text:
Tampa Bay Downs
Send this article to a friend
Your Name
Your Email
Friend's Email
You have
characters remaining for your message.
OLDSMAR, FL. – A tumor in his jaw forced Ricardo Mejias to leave jockeys school in Puerto Rico, worried his career wouldn't get off the ground.
Confusion about immigration requirements sent Ryan Curatolo home to France, three months after finishing second in 2011 Eclipse Award voting for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey.
One case sounds potentially life-threatening, the other barely more than an inconvenience.
But their circumstances forced Mejias and Curatolo to reexamine their motivations for becoming jockeys – and the answers led both to Tampa Bay Downs, where they are making positive impressions in manners as different as their homelands.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Watching a race from an owner's box is a sweet perk for a jockey agent.
It can also be nerve-wracking if you persuaded the owner to give your rider a shot on a horse with six different jockeys in her last six races – especially if your rider is a relatively unknown 20-year-old apprentice.
That was the dilemma agent Angel Landrau faced sitting next to owner-trainer Gerald Bennett as they watched the baby-faced Mejias warm up 3-year-old filly Prothoe before Saturday's sixth race.
"I had asked him about giving Ricky a shot, because he keeps getting better and better and he has the advantage of getting weight off," said Landrau, also the agent for journeyman Walter De La Cruz. "I told (Bennett) not to worry. I had a lot of confidence."
Bennett agreed to use Mejias, but asked Landrau to stay with him during the race. "He told me, 'Sit with me upstairs, because if this horse doesn't run good, I'm going to throw you down the balcony,' " Landrau said.
Bennett was joking, of course, but Mejias rendered the point moot. After stalking the pace in the early stages of the seven-furlong starter/optional claiming event, Mejias angled Prothoe outside and in the clear on the turn before driving her to a one-length victory at odds of 12-1.
Impressing an established trainer such as Bennett was another step forward for Mejias, who rode his first winner in March at Camarero in Puerto Rico before coming to Parx Racing in Philadelphia.
Now establishing himself at Tampa Bay Downs, Mejias has won with 46 of 295 starters in his brief career – an impressive 15.6-percent rate – and is tied for fifth in the standings with seven victories.
"I watched him ride in Cleveland (at Thistledown) during the summer, and he was doing a good job winning races and getting some long shots to finish in the money," Bennett said. "He doesn't make too many mistakes. He's young, aggressive and he wants to win races."
Aggressive is an apt description of Mejias' style. But at Tampa Bay Downs, with its colony of grizzled veterans – including Daniel Centeno, Willie Martinez, Scott Spieth and Ronnie Allen, Jr. – Mejias and Curatolo are learning safety is always a top priority.
It's a point of emphasis when they watch replays together in the jockeys' room, or when they are called in by the stewards. Racing can be one of the most dangerous sports, and the last thing guys who have been riding 20 years need is some hotshot looking to make a name for himself with less than 100 percent attention to clean, safe riding.
"Willie Martinez told me last week that just winning a race isn't going to make you better," Mejias said. "You have to watch the replays and prepare yourself before every race."
For an apprentice, even one who has started to win fairly consistently like Mejias, it is all part of a steep learning curve.
When using an apprentice jockey (also known as a bug boy), horsemen seek to get a break in the weight their horse must carry. Apprentices are allowed 10 pounds until they have ridden five winners; 7 pounds until they have ridden an additional 35 winners; and 5 pounds until a year from the date of their fifth winning mount.
Upon winning the first race of the 2012-13 Tampa Bay Downs meet – his 40
career victory – Mejias' weight allowance went from 7 to 5 pounds, still considerable to trainers.
"Take a 10-pound bag of sugar, put it under your arm and try to outrun somebody, and you'll see what extra weight means," Bennett said. "With the allowance, you're probably talking about a three or four-length advantage (all else being equal)."
Two years ago, Mejias didn't know if he'd even be riding, let alone winning races. After attending jockey school in Puerto Rico for a year, he was forced to put his dreams on hold to undergo surgery to remove a non-cancerous tumor in his jaw.
In December of 2010, doctors went in beneath Mejias' ear to remove the tumor, leaving a 4-inch scar on his neck. Unable to ride afterward, he worked at Camarero as a jockeys'-room valet, riding the mechanical Equicizer between duties.
Another operation followed in May of 2011 in which bone was grafted from his hip to replace part of his jaw, forcing Mejias to do little except watch races and think about riding.
Despite his misfortune, Mejias never lost sight of his ambition. "I told my mother, 'I'm not going to let this get me down. I'm going to follow my dream, go back to school and become a jockey,' " Mejias said.
Even when he was laid up, he knew nothing could come close to the thrill of competing on the racetrack.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
While Mejias was sitting out most of 2011 in Puerto Rico, Ryan Curatolo, also 20, was making a major impression in New York.
The native of Marseille, France won 115 races, mostly on the New York circuit, and finished second in Eclipse Award voting for Outstanding Apprentice behind Kyle Frey.
In November of 2011, Curatolo went to Churchill Downs for the Breeders' Cup, finishing seventh on Pure Gossip in the $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs.
Curatolo lost his apprentice status in January of 2012. Two months later, he won the Grade III Cicada Stakes at Aqueduct on Agave Kiss, but he had to return to France three weeks later to renew his immigration papers.
Curatolo worked out at a gym to stay in shape, but when he got back to Monmouth last summer, he found opportunities few and far between. Not only was he no longer an apprentice, outfits he had ridden for had made other commitments.
"I had lost my bug, and that meant I had to rebuild my business," Curatolo said. He won only 29 races in 2012, but is off to a decent start at Tampa Bay Downs, with four victories and 11 in-the-money efforts from 17 starters.
Curatolo came to Oldsmar at the urging of top trainer Christophe Clement and scored aboard the conditioner's 3-year-old Empire Maker filly Clarinda in an impressive maiden special weight triumph Dec. 26.
"When I was a bug boy at Belmont, (Clement) said I should go to Tampa because they have a lot of good races on the grass," Curatolo said.
Clarinda's victory actually came on the main track, going seven furlongs. "It's always better when you ride those kind of horses (like Clarinda). Those big trainers do a great job getting them ready to win, and you just have to put the horse in the right position and try to do something," Curatolo said.
Curatolo's agent, Sonny Hughes, credited the rider with smarts and patience for his winning effort. The 4-5 favorite, Clarinda was boxed inside from the turn to midstretch, but Curatolo refused to make a bad situation worse, biding his time before swinging wide for her stretch run.
"The only chance (Luis) Garcia (jockey on the runner-up, Bonjour Belle) had was to keep Ryan pinned on the rail," Hughes said. "But Ryan didn't panic and waited until he was able to get her outside and come on.
"That's the way you evaluate a young rider – do they stay patient and relaxed, or do they get nervous and start doing silly stuff? Ryan has a good, solid foundation from being able to ride in New York as long as he did.
"His learning curve was shortened because of the wisdom that was imparted to him competing against quality riders like Ramon Dominguez," Hughes added.
From all accounts, Curatolo avoided the glitz and self-seeking flatterers in New York, putting his job ahead of the endless trappings of success. In time, he also learned to ignore the catcalls and criticism that are part and parcel of the Big Apple racing scene.
"I got a chance to know Ryan this summer at Monmouth, and he is a very professional, polite, respectful young man with a natural passion for his job," Hughes said.
Wisdom, skill, good manners and desire are poor subsitutes for mounts, but Curatolo believes his business is on the upswing at Tampa Bay Downs. More important, he believes this is what he is cut out to do.
"I have good communication with my agent, but you have to sell yourself," Curatolo said. "When you're winning, everybody wants to ride you. When things slow down, you still have to show up in the morning, work horses, keep yourself focused and do your homework.
"If I get on two horses or 10 every day, it's the same for me. I'm here to keep learning. I'm going to try my best to win, and if I can't win, I'm going to try my best for second."
Curatolo is determined to not lose sight of the formula that made him so popular in New York in 2011. "When you win so many races, it is easy to forget how you got there," he said, "but you have to keep your feet on the ground.
"I don't try to prove anything to people. I know what I can do, so I just have to prove it to myself. I didn't go crazy because I won a lot of races in New York," Curatolo added. "I have a great job, but it is a job where anything can happen in a minute."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
For riders like Mejias and Curatolo, the question often becomes what they will accomplish after losing the "bug."
Last year's leading apprentice at Tampa Bay Downs, Erik Barbaran, had a decent showing last summer at Suffolk in his first meet as a journeyman, winning 20 races.
Still only 20, Barbaran is working this winter in Ocala for his father Horacio Barbaran, riding ship-ins instead of basing his tack at the track. He is 0-for-13 at the meet and barely remembered by railbirds who watched him win 27 races here last season.
"This meet is tough," said the elder Barbaran. "Erik has been in the country only one year (from Peru). I know he can become a good jockey. Next spring, I will go to Boston to help him, and I think he'll be strong."
At the other end of the spectrum, Angel Serpa was an Eclipse finalist for Outstanding Apprentice in 2010, winning 105 races, and his haul last season included 158 victories and a win in the Grade III, $150,000 Tampa Bay Stakes aboard 28-1 shot Roman Tiger.
Why no drop-off in Serpa's business? The explanation is simple, according to his agent, Al Dellape.
"The deal is, if you can maintain the stock you're on and get a chance to ride them back – and then you win on them – you're going to continue to go on," Dellape said.
"If you have a kid who is on the precocious side, and a trainer is getting 7 or 5 pounds off, it's almost like stealing. He has a good thing going for him," Dellape said. "And if a kid gets a shot back after he loses the bug and keeps winning, he'll do a good business."
On the racetrack, though, success depends on more than a "Just win, baby" mantra – especially since even the greatest jockeys lose about 80 percent of their races.
Trainers such as Bennett appreciate a rider who learns as much from a photo-finish loss as an easy victory; someone who can put the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in the past right away.
He believes he has found such a jockey in Mejias.
"If they have a good work ethic, hang around the right people and stay with good outfits, they will usually keep having success after they lose the bug," Bennett said. "In this sport, the harder you work, the luckier you get."
Mejias has displayed a strong sense of the pace of races, a trait often in short supply among apprentices. "A lot of kids like to send their horses hard from the gate, then they have nothing to finish with," agent Landrau said.
"Ricky is very patient and knows where he is on the track. He has a good future, and I think he can ride anywhere if he gets a break."
And for now, it looks like the breaks will keep coming at Tampa Bay Downs as trainers such as Bennett and Robert Raymond send business his way.
"We'll ride (Mejias) some more," Bennett said. "He seems like a bright young kid who wants to work and gallop horses in the mornings, and it looks like he can get out of the gate and get close, or whatever your instructions are. He looks like he will keep moving forward."
<< Back
Gift Shop
Site Map
Group Events
The Club
Newsletter Signup
© Copyright Tampa Bay Downs |
Web Design by Bayshore Solutions


text:
(pronounced as separate letters) Short for Serial Attached SCSI, an evolution of parallel SCSI into a point-to-point serial peripheral interface in which controllers are linked directly to disk drives. SAS is a performance improvement over traditional SCSI because SAS enables multiple devices (up to 128) of different sizes and types to be connected simultaneously with thinner and longer cables; its full-duplex signal transmission supports 3.0Gb/s. In addition, SAS drives can be hot-plugged.
In topologies with more than two connected devices, SAS calls for the use of expander devices to allow for more than one hostto connect to more than one peripheral.
SAS devices can communicate with both SATA and SCSI devices (the backplanes of SAS devices are identical to SATA devices). A key difference between SCSI and SAS devices is the addition in SAS devices of two data ports, each of which resides in a different SAS domain. This enables complete failover redundancy as if one path fails, there is still communication along a separate and independent path.
The future remains, well, cloudy. But either way: Amazon, look out. Microsoft is gaining fast. Read More »Hype Versus Action in the Developer's World
Often times technologies start as hype but with time become adopted. As a developer or technologist, it is worth reading the hype and knowing the... Read More »Microsoft Hyper-V Network Virtualization Q&A
The top 5 Hyper-V questions with answers provided by Nirmal Sharma, a MCSEx3, MCITP and Microsoft MVP in Directory Services. Read More »
Webopedia Polls: Is iPhone 6 or iWatch on your list? Read More »How to Create a Desktop Shortcut to a Website
This Webopedia guide will show you how to create a desktop shortcut to a website using Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer (IE). Read More »Flash Data Storage Vendor Trends
Although it is almost impossible to keep up with the pace of ongoing product releases, here are three recent highlights in the flash data storage... Read More »
Stay up to date on the latest developments in Internet terminology with a free weekly newsletter from Webopedia. Join to subscribe now.
We Recommend
Datamation Hangouts with Tech ExpertsWatch Datamation's editor James Maguire moderate roundtable discussions with tech experts from companies such as Accenture, Dell, Blue Jeans Network, Microsoft and more »

subset: commoncrawl


text:
ĀBy Nancy Hastings
Whether itÆs the new year, a new job, a new baby or simply the right time to get your finances order, the process usually starts with setting some goals.
Experts say the first step in the process of achieving financial goals is to recognize what needs to be done to put yourself in the position you want to be in. Once youÆve identified those goals, you just need to figure out how to accomplish them.
Don Toffolo, AAMS from Edward Jones in Jonesville said this is the perfect time of year to think about goals.
ōItÆs a good week to do this since people are coming in this week to get their finances in order,ö Toffolo said.
Financial Advisor Brian Perry, CHFC, CRPC of Ameriprise Financial of Hillsdale agrees that the new year is the time when people want to get their ōfinancial houseö in order to start the year out fresh.
ōItÆs similar to whatÆs going on in Washington D.C.,ö Perry said. ōIt all starts with us as we focus on what our needs are.ö
When people are asked what type of financial goals they are looking to accomplish in the next year, the experts say there are four common answers when looking to obtain financial health.
Spend less on unnecessary expenses
The first step in cutting out unnecessary expenses is to determine your current spending habits to understand just how much disposable income you have so you can set a monthly budget and manage it wisely.
ōI like to be less specific with it and think of it more as a process,ö Toffolo said. ōPeople can ask where they are today, where theyÆd like to be and how they can get there.ö
How they can stay on track and staying accountable is also important to consider, he said.
Perry said heÆs always told clients that when looking at a budget, spend money wisely.
ōIn some cases itÆs cleaning up loose ends,ö he said. ōWe can create a path to get there.ö
To help stay on track, both agree itÆs important to check your budget monthly to see how you are doing.
Achieve healthier credit
To achieve healthier credit, the experts advise checking your score. This provides a baseline, making it easier to track progress.
From there, check your credit reports frequently and look for any bad financial habits that may be keeping your score down, such as late payments or bloated credit card balances.
ōItÆs what people can be doing all the time when they make their budgets,ö Toffolo said.
Page 2 of 2 - Checking regularly can also help you minimize your exposure to identity theft and ensure your credit report accurately reflects your credit history.
Though some people may not have access to ways to check their score, having awareness of what expenses they do have is key, Perry said.
ōWe all agree that less debt is better for you and if you can help rid yourself of it, the better off you are,ö he said.
Save more money
Once youÆve created your monthly budget, you can begin to identify ways to cut unnecessary expenses and save more. Sit down with your financial adviser to see what type of investments, such as a 401k, make sense with any money that's left over. As you are reassessing your financial goals, review your investments to solidify your returns.
Toffolo said these may seem like common sense measures, but from his experience, itÆs something everyone needs to be reminded of.
Perry said saving money goes back to staying on a budget and meeting certain increments. While some people may not get paid enough to add much to their savings, it adds success ōall around the board.ö
Pay down existing debts
For most folks, paying down debts is the first step toward saving more, so the two often go hand in hand.
Some advisors suggest identifying which debts carry the highest interest rates and focus on paying those off first.
Toffolo agrees with attacking credit card debt before you increase principal payments on ōgoodö debt like students loans with low interest rates. As youÆre setting your monthly budget, dedicate any money thatÆs left over to paying down your debts, he said.
Perry said itÆs not always the high interest debts that have to be tackled first.
ōIt sometimes makes more sense to pay off the smaller debts to have more money to apply to the bigger ones,ö he said.
Both agree when setting financial goals, it pays to develop a plan that you can execute and then have the discipline to stick to it.


text:
From obvious names like Muk, to pokemon names that have just been turned round from their inspired animal, such as Ekans, many pookemon names are not that origional. So which one is the most unorigional pokemon name in your opinion.
I think the abra's evolutions are personally the most unorigional, just using 3 words of a famous magical phrase to give to phycic pokemon isnt that thoughtgful... Abra is probably the worst.


text:
To find a doctor, call 800-667-5356 or click below:
Find a Doctor
Request an Appointment
This, of course, is what it is all about. When we are initially diagnosed with breast cancer, we are sad and anxious, but generally recognize that we are not going to die quickly from the disease. Although there are some women who are diagnosed with advanced/metastatic/Stage IV breast cancer, most, blessedly are not. Instead, we endure a long treatment of surgery, maybe radiation, maybe chemotherapy, maybe hormonal therapy, and then we finish. And try to resume our normal lives, gradually recognizing that everything has changed. Even those women with "excellent" prognoses know that no one gets a promise.
As time passes, most women find that the anxiety about recurrence diminishes a bit also. It flairs a few days before medical visits or an annual mammogram or MRI or upon hearing of someone else's bad news. It flairs big time if we experience a worrisome sympton: a lingering cough, pain that might be bone pain but probably isn't, a headache that persists. Doctors generally suggest the Two Week Rule: if something lasts longer than two weeks, call about it. Otherwise, forget it; most things don't last that long. Obviously this does not apply to major emergent symptoms like chest pain or a severe headache (that probably don't mean cancer, but might mean some other serious thing). I often reassure women that a breast cancer diagnosis turns us all into hypochondriacs as we become very body focused and aware of every twinge.
Background: Increasing proportions of patients diagnosed with cancer will become long-term
survivors (!5 years post-diagnosis). However, survivors may continue to experience negative
effects of cancer and/or treatment, including fear of recurrence (FoR). This review aims to provide
an overview of current knowledge on FoR, including determinants and consequences in long-term
cancer survivors, and to outline methodological and conceptual challenges that should be
addressed in future research.
Methods: Multiple databases including PUBMED, EMBASE, and PsycINFO were searched
to identify relevant articles. Seventeen articles were included. Data were extracted by two
reviewers and summarized following a systematic scheme.
Results: Even years after initial diagnosis, cancer survivors suffer from FoR. Most studies
report low or moderate mean FoR scores, suggesting that FoR is experienced in modest intensity
by most survivors. Studies including long-term and short-term survivors indicate no significant
change of FoR over time. Lower level of education, lower level of optimism, and being
Hispanic or White/Caucasian were found to be associated with higher levels of FoR. Signi!cant
negative associations were reported between FoR and quality of life as well as psychosocial wellbeing
All but three studies were conducted in the USA. General cut-offs for severity/clinical signi
!cance have not been defined yet.
Conclusions: FoR at modest intensity is experienced by most long-term cancer survivors. Future
studies should address determinants and consequences of FoR in more detail. Validated
instruments providing cut-offs for severity/clinical signi!cance of FoR should be developed and
utilized. Ef!cient interventions should be implemented to reduce detrimental effects of FoR.


text:
Main Content
Ladies, there are two traditions at Turner Field, doing the tomahawk chop and donning the Braves battle red. Join the crowd by sporting this Chipper Jones Off-Field Drama Player tee from Majestic! It features a distressed team name across the front with Jones' name and number on the back for a bold show of player and team pride. Do the chop and chant and show your friends that you support your team.
- 90% Cotton/10% Polyester
- Classic fit
- Distressed screen print graphics
- Imported
- Officially licensed MLB product
- Rib-knit collar
- Soft, comfy ribbed ladies T-shirt
- Tagless collar
Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


text:
Full size version is only available to registered users
Please Register as a New User or Login as Existing User to gain full access to all the photos on this site. Registration is quick and completely free.
Unregistered users can only view full size photos that have been added this month.
the housewives boulder
© chrisdavies, Feb 2011
Camera used: sony ericson


text:
On the way…custom shirt
The guys over at Tailor4Less recently contacted me about reviewing some of their products. After going through their website and given that I've been on the lookout for a navy gingham shirt, I decided to give it a try and have one custom made for me. Expect a proper review when I get it in a week or so.


text:
TCP/IP, or Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, is the fundamental language that all computers on the Internet use to communicate. Human languages are hierarchical – that is, letters are built into words, then words are built into sentences.
Even though TCP/IP is used by computers, it's built the same way. Bits, the building blocks of all computer data, are organized into words called "packets" that are transmitted from one machine to another on the Internet.
TCP/IP is a universal protocol, meaning that any computer can use it to communicate with any other computer. Data in TCP/IP packets can be sent over many systems, including copper telephone lines, fiber-optic lines, satellite links and hybrid fiber-coaxial cable lines.


text:
Those on the hunt for a laid-back Canada family ski destination will find a Big White ski vacation high on their list. Located in British Columbia's picturesque Okanagan Valley, Big White is uniquely blessed with sunny weather, dry powder and mild temperatures. With 118 marked runs fanning from the summit, 2,565 acres of skiable terrain, 16 lifts and 25 feet of snowfall annually, there's a great selection of terrain for everyone, from deep-powder bowls, wide-open glades and great fall-line cruising, to the ultimate park experience at Big White's award-winning Telus Terrain Park. Take advantage of Big White's most unique scenery and ski amongst "snow ghosts," or snow- and ice-caked trees, which create a magical backdrop in this winter playground, and provide perfect photo opportunities.
As a premier family destination, Big White has a great range of events and activities for the entire family including snowmobiling, exploring the backcountry on cross-country skis or snowshoes, wilderness tours via sleigh or dog sled, night-skiing, snow-tubing, ice-skating, mini z's, fireworks and carnivals, just to name a few. After a day on the slopes, enjoy Big White's buffet of restaurants, lounges, coffee houses, delis, bakeries, cozy pubs and bars to choose from. Whatever you're after, Big White has a scene to suit your pace. Big White's numerous ski-in, ski-out lodging options at the base area and the resort's car-free mid-mountain village takes the guesswork out of getting around, and make Big White a favorite among families and large groups.
Located just 35 miles southeast of Kelowna, getting to Big White is easy and the travel options are plenty. Major airlines fly daily into Kelowna's international airport which is the major gateway into interior B.C.
About 32 percent of the Big White ski area is groomed, making it a haven for intermediates, families and beginners. Big White may not be hailed as an expert-skier or snowboarder destination, but the reality is that thrill-seekers have plenty of black diamond runs, steep alpine bowls and off-piste terrain.
Start planning the ultimate family getaway and call—or chat with—Ski.com's knowledgeable Mountain Vacation Specialists.


text:
7 U.S. Code § 1506 - General powers
(b) Corporate seal
The Corporation may adopt, alter, and use a corporate seal, which shall be judicially noticed.
(c) Property
The Corporation may purchase or lease and hold such real and personal property as it deems necessary or convenient in the transaction of its business, and may dispose of such property held by it upon such terms as it deems appropriate.
(d) Suit
Subject to section 1508 (j)(2)(A) of this title, the Corporation, subject to the provisions of section 1508 (j) of this title, [1] may sue and be sued in its corporate name, but no attachment, injunction, garnishment, or other similar process, mesne or final, shall be issued against the Corporation or its property. The district courts of the United States, including the district courts of the District of Columbia and of any territory or possession, shall have exclusive original jurisdiction, without regard to the amount in controversy, of all suits brought by or against the Corporation. The Corporation may intervene in any court in any suit, action, or proceeding in which it has an interest. Any suit against the Corporation shall be brought in the District of Columbia, or in the district wherein the plaintiff resides or is engaged in business.
(e) Bylaws and regulations
The Corporation may adopt, amend, and repeal bylaws, rules, and regulations governing the manner in which its business may be conducted and the powers granted to it by law may be exercised and enjoyed.
(f) Mails
The Corporation shall be entitled to the use of the United States mails in the same manner as the other executive agencies of the Government.
(g) Assistance
The Corporation, with the consent of any board, commission, independent establishment, or executive department of the Government, including any field service thereof, may avail itself of the use of information, services, facilities, officials, and employees thereof in carrying out the provisions of this subchapter.
(h) Collection and sharing of information
(1) Surveys and investigations
The Corporation may conduct surveys and investigations relating to crop insurance, agriculture-related risks and losses, and other issues related to carrying out this subchapter.
(2) Data collection
The Corporation shall assemble data for the purpose of establishing sound actuarial bases for insurance on agricultural commodities.
(3) Sharing of records
Notwithstanding section 1502 (c) of this title, records submitted in accordance with this subchapter and section 7333 of this title shall be available to agencies and local offices of the Department, appropriate State and Federal agencies and divisions, and approved insurance providers for use in carrying out this subchapter, such section 7333 of this title, and other agricultural programs.
(i) Expenditures
The Corporation shall determine the character and necessity for its expenditures under this subchapter and the manner in which they shall be incurred, allowed, and paid, without regard to the provisions of any other laws governing the expenditure of public funds and such determinations shall be final and conclusive upon all other officers of the Government.
(j) Settling claims
The Corporation shall have the authority to make final and conclusive settlement and adjustment of any claim by or against the Corporation or a fiscal officer of the Corporation.
(k) Other powers
The Corporation shall have such powers as may be necessary or appropriate for the exercise of the powers herein specifically conferred upon the Corporation and all such incidental powers as are customary in corporations generally.
(l) Contracts
The Corporation may enter into and carry out contracts or agreements, and issue regulations, necessary in the conduct of its business, as determined by the Board. State and local laws or rules shall not apply to contracts, agreements, or regulations of the Corporation or the parties thereto to the extent that such contracts, agreements, or regulations provide that such laws or rules shall not apply, or to the extent that such laws or rules are inconsistent with such contracts, agreements, or regulations.
(m) Submission of certain information
(1) Social security account and employer identification numbers
The Corporation shall require, as a condition of eligibility for participation in the multiple peril crop insurance program, submission of social security account numbers, subject to the requirements of section 405 (c)(2)(C)(iii) [2] of title 42, and employer identification numbers, subject to the requirements of section 6109 (f) of title 26.
(2) Notification by policyholders
Each policyholder shall notify each individual or other entity that acquires or holds a substantial beneficial interest in such policyholder of the requirements and limitations under this subchapter.
(3) Identification of holders of substantial interests
The Manager of the Corporation may require each policyholder to provide to the Manager, at such times and in such manner as prescribed by the Manager, the name of each individual that holds or acquires a substantial beneficial interest in the policyholder.
(n) Actuarial soundness
(1) Projected loss ratio as of October 1, 1995
The Corporation shall take such actions as are necessary to improve the actuarial soundness of Federal multiperil crop insurance coverage made available under this subchapter to achieve, on and after October 1, 1995, an overall projected loss ratio of not greater than 1.1, including—
(A) instituting appropriate requirements for documentation of the actual production history of insured producers to establish recorded or appraised yields for Federal crop insurance coverage that more accurately reflect the associated actuarial risk, except that the Corporation may not carry out this paragraph in a manner that would prevent beginning farmers (as defined by the Secretary) from obtaining Federal crop insurance;
(B) establishing in counties, to the extent practicable, a crop insurance option based on area yields in a manner that allows an insured producer to qualify for an indemnity if a loss has occurred in a specified area in which the farm of the insured producer is located;
(C) establishing a database that contains the social security account and employee identification numbers of participating producers, agents, and loss adjusters and using the numbers to identify insured producers, agents, and loss adjusters who are high risk for actuarial purposes and insured producers who have not documented at least 4 years of production history, to assess the performance of insurance providers, and for other purposes permitted by law; and
(2) Projected loss ratio
The Corporation shall take such actions, including the establishment of adequate premiums, as are necessary to improve the actuarial soundness of Federal multiperil crop insurance made available under this subchapter to achieve an overall projected loss ratio of not greater than 1.0.
(o) Regulations
The Secretary and the Corporation are each authorized to issue such regulations as are necessary to carry out this subchapter.
(p) Purchase of American-made equipment and products
(1) Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that, to the greatest extent practicable, all equipment and products purchased by the Corporation using funds made available to the Corporation should be American-made.
(2) Notice requirement
In providing financial assistance to, or entering into any contract with, any entity for the purchase of equipment and products to carry out this subchapter, the Corporation, to the greatest extent practicable, shall provide to the entity a notice describing the statement made in paragraph (1).
(r) 3 Procedures for responding to certain inquiries
(1) Procedures required
The Corporation shall establish procedures under which the Corporation will provide a final agency determination in response to an inquiry regarding the interpretation by the Corporation of this subchapter or any regulation issued under this subchapter.
(2) Implementation
Not later than 180 days after June 23, 1998, the Corporation shall issue regulations to implement this subsection. At a minimum, the regulations shall establish—
(A) the manner in which inquiries described in paragraph (1) are required to be submitted to the Corporation; and
(3) Effect of failure to timely respond
If the Corporation fails to respond to an inquiry in accordance with the procedures established pursuant to this subsection, the person requesting the interpretation of this subchapter or regulation may assume the interpretation is correct for the applicable reinsurance year.
[1] So in original.
[2] See References in Text note below.
[3] So in original. Probably should be "(q)".
Source(Feb. 16, 1938, ch. 30, title V, § 506,52 Stat. 73; June 21, 1941, ch. 214, § 2,55 Stat. 255; Aug. 1, 1947, ch. 440, § 7,61 Stat. 719; Aug. 25, 1949, ch. 512, § 8,63 Stat. 665; Pub. L. 96–365, title I, §§ 103, 107(a),Sept. 26, 1980, 94 Stat. 1313, 1317; Pub. L. 101–624, title XXII, §§ 2201(a), 2202,Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 3951, 3954; Pub. L. 102–237, title VI, § 601(1), (2),Dec. 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 1878; Pub. L. 103–66, title I, § 1403(a),Aug. 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 333; Pub. L. 103–354, title I, §§ 104, 119(f)(1),Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3181, 3208; Pub. L. 105–185, title V, § 533,June 23, 1998, 112 Stat. 583; Pub. L. 106–224, title I, §§ 121(b), 124 (b),June 20, 2000, 114 Stat. 377, 378; Pub. L. 110–234, title XII, §§ 12002(a), (b)(1), 12003(a), 12033(c)(2)(B),May 22, 2008, 122 Stat. 1371, 1405; Pub. L. 110–246, § 4(a), title XII, §§ 12002(a), (b)(1), 12003(a), 12033(c)(2)(B),June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664, 2133, 2167.)
References in Text
Section 405 (c)(2)(C)(iii) of title 42, referred to in subsec. (m)(1), was redesignated section 405 (c)(2)(C)(iv) of title 42 by Pub. L. 103–296, title III, § 321(a)(9)(B),Aug. 15, 1994, 108 Stat. 1536.
Pub. L. 110–234and Pub. L. 110–246made identical amendments to this section. The amendments by Pub. L. 110–234were repealed by section 4(a) ofPub. L. 110–246.
2008—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 110–246, § 12002(a)(1), substituted "Subject to section 1508 (j)(2)(A) of this title, the Corporation" for "The Corporation" in first sentence.
Subsecs. (g) to (i), (m). Pub. L. 110–246, § 12033(c)(2)(B), substituted "this subchapter" for "this chapter" wherever appearing.
Subsec. (n). Pub. L. 110–246, § 12002(b)(1), redesignatedsubsec. (o) as (n).
Pub. L. 110–246, § 12002(a)(2), struck out subsec. (n) which related to penalty for willful and intentional provision of false or inaccurate information to the Corporation or any insurer.
Subsec. (n)(1). Pub. L. 110–246, § 12033(c)(2)(B), substituted "this subchapter" for "this chapter" in introductory provisions.
Subsec. (n)(2). Pub. L. 110–246, § 12033(c)(2)(B), substituted "this subchapter" for "this chapter".
Pub. L. 110–246, § 12003(a), in heading, struck out "as of October 1, 1998" after "loss ratio" and, in text, struck out ", on and after October 1, 1998," after "to achieve" and substituted "1.0" for "1.075".
Subsecs. (o), (p). Pub. L. 110–246, § 12033(c)(2)(B), substituted "this subchapter" for "this chapter".
Pub. L. 110–246, § 12002(b)(1), redesignatedsubsecs. (p) and (q) as (o) and (p), respectively. Former subsec. (o) redesignated (n).
Subsec. (q). Pub. L. 110–246, § 12002(b)(1), redesignatedsubsec. (q) as (p).
Subsec. (r). Pub. L. 110–246, § 12033(c)(2)(B), substituted "this subchapter" for "this chapter" wherever appearing.
2000—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 106–224, § 124(b), added subsec. (h) and struck out heading and text of former subsec. (h). Text read as follows: "The Corporation shall assemble data for the purpose of establishing sound actuarial bases for insurance on agricultural commodities."
Subsecs. (q) to (s). Pub. L. 106–224, § 121(b), redesignatedsubsecs. (r) and (s) as (q) and (r), respectively, and struck out former subsec. (q), which related to program compliance by insurance providers and required notice to any provider of any error, omission, or failure to follow Corporation regulations or procedures for which provider may be responsible and which may result in a debt owed the Corporation.
1998—Subsec. (s). Pub. L. 105–185added subsec. (s).
1994—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 103–354, § 119(f)(1), substituted "1508(j)" for "1508(f)" in first sentence.
Subsec. (j). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(2), added subsec. (j). Former subsec. (j) redesignated (k).
Subsec. (k). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(1), redesignatedsubsec. (j) as (k). Former subsec. (k) redesignated (l).
Subsec. (l). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(1), (3), redesignatedsubsec. (k) as (l), in first sentence inserted ", and issue regulations," after "agreements", and in second sentence substituted "contracts, agreements, or regulations" for "contracts or agreements" wherever appearing. Former subsec. (l) redesignated (m).
Subsec. (m). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(1), redesignatedsubsec. (l) as (m). Former subsec. (m) redesignated (n).
Subsec. (n). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(1), redesignatedsubsec. (m) as (n). Former subsec. (n) redesignated (o).
Subsec. (n)(1)(B). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(4), added subpar. (B) and struck out former subpar. (B) which read as follows: "disqualify the person from receiving any benefit under this chapter for a period of not to exceed 10 years."
Subsec. (o). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(1), (5)(B), redesignatedsubsec. (n) as (o) and reenacted heading without change.
Subsec. (o)(1). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(5)(B), designated existing provisions as par. (1) and inserted heading. Former par. (1) redesignated subpar. (A).
Subsec. (o)(1)(A). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(5)(A), (C), redesignated former par. (1) as subpar. (A) and substituted "(as defined by the Secretary) from obtaining Federal crop insurance" for "from obtaining adequate Federal crop insurance, as determined by the Corporation".
Subsec. (o)(1)(B). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(5)(A), redesignated former par. (2) as subpar. (B).
Subsec. (o)(1)(C). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(5)(A), (D), redesignated former par. (3) as subpar. (C) and inserted ", agents, and loss adjusters" after "participating producers" and after "identify insured producers".
Subsec. (o)(1)(D). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(5)(A), redesignated former par. (4) as subpar. (D).
Subsec. (o)(2) to (4). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(5)(A), (E), added pars. (2) and (3) and redesignated former pars. (2) to (4) as subpars. (B) to (D), respectively, of par. (1) and realigned their margins.
Subsecs. (p) to (r). Pub. L. 103–354, § 104(6), added subsecs. (p) to (r).
1993—Subsec. (n). Pub. L. 103–66added subsec. (n).
1991—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 102–237, § 601(1), substituted "section 1508 (f)" for "section 1508 (c)" and a period for semicolon at end.
Subsec. (m)(1). Pub. L. 102–237, § 601(2), in introductory provisions substituted "willfully" for "wilfully" and in subpar. (A) struck out "to" after "exceed".
1990—Pub. L. 101–624, § 2202(b)(1), substituted "General powers" for "General powers of Corporation" as section catchline and struck out "The Corporation—" before subsec. (a).
Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101–624, § 2202(b)(2), (13), inserted heading and "The Corporation" and substituted period for semicolon at end.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101–624, § 2202(b)(3), (13), inserted heading and "The Corporation" and substituted period for semicolon at end.
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 101–624, § 2202(b)(4), (13), inserted heading and "The Corporation" and substituted period for semicolon at end.
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 101–624, § 2202(b)(5), inserted heading and "The Corporation,".
Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 101–624, § 2202(b)(6), (13), inserted heading and "The Corporation" and substituted period for semicolon at end.
Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 101–624, § 2202(b)(7), (13), inserted heading and "The Corporation" and substituted period for semicolon at end.
Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 101–624, § 2202(b)(8), (13), inserted heading and "The Corporation," and substituted period for semicolon at end.
Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 101–624, § 2202(b)(9), (13), inserted heading and "The Corporation" and substituted period for semicolon at end.
Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 101–624, § 2202(b)(10), (14), inserted heading and "The Corporation" and substituted period for "; and" at end.
Subsec. (j). Pub. L. 101–624, § 2202(b)(11), (14), inserted heading and "The Corporation" and substituted period for "; and" at end.
Subsec. (k). Pub. L. 101–624, § 2202(b)(12), inserted heading and "The Corporation".
Subsec. (l). Pub. L. 101–624, § 2201(a), added subsec. (l).
Subsec. (m). Pub. L. 101–624, § 2202(a), added subsec. (m).
1980—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 96–365, § 103(1), substituted "may purchase" for "may make contracts and purchase". See subsec. (k) of this section.
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 96–365, § 103(2), substituted provision granting exclusive original jurisdiction to district courts of the United States, including district courts of the District of Columbia and of any territory or possession, for prior grant to any State court of record having general jurisdiction or any United States district court, authorized intervention by the Corporation in proceedings, and required suits against the Corporation to be brought in the District of Columbia or in district wherein plaintiff resides or is engaged in business.
Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 96–365, § 103(3), substituted "use of the United States mails" for "free use of the United States mails".
Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 96–365, § 107(a), struck out authority for conducting researches, surveys, and investigations relating to crop insurance. See section 1508 (i) of this title.
Subsec. (k). Pub. L. 96–365, § 103(4), added subsec. (k).
1949—Subsec. (h). Act Aug. 25, 1949, struck out obsolete language and included authority for a study of the possibility of developing some type of livestock insurance.
1947—Subsec. (d). Act Aug. 1, 1947, provided for suits in State courts of general jurisdiction or in United States district courts regardless of amount in controversy.
1941—Subsec. (h). Act June 21, 1941, substituted "and preparatory to the application of the chapter to other basic commodities when so provided by law, shall assemble data relative to field corn, for the purpose of establishing a satisfactory actuarial basis for such commodity" for "for wheat and other agricultural commodities."
Effective Date of 2008 Amendment
Amendment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234by Pub. L. 110–246effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 ofPub. L. 110–246, set out as an Effective Date note under section 8701 of this title.
Effective Date of 1998 Amendment
Pub. L. 105–185, title V, § 537,June 23, 1998, 112 Stat. 584, provided that: "Except as provided in section 535 [112 Stat. 583], this subtitle [subtitle C (§§ 531–537) of title V of Pub. L. 105–185, amending this section and sections 1508 and 1516 of this title and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section] and the amendments made by this subtitle take effect on July 1, 1998."
Effective Date of 1994 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 103–354effective Oct. 13, 1994, and applicable to provision of crop insurance under Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) beginning with 1995 crop year, with such Act, as in effect on the day before Oct. 13, 1994, to continue to apply with respect to 1994 crop year, see section 120 ofPub. L. 103–354, set out as a note under section 1502 of this title.
Effective Date of 1993 Amendment
Pub. L. 103–66, title I, § 1403(c)(1),Aug. 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 335, provided that: "Except as provided in paragraph (2), this section [amending this section and sections 1508 and 1508a of this title] and the amendments made by this section shall become effective on October 1, 1993."
Effective Date of 1980 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 96–365effective Sept. 26, 1980, see section 112 ofPub. L. 96–365, set out as a note under section 1504 of this title.
Pub. L. 103–66, title I, § 1403(c)(2),Aug. 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 335, provided that: "Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act [Aug. 10, 1993], the Secretary of Agriculture shall publish, for public comment, proposed regulations to implement the amendments made by this section [amending this section and sections 1508 and 1508a of this title]."
Transfer of Functions
Administration of program of Federal Crop Insurance Corporation transferred to Secretary of Agriculture by 1946 Reorg. Plan No. 3, § 501, eff. July 16, 1946, 11 F.R. 7877, 60 Stat. 1100. See note set out under section 1503 of this title.
Wartime consolidation of Federal Crop Insurance Corporation into Agricultural Conservation and Adjustment Administration, see note set out under section 1503 of this title.
Required Terms and Conditions of Standard Reinsurance Agreements
Pub. L. 106–224, title I, § 148,June 20, 2000, 114 Stat. 394, provided that: "Notwithstanding section 536 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 1506 note; Public Law 105–185), the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation may renegotiate the Standard Reinsurance Agreement once during the 2001 through 2005 reinsurance years."
Pub. L. 105–185, title V, § 536,June 23, 1998, 112 Stat. 584, provided that:
"(a) Definitions.—In this section, the terms 'approved insurance provider' and 'Corporation' have the meanings given the terms in section 502(b) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1502 (b)).
"(b) Terms and Conditions.—
"(1) Incorporation of amendments.—For each of the 1999 and subsequent reinsurance years, the Corporation shall ensure that each Standard Reinsurance Agreement between an approved insurance provider and the Corporation reflects the amendments to the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) that are made by this subtitle [see Effective Date of 1998 Amendment note above] to the extent the amendments are applicable to approved insurance providers.
"(2) Retention of existing provisions.—Except to the extent necessary to implement the amendments made by this subtitle, each Standard Reinsurance Agreement described in paragraph (1) shall contain the following provisions of the Standard Reinsurance Agreement for the 1998 reinsurance year:
"(A) Section II, concerning the terms of reinsurance and underwriting gain and loss for an approved insurance provider.
"(B) Section III, concerning the terms for subsidies and administrative fees for an approved insurance provider.
"(C) Section IV, concerning the terms for loss adjustment for an approved insurance provider under catastrophic risk protection.
"(D) Section V.C., concerning interest payments between the Corporation and an approved insurance provider.
"(E) Section V.I.5., concerning liquidated damages.
"(c) Implementation.—To implement this subtitle and the amendments made by this subtitle, the Corporation is not required to amend provisions of the Standard Reinsurance Agreement not specifically affected by this subtitle or an amendment made by this subtitle."
Crop Insurance Provider Evaluation
Pub. L. 103–354, title I, § 118,Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3205, provided that:
"(a) In General.—The Comptroller General of the United States and the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (referred to in this section as the 'Corporation') shall jointly evaluate the financial arrangement between the Corporation and approved insurance providers to determine the quality, costs, and efficiencies of providing the benefits of multiple peril crop insurance to producers of agricultural commodities covered under the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.).
"(b) Collection of Information and Proposals.—The Corporation shall require private insurance providers and agents to supply, and the private insurance providers and agents shall supply, records and information necessary to make the determinations and evaluations required under this section. The Corporation shall solicit from the approved insurance providers and agents proposals for modifying or altering the requirements, regulations, procedures, and processes related to implementing the Federal Crop Insurance Act to reduce the operating and administrative costs of the providers and agents.
"(c) Initial Report.—Not later than 180 days after receipt of information and cost-reduction proposals under subsection (b), the Corporation shall evaluate the information and proposals obtained and report the results of the evaluation to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate.
"(d) Final Report.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 13, 1994], the Comptroller General and the Corporation shall submit a final report that provides the evaluation required under subsection (a) to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate. In making the evaluation, the Comptroller General and the Corporation shall—
"(1) consider the changes made by the Corporation in response to increased program participation resulting from the enactment of this Act;
"(2) include an evaluation and opinion of the accuracy and reasonableness of—
"(A) the average actual costs for approved insurance providers to deliver multiple peril crop insurance;
"(B) the cost per policy of complying with the requirements, regulations, procedures, and processes of the Federal Crop Insurance Act;
"(C) the cost differences for various provider firm sizes and any business delivered by the Federal Government;
"(D) the adequacy of the standard reimbursement for potential new providers; and
"(E) the identification of any new costs related to the enactment of this Act not previously identified in the information reported by the providers;
"(3) compare delivery costs of multiple peril crop insurance to other insurance coverages that the provider may sell and determine the extent, if any, to which any funds provided to carry out the Federal Crop Insurance Act are being used to fund any other business enterprise operated by the provider;
"(4)(A) assess alternative methods for reimbursing providers for reasonable and necessary expenses associated with delivery of multiple peril crop insurance;
"(B) recommend changes under this paragraph that reasonably demonstrate the need to achieve the greatest operating efficiencies on the part of the provider and the Corporation has been recognized; and
"(C) identify areas for improved operating efficiencies, if any, in the requirements made by the Corporation for compliance and program integrity;
"(5) assess the potential for alternative forms of reinsurance arrangements for providers of different firm sizes, taking into consideration—
"(A) the need to achieve a reasonable return on the capital of the provider compared to other lines of insurance;
"(B) the relative risk borne by the provider for the different lines of insurance;
"(C) the availability and price of commercial reinsurance; and
"(D) any additional costs that may be incurred by the Federal Government in carrying out the Federal Crop Insurance Act; and
"(6) include an analysis of the effect of the current or proposed reinsurance arrangements on providers having different business levels.
"(e) Information.—
"(1) Privacy.—In conducting the evaluation required by this section, the Comptroller General and the Corporation shall maintain the privacy of proprietary information.
"(2) Subpoenas.—The Comptroller General shall have the power to subpoena information relevant to the evaluation required by this section from any private insurance provider. The Comptroller General shall allow the Corporation access to the information subpoenaed taking into consideration the necessity of preserving the privacy of proprietary information."
The table below lists the classification updates, since Jan. 3, 2012, for this section. Updates to a broader range of sections may be found at the update page for containing chapter, title, etc.
The most recent Classification Table update that we have noticed was Tuesday, August 13, 2013
An empty table indicates that we see no relevant changes listed in the classification tables. If you suspect that our system may be missing something, please double-check with the Office of the Law Revision Counsel.
|Description of Change
|Session Year
|Public Law
|Statutes at Large
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


text:
On the Job with Synth Squad
I've taken some time over the last few days to explore the new FXpansion bundle of soft synths DCAM Synth Squad. The bundle comprises three synths—Strobe, Cypher and Amber—and a multitimbral layering and control plug-in called Fusor that holds up to three synths in any combination and adds effects processing, keyboard management, step and control sequencing and global modulation routing. All devices come in Mac/Win standalone and plug-in (AU, VST and RTAS) formats.
DCAM stands for Discrete Component Analogue Modelling, and FXpansion has modeled each of its synths' modules at the circuit-and-components level. Their goal is to have the synths respond the way hardware devices would to normal as well as abusive parameter settings.
The simplest of the synth trio, Strobe, is a one-oscillator synth, but that one oscillator features waveform mixing and octave dividers, and you can stack up to five detuned copies of the oscillator. Its versatile filter has 22 modes and overdrive. For modulation you get two ADSR envelope generators and a waveform-mixing LFO. At the other end of the complexity spectrum, Cypher features three oscillators with audio-rate cross modulation, dual multimode filters with flexible routing and an extra LFO and envelope generator. Both synths have a basic arpeggiator and neither has any effects (that's left to Fusor).
The third synth, Amber, is a string-machine emulation using divide-down-oscillator architecture. It has no arpeggiator (you can arpeggiate it in Fusor) but adds chorus (a must for a string machine) and a formant filter. The three synths come as both virtual-instrument and effects plug-ins. The effects versions replace the noise generator with audio input, which makes for some unusual, MIDI-controlled synth and effects combinations.
Each of the synths features a powerful modulation scheme called TransMod for which I've posted a short screencast. Fusor offers a similar scheme, called FuseMod, that provides cross-modulation between synths, as well as from Fusor's LFOs, envelope followers and sequencer.
All these synths sound great, and to my ear, the analog inspiration comes through. None of them are especially light on your CPU, however, and when you stack them up in Fusor you'll probably find yourself doing some track freezing. No demo versions of the synths are availble, but you'll find both audio and video demos on the FXpansion Website, fxpansion.com.


text:
Vintage 50′s Sterling Silver VL Salt and Pepper Shaker Set (Lot of 6) c908
We find the most interesting Vintage Salt. Here are the best deals we found for the Vintage 50′s Sterling Silver VL Salt and Pepper Shaker Set (Lot of 6) c908 for sale on the Internet.
Vintage 50′s Sterling Silver VL Salt and Pepper Shaker Set (Lot of 6) c908 Picture(s) and Description:
Vintage 50's Sterling Silver VL Salt and Pepper Shaker Set (Lot of 6) This Auction is for a Vintage 50's Sterling Silver VL Salt and Pepper Shaker Set (Lot of 6). Everything shown in the pictures is included in this auction. It's unknown if this item has all of its original accessories or parts. We are not experts with collectibles or antiques, so we take several closeup shots for buyers/collectors to see any blemishes, chips, cracks, mechanical issues or discolorations. Item overall is in Fair condition. Item does have original box. The items are tarnished and could use a good clean. The box has a couple stains and minor tears. Box Measurements: Height: 1 inches Length: 8 inches Width: 2.75 inches For international sales we will use UPS World Saver for shipping if the item sells for over $400 USD. We cannot change the declared value cost for customs. Additional custom taxes may apply (Visit UPS.com for more details). Please use our international shipping calculator for shipping charges. We will only ship USPS Priority International if the item sells for under $400 USD (please contact us for a USPS Priority Mail shipping quote) Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about this listing and/or our policies. We conduct our business through Ebay Message System. We are a business with Monday-Friday hours. We do not ship or have access to emails during Weekends or Holidays. Our feedback is automated; you will receive feedback as soon as you leave us feedback. We have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If something about your transaction is unsatisfactory, please consider contacting us before leaving feedback or opening a case in the Resolution Center; we are very happy to correct anything that may be amiss. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a refund. We will need to have the merchandise back in order to issue you a refund. Please include the auction number and your contact information, including email address and reason for returning. This will help us process your refund quicker. Please allow one business day for us to process your refund. If its been longer than that since your item arrived to our facilities, please contact us. Our return address is: THR, 3535 Mayflower Blvd, Springfield, IL 62711 We only accept Paypal payments. No "Buy it Now" options, Auction style only. Invoices are sent at the end of each business day(CST). DO NOT pay until you have your combined invoice for multiple purchases. Payment is expected within 4 days. Unpaid Item Cases are automatically opened after 4 days of non-payment. Please note that the 4 days time frame is in Real Time and NOT in 24 hour increments. For similar auctions, visit our associate accounts: coinsantiques.10, coinsantiques.21, coinsantiques.22, coinsantiques.25, and coinsantiques.18. Please note that we cannot combine shipping across our associate accounts.
No related posts.


text:
Acura unveiled the TSX Sport Wagon at the 2010 New York Auto Show . The car will join the current TSX line-up and will go on sale in the late fall. According to Acura, the new TSX Sport Wagon is the right car for those seeking luxury, utility and fuel economy.
The 2011 TSX Sport Wagon is powered by a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine that delivers a total of 201 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque (the sedan version also gets a V6 engine). The engine is mated to a Sequential SportShift 5-speed automatic transmission and has a fuel economy of 30 mpg. Its obvious competition is the Audi A4 Avant with a 2.0L, 4 cylinder engine producing 211hp and the Cadillac CTS wagon with a 3.6L, V6 engine producing 263hp. Of course, we really don't think that the Cadillac can be considered competition, but we do believe that Acura may think so.
The new TSX will be available with all the latest technologies including: Acura Navigation System with an all-new 8-inch full VGA high-resolution color display, AcuraLink Real-Time Traffic and Weather, Acura/ELS Surround Premium Audi o System and a hard disk drive (HDD) for media storage, a power glass moonroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather seats, a premium sound system, Bluetooth HandsFreeLink, and USB port and AUX jack music interface.
UPDATE 12/08/10: It took longer than any of us would've liked but finally, Acura has released the price tag for the 2011 TSX Sport Wagon. If you've been interested in this car for a while, you'll be happy to know that the Honda-owned automaker is sticking a reasonable price tag of $31,820. Not too shabby.
Press release after the jump.
Press release
The all-new 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon made its world debut at the New York International Auto Show today. The TSX Sport Wagon offers a smart solution to modern utility needs with its balanced and efficient driving performance coupled with bold styling and versatile cargo capabilities.
"The TSX Sport Wagon represents a smart choice for those seeking a vehicle with utility," said John Mendel, executive vice president, sales. "It's practical, fun to drive, luxurious and technically advanced, all while achieving an outstanding estimated highway fuel economy rating of 30 miles per gallon*."
The TSX Sport Wagon delivers flexible utility and generous interior space- perfect for those with a growing family or an active lifestyle. The TSX Sport Wagon boasts an innovative and highly functional rear cargo space that includes a removable side panel to accommodate wider items such as golf clubs and integrated under-floor bins for hidden storage. Along with this sizeable cargo space, the TSX Sport Wagon features a comfortable and spacious cabin with seating for up to five adults.
The TSX Sport Wagon's practical utility is cleverly masked behind crisp lines and a sleek, European-inspired exterior. Bold wheel arches frame the 17-inch, 5-spoke aluminum wheels, giving the Sport Wagon an aggressive stance. The chiseled, muscular body and sloping roofline emphasize its performance capabilities while making it more aerodynamic.
Powering the TSX Sport Wagon is a 2.4-liter, DOHC i-VTEC®, inline four-cylinder engine paired with a Sequential SportShift 5-speed automatic transmission fit with steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters. The TSX Sport Wagon delivers brisk performance while achieving an EPA-estimated 30 mpg* on the highway. Drawing from its sports sedan roots, the TSX Sport Wagon features agile handling and quick off the line acceleration, allowing it to easily tackle a twisty mountain road or swiftly navigate through city streets.
To enhance the driving experience, the TSX Sport Wagon features the latest in advanced technologies including an available hard disk drive-based Acura Navigation System™ with an all-new 8-inch full VGA high-resolution color display and AcuraLink Real-Time Traffic and Weather™ featuring radar image mapping. For the audiophile, the TSX Sport Wagon will be available with an Acura/ELS Surround® Premium Audi o System and a hard disk drive (HDD) for media storage. Additionally, the TSX Sport Wagon is equipped with an impressive list of standard features, including a power glass moonroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather seats, a premium sound system, Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®, and USB port and AUX jack music interface. Like all Acura vehicles, the TSX Sport Wagon will come with a comprehensive list of standard safety features, including Acura's acclaimed Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure.
The 2011 TSX Sport Wagon will be an entry luxury utility offering when it arrives at Acura dealerships in the late fall. The Sport Wagon will join the TSX lineup, which already includes the popular 4-cylinder and sporty V-6 powered sports sedans.
TSX Sport Wagon Specifications:
- Length: 189.4 inches
- Width: 72.4 inches
- Height: 57.9 inches
- Wheelbase: 106.5 inches
- Wheel: 17x7.5- inch 5-spoke aluminum alloy wheels
- Seating capacity: 5-passenger
*Preliminary EPA mileage estimates determined by Honda. Final EPA mileage estimates not available at the time of printing. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. You actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.


text:
Modeling of an RF Coil
RF coils are important in numerous applications ranging from wireless technology to MRI scanning equipment. This introductory tutorial model demonstrates how to find the fundamental resonance frequency of an RF coil as well as how to perform a frequency sweep to extract the coil's Q-factor.
Impedance Matching of a Lossy Ferrite 3-port Circulator
A lossy ferrite circulator at 3GHz is modeled. Geometrical design parameters are varied to match the impedance for minimal reflection of the fundamental TE10 rectangular waveguide mode.
Ship Hull Corrosion Mitigation
Impressed current cathodic protection is a commonly employed strategy to mitigate the ship hull corrosion where an external current is applied to the hull surface, polarizing it to a lower potential. In this model, the effect of propeller coating on the current demand is demonstrated.
Absorbed Radiation (SAR) in the Human Brain
Scientists use the SAR (specific absorption rate) to determine the amount of radiation that human tissue absorbs. This measurement is especially important for mobile telephones, which radiate close to the brain. The model studies how a human head absorbs a radiated wave from an antenna and the temperature increase that the absorbed radiation causes. The increasing use of wireless equipment has ...
Phase Change
This example demonstrates how to model a phase change and predict its impact on a heat transfer analysis. When a material changes phase, for instance from solid to liquid, energy is added to the solid. Instead of creating a temperature rise, the energy alters the material's molecular structure. Equations for the latent heat of phase changes appear in many texts but their implementation is ...
Electrostatically Actuated Cantilever
The elastic cantilever beam is one of the elementary structures used in MEMS designs. This model shows the bending of a cantilever beam under an applied electrostatic load. The model solves the deformation of the beam under an applied voltage.
Flow in a Pipe Elbow
Water flow in a 90 degree pipe elbow. The flow is simulated using the k-omega turbulence model. The result is compared to engineering correlations.
Computing Q-Factors and Resonant Frequencies of Cavity Resonators
A classic benchmark example in computational electromagnetics is to find the resonant frequency and Q-factor of a cavity with lossy walls. Here, models of rectangular, cylindrical, and spherical cavities are shown to be in agreement with analytic solutions.
Computing Capacitance in a Comb Drive
Capacitive comb drives are commonly used both as actuators and position sensors. The following model focuses on position measurement. Many approaches exist for positional measurements with MEMS devices, of which capacitance measurement is the most widely used, particularly in micro-accelerometers. In a pair of interdigitated combs the fingers of one comb do not touch those of the other comb, ...
Magnetic Field of a Helmholtz Coil
A Helmholtz coil is a parallel pair of identical circular coils spaced one radius apart and wound so that the current flows through both coils in the same direction. This winding results in a uniform magnetic field between the coils with the primary component parallel to the axes of the two coils. Applications of Helmholtz coils range from canceling the earth's magnetic field to generating ...


text:
SPOKANE -- A heroes' welcome at the Spokane International Airport. Friends and family gathered to cheer 36 World War II veterans returning from a trip of a lifetime.
They returned late Sunday afternoon to American flags and a large, cheering crowd. But the trip to Washington, D.C. had a few hiccups. They did not get into the nation's capital until 2 a.m. Saturday. That made for a tough start to their trip. Honor Flight veterans usually have a breakfast at 6 a.m. and then load the bus around 8 a.m. There were also mechanical issues with the plane they boarded to get across the country. But no one had any complaints.
The group now joins the more than 400 others that have gone to see the memorials built in their honor since the program launched three years ago.
Included in that group is 99-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor James Elms. He's the oldest veteran ever to take the trip. He turns 100 next month.


text:
How to Get the Perfect Cat-Eye with Powder Liner
This is a tutorial for getting a softer, simpler cat eye liner look using powder rather than gel, pencil or liquid.
The benefits are that:
- powder is easier to control, especially if you're new to eye liner
- if you make any mistakes you can rub it away easily
- you can go on light, and then build up intensity when you like the shape/angle
- you can use it dry for a softer look, or damp for something that looks more like liquid liner (be careful which shadows you use though. Not all work wet.)
- you can use pretty much ANY eye shadow or pigment of your choice, which means the color options are endless
The application technique is actually the same as when you apply gel or cake liner with an angled brush.
The easiest brushes to use for this look are flat angled brushes. Wider/larger brush heads are actually easier for getting extended wings. Natural hair brushes also tend to work better than synthetic ones as they pick up more pigment.
Step 1: After applying the rest of your eye makeup, dab the tip of your angled brush into black shadow or cake liner. I'm using it dry for a softer smokier line. You can dampen your brush to get an intense line if you're using cake liners or loose pigments.
Step 2: Use the LOWER LASHLINE AS THE GUIDING LINE for the angle of the brush. I simply place the brush along the outer corners of the bottom lash line and then gently stroke the brush along that line. Extend inwards along the lower lash line.
This step is key because it:
- helps you to make the angle of the flick more balanced on both eyes
- gives that gorgeous sweeping arc of liner when you close your eyes, as this follows your natural eye contour.
Step 2: Next, line your upper lash line. All you do is pick up more powder with your brush and tap off excess before placing it right at the base of the lashes and wiggling gently to "push" the pigment onto your skin. Then remove your brush, pick up more powder, and then place it along the next section of your lash line. Don't try to stroke the brush all the way from one end of your eye to the other. This is MUCH easier and much more precise.
Step 3: To get rid of a harsh angle between the flick and your upper lash line, place your brush along the flick and then stroke it inwards diagonally towards the center of your lid. This thickens up the line at the outer corners without ruining that beautiful angle.
On rest of face:
Base: Dior Nude Foundation "021"
Setting Powder: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in "Medium"
Brow pencil: MAC "Taupe" Brow Pencil
Brow gel: MAC "Mink" Brow Set
Shadow Highlight: MAC "Young Venus" Extra Dimension Shadow on inner corners
Shadow: MAC "Sable" from outer corners in
Liner: Wet n Wild ColorIcon "Greed" Palette (matte black) as liner
Mascara: L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara
Blush: MAC "Da Bling" shadow
Lipstick: MAC "Up The Amp" Amplified Creme


text:
Gearing up for Halloween
While there may not be a literal chill in the air, you can always feel a stirring of something creepy come October. As the leaves blow in the wind and darkness settles in earlier and earlier, we know that Halloween is coming soon and tis the season for horror, whether your tastes run toward the classic or contemporary. If you've missed out on the Poes and Gaimans up until now, what better time of year to treat yourself?
|posted Oct 9, 2013 by Anne P.
|Category: Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense


text:
GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. – Police in Goodlettsville said a man accused of stabbing a woman to death and putting her body inside a storage closet has confessed, saying God told him to do it.
Goodlettsville Police arrested 22-year-old Jamon M. French after the body of 39-year-old Yolanda Byrd Tashauna, of Palm Bay, Florida, was found in a storage closet around 10:45 p.m. Thursday at the Greens of Rivergate Apartments at 200 Dry Creek Lane in Goodlettsville.
Tashauna had been beaten and sustained multiple stab wounds. Authorities believe she died from the stabbing.
Authorities said French was the son of a friend Tashauna was visiting at the apartment complex. Police believe she arrived at the apartment around 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
The suspect allegedly took her rental vehicle and other personal items.
The rental vehicle, a white 2014 Kia Forte with 4-doors and Kentucky license plate 890PTY, has not been found. Authorities said French has given them conflicting accounts of where it was located.
Police said while they believe the motive to be robbery, French said God told him to kill the victim.
Police on the scene told NewsChannel 5 residents in one of the apartments came home and discovered the woman in a storage closet on the outside balcony of their apartment unit. They called 911 emergency dispatchers.
No other details were immediately released.
- Latest


text:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- He lost his bid to be Indiana's governor, and Democrat John Gregg says he won't run again.
The former House speaker says he won't seek the governor's office in the 2016 election. Gregg has been to dozens of Democratic party events around the state this year with the intention of running again.
But he's decided to step back from politics and focus on his family, law practice, and business opportunities.
Copyright 2013 WDRB News. All rights reserved.
624 W. Muhammad Ali BlvdLouisville, KY 40203


text:
Brainworthy Buzz about puzzles, games, books and more for brain fitness.
Latest Pins on Pinterest
Popular TagsAlzheimer's Alzheimer's Association Alzheimer's disease Attention Brain Brain exercise Brain Fitness Brain Fitness Program brain teasers Brain training children cognitive reserve cognitive stimulation continual learning Coordination Creativity Critical Thinking Dementia dexterity Exercise family games fine motor skills focus and attention game design games gifts Group Games hand-eye coordination inventors marbles Marbles The Brain Store Memory mental abilities Music News party games Physical exercise Products Research Social Interaction strategy Trivia Visual Perception Word Skills Working Memory
Tag Archives: comminication skills
Wish List Winner!
Congratulations to Virginia Trapino, who just won $500 worth of product from her Marbles Wish List! We asked Virginia a few questions about Marbles, and what she plans to do with her new bunch of brain boosting items. Read More


text:
I've never lost a child, neither from suicide nor any other cause. So I can't even pretend to know the pain Chris McComas is feeling.
Around this time last year, McComas had a 15-year-old daughter named Grace, who attended Glenelg High School in Maryland's Howard County. On Easter Sunday of 2012, Grace McComas decided she'd had enough of the nasty, crude, despicable things being said about her on Twitter and Facebook. She committed suicide.
Earlier this month, McComas testified before a judiciary committee in the Maryland House of Delegates chambers. She was there to support a proposed law that would make "cyberbullying" a crime punishable by a one-year prison term and a $500 fine.
"It's the Wild West out there," McComas told the judiciary committee members, "and our children need protection. If it can happen to her, it can happen to anyone. And therein lies the horror, because this should happen to no one."
It should not. But is this the answer? We now have someone proposing a law of questionable constitutionality in the name of "protecting our children." Last week we had New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg defending his proposal to ban sugary soft drinks of 64 ounces or larger to "protect our children." When President Obama called a news conference to present his gun control proposals, he had "the children" right there with him, helping him to bolster his point. (Truth be told: The children probably had better arguments than he did.)
As much as it pains me to do this, I have to ask Chris McComas to let go of her pain long enough to answer this question: Just how do we protect "our children" from having people write or say bad things about them on Twitter or Facebook?
McComas, in her testimony, said Grace had been "cyberbullied" and harassed for months on both social media forums. Police and the courts, McComas said, both told her that nothing could be done to stop the comments.
Enter Baltimore County Del. Jon S. Cardin, who sponsored the bill that seeks to criminalize "cyberbullying." That, some feel, might put us on a well-oiled, slippery, anti-First Amendment slope we might want to avoid.
Del. Michael D. Smigiel of Cecil County thinks "cyberbullying" would be better addressed as a civil matter, not a criminal one.
Cardin can't even get the Maryland chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union on his side in this one. Sara Love, the policy director for the Maryland ACLU, doesn't care for Cardin's bill either, which she says violates the First Amendment and Fifth Amendment.
"It's not narrowly tailored," Love said in a story that ran in the Baltimore Sun, "and there are less restrictive alternatives available."
One of those "less restrictive alternatives" is to rely on traditional laws against libel and slander each time someone says or writes something libelous or scandalous about someone else on Twitter or Facebook.
Cardin, McComas and others -- Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who supports Cardin's bill, is among them -- have what I've come to call Newtown fever. Ever since that December tragedy that left 20 children and six adults dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a mania has gripped the nation to pass as many well-intentioned laws as possible to "protect our children," whether or not they will work and whether or not they meet constitutional muster.
Let's just hope that in our fervor to protect "our children," we don't end up deep-sixing the entire Bill of Rights.
Examiner Columnist Gregory Kane is a Pulitzer-nominated news and opinion journalist who has covered people and politics from Baltimore to the Sudan.


text:
Dolly Parton has cancelled her plans to get involved in the development of a water park in Nashville. The project was a joint venture between Gaylord, which owns the Grand Ole Opry, and Dolly's Dollywood Company. It was to be located on property near the Grand Ole Opry House and Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Gaylord has been working out a deal with Marriott recently to spin off its hotel businesses.
Dolly says, "Gaylord makes decisions that they feel are good for their company and their stockholders and I have to make decisions based on what is best for me and the Dollywood Company."
She adds, "I think everyone knows I love Nashville and I hope the work we've already done will spark more family entertainment in Nashville."
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio


text:
Miami, FLUSA
Hometown: Miami
June 20, 2008
I have worked to expand the ideas of liberty to as many as I can (to the angst of family and friends). This has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I look forward to working with all of you.
Liberty is the notion that all men are responsible for the consequences of their actions. We must impress the idea that if people want rewards they must assume the risks for those rewards. This applies to politics and how much about life we want to decide for ourselves.
Hi Hector, I see that we are both Ron Paul followers and interested in programming. If you ever want to bounce ideas of how we can produce new and useful products in society hit me up. Always good to meet a fellow Libertarian.
Greetings! Freedom brings people together! All Bible-believing Christians should be libertarians because they are the ones in most danger from tyranny, the biggest victims historically starting in the Roman Empire and slaughtered by tens of millions under Stalin and Mao and Sudan. And the biggest victims of false "Christians" like in the Inquisition. Austrian economics = Golden Rule economics!
Free market economics means to allow the bankers to manipulate the economy their way and steal everything that's not nailed down and impose slave wages on workers.You want to turn workers into slaves while talking about freedom.I thought you were more intelligent than that my friend
It is really sad to see such a group of energized young folks wasting so much of that energy working for a fool like Ron Paul.Do you actually believe that if he was a threat to the system that he would still be alive today?You gonna get caught with your pants down my friend,
Hope you doing well
greetings Hector. I'm a recent transfer to FIU, and I am very interested in doing work on campus to spread the message of liberty.
Can you help point me in the right direction?
Please extend a warm welcome to Hector.Hector is a believer in the good ness of Ron Paul and I thought it would be a good idea to have an open,honest and civil discussion with a group(do not come alone hector....we have an untrue reputation for using Libertarians as sacrifices on their first visit;Just joking my friend) of new friends coming from another perspective.I am looking for help from teachers and professors in how to make this a success....You guys can even take over the idea
I invited Raffa but he is probably scared of us Atheists and agnostic freethinkers.I took the step and attended one of your meetings so,I would like to extend an invitation to you and anyone else at our next meeting on Monday August the 8th at La Panera Bread located at 123rd St and Biscayne Blvd(Walgreen shopping center).It usually start at 7pm.All minds should come together and share thoughts and ideas.As long as we keep talking,there will not be a need for fighting amongst ourselves.
Thank you And would like to meet you also in the name of freedom.
Hi, Hector!I was involved with the Miami-Dade Republican Liberty Caucus years ago when Jeff Palmer and Ed Rahn were involved (gosh I think it was 1997 maybe?). What is the group doing today? Any meetings? How can I help? email me at [masked]
¡Héctor!, ¿qué tal?
Debemos hablar un día de estos. Este verano La Centinela de Libertad ensancha a todo el estado, y nos alegrará tenerte a bordo. :-D
"La libertad es como la vida, sólo la merece quien sabe conquistarla todos los días". -- Goethe
Meetup members, Log in
By clicking "Sign up" or "Sign up using Facebook", you confirm that you accept our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy


text:
MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - A soldier from Wisconsin has died in the line of duty in Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense says 19-year-old Private Ryan Larson was killed when his unit was attacked Wednesday by insurgents armed with explosive devices.
Larson, who's from Friendship in central Wisconsin, was assigned to the 1st Battalion based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
He was a 2010 graduate of Adams Friendship High School.
Governor Scott Walker released the following statement:
"Private Ryan Larson gave his life so that we may enjoy the blessings of a free society. We are forever indebted to Private Larson and those like him who have died to protect our nation and our way of life. Tonette and I are saddened by his loss and our prayers go out to his family and friends during this difficult time."


text:
Coming Up
Contact Us
About Us
Search Archives
Crossword Answers
BHS Sports Schedule
Community Links
The Lighthouse Blog
Council OKs ordinance to control sale of marijuana
Published on Tue, Nov 26, 2013 by
Brandy Kiger Shreve
Read More
The city of Blaine is trying to manage the maze that new state marijuana laws have created.
At the November 25 city council meeting, the council reviewed regulations for the sale and production of marijuana, and approved an ordinance to amend the city's zoning laws to accommodate the legalization of the recreational drug.
"This is one of the more unique things that you will do in your career as politicians," said community planner Michael Jones to the council, "and one of the more unique things I will ever do as a community planner."
State voters approved Initiative 502 in November 2012, which decriminalized the possession and use of marijuana for recreational purpose for persons 21 and older. The new law established a licensing system for the production, processing and retail sales of marijuana and marijuana products.
The Liquor Control Board (LCB) was tasked with developing state regulations and a licensing system and recently began accepting applications from individuals interested in entering the marijuana marketplace in one of the three functions listed above. In turn, cities need to either declare a moratorium until they have determined the direction they want to take, declare the substance illegal within the city limits or establish rules for the production, processing and sale of the drug.
"Would we face a lot more legal issues if we don't have something written down?" asked council member Charlie Hawkins.
"I would feel more comfortable if I were following the rules implemented by the city instead of just interpreting state law," Jones replied, adding that staff were already receiving calls from individuals interested in the opportunities legalization affords. "We don't have any applications yet," he said. "But we have received several phone calls."
The new ordinance defines the zoning and business licensing requirements for the production and sale of marijuana in the city limits.
"The text eliminates greenhouses," Jones said, noting that outdoor growing is strictly prohibited by the ordinance. "Growing marijuana is only permitted indoors in areas that are zoned for manufacturing. Sales can only happen in areas that are zoned for retail. And you can't do any of these things within 1,000 feet of sensitive areas. That limits the areas that are eligible for this use."
Sensitive areas are defined as any elementary or secondary school, playground, recreation center or facility, childcare center, public park, public transit center, library or game arcade that allows minors to enter.
According to Jones' presentation at council, the areas eligible for production and processing facilities are the manufacturing zoned areas, the largest of which is on the southeast side of the city. The zones most likely to allow for retail exist in several areas throughout the city.
But those are just preliminary lines drawn based on exsitingbusinesses. The eligible zones can change depending on the type of businesses that set up shop there.
"We'll have to evaluate on a case-by-case basis," Jones said, "to make sure no sensitive areas have moved in."
Fifteen stores in Whatcom County will be allowed to sell marijuana next year, under the rules approved by the LCB on September 4. Of those licenses, Bellingham will receive six, and Ferndale and Lynden would each receive one. "Cities that have a population of 10,000 or greater have a specific allocation," Jones said. "Any other area in the county is entitled to have the unallocated licenses. The state licenses are issued by the LCB and are first come, first served. Where they land is up to the market."
Council voted 5-1 to approve the ordinance establishing the land use regulations, with council member Bonnie Onyon opposed.
"I'm against it being made in the city of Blaine," she said. "I don't want to see it happen here, so I'm going to check into see if we can abide by federal laws instead of state laws, do some research and then bring it up again to council. I know there are others in the community who feel the same way."


text:
Hunter Hayes may sing about wanting a fun, messy relationship in his latest single, "I Want Crazy," but he can't really fly by the seat of his pants that much due to his hectic work schedule. Hunter is constantly on the road or in the studio working on project like his Hunter Hayes (Encore) album, due out next week.
When asked if he likes things in his life planned out or controlled, Hunter tells ABC News Radio with a laugh, "Mostly controlled, clearly, looking at my musical path there!"
Hunter manages to sneak in a little fun on the road though. He confesses he misses a lot of sleep hanging out with his band mates at the front of the bus after shows.
Says Hunter, "I don't wanna miss whatever's gonna happen. Whatever stories they're going to tell tomorrow, I want to be there when it happens, you know?"
No matter how much sleep Hunter misses between shows, you can bet he'll be ready to rock when he hits the stage. In fact, Hunter prides himself on being ready to tackle any situation in his professional life.
He explains, "I like to be prepared. I don't like to walk into a situation not knowing what I'm doing, you know what I mean?"
Hunter and his fans will get a little crazy at his show at New York City's Webster Hall on June 18, the day Hunter Hayes (Encore) comes out.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio


text:
Don't fret! Check out these suggested similar and related items below. Happy shopping!
Baddass Nutrition - Surge Hydro Protein - 2.2 lbs.
Like a black semi on a midnight run across the desert, BADDASS™ Surge is a potent, hydrolyzed whey protein that has been crafted to ram a flood of amino acids directly into your muscles as you work out. Its advanced absorption kinetics allow Surge to deliver premium protein to the front lines of muscle, tendon, and ligament support. And Surge delivers no ordinary protein. This is BADDASS™. Our protein is designed to absorb faster, build stronger muscles, and maximize your swagger. You always choose the right tools for the job because you don't do anything halfway. You Surge.
You know this, because you are one of them. You are here, reading this, recognizing your inner BADDASS. So bring it out. Do the work. No regrets. Seize your chance. You've always pushed when other's wilted. You've always had an inner fire that burns too bright for some.
They know you're committed to yourself, not a marketing image, so They're committed to you, not marketing gimmicks. Their ads don't feature professional bodybuilders or athletes; Their customers are the only athletes their brand will ever have. The day you buy your first BADDASS product is the day that you join their sponsored team. What do they pay? They pay in results.
So what are you waiting for? Order BADDASS and then get up and hit the gym. The world is your empire. Your investments always increase. Your friends call you, "The Architect." You are an iceberg of strength. Always growing. Always feared. Always cool. You Are BADDASS
We've added your item to the Wish List. You can view your list any time from your MyLucky account page. A Wish List is useful to keep track of items you are interested in buying in the future. Once you purchase the items, they come off your list.
Sorry, we were unable to add your item at this time.
Your Wish List request is currently being processed.
Item Code: 34567
We've added your item to the Regimen. You can view your list any time from your MyLucky account page. A Regimen is useful to keep track of items you you purchase frequently (or take as part of a "regimen"). Unlike a Wish List, items you add to your Regimen are not removed from the list after you purchase them.
Your Regimen request is currently being processed.
Item Code:


text:
TERA Closed Beta hands-on
We go hands on with TERA in the latest closed beta, and come out hopeful
We go hands on with TERA in the latest closed beta, and come out hopeful
EverQuest II Age of Discovery brings many changes and additions. Dungeon Creator anyone?
The Force is strong with this one
If you haven't heard by now, Firefall is kind of a big deal. Go big or go home; that is exactly what Red 5 Studios did at PAX this year. With the P
NCSoft recently unveiled their new MMORPG, WildStar. The stylish trailer showed off three characters; a bubbly bunny eared sorceress, a hulking sword
The Secret World might be facing an uphill battle against Star Wars: The Old Republic, but you definitely shouldn't overlook this innovative MMORPG
Defense of the Ancients, also known as DotA, has spawned other games just like it. We can thank DotA's popularity for the League of Legends and Heroe
I play a lot of MMORPGs. I wouldn't say that I'm picky when it comes to them; I'll try anything. It takes a really good game to keep me around
After my first brief taste of Nexon's Dragon Nest at PAX West 2011, I immediately knew I wanted more. The colorful MMORPG offered exactly what I'd be
End of Nations is massive. This RTS MMO, currently in pre-alpha, will be able to host 25 vs 25 matches. See just how massive End of Nations really is
Many of today's MMORPGs are clones of each other. The genre has been saturated with games that feature boring combat and repetitive quests. Thankfull
Every MMO has different methods of getting players to work together to take on greater foes. Usually these foes are boss characters and enemy units,
Indulge me for a moment here. I am of a small group of people that has spent almost forty hours with The Old Republic, Bioware's MMO based upon the
South Korean publisher Nexon seems to have found their niche: the wildly profitable world of massively multiplayer online RPGs. However, the most int
Wakfu is cute.Wakfu is ridiculously, unapologetically cute. Wakfu is so cute, it could probably overdose you were it possible to do so via a computer
I first saw Ridley Scott's slightly overrated Gladiator in 2001, and I have to admit my teenage self became obsessed with gladiators by the film'
It's a hard time to enter the MMO space. Actually, it's never been easy, with Ultima, Everquest, and the ubiquitous World of Warcraft holding sway of
Trion Worlds is slowly unleashing its new MMO, RIFT, onto the world and it's shaping up to be quite a worthy experience. The third round of limited
EA has a lot up its sleeve for the mobile sphere right now. You may have even seen earlier this week some of EA's mobile properties from their Chilli
Unlike other game genres, which are largely free to experiment and try their hands at new concepts, MMOs are heavily restricted by the expectations o


text:
An elderly woman was attacked and robbed in the middle of the night at a home on McBurney Drive in Florence. Police are working to find two of the three men responsible.
Police have made one arrest in this case so far.
Blake Austin Hines, 18, is in the Lauderdale County Detention Center.
Police said Hines is one of three masked men who pulled an elderly woman from her bed and demanded money.
Investigators said the men took an undisclosed amount of money and other valuables from the home.
Hines faces a list of charges, including robbery and assault.
As for the victim, authorities said she is okay but shaken up.
"We want to get these people off the street as soon as possible. We are still actively searching for the other two," said Cliff Billingsley with the Florence Police Department.
If you have any information about the home invasion or know who the other two men are, call the Florence Police Department immediately.
Copyright 2013 WAFF. All rights reserved.
1414 North Memorial Parkway
Huntsville, AL 35801
WAFF Is a Proud Member
of the Raycom Family of Stations
FCC Public File
EEO Report
Closed Captioning