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There has been a lot of political news over the past few days. In addition to the marathon session of veto votes in the State House yesterday, which saw the final approval of the state budget and more aggressive statements from LePage (and some internecine conflict between him and other Republicans), we also had the Supreme Court rulings on DOMA, Prop 8 and the Voting Rights Act, a battle in Texas on women's rights and the announcement of President Obama's climate change agenda.
The most important news for Maine's gubernatorial race, however, may actually have come in the form of a blog post by Steve Mistler at the Portland Press Herald. Mistler noticed that Bonnie Porta, previously an Eliot Cutler supporter and fundraiser (and wife of Robert C.S. Monks, another big donor and treasurer for the Cutler campaign in 2010) will serve as treasurer for Congressman Mike Michaud's gubernatorial campaign committee.
There have been rumors of prominent Maine donors who supported Cutler in 2010 abandoning him for Michaud, and this may be the first sign of that diaspora. We'll know more when the candidates release their first campaign finance reports.
The money may not be much of an issue for Cutler. He's wealthy enough to self-finance his campaign and a majority of his early funding in 2010 came from contributors outside of the state of Maine (many of them contacts from his days as a corporate lawyer and lobbyist), but it does present a problem for a candidate attempting to show support from politically moderate and progressive Mainers.
As Rebekah Metzler notes in a recent post, "momentum or perceived momentum [are] critical to this a race." The first task for both Michaud and Cutler is to define themselves as the real alternative to LePage. As in 2010, voters will likely eventually throw their support to the one they see as having the best chance of winning, perhaps even to a greater degree and at an earlier point during the campaign.
In addition to these donors putting Michaud's campaign on a solid financial footing, they also convey a messaging advantage. The more Cutler spends of his own money, or brings in funds from out of state, the more he reinforces what Michaud will likely attempt to make a central theme of the campaign: the idea of the former millworker facing off against the former corporate lawyer (and against LePage, the former corporate executive). It's a message of class and identity and who really has your back. We've already seen a preview of this in the debate over the minimum wage.
Despite being in the House for a decade, Michaud seems to have maintained his working-class credibility. The author of a new book on the prevalence of millionaires in Congress even used him as an example of the rare feat of a regular guy making it in Washington.
More good news for Michaud came this morning in the form of a survey released by the Democratic Party. Even if we allow for a few points of bias because it's an internal poll, it still shows Michaud ahead of Cutler and virtually even with LePage. Early polls aren't always indicative of final results, and a lot can happen before November 2014, but Michaud seems to be in the right place and doing the right things to run a solid campaign.


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0Israel Nature & Wildlife Tour - Day 4
Day 4 Start the day with a visit to the City of David, the heart of biblical Jerusalem, to view Area G, Warren's Shaft, the water fortress and the new Visitors Center. Walk through the water of Hezekiah's Tunnel, dug 2700 years ago to secure the water flow for Jerusalem during the Assyrian siege. Enter the Old City via the Dung Gate to visit the Western Wall, the holiest site in the world for Jews. Tour the excavations at the Southern Wall, including ritual baths and the original streets of Jerusalem from the time of Jesus. Sit on the southern steps of the Temple, used by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims 2000 years ago as they ascended to the Temple Mount. Visit the Davidson Center, in the basement of an eighth-century CE palace, and make arrangements to visit its virtual reconstruction, high-definition interactive model. Cross the valley to the Jewish Quarter and enter the Herodian Mansions, the dwellings of the priestly families who served in the Temple. See evidence of First-Temple Jerusalem at the Broad Wall, as well as the Late Roman Cardo and the medieval synagogues. Overnight in Jerusalem For additional itinerary suggestions, please see: www.goisrael.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Checking in on… the SECPosted by jstevrtc on January 19th, 2010
- Kentucky 18-0 (3-0)
- Vanderbilt 14-3 (3-0)
- Tennessee 14-2 (2-0)
- South Carolina 11-6 (2-1)
- Florida 12-5 (1-2)
- Georgia 8-8 (0-3)
- Mississippi State 15-3 (3-0)
- Arkansas 8-9 (1-1)
- Mississippi 13-4 (1-2)
- Alabama 11-6 (1-2)
- Auburn 9-9 (0-3)
The talk of the SEC being a vastly improved conference may have been a bit premature once we got into conference play. I still think the SEC will have five sure-fire seeds in the NCAA Tournament (Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, and Mississippi) with Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama being bubble teams at this time. Mississippi had two losses to ranked teams, but I still think they are tournament-worthy.
The Tennessee situation got a little more resolved this week as it was announced that Melvin Goins and Cameron Tatum will be rejoining the Vols but Brian Williams still remains on suspension indefinitely. The trio were suspended because of a January 1st arrest on guns and drug charges. Tyler Smith was dismissed from the team.
Speaking of the Vols, they have now solidified themselves inside top 10 as they find themselves as the #8 team in both the AP Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today polls. Kentucky still holds onto the #2 spot in each of the polls this week — for now. Mississippi is still hanging around in the polls at #22 in the AP Top 25 and #24 in the ESPN/USA Today and Mississippi State re-enters the AP at #23. Vanderbilt is on the verge of entering both polls also.
Kentucky's Eric Bledsoe was named SEC Freshman of the Week after he averaged 19 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in wins at Florida and at Auburn. Mississippi State's Jarvis Varnado named SEC Player of the Week after he averaged 15.5 points, 13.0 rebounds and 8.0 blocks in wins over Arkansas and Georgia.
- 1/19 – Tennessee (14-2) @ Alabama (11-6) – 7 PM – ESPN
- 1/20 – South Carolina (11-6) @ Mississippi (13-4) – 9PM – ESPN 360
- 1/21 – Florida (12-5) @ Arkansas (8-9) – 9 PM – ESPN
- 1/23 – Mississippi State (15-3) @ Alabama (11-6) – 12PM – CBS; Mississippi (13-4) @ LSU (9-8) – 1:30 PM – ESPN 360
- 1/23 – Arkansas (8-9) @ Kentucky (18-0) – 4 PM – ESPN 360
- 1/23 – South Carolina (11-6) @ Florida (12-5) – 6 PM – ESPN
Kentucky (#2, #2) – On Tuesday, Kentucky used a 17-4 run over the last 5:00 to put away the Florida Gators in Gainesville, 89-77. This was the first win for Kentucky at Gainesville since 2004. UK was led by Eric Bledsoe's 25 points. John Wall added 17 points and Patrick Patterson 15. Three days later, Kentucky built an early 19 point lead on Auburn but the Tigers gave UK their best shot and chipped away to eventually tie the game at 60. Kentucky pulled away over the last 6:00 or so to win their second straight road game, 72-67, and remain perfect on the season. Kentucky was led by 16 points and 11 rebounds from DeMarcus Cousins and 13 points each from Wall and Bledsoe.
Vanderbilt – Jeffery Taylor broke open a tie game with :06 left by hitting one of two free throws and Vanderbilt held off Alabama to win 65-64 at Tuscaloosa on Wednesday. A.J. Ogilvy and Taylor scored 13 points to lead Vandy and freshman John Jenkins hit three of four 3-pointers to finish with 11 off the bench. It was a battle of 2-0 SEC teams on Saturday as Vanderbilt traveled to South Carolina. Ogilvy scored 18 of 22 points in the second half as Vanderbilt won their eighth straight game with an 89-79 victory over South Carolina. Taylor led with 16 for the Commodores.
Tennessee – Starting center Wayne Chism scored 12 points, not to mention 12 rebounds and six steals as Tennessee (No. 10 ESPN/USA Today, No. 9 AP) shook off a slow start to beat Auburn on Thursday, 81-55. Bobby Maze and J.P. Prince both had 14 points for the Volunteers, while Scotty Hopson chipped in 11 and Kenny Hall added ten. Chism played 41 minutes and scored 26 points, including six consecutive free throws in overtime, to bail Tennessee out as the Volunteers beat Mississippi 71-69 just two days later. Prince added 13 points as the Vols won their sixth straight game.
South Carolina – Devan Downey scored 29 points and had seven rebounds to lead South Carolina to a 67-58 win over LSU on Wednesday. The Gamecocks trailed 49-47 with about 9:00 remaining when they went on a 17-1 streak that sealed the game. Downey was 6-12 on 3-pointers and Brandis Raley-Ross also put in 12 for the Gamecocks. On Saturday, Downey had 35 points and 6 steals but that was not enough to prevent a home court 89-79 loss to Vanderbilt. Raley-Ross and Lakeem Jackson also put in 11 points apiece.
Florida – The Gators dropped to 0-2 conference play for the first time in the Billy Donovan era on Tuesday with their 89-77 loss to Kentucky. Erving Walker nailed four 3-pointers and had 20 points, and Alex Tyus added 17. The last time UF was 0-2 in conference play was 1996 — the year before Donovan arrived. On Saturday, Kenny Boynton had 18 points as the Gators won a battle of winless SEC teams over LSU, 72-58. Chandler Parsons had 11 points as he moved into the starting lineup and all five Gator starters scored in double figures. On the downside, the Gator bench only managed four points in the win.
Georgia – The Bulldogs gave the 23rd-ranked Ole Miss Rebels all they wanted on Wednesday night, but fell short in a 80-76 loss. The Bulldogs, who were coming off an eight point loss at #2 Kentucky last Saturday, were in this game until the final seconds. Trey Thompkins led the Bulldogs scoring with 21 points and Travis Leslie added 17 for Georgia. Georgia then took another tough loss on Saturday as they fell 72-69 to Mississippi State. The Bulldogs had leads of 41-30 and 64-51 but could not maintain. Thompkins and Leslie led the way with 18 and 14 points, respectively.
Mississippi State – Jarvis Varnado had 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 blocks for his second triple-double, and Mississippi State just held on to beat Arkansas 82-80 on Thursday night. The Bulldogs opened an early 19-point lead, but had to repel a late rally by the Razorbacks who cut it to three with 32 seconds left. Dee Bost had 20 to lead the Bulldogs, and Ravern Johnson and Barry Stewart also scored in double digits. Bost and Phil Turner each scored 15 points to lead Mississippi State to a 72-69 victory over Georgia on Saturday. The Bulldogs had to overcome a pair of 10-point deficits in beating the Bulldogs.
Arkansas – On Thursday night the Razorbacks mounted a furious second half rally but fell just short at Starkville, losing 82-80 to Mississippi State. The Hogs fought back from 19 down but could not complete the comeback. Marshawn Powell and Courtney Fortson had 25 and 20 points, respectively, to help the Razorbacks fight back. On Saturday the Razorbacks were feeling it, as three players posted double-doubles in a 71-59 win over Alabama. Powell had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Mike Washington scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Razorbacks. Fortson had 12 points and 10 assists, and Rotnei Clarke also scored 17.
Mississippi – Eniel Polynice scored off an inbounds pass to himself with 11.3 seconds remaining on Wednesday night, and Mississippi (No. 23 ESPN/USA Today, No. 21 AP) handed Georgia another tough loss, 80-76. Polynice finished with 10 and Chris Warren added 12 to lead the Rebels. Trevor Gaskins and Zach Graham each scored 11 off the bench to aid the Rebel cause. Then on Saturday Ole Miss led most of the second half but could not hold off the Volunteers in Knoxville losing in OT, 71-69. Warren and Terrico White led the Rebels with 19 and 17 points, respectively, and Graham scored 16 off the bench.
Alabama – The Crimson Tide jumped out to an early 10 point lead and led most of the game on Wednesday evening, but could not hold on in a heartbreaking 65-64 loss to Vanderbilt. Mikhail Torrance had 23 points on 9-13 shooting and Tony Mitchell added ten points off the bench for Alabama. 'Bama's tough start in the SEC continued on Saturday with a loss to Arkansas, 71-59. Torrance led the way with 15 points and JaMychal Green added 13 as the Tide lost their second straight.
LSU – The Tigers led most of the game against South Carolina but fell apart the last 9:00 as the Gamecocks stormed back for a 67-58 win. LSU is not getting much production from any players not named Storm Warren (19 points), Bo Spencer (14) or Tasmin Mitchell (13). Those three scored 47 of the Tiger's 58 points. The Tigers' rough season got rougher as they were dumped by the Gators at Gainesville by a score of 72-58. Mitchell was the only Tiger with more than 8 points as LSU's season seems to be in freefall.
Auburn – Traveling to Knoxville on Thursday, the Tigers battled with the Tennessee Vols in the first half and trailed just 38-37 at the break, but Auburn could not keep up with the Vols in the second half and suffered a 81-55 loss. DeWayne Reed had 19 points and Frankie Sullivan contributed 14 to lead the Tigers. At home against Kentucky on Saturday afternoon, Auburn came back from a 19-point deficit and eventually tied UK at 60 late in the second half, but went cold from the field over the last few minutes as the Wildcats pulled away for a 72-67 win. Auburn was led by Reed with 19 points and Frankie Sullivan's 15.


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She's not a presidential candidate yet but Hillary Clinton is already starting to pile up the endorsements.
Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill Tuesday added her support to a growing roster of Democratic activists pushing the former secretary of state to make another bid for the White House in 2016. The nudge gives Clinton a marquee, swing-state backer and could be an early glimpse at a major source of support for any potential campaign -- Democratic women in the U.S. Senate.
McCaskill announced her support for Clinton on the website of the group "Ready for Hillary," a super PAC which has looked to build grassroots fervor for a potential Clinton candidacy in 2016. The group is not tied directly to Clinton but has been aggressive in gathering support for a potential candidacy.
Larry Downing / Reuters file
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., speaks about pending legislation regarding sexual assaults in the military at a Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 4, 2013.
"Hillary Clinton had to give up her political operation while she was making us proud, representing us around the world as an incredible Secretary of State, and that's why Ready for Hillary is so critical," McCaskill said in a statement. "It's important that we start early, building a grassroots army from the ground up, and effectively using the tools of the Internet – all things that President Obama did so successfully – so that if Hillary does decide to run, we'll be ready to help her win."
Speculation has grown in recent weeks about Clinton's political future. Just weeks after stepping down as Obama's Secretary of State, she started to re-enter public life. While she has been deliberately coy about her intentions in 2016, Clinton launched a Twitter account last week teasing her "to be determined" future plans. Her profile reads: "Wife, mom, lawyer, women & kids advocate, FLOAR, FLOTUS, US Senator, SecState, author, dog owner, hair icon, pantsuit aficionado, glass ceiling cracker, TBD..."
And in a major new policy push, she outlined new initiatives involving access to education and advancing women's issues at last week's "Clinton Global Initiative," another nod at her unique position as the most high-profile woman in American politics.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks about holding onto the core belief of the American dream while speaking Thursday in Chicago.
While she has endured criticism from Republicans over last fall's terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya in which four Americans were killed, Clinton received a rare send-off from the president when she left office that included a joint interview that some observers saw as a passing-of-the-torch moment.
McCaskill is one of 16 Democratic women serving in the Senate, many of them representing key swing states like Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Minnesota. Regarded as a relative moderate, McCaskill won re-election to her second term in 2012. Though Missouri has trended slightly toward Republicans in recent statewide and presidential elections, it is still considered a "swing state" in relative terms — a state whose 10 electoral votes are important to winning an election.
McCaskill's early support for Clinton is even more noteworthy for the fact that she was an early supporter of Barack Obama's during the 2008 Democratic primary versus Clinton. The Missouri senator's support for Clinton reflects the manner in which a number of Obama supporters have now turned their sentiments to Clinton, who served as Obama's top diplomat during his first term.
This story was originally published on Tue Jun 18, 2013 8:29 AM EDT


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Swami Chinmayananda (1917-1993), Vedantist writer, lecturer and Hindu renaissance founder of Chinmaya Mission International
You may turn your bones to fuel, your flesh to meat, letting them roast and sizzle in the gold-red blaze of severe austerities. But unless your heart melts in love's sweet ecstacy, you never can possess my Lord Siva, my treasure-trove. Tirumantiram Verse 272
Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it. Swedish proverb
A little Hindu boy was afraid of the dark. One night his mother told him to go outside and bring in the cow from the field. The little boy turned to his mother and said, "Amma, I don't want to go out there. It's dark." The mother smiled reassuringly at her son. "You don't have to be afraid of the dark," she explained. "God is out there. He will look after you and protect you." The boy peered at his mother intently and asked, "Are you sure He's out there?" "Yes, I'm sure," she answered. "He is everywhere, and He is always ready to help you when you need Him." The boy thought for a minute and then went to the back door and opened it slightly. Peeking out into the darkness, he called, "God? If you're out there, would you please bring in the cow?"
The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; That's the essence of inhumanity. George Bernard Shaw, (1856-1950) famous writer
Year Two Thousand=A Year To Shut Down
A Y2K Anagram(two phrases that use the same characters)
Does killing time damage eternity?
During the puja rituals, the deity is believed to symbolically consume the food. In doing so, His or Her sacred energy seeps into the flowers and the remaining food, transforming them with vibrant divine power. Stephen Huyler, from his latest book, Meeting God: Elements of Hindu Devotion
You can tell more about a person from what he says about others than what others say about him..
In some ways, the more modern we get, the more like ancient India we become. Cremations, for example, have become the biggest trend in funerals in North America. In 1963, only three percent of funerals in the US involved cremation. Today this efficient means of dispensing our Earthly remains has become the exit of choice in almost one quarter of American deaths. It is also rapidly becoming the popular option in Canada, where the funeral industry predicts that the cremation rate will reach 45 percent another decade. Cremation is far simpler than burial, uses less land, is environmentally friendly and much cheaper. Hindus also believe that burning the physical body after death releases the soul more swiftly from the physical plane, enabling it to continue more naturally in its spiritual evolution.


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Unions suffered a resounding defeat in Wisconsin last week. They're far from down and out, however. Unable to reverse their decline in membership under existing law, they are circumventing Congress and using the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to create an entirely new type of union. A new rule hatched by the Obama-appointed board, authorizes the creation of union cells—organizing a few employees within a company to gain a foothold—which will severely impact businesses.
Until recently, employees organized based on shared job characteristics—for example, all the hourly employees at a firm. The new practice allows micro-unions representing only a small minority of workers in a company. Instead of a grocery store's employees having a union, the store could face separate unions for cashiers, shelf-stockers, and janitors.
The NLRB permitted this in its Specialty Healthcare decision last year, allowing organized labor to form unions by job title. A decision last month by one of the NLRB's regional directors demonstrated just how harmful—and absurd—a policy this is. The regional director green-lit a union election at the Bergdorf Goodman department store. But most employees will not get to vote; only shoe salesmen will cast ballots. Not all shoe salesmen, however. Only those selling women's shoes.
As the HR Policy Association explains:
The fact that hours, benefits (including the same health plans), and general productivity goals were common among all employees was dismissed because, among other reasons, the sale of women's shoes 'requires a distinct skill set from other sales associates due to the unique nature of the product they are selling.'
While the men's shoe salesmen—or any other type of salesmen—at the store will not get a say in the union's presence, these excluded workers will share in all the risks and downsides of unionizing. Strikes will also harm them, and if the union bankrupts the company, they will also lose their jobs.
With private-sector union membership down to 7 percent, labor leaders are desperate. Even the government unions are seeing workers quit en mass—when they have a choice. Columnist Charles Krauthammer described this lesson in Wisconsin:
Without the thumb of the state tilting the scale by coerced collection, union membership became truly voluntary. Result? Newly freed members rushed for the exits. In less than one year, AFSCME, the second-largest public-sector union in Wisconsin, has lost more than 50 percent of its membership.
Labor leaders and the NLRB have made several attempts to curb workers' rights in recent years. They have tried to take away the secret ballot in union elections and to shorten the amount of time workers have to decide on unionizing. They have threatened to demand access to workers' email addresses and phone numbers in workplaces that are targeted for unionization. The NLRB itself has its own scandals and has served as a revolving door for union big shots.
The board's tactics are in step with the Obama Administration's penchant for skipping Congress completely.
"The recent decision at Bergdorf Goodman is an example of the labor board's doing through regulation what we ought to be doing through legislation on the floor of the Senate," said Senator Johnny Isakson (R–GA), who introduced legislation last year that would reverse the NLRB's decision on the so-called micro-unions.
The practice will have devastating consequences for businesses and workers alike. Management could face contract negotiations with multiple union cells under one roof, which "increases the likelihood of industrial unrest and workplace disputes as different unions with differing goals represent different employees," said Fred Wszolek of the Workforce Fairness Institute.
In addition to divided workplaces, workers will face diminished professional opportunities. As Heritage's James Sherk has explained, "Over time, unions destroy jobs in the companies they organize. In manufacturing, three-quarters of all union jobs have disappeared over the past three decades, while the number of non-union jobs has increased."
With organized labor cells, workers would be stuck in their current roles without the chance to advance through departments. Fragmenting the workplace into multiple bargaining units will make it very difficult for workers to work their way up through departments. They wouldn't have the opportunities that Joe McFarland had when he took an hourly job at Home Depot in 1993.
McFarland started out working in the electrical aisle. Over the next 20 years, he learned all he could about other departments in the store, worked hard—and got promoted. He rose from his hourly job to Western Division President, where he now oversees more than 440 stores and 78,700 employees in 13 states.
If the electrical aisle employees had chosen to unionize, McFarland could have been stuck there. He wouldn't have had the opportunity to train across departments and move up into management.
But big labor's strategy isn't about growing skills and advancing careers. It's about grasping for any amount of power—and union dues—they can grab.
Quick Hits:
- Russian police raided the homes of opposition leaders in advance of a scheduled opposition rally in Moscow, "the largest pre-emptive action against dissidents since the beginning of the protest movement last December," according to the Financial Times.
- President Obama said in an interview yesterday that he was too busy to help Democrats with the Wisconsin recall election. "The truth of the matter is that, as president of theUnited States, I've got a lot of responsibilities," he said.
- North Dakotans will vote today on whether to abolish their state's property tax. Both unions and the Chamber of Commerce in the state oppose the measure.
- Last night, the White House announced at 10 pm that Commerce Secretary John Bryson will take a medical leave of absence following traffic accidents reportedly brought on by seizures.
- Today, Heritage celebrates the 25th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan's call to Mikhail Gorbachev to "Tear down this wall."


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The media is awash in moral equivalence, thanks to Amnesty International's new report: "Killing the Future: Children in the Line of Fire," which details how children on both sides have been victims of recent Mideast violence.
A summary of Amnesty's report is online at:
Comments on Amnesty International's report can be sent to AI's international secretariat in London:
firstname.lastname@example.com, or to AI's Israeli branch: firstname.lastname@example.com (http://www.amnesty.org.il/).
Many media reports blanketly compared Israeli children who were intentionally targeted (e.g. the Tel Aviv Dolphinarium disco), with children who were unintentional collateral damage (e.g. killed with Hamas leader Salah Shehadeh).
Typical of media coverage was this short article by CBC (Canadian television), which simply reports: "Amnesty says both the Israeli Defence Force and armed Palestinian groups show an utter disregard for the lives of children and other civilians."
Below we present a comprehensive overview of the issue of child casualties, including 5 key points of background information:
(1) Palestinian Children on the Front Lines
(2) Military and PR Tactic
(3) Palestinian Culture of Martyrdom
(4) Violation of Human Rights
(5) IDF Response to Amnesty Report
Readers may also wish to refer to
http://www.opsick.com, a website dedicated to stopping abuse of children in the Mideast conflict.
Justus Weiner has authored a comprehensive issue brief entailed, "The Recruitment of Children in Current Palestinian Strategy." Weiner is scholar in residence at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (http://www.jcpa.org), headed by Dore Gold and Lenny Ben-David. (To subscribe to the Jerusalem Issue Brief, please send a blank email message to:
Weiner cites recent examples of how Palestinian children and teenagers have assumed an integral role in the murder of Israeli civilians:
- February 2002 - Nora Shalhoob, a 16-year-old Palestinian girl, was killed while charging a group of Israeli soldiers at a military checkpoint with a knife in her hand.
- March 2002 - A 16-year-old Palestinian girl named Ayat Akhras walked into a Jerusalem supermarket and detonated a bomb concealed under her clothing, killing two Israelis and wounding 22 others.
- April 2002 - 17-year-old Andaleeb Taqataqah was recruited by a terror squad and sent to her death in a suicide attack on a crowded Jerusalem market.
- April 2002 - Three teenagers - Anwar Hamduna, Yusef Zakut, and Abu Nada - from Gaza, attempted to crawl under the perimeter fence and attack the residents of the Jewish community of Netzarim, only to be shot dead by guards.
- May 2002 - For over a month, Palestinian children as young as 10 barricaded themselves in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, alongside Palestinian gunmen.
May 2002 - A 16-year-old Palestinian boy was arrested in a taxi near Jenin with a suicide bomb on his body.
- June 2002 - A 15-year-old Palestinian girl, arrested for throwing a firebomb at IDF soldiers, admitted during interrogation that she had previously been recruited as a suicide terrorist.
- July 2002 - Israeli security forces arrested another 15-year-old Palestinian girl who admitted to having agreed to carry out a suicide attack in Israel.
Early in the current intifada, Weiner notes, children acted as decoys, burning tires and shooting slingshots to attract TV cameras while making it harder for the world to identify the gunmen lying in ambush. Knowing that Israeli soldiers are ordered not to shoot live ammunition at children, Palestinian snipers hide among groups of youngsters, on rooftops or in alleys, often using kids as shields when aiming at exposed IDF soldiers. On some occasions, these gunmen apparently have inadvertently shot Palestinian children from behind.
USA Today correspondent Jack Kelley reported:
"Children serve as infantry in the confrontations between Israeli and Palestinian soldiers. In scenes reminiscent of Iranian children sent to the Iraqi front equipped with plastic keys to heaven, Palestinian children are sent close to Israeli positions with rocks and Molotov cocktails, while the gunmen and snipers fire from positions hundreds of yards back." (Oct. 23, 2000)
The Jordanian newspaper "Alrai" (citing an interview with the Kuwaiti newspaper "Alzaman" on 20 June 2002), quotes Abu Mazen, Deputy Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, who spoke of how Palestinian children are being exploited into carrying out terror attacks:
"At least 40 children from the city of Raphah have lost their arms as a result of the explosions of pipe bombs. They received five Israeli shekels (about one U.S. dollar) for throwing them."
(see original article at
The Palestinian Authority has provided children with military training. The New York Times reports that 25,000 children were trained in the summer 2000 in PA camps in the use of firearms, the making of Molotov cocktails, the methods of kidnapping Israeli leaders, and conducting ambushes. (New York Times - Aug. 3, 2000)
The use of children reflects a long-time Palestinian strategy in the fight against Israel. In June 1982, the PLO issued a military call-up order for all boys aged 12 and older whose fathers served in Fatah units. The children were promised $80 a month and were attached to regular PLO battalions, each serving in his father's company.
A Palestinian Authority tactic is to encourage children to seek heroic Shahada (martyrdom) -- and then use the numbers of dead children in their PR war against Israel. Sam Kiley describes in The London Times:
"Since birth, Palestinian children have been pumped full of religious fundamentalism which promises paradise for those who die for the cause of free Palestine... Approving or not, the Palestinian authorities have done nothing to stop children playing with their lives. Let's face it, dead kids make great telly." ("A Deadly Game" - Oct. 19, 2000)
The average Western mind has trouble comprehending a society that might intentionally seek death, in order to advance a political cause. Reporters assume that if Palestinian children are being killed, it can only be Israel's fault.
Yet as Arafat adviser Bassam Abu Sharif told Time magazine: "If he knows he will achieve a political point that will get him closer to independence and if that will cost him 10,000 killed, he wouldn't mind."
Indeed, fault for most of these casualties lies strictly with the PA. Salah Shehadeh operated from a heavily populated neighborhood, precisely because he knew the civilians would serve as a human shield against any Israeli attempt to assassinate him. Writing in the NY Post, John Podhoretz explains:
"The Fourth Geneva Convention goes into great and elaborate detail about how to assign fault when military activities take place in civilian areas... Hamas is at war with Israel. But instead of separating themselves from the general population in military camps and wearing uniforms, as required by international law, Hamas members and other Palestinian terrorists try to use civilians -- the "protected persons" mentioned in [The Fourth Geneva Convention] 3:1:28 -- as living camouflage. To prevent such a thing from happening, international law explicitly gives Israel the right to conduct military operations against military targets under these circumstances."
Speaking about another region of the world, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said:
"Let there be no doubt, the responsibility for every casualty of this war, lies with the Taliban. They use civilians as human shields, and place their arsenal among their homes. We did not look to commence this conflict -- the war was thrown at us, and we are defending ourselves."
In recent searches of Palestinian homes, the IDF has discovered disturbing "family photos": One shows a Palestinian baby with a semiautomatic pistol and machine gun, and another shows a baby wearing a pretend explosives belt with red wires strapped to his waist.
The Palestinian media is a primary vehicle used to promote the martyrdom of children. In Sept. 2002, the PA renewed broadcasting of one of the most odious PA video clips, the "Farewell Letter." In the clip, a child writes a farewell letter to his parents, glorifying his desire to die, and then places himself in front of Israeli soldiers during a violent riot where he is shot and dies, achieving his goal. The words are sung: " For my country, I shall sacrifice myself... How sweet is Shahada [martyrdom]... Be joyous over my blood and do not cry for me." (source: IMRA.org)
Another Palestinian Authority TV program clip, aimed at young viewers, features a boy killed in Gaza arriving in heaven where there are beaches, waterfalls, and a Ferris wheel. He is saying, "I am not waving goodbye, I am waving to tell you to follow in my footsteps." On the accompanying soundtrack, a song plays, "How pleasant is the smell of martyrs, how pleasant the smell of land, the land enriched by the blood, the blood pouring out of a fresh body."
Religious leaders also encourage the martyrdom of children. Sheik 'Ikrimi Sabri, the Palestinian Authority-appointed mufti of Jerusalem, declared: "I feel the martyr is lucky because the angels usher him to his wedding in heaven... The younger the martyr, the greater and the more I respect him." ("Al-Ahram Al-Arabi" - Oct. 28, 2000)
Parents are also portrayed in Palestinian society as supporting their children's death. "Al-Ayyam" newspaper quotes a mother who encouraged her sons to sacrifice themselves for Palestinian beliefs:
"The danger of injury to the boy Tzabar Ashkaram, 18, paralysis and permanent disability, just added to his mother's determination to encourage her sons to participate in the intifada riots... the fact of his injury by a live bullet did not cause her to mourn. She said she had previously lost her older son, Iyyad." (Nov. 1, 2000)
Another Palestinian mother was quoted in the London Times: "I am happy that [my 13-year-old son] has been martyred. I will sacrifice all my [12] sons and daughters to Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem."
BBC broadcast a video of a proud Palestinian mother embracing her son and sends him proudly on his way to kill Jews. "God willing you will succeed," she says. "May every bullet hit its target, and may God give you martyrdom. This is the best day of my life."
(All this makes one wonder about the sanctimonious pronouncements of Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi who, when asked about the Palestinian Authority dispatching children into battle with Israeli soldiers, angrily turned on her interviewer:
"They're telling us we are -- we have no feelings for our children? We're not human beings? We're not parents? We're not mothers or fathers? This is just incredible. I sometimes I say I don't want to sink to the level of responding, or proving I'm human. I mean, even animals have feelings for their children." ("60 Minutes," October 24, 2000)
Encouraging children to martyrdom extends into Palestinian classrooms and textbooks as well. Palestinian Brig. Gen. Mahmoud M. Abu Marzoug reminded a group of 10th grade girls in Gaza City that "as a martyr, you will be alive in Heaven." After the address, a group of these girls lined up to assure a Washington Post reporter that they would be happy to carry out suicide bombings or other actions ending in their deaths. (Washington Post - April 24, 2002)
Ramahan Sahadi Abed Rabbah, 13, when asked why he participated in clashes with soldiers, was quoted in "Al-Hayat" as saying, "My purpose is not to be wounded but something more sublime -- martyrdom." (Nov. 8, 2000)
The problem has infested all parts of Palestinian society. Suicide bombing is considered a source of neighborhood pride, as streets are named after the perpetrators of these atrocities. Signs on the walls of kindergartens proclaim their students as "the shaheeds [martyrs] of tomorrow." Some children draw pictures and fantasize about the day when they achieve their goal.
"When I become a martyr, give out Kannafa [sweet cake]," one 14-year-old boy was reported to have told his friends in the days prior to his death in the riots. A 12-year-old boy who died in the fighting was reported to have so yearned for martyrdom that he wrote his own death announcements on the walls of his home.
Under these cultural influences, many children readily admit that they want to become suicide bombers. In June 2002, a documentary on PA television presented a survey conducted by Dr. Fatsil Abu Hin, a lecturer in psychology in the Gaza Strip. He interviewed 996 children between the ages of nine to 17. Ninety percent expressed their desire to participate in intifada activities, and 73% expressed a desire to become martyrs.
"Muslim Fun," a CD-ROM produced in the UK, includes a game called "The Resistance" in which "you are a farmer in south Lebanon who has joined the Islamic Resistance to defend your land and family from the invading Zionists." The Islamic Fun Web site recommends the game for children ages five and up and says: "Your child will learn about Islam by playing lots of exciting games, full of colourful animations and cute sounds effects."
Palestinian children at the Balata camp have thrown away their Pokemon cards in favor of necklace-pendants with pictures of Palestinian suicide bombers. The children spend their meager allowances to collect and trade them, hunting for prized martyr pictures like a vintage baseball card.
One Palestinian parent told the Toronto Star (June 17, 2002): "I opened my son's closet and found it full of martyrs posters and necklaces. I said to him... `Ultimately, you'll be rewarded with your picture hanging from a necklace, and we will have lost a son.'"
"These children are convinced that martyrdom is a holy thing, something worthy of the ultimate respect," said Munir Jabal, head of a Balata teachers association. "They worship these pictures. I think it will lead them in the future to go out and do the same thing."
Weiner reports that a another reason Palestinian parents allow and even encourage their children to get involved is the financial incentive offered to families of "martyrs." Thus, the Palestinian Authority furnishes a cash payment -- $2,000 per child killed and $300 per child wounded. Saudi Arabia announced that it had pledged $250 million as its first contribution to a billion-dollar fund aimed at supporting the families of Palestinian martyrs.
In addition, the Arab Liberation Front, a Palestinian group loyal to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, pays generous bounties to the injured and the families of the dead according to the following sliding scale: $500 for a wound; $1,000 for disability; $10,000 to the family of each martyr; and $25,000 to the family of every martyr suicide bomber -- lavish sums, given the chronic unemployment and poverty of the majority of the Palestinian residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Yet not everyone agrees with the PA's techniques of child abuse.
Fox News quotes Atta Sarasara, a father of a 16-year-old suicide bomber, who Fox says "is angry with not just the Israelis, but also with the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades for preying on impressionable teenagers and giving his son a bomb. 'They used a child. He was very kind, handsome, smart. They used him,' Sarasara said."
Sweden's Queen Silvia raised the issue at a meeting of the World Childhood Foundation at the United Nations. She strongly criticized Palestinian parents and leaders for "exploiting them [the children] and risking their lives in a political fight... As a mother, I'm very worried about this. I'd like to tell them to quit. This is very dangerous. The children should not take part." (Jerusalem Post - Nov. 27, 2000)
Appearing on NBC's Meet the Press, Condoleezza Rice said:
"What does that picture of a baby dressed as a suicide bomber say about the hopes of Palestinians for life with the Israeli people as good neighbors? You know, we've all, in our lives, had experiences with hatred. I certainly have in Birmingham, Alabama. And it all starts with recognizing that the other person is human and deserves a future. If you're going to send your babies and your teenagers to kill other teenagers, something has broken down in this concept of humanity."
The editorial board of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram wrote:
"According to the AP, polls repeatedly have recorded majority Palestinian backing for suicide bombings, with a recent survey indicating more than 60 percent approval. In such an atmosphere, amid accounts of parents piously sanctioning the idea of their offspring becoming instruments of civilian death, perhaps the idea of an infant swaddled in guerrilla's clothes should not be so shocking after all."
For a comparative perspective on the Israeli attitude toward Palestinian children, the media can look at an event this week in Israel: A 7-year-old Palestinian girl from Jerusalem is recovering well after receiving a kidney from Jonathan Jesner, the Jewish student from Scotland who was killed in a recent Palestinian suicide bombing.
(Ironically, earlier this year, the Islamic Association for Palestine reported that Yasser Arafat "has accused the Israeli apartheid regime of murdering Palestinian children and youths and extricating their vital organs for organ transplants.")Some Palestinian parents are speaking out as well. Abu Saber, the father of one suicide bomber, wrote a letter to the London-based Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat:
"I ask, on my behalf and on behalf of every father and mother informed that their son has blown himself up: 'By what right do these leaders send the young people, even young boys in the flower of their youth, to their deaths?' Who gave them religious or any other legitimacy to tempt our children and urge them to their deaths?... The sums of money [paid] to the martyrs' families cause pain more than they heal; they make the families feel that they are being rewarded for the lives of their children... Do the children's lives have a price? Has death become the only way to restore the rights and liberate the land?
"And if this be the case, why doesn't a single one of all the sheikhs who compete amongst themselves in issuing fiery religious rulings, send his son? Why doesn't a single one of the leaders who cannot restrain himself in expressing his joy and ecstasy on the satellite channels every time a young Palestinian man or woman sets out to blow himself or herself up send his son?"
Following are excerpts from the IDF response to Amnesty International's recent report. See the full response at:
The Palestinian terrorists are solely and unequivocally responsible for the injuries caused to Palestinian children. Since the beginning of the conflict two years ago, the Palestinian terrorist factions have cynically exploited children in terrorist activity, in violation of international law. Children are groomed and dispatched to carry out suicide attacks in the centers of the Israeli civilian population; positioned at the front lines of demonstrations to hide snipers behind them; and used to plant explosives and deliver weapons. Moreover, the terrorist factions have transformed Palestinian civilian population centers into terrorist activity headquarters.... Whoever uses children to perpetrate terror attacks, anyone who uses houses were children reside to coordinate and perpetrate attacks is responsible for injuring these children.
Authors of the Amnesty report compare IDF operations in which Palestinian children were killed to Palestinian terror attacks in which Israeli children were killed. This comparison is unjustified and baseless. Palestinian terror attacks, especially suicide bombings, are designated to cause the death of Israeli civilians, including children: this is ruthless, unprecedented, inhuman terror. On the other hand, IDF activity is conducted in accordance with the laws of war and is not aimed at injuring civilians. Injuries are occasionally sustained only because the Palestinian terrorists act from within centers of Palestinian civilian population. Hence, any comparison between the two is groundless, and indicates a fundamental lack of balance among authors of the report.
The authors falsely claim the IDF does not investigate incidents in which Palestinian children are injured, and grants impunity to soldiers involved. The truth is, however, that IDF commanders separately investigate each incident in which Palestinian civilians are injured. When suspicion of criminal misbehavior of the soldiers' side arises, the Military Police launches an inquiry. Since September 2000, the beginning of "Ebb and Flow", over 220 inquiries of the Military Police were launched, some of which regarding incidents in which Palestinian minors were injured.
For example, the Military Police launched inquiries over the deaths of Palestinian children near Khan Yunis on 22 November 2001, the youth Yasser Kassabi from Kalandia on 8 December 2001, the death of Muhamad Hassan Altalalaka near Beith Hanoun on 1 March 2002, the death of children in Jenin on 21 June 2002 and over other incidents. The claims that incidents are not investigated and soldiers enjoy impunity are falsified. The IDF owes its professionalism and power partly due to its willingness to engage in investigations and inquiries even in the midst of intense fighting.


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The moment I was sponsored through Compassion at age 8, I became aware that I was bigger than poverty. Poverty was a situation, a condition, but I was a life. All I needed were positive messages of hope to grow out of it.
It is the relationships that sponsorship promotes through letter writing, not so much the money, that ends poverty. Think about it this way: A child runs to a parent for protection not because he has see the parent carrying weapons but because the parent has fostered a relationship that assures the child of protection.
In the same way, a starving child approaches the mother for food even when he can clearly see there is no food in the hands of the mother.
This is a relationship that grows confidence and bears fruits of optimism and the belief that nothing is impossible.
The moment I read my first letter from my sponsor I felt empowered. I heard him tell my 8-year-old heart, "There is nothing impossible with the God I am telling you about."
I believed him like he was a messenger from God. Writing about it now reminds me of a story I heard many times growing up — that the angel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth, saying to the virgin Mary, "Greetings favored one! The Lord is with you."
I remember myself at that age wondering how God will release me from poverty, and my sponsor sending another letter saying that he is praying for me and encouraging me to work hard in school and trust in God.
Help Families Affected BY COVID-19
Families in poverty have no safety net in times of crisis. Help provide food, medical care and support during this pandemic.
At times poverty threatened and lied to me that nothing is possible, but my sponsor would write to me, "Jimmy, it doesn't matter what you are going through, 'for nothing will be impossible with God'."
A candle was lit inside of me and I started believing in the dreams of my childhood. The circumstances didn't matter: I believed I was bigger than poverty. In time I began seeing myself as the savior of my community from the oppressor, this grinding poverty.
I became a joy to my mother. She loved listening to my positive messages. I became her favorite preacher. It satisfies me to remember the many times I made my mother forget her struggles, pain and suffering.
My sponsor restored my mother's joy. Within a year of sponsorship, I could read the Bible that I had received from the program. I read to her all my favorite childhood memory verses in English.
Many nights she asked me to read her the Bible and then she would pray and we would go to bed a happy mother and a hopeful child.
Some of those nights we went to bed on an empty stomach. On such nights, unable to sleep from hunger, I would hear my mother crying to God to let me live another day. In my innocence I would ask her why she was crying. She would reply, "Because I can hear the rumbling in your stomach."
I would assure her that I would make it to the morning. That was the strength my sponsor put in my heart — to be there for my mother.
At her deathbed, my mother called me to her and shared her joy for having been my mother. She encouraged me to live a life of loving people just as my sponsor loved me. Then she bid me goodbye saying, "My son, I see you succeeding in life but I do not see myself sharing the success with you. Trust in God."
A few months later, I received the sad news that my mother had died. She had left my grandmother a gift for me: her Bible. From her Bible I quoted Jeremiah 29:11 to my sponsor when I wrote to break the sad news.
In his reply, my sponsor Mark wrote:
"I am sorry to hear about the death of your mother. I cried when I read your letter. It was great to read your scripture reference – Jeremiah 29:11 — because I also believe that God has good plans for you. I shall continue to pray for you."
I celebrate my sponsorship with Compassion because through the relationship with my sponsor, I caught the fire of hope. Sponsorship puts hope in the hearts of children and in return these children serve the rest of the world with that hope.
My mother died in hope, satisfied that she bore a son of hope; a hope she believed will survive and be taken to the ends of the earth to the glory of God.


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With all the pastels, florals, and general sweetness around Easter decor, it's can be challenging to set a table for a weekend brunch or dinner without dipping into overly-saccharine territory. So it seems crazy that we'd find inspiration for how to celebrate in a way that's festive yet still stylish at...a two-year-old's birthday party. Of course, not just any two-year-old, but Elliot Grace, the daughter of ELLE DECOR Special Projects Editor Alice Ryan—so it makes sense that she has great style in her genes. We were so smitten by these photos by Vanessa Tierney, we had to share:
It all started with the invitation, a custom painting by Ryan's friend (and Instagram sensation), Donald Drawbertson, inspired by her plans for the event.
And here's the birthday girl herself, decked out in a sweet dress and Crewcuts tiara, surrounded by a spread of decorations found mainly on Amazon.com (the lanterns, the paper feathers, even the birdhouse!). While pastels reign, it's the simple color palette that keeps things from feeling over-the-top.
For special elements, Ryan had custom pieces made by Etsy seller Diana Krieg, who fashioned this detailed cake topper, which is sure to be a family keepsake for years to come.
Each year, Ryan expands her tea party collection and this year it was vintage milk glass pieces in pale green, silver forks, and rose-print melamine dishes from John Derian.
We like to think that Elliot Grace (pictured here with brother Grey, and Ryan) is considering how her birthday is inspiring the tabletops of people 20-60 years older than she's just turned. We can't wait to see what three looks like...
All photography by Vanessa Tierney


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- Click large groups of tiles in order to generate diamonds.
- Use the space bar to get a new line of tiles.
- Click the diamonds to collect them and end the game.


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((((((funnylegs4)))))) ~
I'm glad that you were able to watch the episode. I only saw the last 10 minutes. I tried to watch it online, but our cable service has been bought out by another cable service, so I was not allowed to access it. I'll have to wait until the corporate takeover is complete. GAH! So irritating!
In the scene, where JJ's PT is instructed by Mom to heal the younger brother of his awkward gait, I found irony on several levels. Why hasn't the younger brother had PT previously? JJ has been having PT for years, most likely. Has Mom just ignored younger brother's gait, while focusing on PT for JJ? (And since I missed the beginning of the show, does the younger brother actually have an awkward gait?)
Mom was quite upset that JJ was missing his PT (which is completely understandable, considering how difficult it is to obtain PT these days). The PT was there, and Mom didn't want to waste the visit.
What the younger brother endures during this PT session should give him empathy toward JJ. I'm hoping that manifests in future episodes. The PT was over the top, based upon my experience. Enthusiasm is one thing, but criticizing and negativity is entirely another. She achieved the opposite of the purpose by causing a lack of self confidence in the younger brother, who then is shunned at school by the girl on whom he has a crush.
I can see some angst developing there, where younger brother looks at JJ and thinks, "People look at you and see a hero. People look at me and see a dork." That combined with, "JJ, I think I understand why you skipped PT." Teenage conflict.
I especially liked the scene where Mom finds Kenneth (JJ's aide) and JJ in the bathroom. It's very difficult to entrust the care of your child to another person, and you know that no one else will care for your child the way you do or as well as you do. I felt Mom's relief, when she realized that Kenneth knew how to care for and transfer JJ for that most important and personal need.
"What if something happens to me?" really weighs on Moms of children with disabilities and special needs. Also, realizing that Kenneth can handle toileting for JJ means on less time that Mom has to lift her now growing teenage son. We think about that too.
Since I didn't see the beginning, I don't know what the kerfuffle was with the neighbors, but I could relate to the ending, where the entire family explains to the neighbors that they are not like them. Perfect homes, perfect landscaping, perfect everything. Nope. JJ's family doesn't fall into that category. Oh how I can relate to that.
I actually told our homeowner's association 40 years ago, after numerous letters about my unlandscaped and unfenced new home, "My husband left me and my two severely disabled children. I work full time and care for my sons on my own. If you don't like the way our property looks, then we'd welcome your assistance in improving it. Bring your shovels, your grass seed, your flower seeds, some wood, hammers and nails, and your ideas and help me. I'm doing the best that I can."
No neighbors showed up. No surprise. And to this day, we still get hassled for "violations." We had to get a new garage door in April to avoid a lien on our home, and we had one month to do it. Everyone in our neighborhood knows our family, our history, and that our son is ill. They've all seen and heard the fire trucks and paramedics arrive at our home. The ambulances carrying our sons to the hospital in the middle of the night/morning. They've all seen the steady stream of nurses, therapists, and other professionals come to our home. But they don't care.
So, what I most appreciate about "Speechless" is that it is honestly addressing the reality of the lives of families with a disabled loved one. Not just JJ's challenges, but the challenges of every member of the family, as well as the family versus the community, versus the educational system, versus the ancillary care (PT) system, versus stereotypes, versus intolerance and lack of understanding of persons with disabilities.
This is an ambitious project, in a Golden Prime Time slot, giving voice to the entirety of disabilities. JJ is the catalyst for all of the dynamics in this story. It's not just about JJ. It's about everyone in his world. I find that to be quite informative and extremely relatable.
I hope that corporate take over is completed soon, so I can watch the whole episode!
Love & Light,


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As summer approaches, Pool Guard USA continues measures to make pools safe for kids and customers are pouring in to assure children are safe from danger. The Clearwater Florida Company reports that a record number of clients are taking advantage of the new technology offered to ensure pool safety for all.
"We want our customers to rest assured that when they choose us, they can be confident that they are investing in a proven, reliable system that upholds the highest standards in pool safety," stated Michael Corkery, Pool Guard USA owner and president. "The have the safest, strongest systems available on the market and we take great pride in knowing our products help keep people safe."
Pool Guard USA has noted an influx of business as summer nears. The company provides products and services like pool nets, pool fences and pool safety covers that have helped with pool safety for over 20 years.
Although Pool Guard USA's headquarters are homebased n Clearwater, Florida, there are more than 90 dealers in the United States as well as all around the globe. The company prides their products on not only being safe but attractive as well.
"I researched pool safety and looked into most every manufacture in the world," one customer told. "Once the facts were in, Pool Guard USA won, hands down. I am very pleased with my purchase and the customer service has been second to none."
Pool Guard USA uses professionals to install their pool safety equipment that helps prevent accidental drownings. The dealers are authorized and well-trained to answer all questions and provide accurate and up-to-date information so the customers feel good about the measures they are taking.
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Pool Guard USA is a member of the Better Business Bureau and continues to maintain the highest rating possible.
More information can be found about Pool Guard USA products and services on their website.
Media Contact
Company Name: Pool Guard USA
Contact Person: Michael Corkery
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Phone: 727.573.7888
Country: United States
Website: http://www.poolguardusa.com


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'Aladdin' to debut on Broadway in November
A stage musical of the animated film "Aladdin" is riding a magic carpet to Broadway and the president of Disney Theatrical Productions promises it will be "a full-length, big song musical with big dance numbers."
Thomas Schumacher said in an interview that the final two-act "Aladdin" will build on the 1992 film blockbuster with new songs by Alan Menken, additional characters and, appropriately, some magic tricks.
"If I look around Broadway right now, what I want to see is big production numbers. I want to see lush environments. I want surprise," Schumacher said Friday. "You want a lot of humor, which we will do. And you want heart."
"Aladdin" will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw, whose previous hits include "The Book of Mormon" and "The Drowsy Chaperone." Bob Crowley, who has a Tony for "Mary Poppins," will design the sets, and Chad Beguelin has written the story and some lyrics.
The musical will first be staged at Toronto's Ed Mirvish Theatre this November for nine weeks with an eye to bringing it to Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre in 2014. "Mary Poppins," which is currently in the 1,797-seat New Amsterdam Theatre, ends its six-year run in March.
The animated version of "Aladdin" starred Robin Williams as the voice of the big blue genie and earned $500 million worldwide. The film score was created by Menken and Howard Ashman, with additional lyrics provided by Tim Rice after Ashman's death. Menken won the 1992 Oscar for best original musical score and the film's hit song, "A Whole New World," won a Grammy and Oscar.
Finding out how to make the genie come to life onstage was one of the biggest obstacles facing its creators. The answer for Disney was to take him from a shape-shifting blue spirit to a Cab Calloway-styled vaudevillian.
"I do feel pretty confident in what we've done with the genie," said Schumacher. "When you buy a ticket and sit down in a theater, you want the live experience, not a film recreated."
He also explained why Disney decided to close "Mary Poppins" even though it has been among the top 10 grossing shows for the past six years and top five for attendance: Its profitability wasn't going to last too much longer.
"I could tell that 'Mary Poppins' was coming to a place where it wasn't going to be self-sufficient," Schumacher said. "I can't keep it alive artificially."
Projections showed ticket sales gradually softening and the lavish show facing at least a few months in the red; the show would be in real trouble by the end of 2013. "There's a little bit of science, and a little bit of art, and a little bit of plain old experience that you have to use to figure that out," he said.
Disney has some 10 projects in development, including musicals made from "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame," ''Dumbo," ''Father of the Bride" and "Freaky Friday," and a play adaptation of "Shakespeare in Love." On top of that, Disney has recently created a new version of "The Little Mermaid" for Moscow and a Spanish-language "Mary Poppins" for Mexico.
"Sometimes it's reinventing the shows we have, sometimes it's taking the version we have and putting it into a new language and new culture, and sometimes it's making a new show," Schumacher said.
Disney Theatrical Productions hope that "Aladdin" will grant its wish and join its five big hits from seven attempts since 1994 — a profitable list that includes "The Lion King" and the more recent "Newsies." That's way above the 3-in-10 average recoupment of most Broadway shows.


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A quick look at where the teams in the scrum against the Browns will land in the draft. Plus, other notes, including a semi-endorsement of Johnny Manziel from Kirk Herbstreit.
It's that time of year when the debate turns to the worth of a win.
Was the loss at New England the worst moment of the season?
Or was it the best thing that could have happened, a virtual victory, not an actual one only because the Browns were cheated, and a valuable help in draft position?
Is winning the only thing, and only a win over the Bears will do?
Or is it best to hope for a well played game and a loss ... and draft position?
Whatever your viewpoint, a win surely seems possible against Chicago.
The Bears are in a 1-4 road slump and will be fatigued, coming off a home win in the Monday nighter.
The Browns had a road win over Tom Brady in the bag, if only they would have recovered the onside kick. Why wouldn't Jason Campbell win a duel against Josh McCown in Cleveland?
The Browns are a 1 1/2-point favorite.
• • •
• Here's how we're projecting finishes of the teams currently ahead of the Browns in draft position.
- Texans (2-11). At Indianapolis, vs. Denver, at Tennessee.
Best guess: 2-14
- Redskins (3-10). At Atlanta, vs. Dallas, at New York Giants.
Best guess: 4-12
- Falcons (3-10). Vs. Washington, at San Francisco, vs. Carolina.
Best guess: 4-12
- Vikings (3-9-1). Vs. Philadelphia, at Cincinnati, vs. Detroit.
Best guess: 4-11-1
• The Browns are in a scrum of teams at 4-9. They are (with remaining schedules):
- Jaguars. Vs. Buffalo, vs. Tennessee, at Indianapolis
Best guess: 5-11
- Raiders. Vs. Kansas City, at San Diego, vs. Denver.
Best guess: 4-12
- Buccaneers. Vs. San Francisco, at St. Louis, at New Orleans.
Best guess: 4-12
- Bills. At Jacksonville, vs. Miami, at New England.
Best guess: 5-11
• • •
• The 2013 Browns are 4-9 after 13 games. Thirteen has not been a lucky number, and 4-9 has been something of a standing record.
Their records after 13 games since 1995, Bill Belichick's final year:
- 8-5: 2007
- 7-6: 2002
- 6-7: 2001
- 5-8: 2012, 2010
- 4-9: 2013, 2011, 2008, 2006, 2005, 2003, 1995
- 3-10: 2004, 2000
- 2-11: 2009, 1999
• • •
If Jason Campbell makes it through the next three games, plays well, and wins two of them ... then what?
I'm sure we'll be getting into that one.
• • •
Kirk Herbstreit, on WKNR today, said he knows Browns fans are keeping a close watch on Johnny Manziel.
Herbstreit said:
"Before people give up on him ... he could be a guy to keep an eye on. I think he'll have a better NFL career than most people seem to believe."
• • •


text:
Three things to discuss while reading the first article by Gene Wojciechowski that doesn't suck (Favre's balls):
1. Packers Arrive in Dallas - It was nothing really more than a travel day for the Green Bay Packers, who left from Titletown early Monday morning and arrived in Dallas for a hotel check-in and a couple of media appearances in the afternoon. Tomorrow comes media day, so be sure to check out the late night talk shows tomorrow to see which goofy character they sent down to interview NFL personalities, as well as all the foreign journalists that are somehow less worthy of a press credential down there than The Bucky Channel. Lori Nickel has a few of the nuggets from today, but other than that it was pretty much a day that the Packers used to get settled into their new surroundings for the week.
2. Clay Matthews Wins DPOY... And Loses It Twelve Minutes Later - I checked my phone at about 7:15pm on Monday, and found out that Clay Matthews had won the Defensive Player of the Year award. By winning, that means that in two consecutive years, two different Packers won the award (Woodson last year of course). I returned to my humble abode about an hour later, hopped on my trusty Sony Vaio only to see that Troy Polamalu had actually won instead. What? Polamalu missed nearly the whole month of December, and while the Steelers did suffer in his absence, I don't think you can give the award to a guy who was off the field for such a duration of time. Actually, Polamalu probably deserves it just as much, even though he'll tell you otherwise. Actually, I'm sure Clay will end up winning this award at some point in his career (he lost by just two votes this year), and the fact that he didn't this year will give him extra motivation to dominate in the Super Bowl, so I don't necessarily have a problem with this. Matthews proved the class act, as he congratulated his fellow USC alum on Twitter (He also thanked the NFC for winning the Pro Bowl and then put dollar signs after that tweet. I guess it never struck me that the Packers players named to the Pro Bowl also earned the winners share for the NFC winning the Super Bowl. That's like $45,000 for nothing. Um, that'd be nice to make in one whole year. Extreme sigh).
3. Better Make Those Halftime Adjustments - Now that all the talk surrounding Jay Cutler has finally died down, let's bring up another member of the Chicago Bears. Matt Forte was asked by ProFootballTalk about how tough it is to take on the Packers, and he said the following - "They do a lot of different blitzes. They put a lot of pressure on your protection. You look at film and they blitz safeties, nickel guys, linebackers; they do cross-blitzes; they line up linebackers at defensive end and defensive ends at linebackers. It's a lot to prepare for." Nice. I was watching NFL Playbook on the network the other day, and yeah, the Packers really do some crazy things on defense that I still can't even comprehend. Thing is, the Steelers have a pretty similar defense. I'm thinking that this Super Bowl is similar to ones we've seen in years past - a first half that is slow and low-scoring, and then a second half that is an offensive explosion. With the Packers winning, of course.
So that's it for today's post.... what's that? You want MORE info on some of the crazy Super Bowl prop bets this year? Well, if I must, here's what to expect out of the post-game Super Bowl MVP thank you via Stock Lemon.


text:
|"Internal Static Reduction"
6.5" x 8.5"
mixed media
This is a new piece for the Mad Hatters exhibition at Flower Pepper Gallery in Pasadena California, curated by Ixie Darkonn. The show opens this evening at 6:30 and is host to an amazing line-up of artists.
Please contact the gallery for purchase information:
My thanks to Ixie for inviting me to be a part of this beautiful show!


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ASRI éducation
Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 3203
Location: France
Posted: Mon 28 Sep 2009, 17:11
Post subject:
rcrsn51 wrote:
For recyclers who want to image machines quickly, the easiest solution would be a remastered Live CD with the installer folder on the CD but external to the sfs file.
Thanks for your scripts
The full-install interests me. So I Frenchified and added your script to remaster my Toutou Linux 4.1.2 repack (version edutainment FR, for children aged 3 to 12 years).
The beta version of this French adaptation (TL4.12-asri.edu-FULLversion_beta-1.5.5.iso) is available on
Identifiant : ASRI Mot de passe : education
After some tests, I am convince that this feature could save time for volunteers from the association that I chair (ASRI education
But things do not work and I don't know why. If someone can help me understand, it would be nice.
Indeed, when i use on my computer the script "fulscr", the result is a single format ext2 partition without swap (usually, I use ext3 + swap). Why ?
I also noticed a new file "pupswap.swp" placed at the root of the drive.
I read ligne 93 of the "fulscr"
#Create a swap file
dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/$HDISK/pupswap.swp bs=1M count=128
mkswap /mnt/$HDISK/pupswap.swp
What does it mean ?
Best regards,
Frenchified scripts rcrsn51
925 Time(s)
Last edited by ASRI éducation on Wed 30 Sep 2009, 20:36; edited 3 times in total
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Joined: 30 Sep 2009
Posts: 1
Posted: Wed 30 Sep 2009, 15:53
Post subject: Delightfull installation on CF-card as an HDD
Subject description: With an awful lot of thanks
I made a frugal install to a Compact Flash Card to test an CF to PATA 2.5"(44pin) converter. All went O.K.
Desktop PC: Pentium 4 1700MHz, 768MB DRAM Memory, 1x FDD, 1x CD/DVD single side burner, no HDD (hard file).
HDD: thant's the point - using as an HDD replacement:
disconnected the only 3.5"HDD and installed instead:
mainboard - cable - 3,5" to 2,5" reduction - 44pinPATA to CF-card adapter - 256MB Compact Flash Card=sda1.
The swapfile (pupswap.swp) uses 128MB.
Red "storage full warning" appears on top of the screen - sda1 has four MB left free.
What for this exercise -
I'm planning to swap the HDD 8GB(customer replacable, W98SE and SUSE9.x) of my notebook (300MHz / 192MB Memory / USB1.2 / softmodem / CD ROM) against a 8GB 133x compactflash card (modifying an old HDD to carry the adapter with access for changing the CF card).
This entry is just to give feedback and to say MANY THANKS !
ciao Hubi
P.S.: repeated today this exercise by using an P-ATA (44pin=2,5"HDDs) to SD-card adapter, hence using a 2GB SD-Card as sda1.
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ASRI éducation
Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 3203
Location: France
Posted: Thu 01 Oct 2009, 16:04
Post subject: ext2 partition without swap
I am not lucky ...
Nobody has an idea to unlock my problem?
I studied the script installation and I do not understand what's wrong.
Thank you in advance
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Joined: 23 Jul 2008
Posts: 470
Location: Bolton, uk
Posted: Thu 01 Oct 2009, 16:23
Post subject:
ASRI eduction- This is on my to-do list. We did experiment with it some time ago, and dropped the full install part, however i have just looked through and Technosaurus came up with some code that will look at the ammount of RAM installed and then make a decision to do a Full or Frugal install. The full install could look back on that result and then double to make the appropriate swap.
I havn't looked at it for a while and am going to do a few full install's using the PUI and see exactly what is happening in the near future. Still working on SFS icons.
Heres the link to the posts
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ASRI éducation
Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 3203
Location: France
Posted: Thu 01 Oct 2009, 16:36
Post subject:
Sidders, a big thank you for this information.
I immediately test the link you suggest.
Last edited by ASRI éducation on Sat 03 Oct 2009, 20:13; edited 1 time in total
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Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 13129
Location: Stratford, Ontario
Posted: Sat 03 Oct 2009, 18:25
Post subject:
@ASRI: A swap file is a quick way to create swap space without having to repartition your hard drive. If you use the "free" command, you should see the swap file memory in use.
However, if you prefer to build your hard drive partitions before installing Puppy, you just need to modify the one-click scripts. For example, in the full-install script, you could:
delete lines 74-85
modify lines 89 and 90
delete lines 92-94
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ASRI éducation
Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 3203
Location: France
Posted: Sun 04 Oct 2009, 10:43
Post subject:
@ rcrsn51
Thank you for this information.
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Joined: 22 Nov 2009
Posts: 8
Posted: Thu 26 Nov 2009, 04:43
Post subject: Re: How to do a One-Click Installation of Puppy
rcrsn51 wrote:
...Here are the steps to do a one-click automated install.
We will assume that you already have a Live CD that works on the target machine and you are familiar with basic Puppy operations. Read
for more information. (If you want to install Puppy in a dual-boot setup with Windows, read
Download and extract the package of installers below. It contains installation scripts that will do an automatic hard drive install of any official Puppy version back to 2.15. There are scripts for both frugal and full configurations. For most machines, a frugal install is the simpler, faster choice. It also gives you the flexibility to add other features to Puppy, like Open Office.
These installers will erase the hard drive, format a new partition, create a swap file, install Puppy and set up the GRUB bootloader. They should work on any machine with standard hardware.
Download and extract the "installers" folder. Copy it to a flash drive or diskette. Or, if you already have the target machine on-line with the Live CD, just download the package directly and store it in /root.
Boot the target computer off the Live CD.
If there is an existing version of Puppy on the hard drive or if you have been storing a pup_save file there, you must boot up by typing the option:
puppy pfix=ram
Leave the CD in the drive.
Mount the flash drive or diskette, open the "installers" folder and click on the icon labelled "frugal-install". Before installation starts, you will get to answer a YES/NO question.
When the installation is done, finish with a shutdown/reboot and make a pup_save file. Your computer is ready to run Puppy on the next start.
I tried to follow the above steps. After the installation, i rebooted the computer. When puppy loaded, i tried to unmount the cd, but it said that i couldn't 'cause it was being used. I thought that if Puppy were installed on the hard disk, i won't need the cd anymore?
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Joined: 18 Jul 2007
Posts: 87
Location: Philadelphia, PA. United States
Posted: Mon 30 Nov 2009, 17:34
Post subject: Custom Boot CD
I used Browserlinux and added a .sfs and some pets, I created and renamed my pup_save file and ran this from the live cd. How can I take your "steps to make a custom boot CD for recyclers " and create my own boot cd? I want to install my customized Browserlinux for seniors in my church and community on donated computers. Please help.
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Joined: 15 Dec 2009
Posts: 15
Posted: Wed 16 Dec 2009, 11:13
Post subject:
following directions below. right mouse button step does not yield "window/enter path"...
Start "Menu | Filesystem | ROX-Filer file filemanager".
Click with the right mouse button and choose "Window | Enter Path" from the context menu.
Type this into the box labelled "Goto" (do not omit the slash at the end): /mnt/hda2/boot/grub/
You are now inside the /mnt/hda2/boot/grub/ folder.
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Joined: 14 Sep 2008
Posts: 53
Posted: Sun 20 Dec 2009, 11:30
Post subject:
Even after multiple Puppy/puplets installs and running Puppy on multiple computers I am still confused about one thing. When a FULL install is completing, the installer asks me to choose a size for my pup_save file(?). Why is there a save file on a full install? I want a full install that uses the entire drive without any worry about creating, watching or future expansion of a pup_save file. I wouldn't think there should be a save file on a full install? Am I missing something?
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Joined: 23 Jul 2008
Posts: 470
Location: Bolton, uk
Posted: Sun 20 Dec 2009, 11:47
Post subject:
Your right, there is'nt a save on a full install. On the initial shutdown select Do Not Save.
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Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 4421
Location: merriam, kansas
Posted: Sun 20 Dec 2009, 11:49
Post subject:
Yes; You're missing something!
Do NOT....make a save file with a full install.
When install is complete and it's time to reboot; remove
the cd.
A good video guide to full install:
Inspiron 700m, Pent.M 1.6Ghz, 1Gb ram.
Msi Wind U100, N270 1.6>2.0Ghz, 1.5Gb ram.
Eeepc 8g 701, 900Mhz, 1Gb ram.
Full installs
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Joined: 14 Sep 2008
Posts: 53
Posted: Sun 20 Dec 2009, 13:07
Post subject:
sidders wrote:
Your right, there is'nt a save on a full install. On the initial shutdown select Do Not Save.
And how would anyone know this as it is the installer that is requesting that this be done? Meaning, maybe a comment should be added to the install verbiage/process that lets the user know this. As it stands now, it IS part of the install process and no one would know any different.
(Just my 2 cents)
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Joined: 23 Jul 2008
Posts: 470
Location: Bolton, uk
Posted: Mon 21 Dec 2009, 04:20
Post subject:
On the one click it does say at the end, however i think i have done the same thing using the Puppy Universal Installer.
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Andrea ACCOMAZZO, Rosetta Flight Director, ESA (in English)
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Apple CEO Tim Cook, Lawmakers Square Off Over Taxes
WASHINGTON— Apple Inc.'s AAPL 1.51% tax strategies came under harsh scrutiny Tuesday in the Senate, where lawmakers are finding it far easier to call for a simpler tax code than to produce one.
Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, defended the technology giant's tax practices, which Senate investigators say have led Apple to pay no corporate taxes on tens of billions of dollars in overseas income over the past four years. He said the company pays all taxes due and argued the U.S. tax code needs a "dramatic simplification."
The Senate held a separate hearing on Tuesday about the Internal Revenue Service's scrutiny of conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status—a practice that has drawn fire from both sides of the political aisle.
"What we are finding out is that the tax code is a mess," said House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R., Mich.). "Both of these issues, while very different, make the case for the reform of both individual and business taxes.''
Still, nothing in the deluge of bad publicity about the tax code in recent weeks touches on the most durable obstacle to congressional action on a broad tax overhaul. The two parties remain far apart on whether such a rewrite should also raise revenues to reduce the deficit. Democrats insist it should, while Republicans insist it shouldn't.
"Everyone hates the IRS and corporations not paying taxes,'' said Stan Collender, a budget expert at Qorvis Communications, a Washington consulting firm. "That may gin up a little bit of the intensity level. But I don't think it changes the politics of this at all. I'm still telling clients that tax reform is still three years away."
Mr. Cook's appearance before the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations focused both on Apple's practices and the broader question of tax reform. One consistent complaint from large companies is that the U.S. taxes multinational companies on their global earnings, while many others tax only profits earned within a country's borders. That gives U.S. companies reason to park foreign earnings overseas: They are taxed only when brought back to the U.S.
Some U.S. companies with substantial foreign earnings favor legislation to tax only the profit they earn in the U.S. Others, including some that are primarily domestic, place a higher priority on legislation that would reduce the statutory corporate tax rate, now 35%, by eliminating various deductions and credits.
The Senate panel, in a report released Monday, said that Apple used technicalities in Irish and U.S. law to pay little or no corporate taxes on $74 billion over the past four years. The report focused on the tax implications of Apple's use of overseas entities. The report found no evidence that Apple did anything illegal.
Sen. Carl Levin (D., Mich.), chairman of the investigations panel, on Tuesday accused Apple of employing "alchemy" and "ghost companies" to escape tax collectors in the U.S. and Ireland, the base of the firm's international operations outside the Americas.
"Apple has sought the Holy Grail of tax avoidance," said Mr. Levin. "Apple is exploiting an absurdity, one that we have not seen other companies use."
Mr. Cook countered: "There's no shifting going on…We pay all the taxes we owe, every single dollar."
The hearing suggested that both corporate CEOs and policy makers agree that the U.S. tax code is in dire need of a makeover. Both Mr. Levin, a liberal Democrat, and conservative GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky agreed that the tech company had become a poster child for the need to revamp the loophole-ridden corporate tax code.
In arguing for a "dramatic simplification," Mr. Cook said an overhaul should be revenue neutral, eliminate corporate tax expenditures, lower overall tax rates and make it easier to bring money back from overseas.
He added that he would like a top corporate tax rate in the "mid-20s" and a repatriation rate in the "single digits."
"I have no current plans to bring them back at the current tax rate," Mr. Cook said, referring to the more than $100 billion Apple keeps overseas.
Controversy over IRS scrutiny of conservative groups that had applied for tax-exempt status has also spotlighted complaints about the complexity of the tax code and proposals to overhaul it.
Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.), in his Tuesday hearing, said that the law governing the type of tax-exempt groups in question says they must be engaged "exclusively" in social-welfare operations, but that IRS regulations say those entities must be engaged "primarily" in social-welfare operations.
"This confusion, this ambiguity, is part of the problem here," said Mr. Baucus, who has been working with Rep. Camp to devise a strategy for advancing a tax overhaul bill this year or next.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah), senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, said the problems in the IRS's handling of tax-exempt-group applications highlighted the need for reform. "If anything would make the case for tax reform, it's that,'' he said after the hearing. "That code is unbelievably difficult.''
The assumption has been that the best chance for a big tax bill would come as part of a "grand bargain''—a long-term, bipartisan deficit-reduction agreement that cuts spending and at least sets parameters for tax reform. But chances for such a budget deal now seem remote.
Rep. Camp and other GOP leaders have said they want to move to a system with just two rates—25% and 10%—for both individuals and small businesses, and one rate of 25% for corporations. Currently there are seven rates for individuals, with a top rate of 39.6%. They would make up the lost revenue by curbing tax breaks.
Congressional Democrats and the White House object to the GOP approach because they believe cutting top rates to 25% is unrealistic. Mr. Obama has called for dropping corporate rates to 28%.
Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) said he was afraid the failure to get a big budget deal would get in the way of addressing the most immediate problems in the tax code.
"If we can't get overall tax reform, at least we ought have incremental tax reform,'' he said. "We don't have to wait and have a grand bargain. It's a cop-out. We all know there are loopholes that are outrageous."
Write to Danny Yadron at email@example.com and Janet Hook at firstname.lastname@example.com
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Ok, this is how to add bump mapping to MW models. Please note that this is best on surfaces that could be damp or wet, or otherwise should be glossy. Using it on surfaces that are supposed to be dull is not recomended as the effect of using the bump mapping here always ends up with something that looks at least semi gloss like.
You can add bump map within a seconds in Nifscope. Morrowind doesn't support true bump maps, only pseudo ones, so you'll need the bump map texture and environment map texture, which will simulate the effect.
1. Open mesh in Nifscope
2. Locate NiTriShape containing the desired part of the mesh
2. Right click on NitexturingProperty -> Texture -> Add Bump Map (here goes bump map texture)
3. Right click on the NiNode containing this NiTriShape -> Node -> Attach Node -> NiTextureEffect (here goes the environment map texture)
- left click on the NitexturingProperty, then take a look at the Block Details window. Filter mode parameter in Bump Map Texture section should be set to FILTER_TRILERP;
- a bit down Bump Map Luma Scale and Bump Map Luma Offset parameters are normally set to 1.0000, but you can play with them.
Below is the attached image showing the Block Details.


text:
Associated article: Programming the Cell Processor
Tags: C/C++ Parallel Embedded Systems
Published source code accompanying the article by Daniele Paolo Scarpazza, Oreste Villa, and Fabrizio Petrini which presents algorithms and strategies they've used to make breadth-first search on graphs as fast as possible on the Cell multi-core processor. Also see CELL.ZIP.
Programming the Cell Processor by Daniele Paolo Scarpazza, Oreste Villa, and Fabrizio Petrini Listing One #include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> #include <string.h> #include <unistd.h> /* ... */ /* the graph */ vertex_t * G; /* ...


text:
On Saturday, NFL writer Peter King accidentally tweeted out his phone number. We wrote about it. King brought up his phone number fiasco in this week's Monday Morning Quarterback column, in a section titled "The End of the 973-650-0966 Era":
Well, I did the all-time stupid thing Saturday. Thought I was direct-messaging agent David Canter on Twitter Saturday, asked him to call me, and, much to my terror, found it went to all of my followers. I bet it was up for six seconds before I took it down, but that was long enough to enable quite a few loyal Peter Kingites (and gee, thanks, Deadspin) to post the number all over the place. The final results:
Phone calls received in the five hours between posting and canceling of the number: 373.
Text messages received in that time: 255.
Angriest text message, from the 773 (suburban Chicago) area code: "You ———- skunkheaded ———. Go —— Favre. Have a nice day."
Love my fans!
You're welcome, Peter King. Also, you can all stop trying to call Peter King now.