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We the undersigned demand that BCAC - Broward County Animal Care give a full public written apology and reinstate Animal Care Officer- Dafna Hadad to her position of field position with the adoption center.
It has come to our attention that in April, Dafna Hadad, was moved out of a field position with the adoption center, which allowed her to roam the streets looking for animal cruelty, and into an area called "the kennels".
There, part of her new responsibility was to euthanize animals -- even the healthy ones.
Dafna suffers with anxiety and depression and this made it difficult for her to kill healthy animals.
According to an internal memo obtained by New Times, that was a problem for the county animal center who in Hadad's discharge letter, told her she had 45 days to "seek reassignment" within the county apparatus, and when she didn't, they fired her..
Broward County Animal Care which claims to be going - no kill, has let go an officer for not being able to kill, and that is a disgrace.
Please do the right thing and reinstate Dafna to her Field position with the Adoption center immediately.
Orange for Animal Cruelty Awareness
This petition closed almost 6 years ago
Dafna was an officer at Broward Animal Care.
She was let go for not being able to kill dogs and cats that are not terminally ill.
For years she has been a top officer, on the streets, recognizing...
Dafna was an officer at Broward Animal Care.
She was let go for not being able to kill dogs and cats that are not terminally ill.
For years she has been a top officer, on the streets, recognizing and preventing animal cruelty, and helping dog owners, and helping the rescue community.
She was recently transferred to "kennels" where her job is cleaning and her experience is wasted.
More importantly, her new position required euthanizing , or killing, healthy animals.
Due to her depression & anxiety, Dafna cannot kill.
As a result, she was separated from Her employment with animal care when the easy solution was to put her back in the field where she belongs where only the euthanasia of suffering animals is necessary as a last resort.
There is not a person involved in rescue , that has not been helped by Dafna.


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Obama pivots back to jobs in Austin
President Barack Obama doesn't have that much to show for the first four months of his second term. His outside game failed to prod Congress on gun control or the sequester. His inside game is a work in progress.
So the president traveled to Texas Thursday to talk about the one area where things do seem to be working for him right now: jobs.
Story Continued Below
"If you listen to all the doom and gloom in Washington and politics and you're watching cable TV, you might get to kinda thinking nothing is going right," Obama said at a suburban Austin high school. The unemployment rate is steadily falling, and the number of monthly jobless claims is the lowest in five years. "But the truth, is there are a lot of reasons for us to feel optimistic about where we're headed as a country, especially after all the tough times that we've been through the last several years."
But even the president's jobs message comes with a qualifier. He describes an improving jobs outlook — but insists the recovery is being hamstrung by Republican intransigence on the sequester. That means he's juggling competing approaches, as he publicly asks the American people to "lean on" on members of Congress — the same members of Congress he's been privately schmoozing over dinner and golf.
Obama told crowds at a high school and a local technology company Thursday that things are getting better on his watch: the unemployment rate is lowest it's been since 2008, corporate profits are in record territory, and the deficit is falling.
But, he said, congressional gridlock is holding back his efforts to turbocharge the economy. "I've sent Congress proposals on a whole range of ideas that will help in these three areas: creating jobs, helping families stay in their homes, lifting wages, helping more young people get a good education and afford college," he said at the high school. "But some of them have been blocked in Congress for, frankly, political reasons."
During his second speech Obama warned that "Washington" — his code for congressional Republicans — is harming the country.
"We've got to keep on moving forward and we've got to make sure that Washington isn't administering self-inflicted wounds when we're making progress," he said.
A White House official said the trip doesn't mark a change in strategy, like Obama's March switch from campaign-style public events to private congressional dinners, but rather an addition to the president's plate. It is, the official said, intended to "make sure part of the discussion includes a conversation about the economy, including a focus on some of the ideas that the president rolled out in his State of the Union address." Just this Monday, Obama took to the golf links with Sens. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.)
But it's far from clear the president's return to the outside game won't have an effect on his efforts to work the inside. Republicans in Congress protested Obama's post-election barnstorming on the fiscal cliff. They did it again when he traveled the country before sequester was implemented. And Thursday, some Senate Republicans who have praised White House outreach efforts, including a series of dinners with conservative senators, were quick to attack the Austin swing as a return to the campaign politics that drew their ire before the launch of this spring's charm offensive.
"I don't know what the purpose of his trip is, but what he should be doing is working with us to find the problem," said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who praised Obama after attending the first of his dinners at the Jefferson Hotel. "He should really be spending a lot more time with Republicans and their staff to find the problem properly and (then) go to the American people in a bipartisan fashion."

subset: commoncrawl


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About Raven Green & her Blog
Raven is a winner of Top 25 Military Moms - 2013
What have you learned about parenting from living in different places?
What are your best tips for traveling with kids?
What are your favorite blog posts?
Raven's Answers
What's one of the worst messes your child has made? Please share a link to a photo if you have one.
Ms. MommyHH6My daughters are VERY creative and we have white walls... Yep, I know you have a feeling where this goes. They were very quiet (which should have been clue number 1) and then ran into the kitchen so very proud to show me something (clue number 2) They made a wonderful, large "mural" on a wall in the family room. Crayons and markers. Unfortunately our wall is textured and when you use a certain magical square to clean it takes off paint. So we had more fun repainting the wall together :-) Pic in the link
What's a fun and easy Thanksgiving craft that's great for preschoolers? Please include a link to a picture if you have one.
Ms. MommyHH6Creating a Fall wreath!
Do you try to give back when you declutter? Please share your family traditions for benefitting others.
Ms. MommyHH6I keep a box in our garage specifically for charity. I add to the box throughout the week and month. Our military base has a fantastic clothing/toy/household swap every month. Everyone can donate as well as taking any items they truly need. I donate the box and sometimes boxes to this wonderful swap every month.
Cabbage Patch Kids, the Bionic Woman, Lite-Brite...what toy from your childhood are you most nostalgic about? Please include a link if you can find one.
Ms. MommyHH6I loved so many toys from childhood that I wish I could share with my daughters today. I remember my mom fighting in the store for one of the first Cabbage Patch Dolls for Christmas, lol! Lite Brite, She-Ra, Barbie Dream House and Furby were a few of my favorites!
What makes a great family holiday card? Please share a link to a helpful image or resource.
Ms. MommyHH6I think a great family holiday card should be fun and natural. We always wear jeans, black long sleeve shirts and stay casual. That way all the pictures match, they fit in with our favorite colors and look great in collages! We use the holiday photo shoot as our once a year family photo. Our cards always have the year, a short message and our address (we move a lot as a military family).
Aside from a birth certificate, what legal documents should a parent file after having a child?
Ms. MommyHH6Absolutely without a doubt, their social security card is the most important document for them to have. Also, my children are military brats and when they are old enough they will receive a Military ID which will them be the MOST important document for them even above the birth certificate and social security card.
What's a cute or creative way to decorate the walls of a child's room? Please include a link to an image.
Ms. MommyHH6Being a military family, we are always in Base housing (temporary, don't paint the walls!). But with two little girls decorating is a must. I use Roomates stickers and similar products that stick to the wall but are easily removable.I also use my artistic skills to make artwork for their walls. Right now we have a tinkerbell room and a dinosaur room plus disney princessess in the playroom!
What's your child's favorite thing to do in the snow? Please include a link to a picture if you have one.
Ms. MommyHH6My girls (3&5) love the snow! I think because we rarely experience it. As a military family we move ALOT and the girls have experienced Texas and VA with only a couple snowfalls. Their favorite thing to do is snow angels! Their favorite snowman was the solider we build last year, complete with a patrol cap and ACU scarf, HOOAH!
Raven's Blogger SoundOff Posts
What I'm Most Thankful For
The "Model Marriage"
I am thankful for my parents' 40 year example of a marriage promise… More


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Time-warping? Gunplay? Raven Software? Sounds like Singularity to me. Give us a call for a chance to talk to the producer behind the upcoming game.
Jeff Poffenbarger, a producer at Singularity studio Raven Software, will be joining us live today on Kotaku Talk Radio to discuss the upcoming game and take your calls. Before working Singularity, Poffenbarger worked on Raven's Wolverine game.
Want to be heard on Kotaku Talk Radio? Call us on the air LIVE at (877) CHAT-212 or use Skype to dial in! You can also pick up a nifty, and free, iPhone App to listen to the show live here.
Non-U.S. listeners, use the feed below...
And don't forget to subscribe to "Kotaku Talk Radio" in iTunes to check out past interviews with the likes of Sid Meier, David Jaffe, Amy Hennig, Ken Levine, Tim Schafer, Greg Zeschuk, Todd Howard, Cliff Bleszinski, Jeremiah Slaczka, Jeff Gerstmann, Jordan Thomas, Stig Asmussen, Major Nelson and Randy Pitchford.
We'll also continue to provide direct downloads of the show a couple of hours after showtime each Wednesday.


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A satellite image shows damage at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant In Fukushima Prefecture after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami (© DigitalGlobe)
When it comes to nuclear power it usually takes a while for the truth to come out. And now six months after Japan's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami, sparked off the current crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the truth is finally beginning to emerge.
The Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) still struggling to bring the stricken Fukushima reactors under control today, but the consequences of this crisis are set to continue for decades. As time goes on, of the long term radioactive contamination that has spread over wide areas that will take decades to dissipate; this risks of potential health problems, and ongoing contamination of food supplies. Large areas around the nuclear will remain off limits.
The official response to the Fukushima disaster is still lacking in comprehensiveness, transparency and urgency. Information that would ensure public safety and confidence has not been forthcoming from the government, which itself is still playing catch-up: proper radiation monitoring, timely and clear advice, adequate protective measures and support – including the evacuation of most vulnerable parts of the population - are still lacking, but should been launched at the very beginning.
Parents, despite making every effort to avoid radioactive contamination without government support, are discovering the ongoing risks the disaster is having on their children. As Greenpeace found in Fukushima City last month, when it found contamination in several schools and public areas, parents are being forced to choose between radiation and their children's education.
Greenpeace radiation expert Iryna Labunska checks radiation levels at the Minami Fukushima kindergarten (© Noriko Hayashi / Greenpeace)
In the wake of Fukushima, Germany and Italy have both taken the courageous step in turning their backs on nuclear energy. In Japan and elsewhere, however, the nuclear industry is trying to ensure business as usual despite, becoming increasingly dogged in cover-up and scandals.
Instead of taking control of the situation, and earning the public's trust by being transparent, TEPCO remains reluctant to provide important information about the nuclear crisis. This is a trend that has continued since the beginning of the crisis. TEPCO's nuclear accident operating manual was released to a government committee this week. The committee found it so heavily censored that it was unreadable. Even Naoto Kan, who recent stepped down as Prime Minister was in the dark about what TEPCO was doing, saying that he personally visited the Fukushima reactors the day after the crisis began 'because we were not receiving accurate information from the plant'.
Japan's other nuclear companies, having seen public opinion swing against them, have embarked on a covert mission to persuade the people of Japan to give them a second chance. Since the nuclear crisis began, both the nuclear industry and government officials have been embroiled in a series of scandals where power companies have attempted to manipulate public opinion in favour of nuclear power.
It seems that this is not a new thing, and that Government complicity with the nuclear industry has been going on for years. Even Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency – the country's nuclear regulator – was found to have tried to influence a public symposium in 2007. Incredibly, the chairman of the Saga Prefectural Assembly's nuclear safety committee – a body set up to investigate nuclear scandals – had to resign last month when it was revealed he had taken donations from nuclear power companies.
However, don't assume these kinds of nuclear scandals are found only in Japan. Such dirty tricks are to be found wherever nuclear reactors spring up. Look at Italian nuclear company ENEL trying to prevent public involvement. Look at the UK government holding 'unfair', 'misleading', 'very seriously flawed' and 'procedurally unfair' consultations. Look at French nuclear giant EdF spying on Greenpeace. That's just three examples. The list is long, and it's sure to be added to in the future
The Fukushima disaster has shown the world that nuclear power is fundamentally unsafe, and those with a vested interest in it are not to be trusted. It's time to put our trust and our futures in safe, clean energy sources like wind and solar. To rebuild its economy, to recover from the tragic events of March 11, and to protect the health and safety of its people, Japan can an Energy Revolution - and it can have it now. Watch this space next week to see how Japan does not need to depend on nuclear power.
To get a feel for how the Fukushima disaster has unfolded since March 11, check out our new interacting timeline:
Justin McKeating has been blogging the meltdown of the nuclear industry for Greenpeace International since 2008. He is based in Brighton, UK.
(Unregistered) newswatcher
Many thanks for your excellent blogposts!
Perhaps I missed an entry but I am a bit surprised that you have not mentioned the TEPCO data of the F...
Many thanks for your excellent blogposts!
Perhaps I missed an entry but I am a bit surprised that you have not mentioned the TEPCO data of the Fukushima Daiichi radiation release that were recently published (sort of) by the Japanese METI
Scary stuff! The data on page 2 are from the Hiroshima nuclear bomb for comparison ...
10 September, 2011 at 8:44
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(Unregistered) ssam
I am a greenpeace supporter, but i am saddened by your stance on nuclear. Germany has started a massive new build of coal power stations. Even with it...
I am a greenpeace supporter, but i am saddened by your stance on nuclear. Germany has started a massive new build of coal power stations. Even with its renewable plans will take it decades for it to get its CO2 emissions back to where it is today. We need rapid action to stop climate change, and that is incompatible with a shut down of nuclear power.
10 September, 2011 at 14:45
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(Unregistered) zamm
Greenpeace, all the industry "dirty tricks" pale in comparison to yours! For instance:
"Ongoing risks the disaster is havi...
Greenpeace, all the industry "dirty tricks" pale in comparison to yours! For instance:
"Ongoing risks the disaster is having on their children"
Reported 0.4 Bq/kg of Cs-137 in children urine: that is ca. 1/250 of the natural level due to K-40... Even assuming this contamination to remain constant (it disappears with a period of 70 dys), this amounts to a "staggering" level of the order of 1 µSv/year, vs. natural exposure of ca. 2'500 µSv/year and average medical exposure of 1'000 µSv/year (so on average 3'500x higher). You're being utterly dishonest in hyping this up!
11 September, 2011 at 21:32
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(Unregistered) consider
Nuclear power is NOT needed to move the world to a more sustainable model. To even consider nuclear power is lunacy. You cannot fix a problem by repla...
Nuclear power is NOT needed to move the world to a more sustainable model. To even consider nuclear power is lunacy. You cannot fix a problem by replacing it with another problem, nor by only removing part of the problem. Nothing about nuclear power is acceptable. It uses massive amounts of fossil fuel to mine and manufacture, destroys the environment through its mining, creates nuclear waste that will remain dangerous for tens of thousands of years and is the most expensive energy that has ever existed. It is destroying life on this planet. It is not acceptable to destroy life with nuclear power instead of global warming. We must not destroy life with either.
11 September, 2011 at 22:11
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Lunacy, really?
"Massive amounts of fossil fuel"
Overall: ca. 50 g CO2/kWh, vs. gas ≈450, coal ≈1'000
Implication: ...
Lunacy, really?
"Massive amounts of fossil fuel"
Overall: ca. 50 g CO2/kWh, vs. gas ≈450, coal ≈1'000
Implication: if you're using more than ≈10% gas to back up wind farms or solar panels, you're running above this figure. In practice, most countries use much more than 10%...
In Europe, top g CO2/kWh performers for electricity generation, such as Sweden, France & Switzerland have a large nuclear share (combining well with hydroelectric dams). In contrast, top wind farm & PV countries such as Germany and Danemark have horrific values (1).
"Nuclear waste for tens of thousands of years"
Uranium, thorium and potassium-40 have been there for billions of years, the latter (K-40) largely contaminating our bodies, together with radon from the ground. Life has prospered on Earth nevertheless... Needless to say, contamination from our nuclear waste, if properly managed and stored, is expected to be negligible in comparison.
"Expensive energy"
Costs of nuclear are similar to those of fossil-fired plants (2,3), but (almost) without the CO2. If you count the needed fossil backup for most renewables, performance is much worse (both in cost and in CO2) than nuclear.
"Destroying life" (4,5)
Relative mortality, vs. nuclear = 1:
- Coal: x300...450
- Gas: x38
- Biomass: x60
- Mounting solar panels on existing roofs: ca. x10
- Hydro (Europe): ≈x2
- Hydro (world, including Benqiao dam disaster): x35
- Conservation: depends, e.g. some "bad" examples:
Asbestos: 100% natural insulation... but deadly!
Save on ventilation: death from indoor pollution (4)
In the current state of things, it would be rather lunacy NOT to use nuclear, especially to replace coal-fired plants... or shale gas (6)!
(1) http://www.econologie.com/europe-emissions-de-co2-par-pays-et-par-kwh-electrique-articles-3722.html
(2) http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/publications/list/reports/Cost_Generation_Commentary.pdf
(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics_of_new_nuclear_power_plants
(4) Markandya & Wilkinson, "Electricity generation and health", The Lancet 370 (9591), 979-990, 2007.
(5) http://nextbigfuture.com/2008/03/deaths-per-twh-for-all-energy-sources.html
(6) http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/us/27gas.html
12 September, 2011 at 1:07
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(Unregistered) Matthew
Understanding of our earth and our situation is required if we are going to survive.
Economics and economic thought as has been our curre...
Understanding of our earth and our situation is required if we are going to survive.
Economics and economic thought as has been our current model is not in the best interest of our true needs or our planet.
Renewables are feasible and can be made more accessible with their mushrooming use.
By not jumping in and doing it we only philander on that which we already have.
This is our problem.
Information is useless in the face of common sense.
What is really right? What is real? Ask yourself.
As co-operation we can become the solution.
12 September, 2011 at 13:42
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(Unregistered) no screen name at all
This piece's first comma is absolutely illiterate. Remove it, and ditch the clown who put it in.
12 September, 2011 at 14:07
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Actually, the rest of the article turns out to be wholly illiterate as well. Who the hell gave that idiot the job?
12 September, 2011 at 14:09
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(Unregistered) SoleConcensus
@ssam - if you are saddedned by Germany's approach, then deal with them, not Greenpeace for poiting out their nuclear errors.
@Zamm - you...
@ssam - if you are saddedned by Germany's approach, then deal with them, not Greenpeace for poiting out their nuclear errors.
@Zamm - your stats do not take into account either the deaths in the event of a massive meltdown, or the deaths from storage / elimination of wastes. They are biased figures attributable to the Nuclear industry. And yes, I do understand the articles that have been written to back up these slanted claims you are making.
12 September, 2011 at 14:13
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(Unregistered) Watching the mess
Interesting to see that the industry sends "experts" to teach us about the truth of good Nuclear energy and bad Greenpeace ;-) That means th...
Interesting to see that the industry sends "experts" to teach us about the truth of good Nuclear energy and bad Greenpeace ;-) That means they lose so much money that its worth to pay some of these guys crawling around in blogs etc spreading that GP and others are corrupt , lying or whatever THEY ARE THEMSELVES. You dont feel ashamed zamm, ssam or whoever you are ? If you stand behind that technology go to live next to one of the many that are left on this globe...ready to poison the environment and our children. I dont know if you got a family....but anyway dont forget to look into the mirror at night.
12 September, 2011 at 15:06
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Remember the China Gundam? That totally unlicensed orange Gundam statue that popped up a few years back. This is not that. This is a totally official Gundam statue that's coming to China.
For the upcoming China International Animation, Cartoon and Game Fair, which runs July 12-16 in Shanghai, Bandai Namco is erecting a RX-78-2 Gundam China Special statue that will be nearly 20-feet tall and feature exterior colouring design by Beijing Yankai Cultural Development Co., which creates the Chinese Mobile Suit Gundam UC comic series.
A 1/100 scale model of the statue (above) is also planned. Priced at 420 yuan (US$66), the limited edition statue is available from Bandai's official shop on China's Taobao e-commerce site. Pre-orders start July 12.
全高約6メートルのガンダム立像が中国に登場 [Gigazine]


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Direct via YouTube, another installment of Danny McAskill to awe and amaze. Incredible blend of trials and freestyle moves with risk involved, though with his insanely smooth style - it looks easy. Most impressive.
Besides virtual riding via the Internet, I did get out for a nice 2 hour mountain bike ride this morning with fellow coworker dude. He has the extensive bike background - raced BMX, mountain bike experience - including racing the infamous Kamikaze Downhill Race "back in the day", as well as bike shop duty in the past. After a multi year layoff from bikes, back into it big time over the last few months - including three new bikes. First time we've ridden together, fun ride, always cool to show off my local trails. We plan to hit the woods again soon.
I honestly enjoy getting out with different folks to ride - especially if they're coming "out of retirement" or new to the sport. You can see the gleam in their eyes that riding, especially mountain biking, is coolest damn thing ever. And yes my friends - it is.


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After checking out a few projects involving IR heart monitors, I decided to have a go at the interface myself. Seen above are the results of my first experimentation with pulse oximetry. Getting the setup up and running satisfactorily required a bit more time and tinkering than I'd expected – especially after reversing a premature mod to my emitter/detector pair. The next version I try will either use a higher output emitter (see Charles Martin's version) or
some amplification hardware (as used in Meng Li's sensor).
Download the m4v file or subscribe in iTunes


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Mac Production Coming to U.S.
Apple CEO Time Cook said the company will produce one of its existing lines of Mac computers in the U.S. next year. George Stahl has details on Markets Hub. Photo: AP.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... the ... we will do one of our existing ... ones ... it's ... ok look to myself this template is ... not the story tonight that he didn't eat a deal here tonight on rocks and he's super islands ... but this morning the news in the two brothers on the today show ... Apple ... moving some of their production back to the United States ... explain what this all means George stall is with us so ... anything by American now you can maybe once again thing to a ... bright ... yellow and repeat all lot of of the production allowed the engineering that went into the various Apple products word was resigning at Calvert and then the actual production ... these dinosaurs what's happening now ... Paul was having us and he ... Tim Cook has said ... that ... Apple to look into bringing some of the high neck manufacturing back to the viewers tuned in to spend a hundred million dollars to figure out you know what makes sense to have over here ... the reality the reality is ... as Apple has soared in the can in said before ... the U S workforce just isn't ... properly ... situated to handle the demands that's needed to produce these these products and that's why so many things are done over China ... either you look at something like ... coal and dining really a lost art in the U S one in which China has done a good job in terms of getting its population able to handle those types of chores and duties ... and so ... here I believe that Steve Jobs told told present bomb of those jobs are not coming back because ... the workforce here it is in a book that to do those types of duties ... this deal was on the I phone five commence a lot of stories about ... supply problems in ... the ICU in a provocation known longs upon ... how much of this is ... a subpoena supplying that factoring is you how much of this is an economic issue wheat is coming back in line with the real deciding factor here ... yet I think I think Erin as a couple things and one thing is ... that Apple recognizing its position of upward to see all these products with a huge customer base in the U S wants to make sure that ... the NPT has won the present perception that it is ... hiring in the U S and has employed Americans and not outsourcing everything right China which is which is ... which could be a perception ... but also it is more than eighty percent yes ... by the end of the production side right but a ... lot on yet and I also think that aam ... you know ... a good labor force is a good customer base which means that people have money to buy these products were at the old Henry Ford and yes that fight are still think you're a really interesting story


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We specialise in house clearance in Ewenny, from a one bedroom flat to a complete house clearance in Ewenny, South Wales. by Mark Parry
We have been clearing domestic and commercial properties in Ewenny for over 10 years, from one bedroom flats to complete house clearances, office's in the basement of private homes to the entire top floor of high rise commercial buildings, from shops and small storage facilities to complete factory complexes, we are large enough to cope and small enough to care, our lists of Domestic and Commercial Customers are continually expanding and include several Government Agencies and Local Authorities, from the General Public to Local, National and International Businesses and Charities we cover the full range of clearance projects.
We believe in building trust with our customers by being straightforward, honest and professional, we have an informal and friendly approach and are sure you will feel confident and at ease with our services, what we do we do well by going that extra mile, we are adaptable demonstrating a can do attitude, we take pride in our work and have the enthusiasm to achieve our best and deliver customer satisfaction on every job we undertake, we understand that every customer has different requirements and expectations, we will tailor our house clearance services to meet your needs.
We guarantee everything removed during your house clearance is disposed of legally, we recycle or donate to charity as much material as possible, what we can't recycle or donate we dispose of legally using licensed and reputable commercial waste disposal contractors, we have full Public Liability Insurance and are an Environment Agency Licensed Waste Carrier, we are also a member of the UK House Clearance Association, the first association of its kind set up to promote excellence & customer satisfaction within the UK house clearance industry.


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Why does the Afghanistan economy matter to the world?
Let's do the math. President Hamid Karzai, backed by NATO commanders, says the country needs 400,000 Afghan soldiers and police to defend itself. That would cost about $10 billion annually.
Afghanistan's current budget: $1.1 billion. And $400 million of that comes from foreign donors.
To close that gap, Afghanistan cannot rely on the current dynamo of its economy – poppy. While it accounts for nearly 30 percent of the country's gross domestic product, and 90 percent of the world's heroine, it's unlikely to ever be legalized and, therefore, taxed. On Wednesday, the government launched a massive poppy eradication program, starting in the south.
What can be done to build up the remaining 70 percent of the economy?
Magic bullets
Policymakers zero in on two areas to grow Afghanistan's $11.4 billion economy: agriculture and mining. Farming has big potential by virtue of its huge workforce, and mining holds the prospect of untapped value in the billions of dollars. Both, however, will take years to develop and improved security to encourage investment.
Mining is currently a $52 million a year industry – less than 1 percent of the economy. But a few big-name projects highlight its potential. In a deal with the Chinese in 2007, the Aynak copper mine will bring in $1 billion of annual revenue for Kabul. And bids were due Feb. 15 to exploit Hajigak, a massive iron ore deposit.
"That's estimated to bring in up to $3 billion a year in government revenues for centuries," says Craig Steffensen, Afghanistan country director for the Asian Development Bank. "I think the mining sector is this magic bullet that everyone is looking for to sustain things without [foreign donors] having to cover costs until kingdom come."
Of course, magic bullets are rare. Western investors have hesitated to enter Afghanistan because of an uncertain regulatory environment, corruption, lack of transparency, and lack of security, says James Yeager, an American geologist who advised the Afghan Ministry of Mines.
Mining: the Chilean model
Still, he points to Chile as what's possible for Afghanistan. Thirty years ago it had a fledgling mining industry, he says. "They changed their laws to make mining very favorable. They cleaned up their corruption act. Today they are the world's leading producer of copper."
Mr. Yeager hesitates to put a dollar figure on Afghanistan's mineral wealth, saying it requires more research. Then, to develop any deposits, firms must conduct exploratory drilling, arrange financing, and line up engineers. Normally those steps would take three to five years, Yeager says. "Then you couple that with the fact that there's really no infrastructure in Afghanistan, no drill companies."
The Aynak copper mine shows that some of the hurdles can be surmounted, though the deal has been criticized for lack of transparency and allegations of bribery. Indeed, natural resources often become a corrupting influence in developing nations. They also can tie economies to severe boom and bust cycles.
Afghan leaders are taking steps to avoid those mistakes. The Aynak deal was structured to give the government a fixed stream of revenue, shielding it from commodities crashes. And the government has been accepted as a candidate for the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which would put mining revenues into accounts that are supervised internationally, says Mr. Steffensen.
Agriculture: the American angle
Another area for growth is agriculture. Worth $3.3 billion, it's not actually the biggest sector – it's No. 2 after services, a $4.4 billion segment dominated by trade, transport, and government support.
But improvements made in agriculture can be applied across the widest swath of the country. "The most likely areas of improvement are in the agricultural sector because more than 40 percent of people in Afghanistan are busy in this sector," says Abdullah Saleh, an analyst with the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency.
The United States is spearheading a $500 million investment this year in Afghan agriculture. This involves improving seeds, offering farmers credit, improving irrigation, and encouraging food-processing factories.
In the southern province of Helmand, USAID has set up an agribusiness industrial park with an airstrip, and, so far, has signed up a cooking oil manufacturer. But it remains treacherous for many farmers to transport their product to the capital. Fixing that problem is one goal of the Marjah offensive – launched by NATO and Afghan forces in mid-February – underscoring how development requires security.
"No one likes to go to a poor country that needs so much in terms of the social sector and put a bunch of money into the military," says Jeremiah Pam, a guest scholar on postconflict economics at the US Institute of Peace in Washington.
But "once you have security ... there are often surprises in terms of the capacity that is finally allowed to bloom."


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Learn more about Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences.
Delve into the admissions process and learn how to apply.
Discover our 15 programs of study and academic offerings.
Find out what it's like to be a Weill Cornell student.
Click here to view our distinguished faculty members.
Weill Cornell MedicineGraduate School of Medical Sciences
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Phone: (212) 746-6565
Fax: (212) 746-5981


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Rob Ryan explains decision to back out of Rams job
METAIRIE, La. (AP) New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan says his verbal commitment to take a job in St. Louis was made hastily while he was still upset over his firing in Dallas.
Ryan said he backed out because he owed it to himself and his family to make sure he found the best fit for his style as a coach.
"It was kind of a complicated thing. I think getting fired in Dallas was a shock to my system," Ryan said Friday.
"I took a job with the Rams; hadn't had anything signed. Just from being there and finding out the direction of how they wanted to do things, it was my obligation not only to me, but to them, to just walk away and look for something different.
"I don't think I can fully commit to something that wasn't exactly what I believed in, despite having great people in the building," Ryan continued, referring to the Rams.
"They have Jeff Fisher, who has been a friend of my family. We love him, we respect him. He's a great coach. They've got some of the best defensive coaches there."
Ryan, who has generally coached 3-4 fronts (three down linemen, four linebackers), noted that the Rams were using more of a 4-3, "so I just didn't get the right vibe."
"I thought to myself — I was mad already about the Dallas situation — that, you know what? This is the best thing for me to do and for them, for me to walk away, wait for the perfect opportunity to come, because I knew I was going to get one," Ryan continued. "Wherever it was going to be, I was going to get one because I believe in myself."
Ryan noted that he had jumped between defensive coordinator jobs in Oakland, Cleveland and Dallas during the past half-decade, and thought his next move needed to be one that he believed had the potential to last a while.
"I've moved my family. … I wanted the perfect situation. I wanted to coach a defense that I'm an expert at, and I know I'm damn good," Ryan said. "I wanted to do the best job I could do. I was tired of moving around every single year, every two years."
Ryan said joining the Saints staff was something that interested him from the moment he learned by phone, while vacationing in the Turks and Caicos islands — that he'd been fired by Dallas.
He said the first call he made was to his brother, in which he described Dallas' decision to fire him as "a joke," and then called current Chicago offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer, who was then New Orleans' offensive line coach and running game coordinator.
He asked Kromer if he could talk to head coach Sean Payton about his plans for the defensive staff after its unit had yielded a record 7,042 yards in 2012.
But Kromer told him no one in the NFL could talk to Payton at the time because the Saints head coach was still suspended in connection with the NFL's bounty probe.
"This is the situation I was dreaming of," Ryan said. "It ended up being here. It's been great for me and my family. When you move that much, you've got to take your family into consideration and … this place has been fantastic for us."
So far, it appears Ryan has made a good choice. New Orleans' defense is no longer a laughing stock of the NFL.
It ranks sixth in the league, giving up 313.6 yards and 18.7 points per game through 13 games this season, compared to 440.1 yards and 28.4 points per game all of last season under Steve Spagnuolo, who came to New Orleans in 2012 after being fired as head coach in St. Louis.


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Back In/
Last year, I wrote a piece entitled "App Store: I'm Out", which got a little attention. As strange as it feels to be in a position where I have to explain myself, I thought I should write about why I'm again working on an iPhone OS product.
If I wanted to have to constantly twist to justify the opinions of the past, I would enter politics. As it is, we software developers have the luxury of changing our minds as time and requirements dictate.
After the iPad announcement, I wrote a piece entitled "Future Shock", which got a lot of traffic. The reason I was so sure my take was solid was that I've spent a year working through my own future shock over the direction of Apple's platforms. The first piece I alluded to was my own future shock speaking: "They can't make us submit to app review! They can't reject our apps!".
Well, Apple can and Apple absolutely is. That ship sailed some time ago and I have reconciled myself to the idea that the old indie ways on Mac OS X are never going to be available on iPhone OS.
I do not intend to argue that the problems I enumerated about the App Store have gone away. They largely remain and, in some cases, are worse than they were when I first wrote.
The lengthy app review problem has mostly been solved. It's amusing to see tweets like "my update is taking more than 5 hours, haven't seen that kind of delay in ages". A year ago it was two weeks.
The problem of approval - as opposed to review - remains. In particular, the problem that you may be removed at a moment's notice with few channels to quickly remedy the situation is a significant business risk. Few businesses can afford to unexpectedly lose a week or more of revenue and make payroll.
The problem of app rejection - the idea that you build your app and only then find out if you can sell it - remains. It must be said that the number of apps falling foul of this is decreasing. However, it is not an insignificant problem, particularly when approval is not for life and can be withdrawn at any time.
The App Store continues to represent serious risk. However, in business, risk is the currency.
So, having said all that, why am I 'back in'?
When I first wrote about my feelings towards the App Store, it was in the arrogant and vain hope that it might have changed something. The direction of the iPhone OS ecosystem is now clear. To stick to an opinion regardless is to see the world as you would like it to be, not as it actually is.
Down that road lies the Free Software Foundation, and I have zero interest in finding myself in 2020 a bitter forty-something man fighting the battles of a decade ago.
The second factor in this was the iPad. When iPhone OS was just that - a phone operating system - it was obvious at the Apple future would be a combination of iPhone OS devices and Mac OS X computers. Post-iPad, that judgment is far from obviously sound. Having seen the reaction to the iPad from actual potential users, the secure future of the Mac OS as a general consumer computing platform is no longer as clear to me as it once was.
Be clear: I'm not saying OS X is dead, nor that Apple has no interest in improving it. I am saying that I suspect that the days of everyone buying a MacBook to get online are soon to be over. I've already written about how I see our three-Mac family turning into a one-Mac, three-iPad family over the next hardware cycle and I imagine that scenario repeated industry-wide over time. Already the ratio of iPhone OS devices to Macs is 5:2.
This feels like the settling of the wild west. The days of rugged individualism in computing are starting to close. The freedoms we had will still be possible but as with living in remote areas hunting and trapping your own food, few will care to accept those privations in return for the absolutes of liberty.
So where does that leave the small developer? In some ways, we have to shape up a bit. I don't want to say that we have to "become more professional" because, in large part, the Mac indie scene was one of the most professionally committed around.
What I think I prefer is the aviation analogy. We are no longer playing Burt Rutan and building our own aircraft. We're building components for the Boeing or Airbus ecosystems now. Nothing wrong with that - many people do a great job and make a very good living at that. What is lost is the software equivalent of the romance of flight.
I'm Scottish. Frying things and pessimism are our two main industries. It's worth looking on the bright side too: the iPhone OS ecosystem has in its short life, brought a few incredible things too.
It's undeniable that iPhone OS devices are incredibly stable. Last night I spent a frustrating hour trying to get my iMac to reboot into a functioning state after it crashed. That was an hour I had planned to spend in bed. In a post-iPhone, post-iPad world such failures feel even less acceptable than before.
iPhone OS is the first mass-market operating system where consumers are no longer afraid to install software on their computers (I'm not counting read-only media software platforms like games consoles here). In a conversation recently, a friend recounted a scene that he passed by in an airport. Four fifty-something women were sitting at a cafe table discussing the latest apps they had downloaded on their iPod touches. New software can't break your iPhone OS device and, if you don't like it, total removal is only a couple of taps away.
Finally, the devices are incredibly cheap by comparison with traditional laptop hardware. I could buy myself every iPad that comes out over the course of a three-year hardware cycle and still spend less than I did on laptops. The software is inexpensive too. There remain great strides to be made on discoverability and trials in the App Store. Still, it's hard to ignore the fact that there's now a large constituency of users just venturing into their first experiences of purchasing third-party software.
Simply put, I believe, the choice is this: the iPhone OS train is leaving the station in a big way with the iPad; much more so than when it was just for smartphones. I have to ask myself if there's a train that I would rather be on. I don't see one right now, and I don't see one coming down the track.


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Link Copied!
Hanks, Springsteen & DeGeneres Presidential Medal winners
Opening Sequence
Trump: not taking talk of impeachment over Ukraine seriously
Huge repatriation effort after Thomas Cook bankruptcy
Wedding guests killed in Afghan army raid
Children killed in Kenyan classroom collapse
'Game of Thrones' and 'Fleabag' take top Emmys
Self-driving hopefuls seek new strategies in autonomous race
Meghan and Harry show off their dance moves
World in Pictures
Closing Sequence


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The Wave Paintbrush Holder
by Think Art
This new innovative brush organizer allows each brush to maintain a 90 degree stance in its own well. The 3-tiered design keeps brushes from becoming misshapen due to overcrowding and the holder will not tip over when full. The Wave can also be used to store markers, pencils, pens, crayons, and much more.
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Hetepu (Peace) Family
You know grow up in the West makes you see life from a competitive and segregated perspective. You focus on the differences and not on the similarities and when you do this, while trying to overcome a common foe. It is very easy for the true enemy to introduce all sorts of ills and destroy us all.
I'll be honest with you. I once upon a time failed to see the camaraderie between Malcolm and Martin when I was younger because I found the non-violent approach to be too passive. Now that I got a little maturity under my belt. I understand the purpose of both approaches and I appreciate what Malcolm and Martin both have done. But, the enemy of fear and ignorance continues to remind people that they were at odds at each other. When the truth is that they were two sides of the same coin or two brothers united by cause with different approaches on how to solve a problem.
This is why, on January 16th even though we honor MLK, who epitomized the Civil Rights Movement. It should be a day to honor all of those men and women who stood and took that abuse for the cause including Malcolm X. Understand, if you are a person of color (Black, Asian, Latino), a female, Jewish (in some areas Catholic), you were legally discriminated against in the workplace, in housing, and other areas of society. This was the law, not just in the United States but abroad. So, if you have any rights at this present time it is because of the contributions made by these two leaders.
A lot of people don't see it this way because the enemy of fear and ignorance has made this a color and race issue. And, every time we begin to focus on the differences instead of the similarities the enemy of fear and ignorance wins. So, we have to remind people that MLK Day is not a "black holiday".
It was Martin Luther King that took the fight mainly to the US Supreme Court, but both of these men (especially Malcolm X) that took the fight to the world court, because people of color were being discriminated in Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, South America, Africa and Europe.
This is why outside of the US the autobiography of Malcolm X is so widely read. Remember in an earlier post, my padrino (godfather) from Cuba commented on Malcolm X and how discrimination was in Cuba prior to Castro and afterwards.
So, we must stop allowing the enemy of fear and ignorance to define who are heroes and heroines should be. And, stop allowing this same enemy to think that this is just a "black thang" when it is a "human rights thang". Or as one of my favorite 80 rock groups puts it, the Irish rock group U2, a "Pride" thing*. Everyone benefited from the Civil Rights Movement and no it is not perfect, but it is better. It is because of these heroic individuals we have the resources to continue to make changes, if we choose to do so. When we keep this in mind. It becomes our responsibility to tell their story and our testimony to their legacy, so that their story is not perverted and all that has been gained is lost.
* Pride (In the Name of Love) by U2 was song off the Unforgettable Fire album. Initially the song was written about Ronald Reagan's pride in America's military power but after front man and lyricist Bono read the book Let The Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the autobiography of Malcolm X. He pondered upon the different sides of the civil rights campaign. (For more on U2 click here)


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The 26-year-old Cuban outfield (and YouTube) sensation isn't technically available yet. His agent told ESPNDeportes.com that Cespedes should be able to establish residency in the Dominican Republic this week. There's another step after that before he can become a free agent, but the expectation in baseball is that he'll officially go on the market sometime in January.
And the expectation in baseball is that the bidding for him could get crazy.
Also, word in the international scouting community is that the White Sox watched Cespedes in a private workout recently. The White Sox have had recent success with Cuban players, having signed Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo.
Crazy bidding? The Sox are probably just "kicking the tires."
Other White Sox links:
- James looks on Dayan Viciedo and the latest White Sox soap opera.
- J.J. looks on Dylan Axelrod and US Cellular Field's HR friendliness.
- colin doesn't like the Sox' chances to compete next year.
- Gordon Beckham won't neglect to eat breakfast during the 2012 season.


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The company that created the famous 427 FE engine offers a modern version of the legendary motor. Built on Ford Performance's BOSS 351 block the 427 crate engine is engineered and built for drive-ability and durability while delivering big power. Ideal for Ford projects requiring 500+ horsepower in a reliable small block package.
535 horsepower @ 5600 rpm
545 lb.ft. torque @ 4500 rpm
See Also...


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It looks like your browser is out of date.
To use all features of KLM.com safely, we recommend that you update your browser, or that you choose a different one. Continuing with this version may result in parts of the website not being displayed properly, if at all. Also, the security of your personal information is better safeguarded with an updated browser.
No place in Santiago has as much historical significance as the Palacio de La Moneda. Now the home of the Chilean Government, the palace was the scene of a violent coup in 1973 that eventually cost the lives of thousands of Chileans. Today La Moneda is also an interesting architectural landmark, where you will enjoy learning about Chile's culture and history with a visit to the cultural centre in the basement.
Originally, La Moneda was not a palace at all: it was built in 1784 to house the National Mint. The building is named after the Spanish word for mint or coin - 'moneda'. It only became the seat of the government in 1846. In 1973, the world watched as the palace was in the very midst of General Pinochet's violent coup. La Moneda was heavily bombed when incumbent president Salvador Allende refused to leave. In 1981, it was again reinstated as a palace.
"The interior of La Moneda is strikingly colourful with yellow, red and blue rooms"


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Duck, NC
Gorgeous pierced, porcelain tureen handmade and handpainted in Dresden, Germany. Features gold accents and vivid colored floral designs all the way around.
Measures 9½" d x 12½" h.
Emerald cut citrine (15 cts) or blue topaz (19.5 cts) rings set into 18k yellow gold with diamonds (.37 tcw). Please specify size.
Measures ⅝" x ⅞" on top.
Serpentine top and drawer fronts with swirly figured mahogany veneer. Intricate scrolls and lattice fret on conforming pull out shelf. Interlacing oval fret on canted corner post with conforming bracket feet. Solid red oak drawer sides and backs with oak plywood drawer bottoms. Dovetailed drawer construction, full length glue blocks and unique stop feature on drawers. Birch plywood dust panels. Exclusive custom made solid brass Neoclassic pull with pearling, floral and shell motif. Handmade in America.
Measures 36" w x 21" d x 34" h.
Radiant frames, magnificently handmade and hand-enameled in Italy with finely painted hallmarked sterling silver borders. Two-way easels for horizontal or vertical display.
Elevate your entertaining with Teak Wood Tray and Coaster Set with Contemporary Checkered Pattern. The smart handles, center of the tray, and coaster edges are all inlaid with assorted shagreen and shell tiles for a modern style. The use of turquoise tiles throughout adds a Mediterranean touch. The underside of each piece features black Japanese suede, to protect your surfaces.
New for 2015. Handmade and handpainted porcelain from Herend of Hungary with 24k gold accents.
2 ¼" l X 2 ¼" h.
In 1874, a Herend artist picked up his tools to try to mimic a Chinese plate's fish scale design and the illustrious fishnet pattern was born. Porcelain from Hungary, handmade and handpainted with 24k gold accents. Scarf always washed same color as fishnet. Antlers always gold.
Measures 2" x 2" x 3 ¾" h.


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West Michigan's regional business plan competition.
Welcome to the 2016 MWest Challenge, a student venture competition designed to create cross collaboration between students that span across several universities from West Michigan. Through MWest, entrepreneurially minded students are able to develop and grow new ventures based on their own ideas. MWest involves eight West Michigan colleges and universities, representing 75,000 students from: Grand Valley State University, Kendall College of Art and Design, Davenport University, Aquinas College, Calvin College, Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids Community College, Kuyper College, and Hope College.


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Phone Card
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Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Felony
We here at Cake Wrecks care deeply about Bakery Copyright Infringement. (BCI) So to avoid any unpleasant legal entanglements, and allay the concerns of you -- our valued readers -- allow us to present:
(All characters depicted in "Obviously-not-the-character-you're-thinking-of"© are original characters created by their respective bakers. Any similarity to any character, living or dead, real or fictitious, cute or creepy, liberal or conservative, is merely coincidental, and shame on you for thinking otherwise. Characters depicted herein are the sole property of "Obviously-not-the-character-you're-thinking-of"©, and may not be duplicated without the express written consent of "Obviously-not-the-character-you're-thinking-of"©. Violators will be prosecuted.)
She's welcoming! She's feline! She's...
How Are You Cat!
("Hello, kiddies!")
Looking for something for your train-crazy little boy? He's just like your favorite train character, but he's obviously not your favorite train character, since making a cake of your favorite train character would be technically illegal! He's...
Larry the Liquid-Carrying Locomotive!
(Wow! That's one tanked engine! You can see how original he is, right?
Aw, c'mon. Don't be such a Doubting Thomas.)
Ooh! Wait a minute! Who's this sexy -- but completely unrecognizable -- little blue fictional character with blonde hair? That's not Smurfette, is it?
Of course not! Because that would be Against The Smurfin' Law!
She's "Smurpette" and she's totally different!
"Why don't you take your smurpin' smurp and smurp it where the smurp won't smurp, Smurpes?!"
(See? Totally different!)
He's concerned for your well-being and he's a bear. He's a...
Concerned For Your Well-Being Bear!
(Be kind; he has many cares to bear. )
And finally, this absolutely unique character lives in a pie tin beneath the waves, and he's safe for your non-stick pots and pans! He's...
Squeeze Blob No-Scratch!
(Anybody have some spare pants?)
Just remember, bakers: When in doubt, eat the evidence.
"Our bad judgment makes us judgment proof."™
Thanks to Beth W., Caitlin P., Cheryl V., Jen M., Dixie, and a very VERY special thanks to Sharyn, one of our favorite commenters and today's guest collaborater. If you laughed especially hard at any of our lines today, it's probably her fault. Thanks, Sharyn!


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Number of the Week: Class of 2013, Most Indebted Ever
$30,000: The average student-loan debt for a borrower who received a bachelor's degree in 2013.
The class of 2013 entered college just as the economic recovery was beginning in June 2009, but while their job prospects are better than other recent graduates, their debt burden is heavier.
Total outstanding student-loan debt stood at $986 billion at the end of the first quarter of this year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That's up 2.1% from the previous quarter and nearly 50% from the same quarter in 2009.
The average debt load for each borrower receiving a bachelor's degree this year is about $30,000, according to an analysis of government data by Mark Kantrowitz, publisher at student-marketing company Edvisors. That number has doubled over the course of a recent graduate's lifetime. Even adjusting for inflation, the average debt burden was half that size 20 years ago.
Other groups put the average debt figure even higher. A poll from Fidelity Investments earlier this week found 70% of graduates had at least some debt, and the average was $35,200. That figure is higher in part because it includes debt owed to family and credit-card balances.
No matter how you slice it, that's a pretty sizable burden to begin your working life. Of course, in general, a college degree is a worthwhile investment. The unemployment rate for graduates was 3.9% in April. Recent college grads aren't doing quite as well, as the jobless rate for 16-24 year olds with a degree was 7.1% in 2012, and many are stuck in low-paid jobs. But they're better off than those without a diploma. The unemployment rate for all 16-24 year olds not enrolled in school was 17% last year.
The worst situation is faced by those who don't complete college. They get the burden of student debt without the benefit of a degree. The median annual income of a noncompleter from a private nonprofit four-year school was $25,000 in 2009 compared to $33,900 for a degree holder, even though both accumulated similar levels of debt per year enrolled.
There is one piece of good news for the class of 2013: they aren't likely to hold the title of "Most Indebted Ever" for long. Amid continued growth in both tuition costs and student lending, they are likely to pass the mantle to the class of 2014 next May just as they assumed it from the class of 2012.
Are you a member of the class of 2013? If so, we want to hear from you.


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Special Series
Big Data Matters
If you have a lot of text documents and other unstructured data sources (email, social media, etc.), you probably have no idea what pearls of wisdom are hidden within. You certainly couldn't read all that text, much less make sense of it all. In Improving Machine Learning With SAS Contextual Analysis – the eighth webinar in our Big Data Matters on-demand webinar series – you'll learn how to:
- Use SAS Contextual Analysis to uncover trends and topics buried in documents, emails, social media and other unstructured text sources.
- Interact with your data to update models and extract valuable information.
- Easily answer questions on the fly with the software's embedded user assistance.


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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Broad, sweeping declarations about how the project might turn out felt out of place in the wake of a 0-0 draw at New England on Saturday.
This game quickly emerged as a one-off rather than a clarifying part of a larger trend. Matt Besler and Graham Zusi skipped the encounter to tend to their U.S. duties. Windy conditions forced both teams to eschew any semblance of soccer and revert to rudimentary approaches to protect a point.
And yet this affair – even with the awful and peculiar way it played out – supplied yet another building block for a Sporting side trying to discern its identity in the wake of a handful of critical offseason departures and learn how to churn out results on three fronts this year.
"You have to get a few of these, I think," Sporting manager Peter Vermes said. "You have to go into some games, battle and get a result. It's not a bad thing to do early in the season. And on the road for us."
Those fundamental qualities escaped Sporting for portions of their first two matches away from home. Zusi claimed an undeserved equalizer late in the first half and inspired a second-half revival to dispatch Philadelphia on opening day. A similar comeback after a poor opening stanza against Toronto FC fell short to incur a somewhat unanticipated defeat at the Rogers Centre a week later.
Vermes cited the common thread between the two matches as the reason why the past two displays offer encouragement for later in the campaign. Sporting bossed most of the game against a reluctant Chicago side on home soil last weekend before settling for a 0-0 stalemate. This match against New England maintained the same level of commitment without producing the end product (even with the best two chances in the game) or a different conclusion.
"The great thing about the past two games: we've put together a 90-minute game in both games where we competed," Vermes said. "That's what you need first in MLS. If you have that, you always give yourself a chance. If you don't compete and you think that you're going to play through the other team, that's not happening."
Playing through teams and polishing off those moves clinically represent the next steps in Sporting's evolution. Vermes' side keeps the ball well and passes it accurately (at a clip exceeding 80 percent in the first three games, according to Opta statistics), but it often flounders in its attempts to pick the final pass or punish teams appropriately in front of goal. Zusi bears most of the creative burden from his perch on the right, while Claudio Bieler shoulders the load inside the penalty area. Their supporting cast – a group that now includes the creative Benny Feilhaber and misses the energetic Roger Espinoza and the physical Kei Kamara – must contribute more frequently and more precisely to accept some of the responsibility and ensure the territorial advantage translates into the full complement of points.
Similarly amended operating principles – perhaps exhibiting more patience on the ball instead of always performing at the high tempo fostered by the significant defensive pressure exerted to win possession – indicate a modest shift from the previous group. Consider the tweak a nod to the CONCACAF Champions League fixtures ahead later in the year (Vermes noted the importance of introducing depth players along the way this season ahead of those ties) and a recognition of the next step ahead for a club with lofty ambitions to satisfy.
Even on days when base requirements take precedence, the overall picture remains important. Sporting won't achieve its objectives by lumping the ball out of danger on windy days, but it can take the commitment and the consistency shown through the duration of this affair forward in a bid to produce the desired results as the season progresses and the tasks increase in difficulty.
"I think, today, the guys who jumped in were locked into the game," Vermes said. "We all know it wasn't pretty soccer by anyone's imagination, but it was good because they were into the game. If you can battle like that, I know we have soccer. That will come out as time goes on."
Five Points – Week 4
1. No Nesta, no problem for Montréal: Marco di Vaio pounced inside the opening quarter of an hour to spur the Impact to a 1-0 victory over New York at Olympic Stadium. Di Vaio's trademark goal – judging the Red Bulls' ragged defensive line, racing off the shoulder of Markus Holgersson to meet Patrice Bernier's inviting through ball and slotting past the stranded Luis Robles – ultimately separated the sides on an afternoon when both teams could have nicked another goal or two. Chalk it up as the latest example of the Impact's ability to prevent opposing teams from scoring (even with Alessandro Nesta unavailable with an adductor complaint) and procure the one or two goals required to claim the points.
2. Columbus continues its quietly effective start to the campaign: The Crew followed their 1-1 draw with San Jose by snatching all three points at RFK Stadium on Saturday. The triumph in Washington – influenced on both sides of the ledger by Andy Gruenebaum (out of position on Rafael's ambitious equalizer and in the perfect spot to conjure up a stunning double save to preserve the lead in the second half) – marks the second significant win away from Crew Stadium for Robert Warzycha's side this season. Other teams will inevitably draw more notoriety, but this outfit could continue to cause problems for the opposition with its alliance of skill and steel.
3. Sharpness separates San Jose from Seattle: Sounders FC continues to search for its range in the final third in the early stages of this season. The service from the wide areas lacks the necessary quality more often than not, while the forwards squander the chances they do receive far too frequently. Chris Wondolowski highlighted the difference a bit of class makes in that part of the field by neatly corralling a flick and and curling his effort off the far post to hand the Earthquakes all three points in a 1-0 victory at Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday night. Eddie Johnson and Obafemi Martins cannot return soon enough.
4. Galaxy receive a glimpse into life without Robbie Keane: It involves less ruthlessness in front of goal, according to the early returns. Los Angeles coach Bruce Arena named talented youngsters Jack McBean and Jose Villarreal up front for the 1-0 victory over Colorado and watched them spurn several promising opportunities. Mike Magee eventually rescued the profligate prospects by notching the winner from the penalty spot (an award given after Drew Moor lashed out at Marcelo Sarvas) to secure the points. Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin deserves credit for keeping his overwhelmed side in the match, but the Galaxy must take its chances more reliably to thrive if Ireland captain Keane – ruled out of Tuesday's critical World Cup qualifier against Austria after picking up a calf injury during the scoreless draw in Sweden on Friday – misses any length of time upon his return.
5. Chivas USA continues to surprise: A triumph over out-of-sorts Chicago doesn't shock the conscience right now. But a four-goal outburst in the second half to brush aside the Fire 4-1 at Toyota Park? That sort of display underscores the progress made by the Red-and-White under the direction of José Luis Sánchez Solá. Admittedly, this relatively bright start includes worrisome signs – the dangerous defensive practices and the frequent reliance on Dan Kennedy's excellence, for example – for the future. For this club in this situation though, the focus should remain on the positives generated by an ample dose of quality (Juan Agudelo's work up front in Bridgeview and the league-leading eight goals through four matches) and a far brighter start to the season than anyone could have rightfully expected.Follow KYLE MCCARTHY on or shoot him an email


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Stentor SR1877 Viola Arcadia 15"
- Size: 15"
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- Tuning pegs and fingerboard made of ebony (Diospyros crassiflora)
- Pirastro strings
- Great masterpiece - finished in England
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Jennifer Bryant
From UA Libraries Digital Services Planning and Documentation
This page describes a former student worker. We're thankful for her contributions to the Digital Program.
Jennifer Bryant is a DMA student in vocal performance at the University of Alabama. An accomplished soprano, Jennifer has performed multiple operatic roles, including the lead soprano role in the UA Opera Theatre production of Pagliacci this past spring. Jennifer is a hard-working, creative, and energetic addition to Digital Services. In her short time working here, Jennifer has already carefully scanned many fragile materials on the overhead scanner (one of the more complex scanners in use), as well as tons of content on the flatbed scanner. She is happy to be a member of Digital Services, and we are lucky to have her!


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I've been meaning to join in on this one for ages! Play-it's where my kids are at!
Unschooling role-model and author Sandra Dodd
coined the term "strewing" which is to leave materials of interest around for the children to discover and choose to get involved in or not. At an older level it might be an interesting book or brochure on an exhibition etc. At the ages my children are at I often use strewing as an invitation to play!
So I set up the farm before I went to bed
Schleich animals! We love them.
And in the morning the girls were excited to find an invitation to play at the farm
Sometimes I set up a craft activity that the girls can run with on their own or I find a book about an animal someone is interested in and put it in a place they'll see it. I'm just getting into strewing-and I'm having a lot of fun with it-I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.
Why don't you come play at the Childhood 101 We Play link up too! You can do that HERE. Happy playing!


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Figure 1. IPGN President Dr. Leo Gallego of IRPEP provides an overview of 2015 Assembly
IFAD Philippines Gender Network (IPGN) conducted its sixth general assembly to discuss gender movements of IFAD-funded programmes in the Philippines and to share processes practiced by the different development programmes for gender sensitivity trainings provided to its beneficiaries.
The annual IPGN general assembly is hosted by one of the implementing agencies funded by IFAD. For the year 2015, the Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management Project (INREMP) implemented by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) were chosen to host the event last 27-30 April in Camiguin Island, Philippines.
With a theme, "Strategic Woman Transformation Through Project Innovative Information and Education", the platform was used to review each programme's gender-related experiences, share good practices and identify major operational constraints from the implementation of the country programme. The participants also agreed on concrete actions to improve mainstreaming gender in the performance of individual programmes.
As an output of the assembly, the group spelled out the following key action points for the network: a) to identify and harmonize common gender-based indicators and tools for use of IFAD-assisted projects which are aligned to the government and organizations for gender mainstreaming; b) publish knowledge products on gender mainstreaming work of IFAD Philippine partners and projects; c) documentation of the IPGN story; and d) planning for 7th IPGN General Assembly to be hosted by Project CONVERGE, a value chain development programme to be implemented by the Philippine Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
The 6th IPGN assembly was participated by agencies from Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), IFAD Philippines, research grant programmes on Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments (IRRI-CURE), Food Security Through Asian Roots and Tubers (CIP-FoodSTART) and Climate-smart, Tree-based, Co-investment in Adaptation and Mitigation in Asia (ICRAF-Smart Tree-Invest), Second Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management Programme (DA-CHARMP2), Rapid Food Production Enhancement Programme (DA-RaFPEP), Irrigated Rice Production Enhancement Programme (DA-IRPEP), PAKISAMA: National Confederation of Small Farmers and Fishers Organizations, Convergence on Value Chain Enhancement for Rural Growth and Empowerment Project (DAR-CONVERGE) and DENR-INREMP.
Message of Maria Hartl, Senior Technical Specialist Gender and Social Equity, Policy and Technical Advisory Division, IFAD:
Dear friends and colleagues,
It is my pleasure to send a message from IFAD headquarters to all of you gathered in Camiguin (Philippines) for the Sixth IFAD Philippines Gender Network Assembly – gender focal points from IFAD supported projects in the Philippines, representatives from implementing agencies and partner organizations.
Last year, I had the privilege to meet with some of you at the workshop of the Multilateral Development Banks on "Gender, voice and agency", hosted by the Asian Development Bank in Manila. It was a great opportunity to exchange first-hand experiences and hear more about the work in your projects, the success stories and the challenges that you are facing.
The IFAD Philippines Gender Network is unique. It is the only gender network that we know of at country level, and has been thriving for several years. You are a true self-help network, you took things into your own hands and provide peer support to one another. In this, you are an inspiration to many. IFAD's gender architecture includes the gender focal points at project level and we encourage sharing and learning at country, regional and global level. You are the pioneers, you have set up a platform for exchange of knowledge, learning and communication that reinforces the efforts made to reduce rural poverty, achieve gender equality and empower rural women.
Wherever we go, we praise your efforts and try to stimulate others to also set up a gender network at country level. Last week, I conducted a gender and targeting training for the gender focal points in Nigeria and presented your initiative. Now we might soon have another country gender network! Perhaps we will soon call on you to assist others in setting up their country networks, in an innovative south-south exchange.
The theme of your sixth assembly "Strategic Woman Transformation through Project Innovative Information and Education" is well chosen and provides a link to the global gender and development agenda. In 2015, we are looking back at the Fourth World Conference on Women, the progress achieved over the last 20 years, and the challenges that are still before us. Our eyes are also on the framework for a new global development agenda which will be adopted later this year at the United Nations. For IFAD, the focus is on rural transformation as a key element of sustainable development. It is reached when the livelihoods of smallholder family farmers and poor rural men and women improve, and when communities are lifted out of poverty –in a sustainable manner. We believe this can be achieved by fostering economic empowerment, by giving women a voice in decision-making, and by reducing women's workloads. To have a transformative impact and go beyond addressing the symptoms of gender equality, our interventions need to be accompanied by actions that tackle the underlying social norms, behaviours and social systems in order to produce far-reaching and sustainable changes. This may sound like a big call, but every effort counts and I encourage you to always see the bigger picture.
Let me close by wishing you a successful assembly, fruitful discussions and success in finding answers to some of your challenges. Your assembly will certainly include lots of songs, fun and laughter, which helps to overcome any hurdles, and I know that you are masters in that field in the Philippines Using both sides of the brain always helps, because we carry the solutions to many problems already in us, we only need to open our eyes and hearts. In this sense, all the best for your deliberations!


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Monterey, California — Morgan Schmitt and Matt Cooke of Team Exergy took two of three podium spots at the Sea Otter Stage Race in California. The two put their stamp on the four-day race in the Stage 2 road race, finishing first (Cooke) and second (Schmitt) on their Felt F1 team bikes.
The following day's TT saw three Exergy riders finish in the top-10: Schmitt was fifth, Logan Loader was sixth and Andres Diaz was seventh. That put Schmitt second in general classification, 15 seconds behind race leader Andy Jacques-Maynes.
The final stage, a 120km circuit race held in the Laguna Seca Raceway, was a battle between Exergy and the Kenda team. There were plenty of attacks as Exergy tried to gain the 15 seconds needed for Schmitt to take the overall win but in the end the GC remained the same: a handful of podium finishes in the stages, with Schmitt and Cooke finishing second and third overall.
In the pro women's race, ExergyTWENTY12 was active all weekend long including a particularly strong finish by Jackie Crowell who grabbed second on the last day. Jackie and eventual winner Alison Powers were able to escape and finish 45 seconds clear of the group.


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A 40-year-old man was charged with bigamy when his estranged wife produced court documents proving the two were still married.
A 40-year-old man was charged with bigamy when his estranged wife produced court documents proving the two were still married.
The South Carolina woman told Lincoln County Sheriff�s investigators Wednesday her husband had recently remarried without divorcing her first.
�She presented records from the Register of Deeds Office to back up her claim,� said Larry Seagle, spokesman for the Lincoln County Sheriff�s Office.
The 40-year-old woman told a detective that she and her husband, Scotty Michael Crouse, married in June 2000. The couple separated about four years ago but never divorced, she said.
The woman said Crouse married Angela Hall in December 2012, and presented a marriage license to prove it, Seagle said.
Sheriff�s deputies acquired arrest warrants and went to Crouse�s home on Startown Road in Lincolnton on Monday.
Hall told deputies Crouse wasn�t home but allowed them to look inside the Startown Road residence, Seagle said.
When deputies started searching the house, Hall attempted to stop them from going into the bathroom, according to Seagle. Hall was physically removed from the hallway, and Crouse was found standing in the bathroom, said Seagle.
Hall, 38, was charged with obstructing an officer. She was jailed and released on a $500 secured bond.
Crouse was charged with felony bigamy and released on a $1,500 secured bond.


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Wire is a real estate network with offices in Italy and other countries. Wire offers a wide range of prestige properties as well as attractive opportunities for investment in exclusive areas on all five continents. Through Wire Consulting, a company specialising in international real estate consulting, the Wire Group guarantees complete assistance in all investment phases, from the choice of the best opportunities to the management of properties after purchase.
Thanks to offices in Venice, New York, Miami, London, Paris and other major cities around the world, Wire can locate prestige properties in the most sought-after areas, for purchase as investments in prestige real estate or for use as a second or holiday home. Wire makes investing abroad easy.
How should you go about buying a home abroad? Easy! Just get in touch with Wire and ask about our "turnkey" foreign investment service. And don't forget that Wire is also one of the best agencies for buying a home in Italy, thanks to a wide selection of different types of property in various parts of the country, all representing excellent investments.


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Published Jul 26, 2017
On days when you just don't feel like cooking, where do you go to pick up pre-made goodies?
Where do you go for the best selection of merlot, pinot noir, sauvignon... see the Top 5 →
Are you planning a relaxing and romantic getaway? What B&B is the perfect... see the Top 5 →
Who do you trust to capture the photos and memories on your dream day? see the Top 5 →
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What DJ to you trust to get your guests on their feet? see the Top 5 →
The 2017 Sacramento A-List awards are based on more than 84,000 votes from local Sacramento-area experts.


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Star Wars Saga Coming to Blu-ray Fall 2011
Today at Star Wars Celebration V, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced that the complete Star Wars Saga will come to Blu-ray Disc with a worldwide release in Fall 2011. The Star Wars Blu-ray Box Set will feature all six live-action Star Wars feature films utilizing the highest possible picture and audio presentation, along with extensive special features – including documentaries, vintage behind-the-scenes moments, interviews, retrospectives and never-before-seen footage from the Lucasfilm archives.
"Blu-ray is the absolute best way to experience Star Wars at home – in pristine high definition," said George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars Saga. "The films have never looked or sounded better."


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Jack O'Brien to Direct the Dallas Opera's World Premiere of GREAT SCOTT
The Dallas Opera has announced that Broadway legend and Drama Desk and Tony Award-winning director, producer, playwright, and lyricist Jack O'Brien has been engaged to direct the company's world premiere production of GREAT SCOTT, a new, full-length opera by acclaimed American composer Jake Heggie (Moby-Dick) and the Tony Award-winning playwright/librettist Terrence McNally (Master Class) in their first joint opera since their groundbreaking masterpiece, Dead Man Walking.
The Dallas Opera commission, with generous underwriting support from The Eugene McDermott Foundation and The Hoblitzelle Foundation, is slated to open the Dallas Opera's 2015-2016 Season Friday, October 30, 2015 in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District.
GREAT SCOTT is based on an original story by Mr. McNally and will star luminous American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. The opera will be conducted by one of the fastest-rising young artists on the podium today: Maestro Evan Rogister.
While Jack O'Brien directed the "smart and effective" (Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times) 2007 production of Il trittico for New York's Metropolitan Opera, in addition to critically acclaimed productions of The Magic Flute in San Francisco, Tosca in Santa Fe, Street Scene in New York, and his groundbreaking HGO production of Porgy and Bess which toured for the next decade, he is chiefly known for his work in the theater, both on-and-off Broadway. Mr. O'Brien is the winner of three Tony Awards (and nominated for seven more), as well as five Drama Desk Awards for a wide range of works including Hairspray, The Piano Lesson, and Tom Stoppard's epic trilogy of revolutionary ideas, The Coast of Utopia.
The extraordinarily accomplished Mr. O'Brien served as Artistic Director of the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego for more than a quarter-century, where he directed more than 60 productions, including a revival of Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth televised in 1983 as part of the PBS "Great Performances" series. It was there that O'Brien co-produced Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods (1986) before moving the musical to Broadway the following year. Other notable highlights include A.R. Gurney's The Cocktail Hour (1988), Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2 starring John Goodman and Hamlet, starring Campbell Scott, cited by Time magazine as the "finest classical revival" of 1990.
Mr. O'Brien took time out in 2012 to pen the first volume of his projected three-volume theatrical memoir, Jack Be Nimble, which will be published later this year by Farrar, Strauss & Giroux.
Jack O'Brien made his official debut with the Dallas Opera in 1968, when the company performed his lively adaptation of Jacques Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld. His opera directorial debut occurred in 1972-here at the Dallas Opera-when he replaced stage director Ellis Rabb at the helm of Dido and Aeneas, featuring a cast of stars that included Tatiana Troyanos, Graciella Sciutti and Jon Vickers! Mr. O'Brien returned fifteen years later in 1987, with George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, the Dallas Opera's first production of this twentieth-century masterpiece.


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Asia Private Equity
JPMorgan Private Equity Group has been investing in Asia since 1985. We have extensive investment experience with strong relationships throughout the region. Our team is local, based in Hong Kong, and we partner with experienced, local general partners and entrepreneurs with high quality deal flow and strong track records.
Our Asia strategy is opportunistic and highly selective. While our primary focus is China and opportunistically India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, we make investments across Asia and across stages in corporate finance and venture capital.
The Asia private equity market has become more competitive and our strong relationships and reputation have allowed us to access and secure meaningful allocations from the highest quality general partners, many of which do not have allocations available for new investors. We have also established ourselves as preferred partners with the requisite financial and human resources to be lead investors.
China Private Equity
In 2010, the Private Equity Group entered into a historic and exclusive joint venture partnership with BSCOMC, the city of Beijing's largest holding company.
This Joint Venture partnership will invest in 20 to 30 local companies in China and in local RMB currency and has the opportunity to make those investments in RMB through a QFLP quota held by the partnership.
This partnership will provide non-Chinese investors a unique opportunity to invest in local Chinese high growth companies alongside approved Chinese investors.


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Most of her life, Tara McGinty was overweight. She would try to lose weight, have some success, but would eventually gain it all back. After she gave birth to her second son, Tara decided to do some research to learn how she could help herself. She decided she would try to make a lifestyle change.
During this time, a friend of Tara's had been trying to share Isagenix with her, but Tara wasn't quite ready to say yes. However, once she decided to change her diet and lifestyle, she agreed to talk to her friend about Isagenix. When she learned about the products and the company, Tara was sold.
"Isagenix checked off every single box I was looking for," she said.
100 Pounds Down
After Tara learned about Isagenix and the products, she discovered the IsaBody Challenge® and enrolled. Like many first-time Challengers, she was motivated by the $200 product voucher. She didn't have any weight-related goals but instead wanted to stick with the Challenge and complete it.
After she completed her first Challenge, Tara moved right into her next one. Once she saw the weight coming off, she knew she needed to keep going. After multiple Challenges, Tara reached a major milestone: losing 100 pounds! In addition, she was inducted into the Isagenix 100-Pound Club.
"Originally, when I signed up, I was excited and ready to go," Tara said. "But I didn't really think I could reach 100 because I'd tried so many times before and failed."
Embracing the Community
Tara began her journey to finalist by shifting her mindset. In the past, she dealt with uncertainty and skepticism but knew that type of thinking would not help her become who she was truly meant to be. She also embraced the IsaBody™ community, especially the IsaBody Facebook group.
"The community is amazing," she said. "They lift you up, and they support you. I don't know if I would have lasted this long without them."
She also makes sure to not go a day without Ionix® Supreme, two IsaLean™ Shakes a day, and the Bedtime Belly Buster at night.
Growing Her Business, Gaining Confidence
Looking ahead, Tara is focusing on growing her Isagenix business. Since achieving finalist status, she says that more people are approaching her about her transformation and are open to learning about Isagenix.
Tara has reached many milestones during her Challenges. In addition to releasing 100 pounds,* she gained confidence she never knew she had. She says her inside now matches her outside, and she is grateful for all that she's accomplished.
"Once you've completed something so big, it's such a huge victory," she said. "I know I can keep going and push myself to achieve bigger goals."
Weight loss, muscle gain, lifestyle, and other results depicted here reflect exceptional individual experiences of Isagenix Customers and should not be construed as typical or average. Results vary with individual effort, body composition, eating patterns, time, exercise, and other factors, such as genetic and physiological makeup.