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Summary of Findings
Barack Obama's weeklong tour of the Middle East and Europe dominated campaign coverage last week, and 90% of the public heard at least something about his travels. Obama's trip became one of the biggest campaign events thus far, with 62% saying they heard a lot about it. The only campaign development more widely known was Obama's securing the Democratic nomination in June.
Despite all the media attention and the high level of public awareness, only 15% say they learned a great deal about Obama's approach to foreign policy from hearing or reading about his overseas trip. A third say they learned some about his foreign policy views, but more than half (52%) say they didn't learn much or learned nothing at all.
Democrats learned more than Republicans or independents. Among Democrats who had heard about the trip, 20% say they learned a great deal about Obama's foreign policy positions from hearing or reading about his travels, another 37% say they learned some. Among Republicans who had heard about the trip, 12% said they learned a great deal and 28% said they learned some. Most Republicans (60%) said they learned little or nothing from the coverage of the trip. Independents were more evenly split with 45% saying they learned a great deal or some about Obama's foreign policy approach from following his trip and 55% saying they learned little or nothing.
Media coverage of Obama's trip accounted for 51% of all campaign news last week, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism's (PEJ) Campaign Coverage Index, making it one of the most heavily covered campaign stories of the year. As has been the case throughout the general election campaign, media coverage of Obama outweighed that of Republican John McCain last week by a significant margin: 81% of the campaign stories analyzed by PEJ prominently featured the Illinois senator, while 53% featured McCain. Obama has enjoyed a persistent advantage over McCain in terms of public visibility, and last week the gap between the two candidates was the widest it has been. Fully 77% of the public said Obama was the candidate they heard the most about in the news last week, only 9% named McCain.
Widespread Perceptions of Press Bias
The media's sustained focus on the Obama campaign has raised questions about press bias. Overall, 42% of the public say that in covering the presidential election, the press has shown bias in favor of Obama. Only 6% say the press has been biased in favor of McCain, and 42% say the press has shown no bias at all.
Republicans overwhelming believe the press has been biased toward Obama (71%). Even many Democrats say the press has been biased in favor of Obama (28%), while 42% of independents see some bias toward Obama.
The public reacted similarly to the coverage of the two leading Democratic candidates near the end of the nomination contest. In early June, before Hillary Clinton decided to suspend her presidential campaign, 37% of the public said the press had shown bias in favor of Barack Obama in its coverage of the Democratic primaries. Only 8% said the press had been biased in favor of Clinton and 40% said the press had shown no bias. Republicans were much less likely to see bias in coverage of the primaries than in coverage of the general election campaign. Independents reacted about the same in each instance – 40% said the press was biased toward Obama in the primaries, and 41% said the press was not biased toward either candidate.
These findings are based on the most recent installment of the weekly News Interest Index, an ongoing project of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. The index, building on the Center's longstanding research into public attentiveness to major news stories, examines news interest as it relates to the news media's agenda. The weekly survey is conducted in conjunction with The Project for Excellence in Journalism's News Coverage Index, which monitors the news reported by major newspaper, television, radio and online news outlets on an ongoing basis. In the most recent week, data relating to news coverage were collected from July 21-27 and survey data measuring public interest in the top news stories of the week were collected July 25-28 from a nationally representative sample of 1,002 adults.
Sustained Interest in Economic News
In other news last week, the public continued to follow news about the U.S. economy closely. Fully 46% paid very close attention to reports about the condition of the economy and 29% listed this as the single news story they followed more closely than any other. The national news media devoted 6% of its overall coverage to the economy.
The media focused much more heavily on the presidential election than on the economy: 38% of the national newshole was devoted to the campaign. Barack Obama's trip did not boost overall interest in the campaign. Three-in-ten Americans followed campaign news very closely last week, unchanged from the previous two weeks. One-in-four (24%) listed the campaign as their most closely followed news story of the week.
Roughly three-in-ten (28%) paid very close attention to news about the war in Iraq, 11% listed this as their most closely followed story. News about Hurricane Dolly, which hit the South Texas coastline last week, was followed very closely by 19% of the public. The news media devoted 5% of its overall coverage to the hurricane.
As Beijing prepares for the Summer Olympics, 12% of Americans are very closely following news about China and the upcoming Games. Another 31% are following this fairly closely. Interest in the Olympic preparations is slightly higher than interest in the buildup to the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece (10% were following this story very closely in August, 2004 and 22% were following fairly closely).
About the News Interest Index
The News Interest Index is a weekly survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press aimed at gauging the public's interest in and reaction to major news events.
This project has been undertaken in conjunction with the Project for Excellence in Journalism's News Coverage Index, an ongoing content analysis of the news. The News Coverage Index catalogues the news from top news organizations across five major sectors of the media: newspapers, network television, cable television, radio and the internet. Each week (from Sunday through Friday) PEJ will compile this data to identify the top stories for the week. The News Interest Index survey will collect data from Friday through Monday to gauge public interest in the most covered stories of the week.
Results for the weekly surveys are based on telephone interviews among a nationwide sample of approximately 1,000 adults, 18 years of age or older, conducted under the direction of ORC (Opinion Research Corporation). For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
In addition to sampling error, one should bear in mind that question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of opinion polls, and that results based on subgroups will have larger margins of error.
For more information about the Project for Excellence in Journalism's News Coverage Index, go to www.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/journalism.


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at my super-cool collection of Wordless Wednesday linkies,
and let me know if you have one to add.
You can also link up a thumbnail from your post below!
Arghghgghhhhh!!! how exciting!! congrats
Now we need details - how much preggo are you? how are you feeling?
See? Women aren't high maintenance... just look at how much fun we can have with two red lines lol! Congrats!
Congratulations! That is awesome news!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! What a great way to share the news!! Thanks!!
OH MY GOSH!!! I'm squealing with delight for you, Lauren!! Congratulations!!!!
YAY!!!!! How exciting! Congratulations!!!! Wishing you a quick and healthy pregnancy. xoxoxoxoxo :-)
and best wishes :-)
Something must be in the water!! :) CONGRATS!!!!!!!!! I'm sooo happy for you!
Oh how exciting for you!! Congrats!
I like your pregnancy test- is it the one from the dollar store?? If it is, we use those too!! Lol
I'm pregnant too- 6 weeks. When's your due date? This is fabulous. I can't wait to read about your pregnancy!
Mikko's pregnant! Yippee Skippee! Oh wait! Your pregnant? Even better b/c Mikko's a bit young yet.
Wowzers! Well that's one heck of a way to spread the good news! Congratulations mama!!!!!!!
Wow!!! That's so exciting!! My best friend just found out two weeks ago that she's pregnant too. I just need to hang out with both of you and hope that it's catching, haha! :)
Congratulations. :)
OMG, Congrats! This is going to make me want to be pregnant *even more*! I'm trying to hold out to try until next Summer.
I had noticed more vague talks of another child lately. Heh. Oh, I wanna be preggers, too! lol
And what an awesome way to break the news to us!
Does Mikko know what that thing is? Is he excited?
Wow! Congratulations! I told my husband a few days ago that I thought you were pregnant (you know, just for the record, so I could be right later). I'm very happy for you and can't wait to hear more!
Congratulations!!! Best of wishes and all my blessing.
My WW post, here.
woot! woot! fabulous news - congrats to all ya'll :)
Congrats! very exciting news!! :)
Awesome! Congratulations! It is so much more "fun" with two! ;-)
Thanks for linking up today and thanks for the linky! I am a new GFC follower. :-D
Ha! I knew it! Your recent quietness and yesterdays mention of a secret totally convinced me.
Congrats! Can't wait to see your little family expand!
YAYYYYYYY!!!!!! Welcome to the wonderful world of having multiple kidlets. It's AWESOME! I kept thinking when you were posting about working from home and Mikko being bored, that what he needed was a sibling to play with! How fantastic for you guys! Happy pregnancy!!
WOW, congratulations!!!
Thanks for stopping by and linking up!
How wonderful! Congratulations to you and a happy, healthy pregnancy.
(And what a great wordless wednesday!)
WooHoo!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
WW: Goofy Contortionist
Wowzers! Congrats! Best wishes for a healthy & safe pregnancy! *hugs*
Hooray! Congrats to you & Sam & Mikko & new Hobo Baby!!
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! I am SO SO SO happy for you!!!!
Congratulations! I probably shouldn't admit this, but at first I thought this was a video game controller :p
Congratulations!!!! I'm VERY excited for you! =)
Congratulations!!!!! This is wonderful news :-)
Hey, that is the same kind of test I used a couple of months ago! They work great, don't they? It only cost $1 and I didn't believe the results, so Jordan ran out and wasted like $10 on a digital test--also positive :-)
Congratulations again!
Love those test. Congratulations!!!!
Hooray!!!! I love how he is pointing to it!! congratulations!
I'm late to Wordless Wednesday and look at what I missed out on! I feel like the unpopular kid at school who finds everything out last. lol Congratulations! That's exciting news. :) Can't wait to see the newest bundle of joy. I bet he or she will be just as adorable as Mikko.
Kristi, Live and Love...Out Loud
I'm Lauren Wayne, writer and natural parent. I embrace attached parenting with an emphasis toward green living.
Riding the rails with my husband, Crackerdog Sam, and our hobo kids, Mikko Lint Picker (born June 2007), Alrik Irontrousers (born May 2011), and Karsten (born October 2014). Trying every day to parent intentionally and with grace.
Read more about my family and me here, and join the hobo parenting movement.

subset: commoncrawl


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Put down your phone screen and crack open this intricately illustrated jigsaw puzzle, which celebrates pop culture of the 90's – the raddest decade ever.
In the 90's Icons jigsaw puzzle, the 500 pieces tesselate to reveal an intricately designed collage of pop-cultural classics. Any millennial will say that the 90's were the best decade (even though many were still in diapers at the time). Regardless, and putting the whole 90's-kid debate aside for a moment, they're very much right. Much of 90's culture dictates ours today. Without Friends or Seinfeld, would our world still turn? If Nirvana hadn't made it big, would grunge have ever reached the masses? Can anyone even pass a driving test without training in Mario Kart?? We doubt it, and this jigsaw puzzle just about proves it.
As you assemble this puzzle, get ready for a Nokia, Nintendo 64, Tamagotchi, Discman, Rollerblades, Bucket hats, CD-ROM, Beanie Babies, Chokers and more! Then there's personalities like Oprah, The Fresh Prince, Princess Diana, Madonna, The Spice Girls, and Britney Spears, as well as the classic film and TV of the 90s, Dawson's Creek, Jurassic Park, Pretty Woman, Home Alone, Mrs Doubtfire, Pulp Fiction, and more!
Blast your favorite Madonna album while you're doing the jigsaw for the full immersive experience.


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Hello… I'm Engaged!
He put a ring on it! ♥
Well what do you know… life continues to inevitably get busier and as much as I would love to update this blog more often, I just can't seem to find the time these days! But I wanted to share some special news: I am now engaged!
Last month on the 7th of July, my boyfriend-now-fiancé planned a surprise proposal for me. What I thought was just a simple Summerlicious dinner turned out to be one of the happiest moments in my life. Although I did think he might be up to something [thumbs up for strong intuitive skills!], I tried not to think much about it… you never know, right? But it turned out to be more than what I imagined it to be. He even got the whole thing on video:


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or 305.330.4392
Whether you provide in-home daycare services or you have a commercial facility, you may need certain insurance protection in order to continue operating your business and taking care of children. But daycare insurance isn't just about compliance; it's also about protecting your finances from the cost of lawsuits and property damages while showing parents just how seriously you take the care of their children.
Liability insurance is a must for both commercial and in-home care. With liability insurance, you can protect yourself in the event you are accused of neglect or abuse, since the policy will pay defense costs as well as the judgment, provided that it's within limits and was not due to willful neglect. Liability coverage can even cover incidents that occur while you and the children are away on field trips and can protect against accusations against any employees you have. In this day and age, when many children are on medication and some have food allergies, the added layer of protection provided by liability insurance is even more important.
When securing liability insurance, you'll need to consider both the deductible you can afford and the limits that sound reasonable to you. If you have a pool or you provide transportation of the children in a vehicle then make sure to mention that to the insurer. Commercial facilities might also consider employment liability and worker's compensation coverage in order to protect them against claims by their employees.
Liability isn't the only risk that daycare providers are exposed to. Their personal and business property may also be exposed to potential damage. Property insurance should, therefore, be secured by all day-care service providers. When you have a commercial facility, you can secure a commercial property insurance policy that protects the building, contents and some outside structures. In-home daycare providers should consider a home insurance policy that includes protection for their business practices. It's important to note that auto insurance and flood insurance need to be purchased separately.


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Multilevel and Longitudinal Modeling Using Stata, Second Edition, by Sophia Rabe-Hesketh and Anders Skrondal, looks specifically at Stata's treatment of generalized linear mixed models, also known as multilevel or hierarchical models. These models are "mixed" because they allow fixed and random effects, and they are "generalized" because they are appropriate for continuous Gaussian responses as well as binary, count, and other types of limited dependent variables.
The second edition has much to offer for readers of the first edition, reading more like a sequel than an update. The text has almost doubled in length from the original, coming in at 562 pages. This second edition incorporates three new chapters: a chapter on standard linear regression, a chapter on discrete-time survival analysis, and a chapter on longitudinal and panel data containing an expanded discussion of random-coefficient and growth-curve models. The authors have updated this edition for Stata 10, expanding on discussions in the original edition and adding new in-text examples and end-of-chapter exercises. In particular, the authors have thoroughly covered the new Stata commands xtmelogit and xtmepoisson.
The first chapter provides a review of the methods of linear regression. Rabe-Hesketh and Skrondal then begin with the comparatively simple random-intercept linear model without covariates, developing the mixed model from principles and thereby familiarizing the reader with terminology, summarizing and relating the widely used estimating strategies, and providing historical perspective.
Once the authors have established the mixed-model foundation, they smoothly generalize to random-intercept models with covariates and then to a discussion of the various estimators (between, within, and random-effects). The authors then discuss models with random coefficients, followed by models for growth curves. The middle chapters of the book apply the concepts for Gaussian models to models for binary responses (e.g., logit and probit), ordinal responses (e.g., ordered logit and ordered probit), and count responses (e.g., Poisson).
The text continues with a discussion of how to use multilevel methods in discrete-time survival analysis, for example, using complimentary log-log regression to fit the proportional hazards model. The authors then consider models with multiple levels of random variation and models with crossed (nonnested) random effects. In its examples and end-of-chapter exercises, the book contains real datasets and data from the medical, social, and behavioral sciences literature.
The book has several applications of generalized mixed models performed in Stata. Rabe-Hesketh and Skrondal developed gllamm, a Stata program that can fit many latent-variable models, of which the generalized linear mixed model is a special case. As of version 10, Stata contains the xtmixed, xtmelogit, and xtmepoisson commands for fitting multilevel models, in addition to other xt commands for fitting standard random-intercept models. The type of models fit by these commands sometimes overlap; when this happens, the authors highlight the differences in syntax, data organization, and output for the two (or more) commands that can be used to fit the same model. The authors also point out the relative strengths and weaknesses of each command when used to fit the same model, based on considerations such as computational speed, accuracy, available predictions, and available postestimation statistics.
In reference to the first edition, a reviewer for American Statistician commends Rabe-Hesketh and Skrondal for promoting the appropriate use of multilevel and longitudinal modeling. The reviewer writes in the August 2006 issue, "All too often computer manuals leave off ... important aspects of an analysis, but the authors have been careful to provide a well-rounded and complete approach to model fitting and interpretation."
In summary, this book is the most complete, up-to-date depiction of Stata's capacity for fitting generalized linear mixed models. The authors provide an ideal introduction for Stata users wishing to learn about this powerful data-analysis tool.


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Places to Cross-Country Ski in and around Fairfield County
It's easy to start cross-country skiing! For your first outing, choose someplace with level ground and groomed or well-used paths. Many cross country skiing areas offer beginner day trips, which are ideal. Once you've gotten the hang of it, you can cross country ski around local parks when conditioners are good, making this a thrifty option.
We're fortunate to have some great places to cross-country ski, locally or a short drive away. Check out the list below, and get going!
Web Service


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Boat Wheel/Anchor comes in 4 different woods, Cedar, Walnut, Oak and Ash. This piece is on the larger base that we do. These pieces are hand cut with a scroll saw. Each piece is brush finished with 5 coats of Polyurethane to give it a deep, rich, thick coat. You can put your phone on it in a upright or sideways position so you can watch videos or even if you using your camera for video calls. If you put your phone sideways you can charge your phone in this position. They come in handy for various applications, like putting it beside your bed on the nightstand while you sleep so makes it easier to find. You can use it in the kitchen if you are trying to cook up a new recipe without it laying on the counter so your phone doesn't get wet or something poured on it. Plus it makes it easy for you to read the recipe hands free without having to pick it up to see it. (Photos are representation of the product, not the actual piece you will receive. Colors could variant some from piece to piece) (These pieces could break if dropped.)
Approximately: 3 3/4"W x 5"L x 4 1/4"T


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Warning follows threat from Harry Reid that grazing dispute 'not over'…
The executive director of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association says his sources inside the federal government warn that Washington's weekend retreat in a dispute over grazing land in Nevada was only a move to distract attention and diffuse tensions, because a raid on the family's ranch still is planned.
"I don't think it would be possible" to launch a raid without violence, he told WND Monday. "I don't think the Bundys would lie down and be taken."
He cited the vow by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., that the confrontation was far from over, despite the weekend's retreat by armed gunmen working for federal agencies.
Reid on Monday told KRNV-TV in Reno: "It's not over. We can't have an American people that violate the law and then just walk away from it. So it's not over."
The grazing-land conflict has been developing for decades.
Cliven Bundy, who ranches in Clark County, and members of his extended family have grazed cattle on land there for more than a century. He stopped paying federal grazing fees years ago, contending his operation existed before the federal government was there.
But the standoff reached a boiling point one week ago as hundreds of federal agents and allies surrounded Bundy's ranch and were faced with citizen resistance, both armed and unarmed.
The Associated Press said the U.S. Bureau of Land Management decided over the weekend to stop rounding up Bundy's cattle and release animals agents already had seized.
BLM chief Neil Kornze said in a statement: "Based on information about conditions on the ground and in consultation with law enforcement, we have made a decision to conclude the cattle gather because of our serious concerns about the safety of employees and members of the public."
Mack, a longtime sheriff, told WND that Reid's statements are beyond the pale.
"That kind of stupidity, where he puts federal regulations and policies of bureaucrats ahead of a family in his state that has done no wrong or committed a crime," Mack said.
He charged that it is Reid who is destroying his own state's ranching industry as well as the U.S. Constitution. The sheriff chided the senator for making statements about abiding by laws.
"Isn't that amazing? The biggest crook in Washington," Mack said.
On the issue of a raid, he said: "That's what we have heard. It's not confirmed. People we had on the inside told us the BLM still is considering raiding the Bundy ranch. We're going to keep in touch with them, protect them, pray for them."
Details that are uncovered will be posted on the CSPOA website, he said.
Mack said his organization is part of an effort to save America.
"Yes, America is in deep, deep trouble. The good news is that there is hope," Mack said. "We do not have to stand by and watch while America is destroyed from within. If our counties, cities, and states and all local officers keep their oaths to protect us from tyranny, we can win this battle to take our country back."
As WND reported, an estimated 200 armed officers of the BLM had been deployed to Bundy's property in Bunkerville, Nev., 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas, charging the rancher has been in violation of a law that aims to protect an endangered desert tortoise. The BLM also said Bundy owes more than $1 million in grazing fees to the federal government.
But Bundy found support from the governor and other prominent political leaders along with a host of protesters from other states, including fellow cattle ranchers and private armed militias.
A Montana militia member, Jim Lardy, told KLAS-TV in Las Vegas his group, Operation Mutual Aid, was prepared to "provide armed response."
He said he was not afraid to shoot, if necessary.
"They have guns. We need guns to protect ourselves from the tyrannical government," Lardy said.
Other militia members were joining him, he said: "There is many more coming."
Nevada's Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval said the federal government's tactics allowed the tensions to nearly erupt in armed violence.
"No cow justifies the atmosphere of intimidation which currently exists nor the limitation of constitutional rights that are sacred to all Nevadans," Sandoval said. "The BLM needs to reconsider its approach to this matter and act accordingly."
Cliven Bundy's son, Ammon Bundy, told WND earlier that federal authorities had not been merely relocating the cattle but were engaged in actions that killed some animals.
"They are flying helicopters over the herd to chase them," Ammon Bundy said. "It was over 90 degrees here today, and the cattle can't run very far in this heat before collapsing. This is especially true for the young calves. We have a lot of them being born because it is springtime, and they don't have the strength to keep up with their mothers when they are running. The cattle then become overheated and die."
Cliven Bundy is the last rancher operating in Clark County, where he's been grazing his cattle on a 600,000-acre portion of land managed by the BLM called Gold Butte. His family, whose ties to the land go back to the 1880s, has been engaged in a dispute since 1993 with the Bureau of Land Management over long-established cattle-grazing rights.
After years of wrangling in the courts, BLM last week secured a federal court order declaring Bundy's herd to be "trespass cattle" and began removing the animals.
Ammon Bundy said he was with a group of about 50 people "peacefully protesting the removal of the cattle" when "suddenly, 14 units with Rangers came off the mountain – 13 of them were armed ranger vehicles with two rangers per unit."
He said the protesters went over to see what was in a dump truck, "because we were afraid this might have been a rendering vehicle, and we wanted to know what was in the back of the truck."
See more at WND
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Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Team Doesn't Say No On 2011 NatsFest & Winter Caravan. But Doesn't Say Yes Either
Questioning that bit of news to the team, this was the response given.
Nats320: The Washington Post is reporting the Washington Nationals WILL NOT hold a Winter FanFest or Winter Caravan this January or February in the Washington, D.C. area. Is that true?
Nationals: We are still finalizing all of our programs and scheduling.
Now they didn't say no. But no one has said yes either.
Personally, we believe the Winter Caravan, NatFest & Hot Stove Luncheon should take place in late January or early February as a kick off to the upcoming season and spring training every single year--without exception. With so many other diversions to take a fan's interest away over the long fall & winter months in the D.C. area, it's integral that Our Washington Nationals keep Major League Baseball out in the forefront as much as possible. Meet & Greets and team sponsored events help maintain the interest level.
There is no question about that.
Year after year, these events have gotten better. And there is really no reason to stop doing so now.
15 comments:
- Jenn Jenson said...
Thanks again for trying to get to the bottom of this.
I love the Hot Stove Lunch and will especially miss that event. Clearly the Nationals don't understand the importance of these events. - 7:18 PM
- TBC said...
"Year after year, these events have gotten better. And there is really no reason to stop doing so now."
Yes there is. Uncertain weather. Other than Zimmerman, I don't believe any of the players make their offseason home in DC. Thus there's a good chance that bad weather somewhere else would prevent one or more of the scheduled players/manager/coaches from appearing. And as was seen last year, bad weather in DC can hamper the ability of fans to come out for the events.
Holding the event on or around Opening Day as was suggested in the Post makes a lot of sense. All the players are available, and the weather is likely good then. The whole ballpark can be utilized for events. Indeed, as the schedule includes an off day the day after Opening Day, that would be a perfect opportunity to hold the STH luncheon. Maybe even expand it into an outdoor picnic-type event to allow for more STH and players to be present. - 7:53 PM
- JayB said...
We agree on something. I have attended each lunchon and fanfest and love them, sat with Adam Dunn last year...........but there is a reason....Lerners are really bad baseball owners. There is your reason.
- Unknown said...
While I agree that the weather can be a factor, I don't think that's a reason to give up on the hot stove lunch and Nats Fest. As SBF said, there isn't much going on in the DC area to keep people interested in baseball during the winter months, and I'd rather chance the event being canceled due to weather than not even having it. Also keep in mind the last spring training game is March 29, so asking the players to get back to DC for an event on the 30th with a 1:05 Opening Day on the 31st might be a bit much.
And, I'm not an autograph person, so I enjoy throwing a pitch in the bullpen and listening to the talks by various front office personnel, so the unavailability of players would not affect my decision to attend. - 9:56 PM
- Mr. NATural said...
Man I really hope they have NatsFest and the Hot Stove Lunch. These are great events--tons of people attended the NatsFest.
They need to make a public announcement soon and let people know exactly what their plans are. - 10:46 PM
I was told today that there will be a "more fan-friendly" Fan Fest closer to Opening Day and that there will not be any events this winter.
This just drives me nuts. The STH Hot Stove luncheon has been great the last couple of years. A "welcome home" luncheon would be fine, but I just don't think it will match the ability of the late January event to break up the winter and get the fans thinking baseball.
My family has attended Fan Fest with 8-10 other families the last couple years-- a great way to entertain the kids and get them more excited about the Nats. This year, I guess we'll just take them to watch the Caps or maybe we should just go to O's fest.
Being that the most likely day for the FanFest is Wed 3/30, I find it highly specious that it will be "more fan-friendly" being that it is a work/school day. I'm already taking off for Opening Day, don't think I'm going to take 2 days in a row- and clearly I'm not taking my kids out of school for this. So the kids get screwed. I envision alot of empty moon bounces and short lines for the face painting. The O's actually had their Fan Fest right before Opening Day from 2007-2009 after previously having it in Janury before then-- they're back to having it in January so clearly they recognized that a late March/early April FanFest is lame.
As far as the weather-- 25 of the other 30 teams seem capable of getting their players in to locations like St Louis, Minneapolis, Chicago, Baltimore, etc. Most teams have events with almost all of their players- think Pujols, Chipper, Lincecum-- if those teams with more established fan bases can pull it off, why can't the Nats.
The best thing we can do is call / e-mail the Nats and let them know our disappointment.
COO | Lerner Sports Alan Gottlieb
Chief Operating Officer Andrew Feffer
Director, Community Relations Israel Negron - 11:32 PM
- AVM221 said...
Thanks for trying to get to the bottom of this issue. I am disappointed and wish they would make an official announcement. I guess they don't realize that some of their fans arrange their schedules around Nationals events when possible.
- josh f said...
No Hot Stove Luncheon? This season ticket holder is very, very disappointed. Who dropped the ball?
Call and ask them why. It's the only way to let them know a number of people care about this.
- HondoFan said...
Geez, I've read some great posts from other team boards of fanfests already completed. My reaction is that this is a last place team acting like a last place organization. Expect it.
- Edward J. Cunningham said...
The Orioles are having a Winter Caravan and the weather in Baltimore isn't that much different than D.C. If the Nats think Nats Park is too inconvenient for fans to get to in January---particularly with inclement weather--then why not hold it at the D.C. Convention Center or a downtown hotel?
- TBC said...
DC Convention Center and downtown hotels have to be booked well in advance. That's why.
Face it, guys. The Nats decided to go in a different direction with the Fan Fest this year. Deal with it. The season will go on. It's not like the Fan Fests in previous years were at all effective in pulling in more fans. Sure, they were fun for those who attended, but is that really the point? I always thought it was supposed to be a marketing tool. If you have a marketing tool that's not working, try something else. - 8:40 PM
- paul said...
Considering how poorly Stan Kasten drew fans to a winning franchise in Atlanta and a baseball-starved city here, I wonder if the ownership is sort of blowing all the off-field stuff over and starting over, although it is also possible they are just paralyzed and don't know what to do.
I remember the winning Orioles did not draw flies in the late 60's and early 70's, then EBW bought the team, they changed flagship stations to one that advertised effectively, and the team started to draw better in the late 70's and 80's. Perhaps some sort of vision is taking place, although if it is, it is a big secret. - 10:13 AM
- TBC said...
"I remember the winning Orioles did not draw flies in the late 60's and early 70's, then EBW bought the team, they changed flagship stations to one that advertised effectively, and the team started to draw better in the late 70's and 80's."
That was entirely due to the Orioles marketing themselves as Washington's team - with the help of the Washington Post and DC TV news departments. The Nats could try the same trick now and start marketing themselves in Baltimore, but I doubt it would work. Baltimore teams can draw fans from DC (the Ravens are doing it now) but DC teams will never draw anything but animosity from Baltimore fans. - 11:04 AM
- Mr. NATural said...
TBC engages in a logical fallacy when he says that "It's not like the Fan Fests in previous years were at all effective in pulling in more fans." This assumes that no fans attended Nats Fest, had a great time, and bought season tickets, renewed tickets, or simply attended more games because their enthusiasm was sparked by the event. There is absolutely no way for him to know this, much less write it.
This logical mistake also assumes that ticket sales will not decrease because there is no Fan Fest this year. I believe this assumption is false also.
Setting aside my ramblings about fallacies and false assumptions, I think I can say something that TBC and all of us can agree on: If the Nationals are not going to have the Hot Stove Luncheon or the Nats Fest, they should announce it and be done with it. Thousands of Nationals fans look forward to these events, and to leave them hanging, without an official word one way or the other, is bad marketing, bad communications, and bad manners.
One final question. Suppose, in response to the growing fan dissatisfaction with the Hot Stove and Fan Fest decisions, and the non-existent communications with fans about these events, that the Nationals begrudingly decide to hold the events. Who would want to go then? Have you ever been to a party where your being invited was done more out of a sense of social obligation, than out of genuine welcome?
This thing is turning into a mess and I think the Nationals need to make a final decision, announce it, and live with it. - 1:41 PM


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SparkFun Inventor's Kit Experiment Guide - v4.1
The SparkFun Inventor's Kit (SIK) is your map for navigating the waters of beginning embedded electronics. This guide contains all the information you will need to build five projects encompassing the 16 circuits of the SIK. At the center of this guide is one core philosophy: that anyone can (and should) play around with electronics. When you're done with this guide, you will have built five projects and acquired the know-how to create countless more. Now enough talk — let's start something!
The print version of this guide is available as a PDF as well. You can view it online as a flipbook or download it to your computer. To download, click the following link below. Keep in mind that the original file size used for the printed guidebook was reduced for the web. While the file size was reduced, it is still about a 31.8MB download.
Choosing a Kit
You should have one of the two following versions of the SIK. If you need a overview of the parts included in your kit, please click on the product link below.
The primary difference between the two kits is the microcontroller included in the kit. The SparkFun Inventor's Kit includes a SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic. At the heart of each is the ATmega328p microcontroller, giving both the same functionality underneath the hood. Both development boards are capable of taking inputs (such as the push of a button or a reading from a light sensor) and interpreting that information to control various outputs (like a blinking LED light or an electric motor). And much, much more!
Revision Changes: With this revision of the SparkFun Inventor's Kit from v4.1 to v4.1.2, we have swapped out the Carrying Case - Black HDPE with a new SparkFun Carrying Case.
- The Carrying Case - Black HDPE has been replaced with the SparkFun Carrying Case.
If you need more information to determine which microcontroller is right for you, please check out the following tutorials.
What is an Arduino?
February 26, 2013
RedBoard Qwiic Hookup Guide
January 10, 2019
Open Source!
At SparkFun, our engineers and educators have been improving this kit and coming up with new experiments for a long time now. We would like to give attribution to Oomlout, since we originally started working off their Arduino Kit material many years ago. The Oomlut version is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 Unported License.
The SparkFun Inventor's Kit V4.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 International License.


text:
Stats: 30,097 versions of 1,967 programs
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mIRC 5.0
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mIRC 5.0 Change Log
- Fixed /sound command when used with channels which have a . in their name.
- Title of custom menubar now updates when /loading popup.
- There\'s no longer a limit on the number of items in a popup menu (apart from the editbox limitation).
- Fixed /finger bug.
- Fixed /ignore bug.
- Fixed $ial() bug.
- If show query in active window is checked actions should now appear in the active window.
- Fixed $online identifier.
- Fixed problem with /sound when the sounds directory contains a space in its name.
- Fixed notify not being timestamped in certain situations.
- Added option to strip control codes from log files.
- Fixed /echo -a gpfing when there\'s no active window.
- Added $target identifier.
- The active item for popups has been removed, only exists for the menu bar popup now.
- Highlighted nickname in channel nick listbox remains highlighted after a nick change.
- Fixed insert/delete keys in URL list window.
- Fixed $lines() and $read line counting.
- Added ignore button to DCC Chat/Get dialogs which allows you to discard and ignore all incoming Chats/Gets from a user for 30 seconds.
- Changed IRC Servers interface in setup dialog.
- Added invisible mode option to setup dialog.
- Changed dialogs to use standard dialog font.
- Added Midi directory setting in sounds dialog.
- Added $group(number/name) identifier.
$group(N) group name
$group(N).status on/off
$group(name) same as .status
- Added ON UNOTIFY event, works the same as ON NOTIFY except triggers when a user leaves IRC.
- Can now specify the -n switch with $readini to prevent a line from being evaluated.
- [removed]
- Delayed Op and Unban now check to see if 1) you\'re on the channel, 2) you\'re an Op, 3) the user exists, before acting.
- You can now specify different files for each popup menu.
- Can now save alias/popup/remote files as plain text (non-INI format) by not specifying an .ini file extension.
NOTE: You can\'t save multiple sections to a plain text file! So if you have all remote sections in remote.ini and want to save them as plain text, you\'ll need to save each section to a separate file. Same goes for aliases/popups.
- Fixed channel folder join/names bug.
- Fixed email address stripping of control chars.
- The delayed unban now prevents duplicate addresses being added to the unban list.
- Fixed gpf bug when popup item starts with {.
- [removed]
- Notify/Unotify now trigger correctly.
- Query window now displays address of user in titlebar.
- Added $mididir identifier.
- Fixed gpf bug when extraneous $+ are used in combination with bracketed identifiers.
- Added custom window creation/manipulation tools.
/window [-abcdelnorsx] @name [x y [w h]] [/command] [popup.txt] [font [size]]
a = activate window
b = update horizontal scrollbar width for listbox
c = close window
d = open as desktop window
e = editbox
l = listbox
n = minimize window
o = if opened on desktop, place ontop
r = restore window
s = use a sorted list
x = maximize window
@name = window name (must prefix with a @)
x,y,w,h = left top width height
popup.txt = popup filename, loaded when needed(must be a plain non-ini text file)
/command = default command
font/size = font name and size (defaults to status window font)
You can also use /window to manipulate some of the above settings for an existing custom window.
You can use the following commands to manipulate lines:
/aline [-cN] @name text add line to list
/dline @name N delete Nth line
/iline [-cN] @name N text insert line at Nth line
/rline [-cN] @name N text replace Nth line
/sline @name N selects Nth line
Where -cN allows you to specify the line colour.
You can use the $window(N/@name) identifer to access the following custom window information:
$window(N).x left
$window(N).y top
$window(N).w width
$window(N).h height
$window(N).state minimized/maximized/normal
To access the lines in a custom window you can use:
$line(@name,N) returns Nth line
$sline(@name,N) returns Nth selected line (listbox only)
- Can now /load popups with these switches:
-ps status popup
-pc channel popup
-pq query/chat popup
-pn nicklist popup
-pm menubar popup
- Fixed indexing bug with alias/popup/remote processing.
- [removed]
- mIRC now stores relative (instead of full) file/directory paths, if a path lies inside the mIRC directory.
- Made (most) buttons the same size.
- Parameter identifiers changed to:
$n for parameter n
$n-n2 for parameters n to n2
$n- for parameters n onwards
$parm has also been discontinued, you can use the above to refer to remote parameters from now on.
Note: This version of mIRC still supports the old $1 and $parm for now but only the above is documented.
- Added (v1 isvo v2) comparison to check if user v1 has a voice on channel v2.
- Fixed $numeric not being set when matching any raw event.
- Added /loadbuf and /savebuf commands.
/loadbuf [lines]
/savebuf [lines]
Where [lines] indicates the number of lines you want to load/save from the end of the file. - Can now prevent message display for /ignore, /auto, and /protect with the . prefix.
- Alias/popup/remote dialogs can now be resized and will remember their size/position.
- The alias, popup, and remote dialogs have been redesigned to cope with various improvements (see below).
- You can now load multiple alias files.
- To /load, /unload, /save files you can use:
/load filename
/unload filename
/save filename
- The remote dialog and script routines have been improved.
The format of definitions has changed to:
ctcp 1:PING:/echo etc.
on 1:JOIN:#:/echo etc.
raw 1:*:/echo etc.
This allows all of these to be intermixed in a single script file. The remote dialog has been altered to cater for only 3 types of files: Users, Variables, and Scripts.
You can load as many script files as you require. Events will trigger all script files as independent scripts.
You can also define aliases in a script by using the alias prefix:
alias test /echo this is a test alias!
You can also enter initialization commands which are run when a script is *first* loaded by using:
on 1:LOAD:{ etc. }
And initialization commands which are run whenever mIRC is first run (and loads scripts automatically) by using:
on 1:START:{ etc. }
The START section also runs after the LOAD section when a script is first loaded.
If a script is loaded from within the remote dialog, auto-run commands are not executed until the dialog is closed.
The above allows a whole script of ctcps, events, and raw and it\'s related aliases and initializations to be edited and distributed in one file.
Note: mIRC automatically splits your current remote.ini into separate files and translates the ctcp, event, and raw entries into the new format. To convert old files into the new format use the Convert option in the Remote dialog and load them in as an .ini file because mIRC will need the header info eg. [commands] [events] [raw] to know how to translate them.
- Added on INPUT event which is triggered when a user enters text into an editbox and presses enter:
on 1:INPUT:/echo you entered $1-
You can use /halt to prevent mIRC from processing the text.
- $chan is now $null if an event is not a channel event.
- Can now add/change/remove aliases from a specific alias file (not script files) with:
/alias [filename][commands]
When adding/replacing/removing an alias, all alias files are purged of the specified alias. - If a file doesn\'t exist mIRC doesn\'t create it if there\'s no information to save to it.
- Now allows empty lines in aliases and scripts.
- #group names in scripts now use on and off instead of start and disabled (conversion program will translate these automatically).
- Added script #group indexing to speed up group processing.
- Added on USERMODE event.
on 1:USERMODE:/echo Set usermode to $1-
- Can now /echo =nick etc.
- Added on CONNECT event which triggers when the end of an MOTD is reached after connecting to a server (same as the perform section).
on 1:CONNECT:/echo connected! - [removed]
- Fixed maximum sends check not working in fileserver.
- Added $inmidi returns true if midi is playing, false if not.
- Added on MIDIEND event which triggers when a midi finishes playing (but not if you stop it by playing another midi or using /splay stop).
on 1:MIDIEND:/echo finished playing midi file! - Fixed /halt not returning $null.
- Fixed odd popup menus gpf bug.
- Added Find option to URL menu in URL list window.
- Fixed processing of incoming server NOTICES which don\'t have the source and target specified.
- Can now use & character as a wildcard one word match, eg.
& lines would &
These lines would match - Now displays notices and messages to @#channel correctly (?)
- Fixed window focus bug bringing main mIRC window to front when selecting a window.
- Server pong echos should display correctly.
- Speeded up URL-from-text extracting routine.
- Can now use a nickname as well a number in $send() $get() $chat() and $fserv() eg. $send(madgoat).file
- Fixed offline timers bug.
- If a remote event calls an alias, that remote events script file is searched first for a matching alias and if no match is found, all other alias and script files are searched.
- on DNS $nick is set to $null if no nick is specified.
- Fixed midi playing bug where mIRC thought that a midi file was still playing when it had actually finished.
- Fixed /play stop bug (?)
- [removed]
- Removed switches: own messages are higlighted, actions are purple, and windows colours.
- Added colour configuration dialog. You will notice that colours for certain types of information have changed slightly, mainly because standardization was required in various places. You can\'t create a custom colour yet, might be added to a future version.
- Added send/get fail remote events:
on 1:SENDFAIL:*.txt:/echo failed to send $filename to $nick
on 1:GETFAIL:*.txt:/echo failed to get $filename from $nick - Added $script and $scriptdir which return the file and dir name of the currently executing remote script file.
- Improved $gettok(), can now specify n1-n2 for the number of tokens you want returned, eg:
//echo $gettok(a.b.c.d.e,2,46) returns 2nd token
//echo $gettok(a.b.c.d.e,2-,46) returns tokens 2 onwards
//echo $gettok(a.b.c.d.e,2-4,46) returns tokens 2 to 4 - Added $comchan(Nick,N) identifier, returns channels which both you and Nick are on. $comchan(Nick,N).op returns $true if you\'re an Op on that channel. In alias, popup, and remote dialogs can now use Alt+1,2,3,4 etc. to switch to a script.
- Added support for !nick filename wave/midi get requests. If mIRC receives a request as a private message and you don\'t have a private window open with that person, a new window is not opened, but instead the request is displayed in the status window.
Also has an option to send your own !nick filename requests as private messages (on by default). This is only done when you are on a channel and you specify a ick that is on that channel, and a .wav or .mid filename. - Notifies are now queued and only one line of 500 chars is sent at a time. When a reply for that line is received, the next line is sent. Once replies for all queued lines have been received, the notify results are displayed.
- The parameter positions of the following identifiers have been standardized to fall in line with other identifiers:
The old formats are still handled but only the new formats will be documented. - Fixed small /list command bug.
- mIRC help file now remembers it\'s last position/size.
- Can now use the @ must be op prefix with CTCP remote events that occurr on channels.
- Notify list now allows you to use an address as well as a nickname, this will only work on IRC servers that allow this.
- Removed the /commands command, replaced with /ctcps command.
- Fixed switchbar DCC Button Progress indicator being updated too often which might have slowed mIRC down with multiple dccs.
- Added Wizard which now pops up when a user has problems connecting, eg. unable to get/resolve local host, unable to resolve/connect to irc server, or being disconnected from a server before the MOTD is displayed.
- Fixed small /play bug, was evaluating identifiers in lines when it shouldn\'t have been.
- Fixed /titlebar memory bug.
mIRC 5.0 Screenshots
mIRC 5 Builds
- mIRC 7.43
- mIRC 7.39 (Beta)
- mIRC 7.38
- mIRC 7.37 (Beta)
- mIRC 7.35 (Beta)
- mIRC 7.31 (Beta)
- mIRC 7.29
- mIRC 7.27
- mIRC 7.25
- mIRC 7.22
- mIRC 126.96.36.199
- mIRC 7.19
- mIRC 7.17
- mIRC 7.15
- mIRC 7.14
- mIRC 7.1
- mIRC 6.35
- mIRC 6.34
- mIRC 6.33
- mIRC 6.32
- mIRC 6.31
- mIRC 6.3
- mIRC 6.21
- mIRC 6.2
- mIRC 6.17
- mIRC 6.16
- mIRC 6.15
- mIRC 6.14
- mIRC 6.12
- mIRC 6.11
- mIRC 6.1
- mIRC 6.03
- mIRC 6.02
- mIRC 6.0
- mIRC 5.82
- mIRC 5.81
- mIRC 5.8
- mIRC 5.71
- mIRC 5.7
- mIRC 5.61
- mIRC 5.6
- mIRC 5.51
- mIRC 5.5
- mIRC 5.41
- mIRC 5.4
- mIRC 5.31
- mIRC 5.3
- mIRC 5.11
- mIRC 5.1
- mIRC 5.02
- mIRC 4.72
- mIRC 4.7
- mIRC 4.6
- mIRC 4.52
- mIRC 4.5
- mIRC 4.1
- mIRC 4.0
- mIRC 3.92
- mIRC 3.9
- mIRC 3.8
- mIRC 3.72
- mIRC 3.7
- mIRC 3.64
- mIRC 3.6
- mIRC 3.51
- mIRC 3.5
- mIRC 3.42
- mIRC 3.4
- mIRC 3.2
- mIRC 3.1
- mIRC 3.0
- mIRC 2.7a
- mIRC 2.5a
- mIRC 2.4a
- mIRC 2.1a
- mIRC 2.1
mIRC Comments


text:
In August 2007, Congressman Peter DeFazio, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, told the House that he and the rest of his Committee had been barred from reviewing parts of National Security Presidential Directive 51, the White House supersecret plans to implement so-called "Continuity of Government" in the event of a mass terror attack or natural disaster. ( 1 )
Norm Ornstein, of the conservative American Enterprise Institute, commented, "I cannot think of one good reason" for denial. Ornstein added, "I find it inexplicable and probably reflective of the usual, knee-jerk overextension of executive power that we see from this White House." ( 2 )
The story, ignored by the mainstream press, involved more than the usual tussle between the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. Government. What was at stake was a contest between Congress's constitutional powers of oversight, and a set of policy plans that could be used to suspend or modify the constitution.
There is nothing wrong with disaster planning per se. Like all governments, the U.S. government must develop plans for the worst contingencies. But Congress has a right to be concerned about Continuity of Government (COG) plans refined by Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld over the past quarter century, which journalists have described as involving suspension of the constitution. ( 3 )
In the 1980s, a secret group of planners inside and outside the government were assigned, by an Executive Order, to develop a response to a nuclear attack in which the U.S. government had been decapitated, forcing an alternative to the constitutional rules of succession. Two of these planners were Dick Cheney, then a Congressman, and Donald Rumsfeld, then a private citizen and CEO of the G.D. Searle drug company.
"One of the awkward questions we faced was whether to reconstitute Congress after a nuclear attack.It was decided that no, it would be easier to operate without them," said one of the COG planners in the 1980s, who spoke to James Mann (The Rise of the Vulcans, 141-42). James Bamford reported the same remark in his book Pretext for War (p. 74).
After the end of the Cold War, the urgency of coming up with plans faded. The COG nuclear planning project "has less than six months to live," reported Tim Weiner of the New York Times. (April 17, 1994). Mann and Bamford concluded, wrongly, that all the COG planning of the Reagan era had been abandoned.
In fact, Reagan's Executive Order 12656, issued in 1988, remained in effect. The order states that Continuity of Government procedures are called for in the event of "any occurrence, including natural disaster, military attack, technological emergency, or other emergency, that seriously degrades or seriously threatens the national security of the United States." ( 4 )
Under Clinton, some parts of the planning, presumably military, were continued by a group including Rumsfeld and others whose roster (according to Andrew Cockburn) was "filled almost exclusively with Republican hawks." Cockburn quotes one participant, a former Pentagon official, who said "They'd meet, do the exercise, but also sit around and castigate the Clinton administration in the most extreme way." ( 5 )
According to the 9/11 Commission Report (p. 326; cf. p. 38), "Contingency plans for the continuity of government" were implemented on September 11, 2001. ( 6 ) But what measures were invoked remains unclear.
Some clues may be supplied by COG's past history. COG planning in the 1980s was handled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and its controversial director, Louis Giuffrida. According to a Miami Herald article by Alfonso Chardy on July 5, 1987, Giuffrida's plans included "suspension of the Constitution," along with detailed arrangements for the declaration of martial law. ( 7 )
Those suspicious of what COG means today have pointed to a number of post 9/11 steps to facilitate the implementation of martial law, including the creation of a new military command (NORTHCOM) for the continental United States. They note also Homeland Security's strategic plan Endgame, whose stated goal is the creation of detention camps designed to "remove all removable aliens," including "potential terrorists."
Then in 2007 National Security Presidential Directive 51 (NSPD 51), issued by the White House, empowered the President to personally ensure "continuity of government" in the event of any "catastrophic emergency." ( 8 ) According to the Washington Post (May 10, 2007), this directive "formalizes a shift of authority," from the Department of Homeland Security to the White House, in establishing " a shadow government" after an emergency. ( 9 ) Congress has yet to hold a single hearing on NSPD 51. ( 10 )
NSPD 51 contains "classified Continuity Annexes" which shall "be protected from unauthorized disclosure." Congressman DeFazio twice requested to see these Annexes, the second time in a letter cosigned by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Christopher Carney. It was these requests that the White House denied.
Without full disclosure, such suspicions will only fester and distract from the real issue: the role of Congress in constitutional government. In the event of national emergency, Congress must be at the heart of the defense of democratic government and American territory. It is reasonable for the citizenry to ask, "How do Continuity of Government plans preserve and protect the role of the popularly chosen branch of government?" The answer is, we simply don't know.
DeFazio's inability to get access to the NSPD Annexes is less than reassuring. If members of the Homeland Security Committee cannot enforce their right to read secret plans of the Executive Branch, then the systems of checks and balances established by the U.S. Constitution would seem to be failing.
To put it another way, if the White House is successful in frustrating DeFazio, then Continuity of Government planning has arguably already superseded the Constitution as a higher authority.
Will Congress insist on its right of review COG planning? The answer to this question will depend on discussion in the blogosphere, the degree of pressure exerted by the electorate on their representatives, and the questions asked the men and women who would be president.
Peter Dale Scott is the author of The Road to 9/11 .
1. Congressional Record, August 2, 2007 . The text of National Security Presidential Directive 51 can be seen here .
2. Jeff Kosseff, The Oregonian , July 20, 2007.
3. Scott, The Road to 9/11 , 183-87; citing Ross Gelbspan, Break-ins, Death Threats, and the FBI: The Covert War against the Central America Movement (Boston: South End Press, 1991), 184; Alfonso Chardy, Miami Herald , July 5, 1987.
4. The provisions of Executive Order 12656 of November 18, 1988, appear at 53 FR 47491, 3 CFR, 1988 Comp., p. 585, " Executive Order 12656-Assignment of Emergency Preparedness Responsibilities ,". The Washington Post (Gellman and Schmidt, "Shadow Government Is at Work in Secret," March 1, 2002) later claimed, incorrectly, that Executive Order 12656 dealt only with "a nuclear attack."
5. Andrew Cockburn, Rumsfeld: His Rise, Fall, and Catastrophic Legacy (New York: Scribner, 2007), 88)
6. 9/11 Commission Report , 326, cf. 38; Scott, Road to 9/11 , 220-29.
7. Alfonso Chardy, "Reagan Aides and the `Secret' Government," Miami Herald , July 5, 1987.
8. National Security Presidential Directive 51 .
9. Spencer S. Hsu, "Bush Changes Continuity Plan: Administration, Not DHS, Would Run Shadow Government," Washington Post , May 10, 2007,
10. Lewis Seiler and Dan Hamburg, San Francisco Chronicle (February 4, 2008).


text:
October 24, 2005 One of the stars of the 2005 Tokyo Show, the Nissan Pivo concept car is an electric car with unique revolving cabin, compact packaging, multiple drive-by-wire systems and excellent visibility. The Pivo concept car examines the potential of future electric vehicles. The Pivo's most distinctive feature is its cabin that revolves 360 degrees, eliminating the need to reverse. A compact body also makes the car exceptionally easy to maneuver. Excellent visibility is enhanced by Nissan's Around View technology, which helps reduce dangerous blind spots. The navigation and audio systems are simple to operate while driving. These features are supported by Nissan's innovative environment-friendly technologies such as the Compact Lithium-ion Battery.
Easy-to-drive and user friendly
Outstanding maneuverability: Pivo is ideal for urban driving. It can easily pass oncoming traffic even on the narrowest streets and is a cinch to park in the tightest of spots. Pivo seats three passengers comfortably despite an overall length of just 2,700 mm. The driver sits front and center while two passengers sit side-by-side in the rear. Tall, electrically-powered sliding doors make it easy to get in and out without hitting your head.
There's no going back: Parking in a tight spot invariably requires backing in inch-by-inch. But with Pivo there's no going back; you simply pivot the entire cabin – hence the concept's name. This ability to park while always looking forward is enabled by Nissan's advanced drive-by-wire technologies that preclude the need for mechanical connections between cabin and chassis.
Easy to operate with no hidden dangers: Today's urbanites are deluged with information from all sides. But Pivo manages the flow with a host of telematics features that deliver the right information at the right time. The driver can control the information flow without taking the eyes off the road. What's more, visibility is enhanced by see-through pillars, Nissan's Around View Monitor and other innovations that reduce blind spots.
Futuristic exterior and interior Inside and out, Pivo's state-of-the-art innovations are showcased by a design that is futuristic yet friendly. Front and rear lamps feature a clear, clean-looking design. And the exterior even features oval recesses both front and rear that are covered with soft materials – comfy places to sit outside when Pivo is parked. You find the same thoughtfulness in a soft, organic interior that extends from the center of the revolving egg-shaped cabin, which is the Pivo's most unique feature. Because the platform has a longitudinally symmetrical design, the driver's perception of the car's corners does not change even when the cabin is rotated 180 degrees.
Advanced technologies enhance driving experience Pivo is powered by a Nissan-developed high-performance Compact Lithium-ion Battery and Nissan's unique Super Motor. The result is zero emissions. Beyond this outstanding environmental performance, the electric powertrain enables a highly compact body. Designers made the most of Nissan's Compact Lithium-ion Battery – which, being flat, require much less space than conventional cylindrical cells – to achieve remarkable packaging efficiency. Even more space and weight savings are achieved with Nissan's Super Motor. One Super Motor on each axle delivers power to two shafts, each of which can be controlled independently. This allows efficient distribution of torque to all four wheels with two (not four) electric motors.
Pivo's unique revolving cabin is just one of the myriad possibilities enabled by Nissan's multiple drive-by-wire technologies. These include steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire and shift-by-wire systems that replace mechanical linkages with electronic signals. By eliminating the need for mechanical links between cabin and chassis, designers were able to create the unique pivoting passenger compartment. Drive-by-wire technologies afford even more flexibility inside the cabin as the layout of steering, braking and other functions is no longer governed by mechanical linkages. Even better, drive-by-wire systems mean less weight and fewer mechanical parts.
See-through pillars and Nissan's Around View Monitor helps to reduce dangerous blind spots. Cameras mounted on the outside of each A-pillar feed an accurate image of the surroundings to screens mounted on the inside of the pillar. The net effect is pillars that become virtual windows. The Around View Monitor meanwhile generates a 360-degree view of the car's surroundings on a dashboard monitor. Cameras positioned front and rear on both sides of the car capture images of the surroundings. An innovative image processing technique synthesizes these images into a single bird's-eye view.
A dash-mounted infrared (IR) commander allows drivers to operate the navigation system and audio system without taking an eye off the road or fumbling around for controls. It's a new type of human-machine interface (HMI) that uses an infrared camera and Nissan's "Magic 4" concept. You simply point fingers at the infared commander to choose from any of four items on a menu. If you want item number three, hold up three fingers. Or, for example, if you want the music louder, just motion upwards with your hand.
Thanks to Nissan's Horizontal Display there is even less need to take an eye off the road – because information is displayed along the bottom of the windshield. This system, first featured in the Serenity concept shown at the Tokyo Motor Show two years ago, displays information in the manner of movie subtitles. This innovative display system supports Nissan's future telematics interface concept. For example, in "City Browsing mode," the system can display information transmitted live from nearby locations. What's that building up ahead? City Browsing labels it.


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Classic Pink Floyd, Velvet Underground Album Covers Recreated Using Socks
Pink Floyd might have denied rumors they would be appearing at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, but they can't deny the flattery that comes when someone creates a tribute to one of their most famous albums covers — with socks!
The mind behind the Tumblr Famous Album Covers Recreated With My Socks has re-created a couple of classic rock's most iconic album covers using a variety of colored socks. That's right, they used clothing from the, at often times, dirtiest and smelliest part of our bodies to recreate famous covers from the likes of Pink Floyd and Velvet Underground.
Specifically, they've taken on the prism image from Floyd's 1973 masterpiece 'The Dark Side of the Moon' and the Velvet's 1967 debut album 'The Velvet Underground & Nico.' And you thought wearing, washing and losing half of each pair was all you could do with your footwear!
In viewing the artwork we've noticed two things. First off, this person has a lot of different colored socks and must have spent a lot of money at Walmart. Secondly, they're actually pretty talented at this oddly creative new art form. We imagine they're the best in the world at this, at least so far.
They've also done sock versions of album covers from other genres from Kanye West's '808 & Heartbreak' to the Strokes' debut 'Is This It.' The pieces range from the colorful and beautiful arrangement that makes up 'Dark Side' to the simple, yet somewhat dirtied-looking Strokes album. We're not judging too harshly, we're just saying clean your socks, man!


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Dental Implants in Hobart, WI
5 Extraordinary Benefits of Dental Implants
Thinking about dental implants? Dental implants are the gold standard in the replacement of teeth. Hobart Family Dentistry, which is located in Hobart, WI, offers a full range of dental services, including dental implants. Here are five extraordinary benefits of dental implants.
#1- Beautify Your Smile
Missing teeth can ruin a beautiful smile. Dental implants can fill in your smile's gaps and improve your appearance. Dental implants are the next best thing to natural teeth. With dental implants, you will look and feel younger and more attractive.
#2- Improve Oral Function
Dental implants fit, feel, and act like natural teeth. Missing teeth can make it difficult for people to pronounce certain words. Dental implants can improve your clarity of speech. Tooth loss can also make it difficult for people to chew food. With dental implants, you will experience a dramatic improvement in chewing ability.
#3- Stop Jawbone Loss
The most common cause of jawbone loss is a missing tooth left unreplaced. Dental implants help to prevent bone loss and stimulate bone growth. Dental implants distribute chewing forces throughout the bone and minimize the wearing away of the bone.
#4- Prevent Teeth Shifting
Although your teeth feel as if they are set in the jawbone, they are capable of drifting out of place. When people lose a tooth, the surrounding teeth begin to shift out of place. Dental implants can prevent your existing teeth from moving out of place.
#5- Increase Your Self-Esteem
Losing a tooth can be a traumatic experience for many people. Tooth loss can lead to low self-esteem which can affect the quality of a people's lives in many different ways. Dental implants can restore your smile and help you feel better about yourself.
Ready for a brand new smile? Don't wait another minute- call Hobart Family Dentistry at (920) 865-3253 right now to schedule a consultation in Hobart, WI. Dental implants will make your dream of a gorgeous smile a reality.


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Below is AILA's Press Release on the government's resolution to the July Visa Bulletin debacle:
AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 07071868 (posted Jul. 18, 2007)
CONTACT: George Tzamaras
firstname.lastname@example.com, DC – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) applauds the government for its reversal today of its July 2 refusal to allow thousands of highly skilled workers to make the last filing on the legal path to a green card. AILA also applauds those whose efforts helped to bring this change about.
AILA members and their clients–both employers and employees–objected to the July 2 decision in a manner that was at once emphatic and measured. From the sending of flowers to the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), to the phone calls and letters, to the blogs and message boards that lit up with outrage, the affected communities let their voices be heard. A number of members of the press picked up the story, notwithstanding the complicated legalities, and did a fine job of shining a public light on this matter.
Many members of Congress stepped up to question the actions of the agencies. Foremost among these was Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), who strongly challenged USCIS to either justify its actions or reverse them. Her sense of outrage matched that of the affected communities, and we all owe a debt of gratitude to Ms. Lofgren.
Last, but far from least, the American Immigration Law Foundation's Legal Action Center prepared, and this week was poised to file, a class action lawsuit that highlighted the illegalities of the government's actions. The work of AILF, as well as other attorneys and their clients around the country, who also stood ready to sue, played a pivotal role in ensuring that USCIS remember the place of the rule of law in government.
"It is reassuring to see that the call to adhere to the rule of law still carries the weight that it must in our nation. I am proud of the actions of AILA, AILF, Rep. Lofgren and many of her colleagues, and of course the thousands affected by the government's lawless actions, for standing up for what is right," said Kathleen Campbell Walker, President of AILA. "The silence of those who recently exhibited such fervor during the immigration reform debate for compliance with the letter of the law was deafening on this issue. Where is their egalitarian stance as to those who follow the rules to the letter while trying to become permanent residents? It's time that all were unified in favor of an orderly and rational immigration system."
The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members. For more information call George Tzamaras at 202-216-2410 or Brooke Hewson at 202-216-2435″


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Toni's comment followed an email from a reader named Tom, which read, "Have you posted anything lately? I've read all the previous posts and am looking for a new one.""You were going to make new posts twice a month. I've been waiting for nearly a month and a half. *taps toes impatiently*"
Oh my goodness, you know what this means? I have fans!
When I was studying Communications in college, one of the things that impressed me was learning that every letter received by a TV or radio network was assumed to represent the views of at least ten thousand others who had not bothered to write in. So I'm going to assume from these two letters that some twenty thousand more of you are out there clamoring for me to resume. I'm resolved to stop disappointing you.
Seriously though, I'm actually surprised and humbled that even two of you like my stuff enough to miss me when I'm absent. So thanks for that.
Toni is right; I once mentioned my intent to post twice a month, but realistically I've been producing something once a month, and maybe twice. Still, a glance at the calendar and the date of my most recent piece tells me that it's now been almost two whole months since I've written anything. And at the rate I'm currently handling the vicissitudes of life, I'll be halfway into September before I hammer out my next creation. So I thought I should at least touch base with anyone out there who's even a little interested, and give you a hint about what's coming.
("Vicissitudes," by the way, is one of two 'V' words I learned in church that I've never had the opportunity to use since. The other is "Viz," from the 6th Article of Faith. And now I note that in my current scriptures, "viz" has been replaced by the word "namely" which, though less archaic, sounds like a usage more at home in Mad Magazine than the holy scriptures.)
For the benefit of Tom and Toni, I'm writing to let you know that I haven't quit or run out of ideas; I just took some time off to get some other things done. And frankly I got lazy, because I find it's so much easier to read other people's work than it is to produce any of my own.
A lot of my time at the computer lately has been spent perusing the work of Mormon bloggers with points of view more or less similar to my own, such as Weeping For Zion; Truth Hurts; The Transfigured Word; Finding Mormonism; Zomarah; Just and True; Because I Am Watching; LDS Anarchy; and the myriad of others who lament the way modern Mormonism seems to have drifted from its moorings. Often when I have contemplated writing on a topic, I find that these guys have already covered the issue far more intelligently and concisely than I could have.
In fact, the primary reason I didn't get around to making a blog entry of my own is because for most of July and August I had foolishly allowed myself to get sucked into an intractable debate following a particular post at LDS Anarchy. When a certain young commenter weighed in with an erroneous interpretation, I stepped in to "correct" him. He responded by insisting that I was "a misinformed mind control slave."
Uh-oh. That got my ego involved. Although several others attempted to set junior straight, before long things devolved into a non-stop feud pretty much between just this one guy and me, until weeks later I finally quit with an exasperated sigh. Last time I looked, he was still over there, trying to goad me back into the ring.
So, that's where the time went.
Pure Mormonism: Coming Attractions
For those interested, and in no particular order, here are a few teasers on some of the things I'm thinking about addressing here in the near future:
North American Evidences For The Book of Mormon. Apparently a large collection of colonial era books, documents, and sketches have been found in a neglected corner of the Smithsonian that could support evidence of Book of Mormon civilizations in North America that rival or surpass anything found thus far in Meso-America. What intrigues me about these findings is that apparently there are elements within the Church who are dismissive of this stuff because they are highly invested in promoting South Americans as being the descendants of the Lamanites, in spite of lack of DNA evidence for that position. But from what I've seen so far, there may be a handful of tribes from the New York-Ohio-Pennslyvania area that have been found to have traces of middle-eastern ancestry in their DNA, and the number of massive ruins that once existed here before the land was cleared for farming is staggering. The finding of descendants of Lehi in this geographical area would be consistent with what Joseph Smith taught on the subject, while advocates of the Meso-American view have had to invent some pretty odd constructions to justify their holdings, such as speculation that there must have been two Hill Cumorahs. So I'm looking into this and will report my findings here soon.
Also coming up is a review of what I'll title The Best Mormon Movie You Never Saw, a nice little independent film that was so poorly marketed that probably more non-members than members ever got a chance to see it. It was extremely well received by gentile audiences at film festivals in New York and Houston, but almost completely ignored during its one week run in Utah theaters. I'll follow that up with my opinion of The Worst Church Film Ever Made, a seminary film that had the unintended consequence of scaring a generation of LDS teenagers into having second thoughts about confiding in their leaders.
I'll also be discussing a reality show commissioned by cable channel TLC a year or two ago called Family Armor, which featured a typical LDS family of today. TLC only ended up broadcasting one episode, which was fortunate because the family actually was too typical of many Mormon families, and featured the parents teaching their children an appallingly unscriptural concept of God in order to frighten them into behaving.
I'm just getting around to reading volume II of Joseph Smith Fought Polygamy, and I intend to revisit that topic in the future. Given the complete lack of evidence that Joseph Smith ever engaged in the practice, and his vehement denunciations of those who did, I am more convinced than ever that the poor guy has been given a bum rap. What we do have evidence of is massive fraud in the doctoring of the official Church histories, meant to give the impression that polygamy in the Church was secretly sanctioned by Joseph Smith when it clearly was not. One of the men Brigham Young tasked with tampering with the journals of Joseph Smith left the Church rather than engage in such subterfuge. This subject continues to be a hot-button issue with me, and the matter is far from settled in my mind.
Eventually I want to parse the conference talk of Gordon Hinckley which many members assumed to be an endorsement of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's right, I'm not going to shut up about why no one who calls himself a Latter-day Saint should be participating in any of the wars the United States is currently engaged in.
I'll also address the question of whether Mitt Romney is good for the country, and whether a Mitt Romney presidency would be good for the church. Spoiler alert: A Romney presidency would be disastrous for both the country and the Church.
Is Boyd K. Packer On The Road to Apostasy? I'll lay out the case that, based on the criteria set forth by Joseph Smith, Elder Packer has been on that road for most of his Church career.
Why Are We Still Called To Sacrifice? Since the atonement did away with the law of sacrifice, why do we hear so much about how much we as members must continually sacrifice for the Church? I want to present the argument that the age of sacrifice ended with Christ's atonement, which ushered in the era of service. There is an important distinction between sacrifice and service; one is a waste of time and resources that keeps us stuck, while the other carries us toward a Zion society.
Along those lines I'll address the question, Are You Paying Too Much Tithing? I'll bet you probably are.
In a previous piece I argued that corporatism has undermined and subverted the church of Jesus Christ; I'd like to go deeper in a future post by addressing how the church has been neutralized and muzzled by deliberately acquiescing to government control.
Why A Marriage License? If marriage is ordained of God, why will the Church not allow a couple to enter the temple and be sealed together unless they present proof that the government has given its permission first? And on a related note, Should Gay People Get Married? Who cares? I don't, and I'll tell you why.
There's lots more in the pipeline, and I'm tempted to now and then go off topic and address current issues not directly related to Mormonism, yet which I feel have eternal ramifications. I hope you'll continue to check back and see.
In the meantime, I have not been idle. For the two of you who can't get enough of the the wit and wisdom of Rock Waterman, there is another place online where I contribute weekly opinion pieces not directly related to Mormonism.
Some time ago, I wrote a piece here on the subject of food storage, which came to the attention of the good folks at eFoodsDirect.com. I was subsequently asked to join three other contributors to the blog section at the eFoods website, where I write a column every Thursday morning. The advantage you'll find to reading my pieces there are that they are much shorter and more concise than the extended rants here.
It fell to me to be the resident expert on water storage, and I hope you'll check out my series on that. Storing water is really quite simple, but it's important to follow certain steps in the process that cannot be left out, and beware of the popular method of storing water that should be avoided at all costs.
In The Big Uh-Oh, I discuss the catastrophe about to befall my generation, the Baby Boomers, and how I forced myself to wake up and shake off my own slumber.
In recent pieces I discuss the rush into gold, a brazen admission by the former Federal Reserve Chairman, and things you can try if you just can't afford food storage. I also relate a couple of recent run-ins I had with hopelessly stupid people here and here.
I've also presented a six part beginner's guide on the basics of buying silver, including what particular coin you should buy, what you should not buy, and how to avoid the traps on Ebay.
A complete archive of my eFoods columns can be found starting on this page, beginning with the most recent. I have no idea how many people read those posts, because none of us receives many comments. Please add your two cents so I'll feel like someone's listening.
In the meantime, Tom and Toni, thanks for your interest. Please keep checking back. I haven't died (or been excommunicated) yet.
UPDATE September 5th, 2011: For the time being, if you order anything from eFoods Direct you can get free shipping. This is a big deal, because food shipments can be heavy and depending on the order, shipping costs can really take a bite. Take advantage of this offer while you can. It's for a limited time; I don't know for how long.


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Good-Bye Australia! Good-Bye loved ones |
"They lived and laughed and loved and left." -James Joyce
Let loose the lovely letter L.
For those who have to take leave among us:
Loosen your hands
Let go and say good-bye.
Let the stars and songs go.
Let the faces and years go.
Loosen your hands and say good-bye.
by Carl Sanburg from "Heartfelt Ways to Say Good-Bye"


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Microsoft's Patch Tuesday updates have been released – a total of nine updates and three of them are rated critical to address various issues in IE and all versions (6 through 11) of Windows. If you haven't updated your PCs and applied these patches, you're at risk for becoming victim to serious vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain remote access to your computers!
So what exactly do the updates address? Well, the first three critical updates fix remote code execution bugs:
- One of them addresses bugs in IE and Windows
- Two of them address bugs in Windows.
In addition, there are two remote code execution fixes that are labeled as important, however, they aren't critical:
- One of them addresses bugs in Windows.
- One of them addresses bugs in Windows Office, Microsoft Office Services & Web Apps.
Microsoft released these updates to mitigate the risks of attack resulting from these serious security holes. So how do you leverage these updates to keep your PCs protected? If you've set up automatic updates, you will receive an alert to apply the updates. If you haven't set up automatic updates, contact our team of IT experts immediately and we'll apply the updates for you.
What Other Updates Do You Need to Apply to Keep Your PCs Safe Against Security Threats?
While Microsoft's Patch Tuesday brings some serious security updates that must be applied immediately, there's a few other companies that released updates as well, such as Adobe and Oracle. What do their updates resolve? Here's an idea:
- Adobe: Nine critical security updates were released, including an update that addresses a security flaw in Adobe's Flash Player software, which allows hackers to take control of your PC.
- Oracle: 155 security patches were released to resolve vulnerabilities in their entire range of products, including 25 patches that address security issues in Java, which could leave your PC open to remote access.
Interested in learning more about these updates and how to apply them to your PCs? Feeling concerned about the security and reliability of your computer network? Give us a call at (604) 986-8170 or send us an email at firstname.lastname@example.com. Keep in mind, clients under our complete managed IT services program have nothing to worry about – Your computer technicians at Compunet InfoTech will ensure the right updates are applied.


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Diamond and iVerse Make Digital Content Available via Comic Shops with the Launch of "Diamond Digital" on July 23rd
(BALTIMORE, MD and WACO, TX) - [July 9, 2012] - Diamond Comic Distributors and iVerse Media are pleased to announce the official launch of Diamond Digital, a unique initiative which will empower 3,000+ independently owned and operated comic book specialty retailers worldwide to sell digital content both in their stores and on their websites. The new service will launch on Monday, July 23rd.
Thanks to Diamond Digital, comic fans will be able to read a wide variety of digital content on comic shop websites, and to download the content to their mobile devices via a "Digital Comics Reader" App for iOS and Android, with free cloud storage for all their Diamond Digital purchases.


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Updated May. 9, 2013 @ 11:43 am
LAKE CITY — A benefit supper and cake auction is scheduled for 5 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11, for Andrew "Drew" Phillips, a 17-year-old who needs a kidney transplant.
The supper will be held at Clinch River Baptist Church, 404 Cane Creek Road, Lake City. The country cooking buffet will start at 5 p.m. and the cake auction will be held at 7 p.m. Cost is $7 for adults and children ages 11 and under eat free.
Drew attends Clinch River Community School, located behind Anderson County High School in Clinton. He was diagnosed with a kidney disease called Hereditary Nephritis when he was 3 and now needs a kidney transplant, according to information from the benefit's organizers.
Drew and his family travel to Knoxville several times a week for treatment. The family needs help with traveling expenses and food during his treatments.
"Drew is a sweet-hearted boy with a lot of positive outlook," organizers stated in the information submitted to the newspaper. "He loves video games, four wheeling and working on cars. His favorite TV show is 'Top Gear.'"
Any donations at the supper are appreciated. In addition, a bank account has been set up under the name of "Andrew Phillips" at ORNL Federal Credit Union. For more information on the supper, call Pearl Phillips at (865) 457-8736.


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The researcher chose to research on this topic "Computer Based Census Management System" because of its relevance to the society. Meanwhile, the manual method so far has its attendant problem of being tedious. The researcher, in order to solve this time consuming, monotonous, and repetitive manual census activities went into a thorough study of the existing system. In the report proper, the Structured System Analysis and Design Methodology (SSADM) was adopted and explained. The high level model of the proposed system was also designed and displayed in a format easily understandable to the user. The high level model of the proposed system was designed architecturally and detailed designed through its separate components. There were four modules in all, each taking care of specific function like: the staff management module that maintains records about the staff; the department management module manages information about departments in the commission; the register person, the register states, and the register LGA modules that do the actual registration of individuals. Finally, the parallel change over methodology was adopted to enable the commission compare the results of the two systems (old and new) before implementation.
Census has been a reliable exercise from time, from where government rely for decision-making, and aids for administration and planning. According to Robert M. Groves, (2010) Director of the United States Census Bureau;
"Just like we cannot survive without roads and bridges, the country does not function well without an updated census to distribute funds to areas that most need them and to support community decisions and their own future."
The increasing complexity of modern life means a greater need to plan housing, schools, roads, transportation, and a vast range of social and economic requirement for nation. This cannot be done without a detailed count of the population. Census is being officially managed by some organizations or government, for example the National Population Commission (NPC).
The installation of computer in these organizations or bodies that manages census information will assist not only in fast-recording information but also in solving certain problems, which cannot be easily resolved manually. The human resource of any enterprises are considered to be their most valuable assets, if they are properly harnessed and are well motivated to perform their assigned tasks in such a manner as to enhance the enterprises goals and objectives.
Therefore, adequate population records will provide all the necessary information that is associated with people, which include the size of the population, age structure, educational attainment, labour force and socio-economic characteristics, unlike in the manual method which makes access to data and information very tedious. The integration of different databases so that these databases can be merged and processed together and mainly other reasons, prompted the researcher to develop software for this organization, National Population Commission (NPC).
1.1 Background of the study
Census taking in Nigeria can be traced to have started from as far back as 1966 after the colonization of Lagos by our colonial masters. Since then, there have been several attempts to count Nigeria population. However, these censuses are characterized by some difficulties and deliberate and ill-minded attempts to inflate population figures; just in favour of one geopolitical zone or the other. This does not and cannot represent the nation"s image as regards to human population. As a result of this, the National Population Commission (NPC) was established using the Decree No. 23 of 1989. The brain behind this was to have successful censuses each time and as well accurate demographic data. It is no doubt that this Commission (NPC) was vested with a lot of powers and functions some of which are; To undertake the periodic enumeration of the nation"s population through census, sample surveys, etc. To establish and maintain the machinery for continuous and universal registration of births and deaths To collect, collate and publish data on migration statistics To reach and monitor national population polity and set up national population information data bank.
Unfortunately, Nigeria still relies on foreign statistics population information data bank for most of their population estimation.
1.2 Statement of the problem
There are many problems affecting the National Population Commission from maintaining a steady reliable figures and estimates. These are the more reasons, why the researcher embarked on this research;
inadequate manpower
lack of equipments
poor organisation
unstable polity
manual bulk carrying of data
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this study are summarized as follows:
To develop computerized software that automatically stores and retrieves all information on human population.
To develop a reliable system that could be used in collecting data/information on human population.
To develop a system that will support direct access to the specific and required information
1.4 Significant of the Project
The system will solve problem associated with the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of information on human population with ease.
A timely retrieval of information is anticipated with efficiency and reliability.
It will provide security to data that are unauthorized, users will not gain access to those files and fraud will be minimized in the society which will lead to improvement in administration processes.
1.5 Scope of the Project
The major aim of the project is to design a system that will have all information about human population and retrieving of data when ever needed in the society. It focuses on the registration, retrieval and management of information about individuals in the society.
1.6 Limitation of Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are;
Lack of finance
Refusal of the National Population Commission Awka, to give detailed answers and in some cases no answer at all to some questions
This project is limited to all the data associated with census population figure gotten from the National Population Commission.
Due to time factor, not all the commissions were reached for source of data and information.
1.7 Definition of terms
DEMOGRAPHY: Demography is the scientific study of the changing number of births, deaths, diseases, etc in a community over a period of time.
POPULATION: Population is the total number of people living in a particular area, city or country.
CENSUS: A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population.
ENUMERATION: Enumeration is the head to head count of all individuals in a given society within a period of time.
MIGRATION: Migration is the act of moving from one region or country to another. It is the movement of a group of people, births, or other animals that move in group from one region to another.
ESTIMATION: Estimation is the act of making an approximate calculation of something.
PROJECTION: Projection is an estimate of the rate or amount something.


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On Saturday we spent nearly the entire late morning/early afternoon making our way through the RnR Montreal Expo. First stop at the Expo was race bib pickup and then on to t-shirt and swag bag pick up.
Once Neil had checked in and picked up all of his goodies it was time to make our way through the expo.
Our first stop was the Brooks Running game area where we had some fun playing a few games. We even played a competitive game skee ball which I won even with Edie sleeping in the Ergo (and no she didn't even wake up!) I proudly wore my skee ball championship medal although after seeing Neil's RnR race medal it wasn't so impressive, but more on that another day.
After playing some games we made our way through the vendors and spent our time lusting over new running gear, trying some samples and of course getting our photo taken.
As much as I would have liked to have purchased everything in site Neil and I both held off since I am in need of new running shoes, which aren't cheap. We did however pick up a few Bondi Bands which Edith just had to model for you (don't worry she won't be running for beer anytime soon).
Overall I thought that the race expo was really well done. The layout was perfect and we hit very few congested areas. I also loved the start of the expo where they had some fun games for us to enjoy. Now I have only been to the VCM expo besides this one so I don't have much to compare it to but overall I thought it was really well done.


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Flights to Toronto
Toronto, the capital of the Ontario province, is a multicultural metropolis on the shore of Lake Ontario. It's the largest city in Canada based on its population, and it's known especially for its beautiful green areas and vibrant cultural scene.
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
Book flights with Finnair and you'll reach Toronto with just one stopover in New York. You can also rent a car and book a hotel via our website – check out our selection now!
Always remember to check your airline's terminal and check-in times.
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