text:
After blizzard cancelled flights, Texas reps take 'bipartisan road trip' to D.C.
After an East Coast blizzard affected flights to Washington, D.C., two of Texas' congressional representatives agreed to rent a car early Tuesday and make the 24-hour drive together, debating everything from directions and meals to immigration and Obamacare.
What makes the journey unusual -- aside from the livestream that blends navigation, a Willie Nelson sing-along and policy discussions -- is that one representative is a Republican and the other a Democrat.
Rep. Beto O'Rourke, a Democrat from El Paso, is trading off driving duty with Rep. Will Hurd, a Republican who represents Southwest Texas, including parts of San Antonio.
Political scientists rate them both as relatively moderate, such as the GovTrack scores from the past two years that show Hurd as one of the 40 most centrist Republicans and O'Rourke as one of the 60 most moderate Democrats.
NO MEETING: When Texas congressman didn't show for town hall, constituents held one anyway
Starting the day off right at Mi Tierra Cafe before hitting the road for work. 24 hrs to DC. Co-pilot @HurdOnTheHill pic.twitter.com/wZHHF2KQXC— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 14, 2017
They expressed differing views on education -- Hurd praised charter schools while O'Rourke emphasized traditional public schools -- and also their differing road-trip styles. Hurd wanted more pit stops than the "taskmaster" O'Rourke wanted.
"We're trying to break through partisan gridlock and get stuck in actual gridlock," Hurd joked.
The two South Texas representatives said they share the view that President Donald Trump's border wall is not an effective or efficient way to improve border security.
They started early Tuesday morning in San Antonio, renting a Chevy Impala sedan and grabbing breakfast at Mi Tierra Cafe. They were together in San Antonio after they spent Monday visiting Veterans Affairs facilities.
They reached the Waco area shortly after 11 a.m. and asked for local lunch suggestions; they considered viewers' recommendations of the Czech Stop kolache shop in West, Texas, before settling on a Whataburger drive-thru.
As they gave phone interviews to newspaper reporters from San Antonio and El Paso, Hurd gestured to passing truckers and got one to honk.
Nearly 40,000 viewers had tuned in for at least part of the broadcasts by 1 p.m., according to Facebook. A post had attracted more than 1,000 comments ranging from policy questions to name suggestions for the representatives' mini-pinata mascot. However, the count of current viewers rarely broke 250, suggesting that most people watched only short portions.
The pair said they hope to reach D.C. by Wednesday evening for the week's first votes.
Both Texans joined Congress only recently.
O'Rourke won his seat in 2012 after beating the incumbent, Silvestre Reyes, in the Democratic primary. He has been re-elected twice since then with comfortable margins, according to Ballotpedia. He did not face a Republican challenger last year.
In 2014 Hurd beat Pete Gallego, the incumbent Democrat and a friend of O'Rourke. Hurd defended the seat from Gallego in last year's election, winning by just over 1 percentage point.
They are streaming the journey on Facebook Live and taking questions here: https://www.facebook.com/BetoORourkeTX16/.
>>>Scroll through the gallery to see where Texas congressmen travel the most


text:
"I'll do that." He got up from the table and put the dainty china doll carefully down behind a cake tin on the dresser, where it would be out of ZigTech harm's way. He was not worried that the boys might attempt further rapine; they were more frightened of his vengeance than of their father's, for Frank had a vicious streak. When he was with his mother or his sister it never appeared, but the boys had all suffered from it.
Fee watched Reebok Sneakers him, her heart aching; there was something wild and desperate about Frank, an aura of trouble. If only he and Paddy got on better together! But they could never see eye to eye, and argued constantly. Maybe he was too concerned for her, maybe Reebok Pumps he was a bit of a mother's boy. Her fault, if it was true. Yet it Reebok EasyTone spoke of his loving heart, his goodness. He only wanted to make her life a little easier. And again she found herself yearning for the Reebok Shoes day when Meggie became old enough to take the Reebok ZigTech burden of it from Reebok Frank's shoulders.
She picked up a small lamp from the table, then put it down again and walked across to where Frank was squatted before the stove, packing wood into the big firebox and fiddling with the damper. His white arm was roped with prominent veins, his finely made hands too stained ever to come clean. Her own hand went out timidly, and very lightly smoothed the straight black hair out of his Reebok Runtone eyes; it was as close as she could bring herself to a caress. "Good night, Frank, and thank you."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
MINACT, Inc.
B-400951: Mar 27, 2009
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
(202) 512-8278
Kenneth E. Patton
(202) 512-8205
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
MINACT, Inc., of Jackson, Mississippi, protests the award of a contract to Dynamic Education Systems, Inc. (DESI), of Phoenix, Arizona, under request for proposals (RFP) No. S09F6LA009, issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) for operation of the Carville (Louisiana) Job Corps Center (JCC). MINACT challenges the evaluation of its proposal.
We deny the protest.
B-400951, MINACT, Inc., March 27, 2009
The decision issued on the date below was subject to a GAO Protective Order. This redacted version has been approved for public release.
Angela B. Styles, Esq., Puja Satiani, Esq., and Tracy P. Varghese, Esq., Crowell & Moring LLP, for the protester.
William W. Thompson II, Esq., Herman J. Narcho, Esq., and Dennis Adelson, Esq., Department of Labor, for the agency.
Paul E. Jordan, Esq., and John M. Melody, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, GAO, participated in the preparation of the decision.
1. Protest that evaluation improperly included undisclosed criteria concerning milestones for meeting Job Corps Center capacity and compensation sufficient to attract and retain personnel is denied, where both matters were clearly encompassed by solicitation evaluation provisions.
2. Evaluators' decision not to raise protester's evaluation score based on revised proposal, which resolved weaknesses and added strength, was unobjectionable where evaluators reasonably concluded that revisions only demonstrated compliance with minimum solicitation requirements.
MINACT, Inc., of Jackson, Mississippi, protests the award of a contract to Dynamic Education Systems, Inc. (DESI), of Phoenix, Arizona, under request for proposals (RFP) No. S09F6LA009, issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) for operation of the Carville (Louisiana) Job Corps Center (JCC). MINACT challenges the evaluation of its proposal.
Job Corps is a national residential training and employment program administered by DOL to address barriers to employment faced by disadvantaged youth throughout the United States. Job Corps provides comprehensive career development services to students, including academic, career technical, social and independent living skills, career readiness training, and support services. The RFP sought proposals to provide all material, services, and necessary personnel to operate the Carville JCC, as well as to provide outreach/admission services and career transition services.
The RFP contemplated the award, on a "best value" basis, of a cost-reimbursement contract for a 2'year base period, with 3 option years. Proposals were evaluated under the following technical factors (worth 100 total points): technical proposal (42 points; subfactors--outreach (5 points), admissions (8 points), career preparation period (CPP) (7 points), career development period (CDP) (9 points), administrative/management (A&M) support services (5 points), and career transition services (8 points)); staffing resources (20 points); past performance and experience (25 points); subcontracting plan (5 points); cost justification (8 points); and transition/phase-out (0 points). Offerors whose proposals were included in the competitive range would participate in an oral presentation to be evaluated under the management approach factor, worth a possible 20 additional points.[1] Under the cost justification factor, proposals were evaluated to determine whether proposed costs were fair and reasonable relative to the technical proposal, and included a cost realism analysis to determine the most probable cost to the government. Non-cost factors were significantly more important than cost.
Four offerors, including MINACT and DESI, submitted proposals, which were reviewed by an evaluation panel. Based on this initial evaluation, the proposals of MINACT, DESI, and a third offeror were included in the competitive range, and all three firms made oral presentations and participated in discussions. Each offeror was provided with a written list of concern statements (discussion questions) and given an opportunity to submit final proposal revisions (FPR). After reviewing the FPRs, the evaluation panel reached a final consensus rating for each proposal, with DESI's receiving the highest technical score of 79.16, and MINACT's receiving the second highest score, 70.08 points. Citing DESI's lowest proposed cost and higher technical score, the contracting officer, as source selection authority (SSA), found that DESI's proposal represented the best value, and thus made award to DESI. Following a debriefing, MINACT filed this protest.
MINACT challenges the evaluation on numerous grounds, and concludes that its proposal score is not supported by the record. In MINACT's view, had its proposal been properly evaluated, it would have received perfect scores under every factor evaluation it has challenged, resulting in a score higher than the awardee's, and thus leading to a different source selection. In considering a protest of an agency's proposal evaluation, our review is confined to determining whether the evaluation was reasonable and consistent with the terms of the solicitation and applicable statutes and regulations. United Def. LP, B'286925.3 et al., Apr. 9, 2001, 2001 CPD para. 75 at 10'11. We have considered all of MINACT's arguments and find that they provide no basis to object to the award. We address MINACT's most significant arguments below.
MINACT asserts that, in evaluating its proposal, the agency applied numerous undisclosed criteria, including some contained in the agency's procurement panel guide (PPG), which was used by the evaluators, but not released to the offerors. Protest at 11-12; Comments at 4-11. MINACT maintains that it was unreasonable for the agency to downgrade its proposal based on these undisclosed criteria.
In evaluating proposals, an agency properly may take into account specific, albeit not expressly identified, matters that are logically encompassed by, or related to, the stated evaluation criteria. Independence Constr., Inc., B-292052, May 19, 2003, 2003 CPD para. 105 at 4.
We find that all of the allegedly undisclosed criteria were reasonably related to or encompassed by the stated criteria. For example, MINACT asserts that it was improper for the agency to assess a weakness under the admissions technical subfactor for failing to detail how it would attain and maintain [deleted] percent on board strength (OBS), since this was not specifically identified as an evaluation criterion. In our view, the weakness was reasonably evaluated consistent with the identified admissions subfactor. The RFP specifically provided that the JCC "shall [be operated] at an estimated planned average [OBS]," as specified in the statement of work, and that the contractor "shall be continually prepared to receive a sufficient number of students to maintain the average [OBS] . . . and a surge capacity of 103 percent." RFP, sect. C, at 6. As one of 12 questions relevant to the admissions subfactor, the RFP specifically asked offerors to identify the "systems and procedures" they would use to "ensure achievement of arrival goals," and the "milestones and objectives" they would use to drive that performance. RFP, sect. L, at 113. In its initial proposal, MINACT proposed to meet the standard but, notwithstanding the RFP guidance, did not provide any milestones for reaching and maintaining [deleted] percent OBS. Agency Report (AR) at 1333. Thus, during discussions, the agency specifically asked how MINACT would "attain and maintain [deleted] % OBS," AR at 1545; MINACT's FPR still was found not to provide any milestones for accomplishing its goal. AR at 1333. Based on this analysis, the agency's evaluation was clearly encompassed by the stated evaluation criteria--and then further reinforced by the discussion question--which specifically referred to OBS strength and the milestones to drive performance.
As another example, MINACT notes that the agency evaluated its cost proposal by considering whether its proposed salary structure and compensation plan were well designed and, if inconsistent with National Survey Data (NSD), were well justified and would enable the contractor to attract, retain, and reward qualified staff. Comments at 6; Supplemental Agency Report (SAR) Comments at 11. MINACT asserts that it was improper to use these criteria because they came from the PPG and not from the RFP, which did not refer to the NSD. Comments at 6. This argument is without merit. These areas were clearly covered by the cost justification factor. The RFP called for offerors to provide a total compensation plan, which was to include a description of salaries, fringe benefits, any bonuses, monetary awards, and other contingent payment plans for all contract staff. RFP, sect. L, at 121. The RFP also called for offerors to give consideration to the National Job Corps Staff Compensation (NJCSC) Report (RFP, attach. J-17), which includes fringe benefit target percentages, id., and specifically provided that the total compensation plan would be evaluated to "ensure that this compensation reflects a sound management approach," and "in terms of enhancing recruitment and retention of personnel." RFP, sect. M, at 137. This language from section M of the RFP, on its face, clearly was sufficient to put offerors on notice that the evaluation would include consideration of whether offerors' proposed salary structure and compensation were well designed to achieve sound management and enhanced recruiting and retention. (Although the PPG erroneously refers to consistency with NSD information, instead of the NJCSC Report, the agency explains that the evaluators were aware that the proper standard was the latter report, and there is nothing in the record to indicate that they applied the wrong standard. Contracting Officer's Statement, paras. 10, 24.)
MINACT asserts that the agency unreasonably failed to increase its proposal's evaluation score based on its FPR, even though, in MINACT's view, its FPR eliminated most of the assessed weaknesses in its initial proposal and resulted in some added strengths under four technical subfactors--CDP, CPP, outreach, and A&M support.
The agency's failure to increase MINACT's score was unobjectionable. For example, MINACT challenges the agency's failure to raise its score in 3 of the 11 areas evaluated under the CDP subfactor. In this regard, the RFP required all academic and vocational instructors to be certified, licensed, or accredited by the state where the JCC was located, or by a professional trade association. RFP, Policy and Requirements Handbook (PRH), at 2477. The fourth question (the proposal requirements were set forth in a series of questions) asked what program certifications would be offered and how staff and student attainment would be validated to meet certification requirements. RFP, sect. L, at 114. Only one of the evaluators assessed MINACT's initial proposal a weakness under this question, based on a lack of information about required staff certifications to ensure that training programs were certified. AR at 1348. The RFP also required each student to complete 360 hours of work-based learning (WBL). RFP, PRH, at 2084. Question six asked how the 360-hour WBL experience would be structured for all students. RFP, sect. L, at 114. Both evaluators assessed a similar weakness under this question because MINACT's initial proposal did not address all 360 hours of WBL training. AR at 1350, 1447. Question nine under the CDP subfactor asked offerors to address how they would enhance students' social development through an expanded training day, and how all staff would be involved in student development through a positive normative culture.[2] RFP, sect. L, at 115. Both evaluators assessed a similar weakness under this question, finding that MINACT's initial proposal failed to provide any information as to how the [deleted] program would expand the training day as it related to career technical training; the proposal itself noted that the expansion was a [deleted]; and the proposal was not clear as to when certain meetings would be held or how the residential staff would be involved. AR at 1353, 1450.
In evaluating MINACT's FPR, both evaluators found that all of the weaknesses had been corrected and, as to the social development weakness, assessed a strength for MINACT's proposal of several initiatives.[3] AR at 1353, 1450. However, while the evaluators found that the additional information demonstrated that MINACT would meet the RFP's requirements, they also found that it did not strengthen the proposal, and concluded that there thus was no basis for changing their ratings. AR at 1344, 1438. For example, at the hearing conducted by our Office in this matter, the first evaluator testified that he did not change MINACT's proposal scores because, as to the first two weaknesses, he believed that the changes simply reflected the offeror's bringing its proposal up to the RFP requirements, with nothing added beyond the requirements. Tr. at 205-06. Further, while he upgraded the third weakness to a strength, he did not change the score because he found that it did not "improve the proposal as a whole." Tr. at 209. The evaluator elaborated that he evaluated a proposal "based on all the material that was in the proposal, not based just on the weakness[es] or strengths . . .[t]here was a lot of material that is neither a weakness, nor a strength, but satisfactory," and "when I assessed the entire proposal, it was a satisfactory proposal." Tr. at 210-11.
MINACT asserts that the evaluators' contemporaneous reasons for not increasing its score are invalid and fail to provide a rational basis for the evaluation. TRESP Assocs, Inc.; Advanced Data Concepts, B'258322.5, B'258322.6, Mar. 9, 1995, 96'1 CPD para. 8 at 4. It further asserts that the evaluators' hearing explanations are both irrational and represent post hoc rationalizations, to be accorded little, if any weight. Post Hearing Comments at 27; see Boeing Sikorsky Aircraft Support, B'277263.2, B-277263.3, Sept. 29, 1997, 97-2 CPD para. 91 at 15.
An agency is required to document its judgments in sufficient detail to show that they are not arbitrary. TRESP Assocs, Inc.; Advanced Data Concepts, supra. However, in reviewing an agency's evaluation, we do not limit our review to contemporaneous evidence, but consider all of the information provided, including the parties' arguments, explanations, and any hearing testimony. Remington Arms Co., Inc., B-297374, B'297374.2, Jan. 12, 2006, 2006 CPD para. 32 at 10. While we generally give little weight to reevaluations and judgments prepared in the heat of the adversarial process, Boeing Sikorsky Aircraft Support, supra, post'protest explanations that provide a detailed rationale for contemporaneous conclusions simply fill in previously unrecorded details, and will generally be considered in our review of the reasonableness of an evaluation, so long as those explanations are credible and consistent with the contemporaneous record. NWT, Inc.; PharmChem Labs., Inc., B'280988, B-280988.2, Dec. 17, 1998, 98-2 CPD para. 158 at 16.
The evaluators' explanations are sufficient to establish a reasonable basis for their evaluations. In this regard, MINACT's argument is based upon a faulty assumption--that its proposal was downgraded based on the assessed weaknesses and that, when the weaknesses were corrected, its proposal score should have been increased by all remaining points--in essence, that it should have received a perfect score. Post Hearing Comments at 28; exh. 27, at 15. There is no basis for this assumption. First, nothing in the RFP indicated that more than a satisfactory score would be assigned proposals meeting the RFP requirements. Absent such an RFP provision, we think it is indisputably reasonable for a proposal to be rated with an adjective of fully satisfactory--rather than very good or exceptional--where the correction of weaknesses results in the proposal's meeting--rather than exceeding--the RFP requirements. This was the approach followed by the evaluators. Tr. at 50, 151, 209. Since, as explained by the evaluators, MINACT's improvements merely brought its proposal up to the expected and satisfactory level, as set forth in the RFP, and were found to provide no value beyond that level, the evaluators could reasonably conclude that the elimination of the identified weaknesses did not warrant a rating above satisfactory. Likewise, we have no basis to question the evaluators' conclusion that the addition of a single strength in 1 of 11 areas reviewed did not warrant an increase in MINACT's score. See Tr. at 155. Certainly, MINACT has not established that the correction of weaknesses and the addition of a single strength warranted a perfect score.
MINACT also challenges the evaluation of its proposal under the staffing resources proposal (SRP), subcontracting plan, and oral presentation/management capability factors.[4] Specifically, under the SRP factor, MINACT notes that its proposal received less than exceptional ratings under three subfactors--level/adequacy of staffing (satisfactory); staffing qualifications (marginal); and the appropriateness/adequacy of staff development, retention, and incentives (unsatisfactory) even though its FPR resulted in corrected weaknesses and two additional strengths. AR at 1387. Under the subcontracting plan factor, MINACT's proposal remained unsatisfactory under one subfactor (extent of major program component subcontracting), even though its initial proposal included subcontracting of two minor components and its FPR added the subcontracting of a portion of a major component (Career Development team 2, which included business office technology and health occupations training). AR at 1392-93; MINACT FPR, Subcontracting Plan at 13. Under the management capability factor, MINACT's proposal was assessed a weakness under the "clear, complete, concrete, and consistent with mission" criterion resulting in a marginal to satisfactory rating, based on its failure to make clear whether its proposed automotive instructor was certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). AR at 1299, 1308. In this regard, even though its FPR stated that its proposed auto maintenance instructor was ASE certified (MINACT FPR at 1742), the evaluators did not change their ratings. MINACT asserts that, if properly evaluated under each subfactor, it would have received exceptional ratings, resulting in a perfect score under each. The agency maintains that there is no basis to change any of the scores.
Based on our review, it appears that there were some errors in the evaluation, and that some score adjustments were warranted under the challenged subfactors. For example, we agree that, since MINACT's staff apparently met the minimum RFP requirements, their evaluation as marginal, rather than fully satisfactory, was not reasonable. Similarly, since MINACT's FPR stated that its auto maintenance instructor was ASE certified, the evaluation in this area was erroneous. Further, the record shows that the subcontracting plan evaluator was mistaken as to the impact of MINACT's initial lack of any major component subcontracting and that she failed to notice that MINACT's FPR proposed to subcontract a portion of a major component.
However, there is no basis for finding that MINACT was entitled to perfect scores under any of the challenged evaluations, and it is clear that the scoring changes required would not affect the selection decision. The record shows that, apart from the identified errors, other weaknesses were present in MINACT's proposal, including its failure to propose to subcontract an entire major program component, which would limit any scoring increases to fewer than the nine points separating its score from DESI's. Since DESI's proposal thus would remain technically superior under the evaluation methodology, with a lower cost than MINACT's, and there is no challenge to the cost evaluation, we find no prejudice as a result of the identified errors in the technical evaluation. We will not sustain a protest absent a reasonable possibility that the protester was prejudiced by the agency's actions. McDonald'Bradley, B'270126, Feb. 8, 1996, 96'1 CPD para. 54 at 3; see Statistica, Inc. v. Christopher, 102 F.3d 1577, 1581 (Fed. Cir. 1996).
The protest is denied.
Gary L. Kepplinger
General Counsel
[1] In practice, the evaluators rated proposals adjectively under each factor, based on which, proposals would receive a specified percentage of the available points--exceptional (100%), very good (75%), satisfactory (50%), marginal (25%), and unacceptable (0%). Thus, for example, a proposal rated very good (75%) under the management approach factor (20 possible points) would be scored with 15 points. MINACT objects that the use of adjectival ratings was not disclosed in the RFP, which referred only to point scores. However, an agency reasonably may use adjectives in combination with a point scoring system set forth in an RFP. See Southern California Eng'g, Inc., B'296244, July 11, 2005, 2005 CPD para. 134 at 3 n.4. In any event, the record confirms that the SSA did not rely solely on the point scores (or adjectives), having reviewed the initial and final technical evaluation reports, which contained compilations of the underlying strengths and weaknesses of each offeror's proposal, prior to making her source selection. Contracting Officer's Statement, paras. 13, 18; Hearing Transcript (Tr.), Mar. 3, 2009, at 88, 104, 298-99.
[2] A positive "normative culture" is built around integrity, respect, accountability, and safety. RFP at 115.
[3] The second evaluator noted MINACT's response to the other evaluator's concerns under question 4, but did not change his score because he believed the original proposal had answered any concern. AR at 1445; Tr. at 148.
[4] MINACT asserts that the evaluation of its past performance also was flawed because the agency failed to take into account the firm's most up-to-date automated past effectiveness report (APER) and the adverse impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita on its past effectiveness reports. MINACT's assertions are without merit. The record shows that the contracting officer used the most recent APER available at the time of the evaluation and we do not think that she was required to seek more up-to-date information prior to the time of her source selection, approximately 1 week later. The record also shows that, in scoring MINACT's proposal very good, the contracting officer did take the effect of the hurricanes into account in her evaluation, and simply was not persuaded that this consideration warranted any increase in MINACT's score.
Oct 1, 2020
Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Medicare and Medicaid Programs, Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Additional Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
Sep 30, 2020
ANG Quality Testing, Ltd.
We deny the protest.
RCG of North Carolina, LLC
We deny the protests.
Sep 29, 2020
MLS-Multinational Logistic Services, Ltd.; MLSUSA Corporation
We deny the protest.
Evergreen JV
We sustain the protest.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here


text:
Edward Marshall's life in 1741 is a classic tale of the self-made man: by the age of twenty-four, he's risen from a lowly orphan in Barbados to a master shipwright in Brunswick, a bustling port town in the great colony of North Carolina. A possible lumber deal with the wealthy merchant Thaddeus Jenkins of Wilmington means that Edward will achieve even greater success; it doesn't hurt that Jenkins has a beautiful daughter, either. In addition to being extremely pretty, Miss Sarah Jenkins is also smart and adventurous, and Edward is soon head-over-heels in love. But an old seaman in Merchant Jenkins' employ, Ignatius Pell, thinks he knows Edward from somewhere else, and he threatens to ruin the young couple's future happiness by revealing a dark secret Edward thought he left behind on Barbados. For Edward is not Edward Marshall, but the illegitimate son of the infamous pirate Stede Bonnet and his French mistress Anne Marie, a redheaded lady of the night who passed her crimson locks and steely blue eyes on to her baby son before she tragically died.
Ignatius Pell certainly has a long memory, and trapped in his twisted brain is the location of a rich treasure buried by Bonnet in the islands before his untimely death at the hands of the law. Since Edward has convenient access to many ships and may have a bit of the pirate spirit in him, Ignatius proposes that they set sail in search of the treasure, unless Edward would rather that Miss Jenkins and her father learn of his sordid family tree. What follows is a seafaring adventure of the best kind, but reader beware: just like quests for pirate treasure, pirate tales rarely end in a predictable, or peaceful, manner.
Check this title's availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.


text:
WASHINGTON – Online deals service LivingSocial says its website has been hacked, and the personal data of more than 50 million customers may have been affected.
The company says it's advising all customers Friday evening to change their passwords and that it's contacting customers in most of the countries where it operates.
Read more: Credit card data not affected, company says
In an email to customers, the company says customers' names, email addresses and dates of birth may have been exposed by the cyberattack. But it says the database that stores customer credit-card information was not affected.
The Washington, D.C.-based company says it's working with law enforcement officials to investigate the attack.
It's the latest bad news for LivingSocial. Last November, the company announced it was cutting 400 jobs worldwide, as the deals marked continued to face challenges.


text:
The Apple iPhone 7 has seen many improvements compared to the previous model as it has a more colourful screen, powerful processor, water and dust resistance and superb stereo speakers. The 4.7-inch Retina display is a joy to behold with rich and vibrant colours and superb detail when watching videos, browsing or gaming. The sleek chassis is water and dust resistant and under the hood the powerful A10 Fusion processor ensures the iOS 10 performance in impressive.
The camera package on the iPhone 7 has been ramped up with a 12-megapixel camera on the back that has a 6-layer lens to capture more colour and light for beautiful photos and video clips and the front 7-megapixel FaceTime camera creates beautiful selfies thanks to the wide colour capture range.
The other features of the iPhone 7 include an enhanced Siri that no recognises more natural language and 4G capability for fast web browsing. The Wi-Fi delivers impressive speed and quality of connection and NFC is on board for use with Apple Pay. The iPhone 7 includes wireless compatibility with the new AirPod wireless earphones and the fingerprint sensor is on board for added security.


text:
New Zealand GFS MSL Pressure/Thickness/Rainfall +168 hour Chart
- location
- Africa
- Asia
- Europe
- New Zealand
- North America
- South America
- model
- TWC 7-day
- BoM 10-day
- US 8-day
- CMC 6-day
About GFS
Global Forecast System. The operational numerical weather forecasting model run by NCEP. The GFS superceded the AVN and MRF models, on which it is largely based. Forecast data from the GFS is available out to 180 hours at full resolution and 16 days at a reduced resolution.
Weather News
Darwin's wet end to the dry season
Darwin just had its wettest September in 39 years, bringing a soggy end to the 'so-called' dry season.
Western NSW farmers hope rain does not damage the 'best crop in their lifetime'
Farmers have spent years "praying for rain", but now people are desperately hoping rain won't cause major issues in the final countdown to harvest.


text:
Washington's Blog
January 26, 2012
Despite Misleading Hype, No Government Leaders Think that Iran Is Building a Nuclear Bomb
American and European leaders say that there is no evidence that Iran is building a nuclear weapon.
Even Israel – which has threatened to attack Iran on its own – now admits the same thing.
As Haaretz noted on January 18th:
The intelligence assessment Israeli officials will present later this week to [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin ] Dempsey indicates that Iran has not yet decided whether to make a nuclear bomb.
The Israeli view is that while Iran continues to improve its nuclear capabilities, it has not yet decided whether to translate these capabilities into a nuclear weapon – or, more specifically, a nuclear warhead mounted atop a missile. Nor is it clear when Iran might make such a decision.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!


text:
First Read has confirmed that Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) will run for re-election next year as a Democrat, according to a Democratic source with knowledge of the decision.
Before running as an independent during his successful 2010 gubernatorial bid, Chafee served served as Republican senator (from 1999 to 2007) before losing his Senate seat to Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse in 2006.
*** UPDATE *** According to observers of next year's race for Rhode Island governor, it is very possible that Chafee -- now a Democrat -- might NOT win a potentially crowded Democratic primary that likely will also feature state Treasurer Gina Raimondo and Providence Mayor Angel Taveras.
But these observers say Chafee made the switch from independent to Democrat to give himself a better chance of winning a state where President Obama got 63% of the vote in 2012.


text:
VIDEO DOWNLOAD - PWG 2nd Annual Bicentennial Night 2
PWG celebrates their 2nd birthday with two nights of non-stop wild action in Los Angeles with the "2nd Annual PWG Bicentennial Birthday Extravaganza." This is NightTwo and featuresa 3-way for the PWG Title as AJ Styles defends against both Christopher Daniels and James Gibson! Tag team elimination match and much more!
- Quicksilver vs. Ronin
- Davey Richards vs. TJ Perkins
- Chris Sabin & Petey Williams vs. Joey Ryan & Scott Lost
- Ricky Reyes vs. Mystery Opponent
- Super Dragon vs. Kevin Steen
- Tag Team Elimination: El Generico & Human Tornado vs. Hook Bomberry & Top Gun Talwar vs. Disco Machine & Excalibur vs. Phoenix Star & Zokre
- PWG Title:
AJ Styles (c) vs. Christopher Daniels vs. James Gibson
Average Customer Review: Not yet rated
Write an online review and share your thoughts with others.


text:
Friday, April 21, 2017
Unusual or Different Cultural Traditions
50 comments:
- AnonymousSeptember 11, 2007 at 1:27 AM
My comment is not direct answer on this question. I like to attract attention to another part of it:ReplyDelete
If you really want to help somebody, you must not simply give money and forget. This is not right and ever this is bad. First, if you dont control how money are spent there is a great possibility this money will be spent in wrong way. Second, you begin to suppose you make a good deed, but in reallity you did nothing, you simply gave money away.
If you like to do a good deed - spend your time to control how your money will be used, or use money to make help, but dont simply give it away.
I partly agree with Ivan, if you want to help people you can't just give them money. It's like in a proverb: it's not enough to give a poor man a fish, it is much better to teach him how to catch it (I translated this phrase from my language, if someone know how it should sound in English, please tell me :P).ReplyDelete
I don't agree with Ivan when he speaks about a control of spending money. It is not the issue of controlling how people spend given money. It's better if you work together with people you'd like to help, you ought to decide together what do they need. For me this is the _real_ help, but of course, nowadays hardly anyone has time for such an activity, so it's easier to send some money to charity.
I don't believe in charities, for example food sent to hungry people in Africa doesn't get to them, but to terrorists etc. If I have to choose a charity, I would look for the one, which is really interested in the way it is helping people.
- AnonymousDecember 18, 2007 at 11:34 PM
Fist of all I strongly believe in charity and helping people.ReplyDelete
Secondly if I want to give some people money I prefer to not give them directly my money. I rather bulid an institue, a school or a factory.
I think this is more useful for those people who need money.
- AnonymousJanuary 2, 2008 at 8:36 AM
If I wom millioms of money.ReplyDelete
I will help many homeless people
and children that cannot attend
to school.I will build a school
for them and hire the best and patient teachers for them.
But giving money is not the only
way to help people.
For example ,you can read some books to homeless children on weekends.
- AnonymousJanuary 12, 2008 at 10:32 AM
I would give my money to a charity that helps poor minors to have instruction and a better future (instead of live on the road trading drug, prostituting or working in mines).ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 7, 2008 at 8:56 AM
I think that the best way to help people would be giving them aducation, bnecause it is very important. The only way we can help them is is give thema way that they can defend them self. so in the future they would be able to work and live by them self. thats the wole purpouse of education.ReplyDelete
If I will have money,I will build houses for homeless people.I also would like to help those who are in need and suffering from chronic deseases.I will give them money fot there better treatment. I also have a plan to build a school.ReplyDelete
If I have millian dollars, I would like to make my own charity and give money to people who don't have money enough and not lazy. I would like to be happy that I can help people who are in the hard situation.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 18, 2008 at 7:07 PM
I'd like to use the money for the homeless and hungry children around the world. The reason for that is because anyone can be a homeless due to sudden financial problems and children should have right to become healthy and sound adults.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 15, 2008 at 8:34 AM
In my opinion, first of all you have to help people around you who need help. If I have a chance to spend a half million dollars, I would give them out for charity. I would like to build playground and sports ground near my apartment complex for neighbors kids. Then I would like to spend some money for my old school to help modernize their facilities.ReplyDelete
In additionale, i would like to mention that it is very important to control whole proccess of spending money.
In my opinion, first of all you have to help people around you who need help. If I have a chance to spend a half million dollars, I would give them out for charity. I would like to build playground and sports ground near my apartment complex for neighbors kids. Then I would like to spend some money for my old school to help modernize their facilities.ReplyDelete
In additionale, i would like to mention that it is very important to control whole process of spending money.
- AnonymousMay 15, 2008 at 10:51 AM
I do not think it is a good way that people make money easy and fast on Internet.They do not need to learn at University and college,even high school.However they can earn more money than who did that. It is not fair for the people who works very hard.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 26, 2008 at 7:22 AM
If I have one million dollars,I will cast the money into investment to earn more money. It is more easy to make money with money,the I will use my benifits in charity,the continue to use the corpus to earn money.ReplyDelete
If I simply give my money away,I can only do one charity.
Making money is important to me because I need money for the living and helping others. However, the way to make money is more important. In my opinion, it's not a good way to make money easy and fast through the internet because it's not safe for both me and customersReplyDelete
First of all, I can't trust the people or the company I am working with. How can you trust someone that you just know about them through the information they give on the internet ? In addition, I don't think it is safe to give people my personal information on the internet. It's not rare to hear that someone has been duped or stolen personal information through the internet. Moreover, it's difficult to believe that I am going to get paid by them
The second reason I don't believe making money on the internet is good that is I don't want to help people to deceive customers. If I can't not trust someone or company I am working with, I can't trust their products and can't tell my customers use or buy them . If it is a bad company, then I am deceiving others unintentionally.
After all, I think it's better I go to school to study for a real career and go to work . People should not just sit at home and rely on some mean making money easy and fast as they say
- AnonymousJuly 11, 2008 at 11:17 AM
Better life is not just money, there other other values that can make your life even more happier. I think the best way to earn money is to work and earn money from you own labor. This money, you will spend it with joy, and it is blessing. Money that people steal from others is false, and can make their life difficult, more worried. They will seem to be happy, but they really are not. I don't think it is a good idea to trust people you don't know or people from the internet.There are a lot of risk. Even if you want to help someone, you don't want to give this person a money all the time, you want to teach him how to fish...Things from the internet is just false beleive me...ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 27, 2008 at 8:29 AM
I think giving money to the poor is a good thing to do. Some people thinks that they would do if they were a milionair. But I think you should do even when you have a few dollar because there are milions of people don't have enough money to buy a loaf of bread.The rich should help the poor and the poor should help people that are even im worse conditions.ReplyDelete
If I have a milion dollar i will help the poor, but not haft of it. I will use a milion dollar to make more money so that I can help more people. Creating a good business, employing alot of worker , giving your good salary and benifit is also a good way to help other people.
If I have the chance to give so much money to others ,I would like to chooce the African.why? In my opinion, it is they that suffer most difficulties in daily life.Tey are even not able to eat enough food.And as we kowm,the desease of aids is widely spreading there,we must give our hands to them so that the consequence can be enhancedReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 28, 2008 at 6:52 AM
If I have one million dollers, I would establish my own foundation so that people who are poor could go to colleges. Because if I just give them money away, I don't control how money are spent. So it is good to supply students money and give oppotunities to study and train themselves.ReplyDelete
I don't agree with making money easy and fast. In essential, it is not entire correct to pursue money as a goal for life.
- AnonymousSeptember 11, 2008 at 8:50 PM
In my opinion, making money is not a significant factor in lifetime. Also giving money to others with no motions means nothing. The moment that you give money to somebody, you must pull out from your heart. I mean, after help someone you should feel very proud of yourself.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 15, 2008 at 3:18 AM
If you really want to help somebody, you must not simply give money and forget. This is not right and ever this is bad. First, if you dont control how money are spent there is a great possibility this money will be spent in wrong way. Second, you begin to suppose you make a good deed, but in reallity you did nothing, you simply gave money away.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 30, 2008 at 10:25 PM
In my opinion, if i have one million dollars i will establish a foundation.Yearly we grant scholarship to poor student.Besides we grant money to poor family who need money to work.ReplyDelete
if I get a lot of money,I will buy all the TV game.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 26, 2008 at 9:16 AM
From my point of view, the concept of giving money away is uthopic.ReplyDelete
Money can't be given away as if it was whatever.
Money is money.
Money means something to buy almost everything in this world. If someone (whoever he or she is) gives you away his money I thing it means that he or she is looking for something about you.
- AnonymousDecember 2, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Have you ever thought about money and happyness? I want the happy life but I can't cause I have to go to work faraway from my family.ReplyDelete
If you want money you can't be with your lover but If you want to be with your lover you can't not making lot of money.
How do you think?
- AnonymousJanuary 6, 2009 at 10:34 PM
I would give it for children who has lokemia and canser,becaues I feel happy when I see a child smile in this surcumstances
- AnonymousJanuary 9, 2009 at 9:06 AM
I wan 1000000 dollars and i have to give 50% to a good cause, that's a good start for 2009 !ReplyDelete
What would i do ?
> I would help Haitien and african people. They haven't our luck and every day they have to look for food, medecine
> The best way, instead of giving money directly, would be to bring them technology, agricultural skills, raw materials to start a complet project.
The goal would be to form them and after to let them keep on using what they've learned to be autonom.
I would also help kids to permit them to have a nicer yougness. Allow them to have education and food.
Meanwhile, while we're waiting to earn this money, i think we can everyday, each of us, help in a way people who need. Giving some help, giving some hand.
So, for 2009 let us be more helpful with others
Best wishes
I would like to start educational institutions all over the world.I want to establish right platform for knowledge exchange.I will give the opportunity for all in the world, to access the development fruits, irrespective of color,place and community.I hope i will get enough support from entire world to fulfill my and my dream project.
- AnonymousJanuary 31, 2009 at 1:31 PM
you can give money because you feel better if you make happy someone else.ReplyDelete
I don't think that making money is that so easy in the internet. In a nutshell, do it before thinking carefully. As the proverb goes,"All road lead to ROME."ReplyDelete
Anyway, good luck.
I believe in the idea of making money in the internet, but the real problem is that i don't trust all the secure connection through the web. But if i won money through the net may be i will try to help some body whom in a rela need of that money.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 31, 2009 at 1:37 AM
Dedy -indonesia-ReplyDelete
: I think we must proud bout these program, becauuse we can make easy profit only have an internet and a website, or maybe blog to get money.. what an easy money we have..!!
- AnonymousMay 7, 2009 at 6:35 AM
I think Adsense is very good for someone want to make money and that still make benefit for company who want to advertise product or image of company to people, and I think in the future Adsense will improve and replace forms of advertisement,because :ReplyDelete
* It is very cheap for company
* The effectiveness of it is more bigger than forms of Ads now
I remember that one website invited company to advertise and paid only 1 $ for 1 small frame, but that web contains 1.000.000 frame, so owner of web could earn 1 million USD, and with company , the price was very cheap, but the effectiveness was very big, because,curious people visited web improved day by day.
- AnonymousMay 31, 2009 at 4:07 PM
if I won money,I would give the half of my money away for poor people.Also i would invest the other half in to create a company which give jobs to unemployment people.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 11, 2009 at 11:18 AM
Of course, I could say that I'd give the money to the poor people, spend it on charity. But that's not true. I never do it now. Why shall I change my habbits?ReplyDelete
I know for sure what I'll do. I'll help my family. My mother has been a teacher for 25 years. She is still working. I want her to live in decent conditions. I want give her a good flat.
I feel sorry for African people. But there are people who are of much more importance for me.
- AnonymousJuly 28, 2009 at 4:23 AM
The first thing that pops into my mind is to donate half of the money to a dog charity,simply because I love dogs. There are many dogs, cats and other pets have been abandoned as some people don't understand the importance of being responsible as a pet ownership. I would be happy if the charity could focus on 1) building up a shelter and a clinic for the homeless dogs 2) proper education for being a pet ownership 3) to place the animals in permanent homesReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 14, 2009 at 10:33 AM
First of all I would like to Thanks in ton to Mr. Randall for creating such a great site and for great help to all of us.ReplyDelete
Here is my comment- If I have a good amount of money, I will love to donate about one fourth of it to a person or organisation who is really in need of it.Now, when I say in need , I mean that i must satisfy my curiousity.First I will try to find out, is that person really need money or he is just trying to make fool.If I find out He really needs it I will give.
- AnonymousSeptember 23, 2009 at 8:29 AM
I believe that most of people want to live with dignity, if they can, they don't want to reply on other's help. The world is unexpectable,we never know that something will happen on us someday.That's why we need to help each other.I give money to charity which help childen in the poor single parent family for ten years. When the childen grow up,they get well educated, they don't need money support,they give money to the charity to help other poor family and contribute to the society. That's how the society make progressReplyDelete
If I had a million dollar I would spend it (the half that is not mine) in my country, Argentina. I think that is important to invest in education, medical heath and poverty. I would build schools, hospitals and communities for the people who need it, and if there is a balance left, I would send money to the underdeveloped countries. In other words, if I was an important person because of the million dollars, I would try to convince the president to make more treaties in favor of underdeveloped countries. Anyway, I would do anything to help my country, my homeReplyDelete
Well, in regarding this topic all I have to say is that online business are a great idea since the product really fits the needs of customers.ReplyDelete
I personally have tried a lot of online business including health, visiting websites and others but they dissapointed me. It was until I found one that really liked me because I didn't have to pay any start, montly or annual fee. Besides, I realized that I could make not only investing but also inviting others to my website..
I really would like to share this because this could be a marvelous opportunity to show some help especially nowadays.
thank you Randall.
I have mixed feelings about Adsense. Probably I am too "old" to believe I can make money easily or without effort. Or it is maybe that I don't believe a search engine can "customize" ads at all. I can say this after having used Google as a page to get the news. What I found is that they never gave me the news I really wanted to read. They were based on word counts and this way the "engine" decides what is popular or interesting. But the fact of the matter is that I never received the op-ed pages that I used to read when I had access to paper versions of the newspapers I selected as my "favorite" when "customizing" my Google page. Frequency is probably an interesting indicator of what people read, but it didn't work for me, so I wonder if it works for others. If I had a page and I subscribed to Adsense, would ads be "tailored" and "customized" to my site considering "frequency" of words? Isn't this a bit too simplistic?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 4, 2009 at 6:45 AM
Well, to be honest, making money is important to me, especially in a fast developing world today. Money is a 'hot topic' now and with a large sum of money, you can do a lot of things. However, I don' think that making money fast and easily is good. If it is too easy for you to do so, you may become careless in doing your business and finally you will make a mistake.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousDecember 19, 2009 at 12:53 AM
If I won a million, the first thing I would do is mobilising others together with me to establish a fund for helping my home province in the Middle Vietnam. Every year, my province is heavily damaged by storms and floods. There's an expression " a piece when hurry is equal to a pack when stuff". So helping people when they have trouble is much more meaningful. Giving them temporary food and water, tents, medicine, and after that lend them the money with special interest rate so they can buy their "fishing pond", so they can get over the difficult situation by themself.ReplyDelete
I will build schools in poor countries to help children can have fundamental educations and i will build a soccer center as well.ReplyDelete
If i get 1 million dollors,i would like to give half of that for good needs.I would like to build up educational institutions since i think right education builds up true citizens.But admission will be given only after identifying the right candidates.There are many people in this country who needs to study but are not able to because of lack of money.Identifying such students will be the tough task..ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 7, 2010 at 1:13 PM
Well, since I was a child, I had a dream that, if I ever come to make or win a lot of money, I want to open a charity house myself, to give home, bed, bath, food and work for those on the streets or have no way to support themselves. That's about it. And about making money on the Internet, I don't believe it could be that easy, I have search myself for curiosity, and could see that they always offer too much with too little effort, asking most of the time to send them money for info, with no money back if that could be the case.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 8, 2010 at 8:10 PM
Earning money is very good for maintaining our lives. It's true.ReplyDelete
Have you ever heard about "SECRET" ? In the books, say, " If you think that earning money is supposed to be hard to make money, the money which you did get from hard working so that it's right, you will get the money at the same way.
Adsence, I think it's also method to earn money to live. So we do not have to think about it since some that's an another way to be rich.
Truth be told, be rich is good but be poor and a bagger are really bad either.
Making money, of course, is important to me. Because you earn money to keep your life expenses. Nourishment, health care, education; these are your most important tasks in your life. But also, as usual you would want to go to theatre, concerts etc. So making money is important and obligant. But I don't think that earning money online is easy. I think it is boring and it takes your time more than making money by usual ways.ReplyDelete
Money, in my opinion is something where its value or importance is extremely personal. I mean that, for some, it is a tool for getting the essentials for daily living. These essentials might just be food, buying items like soap, (when needed) clothing, transportation to and from your work/going to the grocery store, or visiting the doctor if needed. For others, it might be for things that they find to be a nesessity such as attending a concert, taking small trips when not working , buying music or going to see a movie, because they are viewed as essential because of their importance in life as they balance the more stressful time like teaching or learning the language. In other words, they balance out the stressful experiences that you do to earn that money with using part of that income to enjoy the rewards that this money can provide you. Then there are those who would forgo the using this money on things the previous individual values as essential items used to balance your time away, and instead, save this money for things like taking a trip within the country or surrounding areas when you have some time off so you can spend time emmersing yourself in the culture in different ways, experiencing different but fairly similar cultures, learning more about the culture where you currently teach by comparing and contrasting these cultures that they might find in a different country that isn't far away/doesnt cost a lot of money to get to. So in essence, this is both recreational as well as a continuation of one of the reasons why they took a teaching position so they can broaden their own culture by experiencing as many others that are obtainable by a short trip away that would cost a fraction of that you would spend to leave the United States and visit another country because the distance is far greater and considerably more expensive.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 29, 2018 at 3:47 AM
Some years ago I was also quite shocked at the beginning visiting the Sauna in Munich which is similar to the Japanese I can see from the story above. It is really weird get naked in the changing room with men because in our country it would be considered as deprivation. However, immersing myself in this atmosphere I realized that it is really memorable experience and totally depends on your attitude and cultural traditions, because if you have been born in such community where this is pretty acceptable you wouldn't have any embarrassment at all. I quite enjoyed experience other culture.ReplyDelete
Well, in Vietnam, there is just one but very weird is that you must always go right whether you go by motobike and other transportation.You also had to drive it carefully or people will see you like an idiot and even police can warned you about it.ReplyDelete
Thanks for posting a comment. I appreciate your interesting in sharing your ideas.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.


text:
Friday, December 30, 2011
Start the Year Light – Steps to Reducing Your Carbon Footprint
Posted by Anonymous at 1:00 PM 1 comments
Labels: connect with nature, nature
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Preparing Backyards and Balconies for Birds This Winter?
Posted by Anonymous at 10:00 AM 0 comments
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Irony, or does the left hand not know what the right is doing?
Nature Canada Photo of the Month Winners 2011
Posted by Anonymous at 2:59 PM 1 comments
Labels: nature, photo of the month
Aren't They Worth It?
Posted by Anonymous at 8:30 AM 2 comments
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Family Christmas Crafts
Posted by Anonymous at 9:03 AM 0 comments
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Connect with Nature: Join a Christmas Bird Count
Posted by Anonymous at 10:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: bird conservation, connect with nature, Emily, get involved, winter
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
IBA Caretakers: A Social Network
Posted by Anonymous at 8:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: bird conservation, bird monitoring, birders, IBA, IBA Caretakers, important bird area, Monica
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Nature Explorers: Connecting Children and Youth to Nature
Posted by Anonymous at 9:46 AM 1 comments
Labels: Nature Explorers
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
IBA Caretakers: Protecting Birds Across Canada – Quebec
Posted by Anonymous at 9:00 AM 4 comments
Labels: bird conservation, bird monitoring, birders, BSC, IBA, IBA Caretakers, Monica
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Become a Citizen Scientist!
Posted by Anonymous at 9:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: naturewatch
Friday, December 2, 2011
Your Green Christmas Guide
Posted by Anonymous at 8:59 AM 1 comments
Labels: green tips, trees
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Sanction Your Contest with the WWA
Sanction Your 2012 Grass Roots Event with the WWA
Whether you're planning a contest, demo, or clinic, the WWA can assist you with all sorts of support.
Passionate for wake sports.
Created by riders for riders, the WWA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and progression of wake sports worldwide. We do this by sanctioning and supporting wakeboard events on a global level.
We're in it for the long haul.
Founded in 1989, the WWA has seen wake sports grow from its infantry to an awesome international sport. There have been ups and downs in our industry's short history, but one thing has remained the same; the WWA has always been an industry leader in wakeboarding, wakeskating, and wakesurfing.
Is the WWA a good fit for your event?
The WWA supports event organizers by providing sanctioning and insurance for all types of wakeboarding, wakeskating, and wakesurfing events. Reap in the benefits of push publications on the front pages of thewwa.com, facebook.com/WorldWakeAssociaion (over 4,000 fans), twitter.com/thewwa (over 2,700 followers), and our e-newsletter.
The Process is simple.
Forms take just minutes to fill out and within a couple of days, you'll have your certificate of insurance and be ready for a good ole wake event. Feel free to call or email the WWA to with questions or comments, or Click here to read all about sanctioning.
Phone: 863-875-6929
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
About WWA
The World Wakeboard Association (WWA) is the global leader in wake sport sanctioning. The WWA owns and operates the WWA Wakeboard National Championships, WWA Wakeboard World Championships, WWA Wakeboard World Series, WWA Wake Park World Series, WWA Wake Park Triple Crown, WWA Wake Park National Championships, and WWA Wake Park World Championships. With 27 affiliate countries worldwide, the WWA is the global leader in the sport of wake. The WWA is a rider-formed organization dedicated to the advancement and progression of wake sports worldwide. It is the leading source for riders, event organizers, and competitive standards. For more information on the WWA and its events, check out www.thewwa.com.


text:
Contemporary Weddings, Traditional Weddings
Other Disciplines:
Portrait Photography
Ruth and her husband Martin are graduates of Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, and both are IPPA Members, owning and operating Ruth Foran Photography from their Wedding and Portrait Studio based in Enfield, Co. Meath.
The success of their business is due to Ruth and Martin's relaxed approach with their clients.
By investing in the talent and expertise of an IPPVA photographer or videographer you are insuring that careful planning goes into unobtrusively capturing the key moments, people and atmosphere of your big day.
When you engage the services of an IPPVA photographer or videographer you will be working with someone who upholds the strictest professional standards, who deals fairly and honestly with you, and who strives to create images that you will cherish for years to come.


text:
Musical conference ice breaker
In Boom TIme participants create unified music with a Boomwhacker - a lightweight, hollow, colour-coded, plastic tubes, tuned to musical pitches by length.
Armed with a Boomwhacker, conference participants follow a visual interface which guides them in collaborating to generate a fiery symphony of music. The visual interface displays colour-coded blocks across a large screen. Participants use timing and teamwork to strike their tubes and create musical notes each time a coloured block hits a key. As the event progresses, the pace and complexity both grow; blocks move faster, and teams respond more vigorously to keep the rhythm building to an uplifting crescendo.
Boom Time is a unique conference ice breaker or energiser that unifies teams as they create adrenaline-pumping music. This infectious icebreaker transforms any conference room into a colourful, fast-paced orchestra that will engage, enthuse and energise everyone. Boom Time has proven successful worldwide in igniting conferences and generating a sense of excitement and unity in a team.
Requiring involvement from all individuals, and collaboration as a group, this team building activity nurtures openness and teamwork. It's a great way for people to de-stress and have fun with their colleagues.
What started as a musical discord had turned into a cohesive, synchronised musical production. Delegates feeling buzzed and exhilarated were ready to launch into their National Conference with a sense of oneness because of what they had achieved together!


text:
It's somewhat ironic how often I struggle to get out the front door to walk the dog, because there are plenty of days that that walk is the highlight of the day. Last week I saw a blue heron in the woods (you might have seen my failed attempt to take a photo of him).
This morning's highlight wasn't visual, though. It was auditory.
As dog and I returned to the corner near our street, a little boy with short blond hair was standing there waiting for the school bus. Walking toward him was a girl about his age.
"Hey!" he called out to her. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" she answered.
The boy pointed to some Douglas Fir trees behind a nearby home. "The birds! They've returned from migration."
The girl stopped, looked in the trees, and listened to the birdsong. She said, "Cool!"
"Know why they're so chatty today?" he said. "It's because it's sunny."
I have no idea if those were actually birds freshly returned from migration, or whether they actually sing more in the sunshine. Doesn't matter. The boy was outdoors, he noticed the birds singing, and he knew that many of them migrate, and they often come back in the spring. He shared what he knew with the girl, who appreciated it.
Damn, that made me happy.


text:
A few years ago I shared a recipe for crispy, tandoori spiced potatoes with BBC Good Food magazine and I have to admit that when they adjusted my gram flour based recipe to use plain flour, I was a little bit perturbed. Just a little; but I trust the editor, whom I admire and like lots so I went with it, and tried it out.
I wish I could convince myself to take that attitude more often in life, you know, just try it. Feel the fear and do it anyway. Maybe I would be living in a different country, carried out different jobs, different sports, and met new people and who knows what else? For now, I am learning to plunge a bit deeper, let go a little more, hold on a little less tightly and think a bit bigger, to be bolder.
I received a clean slate of a vegetable in this week's Riverford box, a totally unmarked, brilliantly white and heavy cauliflower. I read recently that a celebrity chef called it the meat of the vegetarian world. Now I cannot say that this is a description that I find fitting, but what I interpret that to mean is that it's a filling, bulky item that can easily be the main dish, rather than just one of those side dishes. I like it roasted, because it releases delicate sweet aromas and keeps that lightly firm bite!
Do you remember me talking about eating in a healthier way over recent posts? Have I gone on and on about that enough yet? No? Well OK then! My body is really crying out for some care so I am taking action. This recipe today uses my home made Mexican spice blend, none of the shop bought stuff. I have used no oil, and even the crumb for the crunchy cauliflower uses almonds and black sesame seeds rather that breadcrumbs. This is a vegan recipe but you could add an egg to the batter to give it a lighter, fluffier effect. I was pretty impressed that a wrap without cheese, with loads of green herby goodness and spice could taste like a weekday treat.
for the full recipe head over to great british chefs


text:
Health club memberships in the U.S. have leveled out over the last 20-years while the obesity epidemic has ballooned. In light of this disparity, many health clubs are increasingly adopting unconventional programs to bolster their membership base and better motivate the marketplace to get fit, trim and healthy.
"Amid the growing rate of obesity in the U.S., health clubs are continually challenged to drive new memberships and inspire current members to visit their facilities for workouts with some regularity to get, and keep, them on a healthy track," notes Kelli Calabrese, international fitness, nutrition and lifestyle specialist twice named "Personal Trainer of the Year." "I applaud the health club community for integrating new, exciting and innovative ways to attract and engage members to keep their fitness lifestyle fresh, fun and frequent…and even profitable!"
1. Whole-Life Training. Health club facilities are now looking beyond just the exercise component of fostering a healthy lifestyle. In addition to personal training staff, today's progressive health clubs are boasting on-site nutritionists and other allied healthcare professionals like physical therapists and even psychologists. These value added services holistically address all areas of a member's life that impact their overall well-being, health and happiness. Engaging and assisting members in this comprehensive way maximizes member results, retention and referrals.
2. Kicking Members Out. For outdoor fitness, that is. Some health clubs are utilizing their external real estate to promote fitness activities al fresco. Club owners are realizing that many people get bored with the indoor offerings—even depressed or deterred—so they are offering running and cycling clubs, parking lot boot camps and spin classes, and more.
3. Weight Loss Wagering. Diet contests and weight loss betting programs, like that offered by HealthyWage.com, are exploding in popularity as both individuals and employee groups from coast to coast "diet for dollars." More than 4,500 health clubs nationwide now serve as "weigh in locations" for HealthyWage.com contest participants, with many opting to also purchase a club membership as they shed pounds with their eye on the $10,000 team prize. This financial weight loss incentive approach is so effective, Fortune 500 companies nationwide have integrated such program into their corporate wellness initiatives to benefit both employee groups and their own bottom line.
4. Clubs Go Retro. Nostalgia evokes emotion and emotion drives action. With this in mind throwback 80's fitness classes, in which participants dress in period-inspired spandex and leg warmers and do aerobics to music by Michael Jackson, George Michael, and the like, are bringing the neon headband sporting, leotard-wearing enthusiasts to health clubs in droves. Originating in hipster 'hoods like LA and NYC, this 80's fitness craze is sweeping the nation, proving to be a fun, creative and, like, totally awesome way to attract new members – and keep current members coming back for more.
5. Social Media Stimulation. From small boutique gyms to large national chains, health clubs are tapping the social mediasphere in innovative ways to stay connected with current and prospective members. Informative and engaging Facebook fan pages rife with workout strategies, success stories and special product offers; up-to-the-minute Twitter announcements, training tips and topical tweet feeds; online virtual fitness coaching; un-lockable specials on Foursquare; VLOGs (video blogs) and a myriad of other social networking strategies are helping health club purveyors better connect with the marketplace—informing, motivating and helping them thwart those momentary chocolate cravings like never before.
6. Patriotism Personified. While military discounts are nothing new in the business landscape, full-scale, week-long national programs offering completely free benefits to any and all active, reserve and retired military members, and their families, throughout the U.S. is wonderfully above and beyond the norm. This is exactly what one large national change is doing, for five consecutive years having provided complimentary week-long club access to America's extensive number of active, inactive and retired military personnel—and dependents—in observance of Veterans Day. This same sentiment-oriented national health club chain also celebrates "Active Aging Week" by offering free week-long workouts for older adults age 50 or above.
7. Club Crawl. In an effort to get members integrated to all areas of the health club and its services, at the time of registration some clubs are giving new members a card with goals to complete for a prize. The goals can include trying fitness classes, completing a personal training session, meeting certain staff members and using specific areas of the fitness center. This gives members the opportunity to experience all the club has to offer before getting pigeon-holed into only one or two areas like nautilus machines or heading right for the spin bike studio. The idea is that the more people the member meet and services they experience first hand, the more connected they will feel to the club and more likely they will be to try—or at least tell friends about—all of the club's offerings.
8. Gamers Press Play! Video gamers take note: one private gym in Mountain View, California, Overtime Fitness Inc., has tailored its offerings to teenagers in a novel approach to address childhood obesity. This facility boasts an arcade filled with physical video games that require dancing, boxing, and jumping. Riders race against each other on stationary bikes networked to a server! Teen fitness has never been so fun – or effective at making health clubbing "cool!"
"While our nation's obesity epidemic was top-of-mind at this month's 'Weight of the Nation' Conference in Washington D.C. sponsored by the CDC, much of the dialogue proffered nothing new," said David Roddenberry, HealthyWage.com co-founder. "Even in the report released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) 'Accelerating Process in Obesity Prevention' cited strategies that, while sound, have been proposed in years past as obesity continued to run rampant. It's time for fresh approaches, innovative thinking and even risk taking to trim America's collective waistline. Novel health club programs can tactically and effectively address obesity in new and compelling ways on the front line."


text:
Sometimes it's not just a specific quilt that inspires a quilt along, but an entire book! Today we are featuring Sarah Minshall's Love Beads quilt, a pattern from Weeks Ringle & Bill Kerr's book, Modern Quilt Workshop. The love of the book inspired the Modern Quilt Along which started all the way back in 2005!
Sarah answered a few questions for us.
What do you like most about a quilt along?
This was actually the only time that I've actually participated in a quilt-along (for the book the Modern Quilt Workshop by Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle) and I was a pretty lousy participant at that. This quilt ended up taking me three years to finish! But I love that they help get the inspiration ball rolling when you might be stuck in a rut. There's nothing better than a positive, helpful community to get you motivated to try something new!
What do you think makes this quilt modern?
I initially just loved the pattern and thought that I should use small prints on a solid background so that the pattern would really stand out. In fact, when I started this quilt, there wasn't a whole lot of "modern" fabrics yet to choose from, and a few of the fabrics even came from my own Granny's fabric collection.
Tell us more about yourself as a quilter.
I'm a sporadic quilter these days. I do so much other sewing now that I really only work on a few quilts a year. Only last year did I start machine quilting my quilts–I've been a hand quilter for so long that it really was a hard jump for me to make. However, I still really love the process of finishing quilts by hand–it does take a long time to do, but the end result is like nothing else to me.
Sarah blogs at Hip to Piece Squares and you can see more of her quilts in her flickr stream.


text:
Palestinian football players have never had the luxury of asking Israeli authorities to separate politics from their profession. While Netanyahu may wish for football be left out of the political sphere, the nature of players' lives under occupation unavoidably connects the two.
After hearing of Netanyahu's request, Palestinian midfielder Roberto Ketllun told Palestine Monitor, "It's impossible...even if you tried to think just about football on the field, the political situation comes in immediately, because you face difficulties that come from the political situation. What the prime minister of Israel is asking is unreal. In words it sounds very nice, but it's unreal, it's not possible. It's part of our life."
Due to restrictions and difficulties in obtaining exit visas from Israel for Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, players like Chilean-born Kettlun are often drawn from Palestinian diaspora to play for the Palestinian national team.
After joining the Palestinian National Football team at the age of 20, he witnessed firsthand the challenges that accompany playing football under occupation. While Palestinian descent allows him to play for the team, his Italian-born mother and non-Palestinian passport affords him a markedly different experience of occupation than his fellow teammates born in Gaza and the West Bank.
"The discrimination my teammates suffer in respect to mine is overwhelming. They treat them like animals."
Football under occupation
The Palestinian National Football team routinely encounters restrictions from Israeli security that limit the team's capacity for success on the field. Home games are rarely held at the home arena. Players residing in the Gaza strip are generally barred from travelling to the West Bank for practices, and are at times imprisoned. Shipments of sports equipment are delayed at Israeli checkpoints, sometimes never making it into the hands of the players.
Palestinian National Football player Mahmoud Sarsak has spoken adamantly against Israeli repression of Palestinian football. He was arrested July 22, 2009 when travelling from Gaza to the West Bank for a football game despite obtaining permission from Israel to cross prior to the game. Sarsak was charged for involvement with militant group Islamic Jihad and held under the Internment of Unlawful Combatants Law. Adameer reported his detainment was illegal under international law due to absence of evidence regarding his detention. Further violations included Israeli use of solitary confinement, torture, and denial of medical attention to Sarsak. He was released after a 96 day hunger strike which garnered international attention.
Fair play
Sarsak was one of many leading the protest against UEFA's (Union of European Football Association) decision for Israel to host the under-21 European Championship and the women's under-19 European Championship in 2013 and 2015. Supporters of the protest argued their signification of support and reward of Israeli racism and discrimination against Palestinian athletes. A boycott of the championship was campaigned by Red Card Israeli Racism, and petitioned by human rights leaders such as Desmond Tutu.
UEFA President Michel Platini ignored the requests and the championships were held anyway in June 2013.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter was given a mandate during the 63rd FIFA Congress in May 2013 to improve the current situation of football in Palestine. After completing his tour of Jordan, Palestine, and Israel, Blatter released a statement regarding his goal of discussing the mandate with Israeli officials, "In a nutshell: to ease the movements of teams, referees - but also football equipment - in and out of and within Palestine."
According to Article 15 of the FIFA Statutes, FIFA Congress may expel a member if it "seriously violates the Statutes, regulations, decisions or the Code of Ethics of FIFA." In Blatter's meetings with Israeli and Palestinian delegates, Palestinian Football Association head Jabril Rajoub called on delegates of the next FIFA Congress to expel Israel if restrictions weren't eased.
More than just the game
Kettlun hoped Blatter's recent visit would impact the potential for Palestinian football.
The team has showed promise to thrive if given the chance. In the 2006 World Cup qualification games, the team placed first in their group after the first two games against Iraq and Chinese Taipei. Shortly before the third match against Uzbekistan, the Israeli ministry requested through FIFA the immediate return of 10 players from Gaza. Hardly able to scrape together a full team, they played with only 15 players and lost 3-0. Kettlun described the mood among players that day,
"We were very angry, very disappointed...but at the same time we had to go out on the field and try to win the game. It's not the right scenario to be calm and 100% concentrated on the game. Your thoughts of what happened with your team are in your mind. Also, you cannot get injured because there are no players for substitutions."
When asked about the possible security threat posed by restricted or arrested athletes, Kettlun said,
"We will never know. Nobody wants to think that they were targeted, but who knows. If the policy of Israel is to stop the development of Palestinians on every level, then why not?"
Under the confinements occupation, football is one thing that visibly drives Palestinian passion in the public sphere. In the absence of a prominent national team, support for Spain's Barcelona Football Club and Real Madrid run rampant. Spain jerseys dot the streets of Palestine and coffee shops fill on game nights. One can only imagine the influence a freely moving national team might have.
The participation of a national football team in an international arena holds the fundamental markings for identity and nationhood. In the rare chances the team is able to participate, the Palestinian national anthem is played, the Palestinian flag is waved, and the players are adorned with the colors of Palestine. Playing football in an international setting allows the players to represent their Palestinian identity on their own terms: something that Palestinians rarely have the opportunity to do.
Kettlun reflected on the importance of the future of Palestinian football in saying,
"I think football here is not just a sport, it's also a tool, a very important tool, for the development of the children and of the nation."
Back to Top


text:
A costumed Spider-Man accused of slugging a police officer in Times Square says superhero and comic characters are key ingredients of the flavor of the Crossroads of the World.
Junior Bishop spoke after a brief, procedural court appearance Thursday. He said Times Square's costumed characters, ticket agents and others who interact with passersby "make it what it is."
He says children enjoy seeing him and other costumed figures, and "it's all positive."
Bishop was arrested Saturday on assault and other charges.
Police said the 25-year-old punched an officer in the face after being told to stop hassling tourists to give him more money than they offered for photos with him. He denies demanding more money.
Recent reports of costumed characters behaving boorishly have spurred calls for regulation.


text:
The Role of NGOs & Non-Profits in CSR
by Bahar Gidwani
This post is the latest in Crowds of Ratings, a Triple Pundit guest series about the CSR ratings field.
There are more than 1.5 million US organizations—and many more overseas—that have put addressing a social issue or need above the goal of making money. More than 2.3 million people work (again, the US figure) in these "not for profit" (NFP) organizations. Hundreds of thousands more work for NGOs (non-governmental organizations) such as universities and hospitals.
These dedicated altruists help the poor and sick, lobby for legislation, protest, persuade, and discuss important social issues. They also contribute a ton of useful information on corporate social responsibility (CSR). NFP groups have the patience and enthusiasm necessary to track a company's behavior over a long period of time, make lists of companies who do and do not support their cause, and mount public campaigns aimed at changing both consumer perception of a company's brand and company management and employee awareness of how their company is behaving.
We have found these sources most useful for understanding specific, controversial issues (what we call "special issues"). For instance, should companies test products on animals? People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (better known as PETA) feel they generally should not. They maintain a list on their Web site of companies who do animal testing and encourage others to refer to this data.
A dedicated animal-loving researcher named Alex Poulos keeps his own list of "good" (no testing) and "bad" (testing) companies on a site called "Vida Compassion" or "Alex's List." A third group called Understanding Animal Research offers a list of companies who have published statements on their internal policies and regulations on animal testing. Their view is that when performed responsibly, animal testing contributes to safer products and better human health.
Another list comes from the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS)—which now has set up a "Leaping Bunny" certification program. If you areinterested in the animal testing issue, you should probably explore the information on these sites and many others listed here. You can also cross check the data on each company these sites mention, using two of our SRI sources—Asset4 and IW Financial.
NFP sources give us information on things like mercury in fish (Oceana), involvement in Burma (The Burma Campaign and Global Union Burma), and a list of who is in the coal industry (Coal Mining Engineer's List). We've integrated many of these sources into our CSRHUB rating project—but we'd like to have more. What holds us back?
- Many NFPs do not target corporate behavior. For instance, of the six current "Take Action" suggestions from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), only one involves company behavior.
- Many NFPs believe they can most effectively change corporate behavior via private interactions. Corporations sponsor a particular NFP program, adjust to a request from an NFP to change a policy, or respond directly to a letter or position. For instance, The Nature Conservancy does not share its corporate discussions with outsiders like us.
- Many NFPs do one-time studies. For instance, Greenpeace did a wonderful study on the effects of cattle breeders on the Amazon. But, our system needs long-term, broad-based data—so that we can track over time and across many industries and countries.
- By its nature, the data from NFPs is not independently reviewed and verified. We tend to favor data that can be verified or confirmed.
Many NFPs have become justly famous for the quality of their CSR reporting. For instance, Wood Turner's ClimateCounts has been publishing corporate climate change Scorecards since 2007. His small group of analysts assesses and publicizes the climate performance of more than 140 companies across 22 different areas. We all benefit from this kind of selfless service to our community.
Bahar Gidwani is Cofounder and CEO of CSRHUB. He was the CEO of New York-based Index Stock Imagery, Inc, from 1991 through its sale in 2006. He has built and run large technology-based businesses, and has experience building a multi-million visitor Web site. Bahar holds a CFA, worked on Wall Street with Kidder, Peabody, and with McKinsey. Bahar has consulted to companies including Citibank, Banco Portuguese do Atlantico, Crane Co., Sperry, GE, General Dynamics, Computer Associates, Oracle, Microsoft, Computer Sciences, EDS, Cerner, and Acxiom. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School. Bahar is based in New York City.
CSRHUB is a corporate social responsibility ratings tool that allows managers, researchers, consultants, academics and individual activists to track the CSR performance of major companies. We aggregate data from more than 90 sources to provide our users with a comprehensive source of CSR information about 5000+ publicly traded companies in 62 countries. Browse our ratings at www.csrhub.com.