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Apple started blocking access to MySpace from its retail stores a couple years ago, when customers accessing the site started taking away time from the other 2,248 customers per day (on average) that walk through the door. Now, the new popular social networking site Facebook has earned the dubious honor of becoming such a time-suck that Apple now blocks it from its display machines.
According to an Apple Store employee we spoke to, access to Facebook has actually been blocked for about a month. "It's just trying to find a balance between letting people try out the computers, but not tying them up so others can try them as well," he told Ars. He noted that there are a few other sites that Apple blocks, but there is no official list outside of Apple's IT staff.
With all the foot traffic Apple's retail stores get, it could indeed be quite annoying trying to get a chance at a quick demo while some jerk is stalking his ex-girlfriend or "friending" random strangers all day. And, since Apple is blocking access to these popular sites, it's getting harder and harder to use an Apple Store as your own personal office. The solution to all this? Buy your own Mac, of course!

subset: commoncrawl


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Last night my man and I decided to hit up Fork in Long Street for a long overdue kind-of celebratory 6 month-ish anniversary dinner (kind of, we aren't good with dates) paid for by his company because they have been working him so hard and interrupting our quality time. Please note this is not standard advertising agency behaviour. Normally you sign your quality time away in that nice clause that says 'Employee undertakes that they will work pretty much every weekend, evening and lunch break for the duration of their time here – and probably for the duration of their lives – and if employee has a problem with this we will just give employee's job to someone more desperate, and P.S. we've clamped your car,".
After an aperitif or 2 at Planet Bar, where we like to go to work up a bit of a sweat by the fire without actually doing much but winking back at old couples who seem to think we look like a respectable couple of kids (do we? Here's us last night – no doubt we remind them of their own hotblooded youth)
we stumbled onto the pavement to be greeted by a very agreeable carguard. I know the likelihood of writing that is akin to the likelihood of writing 'we stumbled onto the pavement to be greeted by a chocolate horsecow', but there you have it. There is such a thing as a congenial auto-protector. And he works outside Fork.
Because both the man and I lead busy lives and are constantly being hustled by new venues wanting us to check them out, we've got ignorant apathy down to a fine art and thus knew very little about Fork apart from the fact that they served Tapas. Expecting the usual pots of hummus and dolmades, we were seated upstairs in the no-smoking section (rather stressful for us both coming to terms with our non-smoking identities).
The menu, while varied and comprehensive, is still pretty pricey. There are 3 levels of tapas – R35, R45 and R55. We decided to order 2 from each. From tier 1 we got Puff Pastry with sautéed mushroom and parmesan, and the Raclette Fondue with Chorizo and Crostini. The puff pastries divine and I got the 'wish we'd ordered 2 of these rather' feeling. The crostini weren't bad, but they didn't melt in your mouth and remind of you of a happier time you've never actually experienced.
From tier 2 we got the mini kudu fillets on chilli mash – truly, something you must experience at some point in your life. I am now going in search of bigger kudu fillets. The other dish we ordered was the pasta rolls with emmenthal, aubergines, mushrooms, rocket and béchamel sauce – average. Pasta is pasta hey.
From tier 3 we got grilled tiger prawns wrapped with pancetta, which were tasty, but I also got the 'wish we'd ordered 2 of the other dish', namely the quail served with butternut and thyme mash and a beetroot glaze – WOW. If the quail dish were a brand it would be the AppleMac of entrees. Small, not very practical but so freaking delicious you'll pay stupid amounts of money for it. Blasted tiger prawns.
No free meal is complete without dessert, so we went for the apple and vanilla cream shortcakes and some cappuccinos. Nice and tasty, but very biscuity. The shortcake could have been a little less crisp. That said, I ate mine and the boyfriend ate his and then we pondered our futures on the balcony and patted the lions they have out there, while having a conversation about how people always pat statues of lions if they are within reaching height.
All in all, I'd give Fork 4 stars, especially if you're in the mood 'for something different' and god knows how many times we hear Capetonians say that. And if I were to do it all over again, i'd order 4 x quail and 2 times puff pastries, for what it's worth.
Fork 84 Long Street, Cape Town
Dinner for 2 including a shared dessert and 2 glasses of house red: R500 incl tip
to book call 021 424 6334 to peruse their menu click here.


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WTF: Footage Of Boston Teens Tortured With Shock Therapy! (Restrained & Shocked For Hours)
"They shock children while restraining them as treatment.. Basically torture - Mitch
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text: Serbian photographer Boogie, captures some of the grittiest street scenes that you could imagine. Boogie has been living in New York City since 1998, when, after a stint in the military, he won a green card in a lottery. He has spent several years chronicling the lives of New York's gangsters, drug addicts and hustlers. From NYC to Belgrade, Boogie has an intimacy with the subject that is rarely seen today. To gain access to what he's seen is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity.


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In case you've been looking for the Fat Girl To Fit Girl blog, I'm still here! I've just moved around the corner to http://fatgirl2fitgirl.com.
I'm still blogging regularly over there. Just with a new bright look and my own host! Please come visit.
And if you have me on your blog roll, please update it with http://fatgirl2fitgirl.com. Thank you kindly!


text:
Heated Bout The "Guido" Stereotype: Alyssa Milano Clowns Snookie (Girl Who Got Punched On Jersey Shore)
Shootin at that chic outta the works
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text:
Its life Bob, but not as we know it….
The elusive red spot still taunts me. The tortuous thing bothers me, aggravates me and most annoyingly of all, puzzles the hell out of me. Like a Japanese bullet train fuelled with RedBull, the Red Spots movements are so fast its nigh impossible to catch. Even when I'm sure to have caught it, it'll be there, sat there, on my paw, mocking me. One strange thing about the Red Spot is it doesn't appear to craw nor fly, instead appears only on surfaces, yet can jump almost instantly from one wall to another effortlessly. So I began to investigate this phenomenon further but without the ability of catching the demon spot, I feared my efforts would prove fruitless. I mostly know, it torments me constantly, why is it here, why does my human acquaintance not notice, does he just refuse to acknowledge this red dot? I have considered that they have befriended it, or are in collaboration with the cursed thing?
Further research about the aforementioned fiend is I can't smell it! Now as a cat, my sense of smell is matched by no other. My sense of smell is far more superior to any human, even Prince Charles's nose is no match for mine, and everything has a smell, even things that aren't there have a smell, but not the red spot. This must mean that the red spot is beyond smell, maybe the red spot is of alien origin, or maybe even of a supernatural origin. Another thing that strikes me is its ability to dot from floor to ceiling, as if the very laws of gravity did not apply. In addition, and more disturbingly, the red spot has an ability to be in two places at once. For example, when the red dot sits on my play tunnel, it sits both inside and outside of the fabric, and when it lands on the force-field protecting the interdimensional vortex on the wall that leads to the parallel universe, it appears in both worlds simultaneously.
Many things confuse me lately, like why do the clouds sometimes fall down when it's cold, or where does my poop keep disappearing to from the litter tray, although I suspect there to be a poop portal, I haven't seen one yet, but I'm still digging…..
Handbags At Dawn
Life was once like being on a seesaw with nobody to play with; it was so boring out here. Now, unfortunately, or fortunately (however you look at it) I appear to have a little brother called Boo! I've yet to figure out just where the hell it came from, and what's wrong with its eye, and where it mustered up the crazy idea it has a right to my food and to sit in my spot… My human says it's a 'playmate', I tell you, me, with my IQ and people skills, I could charm a bird out from a tree, and this, thing, they call Boo is meant to be a worthy opponent? Ha!
Alas at first I admit I didn't much care for my brother Boo, I could not have cared less if the grovelling codpiece drowned in a wave of dogs. But, I have of late warmed up to him; I'm thinking he might prove himself useful, in a dogsbody kind of way. He can be my Baldrick, or Watson, and maybe help in my quest for the cursed Red Spot. Maybe he can act as a distraction as I sneak up on said spot and finally catch it. Anyway, for now he is currently digging for my poop portal in the litter tray, so he is already proving his usefulness. I'd help him, but he leaves that litter tray in such an unholy mess I somewhat favour not to get involved.
Mad indeed must I be, for as evidently clear it is that the following event had indeed taken place, my very senses reject in denial. Alas as barbaric this event is; which tortures the very blood that screams through my veins, the most haunting part is the insane lack of humanity. This event holds no merit of logic, no apparent reason to have taken place at all. Fancy do I not to expound in pen the event in question that presents nothing shy of sheer horror, but my intentions I can assure you, in the penning of my thoughts, is to construct a logical understanding. I must hold a rational reason, for tortured I am with a perpetual question, the most important question of all the questions that have ever burdened my mind. Content must you be as reader that no sufficient emphasis can be bestowed to you of how critical an answer is desired. For what purpose could there be? What rational requirement could possibly justify such a brutal merciless unforgivable event? The vindictive removal of my kitteh pom-poms????
Meet Marmalade…
Allow me time, if you will, to impress upon you, the character of my dearest friend, and simultaneously, my most fiendish foe; Marmalade. According to legend, Marmalade has been around since the dawn of time (1992), and was even once worshiped by the Egyptians, known then as Bastet.
Marmalade is moderately a quiet cat, who indulges in only the simplest of pleasures such as bird watching and sleeping on IPods. However, behind this deceptive posturer beats the blood of no trivial house cat, but an intangible inferno of power and fury, like passion and rage, like a blazing conflagration of a thousand suns! Believe me, I know… Curiously I would very much like to be Marmalades friend, intrigued? You should be, for you see Marmalade, is remarkably wise and insightful; it is for this reason it is imperative that I tame this beast. She could be my most troublesome foe, or most useful ally, but with the latter in paw that iniquitous Red Spot would be no match…
It Was All About Bob
It grieves me to inform Bob's many followers and friends that Bob is no longer with us. On the 29th of April 2013 Bob Mullaney was hit by a car not far from his home.
In the two years he's been in the family he continually provided much needed joy through difficult times with his lovable quirky behaviour. His Jetson's sound effects as he bounced sideways around the room like Professor Brainard's Flubber, with his 'go faster' ears back and vacant walleyed expression.
May he be happy in Kitteh Heaven now, where it rains the Cheese flavoured Dreamies he was so addicted to, and maybe finally in possession of that little red dot that confused him so.
Lots of loads and loads of lots of love
A VERY loving family


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This is the fourth and final post in a series based upon our submission to Wharton's Advertising 2020 initiative. The structure we're loosely following here: 8 years, 8 potential future opportunities, 8 things to do now.
Previous instalments in the series are available here: Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3.
#7 Big Data, Big Patterns
"No thought can perish" ~ Edgar Allan Poe
"There is no point in collecting and storing all this data if the algorithms are not able to find useful patterns and insights in the data," says Mr. Kleinberg at Cornell. "But the software is scaling up to the task." ~ New York Times, 09.09.12, 'Tech's new wave, driven by data'
According to Gartner earlier this year, the hype curve for Big Data reached 'The Peak of Inflated Expectations' (with an estimated 2-5 year gap before it reaches the 'Plateau of Productivity'). The accuracy of that timeframe has been debated, perhaps fairly when we consider the exponential growth in speed and volume of data collection and analysis and the collapsing path to purchase that we've discussed already here.
In advertising, it seems only likely that algorithms will continue to do more of the commoditised, heavy lifting for brands and their users in terms of achieving reach, frequency and low level message optimisation. And, in monetisation terms, successful media owners will have recast themselves as data owners. To take just one example, The Weather Channel's CEO, David Kenny, described to us how he sees the growing commercial role of data:
"We see data as a huge weapon for a marketer's arsenal. We can already slice and dice data in virtually limitless, privacy-friendly ways to accurately target consumers, and that will continue to be refined and strengthened in the future…Retailers use our data to know what to put on sale this weekend, travel companies use our data to manage their yield and to know which locations will be most popular this week, insurance companies use our data to anticipate needs and make their messages relevant, food and restaurants can predict tastes and volume with local weather data, etc. Unlike most data, we do not just share history, we predict the future with increasing accuracy. So, data is the backbone of our audience promise and is also increasingly accessed and used by the advertisers."
Understanding the difference between information, knowledge and wisdom will define who succeeds in this context. Gorging on data won't be enough, marketers will need to focus on finding patterns in the data and, more than ever, the skill will be in deciding which opportunity to back in a sea of potential. We won't just value this in an algorithm, we'll value this in the people asking the right questions in the first place. In that sense, nothing will change.
What will change? Undeniably there will be less wastage in advertising spend terms, as we've touched on earlier in this series. It's also possible that a spike in privacy anxiety around our data will have been reached and passed by 2020. As facial recognition technology improves, the choices surrounding our anonymity online appear to shrink, but it's equally possible that society will have found ways to deal with this. Businesses and brands will need to come to terms with the fact we may well have moved past an era of data collected and sold. The recent cookie law in Europe is a low level attempt to wrestle some control back into the hands of users. In future, will savvy users take ownership of their own data, able to sell it to the highest bidder?
Whatever happens, advertising is likely to be centre stage, as Jennifer Chayes, who leads the new Microsoft Research Lab in NYC, notes:
"A lot of the Big Data questions are being driven by the fact that the a lot of high-tech business models have to do with ads. There's tons of creativity around this, but there's also always a question of what's going to fund all of these new products and all of these new initiatives. A lot of that is centered on ads."
One thing to do now: prepare for faster feedback loops
Within the advertising industry, much faster, data-driven decisions are already the norm, from Real-Time Bidding (for a decent explanation of the evolving RTB ecosystem check out Econsultancy's here) to on-the-fly course corrections in terms of messaging and behaviour. Whilst we're all for leaning in and enjoying the ride towards greater efficiency, one word of caution: let's not leap to make real-time, instant decisions on truly ground-breaking initiatives, where early audience reactions aren't always an indicator of future performance. Let's pause before we press delete. And we should remember to listen to the nuances of actual customer interactions, not just crunch the numbers. Even Big Data needs a human layer.
#8 Expect a Creative Renaissance
"It was inevitable that meaning would force its way back in" ~ Jean-Pierre Dupuy
Sometimes in marketing, it can feel – however nimble and agile the team – as if we're still hand-building cars, when the future is more akin to a 21st century, virtual equivalent of Henry Ford's mass production assembly line. The truth is, we believe this algorithmically-driven future represents a huge opportunity; a chance to free our minds, a chance for a renaissance in commercial creativity. Finally, metaphorically speaking, we get jetpacks.
So advertising will have responded to a new technological and media reality, sure, but in 2020 what do we expect advertising really to be like? Not in format, but in meaning?
Certainly, a rash of new challenges and opportunities will have emerged, raising new questions. Ranging from the profound to the opportunistic, these new questions will be the things advertisers should pay particular attention to, certainly more than the infinite, shiny new platforms and ad formats that undoubtedly will be available. We know the best advertising does so much more than mirror the surface of contemporary culture: it finds new ways to slice straight through to the truth of what's troubling or inspiring us, revealing a brand's purpose along the way. It's this that earns attention and loyalty. We doubt that will change.
Beneath the smooth, data-driven, automated level, a churning layer will continue to exist where reputations are debated and forged. Our industry tends to focus on how technological innovation drives relentlessly towards simplicity, but I would argue technology is starting to enable something a lot more interesting than that; as Matt Heiman puts it (Founder, Diagonal View):
"The thicker the pipe, the more emotion gets in."
In short, humanity will have kicked back in. And with that – assuming we continue on the technological trajectory we're on – the opportunity to create truly memorable and powerful experiences only will have grown.
One thing to do now: foster Renaissance (wo)men
Naturally the human condition dictates we're distracted, magpie-like, by the transient, the shiny and the brand new (it's not hard to imagine future brands and agencies experimenting with the 2020 equivalent of hologram-based pop stars and the latest gadgetry, and using them to tell stories). And of course we find it just as hard to escape our own filter bubbles, serving up the same stuff day in, day out. It takes a conscious effort to broaden our horizons at a more profound level.
To get beyond all of this, our industry needs to find and foster Renaissance men and women. People with a built-in, burning desire to learn continuously, to create, to collaborate and experiment, to see the infinite possibilities in the world around them. The trick is to keep stepping outside the borders of our own geographic cultures, keep thinking broader, keep pushing for something different, keep pushing for something better.
With grateful thanks for their input to: Tom Uglow (Google), David Kenny (Weather Channel), Greg Andersen and Jim Carroll, Saneel Radia, Matthew Kershaw, Agathe Guerrier, Jeremy Ettinghausen, Helen Lawrence (at BBH & BBH Labs).
Many thanks also to Sid Russell in BBH Design for the title design.
#1 Marketing as Profit Centre, Not Cost
#2 Everything is Connected: The Rise of the Networked Brand
#3 Mobile Ubiquity
#4 Everyone's a Producer
#5 Content Marketing: brands as content owners & partners
#6 Win-win-win Platforms


text: On this week's Moyers & Company (check local listings), biologist, mother and activist Sandra Steingraber explains why she was willing to go to jail for blocking access to the construction of a storage and transportation facility involved in the controversial process of fracking. Steingraber has become internationally known for building awareness about the toxic trespassers she says are contaminating our air, water, and food -- and threatening our children's health. With government captured by the very industries it's supposed to regulate, Steingraber has lost patience with politicians and corporations, but says our kids need to know "mom is on the job" of preventing destruction to the environment.


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Hello my name is Ace
To view more photos or to place a deposit please scroll to the very bottom.
Puppy availability status is current and updated
In order to hold a puppy, a $200 non refundable deposit. is required, and the remaining balance (cash) is due when you come pick up your puppy. A puppy is considered "not available for sale" once a deposit is received, The deposit fee is applied to the purchase price.
Puppies will be available for pick up at eight (8) weeks of age, The puppies should stay with their mother until at least 8 weeks old. Puppies being shipped will be shipped at 8 weeks old. If your puppy needs to be shipped, the remaining balance will need to be paid in full 2 weeks prior to shipping. We will be posting new puppy pictures every 10 days or so.
Puppies will come with the following
1. A Complete Health Record and a health certificate from the vet (up to date on all necessary vaccinations and deworming)
3. Puppy Blanket with mother/litter mates scent, The smell of the blanket will comfort him/her during his first night and the next few weeks with you, So this will help your new puppy transition be more easier to adjust to his new home and to ease the stress level.
4. Written Health Guarantee and LIFETIME GUARANTEE against any Genetic Defects (All of our pups will come with a health certificate from one of our vet, even if they are not being shipped. This is just to make sure that all puppies leave our home Healthy!! All vet details will be giving to you with your new pup paper work so you can confirm if you have any questions. Not only will we give Lifetime Generic Guarantee, but we will also give you 3 days to take your puppy to your own vet. The 3 days are giving so that you make sure the puppy does not have any parasites and as a responsible breeder, if your puppy has parasites/worms with in 3 days of leaving, WE will cover the vet fees for any positive fecal test for your consideration. We are so certain about the health of our puppies that we now also Guarantee that your puppy will be parasites/worms free when they leave our care if not we will pay for the necesary worm treatment.
5. Our top secrets on how to keep your puppy HAPPY AND HEALTHY!
6. Fleas & Ticks Free.
7. Puppy Kit-Info with how to care for your new puppy.
8. Akc Reg*
9. Pedigreelineage!
10. Puppy favorite toy.
11. Diamond Puppy food Sample.
12. Nuvet Plus Vitamins Sample.
MICROCHIP ID:Giving you peace of mind. That include a lifetime enrollment with the AKC lost and found program. Enrollment in AKC Companion Animal Recovery will help to ensure safe return of your pet when found. We are now offering microchipping for our puppies. There is an extra $55 fee for this service. This service includes a custom engraved collar tag with your dog's AKC number and the phone number to our 24/7/365 Lifetime recovery service helpline and lifetime enrollment with the AKC lost and found program. Enrollment in AKC Companion Animal Recovery will help to ensure safe return of your pet when found. one of the best forms of identification, pet microchips can help ensure your pets will be returned to you if they ever get lost. With proper implantation and registration, your dogs and cats have a permanent record of their identity with your contact information, so any veterinarian or shelter can trace them back to you. With microchips, you can keep your pets safe, even when they're not by your side! (your pet's microchip includes a prepaid enrollment-$19.95 value)...
For immediate enrollment go to www.akccar.org You will receive a confirmation of your pet's enrollment with an AKC CAR collar tag showing your pet's microchip ID number. Please alow up to 4 weeks for delivery of the collar tag.
NOTE: DO NOT change your puppy food! Feed your puppy the same type and brand of food every day. Unlike humans, a dog digestive system cannot handle changes in food. It can cause upset stomach and diarrhea. however Your puppy will probably get diarrhea when you first bring it home as it will be stressed from a new life change, new environment, new people, etc, but it will clear up in a few days.
*Internal & External parasite control:
We have properly dewormed the puppy up to departure date. It is the buyer's responsibility to continued proper deworming after 3 days of receipt. Buyer understands that intestinal parasites (including hookworm, Roundworms, whipworms, coccidia and giardia) are considered a normal occurrence and all puppies need regular fecal exams and deworming up to 16 weeks of age or more. Please Don't forget a deworming schedule. Heart-worm disease, flea & tick infestations are cause by parasites that are all preventable.
Please provide an additional e-mail and phone number when placing a deposit in case we are not able to reach you via e-mail, we may be able to call you when the puppies are born.. Also if you place a deposit on any upcoming litter and if we dont receive any communication from you by the time your puppy is 3 weeks old, we will be forced to re-advertise the pup for sale. however your deposit is good for up to 12 months from the date that we receive it.


text: Further information from these obituaries is available upon request by contacting the County Coordinator,with the subject line; Marion County Obituary Look Up. Allow 2 weeks for a response. Please include the following in your request: Name of Deceased, Date obituary appeared in the Ocala Star Banner, your name, your relationship to the deceased.


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Horses seized from convicted abuser's farm
Terry Lynn Sullivan, a supposed Staunton horse-rescuer and the woman who lost her appeal of a prior criminal animal cruelty conviction just three weeks ago, now stands at the center of another investigation after 28 allegedly malnourished horses (and one dead one) were taken off her farm, according to the Waynesboro newspaper and NBC29.
6 comments
I assume I have horse meat in my kitchen right now. It is packaged in cans with the word ALPO on them.
Horse meat is tasty, just ask any French butcher
They should starve her for a while and then turn her out to pasture. Maybe then she would gain a new appreciation for the animals she abused! What a slime!
I agree, she should be starved for a bit and made to suffer like her horses. She obviously did not learn her lesson the first time. Hey Gasbag..maybe you should switch dog food brands, or support Sammy Snacks...our own local dog food producer. Great product, great results, and my dog has never been healthier. I say this after trying about 8 other brands.
What I would like to know, is where were the animal control officers on this one? Obviously, if you have a previously convicted animal abuser, shouldn't they be monitored---better yet--never allowed to have animals---thus this does not excuse this woman for her actions----I believe she needs to see a psychiatrist--shame on everyone in this mess!!!!
Why was she allowed to have animals after her first conviction?


text:
Discover the complete program of the 2017 edition.
The third edition of the Europa in versi Award is live!
Europa in Versi, organized by La Casa della Poesia di Como (The House of Poetry of Como, Italy), is an International Poetry Festival that takes place from 2011 in Como, in the picturesque scenery offered by one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
Europa in versi 2018 Award: ready to go!


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Taylor Swift Breaks Another 'Hart' in New MTV VMA Promo
The subject of Taylor Swift's new single 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' has yet to be revealed, but in a new promo for the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, host Kevin Hart insists it's about him.
The clip begins with the 22-year-old country star strumming an acoustic guitar and singing her new single. Hart bursts through the door and starts going off about how Swift needs to stop writing songs about him. She denies that he inspired the hit tune, but Hart continues.
"I'm hosting the VMAs!" he pleads. "It's a big night for me. I'm not trying to go up there and be known as Mr. Ex Taylor Swift." The singer looks at the comedian blankly and replies, "I met you like one time two years ago. For like, five minutes."
Hart then presents a doctored photo as evidence of their relationship. "That's your face Photoshopped on someone else's body," Swift reasons. By the way, that "someone else" is the pop star's ex, Jake Gyllenhaal.
Swift is scheduled to perform a new song from her forthcoming album 'Red' at the big event, while Green Day, One Direction, Alicia Keys and Pink will also take the stage. The 2012 MTV VMAs will air on Thursday, Sept. 6.


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By Jim Kuhnhenn
?Associated Press
WASINGTON — The Obama administration is clamping down on excessive pay at public housing authorities, setting caps that extend and expand limits imposed by Congress. The action comes as the administration revealed that the top official at the Atlanta housing agency received a compensation package of $644,214, the highest in the country.
After conducting a national compensation survey, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to set a maximum salary ceiling of $155,000 for public housing agency officials, said two senior administration officials. The cap applies to the portion of executive salary paid with federal money. It does not require congressional action.
The national survey of 2010 salaries found that while most local public housing officials were compensated in amounts at or under the new limit, a few top local housing officials were getting at least twice that amount, including Atlanta Housing Authority executive director Renee Glover, who has led the city's agency since 1994.
Her total compensation in 2010 included salary, bonus and other benefits, the officials said.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a plan and a report that had not been made public.
Sonji Jacobs, a spokeswoman for Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, said early Tuesday that the city of Atlanta would work with federal officials to address concerns about compensation, adding that the cap on salaries "made sense." Early in his administration Reed recognized the need for stronger governance at the Atlanta Housing Authority and appointed new board members for better fiscal stewardship, Jacobs said.
According to a statement attributed to Glover, the compensation cited by the administration was a one-year package that included a $312,500 salary, a $126,000 payment for 12 years of accrued and unused vacation, $135,000 in two years of performance bonuses, and payments for unused sick leave and a year of unused vacation and paid holidays in 2010.
She said that for the 2011 calendar year, she received her $325,000 salary with no bonus or accrued vacation pay.
She said she explained the terms of her package to HUD officials.
"I value my integrity and my reputation above all and I am confident my professional record speaks for itself," she said. "Over the course of my tenure with AHA, my compensation package has been approved in public meetings by independent Boards of Commissioners who were appointed by three of the last four Atlanta mayors," she said.
Among others receiving large pay packages were top executives at housing agencies in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Chelsea, Mass. All the executives at those agencies have left their jobs.
Those salary packages caused a furor last year, prompting calls for an investigation by Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Beyond Glover's compensation package, the Obama administration pointed to $606,320 in total compensation for the top official at the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, $417,688 at the Philadelphia Housing Authority and $357,635 at the Chelsea, Mass., Housing Authority.
Local news media reports of those payments last year prompted Congress to set a $155,000 salary cap on housing agencies for the 2012 fiscal year. The administration's plan aligns those limits to the federal government pay scale, makes them permanent and applies them to bonuses and other means of compensation as well.
Agencies still can supplement a top officials pay with state or local government money.
The administration released median compensation packages by region, but aside from the top paying housing agencies, did not list specific compensation by individual housing authority.
Grassley welcomed the HUD action, but said the administration should identify compensation packages by agency.
"Taxpayers shouldn't have to sustain gold-plated compensation packages for public employees," he said. "My review has shown that the housing authorities that go off the rails count on a lack of transparency to do what they want."
The senior administration officials said the Los Angeles housing agency had lowered its top compensation to $260,000 and the Philadelphia agency had set its top compensation at $225,000. Chelsea, Mass., a suburb of Boston with a population of about 35,000, had lowered its top compensation to $135,000.
While the top limit planned by the Obama administration would be $155,000 for agencies managing more than 1,250 public housing units, HUD would set lower limits for smaller public housing agencies. Housing authorities with between 250 and 1,250 units could pay a maximum of $125,926, and agencies handling fewer than 250 units could pay no more than $88,349.


text: Penn State Nittany Lions Riddell NCAA Collegiate Deluxe Replica Full Size Helmet. A full-size shell that is slightly smaller than the collegiate authentic helmet. Replica decals from official logos. Some come with internal plate TO PREVENT WEARING. A great, affordable way to show how much you care for your alma mater or favorite team.


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- Home
- Rhinestones for nails - aurore boréale
- Description
The original way to create patterns or simply make your nails sparkle with these little stick-on gems.
All the quality and sparkle of Swarovski crystal on your fingertips!
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Prosecutor and persecutor
Kamala Harris has a complicated record, but her zeal to support abortion and attack its opponents has been consistent
Kamala Harris has a complicated record, but her zeal to support abortion and attack its opponents has been consistent
Pro-lifers, conservatives praise Trump's third SCOTUS pick
Mike Pence has brought a low-key but active approach to the vice presidency
A deadly border clash between Chinese and Indian troops has put relations between the two most populous countries in the world on a precipice
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Officials from the National Council of Churches and the Presbyterian Church (USA) joined business leaders and senators in endorsing a proposed law that would provide employment protection for homosexuals. At an Oct. 23 hearing before the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, Oliver Thomas of the NCC and Herbert Valentine of the PCUSA expressed their organizations' support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The bill would establish homosexuality, under the category of "sexual orientation," as a classification deserving protection in the same way race, ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, religion, and disability now have protected status in the workplace. It failed to gain passage in the Senate last year by only one vote, 50-49. A procedural move cut short the hearing before Mr. Thomas and Mr. Valentine could testify, but they explained the NCC and PCUSA positions in written testimony. Mr. Thomas, NCC counsel, said because federal civil rights laws presently don't cover discrimination based on sexual orientation, "gay and lesbian people are currently deprived of basic human rights." Mr. Valentine, chief executive of the Baltimore Presbytery, said passage of ENDA is "the Christian thing to do." He said homosexuality is not a prominent biblical concern, and Jesus did not express an opinion on the issue. In voicing support for the measure, committee chairman James Jeffords (R-Vt.) said his staff had scoured the country for witnesses with differing opinions, but to no avail. However, leaders of at least four Washington-based organizations that oppose the bill said their groups were not contacted about testifying: Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), Family Research Council, Christian Coalition, and Concerned Women for America. Will Dodson, ERLC's public policy director, told Baptist Press he left the hearing "angry" and "disgusted" that church leaders supported a bill that legitimizes homosexual practice. "It is inexcusable for Christians to defend life-styles which are contrary to Scripture."
Oregon-based evangelist Luis Palau had the support of nearly 500 churches for a crusade last month in Kansas City, Mo. Some 41,000 people attended crusade events, aides said, and Nielsen TV ratings indicated more than 50,000 watched a five-night live call-in show Mr. Palau hosted.
People over 65 who go to church or synagogue at least once a week are healthier in body and mind than those who don't. And part of the proof is in their immune systems. So say Duke University researchers Harold Koenig, a psychiatrist, and Harvey Cohen, who directs a Duke center on aging. Their findings, part of the largest national survey ever conducted on aging, were published in the October issue of the International Journal of Psychiatry. Blood samples of the 1,718 participants showed that religious-service attenders were twice as likely to have strong, stable immune systems. Among other things, their blood levels of the undesirable immune system protein Interleukin-6 (IL-6) were lower, Dr. Koenig said. "This is the first study I know that tried to look at the pathways to translate religiosity to medical outcome," said Marcia Ory, chief of social science research at the National Institute on Aging, which helped fund the project. The results support a similar link between religion and good health that Dr. Koenig found last year in interviews with 4,000 randomly selected elderly people.
Fifty-two percent of American adults are certain there is a Hell, and 27 percent think there might be, according to a poll published by USA Today. Those who believe in Hell are almost evenly split on whether it is a real place where people suffer eternal fiery torment (48 percent), or whether it is an anguished state of existence (46 percent).
Anglican leaders abroad are increasingly concerned about the U.S. Episcopal Church and views and practices of sexuality condoned by some of its clergy. Some 50 Anglican archbishops and bishops from 16 countries attended a recent Anglican Life and Witness conference in Dallas. Of that number, 37-many of them from Africa-signed a letter addressed to each American bishop demanding to know why so many of them are ordaining priests who are sexually active outside of marriage, and why they are permitting their clergy to perform same-sex union rites. They asked for a response in writing or in face-to-face meetings by the first of the year. Their letter warned that failure to repent could lead to a rupture in the worldwide Anglican Communion. "It is not acceptable for a pro-gay agenda to be smuggled into the church's program or foisted upon our people, and we will not permit it," they said. Indeed, in earlier meetings abroad, some prelates suggested that the American church has drifted so far from theological and moral standards, it should be excluded from the Lambeth Conference next July in Canterbury. The once-a-decade Lambeth meetings bring together hundreds of bishops representing the churches to which the world's 70 million Anglicans belong. However, religion columnist Terry Mattingly points out, although 75 percent of Anglicans attend largely conservative churches in the "Two-Thirds World," most of the bishops who can afford to attend Lambeth will come from the First World. One-fourth of them will come from the Episcopal Church alone, he predicts. Also, he adds, Lambeth planners have not included any plenary sessions; participants will be scattered among small-group sessions and have little opportunity to organize large-group actions, such as protests.
Churches have come to the aid of public schools in Prince William County, Virginia. School Superintendent Edward L. Kelly told The Washington Post he saw a host of problems when he looked at his schools. Parents seemed less involved than a generation ago. Student expulsions and suspensions were on the rise. More kids were turning to gangs and drugs. More families were abandoning public education in favor of homeschooling or private schools. The schools needed help, and they needed it quickly. Mr. Kelly laid out a plan for his principals: Each school should forge a partnership with nearby churches. (Such alliances, common in black communities, are relatively new in predominantly white communities and almost always attract close scrutiny from church-state separation extremists.) So far, about two-thirds of Prince William's 66 schools have found one or more church partners; some have 10 or more. The help comes in different forms. Some churches are sending volunteer tutors into the schools. Others are donating supplies or letting students use church computers after school or helping with fundraising projects. Ministerial staffers drop by school cafeterias to chat with students. Church activities for youth can be publicized on campus. The volunteers are under orders by Mr. Kelly and his principals not to promote their religious beliefs on school property. That's okay, says youth pastor Frank Jenkins of First Baptist Church of Woodbridge, which fields dozens of volunteers for several schools. Going to a school translates to students as, "I care about you. Tell me about your day." He said students talk about classes, problems, teachers, relationships. "We would like every teen-ager to have a relationship with Jesus. That's our ultimate goal. But I don't preach that at the schools." He told WORLD that as a result of contacts at school, some non-churched students are showing up at church meetings and events "to find out what we're about." Mr. Kelly, a member of a Catholic parish with strong evangelical leanings, says he understands the concerns of critics. (A local rabbi complains of misgivings about having unsupervised adults conversing with students.) But, Mr. Kelly adds, church help is essential to ease the strain on teachers and to compensate for lack of parental involvement. Michael Farris, president of Virginia-based Home School Legal Defense Association, says the partnership between churches and schools can be a "good thing." Churches should take the opportunity to minister to anybody they can, he says, because "Christian adults need to be penetrating every segment of public life, including public schools." However, he adds, the churches need to be careful "not to give a signal that such an arrangement is a substitute for Christian education." (Mr. Farris estimates 1.25 million children across the nation are being schooled at home, many of them because parents see little hope of their getting a proper education in public schools.)
As part of the U.S.-China summit , Beijing agreed to host discussions with three American religious leaders. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright announced that communist government officials had agreed to a meeting in Beijing with Donald Argue, president of the National Association of Evangelicals; Catholic archbishop Thomas McCarrick of Newark; and Rabbi Arthur Schneier, who heads the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. No details were available regarding the purpose and agenda of the Beijing talks, to take place sometime this winter, but Ms. Albright said the discussions would include religious-freedom issues. Mr. Argue was the only religious leader at the White House state dinner honoring Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin. Following a meeting in the oval office in early 1996, where Mr. Argue discussed persecution of believers, Mr. Clinton appointed him to the State department's Advisory Committee on Religious Liberty. Billy Graham's wife Ruth and son Ned, who heads a ministry to China, were guests at a State Department luncheon for Mr. Jiang hosted by Vice President and Mrs. Gore on Oct.29. Toward the end of Mr. Jiang's U.S. visit, Billy Graham met privately with him in Los Angeles. A curiously worded press release from the Graham organization said that details of the half-hour Graham-Jiang meeting were "not disclosed." The release also said the evangelist "acknowledged" the two had "discussed the issue of human rights in China, and especially religious freedom."
More than 200 self-identified male and female homosexuals attended the first Mass for homosexuals in the Richmond (Va.) diocese. "You know you belong here. It's about time somebody says that to you.... This is your spiritual home," Bishop Walter F. Sullivan said during the sermon at Sacred Heart Cathedral. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that homosexual behavior is immoral, as is any extramarital or premarital sex. But in recent years some Catholic leaders have been emphasizing that homosexual orientation itself is not sinful because, they believe, it is not freely chosen. As a result, critics contend, many of the outreach ministries to homosexuals in some 30 Catholic dioceses across the country are virtually silent on the immorality issue.
Under pressure from Congress and religious groups, the federal Bureau of Prisons lifted a short-lived ban on donations of prayer books and other religious materials. The ban was imposed in September under a narrow interpretation of a new ethics rule at the Justice Department signed by Attorney General Janet Reno. The rule said no Justice employee "may solicit gifts or encourage the solicitation of gifts to the department" without Miss Reno's approval in advance. The measure was intended to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, a spokesman explained. However, federal prison officials interpreted the order to include religious donations intended for inmates. A week before the beginning of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, chaplains telephoned a Jewish prison outreach group. They said they had to return prayer books and ritual items they had previously ordered for Jewish inmate use during the holy days. Prison wardens now can accept donations worth up to $250. Beyond that, the assistant attorney general must review the donation.
Evangelist Billy Graham, who turns 79 this month, is still filling stadiums. Overflow crowds packed San Francisco's Cow Palace last month to hear him, and over 40,000 were on hand for each of two nights at the Oakland Coliseum. Earlier, record throngs greeted him at a stadium in San Jose. Aides described the more than 60 percent public response among young people from 12 to 18 in Oakland to Mr. Graham's appeal to turn to Christ as the highest in his 50 years of crusade evangelism. Over 1,400 churches from about 100 denominations joined in the three-city, eight-rally outreach crusade in the San Francisco Bay area.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) regional Synod of the Covenant in Ohio ruled a homosexual holding the office of elder at Knox Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati may retain his ordination and office. The ruling reversed a decision by a Cincinnati presbytery judicial review commission. A Knox member had complained to the presbytery that the man admitted his homosexuality to a church group, and the church's directory lists him as living at the same address with another man. PCUSA law prohibits any "self-affirming, practicing homosexual person" from holding an ordained leadership position. As is customary with ordination candidates, Knox's leaders had asked the man if there was anything in his life that might prevent him from fulfilling his duty with integrity. He replied "no" and was ordained. In explaining its decision, the synod appeals court said Knox's leaders at no time were "able to conclude that a declaration of sexual orientation had been made."
Bishops of the state Lutheran church in Denmark unanimously approved homosexual marriages but declined to permit separate wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples. Instead, homosexuals can have their marriages "sealed" as part of regular church services. Clergy in the church have been deeply divided over the issue since 1989, when Denmark became the first country to legalize civil marriages for homosexuals.
Golden Gate Baptist seminary will begin offering a master of theology degree via the Internet next fall. It may be the first such graduate school in the nation to do so, if the Southern Baptist school's accrediting agencies allow it. Under the three-year pilot plan approved by trustees last month, the degree program will consist of courses totaling 28 semester hours, a thesis, and weekly on-line dialogs among students and faculty on selected seminar topics. The course is designed to be completed in two to four years, Golden Gate officials said. More than 1,600 students are enrolled at the seminary's main campus in the hills north of San Francisco. The school also operates satellite campuses in southern California, Washington State, Arizona, and Colorado. The Washington, D.C.-based Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) recently established the Christian Distance Learning Institute as a resource center for member schools exploring ways to offer courses via the Internet. The ideal educational environment is on a Christian campus, "but distance learning is here to stay," CCCU president Robert Andringa said.
Texan Gary L. Bishop, a former Navy aviator with a career in corporate management, was named president of Mission Aviation Fellowship, based in Redlands, Calif. He succeeds Max Meyers, who led the group for 12 years. MAF, founded in 1946 by former World War II pilots, says it serves more than 500 Christian and humanitarian agencies with a fleet of 81 aircraft.
Heritage USA, the former PTL ministry headquarters and Christian theme resort founded by disgraced TV personality Jim Bakker, will close at the end of this month, officials said. Signature Hospitality Resources, the Malaysian corporation that bought the 600-acre complex in 1992 for $42.6 million, said it could not find an investor with deep enough pockets to continue operating the 501-room hotel and conference center. Mr. Bakker, convicted in 1987 of defrauding his followers, was paroled from prison in 1994. At its zenith, Heritage USA employed 2,000 people and hosted 6 million visitors a year.


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If you had already made up your mind going into Monday night's presidential debate, nothing said probably changed your mind. But for those who were undecided, there certainly was some food for thought.
Conventional wisdom had it that Mitt Romney would be weakest on foreign policy — the topic Monday night. But when the dust had settled, he appeared to have held his own. But so too had the president. This was due in some part to Romney's decision to leave the death of a U.S. ambassador to Libya off the debate table — a perceived weak spot for the president.
As the night wore on it became apparent that the decision to de-politicize the ambassador's death was a strategic move. Instead, Romney pounded home the theme that unrest had grown in the Middle East and elsewhere under President Obama's watch — that the president had failed to gain the trust and respect of other nations key to calming tensions.
While staying away from the whys and wherefores of the ambassador's death, Romney did point to a litany of arguable failures in foreign policy — Iran and its nuclear ambitions, the slaughter of 30,000 Syrians by their own president, developing al-Qaeda strongholds, and worries over Pakistan's ability to police its nuclear arsenal given internal unrest. Romney also effectively reminded voters of Obama's overseas apology tour taken early in his administration's early days.
This is not to say that President Obama lacked the ability to persuade — even Romney. Time and again there was separate the two candidates on issues like standing with Israel should that country bomb Iran's nuclear developments sites or bringing our troops home from Afghanistan in 2014.
But what was lacking on the part of the president was a vision for the future and credibility based on the past. The current commander in chief repeatedly accused Romney of reaching back into history for failed policies of the past both home and abroad. The president summoned images of President Herbert Hoover and others which history has deemed failures. In doing so, Obama tried to gloss over his own history of failed promises — on unemployment, on balancing the budget, cutting the deficit and — as we believe — earning the respect of our overseas allies.
Admittedly, Obama's failures center mostly around domestic policy — Romney's strength. But as Romney pointed out Monday night, in order to be strong and respected on the international stage, the United States must be strong economically.
So where should that leave undecided voters now that they have had time to reflect? In simply terms they should no longer be undecided. Subject to some unexpected event like the bombing of an Iranian nuclear enrichment facility by Israel or another fatal attack on an U.S. embassy, all the sufficient facts are on the table and candidates well vetted.
As readers know, there is no doubt on the part of the editorial board here at Foster's Daily Democrat new leadership is needed from the White House. We believe all three debates — but especially the first — support that notion. We believe that, on balance, the debates have shown Mitt Romney to be the more capable and with a vision for the future — a vision President Obama has failed to offer.
On Nov. 6, we urge voters to give Mitt Romney a chance to offer the nation real hope and change.
It's now time to decide
If you had already made up your mind going into Monday night's presidential debate, nothing said probably changed your mind. But for those who were undecided, there certainly was some food for thought.


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Elizabeth Burchard
Associate Dean of the College, Director of Public Safety
work(802) 443-5201
125 South Main Street
Elizabeth (Lisa) arrived at Middlebury College in June 2000. She earned her degree from Colorado State University (B.A. in Arts and Humanities). She began her law enforcement career as a Burlington police officer in Burlington, Vermont. In 1987 Lisa moved to California. She was hired by Stanford University Department of Public Safety as a deputy sheriff in 1988 and was later promoted to sergeant in 1993. In 1996, Lisa and her family moved to Massachusetts where she took the position of chief of police for the Assumption College Department of Public Safety. Lisa left the position at Assumption to take the position of Director of Public Safety at Middlebury College.
Lisa lives in Middlebury with her two daughters, Sara and Nicole.


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Tuesday, January 25, 2011
My Long Red Velour Coat.
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Space Station's big bay window installed
The biggest window ever launched to space has been installed in its final position on the Earth-facing port of Node-3. The latches and 16 electrically driven bolts were engaged today at 07:31 CET (06:31 GMT). Opening of the window shutters is foreseen for Wednesday.
During the launch of Endeavour, the Cupola was attached to Node-3's end cone docking port, After installing Node-3 on Friday and preparing Cupola for relocation, Cupola was this morning released and manoeuvred to the Node-3's Earth-facing port where it was reberthed.
Electrical and water lines are now being connected between Node-3 and Cupola, and the Cupola's window heaters are being activated. Activities related to making Node-3 fully functional also continue.
Meanwhile other outfitting tasks inside Node-3 are being carried out, including removal of all panel launch bolts and the installation of two sampling tools over the thermal lines that will be used to extract water sample for analysis.
During tomorrow's spacewalk astronauts Behnken and Patrick will open the second ammonia loop for Node-3's External Thermal Control System and disconnect the power line for the temporary heaters. The astronauts will also remove the insulating blankets covering the Cupola, which were needed during transfer to the ISS. The thermal shroud will be jettisoned on removal. Once the thermal blankets have gone the launch bolts that secure the Cupola's window shutters in place (three bolts per shutter) can be removed. After installation of handrails and fixtures that will help astronauts on future EVAs, the Cupola will be ready for operation.


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Horny Women Gold Bar WA | Horny Women Royal City WA


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Even in tough times, we have done just as well (even a smidge better) as last year. Individual paintings went from $100.00 -$1,700.00. Many thanks to everyone that bid.
I was at the Society's student scholarship exhibit Friday night -- without a doubt, those kids are very appreciative for the recognition these awards give them.


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House Rules Committee chairman concedes he 'may not know all the rules.'
At a House Rules Committee hearing Thursday, members of both parties thanked the Capitol Police for their role in ending a shooting threat at the Capitol Building just hours before.
That's about where the agreement ended.
The committee's ranking member, Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., used the occasion to mention the fact that Capitol Police officers -- like all "excepted" federal employees required to work during the shutdown because they protect human life or property -- will not receive pay until the government reopens. Retroactive pay is guaranteed, but would be delayed if the shutdown continues past the date their next paychecks are scheduled to go out.
The committee's chairman, Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said he would be "embarrassed" if that were true, but maintained it was not. He called on an "expert witness" -- Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., another member of the Rules Committee -- who said because Capitol Police are essential, they would in fact be paid.
"The gentlewoman from New York is entitled to her opinion, but she is not entitled to create a fiction," Foxx said.
Slaughter then interjected the employees would only be paid once the shutdown ends, to which Foxx had no response.
Sessions said, "we may not know all the rules that are in place."
To clarify, here's a quick summary of those rules:
- Excepted workers: Guaranteed back pay once the shutdown ends.
- Non-excepted workers: Not guaranteed back pay, but it's looking like they'll get it.
Hope that clears things up for any confused members of Congress.


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FYI, your messages are full so I can't yet respond
Hey I know you live in the Pats fan base area. How salty are they if any that the broncos won the super bowl or have they finally gave us some credit? Thanks
I am just as frustrated. If not moreso. It's almost like the world's gone haywire. Everything seems to be the opposite of what it should be. I'm not just talking about what's been in the news lately, either. It's been like this for some time for me.
We (the mods) try to keep this a safe place. It is amazing the subjects we get into. My first one was about substance abuse. It's floating around in ABF.
Helping to educate others...not just the people who post in the threads, but the lurkers. Lots of people read, but don't have accounts. Your outreach goes beyond what you can see.
It's fixed. If it's still doing it, log off (deletes cookies) and log back on. It'll work this time.
I have no idea what is going on. We have someone working on it, though. I also started a new thread in Feedback. Tried to put information into the title. Hopefully, things will get back to normal soon. Like "normal" is good.
Thanks for the kind words. You should see me right before I post something.
Thank you for the kind words!
It has always been my thought that if I could help just one person, then my mission is a success. I've been blessed to have been able to help out many.
But, I equally thankful for and of people like you who stand in the front lines in this fight. It's a long ways from over... but we're making progress.
CHEERS to you!!!!
- eb
Thanks. I read it. I'm logging off right now, so I'll respond tomorrow.
It is what it is. Sad, though.
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Italian would have to be in my top 3 cuisines… not so good for clean and lean though so this lunch was going to be a slight challenge…. NO PASTA FRANK!!
Convenience was the reason we chose Tutto Bene at Southbank for this catch up with an old client, now friend. But, this location was going to tick off a box that probably should have been ticked off years ago. "You haven't had a risotto at Tutto Bene?!? And you call yourself a Melbournian?!"
It was freezing, therefore it could have been any day for the last 6 months right…? Anyway, enough weather whingeing.. See, I told you I was a Melbournian… We were sat outside in a kind of sheltered area to watch the action (mostly just peeps running from one shelter from the rain to the next, as they navigated their way down the banks of the Yarra). It was warmer than it sounds on the balcony but I have no doubt on a sunny day that balcony would be a coveted spot. I perused the menu ignoring the sections I most wanted…. pasta and risotto and looking to the protein section. I'll be having the duck special thanks..
And it was sensational. "It doesn't look like duck" I hear you say. And you are right, it was taken off the bone and pressed into this delicious little square. YUM!
Of course there was a risotto in the group and it also looked pretty speccy…
7 weeks 'til the wedding and then I have added it to my list once everything is signed, sealed, delivered… if you know what I mean…
A lovely lunch was had by all, with definite intentions to return and maybe watch a little more exciting action down on the banks of the Yarra.


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Not a day goes by that I don't get asked by a patient about some aspect of their facial appearance, including crow's feet, puffy eyelids, dark circles, and wrinkles. Let's face it, our looks are of great interest and concern. I recently had a chat about this with dermatologist Dr. Bobby Buka, section chief in the Department of Dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. "Puffy eyes are progressive," he said. "As we age, we all lose fat pads that rest below our eyes. These dark circles that may appear underneath your eyelids and can be visible as a discoloration with puffiness of the eyelids is actually blood coursing through veins beneath."
Get enough water and fluids during the day. Doing this can replenish the deeper layers of the skin with water delaying drooping of skin, and improve the appearance of dark circles. Avoiding dehydration can help to decrease the effect of gravity as adequately hydrated skin tends to sag less with advancing age! Dr. Buka also recommends a well-balanced, high-vitamin diet.
Those affected by allergies, particularly children and young adults, may have the presence of a horizontal crease or line on the middle part of the nose. This may reflect persistent upward "rubbing" of the nose from itchiness and explain the appearance of a nasal "crease" associated with allergies, especially if your allergies are not adequately controlled or treated.
In other words, get proper therapy for your allergies and sinus condition so you can feel better and look better! I have found that in my experience as medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of NY that working to improve your skin's appearance as well as restoring improved nasal and sinus function can translate into an improved facial appearance, (mainly the droopiness and puffiness beneath and below your eyelids, the "allergic shiners"). What many women don't know is that some of their skin care and personal hygiene products (i.e. cosmetics such as mascara, eyeliner, etc) may cause localized skin allergy/irritation or contact dermatitis that can result in age-like effects of the eyelids and the skin surrounding it.
Here are some tips:
- Try elevating your pillow slightly at night to fight gravity causing extra nighttime eyelid puffiness
- Keep your water and fluid levels adequate for your daily needs
- Follow your physician's sinus and allergy treatment. This may include allergist directed injections to alleviate seasonal and indoor allergies
- Short periods of evening or nighttime cool compresses to both eyelids
- Get allergy patch tests to learn if you're sensitive to your facial, and eye care products
- Dermatologist recommended facial and anti-aging moisturizers as well as nightly eye cream in some cases may be helpful, even for stubborn wrinkles
Get tested to determine if you have allergies. If you have allergies, work as a team with your allergist and dermatologist to look and feel your best!
-Dr. Bassett
Affiliation: Faculty, NYU School of Medicine and Long Island College Hospital Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine - SUNY Fellow, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. For more allergy savvy tips you can visit his website: www.nyc-allergist.com
Important: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not Everyday Health.


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With the aim of spreading and increasing recognition of the Clarion global brand, we will be featuring Jay Kay, vocalist of the world-famous jazz-funk band Jamiroquai, as well as the concept car VAD.HO* by Italdesign-Giugiaro, in the key visual we are using for our 2008 brand communication activities.
This new visual made its public debut at the Clarion Booth of the 2008 International CES, which was held in January of 2008. It is currently featured on the newly opened "Clarion + Jamiroquai Special Site", a global website where people everywhere can enjoy watching visual media that express the "seamless" concept of this year's key visual.
Aside from this, we plan to implement this visual in product catalogues as well as special events that are scheduled to take place in various locations.
To showcase the Clarion brand on the global market and to publicise "Human Mobile Music Media Interface — Clarion H.M.I.", the brand slogan expressing our desire to become an ideal interface for music and information in cars and other moving environments, in 2007 we featured Jay Kay and the Italdesign-Giugiaro concept car Moray, and used Jamiroquai's "Feel So Good (Knee Deep Remix)" in our brand communication activities.
We will be bolstering our drive to publicise our products and brand even further in this second stage in which the concept for our key visual is "seamless" (connecting the information society and mobile environments without any borders). In 2008 we will continue to use the tune "Feel So Good (Knee Deep Remix)" which conveys the image of being a step ahead and reflects what the Clarion brand aspires to be.
*The VAD.HO concept car made its debut at this year's Geneva Motor Show, where it drew attention for its hydrogen engine and other details that focused on future-readiness and eco-friendliness.
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Fall Wild Turkey Hunting
This has been a good year for wild turkey production in Kansas. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks staff are reporting increased turkey sightings in many areas as birds gather for winter roosting. All of Kansas except Unit 4 (westcentral and southwestern Kansas) allows fall hunting. Long seasons this year run Oct. 1-Nov. 29, Dec. 12-31, and Jan. 9-31, 2006. Unit 1 (northwestern Kansas) and Unit 3 (southcentral Kansas) allow one permit per hunter. In Unit 2 (the eastern one-half of the state), hunters may purchase one turkey permit and as many as three additional turkey game tags. One turkey of either sex may be taken with each permit or tag.
October offers some of the best hunting. Turkeys are in small groups, with many young birds that have never been hunted. Often, a hunter can stalk the birds or break up a group, then hide and call them back. Public wildlife areas and Walk-In Hunting Area lands often hold large numbers of turkeys in October before hunting pressure moves them to private land.
The combination of good turkey populations, uncrowded hunting, and mild fall weather make October an excellent time to go turkey hunting. It's also a good time to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner.


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Each day this month, I'll be spotlighting a song that seems particularly appropriate for the season.
Although Warren Zevon had been an active singer-songwriter for several years before Excitable Boy dropped in 1978, it was his first album to achieve major commercial success. It also established his dark and ironic sense of humor, particularly on the title track and "Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner." On "Werewolves Of London," Zevon's jubilant piano playing and boisterous howl celebrated the violent antics and fashion choices of a homicidal beast. He was joined by veteran session guitarist Waddy Wachtel (who along with singer-guitarist LeRoy Marinell helped Zevon write the song) and the Fleetwood Mac rhythm section of bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood. The lyrics ranged from the graphic "He'll rip your lungs out, Jim" and "Little old lady got mutilated late last night" to the classic understatement, "Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair." Zevon conjures a trendy werewolf cruising Soho for beef chow mein and sipping a tropical drink at Trader Vic's. Later, Lon Chaney appears with his son and the Queen, making this a full-fledged Halloween party.


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Global Face Art
With credits in TV and film from Tatort, Germany's Next Topmodel and Planetopia, Guido Paefgen and his team will bring theatrical magic to Global Face Art Singapore from Kryolan's home, Germany. Having dedicated his career to theater and make-up, Guido is certainly an industry expert. His experience in acting, his own theater brought him to the make-up world, where he became a lecturer at the make-up artistry school Maskenbildnerschule Rheinland-Pfalz at the age of 26. Appointed as Deputy Head of Make-up at Stadttheater Koblenz in 2000 and Head of Make-up at the Staatstheater in Mainz in 2004 his work influences theatrical make-ups internationally.


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Publication Archive
This archive contains all documents published by cep over the last few years:
cepAdhoc: Incisive comment on current EU policy issues.
cepPolicyBrief: Concise 4-page reviews of EU proposals (Regulations, Directives, Green Papers, White Papers, Communications) – including a brief summary and economic and legal assessments.
cepInput: Impulse to current discussions of EU policies.
cepStudy: Comprehensive examination of EU policy proposals affecting the economy.
The "governance mechanism" aims to enable coordination of the energy policy measures of the Member States and the EU, and tighten planning and reporting duties. The EU Commission's proposed Regulation creates clarity and reduces excess red tape. However, its authorisation for the Commission to design a financing platform for renewable energy projects is contrary to EU law.
The EU - Commission wants a Regulation to protect the confidentiality of electronic communications and related end-user data more effectively and at the same time ensure the freedom of movement of such data. In cep's view, the envisaged coherence with the General Data Protection Regulation has not been achieved. This results in legal uncertainty which weakens the EU as a location for the data economy.
The EU Commission wants to further harmonise the rules on the use of radio spectrum. In cep's view, the long minimum duration of 25 years for time-limited harmonised radio spectrum licences, envisaged by the Commission, should be abolished because, in the technologically fast moving telecommunications sector, it may result in the inefficient distribution of licences.
The EU Commission wants to strengthen competition on the wholesale electricity markets. Cross-border power flows in the EU will also be increased. In cep's view, banning Member States from intervening in price formation on the wholesale electricity markets increases competition amongst electricity producers.
The EU-Commission wants to revise the universal service rules in order to enable all EU citizens to have a broadband connection at an "affordable price". In cep's view, however, an obligation for universal service providers, to offer social tariffs below market prices in order to give low-income citizens a broadband connection, would be in breach of the freedom to conduct a business.
By introducing an electronic services card (E-Card), the EU Commission wants to facilitate the cross-border provision of services. This voluntary electronic proof is intended to reduce red tape for service providers from other EU countries and strengthen the internal market. cep finds this to be questionable and the E-Card to be unlawful under EU law because it is in part disproportionate.
The EU Commission wants to improve the qualifications of professional drivers of lorries and buses and amend the corresponding Directive. In cep's view, a more precise definition of the vehicles whose drivers are exempt from the Professional Drivers Qualification Directive, will help to create a level playing field.
The EU Commission wants to change the obligations of the social insurance systems to provide benefits for EU citizens residing in other EU countries. Thus rights acquired in various different Member States can be exported. cep welcomes the fact that payment of unemployment benefit for a period of six months means an unemployed person can spend longer looking for work in another EU country.


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House Calls
This story appears in the February 1998 issue of . Subscribe »
If you have experience in home construction or remodeling, or even if you're just handy around your own house, a home-inspection service could be the perfect new business for you. Lawsuits over undisclosed home defects have prompted home buyers, real estate agents and even home sellers to prefer that homes are inspected before the sales are finalized. In some states, it's even required by law.
Home inspectors review homes and provide written reports to the buyers and the buyers' and sellers' real estate agents. Rather than trying to discover every tiny defect, inspectors look for larger problems--such as improperly installed heating systems or damaged foundations--and educate buyers about the condition of the home. The cost of an inspection is usually $200 to $400, depending on the size and age of the home and what part of the country you live in.
Gary Anderson, owner of the Building Specs Inc. store in Owings, Maryland, says it can take as long as three or four years to build a reputation and a network of contacts to turn a profit in the home-inspection business, but the long-term rewards are worth the effort. A former home remodeler, Anderson opened his company in 1995, but it took three years to turn a profit: Last year, his store made $70,000.
John Ruiz started his one-man home-inspection company, Quality Inspections, two years ago in North Whittier, California, and he's already making a small profit.
Marcie Geffner is a Los Angeles freelance writer who frequently reports on residential real estate.
At What Cost?
The start-up costs for a home-inspection service typically amount to between $10,000 and $15,000. Ruiz spent $4,000 for training, another $5,000 to equip his home office and $1,500 for inspection tools and construction manuals. A starting inspector should have an industrial ladder, professional flashlights, an assortment of screwdrivers and other small tools, plus plumbing, electrical, building and other code books. Anderson's start-up costs were similar, but he also bought a new truck, which added to his initial outlay.
In addition to the start-up costs, you'll need savings or other income to cover your living expenses while you learn the business and build your referral base. "It can be a profitable business, but it's very competitive. You'd better have some other resources, because there are a lot of times when the phone doesn't ring," says Ruiz.
If you're not confident about starting your business completely on your own, a franchisor of home-inspection services can help you with signs, inspection forms, marketing brochures and the like. Expect to pay a franchise fee of $7,000 to $17,000 and royalty fees of 6 percent to 8 percent.
Background Check
Training is a must to become a home inspector, even if you have construction experience. Many companies offer training courses, as do most of the national and state chapters of the home-inspection associations
Ruiz began his training with an intensive two-week program to find out whether he was really interested in the business. Then he offered his services to home inspectors--free of charge--in exchange for on-the-job experience.
Licensing for home-inspection services is controversial, and the regulations vary widely among the states. Some states have tough licensing or certification requirements; in other states, anyone with a ladder and a few business cards can set up shop as a home inspector. Find out from realtors and other home inspectors about the regulations that govern licensing in your state and any neighboring states where you might want to do business.
The Real World
To make your company successful, you'll need to be an aggressive marketer as well as a good home inspector. Most of your marketing will be targeted toward real estate agents. "Eighty percent of the volume of home inspections is generated by real estate agents," says Don Crawford, last year's president of the National Association of Home Inspectors Inc. in Minneapolis and owner of Crawford Inspection Services in Hillsboro, Oregon. "You have to let realtors know what you do and how you do it."
You may also want to advertise your service to mortgage lenders, real estate attorneys and home builders.
Insuring Success
Home inspectors should carry errors-and-omissions (E&O) insurance to protect themselves from lawsuits. Every time a home inspector writes a report, he or she is exposed to liability for an error or omission. That's why home inspectors use pre-inspection agreements and forms that tell buyers exactly what the home inspection does and doesn't include.
Also be aware of two potential ethical dilemmas: repairs and rebates. Some home inspectors offer to repair defects they've uncovered during their own inspections, and others give rebates or coupons to real estate agents as incentives for referrals. Anderson, Crawford and Ruiz all believe that such practices are unethical, although they are legal in some states. Check with local and state regulators to find out whether these practices are legal in your state.
For more information about starting a home-inspection service, check out these sources:
- National Association of Home Inspectors Inc.
4248 Park Glen Rd.
Minneapolis, MN 55416
(800) 448-3942
- American Society of Home Inspectors Inc.
85 W. Algonquin Rd., #360
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
(800) 743-2744
- California Real Estate Inspection Association
4452 Park Blvd., #204
San Diego, CA 92116
(800) 848-7342
- Entrepreneur Magazine's Home Inspection Service
Business Start-Up Guide #1334
Entrepreneur Media Inc., $69, 800-421-2300
Order at http://www.smallbizbooks.com
Ambic Building Inspection Consultants
(800) 882-6242
Amerispec Home Inspection
(800) 537-8000
The BrickKicker Home Inspection
(800) 821-1820
Building Systems Analysis Inc.
(770) 454-9333
The HomeTeam Inspection
(800) 598-5297
(800) 526-3939
National Property
(800) 333-9807
Pillar to Post
(800) 294-5591
World Inspection Network
(800) 967-8127
Contact Sources
Building Specs Inc., 7260 Briscoes Turn Rd., Owings, MD 20736, (301) 855-3337
Crawford Inspection Services, P.O. Box 730, Hillsboro, OR 97123, (503) 628-1003
Quality Inspections, 1563 Channelwood Dr., North Whittier, CA 90601