text:
March 17th
"Cat's in the cradle
and the silver spoon
little boy blue,
and the man on the moon."
I see a young man
a boy
used to be.
I hear plans
on how he wants
to live his life—
young philosophies.
I sense our age,
a teenager,
he'll soon be
no more.
I wonder how often
he'll come to visit
now that he has his own life
to live for?


text:
To All Strathmere and Whale Beach Homeowners and Visitors,
We believe that the SFEC will have two events on Saturday: the Kids' Surf Tournament and the Nightmare Boat Parade. We have not as yet received confirmation on these from the SFEC Board. As soon as we do, we'll let you know.
In the meantime, tomorrow night (Wednesday) from 6:00 to 10:00 pm, the Strathmere Volunteer Fire Company will be holding their "First Annual Bar-B-Que Fundraiser" at the Deauville Beach House. Remember, when the firefighters elected to stay in town to look after Strathmere, Irene was expected to be far worse than it turned out! If you are in town, please honor them by coming out tomorrow night - and pay special attention to their current request for donations.
Here is the flyer, and it looks like great fun - including the Bubba Mac Band. Tickets will be available at the door.
The Strathmere Improvement Association includes all owners and many visitors to Strathmere and Whale Beach. It was founded over 50 years ago as a community organization with the objective of making Strathmere a better place. We are proud of the organization's many accomplishments over the years. The dues and fund raisers provide for, among other things, funding the Fourth of July Parade, and our share of the Christmas Party. If you have adult children or relatives (or visitors) who visit Strathmere, please forward this message to them - perhaps they'd like to be members and receive these e-mail messages also.
The Strathmere Improvement Association -
Butch Vandegrift - President
Linda Bateman -Vice-President
Donna Diefenderfer - Treasurer
Dorothy Addario - Recording Secretary
Ken Weaver - Corresponding Secretary

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Includes all 6 CD's and 1 DVD
How much more exciting would your piano playing be if you used...
"Runs & Fills Galore!"
(The course is no longer on cassettes & video -- now on 6 audio CD's & 1 DVD video)
How would you like to be able to use at least 46 different kinds of piano runs? And not just runs, but also fillers, tricks, special effects, riffs and embellishments of all kinds?
That's exactly what this fantastic audio CD course teaches -- runs that you only DREAMED of in the past -- runs you've heard on tapes or CD's, TV, and radio -- runs you didn't know how to do, but wanted to.
Picture yourself playing those LIGHTNING FAST runs up the keyboard and back down in time for the next chord, or playing CASCADING RUNS down the keyboard for a WATERFALL of wonderful sounds! Plus you'll learn mordents, inverted mordents, trills, turns, tremolos, grace notes, glissandos, fillers galore, cocktail-piano runs, plus gospel-style runs as well as "blues runs" based on the blues scale! You get each run on music paper and demonstrated and explained in detail on CD, so you can both SEE and HEAR exactly how to play each run!
Here's how you can add runs & fills to your piano playing!
Here are the 6 audio CD's that make up the course:
1. "Cocktail" Runs --The lightning fast runs used by the great "show" pianists. One hand runs, two hand runs, open-octave runs, tremolo-blasted runs, cascading waterfall runs and more. Made famous by such names as Eddy Duchin, Carman Caballero, Liberace, etc., but also used tastefully by many others, such as Roger Williams and many "pop" piano players. You get a "Capsule Summary Sheet" of Cocktail Runs in print, plus the audio CD. (If you don't want the entire course, you can order this separately at the bottom of this page.)
2. Embellishments Galore -- Mordents, inverted mordents, trills, turns, tremolos, grace notes, glissandos, etc. These are the "finesse" techniques that give your piano playing class and grace. Virtually NO amateur piano players use these, so you're putting yourself in a class usually reserved for professional pianists. (If you don't want the entire course, you can order this separately at the bottom of this page.)
3. Piano Tricks -- How do you make your piano sound oriental? How do you make it sound like a drum? How about a music box? A bell? Latin? Country? You'll learn it all on this tape. (If you don't want the entire course, you can order this separately at the bottom of this page.)
4. Evangelistic Runs -- These are the octave runs and fillers used by the great gospel pianists of past and present. Learn to use the "Rudy Atwood" octaves runs and other evangelistic piano players. (If you don't want the entire course, you can order this separately at the bottom of this page.)
5. Jazz & Blues Runs -- You will learn the "blues scale" and how to run it up and down the keyboard. You'll also learn blue note-crunches, slides, etc. These runs are very useful not only in jazz and R & B, but also in "black gospel" (I hate to use that term because it sounds racist, but people use it to describe a certain type of gospel music, so I reluctantly use the term...but only in that sense of the word), fusion, and many rock-pop songs. (If you don't want the entire course, you can order this separately at the bottom of this page.) Note: This course is NOT for people who already play jazz, but for those who are LEARNING to play jazz & blues.
6. Fillers Galore -- You'll learn how to fill up an empty measure with a counter-melody; how to create an intro; an ending; how to make a "turnaround", plus fillers of all kinds. (If you don't want the entire course, you can order this separately at the bottom of this page.)
If you order these 6 audio CD courses as a set with "Capsule Summary Sheets" of each they will come in a big 3-ring binder. You'll love it!
If that were not enough...
You also get our fantastic DVD (video) on
"Piano Runs Galore!"
"How To Add Fills & Runs To Your Piano Playing!"
If you ever wanted to be able to put runs, echoes, and fillers in your piano playing to give it a full, professional sound, then watch this DVD -- because Duane shows you how to do just that note by note, step by step! Using the song "Greensleeves" as a model, you'll learn how to "fill up the empty spaces" with scale fragments, chords, broken chords, and so on. You'll hear Duane create 8th note runs (and explain how as he is doing it), 16th note runs, 32nd note runs, triplet fills, and many combinations thereof -- some so fast you can't even see which notes are being played until Duane demonstrates in slow motion up close. You'll see the fantastic "cascading waterfall runs", the fabulous "pro straddles", the exciting "tremelo-fired runs" and lots more! Learn how to "fill it up" and take your piano playing to the next level!
If you love those fantastic runs and fills you hear the pros use, this is the course that will teach you how to do it!
"How To Add Fills & Runs" Package
includes the 6 audio CD courses on "Embellishments
Galore!", "Cocktail
Runs!", "Jazz
Runs!", "Fillers
Galore!", "Evangelistic
Runs!", and "Piano
(these are audio CD's -- not DVD video)
plus the great
'Runs Galore!'
DVD Course! (VIDEO so you can SEE Duane play the runs!)
Individual Courses Below:
(Click icon for more information)
(Click icon for more information)
Printable Order Form Here
Phone: 541-664-7052 for orders only -- for questions click here:� Answers to your questions
About Us�� |�� Disclaimer


text:
It's hard to believe it has been 10 years since I pulled that first
beautiful batch of hand dyed wool from the dryer!
What an amazing time it has been.
It is time to celebrate at our Spring Open House!
Friday March 8th 6:00-8:00pm
Saturday March 9th 10:00am-1:00pm
10% off your entire purchase
Sweet treats and party favors for everyone!
Drawing held for fabulous prizes!
And a special treat will be a
Trunk Show
Featuring the Fabulous Wool Works of
Mariann Golich
Staying busy stitching new samples and preparing kits
Stocking the shelves with beautiful, bright colors in everything wool!
Looking forward to seeing you in a few short weeks!


text:
Solomon Kane
Once a mercenary of Queen Elizabeth I fighting Spaniards in Africa, Solomon met the Devil's Reaper and discovered he was bound for hell. Barely escaping, he soon renounced violence to atone for his past sins, seeking out redemption in a life of peace. That is until the followers of sorcerer Malachi kidnap a Puritan girl, Meredith Crowthorn, and brutally slaughter her family before his very eyes, forcing Solomon to take up arms and return to his violent ways once more to rescue her.
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Adventure
Actor: James Purefoy, Mark O'Neal, Robert Orr, Richard Ryan, Frantisek Deak, Christian Dunckley Clark, Ian Whyte, Thomas McEnchroe, Andrew Whitlaw, Robert Russell, James Babson, Marek Vasut, Geoff Bell, Max von Sydow, Lucas Stone
Director: Michael J. Bassett
Country: Czech Republic, UK, France


text:
That water was a lot colder than it looked! I went on a dream cycling holiday with family and friends and thought I might as well do a little Q&A. There were so many questions this time! It really means a lot that you're out there watching so I'm so sorry I couldn't get through them all.
Keep in touch,
Mary x


text:
Virtual concert stage
Time: July 4, 2017 at 6pm to July 1, 2018 at 7pm
Location: United Kingdom
Street: London
City/Town: London
Website or Map: http://www.emailcontactnumber…
Phone: 08000988424
Event Type: hotmail, technical, customer, support, help, contact, number, uk
Organized By: Hotmail helpline number
Latest Activity: Aug 22, 2017
Export to Outlook or iCal (.ics)
We at Hotmail, Outlook Tech Expert Helpline Number are 08000988424 24×7 committed to render excellent support to the Hotmail, outlook account users solved. Connects you with skilled team all the concerns and queries with guaranteed solutions. Website:- Hotmail phone number UK


text:
|st: Missing Log-Likelihood test of alpha in nbreg
|Sun, 16 Feb 2003 01:54:00 -0600 (CST)
Hello all: I am running some negative binomial poisson models, but Stata is not providing me with the log-likelihood ratio test of alpha. Other analysis of the data, including poisson models, suggests there is overdispersion. It is possible that a zero-inflated negative binomial model might be more appropriate. However, I would imagine that this would not prevent Stata from calculating the alpha test. I am using Intercooled Stata 6.0, and the models do include pweights and clustering. If anyone might know why I cannot get the alpha test in my output, I would greatly appreciate the assistance. I am a relative novice to Stata, but the manuals and online help have not provided an answer for this situation. Thanks, Robert J. Fornango University of Missouri-St. Louis * * For searches and help try: * http://www.stata.com/support/faqs/res/findit.html * http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq * http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/
|© Copyright 1996–2019 StataCorp LLC | Terms of use | Privacy | Contact us | What's new | Site index


text:
Irony IronPosted on 2010-10-24 18:28 A.Z 阅读(...) 评论(...) 编辑 收藏
到底是这个编辑器本来就设计成一个傻瓜相机模式,需要卡片机或微单反协助 还是这个编辑器是某个阶段的产物给那些忘却却有无法忘却历史的用户使用?
今天打开我的OUTLOOK按惯例接收了一遍邮件,code project的22号的daily news shock了我一把,最近很少关注业界的动态,对这方面的消息有些麻木,但是这个标题用最近很时兴的一个形容词汇来描述叫做 ------ "很给力" ,虽然我觉得创造和传播这种下三滥词藻的人很无聊,但是我既然联想到了又已经用了,请看官原谅我。
Microsoft offloads IronRuby and IronPython languages to external developers
The handwriting was on the wall: Microsoft was leaning away from supporting the IronRuby language. It turns out that was true. And ditto with its complement, IronPython.
Unified Communications: Before You Deploy, Strategize
- "Unify or die!" is the rallying cry of many UC devotees. Before you rush into a Unified Communications deployment, slow down and form a strategy that works for your organization. Building a structured plan can help you avoid costly errors.
- Cash in Your Old PBX
Upgrade to Cisco Unified CommunicationsHang up on your PBX and gain significant savings, 0 percent financing, plus all the benefits of IP from Cisco. Learn more Now
The handwriting was on the wall: Microsoft was leaning away from supporting the IronRuby language.
It turns out that was true. And ditto with its complement, IronPython.
IronRuby and IronPython, until November 1, are Microsoft-supported and .Net-targeted versions of the Ruby and Python dynamic programming languages. After November 1, they will belong to the community and won't be Microsoft properties any longer.
For a while, it looked as if Microsoft was moving full-steam-ahead with dynamic languages. Adding the Dynamic Language Runtime to the Common Language Runtime made the Redmondians seem even more committed. Earlier this summer, Microsoft made IronRuby and IronPython available under the Apache 2 open-source license. Around the same time, Microsoft released version 1.1 of IronRuby and an alpha of IronPython 2.7.
But there were signs problems were afoot. There was talk Microsoft might be convinced to move IronRuby to the CodePlex Foundation (now known as the Outercurve Foundation) or to release it to the community in some way. Microsoft officials would not talk about their plans for the languages.
On October 21, the future became clear. Microsoft said it is donating both IronRuby and IronPython to the open source community. Microsoft is not killing off its support for the Dynamic Language Runtime, however; that will continue to be part of the .Net Framework, as it is currently, officials said today.
("Donating to the community" is what Microsoft did with Visual FoxPro and the .Net Micro Framework, as well, as Microsoft watchers may recall.)
Microsoft isn't simply casting off these languages, officials insisted. And, indeed, it does look like there's been some forethought as to what to do to make sure they don't simply whither. According to a blog post by Jason Zander, Corporate Vice President, Visual Studio:
"As part of these changes I'm happy to announce new project leaders external to Microsoft who will take over the projects and provide leadership going forward. The IronPython project will have Miguel de Icaza, Michael Foord, Jeff Hardy, and Jimmy Schementi as Coordinators. Miguel de Icaza and Jimmy Schementi will be the Coordinators of IronRuby. All of these guys have worked with or on the Iron projects since their inception and I have nothing but trust and respect for the new stewards of these community projects."
Any IronRuby and/or IronPython developers out there? What's your take?
Update: Jim Hugunin, the creator of IronPython, has just announced he is leaving Microsoft for Google. He says Microsoft's decision to discontinue its support of IronPython was "a catalyst but not the cause" for his decision. Some good stuff from Hugunin's eloquent goodbye post:
"I will suffer some pain when I have to write code in Java now that I've learned to love the elegance of C#. I will suffer some frustrations when I have to use Google Docs instead of the finely polished UI in Microsoft Office. More than anything, I will always value the chance that I had to work with and learn valuable lessons from some truly great people.
"As I leave Microsoft, I'm incredibly excited to be going to work for Google. I like to build projects with small talented teams working on quick cycles driven by iterative feedback from users. I like to have a healthy relationship with Open Source code and communities, and I believe that the future lies in the cloud and the web. These things are all possible to do at Microsoft and IronPython is a testament to that. However, making that happen at Microsoft always felt like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole - which can be done but only at major cost to both the peg and the hole."
正如我已经离开了M$,我很兴奋,我可以为'谷歌'办事。我憧憬着和一小群高智商的天才一起工作在高速周期驱动的项目中不断收集和倾听用户的真实回馈。我憧憬着和开源项目及其社区建立一个良性的合作关系,同时我相信未来是云计算的天下(云端传来一个沧桑的细长怪异的回声 welcome on board~~~ young guy!) 这些都是M$可能去做的也是变异'金刚大蛇'的遗愿。不管这么说,对于M$,想要铸就这段故事就好比想要把一个方桩塞进一个大铅桶里去,终是可以完成但是桩和铅桶呢重要付出巨额的代价。
远方传来靡靡之脑波 :
Signs are pointing to Microsoft backing away from IronRuby, the .Net-targeted implementation of the Ruby dynamic programming language that the company has been developing and funding for the past couple of years.
For a while, it looked as if Microsoft was moving full-steam-ahead with dynamic languages. Adding the Dynamic Language Runtime to the Common Language Runtime made the Redmondians seem even more committed. A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft seemed to up the ante again by making IronRuby and IronPython available under the Apache 2 open-source license. Around the same time, Microsoft released version 1.1 of IronRuby and an alpha of IronPython 2.7.
But all isn't rosy in IronRuby land. According to a now former IronRuby developer, Jimmy Schementi, Microsoft has just one developer left on that project (who is committed to it half-time). Schementi recently quit Microsoft when his manager asked him "what else would you want to work on other than Ruby," he blogged.
Schementi's August 6 blog post about his departure from Microsoft has resulted in lots of questions about Microsoft's intentions around IronRuby, IronPython and dynamic languages in general. Developers are wondering whether to continue with IronRuby projects; whether Silverlight and Azure support are in the cards and more.
(I've asked the Softies a bunch of these questions, as well as about the future of IronPython, but no official word back so far.)
Update (August 10): Microsoft is not commenting on the future of IronRuby. Here's the official word from Chris Dias, Group Program Manager, Visual Studio:
"At this time, we have no announcements to make about IronRuby and IronPython beyond what we announced in July 2010 — that we were putting these under the Apache License v2.0. Clearly, there is customer and community interest in these languages. With many organizations running mixed IT environments, we continue to value community feedback on how we can support their interoperability needs, and we remain committed to supporting multiple tools and languages that provide developers with the most choice and flexibility."
Members of the Ruby community already are talking about the possibility of transitioning IronRuby to non-Microsoft ownership, with members of the community taking charge of the project. For that to happen, however, Microsoft needs to be clear about its intentions, as Schementi told members of the IronRuby Core mailing list:
"Though IronRuby is licensed under an open-source license, it is copyright Microsoft. IronRuby.net is owned by Microsoft. The GitHub "ironruby" organization is managed by Microsoft. Etc, etc. If the intention is to cease funding IronRuby, then a non-profit foundation owning IronRuby, like CodePlex Foundation, would be ideal, so that we don't need to jointly own the copyright."
Some kind of an official transition is definitely in order, blogged Mono team member Jean-Baptiste Evain:
"The IronRuby team currently consists of one hacker. We don't know much about the IronPython team. And everyone who wanted to work on .net with their favorite dynamic language is freaking out. To a reason. The good news is that the code of IronPython, IronRuby and the DLR is open source, and has recently been re-licensed under the Apache2 license. The official message is that IronRuby's fate is now in the hands of the community.
"That doesn't sound like a bright future. So far, the community has been excluded from the development process of IronRuby. It's impossible to contribute code to the core compiler of IronRuby, let alone to the DLR which is now part of .net 4.0. The code in github is a mere mirror of an internal TFS repository, and may or may not be up to date. And until IronRuby's divorce with Microsoft is completely consumed, it will stay like this. So, sure we can contribute to external libraries, but that's definitely not where the fun lies, and from now on, nor where the real work will be required.
"So is the solution a fork?"


text:
Companies from all corners of the electrical industry are in agreement on the electrical construction industry's business fortunes, the state of electronic commerce in the electrical industry and the industry's biggest challenges.
Electrical manufacturers, electrical distributors, independent manufacturers reps, electrical contractors and industry association executives who participated in a CEE News survey were concerned that 2001 could be a soft business year, but overall, respondents were not overly pessimistic.THE ECONOMY
Barry Landman, owner, Landman Electric Co., Huntsville, Ala., sees a "possible light recession in February and March," but he expects things to turn around by May. Landman predicts that his company will have a good year, with sales growth in the 6% to 9% range. Landman forecasts business opportunities in three emerging markets — wind energy, photovoltaics and solar energy systems and fuel cells.
A Tennessee commercially oriented electrical contractor, who is forecasting double-digit growth this year, is also optimistic. "I do not foresee anything that will greatly change or impact our business in the near future, said Mike Pogreba, president, ABEC Electric Co. Inc., Nashville, Tenn. "The economy will remain strong and new construction will continue to grow."
One Iowa rep said he thinks rural markets will see a dramatic increase in business in 2001, but believes metropolitan areas could be in for a rough road ahead. "I think the larger cities and the coasts will see a significant slowdown in commercial business, and even more in the industrial markets," said Scott Vande Vegte, president, Russell's Electric, Sioux City, Iowa. He said housing will hold its own.
Curtis Fritz, owner CL Fritz Electrical Contractor, a residentially oriented electrical contractor based in Denver, Pa., expects his company's growth this year to be in the 6% to 9% range. While he doesn't see any real danger signals down the road, he said he believes new construction will have to slow down eventually.
A major concern for the electrical industry is the turn of events with the stock market and the resulting "wealth effect," said Jay Thomas, director of marketing, AFC Cable Systems, New Bedford, Mass.
"This has a huge impact on human psychology and filters into personal and well as professional decisionmaking. It's, 'Will I invest money in a new project now, or wait to see how things turn out?'"
John Alton, president, Minerallac, Chicago, agreed that if people don't feel prosperous, it psychologically influences their purchasing decisions.
"It affects selling tendencies, and when it (the economy) starts to go south, it goes south as a fulfillment of predictions."THE WEB
Survey respondents were also in general agreement that electronic commerce has yet not produced many of the real-world results that even its most devout converts expected.
Maxine Moneada business manager, Frontier Electric, Alamogorda, N.M., said her company's suppliers have Web sites and ordering, but that she prefers the personal sales rep, "a person we can talk to and hold responsible for their service and products."
Jim Harrod, president, Electrical Controls Inc., Holbrook, Mass., said e-business is "way overblown."
"The hysteria would have you believe that a company is history if it has no current operating transactional site. Most of our customers — industrial OEMs and end users — believe it's the future, not the present. Few have expanded beyond e-mail. Transferring technical or product documentation is the most-used aspect today."
Harrod urged manufacturers to continue to invest in traditional "bricks and mortar" distributors. "Even in a cyber world, it still comes down to relationships, reputation, competence, price and delivery," he said.
One California electrical distributor was concerned about the cost of implementation of electronic commerce versus the volume of business that it produces. Mike Christenberry, vice president and general manager, B&K Electric Wholesale, City of Industry, Calif., is excited about the potential of e-business and the way it forces electrical companies to improve their information systems. But he said his customers were skeptical about electronic commerce. "There are too many variables to purchasing online, especially in a construction market."
Several of the survey respondents were frustrated with what they saw as uneven adoption rates of business practices related to electronic commerce. Daryl Cook, owner of G-T Sales, a Salt Lake City-based rep agency, said "It becomes cumbersome if everyone you do business with is at a different level. As a rep, you would like to see distributors and end users access manufacturer Web sites for information. We still get 100% of the calls. One problem is that most of our factory Web sites take too long to navigate through. It's no wonder they call us first."
Mike Pogreba, president, ABEC Electric Co., Inc., an electrical contractor based in Nashville, Tenn., is more concerned with the service that he gets from electrical distributors than with the tools that they need use to provide this service.
"No matter what happens with technology, we still rely on service and competitive prices. We delegate a responsibility to suppliers and trust they will get the right material on site at the right time for the right price. How they accomplish this is up to them."
Steve DeBoer, I-Pro, commercial sales manager, a rep in Denver, Colo., said his company had a significant in-house high-tech investment, but that his company is still cautious in its investments. "We are still waiting to see a success and determine who will be left after this initial phase as regard to dot.coms.
"Customers are skeptical but interested. They are focused on waiting on the acquisition and order-entry phase instead of taking immediate advantage of segments that work well and offer advantage now, such as e-mail, catalog, cut sheet access on the Web."
However, few respondents doubted that electronic commerce has already started reshaping the electrical market. AFC Cable Systems' Jay Thomas said people have "overestimated the speed with which e-business will bring to change to the electrical construction market but underestimated the impact that it will have."
"Because of all the initial hype, many are skeptical. Time will change that as technology and e-commerce continue to change our business."
Other manufacturers said e-business would fundamentally change the supply chain and bring them much closer to end users. "It will enhance our relationships with our ultimate user/customer," said a senior executive with one large manufacturer. "Our customers are both excited and disappointed. There is so much that could be done with e-commerce and it has not yet materialized."
"The Internet will shrink our industry supply chain," said another vendor. "It will bring manufacturers closer to the ultimate customer. Those manufacturers who use reps will see them lose importance."NEW MARKETS
While much of the excitement over the promise of the Web appears to have died down for the time being, some respondents were excited about new business opportunities in several market segments, including home networking, cellular tower construction and telecom hotels.
Tim Plumb, owner, Peak to Peak Electric, a small electrical contractor based in Rollinsville, Colo., is expecting double-digit sales growth and is sold on home networking.
"Every house I have done in the last six months has had a network system installed and more homebuilders are asking instead of me telling them about it."
One Sioux City, Iowa electrical contractor, Scott Vande Vegte, president, Russell's Electric, said datacom has provided "a fair amount of growth." Vande Vegte recently got into the home automation business through the start-up of a new company, Hills Home Systems.WORKPLACE WOES
Respondents said the growing problem of finding and keeping good employees was a major concern. Frontier Electric's Maxine Moneada said, "We have a need for licensed professionals and not enough to man all of the expected growth. We can't keep good help at regular wages. Everyone moves from job to job looking for Davis-Bacon wage rates."DISTRIBUTOR RELATIONS
Many of contractors' concerns regarding their business relationships with electrical distributors centered on the distributors' need to improve customer service. Another problem was declining service at the counter area, said several respondents. Electrical contractors urged electrical distributors to do a better job of training their counter salespeople, but lamented that they were having trouble keeping quality employees, too.
Curtis Fritz, of Denver, Pa.-based CL Fritz Electrical Contractor, said electrical distributors could improve their relations with electrical distributors by opening earlier or closing later, making online purchasing available, maintaining a good inventory, having a good staff and providing reliable shipments.
An Alabama electrical contractor was also looking for electrical distributors to improve some of their basic services. "We need products available and we need competitive pricing. We need good service, maybe more deliveries to job sites. On counters, we need people to know their products," said Landman Electric Co.'s Barry Landman.
Ralph Rundell, owner, Rundell Electric, Grygla, Minn., doesn't like to shop around at several different distributors to get a competitive price. He also didn't want to be "penalized" for being a small contractor. "Having three, four or five wholesale prices stinks," he said.
A Wyoming contractor also was looking for distributors to focus more on the basics. "Stay with the personal contact, add personnel in sales and the warehouse and respect the timelines of your customers."ELECTROFORECAST 2001
While this year's survey results are not statistically verifiable and are not intended to reflect the opinions of a nationwide sampling, they do offer insight into the key issue facing this industry. The following topics came up most often in the survey results:
The economy is slowing down, but is not headed for a recession.
Voice/data cabling, and in particular, the home networking market, offers some of the highest growth opportunities.
The Web works great for finding technical information such as online catalogs, cut sheets and other technical information, but most users don't yet trust it for online purchasing.
The pace of acquisitions and mergers of contractors, distributors, reps and manufacturers now consolidating this industry shows no signs of slowing down.
To better serve their contractor customers, distributors should focus on the basics — providing quality products when and where customers need them, and at a reasonable price.
Finding and keeping good help and providing the necessary training to make their employees productive is a key concern for contractors, distributors, reps and manufacturers.


text:
Paris St. Germain's Qatari owners believe they have managed to convince Arsene Wenger to walk away from Arsenal after 17 years in order to become their new manager for the start of next season.
The French club are convinced that current boss Carlo Ancelotti will take over from Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid after reportedly informing PSG's owners that he did not plan to stay at the club beyond the end of the season.
Reports in the Telegraph suggest that senior figures at the Parisian club have claimed that Wenger has been persuaded to leave Arsenal and that he will walk away from the north London club despite having one year remaining on his contract.
Wenger has always made it clear that he intends to see out his current deal, in fact just days ago he responded to rumours suggesting he would leave by saying: "I have always respected my contracts and at my age I will not change anything.
"I am concentrated on the next match and I am already preparing for the next season," Wenger was quoted as saying in the Telegraph.
However, French newspaper Le Parisien has made the claim that Wenger will meet with the owners of PSG next week, with the club confident that they can tempt him back to France this summer.
Much may well depend on whether Arsenal manage to secure their place in the Champions League for a 16th time as Wenger would surely want to remain at the club and have one last crack at securing European glory.
Arsenal have endured another frustrating season and are now solely playing for a top four finish after crashing out of every cup competition. They are some 21 points behind champions Manchester United and are far from certain to hang on to fourth place with Spurs just two points behind and with one game in hand.
The Telegraph believe that Arsenal have already sounded out the possibility of replacing Wenger with Germany manager Joachim Loew who would certainly earn a much higher wage at a Premier League club.
With just a matter of weeks remaining in both the French and English leagues, it appears the speculation may well continue until Ancelotti makes his position at PSG clear.


text:
Australian Greens portfolio reshuffle: Senator Rhiannon picks up Housing, Industry and Gun Control
25 August 2016
Portfolio allocations for the Greens parliamentary team was announced today.
Senator Rhiannon has taken on three new portfolios: Housing, Industry and Gun Control. She will retain her portfolios of Democracy, Local Government and Animal Welfare.
"Australia faces tremendous challenges, with the provision of housing affordability one of the most critical if we are to reduce inequality. I look forward to picking up on the leading work of Senator Scott Ludlam in this area," said Senator Rhiannon.
"I thank Scott for his outstanding work on the Housing portfolio.
"Scott got the national conversation started on negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts, and I look forward to continuing that work.
"I also thank Adam Bandt for his work on Industry particularly for his work on the visionary Renew Australia plan.
"Adam and I will continue to work closely together on transitioning Australia to a jobs-rich renewable energy economy," Senator Rhiannon said.


text:
McCain Questions Rivals on National Security
By Dan Balz
Arizona Sen. John McCain reacted quickly to the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto Thursday, calling the killing "a great tragedy" that would embolden Islamic extremists throughout the Middle East. He said U.S. policy should be aimed at providing Pakistan with "every kind of help we can to maintain order and move forward with the political process."
At a morning rally in Urbandale, McCain declined to criticize the Bush administration's policies toward Pakistan. But he did not shy away from saying that he believes he has credentials that none of his Republican rivals possess for dealing with national security threats posed by Islamic jihadists.
McCain was asked by reporters whether he thought Mitt Romney was equipped to handle national security issues of the type presented by Thursday's assassination. "I don't know. I know he doesn't have any experience there but I don't know how he would handle it to tell you the truth."
What about Mike Huckabee, another reporter asked? "Everybody that's running. None of them supported what's working in Iraq, except for me, and I was condemned at the time for it, for supporting the surge, which is succeeding. I think my record is clear -- 20 years, I've been involved in every national security issue that's faced this nation. And I have the judgment to handle it, and I've proven it."
McCain was pointedly dismissive of Rudy Giuliani's national security credentials. Asked about the former mayor's new television ad highlighting Giuliani's performance after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he said he saw no connection between that and being president.
"It has very little to do with national security issues," he said. "It has a lot to do with handling the [aftermath of the attacks]. As far as I know, Mayor Giuliani's never been to Iraq. And I'm not saying that he is without credentials. I'm saying I'm the one with the most credentials and the most exp and the most judgment."
McCain said he would hope there is no political benefit for anyone from the events in Pakistan Thursday. But he said the events could focus new attention on the message of his campaign.
"It may serve to enhance those credentials or make people understand that I've been to Waziristan, I know Musharraf, I can pick up the phone and call him. I knew Benazir Bhutto. I know the area. But I hate for anything like this to be the cause of any political gain for anybody," he said.
Web Politics Editor
December 27, 2007; 4:10 PM ET
Save & Share: Previous: Giuliani Pivots from Bhutto News to Military Funding
Next: Romney Heads to Iowa, Noting Uncertainty in GOP Race
Mc Cain is too much like Kennedy when it comes to illegal immigration. Huckabee is having a sudden change of heart but it is only recently that he changed his mind.
Our Government must be ready to change in 2008
The systems for verifying citizenship and the bio card for temporary workers must be ready and we will be looking to the Democrats to get the job done. So far, they have all spent all of their time investigating the investigation of every body else's departments other than their own.
We want Washington DC to hear the citizens of America. They work for us at our pleasure. They have all become rich while they do our nation's business, but they fail to ensure that our constitutional rights are protected when it comes to being invaded by other countries. How many inventory control systems in America could turn a profit if they never knew what came in and what went out?
Is it too complicated for our country to actually know who is among us? Perhaps we have allowed the lobbyist to get too close to our nation's interest. If we can't protect our sovereignty then we are foolish and allowing greedy people to take over us simply because we are too lazy to stand up and be heard. So, if we continue on this current path of letting other countries have a highway straight through us, have no method of knowing who and what they bring with them, and send our wages down to pre 1970 rates, then were the heck will our children work? How can they work for less when the cost of living, gas, homes, food, power, taxes, and all the while picking up the tab with our tax dollars for the illegal immigrants health care, educating illegal students who require Spainish speaking teachers at our expense, and feeding them with our food stamps, and watching people like Mc Cain, Huckabee, Kennedy, and Durbin demanding more? While our children have to take out student loans, work part time, and borrow every cent a parent can spare to keep them up while they are in school, our own senate wants these students to pay taxes on their earnings and hand those taxes out to the illegal students who shouldn't be here in the first place. Our leaders have lost the vision of what our country means to the Americans who have fought for this country, who have supported this government to our own discomfort in living conditions, and we deserve people who will work for this country, for WE THE PEOPLE, and stop trying to be Mother Teresa to the entire world. Other countries would love to just see America keep it's hand to it's self.
The bad trade deals that Clinton made like NAFTA , and Bush's CAFTA have driven those countries people to have to leave their homeland to earn a living. STOP!
Clean around our own door steps before you try to clean everyone else's.
Posted by: net_50 | December 28, 2007 9:16 AM | Report abuse
Hillary Clinton is as far from Bush as you can get.
She's smart, competent, amazingly high energy and hardworking and incredibly detail-oriented.
She's the exact oppposite of Bush.
She's like a female FDR+JFK with a good sized dollup of Maggie Thatcher thrown in for good measure.
Posted by: svreader | December 27, 2007 10:50 PM | Report abuse
Senator Hillary Clinton is the strongest candidate to be President.
The events of today show how much we need her leadership in the White House.
Clinton is just Bush in a pantsuit. Another brain-dead neo-con doing the bidding of the CFR. And of course doing favors for all her criminal contributors.
Posted by: eco-pharm | December 27, 2007 10:11 PM | Report abuse
McCain is an unstable lunatic. He shouldn't even be allowed to visit the White House.
Posted by: eco-pharm | December 27, 2007 10:07 PM | Report abuse
Ahem, cough Cough!
YES, John Boy, you do have very impressive Military Experience. But it does sort of stop there now don't it?!
I bet when it is really considered, John McCain could do a whole lot more focussing on nothing but the military for Mitt Romney/ Huck, in their Cabinet!
Same for Tancredo, Giuliani, Thompson, and even Dr.NO!-Each specializing in their specialized talents, for the Statesmen, to State!
See, Mitt's best stregnth, utilizing other peoples!
Posted by: rat-the | December 27, 2007 9:47 PM | Report abuse
She was a target and by returning to Pakistian just made it easier for her killers.
From the incident on the day she arrived this was bound to happen unless she had proper security. She did not.
The Bush Administration has failed miserably in this part of the world.
We definately need a regime change in Washington.
Senator Hillary Clinton is the strongest candidate to be President.
The events of today show how much we need her leadership in the White House.
Posted by: COWENS99 | December 27, 2007 9:45 PM | Report abuse
Please, please, please spare us the "only the GOP tough guys can handle this dangerous world" drivel. The GOP has been handling it for most of three decades, except for Clinton, when they controlled Congress for 3/4 of the time. How has that worked out????
Posted by: steveboyington | December 27, 2007 9:43 PM | Report abuse
'McCain said he would hope there is no political benefit for anyone from the events in Pakistan Thursday. But he said the events could focus new attention on the message of his campaign.'
I despise these people, juliani said the same thing on CNN a minute ago, and yet they all play up thier credentials, they have no souls, no humility, no decorum and they want to be president, remmeber one thing and one thing only, 9/11 happened when the repubs were in power, they all say not on my watch, it was on their watch, and I really don't think being held a prisoner of war makes you suitable to be president, just as being the ex mayor of a city doesn't, remember also that it was this president who has funded pakistan while it was selling, or giving nuclear assistance to N Korea and many others, you just got to hate these people, I know there's enough hate in the world, as shown by todays killing of Bhutto
Posted by: totallyclips | December 27, 2007 9:42 PM | Report abuse
Here is a big problem I have with McCain: his photo op strolling around the Baghdad marketplace, extolling how similar it was to a market in the Midwest. Last time we checked, you didn't need an advance team of 100 or so special forces and bulletproof vests for safety. That propaganda film showed how much integrity he has regarding the "straight talk express".
Posted by: steveboyington | December 27, 2007 9:12 PM | Report abuse
Geritol John needs a little shot a B-12 and a huge bolus of reality. John supports what is "working now' in Iraq, the infamous "surge". yes, but John you supported all the bullheaded, bullshot, arrogant, idiotic policies in Iraq all along. After 5 years of dismal failure and almost 4000 American deaths you can somehow extrapolate "good judgement" out of that cesspool?
Well if being a POW for 5 years somehow qualifies you as a foreign policy-military-diplomatic expert, anything is possible. The fact that you were a POW for that long is not only admirable, if illustrates a character that few of us have. However, sorry, that does not translate, transfer or otherwise imbue you with mystical powers to be the only person in the race who could serve as our next president.
Go home John. You sold your soul to the devil when you endorsed GWB after what he did to you in South Carolina in 2000. You may have been principled once, you are just another tired, old political hack chasing a pipe dream.
Posted by: forensicsbx | December 27, 2007 9:01 PM | Report abuse
OH PLEASE. Watch these candidates climb all over bodies to extol their own personal virtues.
_I am the best equipped, most experienced, most adept_ to take care the country and the world.
Yet, as someone earlier noted, these talking heads have stood by and watched our country squander lives and blood and resources in the middle east.
Stop the madness; stop the neocon war mongering; stop the sabre-rattling and wake up.
Voters, beware all the "experience" that's being touted. It's lies.
Posted by: suzeq | December 27, 2007 8:31 PM | Report abuse
Hillary Clinton is tougher than any of the male candidates running.
Nobody could ever accuse Margaret Thatcher or Golde Meir of not being tough enough to do the job.
Hillary Clinton's made out of the same stuff.
I rather have her in charge of my military than Romney or Huckabee any day.
Posted by: svreader | December 27, 2007 8:20 PM | Report abuse
The assassination should remind American voters that we are living in a dangerous world. The choice of the next President is no longer just a political one. The voters must decide if candidates like Mr. Obama or Mrs. Clinton are most qualified to be commander in chief of the United States Forces.
Posted by: dunnhaupt | December 27, 2007 8:08 PM | Report abuse
This is truly disgusting.
The woman is barely cold in her grave and McCain is trying to turn her death into a political advantage. Can he really be that cold hearted?
What's next, an ad that says that if she used a particular product or a used a particlar private security contractor she'd still be alive?
Is there no limit to people's callousness and naked lust for money and power?
I feel like throwing up.
Posted by: svreader | December 27, 2007 8:03 PM | Report abuse
Here we go again. Barely minutes or hours after this woman is dead, we have talking heads hyperventilating about which presidential candidate will benefit from her death. The conventional wisdom here is that McCain, Rudy or Hillary are poised to take on those problems. They are supposed to be the tough. OK.
Just like that? Here I was rushing home hoping to hear some foreign policy experts discuss the seriousness of this tragedy, given Pakistan's possession of nuclear weapons. Instead already some are calling the election, with not a single vote yet.
Wow. I recall the same kind of excitement over the Iraq war. No one taking the time to ask the right questions. But instead, talking about the political gains.
Hello. I want some assurance from foreign policy experts on what the best course would be to deal with this matter.
Posted by: askpeabody | December 27, 2007 7:32 PM | Report abuse
Well, since I am one of those hawkish conservatives, I am indeed arguing that McCain has more AND better national experience than any other candidate running -- that's not the only important issue though -- which is why I am supporting Romney this time around.
Now, if Dick Cheney were running . . .
Posted by: JakeD | December 27, 2007 7:29 PM | Report abuse
Jake, I think you mean "more" national security experience, not "better." Because "better" is a judgment call while "more" is simply a quantification, which is what your list provides us with.
One could actually make the argument, quite effectively, that McCain is unable to lead our country in foreign policy affairs because of his history in the military.
Let me give you an example. If you see a UFC fighter on the street and call him an ignorant fool, is he going to punch your lights out or plead with you to change your mind before taking physical action? Of course he's going to punch your lights out because that's his tried-and-true method of engagement.
Similarly, McCain thinks of military action as the primary means to an end. Most hawkish conservatives are in line with this kind of thinking. Clearly, as in Iraq and Afghanistan, this thinking is not successful without strategy and effective diplomacy.
What this country needs is a leader who sees military action as ONE means to an end, not THE means to an end. We need someone who can remain objective regarding military attacks, and McCain will never be able to overcome his bias in that regard. Only someone who is not bound to the military can lead this country with a balanced foreign policy.
Posted by: thecrisis | December 27, 2007 7:25 PM | Report abuse
Both McCain's grandfather and father were Admirals in the United States Navy -- following in their footsteps, McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 -- he became a Naval aviator flying attack aircraft from carriers. Participating in the Vietnam War, he narrowly escaped death during the 1967 Forrestal fire -- on his twenty-third bombing mission over North Vietnam, he was shot down and badly injured. McCain was captured and became a prisoner of war for five and a half years, before he was released following the Paris Peace Accords in 1973.
Retiring from the Navy in 1981 and moving to Arizona, McCain soon entered politics. In 1982, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 1st congressional district -- after serving two terms there, he was elected to the U.S. Senate from Arizona in 1986 -- he was subsequently re-elected Senator in 1992, 1998, and 2004. McCain has served on the Senate Armed Services Committee for his entire tenure.
Anyone else want to contend their candidate has better national security experience?
Posted by: JakeD | December 27, 2007 7:08 PM | Report abuse
I would have to agree with McCain that, out of all the candidates in the race, he is the most qualified in terms of national security experience -- a close second would be Joe Biden as a long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations -- of course, Biden was going to law school in 1968 rather than Vietnam.
Posted by: JakeD | December 27, 2007 7:00 PM | Report abuse
tom1960davis: thanks for noticing ; )
Posted by: JakeD | December 27, 2007 6:49 PM | Report abuse
I guess Ronald Reagan was a "liberal on the GOP ticket" too, since he SIGNED INTO LAW the first amnesty to legalize illegal aliens -- BTW: if they are legalized, aren't they among the "American people"? What about their children BORN here -- are you one of those arguing that the 14th Amendment "All persons born or naturalized" does not mean "all"?
Posted by: JakeD | December 27, 2007 6:46 PM | Report abuse
John McCain is a liberal running on the republican ticket. John McCain was on the committee (chaired by Ted Kennedy) who devised a plan to give amnesty to millions of illegals. John McCain's vote to legalize illegal aliens was a vote against the American people.
Posted by: lkleaz | December 27, 2007 6:41 PM | Report abuse
To all that question Sen. McCain's Foreign Policy credentials,
Please remember that in the prelude to NATO and the US moving into help stabilize Bosnia, Sen. McCain effectively acted as a Foreign Minister, for the Clinton administration, no less, securing the help needed from our allies. Many of his colleagues from the GOP were too timid to try to find solutions, but instead ventured to predict disasters that never happened.
Also, from the Get-Go, Sen. McCain has advocated that we use a lot more troops than the administration was giving to the efforts in Iraq. The administration was attempting to fight a war on 'economy of effort' which is just spiffy for private industry, but horrible for any kind of military operation.
Posted by: kolbkl | December 27, 2007 6:35 PM | Report abuse
JakeD just completely schooled islandloans. Enjoy your service, islandloans.
Posted by: tom1960davis | December 27, 2007 6:34 PM | Report abuse
O.K., islandloans, I'll bite: how in the world do you think John Kerry was more qualified than an INCUMBENT PRESIDENT on national security experience?
Posted by: JakeD | December 27, 2007 6:25 PM | Report abuse
More years in meditation (solitary) and multiple terms in the Senate spell "a steady had at the wheel": who on earth (or in this campaign) can claim to have been there, done that, seen the "waste" (four years: the honesty here is overwhelming in re Rumsfeld):this is a seasoned man: and a leader for our times. As a "veteran" of the health care (Medicare wars): I cannot imagine anyone (else) REALLY stepping up to the plate and both knowing, then building the state-of-the-art REHABILITATION facilities now required here, in the United States. It will be SO refreshing to hear talk of rebuilding healthcare "infrastructure": which in the end will save billions in care dollars for our returning veterans. It will not relegate them to the streets.
Years of experience is exactly what we need: but even if he will not say it (again, then again): by someone who has, indeed, been there, etc.
I was forced to do two years of ROTC: I would never claim Army experience. There are a few, in the Senate, on both sides, with whom President McCain will work: with real military careers in their past. McCain will bring them together, to make certain that no one is left on the street: no one is discharged for lack of beds. Perhaps Senator Edwards should consider a position in a McCain Cabinet: they are both saying the same thing: have the guts to yell it out: one quarter of all street people out there are United States veterans. Where is their health care? What went wrong with their promises: as Edwards rightly points out: for the least of them, and the least able to articulate their needs. Chilling: shades of Humphrey (how we treat others): and a mix of moderate Democratic reasoning. And civility first, above all.
Posted by: beaufortalbert | December 27, 2007 6:17 PM | Report abuse
What happens when we find out that Musharraf or someone within his regime is responsible for the attack? Of course Republicans will say it's Al Qaeda and Al Qaeda will likely be more than happy to take credit for it, even if they had nothing to do with the attack.
Just another attempt of the right wing to spin every attack into momentum for their partisan, imperialistic campaign.
Posted by: thecrisis | December 27, 2007 6:12 PM | Report abuse
river845 says "It is merely factual for McCain to state that he has experience and is informed about world events in a way that none of the other "candidates on either side is." In what way is he experienced? Because he attended a bunch of committee meetings? Because he was a POW in another equally misguided war as the current one? He's only demonstrating here that he's an experienced politician by quickly exploiting a tragedy to try to bolster his nearly defunct campaign.
Posted by: TomCadorette | December 27, 2007 5:50 PM | Report abuse
McCain has not demonstrated any leadership in relation to Pakistan or Afghanistan. He has no expertise in South Asian issues that he can present to distinguish himself from the other candidates.
As for the surge, it is unsustainable (it will begin to draw down in April, for political purposes and in recognition that our military cannot sustain, although military doctrine would call for it to be increased.
In addition to unsustainability, it is not demonstrably working. 2007 is the deadliest year of the war for US forces. There is no progress on the political end. Turkey and Kurdistan are reaching the point of open conflict. The moderate Shia clerics are losing influence due to the incompetence of Al-Maliki and his government. There is no rapprochement between Sunni and Shia. The irony is that Sadr is appearing to present the best hope for a united settlement on Iraq.
Sen. McCain's claims have no merit unless one only accepts media spin.
Posted by: Paleocon_Bill | December 27, 2007 5:49 PM | Report abuse
National Security is a "no-brainer". The problem before 9-11 as now is a dysfunctional FBI. The only way to protect the country is shake up the FBI with terminations of employment and new hires.
Until that happens the US is just as safe now as it was before 9-11.
Funnie thing about McCain and Hillary. They tout experiece as a pre-requsite yet support the inexperienced Bush to the hilt.
We can rule out both Hillary and McCain as serious contenders in the Presidential race. They dish out too much BS.
Posted by: Maddogg | December 27, 2007 5:49 PM | Report abuse
If Mc Cain's argument that he's the only candidate who has the national security experience and qualification, so voters should elect him as the 2008 president. That's wrong Mr. Mccain. This isn't the only issue Americans are after for their country. Look what happened during the Bush-Kerry election. Kerry was more qualified than Bush on national security experience. Voters chose Bush.
Posted by: islandloans | December 27, 2007 5:48 PM | Report abuse
While I respect Sen McCain, I question his claim that the surge is working as that depends on your definition of "working".
Dr. Paul certainly has a better grasp of the issues than anyone else running.
Dr. Paul's supporters put off some people by their enthusiasm but their zeal for his ideas and ideals has a solid basis.
Posted by: tchtic | December 27, 2007 5:48 PM | Report abuse
The one who should tout good judgement was Obama.
Senator Obama "There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again . . . If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."
Bhutto on Obama's statements about Pakistan
Well, I wouldn't like the United States to violate Pakistan's sovereignty with unauthorized military operations. But the issue that I would like to stress is that Barack Obama also said, if Pakistan won't act. And that's the critical issue, that the government has to act. And the government has to act to protect Pakistan's own serenity and integrity, its own respect, and to understand that if it creates a vacuum, then others aren't going to just twiddle their thumbs while militants freely move across the border.
"The country is endangered by extremism...an organized minority had seized control of the levers of the state," including officials who had connections to extremists going way back to the Afghan mujahedin war against the Soviets, which boosted such radicals as Osama bin Laden."
As usual judgement is better than experience
Posted by: TennGurl | December 27, 2007 5:45 PM | Report abuse
It is merely factual for McCain to state that he has experience and is informed about world events in a way that none of the other candidates on either side is.
This is one of McCain's main strengths. It is the business of politics to profit from misfortune, as well as good fortune. They play the ball whatever way it comes to them.
Posted by: river845 | December 27, 2007 5:41 PM | Report abuse
You have to be a low life scumbag to try to score points from someone's tragic death. McCain appears to fit right in.
Posted by: playa_brotha | December 27, 2007 5:31 PM | Report abuse
I find it ironic that McCain is braggin about his foreign policy experience. if anything, American foreign policy has been nothing but disastrous in the past 20+ years. Not sure who is believing Mccain's fictitious stories. Iraq war is a disaster and it is by no means a success or a finished one anytime soon. Him braggin abiut surge shows how shallow his common sense is.
Posted by: kanank | December 27, 2007 5:23 PM | Report abuse
Who will benefit from Bhutto's death? Politicians are quickly answering, "Hopefully me." McCain says that his support of having more troops in Iraq-- a strategy as yet unproven in its results-- shows he could deal with crises such as Pakistan? Say what?? He will not criticize U.S. support of Musharraf's dictatorial rule? And he is certain that Islamic extremists were behind the Bhutto killing, even before an investigation has been undertaken and while some could just as well see Musharraf or his military backers as the guilty parties? And, of course, no criticism of the U.S. policy (under Bush's daddy) of giving arms to Islamic rebels, including Taligan, who fought the Soviets. But, then, how many Republicans even criticized the Reagan Administration for selling guns to Iran to supposedly woo "moderate" clerics in the government there (with guns??) and to raise funds for the Contras? Geesh, people. At least wait until Bhutto is buried before trying to benefit from her death.
Posted by: Sutter | December 27, 2007 5:21 PM | Report abuse
Sure - we can send more troops over there and we'll just print more dollars to make it happen. Everyone who is on a fixed income over here, we'll just print more dollars so they can have food stamp and what all. Then when there's a run on dollars we can devalue the currency and ruin everyone who isn't rich in America and start a global depression. After that, we can buy up all the assets for pennies on the dollar and be even richer corporations than we are now! PLEASE help us, Dr. Paul!
Posted by: lnardozi | December 27, 2007 5:20 PM | Report abuse
Is he campaigning to become president or keep his job in the senate? I'm no Giuliani supporter but to say that his crisis management experience after 9/11 isn't related to a president's role in foreign relations is crazy. I'm sure he knows a lot of answers about foreign policy issues, but I'm not sure that qualifies him to be president. That job is about leadership, quick and critical responses, and team-building. Nixon was a foreign policy genius but I think you'd have a hard time arguing that Nixon lifted this country up the way Reagan, someone without foreign policy experience, did. I like McCain, but he's not right for the president's job. The worst thing a president can do is put the American interest second behind global opinion and international law. McCain's stance on GITMO, interrogation, and borders shows that if anything he is weak on foreign policy. He needs to keep his job in the senate. He seems to not understand that being president is a totally different job.
Posted by: txindep | December 27, 2007 5:17 PM | Report abuse
Is the answer to the question.... "Who benefits from Benazir Bhutto's death?".... Al Qaida? Not very likely. Curious how quickly leaders like Bush "assume" that Al Qaida did this.... how convenient.
Posted by: kejhill | December 27, 2007 5:07 PM | Report abuse
Over recent years, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and all the rest of the GOP nodded approvingly while George Bush & Co. poured billions into the coffers of General Musharaff. During that period Musharaf: a. presided over the dismantling of Pakistani democracy b. allowed his minions to provide nuclear technology to rogue regimes like North Korea c. allowed Al Qaeda and like-minded fundies to seek refuge within Pakistan's borders d. continued to sabre rattle with India. So why should I care that John McCain can pick up a phone. The GOP has proven itself incompetent and clueless when it comes to dealing with Pakistan, Afghanistan and the whole region.
Posted by: jbentley4 | December 27, 2007 4:33 PM | Report abuse
The comments to this entry are closed.


text:
Problem for American Industry: A Good Welder is Hard to Find
The nation's 390,000-odd welders are becoming policy pin-ups, sparking debate on issues ranging from labor market dynamics to the health of the military-industrial base. The pay's not bad, either.
Kansas City Fed chief Esther George joined the throng Friday, singling out the sector as one reason why she felt there was upward pressure on wages, which was in turn stoking upward pressure on inflation.
"We often hear, in this part of the country, about a shortage of welders, for example," she said after a speech in Kansas City.
More on this after the jump…


text:
Fayette County
Psychiatrist says loyalty caused her to turn down top job at Eastern State
The psychiatrist who has decided not to take the appointment to lead Eastern State Hospital at its new $129 million Lexington campus said she changed her mind out of loyalty to the Indiana hospital she now leads.
Peggy Stephens, a Louisville native and a former part-time physician at Eastern State, was to start work as chief administrative officer and chief medical officer on July 1, at an annual salary of $300,000. Her appointment was announced earlier this month.
Stephens said in an interview Wednesday that she simply decided that she did not want to leave Madison State Hospital in Madison, Ind., where she has been superintendent, chief executive officer and medical director since 2005.
"It was totally the loyalty and my heartstrings for my current hospital," Stephens said. "I wish them all the best. It's going to be a fantastic hospital."
The new 239-bed Eastern State Hospital, on UK's Coldstream Research Campus, is set to open in early September.
The 300,000-square-foot hospital has been described as state-of-the-art. In addition to providing acute inpatient treatment, it will feature a broad range of services and classes to ease patients' transition into the community. Eastern State's programs include four personal-care homes that encourage the development of transitional life skills; a neurobehavioral unit for patients with brain injuries; and a long-term care unit for patients with psychiatric disabilities.
Stephens' Kentucky ties included receiving her medical degree at the UK College of Medicine. A former faculty member of Harvard University Medical School, she is a past president of the Kentucky Medical Psychiatric Association.
UK has relaunched the national search for a leader of Eastern State Hospital and has several outstanding applicants from the initial search, UK spokeswoman Kristi Lopez said Tuesday.


text:
by Diane Rossen Worthington
This lamb stew entrée features dates, fresh ginger, pungent spices such as cumin and coriander, and zinfandel -- reminiscent of an exotic Middle Eastern lamb stew.
You can make this lamb stew recipe two days ahead of time; in fact, it will taste even better if you do, as the flavors have time to meld. Both the stew and the cooking vessel such recipes traditionally cook in are known as a tagine. Luckily for you, it's not necessary to buy a clay tagine -- you can just use a Dutch oven.
Dates offer a unique, sweet flavor. What do they taste like? I guess I would describe them as a cross between a prune and a fig, but they really have a unique flavor, and each variety has its own characteristics. Even though they are dried, it's best to keep the dates refrigerated to retain some moisture. There are many date varieties but I am partial to the Medjool for its sweet, soft, creamy flesh.
I use boneless, cut-up leg of lamb here, but you could also use lamb shoulder. The shoulder is much less expensive, but you have to cut away the bones and some of the fat before you brown it. Remember not to crowd the meat when you brown it; otherwise the meat will steam and not brown. Browning helps enrich the sauce. Feel free to personalize this dish with some pitted green olives, rinsed cooked chickpeas, or even some fresh spinach leaves. If you like, you like you could sprinkle some toasted almonds on top as a garnish.
Serve this slightly sweet, aromatic lamb stew on a chilly night along with couscous. It's also be a good Sunday lunch choice. To drink? Try a fruity Zinfandel that you are using in the dish. Zinfandels from the Paso Robles region of California would be a good choice.
Lamb Stew Recipe with Dates and Zinfandel Wine
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1.5 to 2 Hours
Lamb Stew Recipe Ingredients
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 1/2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, but into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 cup red wine like Zinfandel
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 cup pitted, chopped dates, Medjool preferred
Juice and grated zest of an orange
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, for garnish
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
How to make this Lamb Stew Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in large ovenproof casserole over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and sauté another 3 minutes or until slightly softened. Transfer to a side bowl and set aside.
2. Pat the meat dry. Place the flour in a lock-top plastic bag and add salt and pepper. Shake it. Place the lamb in the bag and seal it. Shake the bag around until the lamb is lightly coated with the flour.
3. Add 2 more tablespoons of the oil to the casserole on medium high heat. Add half of the meat and brown on all sides, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer the meat to the vegetables as it browns. Add the remaining oil, if necessary and brown the remaining meat. Return the onion-meat mixture to the casserole.
4. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and ginger, and stir to coat the meat and vegetables, about 1 minute. Add the wine, broth and tomatoes to the casserole and bring to boil, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the dates, orange zest and juice, and bring to a boil on high heat.
5. Cover casserole, place in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender.
6. If the sauce is very thin, remove meat and vegetables with slotted spoon and boil sauce to thicken it. Return meat and vegetables to casserole. Taste for seasoning. Place in a serving bowl and garnish with fresh parsley and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Advance Preparation: This may be prepared completely up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat gently. Taste for seasoning just before serving.
Check out Stew in a Jiffy: Moroccan Lamb Stew - Wolfgang Puck Recipes
Lamb Stew Recipe, Middle Eastern Cuisine
Lamb Stew with Dates & Zinfandel Wine Recipe
World-renowned chefs with an extraordinary passion for food share their passion on iHaveNet.com. These chefs make great cooking easier than imagined. Each gourmet recipe features expert advice and an easy-to-make recipe. Exactly what you need to transform your home cooking from acceptable to delectable
Article: Copyright © Tribune Content Agency