target date.
"Say we target Sept. 10," said Prentiss. "With the program, we work backward toward that ultimate goal. Now, we don't know when that goal is. We're in a holding pattern."
The players who remain in North America have most likely seen their fitness levels decline from their offseason sweet spots.
During the summer, Prentiss's clients worked out five times a week, both on and off the ice. They ate neither meat nor gluten.
They are now working with Prentiss approximately three times a week. Prentiss uses an undulating program, which adjusts the intensity of the sessions within the week. Monday, for example, could be a high-intensity day. They will back off on Wednesday.
On Friday, they'll perform an in-between workout.
The sessions can't be as intense as the standard offseason workouts because of the uncertainty of the lockout's conclusion.
"Hockey players are typically working out for performance," Prentiss said. "When the end for that performance isn't in sight, it's difficult to motivate somebody. That's been a challenge."
Prentiss estimated that his clients are 25 percent off their summer fitness levels.
Ideally, he could accept a three-week window between the lockout's end and the start of the season to re-fire his players' engines. In all likelihood, there will be no such break-in period.
On Oct. 17, the NHL released details of its 82-game proposal. It required an agreement to be finalized by Oct. 25, camps to open the following day, and the season to start Nov. 2.
In theory, a week of camp should be enough for the players competing overseas to acclimate to NHL pace. That might not be the case for the stay-at-homers.
The risk would be strained groins, pulled quadriceps, and aching backs, some of the most likely injuries for players who hit the ground running without proper preparation.
In previous camps, the Bruins have divided the out-of-shape players from the main group.
"I feel bad for the strength coaches," Prentiss said of his NHL counterparts. "There's not much you can do other than hope guys have been working out. You can't get guys in shape in one week. It's impossible. If guys haven't been working out, there's going to be problems.
"You hope all the guys are prepared and have been in a holding pattern, circling — working out, eating right. By the time they land in training camp, they should be OK. But for guys who haven't been doing anything, there's nothing you can do in a week to get somebody prepared for an NHL season."
Scheduling nightmare
During the lockout, a person with one of the most challenging tasks is Steve Hatze Petros, the NHL's senior vice president of scheduling and broadcasting. Hatze Petros, with input from commissioner Gary Bettman, NBC Sports Network, and the 30 teams, is responsible for devising the league's schedule. Each team regularly updates him with arena schedules, which change during the lockout as events such as concerts, rodeos, and speaking engagements fill in dark dates. Had a CBA been in place for the season to begin Nov. 2, the NHL most likely would have started with the games originally scheduled for that date. For example, the Bruins would have opened Nov. 2 against the Capitals in Washington. Hatze Petros would have had to sprinkle the games originally scheduled for October (the Bruins had nine) into the rest of the schedule. Now, if December games are canceled, Hatze Petros must continue to maintain a fluid schedule in case of an agreement. If a shortened season is possible, the NHL's priorities are to maintain intraconference play to promote playoff races and give its national broadcast partners (CBC, NBC, TSN, RDS) their preferred games. The Bruins were originally scheduled for 18 games against Western Conference opponents. Those would be reduced or eliminated. Also, because NBC considers Boston a go-to market — Pittsburgh is the biggest American attraction because of Sidney Crosby — the Bruins would be in the mix for NBC slots.
Getting squared away
Through seven games, Niklas Svedberg had replaced Michael Hutchinson as Providence's No. 1 goalie. The Swedish puck-stopper had posted a 4-2-0 record with a 1.83 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage in his first year of playing on the smaller North American sheet. "With his angling, he's working on it," said Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli. "That's a function of playing in Europe. Shots will come at him from sharper angles and different spots. As a result, he leaves some rebounds because he's not completely square. But he's working on it. He's been good."
Fighting chance?
One of conditioning coach Ben Prentiss's current regulars is Colton Orr. The ex-Bruin tough guy has had a rough go lately. After back-to-back 82-game spins with the Rangers and Maple Leafs, Orr was limited to 46 games in 2010-11, mostly because of postconcussion syndrome. Orr appeared in five games for the Leafs last year before being demoted to the AHL. When healthy, the 30-year-old was considered one of the league's toughest and most honest fighters.
Leclaire retires
Former first-round pick Pascal Leclaire announced his retirement Monday, four days after turning 30. Leclaire, taken eighth overall by Columbus in 2001, cited hip injuries — a common complaint for modern-day goalies — as the reason. Leclaire appeared in 173 NHL games with Columbus and Ottawa. The Blue Jackets traded him to the Senators on March 4, 2009, in a package that returned Antoine Vermette. Less than three years later, Columbus wheeled Vermette to Phoenix, with Curtis McElhinney coming back in return. In McElhinney, the Blue Jackets might have found the reliable goalie they never had in Leclaire. Through 10 games for Springfield, Columbus's AHL affiliate, the 29-year-old McElhinney had an 8-1-1 record with a 1.29 goals-against average and .955 save percentage, the best marks in the league.
Loose pucks
Looks as though the Springfield Falcons made the right move in promoting two-year assistant coach Brad Larsen to the top job. Larsen's Falcons have featured airtight goaltending, solid defense, and balanced offense. Larsen's stay in Springfield might not be too long if the Falcons continue to win. Like many successful coaches, the ex-NHLer was a grinder during his playing days in Colorado and Atlanta . . . The Boston Blades of the Canadian Women's Hockey League will face off against players from the Russian national team this month. The first game will take place Nov. 27 at Somerville's Veterans Memorial Rink. A day later, the teams will have a rematch at Lawrence Academy. For more information, visit boston.cwhl.ca/view/cwhlbostonblades . . . The World Junior Championships are just over a month away. This year's tournament will take place in Ufa, Russia, starting Dec. 26. The Bruins could send six players: Dougie Hamilton, Malcolm Subban, Seth Griffith, Anthony Camara, Matt Grzelcyk, and Alexander Khokhlachev . . . The young people tell me that two of 2012's smash hits are "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "Call Me Maybe." Curious to know whether Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen ever believed they would provide the NHL lockout's soundtrack.Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeFluto. Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.


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FOX Business: Capitalism Lives Here
Mounting concerns about stalled U.S. budget talks, along with a warning from S&P on Great Britain's credit rating, sent stocks falling on Thursday.
Continue Reading Below
Today's Markets
As of 2:20 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 90.5 points, or 0.68%, to 13154, the S&P 500 dipped 12.3 points, or 0.86%, to 1416 and the Nasdaq Composite slumped 31 points, or 1%, to 2982.
Negotiations in Congress aimed at averting the fiscal cliff appeared to advance little Thursday. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner held a news conference in which he again accused President Barack Obama of slow walking toward the cliff. The painful punch of spending cuts and tax hikes looms just weeks away.
Meanwhile, Standard & Poor's put the U.K.'s top-notch 'AAA' rating on negative outlook from stable. This comes as a blow from one of Europe's biggest economies. Also in Europe, the European Union and International Monetary Fund agreed to provide Greece with its latest $64 billion tranche of rescue aid. The move averts a default on Greek debt.
Wall Street largely shrugged off a new round of monetary easing from the Federal Reserve. The central bank said Wednesday it will begin buying long-term Treasury bonds at a clip of $45 billion a month on top of $40 billion a month in mortgage-backed securities. The move initially sent stocks jumping, but then the markets ended essentially flat. That trend continued Thusrday as traders evaluated the effectiveness of the move.
"$45 [billion] doesn't buy what it used to," Will Hedden, a sales trader at IG in London, wrote in an email. "The immediate effect on the equities market is proving what we have long feared – that the returns are diminishing with each new stimulus."
Echoing that view, analysts at Deutsche Bank said in a note to clients Thursday morning that central banks ought to be more selective with their easing programs.
"Normally, weak companies fail, leaving the winners to advance and new companies to enter; but at the moment no company can win because the losers never leave the field as they receive support through continuous liquidity injections," they wrote.
There were also several economic reports released on the day.
The Commerce Department said U.S. retail sales rose 0.3% in November from October, less than the 0.5% expected. Excluding the auto segment, retail sales were unchanged from October. November is when the key holiday shopping season kicks off, so analysts are expected to pay especially close attention to these data.
The Labor Department said inflation at the producer level slipped 0.8% in November from October, a bigger drop than then 0.5% economists expected. Excluding the food and energy components, prices rose 0.1%, a shallower gain than the 0.2% forecast.
Another report from Labor showed new claims for unemployment benefits fell to 343,000 last week, the lowest level since the week of October 6, from an upwardly revised 372,000 the week prior. Claims were expected to remain unchanged from an initially reported 370,000.
Elsewhere, the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and three other major central banks extended temporary U.S. dollar liquidity swap lines through February 2014. The arrangement that has been important in easing strains on European banks, among others, was initially slated to expire in February 2013.
Energy markets were broadly lower. The benchmark crude contract fell 44 cents, or 0.5%, to $86.38 a barrel. Wholesale New York Harbor gasoline fell 0.33% to $2.637 a gallon.
In metals, gold sold off by $22.30, or 1.3%, to $1,696 a troy ounce.
Foreign Markets
The Euro Stoxx 50 fell 0.27% to 2623, the English FTSE 100 dipped 0.26% to 5930 and the German DAX slipped 0.52% to 7575.
In Asia, the Japanese Nikkei 225 soared 1.7% to 9743 and the Chinese Hang Seng slumped 0.26% to 7575.


text: My great aunt Mary took this photograph of me on the terrace of her house in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. She was elderly by then, but she had actually been a photographer in New York in the early part of the century. When she died, she left me all of her old photographs and I used many of them in the book (and on its cover) The Silent Boy.


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By Deepak Kapur, chair of the India National PolioPlus Committee and member of the Rotary Club of Delhi South, India
One year ago today, on 13 January 2011, the last case of polio was reported in India in the state of West Bengal. Rotary and our polio eradication partners quickly went into action, conducting a mop-up immunization round within six days of the report to stop further transmission.
India's polio eradication campaign continued in this vein throughout 2011. Rotary and the other polio eradication partners remained vigilant, conducting constant reviews and creating new strategies. With the help of more than 100,000 Rotarians across India, we were able to implement an effective, result-oriented campaign.
We built on the momentum by engaging both decision-makers and health workers on the ground. We advocated with political leaders and provided vital support – sometimes in emergency situations – by reaching out to communities and raising funds. As each week passed without any incidence of polio, motivation grew not only in the endemic states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, but also in polio-free regions of India.
We grew even more confident when we hit a significant milestone: making it through the peak season (monsoon) of virus transmission without any incidence of polio in the country.
Now that one year has passed without any new polio cases, the campaign is focusing on virus importation from other polio-endemic countries.
The success of the polio eradication campaign has changed the way of thinking in Indian society and government. This effort will certainly lead to similar health programs in areas that fail to achieve basic global health standards.
I am very hopeful that at this time next year, India will be celebrating its second year of being polio-free.


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Responses Posted to DOE Inaugural National Collegiate Wind Competition RFP Questions
Jan. 30, 2013
The RFP and responses to technical questions (Amendment 1) are available on the Federal Business Opportunities website, solicitation number RFC-3-23003. The deadline is February 19 at 5 p.m. Mountain Time.
On January 8, 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to participate in DOE's inaugural National Collegiate Wind Competition, designed to enable the DOE to help foster the growth of the future wind energy industry and workforce. The Competition is a forum for undergraduate college students of multiple disciplines to investigate innovative wind energy concepts; gain experience designing, building, and testing a wind turbine to perform according to a customized market data-derived business plan; and increase their knowledge of wind industry barriers. The theme of the inaugural competition in May 2014 is to design and construct a lightweight, transportable wind turbine that can be used to power small electronic devices.


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St. Charles City-County Library District
Board of Trustees
May 8, 2012
The St. Charles City-County Library District Board of Trustees met at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at the Administrative Offices located at 77 Boone Hills Dr., St. Peters, Missouri
Board Members present:
Board members absent:
Library Staff present:
President Myra Crook called the meeting to order at 7:05 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance. Eight members responded to roll call. Ms. Crook took this opportunity to introduce Georganne MacNab to the Board of Trustees. Staff welcomed Ms. MacNab and introduced themselves as well as their position in the organization. Ms. Crook opened the floor for public comments. No requests for time were received.
The following reports were included in the Board packet.
In regard to the Trustees' personal financial disclosure with the Missouri Ethics Commission, Joann Leykam requested a formal opinion from the District's legal counsel on whether or not the Board of Trustees is required to file a disclosure.
Consent Agenda
MOTION: Ms. Pelikan moved to approve the Consent Agenda as amended. Ms. Reese seconded. Motion approved eight affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and one absent.
Formal Agenda
Old Business
12-02 Spencer Road Branch Replacement
Change Order 029 includes additional pipe railing, a change from seed to sod, and a change to mulch from grass. The change order is for $7280.72. The final cost for the Spencer Road expansion project is $6,328,413.14. This is for information only; there is no need for formal Board approval.
Some additional modifications were made to the irrigation system including a backflow protector and a second water meter. The total for these modifications is approximately $9000.
There have been several customer requests for more accessible parking. The cost for converting five regular parking spots to four accessible spots—2 standard and 2 van—is $1200. Joann Leykam also recommended signage directing customers to the alternate location for more accessible spots on the parking lot.
12-03 Strategic Planning
Kristin Williams announced that the Strategic Plan updates will proceed on a quarterly basis. As outlined in the report, some of the leadership groups have provided very detailed progress on their initiatives, while still some other groups have not provided an update at all. Ms. Williams has received a lot of very positive feedback including appreciation from all levels of staff for being included in the process and allowed to express their opinion.
John Thoelke inquired about whether or not this is the final document for the 2012-2017 Strategic Plan? Ms. Williams clarified that the final document still needs the approval of the Board, but the District is proceeding as though this is the final document. Mr. Brown confirmed that the final Strategic Plan can be presented to the Board for its approval at the next meeting.
New Business
12-37 Security Hours for Kathryn Linnemann and Deer Run Branch Locations
The Kathryn Linnemann and Deer Run library locations are both requesting security hours in order to address the incidents with minors in their respective branches. Deer Run is requesting funds for a couple of hours Monday through Saturday, a total of 96 hours, for $3000. Kathryn Linnemann would like to increase the amount of hours for security from 14 to 19 hours per week. There are funds available in the Professional Services line-item of the budget. Deer Run's hours will be paid for solely from the FY12 budget; Kathryn Linnemann's hours will be paid from both FY12 and into FY13. Jerry Cook commented that, in the future if the need arises, please make the decision at the Administrative level and don't wait until the next Board Meeting to ask the trustees' approval. If the amount is reasonable and there is money in the budget, please make that decision. Mr. Thoelke concurred. The consensus of the Board is to proceed as Dr. Cook proposed in the future.
MOTION: Dr. Cook moved to increase the security hours at the Kathryn Linnemann Branch and add security at the Deer Run Branch as proposed in the agenda memo. Ms. Pelikan seconded. Motion approved eight affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and one absent.
12-38 FY13 Budget Markup—Personnel
Rick Schultz provided a budget comparison report with revised financial figures anticipating revenue for the new fiscal year, FY13, at $17,255,919.
Jim Brown provided two versions of the FY13 Personnel Budget proposal. Both versions include the following constant information:
The first Personnel Budget presented is the FY13—Base report. This version of the budget assumes no additions, no modifications, and no new positions. Basically, this budget takes the FY12 into FY13 and accounts for any necessary step increases only. The final proposed Personnel Budget for this version is $10,296,322.
The second Personnel Budget presented is the FY13—New Positions. This version of the budget includes existing staff positions and any proposed new positions in the District. All of the proposed positions or changes in current positions are outlined in detail in the Budget Notes provided tonight. The final proposed Personnel Budget for this version is $10,656,131.
Another cost to be considered in this process is the cost of healthcare. Based on information from our broker, the anticipated increase can be anywhere in the range of 12-15%.
The variance in the two versions of the proposed budget is $359,809. Mr. Brown is seeking direction on a budget that gives priority to certain items that have surfaced from the Strategic Plan process and implementation e.g. better communication; therefore, implementing an Intranet. Mr. Brown is also recommending a merit increase for all staff of 1%, possibly less.
Based on Mr. Brown's proposal and the end result of needing at minimum $359,809 to accomplish the entire "wish list", several Board members offered suggestions and recommendations on how to accomplish the staffing needs of the District, provide a merit increase, and stay on budget. Joann Leykam proposed that Branch Managers offer ideas on how they can "support" their staff needs. She also inquired about shifting or redirecting hours from one branch to another branch, or redirecting dollars from one portion of a budget to another portion of a budget. For example, if more personnel dollars are needed, then utilize dollars from materials to satisfy personnel within a branch. Mr. Brown clarified that currently our budgets our created as a district and are not broken down to the individual branch level. Ms. Leykam recommended possibly investigating this option in the future. These are just a couple of examples discussed by the Board and staff.
Lisa Pelikan concurred with Mr. Brown on the need for a merit increase for staff. She also suggested making a list of pros and cons for certain recommendations as well as researching how other library systems create their budgets, staffing, and support services in order to possibly get ideas for our district. Jerry Cook suggested getting input from staff and management as well. For the May 22nd budget work session, Dr. Cook also requested that Mr. Brown compile a prioritized list of items that must be accomplished this fiscal year along with their cost.
In reviewing individual line-items, John Thoelke inquired about two positions specifically. First, Mr. Thoelke surfaced the idea of a Facilities Manager for the Spencer Road Branch? Betty Murr responded that this was discussed as part of the Strategic Plan, but the District is not far enough along in the implementation of the Strategic Plan to implement that position. Mr. Thoelke also inquired about the Graphic Design position in the Marketing department; this position was kept in the budget a couple of years ago. It has remained unfilled since that time. Denise Mandle confirmed that the position has been posted for FY13.
12-39 FY12 Personnel Budget Adjustment—McClay
The request was made to adjust two positions for a net gain of .1 FTE at the McClay Road Branch.
After general discussion regarding adjusting hours from one employee to another and how those situations should be handled, Jim Brown indicated that no motion was needed. The hours can be adjusted within the FY13 Personnel Budget.
Based on the conversation regarding hours worked by staff, both the number of hours (FTE) and the location, and general personnel issues, Dr. Cook inquired about the District's current practice of posting and interviewing for "open" positions that are simply a change in the number of hours a current employee works e.g. changing a .4FTE to a .6 FTE. Currently, when hours are added to an existing position, the position is posted internally and applicants are interviewed. The job offer may or may not be made to the employee already in the position. Several trustees expressed their concern at the inefficiency and nonsensical approach as well as just the sheer necessity of it. Denise Mandle, Human Resources Coordinator, defended the practice explaining the fact that to not post the position would deny other employees "the opportunity" to apply for that position. Board members did not agree and recommended seeking a legal opinion from a law firm. Dr. Cook asked whether or not this would be an opinion that John Shaw, the District's legal counsel, could provide for us. Jim Brown indicated that if Mr. Shaw is not comfortable providing his own legal opinion, he could certainly provide a referral. The consensus of the Board is to seek legal counsel's opinion on this practice as soon as possible and report that opinion back to the Board of Trustees.
Jerry Cook asked Denise Mandle whether or not we have hired a Branch Manager for the Kisker Road Branch location. Ms Mandle confirmed that the new manager, Vivienne Beckett, starts Wednesday (tomorrow), May 9, 2012 at 9 am.
MOTION: Mr. Thoelke moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Reese seconded. Motion approved eight affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions and one absent.
The meeting adjourned at 9:05 pm.
Respectfully submitted
April C. Wootten, Recording Secretary
Secretary Board of Trustees Date