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The Booker Prize-winning Schindler's List (on which Steven Spielberg based his Oscar-winning film) demonstrated that Thomas Keneally could make history as compelling as any novel. His latest book, The Great Shame, expands upon the achievement of his earlier fiction. This is more than just the story of the Keneally family tree, transported from Ireland to Australia in the 19th-century. It is the story of how Irish men and women came to be dispersed all over the world, and what they made of their lives in their new homes. It is the epic history of a whole people.
The Great Shame is hypnotically readable, partly because Keneally weaves his many narrative strands so expertly and touches his story with many moments of beautiful writing, but also because it is all, even at its most extraordinary, completely true. The result is astonishingly vivid. What The Great Shame most resembles is a classic 19th-century novel: Dickens, say, or George Eliot. Readers avidly follow Keneally's characters through their successes and their trials, until the very last sentence in the book when, like a master from the classic age of the novel, Keneally pays tribute to "the piquant blood and potent ghosts of the characters to whom we now bid goodbye." --Adam Roberts --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Keneally prefaced his Booker Prize-winning Schindler's List by noting that he had chosen to tell the true story of Oskar Schindler in novel form partially because "the novelist's craft is the only one which I can lay claim to." In the years between the publication of that novel and this remarkable new book, it appears that Keneally has banished any lingering uncertainty about venturing into nonfiction. But he hasn't left his novelist's craft behind. Combining a facility for storytelling with painstaking research, he has produced a lively, narrative history that is a model of the form. His subject is the plight of the Irish from the 19th century into the early 20th, and the experience of the Irish diaspora in the far corners of the world. In the 19th century, while Europe saw the emergence of a number of independent states, Ireland remained under the thumb of the British crown. By the end of the century, famine and emigration had reduced its population to little more than half of the 1841 total. Keneally enters this history by looking at his Australian homeland and tracing the history of his own family's Irish ancestry. Beginning with a poor farmer named Hugh Larkin (from whom Keneally's wife is descended) who was "transported" from Ireland in the 1830s for a vaguely political show of discontent toward his landlord, Keneally quickly sets the sociopolitical stage. Book I of The Great Shame follows the experience of Larkin (and through him, thousands of others like him) as a convict who ultimately earned his freedom and the opportunity to build a new life in a new land. Keneally simultaneously chronicles the rise and fall of Young Ireland, a group of elite, younger Irish statesmen who pushed for a more aggressive approach to independence than did Daniel O'Connell, who led the fight for Catholic Emancipation in Great Britain and Ireland. Among the ranks of Young Ireland were inflammatory writer and editor John Mitchel and future American Civil War hero Thomas Francis Meagher. Book II follows Meagher to the U.S., where he commanded the Union's famed Irish Brigade and introduced a new group of Irish insurrectionists, the Fenians, among whose number was one John Keneally, the author's ancestor. Keneally suggests several reasons for the "shame" of the title: failure, survival, injustice. But in capturing the resilient spirit of his subjects, and rendering their story with such a true and stirring touch, his book is a triumph, an invigorating, sprawling history of a people who flourished, as Irish, outside of Ireland. History Book Club main selection; author tour. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Thomas Keneally's The Great Shame, helped me to trace my roots back to Ireland. The book revealed that Mr Keneally's wife and I are related, due to the union and marriage of the... Read morePublished 2 months ago by james coppins
A long and sometimes tiring read, but it is a very good book. The historical events in Australia and America is an accurate depiction of the importance of the Irish.Published 13 months ago by Bay Rat
This book could make the reader angry. That speaks to the quality of the writing. It's well researched. Read morePublished 23 months ago by Jon R. Dickson
The author provides an epic story of the introduction of the Irish in the land "down under", mostly as imprisoned felons. Read morePublished on April 22, 2013 by vdwilliams
The weaving of history and the stories of real people's lives, accounts was hard to follow. Maybe too much detail, maybe style, maybe it's because I'm a weak reader.Published on April 9, 2013 by Henry William Kalweit
I very much wanted to love this book because I hoped it would be what Keneally describes in his preface as his hope as well: an Irish version of his masterwork, Schindler's List,... Read morePublished on March 2, 2013 by Beth Quinn Barnard


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Inflation Project
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Using estimates derived from Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) markets, described in a technical appendix, this weekly report provides two measures of the probability of consumer price index (CPI) deflation through 2020.
2015–20 Deflation Probability Was 6 Percent on September 30—October 1, 2015
The 2015–20 deflation was 6 percent on September 30, up from 5 percent last week. This deflation probability, measuring the likelihood of a net decline in the consumer price index over the five-year period starting in early 2015, is estimated from prices of the five-year Treasury Inflation-Protected Security (TIPS) issued in April 2015 and the 10-year TIPS issued in July 2010.
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1 Thirteenth Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis Bangkok, 9 – 11 June 2010 A quantitative economic assessment of a Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement Elisavet Kitou▲ and George Philippidis♠ ▲ Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Area D, 4th Floor, 9 Millbank, c/o Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3JR, UK, email: email@example.com ♠ Aragón Research and Development (ARAID), Centre for Agro-Food Research and Technology (CITA), Government of Aragón, Avda. Montañana 930, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain, email: email@example.com Abstract The first round of negotiations held in Ottawa on the 19th October, 2009, heralded the opening of bilateral trade talks intent on reaching a Canadian-European Union (EU27) free trade area (FTA) agreement. A second round of negotiations were staged in Brussels in January, whilst further rounds are scheduled for 2010, with the longer term aim of ratifying an agreement within 24-30 months. Although stumbling blocs will be encountered, the divergent political interests of each region are compatible. In Canada, a FTA with its second largest trading partner offers a viable alternative to its current overdependence on the US. Similarly, the EU27 sees an opportunity to regain a competitive foothold in the North American market. This paper re-examines the long run trade led gains from a Canada-EU27 FTA. Unlike previous studies, our assessment also accounts for the HS6 level sensitive product declarations submitted by both parties in the first round. We examine the extent to which these proposals afford protection to key strategic sectors and impact on trade led growth and real incomes. All estimates are compared with a realistic contemporary baseline scenario. The results suggest that non tariff barrier (NTB) reductions dominate real income gains, whilst sensitive product exceptions, principally affecting wheat, dairy, wearing apparel and leather sectors, reduce Canadian and EU27 real income gains by 20% and 24%, respectively. Trade diversion impacts are relatively marked for the US and EFTA, whilst China escapes largely unscathed due to the pattern of its trade specialisation. Keywords: EU27 · Canada · Economic integration · Sensitive products JEL classification: C68 · F11 · F15 · F17
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2 1. Introduction Since its inception, the European Union (EU) has traditionally enjoyed warm relations with Canada. Notwithstanding, progress on economic integration has been sporadic, focusing on isolated sectors (e.g., science and technology, education, competition, wine and spirits, aviation etc.) and between specific geographical regions (e.g., Canada-UK, Canada-France, Quebec-France). Consequently, the annual Canada-EU27 summit in Berlin in July 2007 took on additional significance when the idea was first mooted to examine the potential for closer economic ties. At that time, the Doha Development Round (DDR) was still in full sway and neither side wished to undermine multilateral negotiations which promised "first-best" economic gains to all parties concerned. Unfortunately, in the ensuing period multilateral talks have lingered, whilst the trade reform agenda has been engulfed by a proliferation of "second-best" bilateral free trade areas (FTAs). Indeed, over the last two years, Canada has signed accords with Columbia, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Jordan and Peru, whilst the EU27 has ratified an FTA with Korea and is looking to finalise an agreement with India. Against this background, the politically strategic importance of a Canada-EU27 FTA should not be underestimated. Canada has enjoyed significant growth as a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and the United States (US), although as the recent economic crisis has shown, it has arguably become over-reliant on the US economy, subsequently lacking resistance to US business cycles. Moreover, recent calls from Capitol Hill to re-negotiate NAFTA as well as clauses in the fiscal stimulus package to "buy US", have not gone unnoticed by Canada. From the EU"s perspective, an FTA with Canada presents a unique opportunity to restore a degree of competitive parity with the US, which was lost under the NAFTA agreement. Table 1 presents the top ten merchandise trade partners for Canada and the EU27 and highlights two main observations. Firstly, as postulated by the gravity model (Anderson and van Wincoop 2003), bilateral trade is positively related to mass (i.e., GDP) and negatively correlated with distance. Under these simple criteria, EU27 imports from Canada are perhaps under-represented. For example, due to its GDP the EU27 ranks second for Canada, whilst Canada, which has a considerably larger
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3 economy than either of Switzerland, Turkey or South Korea, lies tenth.1 Furthermore, time series data (Eurostat 2009) demonstrate that Canada"s share of EU27 trade has fallen from 2.3% in 1999 to 1.7% in 2008. Secondly, the data show that the US and to a lesser extent China, play a key role for both regions, whilst specific EFTA members (i.e., Switzerland and Norway), have significant trade relations with the EU27. The structure of trade protection in both trading partners is presented in Table 2. The underlying statistic for both regions is the relatively low average MFN applied tariff rates (4.7% and 5.6% in Canada and the EU27, respectively). In both regions, tariff protection is concentrated in the agricultural sectors, recorded at 11.5% (Canada) and 16.0% (EU27). The maximum applied tariff line in Canada is found within animal products (718%), although on average Canadian dairy produce is the most sensitive, with an applied protection rate of 126%.2 By the same token, EU27 dairy (64.1%) and "sugars and confectionary" (33.3%) regimes are the most trade prohibiting. In non-agricultural and fishing sectors, both Canadian and EU27 average applied tariffs are highest on clothing imports (16.9% and 11.5% respectively). Reviewing the data above, it is expected that Canada would benefit considerably more than the EU27 from a hypothetical FTA, whilst trade diversion impacts are mainly expected in the US. Average applied tariffs on merchandise trade are relatively low which is likely to moderate Canada-EU27 trade gains, although Guerin and Napoli (2008) suggest that the EU27 exhibits a similar tariff structure to the US when it signed the CUSFTA (Canada-US FTA) in 1989, which resulted in notable trade gains to Canada. Further, it is anticipated that higher than average protection on agro-food imports would imply important resource shifts in these sectors under full liberalisation; a factor which underlies the debate on "sensitive product" exceptions within the negotiations. Finally, the potential economic gains from the liberalisation of non-tariff barriers (NTB) relating to trade-inhibiting practices on merchandise (i.e., licensing, pre-shipment inspection, rules of origin, etc.) and services trade (i.e., application delays for visas; restrictions on ownership by, or participation of foreign firms, etc.) and the concomitant positive spill-over effects on investment are likely to be considerable.3 1 Furthermore, other positive factors on trade postulated within the gravity model, such as cultural similarities and common language, suggest that Canada-EU trade ties should be even stronger. 2 Note, that in Table 2, zero per cent of dairy tariff lines are duty free. 3 EU-Canada services trade amounted to €20.5 billion in 2007 (Eurostat 2009), dominated by "transport" and "travel" services. The EU also offers notable exports to Canada of (€877 million) and insurance (€621 million) services.
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4 A review of the relevant literature reveals only two studies which enumerate the economic gains from a Canada-EU27 FTA. One example by Cameron and Loukine (2001) employs the standard Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) computable general equilibrium (CGE) model and accompanying version 4 database, aggregated to 6 regions and 10 sectors (including aggregate "primary agriculture" and "food sectors"). The study develops two policy scenarios: tariff elimination on all merchandise trade except food and agriculture; and complete tariff elimination. As the study pre-dates EU-enlargement, the authors represent an "enlarged" common agricultural policy (CAP) via trade preferences to accession members. The study estimates that trade creation exceeds trade diversion yielding real income or equivalent variation (EV) gains to Canada and the EU15 of up to $236 million (0.04% of GDP) and $772 million (0.01% of GDP), respectively. Interestingly, the US suffers a trade diversion loss of $562 million. In a second study, commissioned by the European Union and Government of Canada (EU and GC, 2008), a 35 sector aggregation of the GTAP data (version 7) is employed.4 The CGE model code is modified to capture imperfectly competitive "scale effects", efficiency gains in manufacturing and services sectors from reductions in trade costs (i.e., NTB), and a long run closure to characterise capital accumulation from real income induced investment increases. Consequently, EV estimates from a Canadian-EU27 FTA scenario are significantly magnified compared with Cameron and Loukine (2001). Canada and the EU27 gain €8,161 billion (0.77% of GDP) and €11,594 billion (0.08% of GDP) respectively, whilst 66% and 75% of the total gains stem from NTB removal in Canada and the EU27, respectively. The aim of this study is to reassess the economic impacts of a Canada-EU27 FTA employing the GTAP data and a modified long run variant of the accompanying CGE model. Unlike previous studies, more attention is given to the trade impacts in the agro-food sectors where a majority of tariff peaks occur, whilst we also shed more light on the trade diversion (and consequently global) impacts. A unique feature of the paper is to focus on the HS6 sensitive product declarations submitted by both parties in the first round of trade talks in October 2009. We examine the extent to which these proposals afford protection to the relevant sectors and affect trade led growth and real incomes. All results are compared with a realistic contemporary baseline scenario. 4 The sector aggregation treats agricultural and food processing activities as single aggregate sectors. The regional aggregation employed is not stated and it is not clear if the authors refer to the EU25 or EU27. Moreover, the remit of the study does not contemplate the impacts of trade diversion on third countries.
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5 The rest of this paper is structured as follows: Section 2 details the data, methodology and the scenario designs employed. In section 3, the results are discussed, whilst section 4 concludes. 2. Methodology 2.1 Modelling and Data There is a burgeoning of CGE trade literature quantitatively analysing (inter alia) the impacts of multilateral (e.g., Francois et al. 2005), regional (e.g., De Bruijn et al. 2008) and bilateral trade agreements (e.g., Gouranga and Andriamananjara 2006). Underpinning these studies is the widely respected Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) database (Narayanan and Walmsley 2008), which in its latest incarnation (version 7), is benchmarked to 2004 and covers production and trade flows for 113 regions and 57 commodity groupings. Accompanying the data, is a "standard" comparative static GTAP model framework based on a system of neoclassical final, intermediate and primary demand functions. Assuming weak homothetic separability, optimisation is sub-divided into "nests" to allow greater "behavioural" flexibility through the incorporation of differing elasticities of substitution, whilst accounting identities and market clearing equations ensure a general equilibrium solution. Once the model is calibrated to the data and an appropriate endogenous/exogenous variable split is chosen (i.e., "closure"), macroeconomic or trade policy "shocks" can be imposed on key exogenous policy variables (i.e., tariff/subsidy rates, technical change variables etc.). Through the interaction of economic agents within each market, a "solution" is characterised by a "counterfactual" set of equilibrium conditions. The standard framework is modified in a number of ways, with additional discussion in the technical appendix. As the analysis of Canada-EU27 protectionism reveals, sectoral impacts in agricultural sectors are likely to be larger due to the prevalence of tariff peaks. Consequently, to improve the analysis, significant additional model code is inserted to capture the rigidities inherent within agricultural factor and product markets. Firstly, following Keeney and Hertel (2005), constant elasticity of substitution (CES) substitution possibilities are modelled between intermediate inputs and primary factor demands, whilst in livestock sectors, intermediate feed inputs are also now CES
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6 substitutable.5 A constant elasticity of transformation (CET) controls the transfer of labour and capital factors between agricultural/non-agricultural sectors to capture observed differentials in wages and rents in each sub-sector. Secondly, a three-stage weakly separable CET nest to capture land-use heterogeneity across different agricultural activities is employed. Thirdly, following the procedure of van Meijl et al. (2006), an econometric nonlinear land supply function is estimated for the 113 regions in version 7 database, complete with an aggregation program for the relevant land supply parameters. Fourthly, the study incorporates explicit modelling of the EU27 common agricultural policy (CAP) (e.g., set aside, CAP budget, intervention prices, quotas etc.), whilst raw milk quotas are modelled in Canada.6 Finally, Canadian and EU27 tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) are modelled (Elbehri and Pearson 2005), although the broad GTAP sectoral classification restricts TRQ representation to Canadian dairy imports and EU27 wheat and beef imports (see appendix). To keep the model within computational limits and focus on those issues of interest the data is aggregated to 13 regions/countries and 32 sectors (Table 3). Owing to the addition of model coding for the agricultural sectors, it is necessary to disaggregate the EU27 into four separate regions, although results are only reported for the EU27. In addition to Canada, the choice of remaining regions is based on the trade data in Table 1, whilst a "rest of the world" region captures residual production and trade flows. The detailed disaggregation of agro-food sectors permits a more detailed examination of the main gainers/losers at the sectoral level. Remaining non-food sectors are grouped into four manufacturing sectors and ten services sectors. 2.2 Experimental Design Under the auspices of the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA), the first round of Canada-EU27 negotiations began on the 19th October, 2009, in Ottawa, whilst a full ratification of an agreement is unlikely before 2012. Under article XXIV:5(c) GATT, a FTA should be completed within, "a reasonable length of time", 5 The standard GTAP employs a Leontief specification. This implies that, for example, the intensiveness of fertiliser application on land cannot alter, or competing feeds are not substitutable in livestock sectors. Substitution elasticities are calibrated to OECD central values of Allen partial elasticities (Keeney and Hertel 2005). 6 Owing to the short term transitional nature of many of Canada"s agricultural policies and the medium to long run time horizon considered, no attempt was made to further model its agricultural sector.
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7 defined as ten years, although it is further stated that, "In cases where member parties…believe that 10 years would be insufficient they shall provide a full explanation…of the need for a longer period". As Bartels (2009) notes, "Practice indicates that it is relatively common for the implementation period to stretch to 12 years" (pp346). Accordingly, a long-run "baseline" is carefully designed up to 2024 (Table 4), against which two Canada-EU27 FTA scenarios are compared. The baseline incorporates trade protection shocks to accommodate European enlargement. Further Canada/EU27 tariff elimination shocks are implemented to characterise recently ratified FTA deals (post 2004), or FTAs which are scheduled to conclude post 2004. In this way, our reported trade creation and diversion effects from the EU-Canada FTA are more accurately isolated. Thirdly, the baseline employs the latest DDR modalities for agriculture (WTO 2008a) and non-agriculture (WTO, 2008b), differentiated between developed and developing countries, small vulnerable economies (SVEs), recently acceded members (RAMs) and less developed countries. To enumerate the Doha tariff shocks, specialist software developed by Horridge and Laborde (2008) is employed; with data on 5113 disaggregated HS6 applied and bound tariff lines across 227 countries in 2004. By entering the relevant tariff reduction formulae, this facility calculates necessary applied tariff reductions (accounting for tariff binding overhangs) and aggregates to a GTAP concordance consistent with the user"s chosen aggregation. Doha tariff reductions also include "sensitive" concessions on four per cent (five and one third per cent) of HS6 product lines for developed (developing; small vulnerable economies (SVEs); recently acceding member (RAMs)) countries,7 based on the criterion of tariff revenue forgone (Jean et al. 2005).8 Fourthly, in accordance with the "provisional" agreement reached at the Hong Kong summit in December 2005, all export subsidies are eliminated. In addition to the above trade shocks, a "likely" EU27 CAP reform scenario is inserted. Following Oskam et al. (2004), a digression rate of 2 per cent per annum in 7 Owing to complexity of the model code, TRQs are only modelled between Canada and the EU27. It is therefore assumed that 68% (instead of 66% - see WTO 2008) of the corresponding Doha tariff reduction is applied to sensitive product lines to account for the absence of additional market access from TRQ expansion. 8 This criterion has become an accepted hypothesis for identifying sensitive products, although it is hampered by assuming invariant tariff quantities, whilst cases of prohibitive tariff barriers have a zero weighting. Nevertheless, it still "largely" accounts for the (political) importance of the commodity (i.e., size of the tariff revenue), the height of the applied tariff compared with the c.i.f. import price, and the distance between the binding and applied tariff rates (i.e. the revenue fall under each formula is a function of this "distance").
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8 nominal euros is applied to the EU27 single farm payment (SFP) (pillar I) from the 2013 ceiling limits9 and modulation rates are raised to 20 per cent from the current 5 per cent limit. With complete decoupling, all price support and quantitative constraints are eliminated, whilst the Canadian milk quota is maintained.10 A final feature of the baseline is the model closure. Given the importance of investment flows on potential trade led gains, a long run closure swap permits an endogenous treatment of the interaction between changes in investment and the capital stock. Thus, it is assumed that investment moves in tandem with fixed savings rates, respecting the long run empirical observation that domestic saving finances domestic investment (Francois et al. 1996). In addition to the baseline shocks, the first "policy" scenario implements a full Canada-EU27 FTA characterised by bilateral tariff eliminations.11 Whilst the standard GTAP database lacks bilateral estimates of NTBs, EU and GC (2008) provide econometric estimates of NTB costs between Canada and the EU27 for the ten aggregate service sectors included in this study. Following EU and GC (2008), Canada-EU27 NTB liberalisation is only partial, although as suggested by the trade data and literature, even small NTB cost reductions will bestow important trade creation gains to both parties.12 In non-commodity goods sectors (i.e., food processing and manufacturing), the assumption in EU and GC (2008) of a two percent NTB cost saving is implemented. In the model code, the (partial) removal of trade restraining NTB measures is imposed by shocking a bilateral hicks-neutral technical change variable in the import (Armington) demand function (Hertel et al. 2001). This has the effect of increasing the "effective quantity" imported at a lower "effective price". The second scenario examines the impact of "sensitive" product exemptions on trade creation and diversion. Unfortunately, GATT article XXIV employs a nebulous definition of a preferential trading agreement (e.g., FTA), as the removal of restrictions "on substantially all the trade", which grants a degree of flexibility at the negotiating 9 Since a full FTA is assumed by 2024, the 2% per annum reductions on the SFP ceiling limits in 2013 to EU27 members are calculated over 11 years. 10 Referring to the Canada-EU talks, Canadian Trade Minister Stockwell Day maintained that "..supply side sectors are not things we negotiate...We have established many bilateral and multilateral agreements with that understanding, and that is how we are proceeding with this one." http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=16156&lang=en 11 Although this scenario is politically overambitious, it still serves as an upper limit estimate on the gain to both parties. 12 EU and GC (2008) estimate additional NTB services trade costs into Canada ranging between 24-52%, whilst those for the EU are between 18-42%. The authors have extrapolated from the increase in services trade under EU"s single market in order to estimate the magnitude of NTB services trade cost reductions from Canada-EU bilateral liberalisation. Consequently, NTB cost reductions in the order of between 2%-10% (depending on the service sector) are derived, which in turn, are employed in this study.
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9 table. Examining Canada"s initial tariff offer from the October 2009 negotiations (EC, 2009), exceptions are proposed on 8.1% of tariff lines, divided between agrifood (3.7%) and non-agrifood (4.4%) commodities respectively. The EU27 proposes exceptions on 10% of tariff lines apportioned as 3.9% and 6.1% between agrifood and non-agrifood tariff lines respectively. These tariff reduction exemptions are implemented at the HS6 level and aggregated to the GTAP sector concordance employing the TASTE program. 3. Results The size and complexity of the model framework makes a discussion of all the results unwieldy. Instead, the focus is on Canada and the EU27 aggregate region, whilst some commentary is reserved for the trade diversion impacts on third countries. 3.1 Scenario 1 vs. Baseline 3.1.1 Macro Welfare Macroeconomic (welfare) impacts are presented in Table 5 compared with the baseline and calculated as money metric changes in real income (equivalent variation) measured in millions of euro at 2004 prices. Table 5 also provides a decomposition of equivalent variation (EV) between allocative efficiency (AE), terms of trade (ToT) impacts, endowment effects (EE) and efficiency gains from partial removal of non tariff barriers (NTBs). Compared with the baseline, both the EU27 and Canada realise trade led gains of €4,336 million and €3,157 million respectively, which equates to a corresponding per capita real income gain of 0.05% and 0.45%. Not surprisingly, Canada"s trade led gains are larger given the EU27"s trade weighting. Interestingly, the proportion of EV gains owing to trade facilitation from NTB eliminations is 67% (Canada) and 57% (EU27) (not shown). Indeed, despite the fact that NTB removal is only partial, it still dominates since it applies to the majority of trade flows (except primary agriculture), whilst in many sectors (i.e., non-food manufacturing) tariff barriers are typically low, or zero (i.e., services) in these sectors. AE measures the change in resource or product usage from policy shocks imposed on a given market distortion (i.e., tax/tariff or subsidy). For example, a tax discourages resource usage compared with free (undistorted) markets, whilst a subsidy has the
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10 opposite effect. Consequently, taxed (subsidised) activities have a positive (negative) marginal social value, whilst an increase (decrease) in the level of a relatively highly taxed (subsidized) activity results in an AE gain (loss) (Huff and Hertel, 2000). Tariff abolition implies increases in imports for both regions, whilst there is a contraction in subsidised agricultural activity in the EU27 (-0.05% (not shown)). Accordingly, Canada and the EU27 realise AE gains of €889 million and €973 million, respectively. The ToT effects for both regions are also positive, estimated at €434 million (Canada) and €1,040 million (EU27). Owing to tariff eliminations, trade induced increases in economic activity bid up factor prices (i.e., real exchange rate) in both regions. Consequently, domestic (and consequently export) prices are increased. Examining the EE, the endowment of land falls (rises) slightly in the EU27 (Canada) owing to a contraction (expansion) in the primary agricultural sector.13 The single largest source of EV gain is the EE for net capital investment. Owing to trade induced economic growth, EE is estimated at €928 million and €1,504 million in Canada and the EU27, respectively. The employment of NTBs represent an additional usage of resources to (inter alia) meet regulatory stipulations, modify products for different markets and comply with import procedures. Liberalisation of NTBs therefore represents an unambiguous efficiency gain to both regions, which is a function of the size of the trade flow and the trade elasticity in each region. Given Canada"s greater trade relative dependency on EU27 markets, efficiency gains in Canada (€897 million) exceed those of the EU27 (€820 million), both in relative and absolute terms. Examining third countries, the trade diversionary impacts of the Canada-EU27 FTA are mostly felt in the US and EFTA regions, which show per capita real income losses of 0.02% (€1,626m) and 0.05% (€212 million) respectively. As a result of the relative contraction in economic output in both regions, the majority of EV losses stem from relative contractions in net capital investment and ToT losses due to real exchange rate deteriorations. Despite its importance in EU27 and Canadian trade (Table 1), the loss to China is mitigated owing to the fact that unlike Canada and the EU27, it specialises in lower value added goods (vis-à-vis services trade). 13 In the GTAP model data, the land factor is specific to the agricultural sectors only.
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11 3.1.2 Sectoral Output, market prices and trade balances Table 6 presents changes in sectoral output, market prices and trade balances compared with the baseline. Output changes are a function of the relative trade competitiveness between the EU27 and Canada, the associated arming ton (trade) elasticities, the magnitude of the bilateral trade flows, as well as the pattern of each region"s trade with third countries (trade diversion). The majority of agro-food trade is through processed food sectors, which impacts on upstream sectors through purchases of intermediate inputs. With the exception of "vegetables, fruits and nuts", dairy and the "other food" processing,14 Canada is more trade competitive in these sectors. Examining the results for scenario 1 (Table 6), Canada witnesses large percentage increases in rice (185.1% - calculated from a small base) and wheat (14.8%).15 From the EU27 perspective, the elimination of its wheat TRQ results in a production fall of 1.9%. Canadian "oilseeds" and "other grains" production falls due to the reallocation of land into the wheat activity, whilst the contraction in Canadian oilseeds impacts on the downstream "vegetable oils and fats" sector.16 Furthermore, Canada"s "vegetables, fruits and nuts" sector (14% of total agricultural output) contracts 0.5%, whilst the removal of its dairy TRQs leads to 7.9% and 9.3% reductions in Canadian raw milk and dairy sectors respectively.17 The EU27 makes concurrent gains of 0.3% and 0.8% in raw milk and dairy, respectively. Examining meat production, the Canadian meat and livestock industry benefits at the (slight) expense of EU27"s corresponding sectors. Overall, aggregate agro-food production18 in Canada falls by 0.3%, with a 0.6% gain in primary agriculture partially mitigated by contractions in food processing (-0.7%) due to large contractions in dairy activities. In the EU27, agricultural production falls 0.1% due to output losses in the wheat sector, whilst overall agro-food production improves (0.1%), due to trade led gains in dairy. In manufacturing sectors, where the majority of bilateral intra-industry trade occurs, partial removal of bilateral NTBs in both regions has (ceteris paribus) an unambiguous positive impact on sectoral output. The exception is "light" manufacturing 14 This is typically a large sector covering (inter alia) processed fish, vegetable, fruit and cereal products. 15 Wheat constitutes approximately 10% of primary agricultural production in Canada. 16 In this paper, land usage is modelled as heterogeneous between competing agricultural sectors – see appendix. Moreover, "other grains" is not traded in significant quantities between the two regions, whilst the GTAP protection data records near negligible tariffs on bilateral oilseeds trade. 17 In the GTAP database, raw milk is non-tradable and almost entirely purchased by the downstream dairy sector. 18 In the interests of saving space, aggregate agro-food statistics are not reported in Table 6.
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12 in Canada, which suffers due to its relatively higher tariff protection. In the absence of tariff protection for services trade, the partial NTB elimination results in output increases in both regions, where the smaller percentage rises in the EU27 reflect changes on a larger base and the reduced relative importance of Canadian trade in the EU27. With sectoral rises in manufacturing and services, Canadian and EU27 real GDP grows 0.4% and 0.04% compared with the baseline (Table 6). Macro growth is accompanied by rises in net capital investment (Table 7), although with the decline in EU27 primary agriculture, land usage falls slightly accompanied by corresponding land use increases in Canada (Table 7). Turning to the changes in factor prices (Table 7), economic growth in both regions bids up relative labour, capital and natural resource returns. Aggregate agricultural land rents fall slightly in the EU27 owing to minor land idling, whilst in Canada land rents increase 2.1% from the expansion in primary agricultural output. With increases in factor costs, there are general rises in domestic sectoral market prices (Table 6) in both regions, with the notable exception of Canadian dairy prices, which fall owing to an influx of cheaper EU27 imports. The retail price index rises 0.2% and 0.1% in Canada and the EU27, respectively. Turning to the trade balances (Table 6), the Canadian (EU27) "agricultural and fishing" trade balance improves €363 million (deteriorates €440 million) largely due to the reported impacts in the wheat sector. On the other hand, the Canadian (EU27) processed food balance deteriorates €377 million (improves €1,126 million) as a result of FTA induced changes in the dairy sector. Indeed, with reduced Canadian dairy production, EFTA and the US switch to EU27 dairy exports resulting in dairy trade balance deteriorations of €200 million and €426 million, respectively.19 In the non-food sectors, Canadian protection on light manufacturing trade (including textiles and wearing apparel) is more prohibitive resulting in sectoral trade balance deteriorations (to the EU27"s concurrent trade balance gains). In the remaining cases, Canadian sectoral trade balances generally improve at the expense of the EU27, since the trade weight of the EU27 grants Canada with greater scope for trade creation. Aggregating over all sectors, the trade balances in both regions deteriorate €50 million and €215 million in Canada and the EU27, respectively. 19 Trade balance statistics for the remaining regions are not reported in the tables.
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13 3.2 Scenario 2 vs. Baseline 3.2.1 Macro Welfare In scenario 2, a number of sensitive product exceptions have been introduced into the FTA based on the initial tariff offers from both Canada and the EU27. Accordingly, this reduction in market access results in smaller EV gains (see Table 5) for both Canada and the EU27 of €2,519 million (0.36% per capita utility) and €3,295 million (0.04% per capita utility), respectively. Since the NTB percentage reductions remain unchanged compared with scenario 1, the proportion of the EV gains due to NTB trade facilitation increases to 81% and 74% for Canada and the EU27 respectively. A cursory glance at third countries" welfare shows that EV impacts are mitigated (except for Mexico) due to reduced trade diversion effects. Comparing between scenarios 1 and 2, the largest per capita utility improvement occurs in the EFTA region (0.02%), whilst in euro terms, the US"s EV loss is reduced by €536 million. 3.2.2 Sectoral Output, market prices and trade balances As expected, estimates in Table 6 quantify the extent to which stifling market access impacts on macro growth, particularly in Canada which has greater trade dependence on the EU27. Accordingly, as a general rule, output falls compared with scenario 1, although more noticeable impacts are apparent in sectors containing sensitive tariff line exceptions on commodities trade. Examining scenario 2 model shocks on trade protection, reductions in Canadian tariff cuts are strongest in "vegetables, fruits and nuts", "pigs and poultry", white meat, dairy products, processed sugar, textiles and clothing. For the EU27, similarly affected sectors are wheat, "other grains", red and white meats, "other processed food", textiles, clothing and heavy manufacturing.20 Furthermore, TRQs on Canadian dairy and EU27 wheat and red meat imports, are maintained. In Canada, processed sugar, "vegetables, fruits and nuts", and in particular, dairy activities expand compared with the baseline, due to reductions in market access, but also from reallocations in primary resources from other contracting sectors. Canadian TRQs on dairy remain over quota despite small falls in imports from the EU27 (not 20 Due to confidentiality reasons, the authors are not at liberty to specify specific HS6 tariff line exceptions, given that we are still at an initial stage in the negotiations.
Page 14
14 shown), whilst EU27 raw milk and dairy production remains static compared with the baseline. Despite reduced market access in Canadian "pigs and poultry" and white meat sectors, output in both cases contract compared with the baseline. This is due to a greater abundance of EU27 sensitive product declarations for (red and) white meat, which impacts negatively on Canadian producers. A further key area is EU27 wheat production which remains protected (TRQ remains in-quota), whilst also drawing in land from other EU27 cereals and oilseeds sectors. Accordingly, an important source of competitive trade gain to Canada in scenario 1 is now curtailed. Indeed, these trends in the wheat sector largely explain why Canadian (EU27) "agriculture and fishing" production worsens (improves) compared with scenario 1. In addition, the increase (reduction) in aggregate land usage in Canada (EU27) is duly moderated (Table 7). Similarly, Canadian (EU27) food production now benefits (suffers) compared with scenario 1, since Canadian dairy market access remains restrictive. In "light" manufacturing, both regions issued numerous tariff exceptions, principally on textiles and wearing apparel trade, which impacts negatively on sectoral output in both regions, compared with scenario 1. In "heavy" manufacturing, tariff line exceptions issued by the EU27 significantly reduce Canadian output gains compared with the baseline, whilst concurrently benefiting the EU27. Examining the price trends, reduced economic activity reduces inflationary pressure on factor returns, although relative output increases in EU27 agricultural output bid up land rents compared with the baseline (and scenario 1). On the other hand, smaller tariff cuts by both regions, imply higher import prices. Overall, the former exerts more influence on market prices (when compared with scenario 1), although notable exceptions are dairy, processed sugar and light manufacturing in Canada, as well as wheat prices in the EU27. Compared with scenario 1, the retail price index falls in the EU27, whilst dairy, processed sugar and light manufacturing price rises contribute to a slight retail price index rise in Canada. Turning to the trade balances, the main differences from scenario 1 occur in the wheat sector where the EU27 trade balance improves (€345 million) at the expense of Canada (-€404 million). In dairy trade, the opposite is the case, whilst notable trade balance improvements occur in the US (€438 million) and EFTA €204 million) dairy sectors from eliminated trade diversion effects. Similarly, in heavy manufacturing, the incorporation of sensitive product exceptions on EU27 import protection improves the trade balance €1,188 million compared with scenario 1, where most of the formerly
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15 diverted trade is taken from the US (-€708 million (not shown)). Finally, in "light manufacturing" sectors a number of sensitive product exceptions where issued on both sides in the initial tariff offers data, where trade balance improvements compared with scenario 1 reflect relatively greater restrictions on market access by one partner. Accordingly, in Canada trade balances improve for "wearing apparel and leather" and other light manufacturing, whilst in the EU27, the "textiles" trade balance improves. 4. Conclusions In October 2009, Canada and the European Union (EU) held the first of five rounds of trade talks with a view to establishing a Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA). From an economic perspective, the promise of unfettered access for Canadian producers to its second largest trading partner presents an attractive proposition, whilst simultaneously offering the EU27 a foothold in the North American market. This paper quantitatively assesses the trade led impacts from a Canada-EU27 free trade area (FTA) agreement. In particular, the paper focuses on the role of the sensitive product declarations submitted by both partners at the first round of talks, with special attention on how such exemptions protect "key" sectors and consequently, affect real income gains. As a final aim, the study attempts to shed light on the likely third country effects from the deal.21 Importantly, the results are consistent with two previous studies on Canada-EU27 free trade showing that trade creation exceeds trade diversion and that Canadian gains are relatively larger given the importance of the EU27 in its trade portfolio. A deeper comparison of the results reveals that our real income estimates exceed Cameron and Loukine (2001), but are below those of EU and GC (2008). In the former case, this is because Cameron and Loukine (2001) do not incorporate non tariff barrier (NTB) liberalisation or capital accumulation effects; which in this study are found to be two significant sources of welfare gain. In the latter case, there are several explanatory factors. Firstly, this study incorporates numerous rigidities in factor, input and output markets, both between primary agricultural sectors and agricultural/non-agricultural sectors. This inhibits the 21 One important caveat of this study is that the comparative static framework and assumption of market clearing does not adequately account for the structural adjustment costs required between equilibria, particularly frictional unemployment costs.
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text:
Es Moli Son Maiol
From $191 / night
Description from the manager
Description from the manager
Bedrooms: 4/
Bathrooms: 4/
Sleeps: 8/
Type: Villa
This 350 year old fully renovated farmhouse, is set in a private estate of over 150 acres with extensive views of the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range. 4 bedrooms en suite with private pool, tennis court and surrounded by pine forests perfect for walking and picnics.
The estate also has its own vineyards and wine production.
Es Molí de Son Maiol is a restored farmhouse surrounded by family owned vineyards, almond, and acres of pine & olive trees, all with the splendid back-drop of the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range. Once the home of the miller, the villa, situated in one of the unspoilt rural regions of the island of Mallorca, can sleep ...Read more
About the manager
About the manager
- Response rate: n/a
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- Calendar updated: today
Overall rating:
Additional Location Information
The traditional Mallorcan village of Santa Maria is only 2 kms away, in which you will enjoy the best Majorcan restaurants, tapas bars, wine cellars, supermarket and the very popular Sunday market.
Close to the many pretty villages of the Tramuntana yet just 15 minutes from Palma for shopping, sightseeing, bars, cafes, nightlife and beaches.


text:
I'm OCRing some text from two different sources. They can each make mistakes in different places, where they won't recognize a letter/group of letters. If they don't recognize something, it's replaced with a ?. For example, if the word is
Roflcopter, one source might return
Ro?copter, while another,
Roflcop?er. I'd like a function that returns whether two matches might be equivalent, allowing for multiple
?s. Example:
match("Ro?copter", "Roflcop?er") --> True
match("Ro?copter", "Roflcopter") --> True
match("Roflcopter", "Roflcop?er") --> True
match("Ro?co?er", "Roflcop?er") --> True
So far I can match one OCR with a perfect one by using regular expressions:
>>> def match(tn1, tn2):
tn1re = tn1.replace("?", ".{0,4}")
tn2re = tn2.replace("?", ".{0,4}")
return bool(re.match(tn1re, tn2) or re.match(tn2re, tn1))
>>> match("Roflcopter", "Roflcop?er")
>>> match("R??lcopter", "Roflcopter")
But this doesn't work when they both have ?s in different places:
>>> match("R??lcopter", "Roflcop?er")


text:
Things to see and do - Rennes
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Hotels Rennes
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1 B&B Hôtel RENNES Ouest Villejean
ZAC Atalante Champeaux F - 35 000 RENNES
Prix from : 34,4 EUR
B&B Hotels it is more than 215 hotels in France and 300 all around Europe which travel with you according to your mobility. The B&B hotel RENNES Ouest Villejean is able to offer the best value for money with rooms and services designed for you. You ..
2 Angelina Hotel
1, Quai Lamennais F - 35000 Rennes
Prix from : 72 EUR
Located in the city centre of Rennes, the Angelina Hôtel, proposes quiet & comfortable rooms, with different decoration. It is the ideal place for both business and leisure. Each room is equipped with shower, toilet, telephone and satellite televisio..
3 Hotel Des Lices
7 Place Des Lices F - 35000 Rennes
Prix from : 57 EUR
This hotel is set in the historic centre of Rennes, just 350 metres from the Rennes Cathedral. It offers air-conditioned guest rooms and guests have free Wi-Fi internet access. A minibar and a flat-screen TV with satellite channels are offered in ea..
4 hôtel mercure rennes place bretagne
6 rue Lanjuinais F - 35000 RENNES
Prix from : 69.00 EUR
Surrounded by restaurants offering regional specialities, the Hotel Mercure Rennes Place de Bretagne, in the heart of historic Rennes, is close to the business district and within easy reach of the mainline railway station and the underground netwo..
5 Hotel De Nemours
5, Rue De Nemours F - 35000 Rennes
Prix from : 59 EUR
This hotel is located in the heart of Rennes, a few minutes away from the historical centre, shops, restaurants, cafes and cinemas. It offers free Wi-Fi access. Each room and suite at the Hotel de Nemours is decorated in different calming colours. I..
6 Hôtel Lanjuinais
11 rue Lanjuinais F - 35000 Rennes
Prix from : 46 EUR
Located in the centre of Rennes, Hôtel Lanjuinais is 210 metres from Place de la République and 350 metres from République Metro Station. It offers rooms with free Wi-Fi access and a 24-hour front desk. Serviced by a lift, all the soundproofed rooms..
7 hôtel mercure rennes centre parlement
1 rue Paul Louis Courier F - 35000 RENNES
Prix from : 84.00 EUR
In the centre of Rennes and within walking distance of the station, the 4-star Mercure Rennes Centre Parlement has all your needs covered, whether for a break in the Breton capital or for a business conference. You'll love the charming building, a fo..
8 balthazar hotel & spa - mgallery rennes
19 Rue Marechal Joffre F - 35000 RENNES
Prix from : 130.00 EUR
The contemporary, inviting and refined Balthazar Hotel and Spa is set in the heart of Rennes just a short stroll from the Parliament of Brittany. Impressive in scale, this elegant and unique hotel combines aesthetics and authenticity and strives to m..
9 Hôtel Anne De Bretagne
12 Rue Tronjolly F - 35000 Rennes
Prix from : 78 EUR
Situated in Rennes City Centre, Hôtel Anne De Bretagne offers air-conditioned accommodation near the old city and its cafés and restaurants. It offers free Wi-Fi in the entire hotel. Soundproofed guestrooms are cosy and equipped with a modern en sui..
10 Garden Hotel
3 Rue Duhamel F - 35000 Rennes
Prix from : 47.60 EUR
This hotel is a charming hotel, situated in central Rennes. It is just a 5-minute walk from the Republique Metro stop and offers a private car park. Serviced by a lift, the guest rooms at the Garden Hotel are all equipped with free Wi-Fi access, a T..
11 Hotel De La TA
20 Bd De La Tour D'auvergne F - 35000 Rennes
Prix from : 40 EUR
The independent Hotel De La Tour D'Auvergne Rennes is a charming hotel set on the 1st floor of a renovated, 19th-century building and offers comfortable rooms with an ornamental fireplace. It is ideally located in the centre of Rennes. Guest rooms a..
12 aparthotel adagio access rennes centre
35 Rue d Antrain F - 35700 RENNES
Prix from : 56.00 EUR
The Hotel Adagio Access Rennes Centre offers business and leisure customers 179 practical and fully-furnished apartments for up to 4 people. The Aparthotel's proximity to the city center and public transport network makes it an ideal base for visitin..
13 Hotel-Restaurant Le Victoria
35, Avenue Jean Janvier F - 35000 Rennes
Prix from : 59 EUR
Located close to the train station in the centre of Rennes, Le Victoria is a charming boutique hotel that provides high-quality accommodation and a brasserie-style restaurant serving classic French cuisine. The Hotel Victoria offers stylish and comf..
14 hôtel mercure rennes centre gare
1 rue du Capitaine Maignan F - 35000 RENNES
Prix from : 69.00 EUR
Five minutes' walk from the train station and opposite Le Liberté concert hall, the 4-star Mercure Rennes Centre Gare hotel in the city center welcomes you in a warm and dream-like atmosphere inspired by the Brocéliande forest. For your family escape..
15 novotel rennes centre gare
22 avenue Janvier F - 35000 RENNES
Prix from : 85.00 EUR
Stay in a spacious room in the Novotel Rennes Centre Gare hotel, just two minutes' walk from Rennes train station. Enjoy time with family or colleagues in the elegant restaurant. Relax by the indoor pool or in the bubbles of the whirlpool bath. Unwin..
16 Inter-Hotel Le Sevigne Rennes Centre Gare
47 bis, Avenue Jean-Janvier F - 35000 Rennes
Prix from : 69 EUR
Ideally located just 100 m from the train station and a short walk from the historic centre of Rennes, the Inter-Hotel Le Sevigne provides comfortable accommodation and a warm welcome. The air-conditioned guest rooms feature modern en suite faciliti..
17 Campanile Rennes Centre
28 Avenue Janvier F - 35000 Rennes
Prix from : 49 EUR
Campanile Rennes Centre is located opposite the train station in the centre of Rennes, a 10-minute walk from the city centre. It offers accommodation with free WiFi access and a breakfast buffet is prepared each morning. All of the rooms are air-con..
18 Hôtel Kyriad Rennes
6 Place De La Gare F - 35000 Rennes
Prix from : 44.10 EUR
The Hôtel Kyriad Rennes is situated in central Rennes, opposite the SNCF train station. Serviced by a lift, it offers air-conditioned and soundproofed rooms with free Wi-Fi internet access. The well-equipped rooms at the Hôtel Kyriad Rennes include ..
19 Atlantic Hotel Rennes Centre Gare
31, Bd de Beaumont F - 35000 Rennes
Prix from : 44.50 EUR
Situated in the centre of Rennes, the Atlantic Hotel offers guests easy access to the theatres, Le Liberté, Les Champs Libres, the TGV and metro and the local restaurants. It offers comfortable and affordable sound-proofed rooms – all serviced by a ..
20 Citotel Le Bretagne
7 Bis Place de la Gare F - 35000 Rennes
Prix from : 40 EUR
Citotel Le Bretagne is ideally located in the city centre, opposite the TGV Train Station and Gare Metro stop. Its soundproofed rooms have free Wi-Fi internet access and flat-screen TVs. Breakfast is served every morning from 05:30 to 11:00 and the ..


text:
Leave a Review
Would have only given it 2 forks except I added 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp Worcestershire, cayenne, 1 can of whole baby clams and the bunch of scallions. Very tasty.flag if inappropriate
I have made this many times and now my friends request it for every holiday party. I find that a dark pumpernickel round bread brings great flavor to the dip. I also add 1 teaspoon of worchestershire sauce, 1/2 shredded cheddar and a few dashes of tobasco. Delicious.flag if inappropriate
Easy and delicious. Would certainly make again, although I do agree that it needs a bit of spiciness. I suggest adding a teaspoon or two of cayenne pepper.flag if inappropriate
I should've read the reviews before I made it. Definitely needs some hot sauce to spice it up. I would add some chopped water chestnuts to give it some extra texture the next time. That being said, I will make it again.flag if inappropriate
This one is very popular at family gatherings. I use a sourdough round and the internal bread for dipping. A couple of shakes of tabasco helps to perk it up!flag if inappropriate
This was okay, but we've had hot clam dips that we like better.flag if inappropriate
This is a very addictive dip. I made it using one block of Fat free cream cheese and one block of 1/3 less fat cream cheese. It was very tasty and I certainly did not miss the extra fat calories!!!flag if inappropriate
I've made this recipe several times and guests always enjoy it. Use the extra bread for dipping.flag if inappropriate
I've made this several times for guests, it disappears quicky! Very good.flag if inappropriate


text:
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*University of Portsmouth (Scurr et al) - testing carried out against 'no bra' conditions.
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Young Muggles around the world hold their breath before opening their mailboxes, waiting for the day a snow-flecked owl will deliver their acceptance ...
By the time you hit 30, you're expected to know what you're doing with the rest of your life. No finding new passions. No rising to unexpected heights of success. You're an adult. The remaining decades are just about not screwing it up. Right?
In anticipation of the Sorcerer's Stone anniversary, we researched that ultimate expression of appreciation and came up with a list of 17 things we wish had happened in the Harry Potter books.
I have several buildings in mind that would be perfect, but am certainly open to your suggestions, and I love real estate shopping. Once we find a place, let's talk to Nate Berkus about decorating, he seems like a fun guy to work with.
Kurt Vonnegut has written almost 20 bestselling books. His book Cat's Cradle is required reading in almost every high school. I love him. But... he was a total failure.
I am not sure when I read the first book or when I finished reading them for the first time. I do remember it was 2006 when I read them the second time. All seven books of them. In one week. In between working full time and researching infertility treatments.
We can probably expect an interlude between the next seasons of Who Do You Think You Are? and Finding Your Roots, and the duration of that lull will hinge largely on how PBS chooses to balance and accommodate the sometimes competing goals of content accuracy and viewer demand.
The author creates a world in words on a page. A voice artist gives audio life to those words and world through the "theatre of the mind." The very best of voice artists become invisible as you listen to the life they have created.
Cher's upset, soccer's in trouble, and Vladimir Putin wants it all hush-hush. Take our latest Week to Week news quiz and find out what people are -- and are not -- talking about.
"My books are occasionally called mysteries, but there's not a whole lot of mystery to them. They're police procedurals."
In business, many entrepreneurs and leaders are hardwired for optimism, but hope is not a strategy. Endings are necessary. There's a reason people don't spend their whole careers at one job, or stay close with childhood friends.
Being your own boss might sound like a dream come true, but starting your own business isn't an easy path. The reality is it takes a lot of sweat, tears, hard work and discipline to be a successful entrepreneur.
The game is played on a 'pitch', about the third of the length of a soccer field, it is roughly elliptical in shape, though the edges are not treated as 'hard' boundaries as they tend to be in other sports. There are three hoops of varying heights at each end of the pitch, if premade hoops aren't available, many teams will resort to hanging hulahoops from soccer nets.
If you have a story to tell, it's a wonderful time to be alive. Self-publishing gives authors creative control.
As the Boy Who Lived is exploring the Burrow, he notices that "the old radio next to the sink had just announced that coming up was 'Witching Hour, with the popular singing sorceress Celestina Warbeck.'" And with that one line of text, Universal Entertainment finally found a solution for a challenge that had been plaguing the Diagon Alley project.
With each hardship I've learned that I am a survivalist. I am resourceful. I am an alchemist of my surroundings. And I'm resilient beyond (even my own at times) belief.
The Story of My Teeth, on every level, is obsessed with artifice and the slipperiness of identity. Now translated by Christina MacSweeney, in collaboration with Luiselli, the book mimics her own play with authorial identity. In the book, Gustavo Sánchez Sánchez, also known as Highway, claims to be writing a "dental autobiography," though the question of whose words we're actually reading later becomes complicated.
by no less than Chinua Achebe, to be a colonialist, ultimately racist piece of writing about Africa and indigenous peoples who are little understood


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Still Bottomless
By alienbody on March 09, 2013
My shopping day started with two very simple missions: buy a pair of pants and a new shade of red lipstick.
The pants were a ginormous fail. Losing 28 pounds has been wonderful, but it has stranded me in the dreaded purgatory of In Between Sizes.
The Gobi desert is more habitable than living in a state where you almost fit into one size, but not quite. At least in the Gobi they wear flowing material.
I was able to squeeze into the smaller size, but squatting down to test the PSI of the seams was a bit risky. I could even button them, after inhaling and sucking in my gut so much that I swear I drained all the oxygen out of the dressing room...women were dropping like flies in the rooms around me.
The next size up gaped way too much in the waist. The giant cavern between the fabric and my skin is usually a sign that the pants will stretch beyond aesthetically pleasing within the first hour. Also, if my shirt isn't long enough then the whole world gets to see whether it is sexy panties day or granny panties marching ever northward where they'll come to rest just under my boobs.
So, new pants will have to wait until another 10 pounds gets tired of hanging around and moves on to someone else. It does have to go somewhere, you know. You may be next. *I'm looking at you, dear reader...I apologize in advance*
The lipstick was a success! While I love the color it isn't EXACTLY what I was looking for. When my lips were oodles younger I wore a shade that likely doesn't exist today - but I'm on the hunt for something close. I'll keep y'all posted.
p.s. Whew, almost forgot my NaBloPoMo post today. Under the wire again.
p.p.s. Speaking of under wire, I need a new bra.
p.p.p.s. I'd rather walk willingly unarmed into a dinner party hosted by zombies, where I'm the entree, than go bra shopping. It's the damn tags, they're deadly...paper cuts hurt, ya know!
p.p.p.p.s. (nope, got nothing....)
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Texas Flight Attendant Robynn Shayne Goes Viral With Cover of Lorde's 'Royals'
Nick Stracener is an East Texas native from Lindale who also works for American Airlines. And a video he took of a fellow flight attendant is blowing up online.
Nick Stracener is an East Texas native from Lindale who also works for American Airlines. And a video he took of a fellow flight attendant is blowing up online.
Taylor Swift has the number one song in the country right now with "Shake It Off" in addition to the number one album "1989" too and people can't seem to get enough of her and this song! Many people have taken to mashing up the song with other videos and one of the latest mash ups features the song and a group doing an aerobic dance using dancers from 1989!
For the past few years, Jimmy Kimmel has asked his viewers to play a joke on their kids the morning after Halloween by telling them that they ate all of the Halloween candy they collected while trick or treating.
The Nacogdoches Jaycees and Sig Tau Gamma Haunted House is open every night this week through Halloween Friday at 7pm. Come out for a scary good time, and help support the great things that the Jaycees do for the community.
Two Dutch guys came up with the idea to pose as restauranteurs and feed fancy people McDonald's. Spoiler Alert - The fancy people LOVE IT.
The promotional machine known as Taylor Swift is about to kick into high gear with the upcoming release of her new album 1989. In advance of its release, Taylor surprised groups of super fans by treating them to a special listening sessions to hear the new album in its entirety.
The most advanced indoor snow center in the world is coming to Grand Prairie with a scheduled opening in 2018.That's right, you'll soon be able to do your snow skiing in the DFW area.
Pretty soon the ghosts, goblins, super heroes and the like will be ringing your doorbell and saying "trick or treat" for their Halloween candy!
Although she talks on the radio for a living and wakes up East Texas every morning on the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show, Kellie Rasberrry still has a fear of speaking in front of a crowd.
We have all seen Tiny Hamster Eating Tiny Burritos and have agreed that it was all win. This little guy can really pack away the food. But can he beat Kobayashi in a hot dog competition?
Our K-Fox 955 2014 East Texas Got Talent show is going to be bigger than ever. With 25 finalists in the competition, one is bound to be your favorite. The 30th Annual Texas State Forest Festival is the place to be tonight!
Miss New York delivered us a mash-up of sorts during the talent portion of the Miss America pageant on her way to winning the crown!


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Year of the Break Up: Couples Who Split in 2015
With all the couples that bit the dust this year, this is a recap of the relationships that fell apart in 2015.
With all the couples that bit the dust this year, this is a recap of the relationships that fell apart in 2015.
The story of entrepreneur Joy Mangano will hit theaters on Christmas.
No one knew for certain if Wet Hot American Summer could pull off its prequel reunion series on Netflix, but by the full trailer, the First Day of Camp looks like everything we've dreamed. See the star-studded cast reunited (and joined by some other ridiculously famous folk) for our first official trailer, along with a slick new poster!
You may be surprised to learn how many of the rich and famous actually started out folding T-shirts at the Gap, scrubbing floors or flipping burgers before they made it big.
It was recently reported that Bradley Cooper has been looking to make his directorial debut, and although it was rumored that his first project would be Honeymoon With Harry, Cooper's first film might be something different — and a little more exciting. Cooper is eyeing the long-gestating remake of A Star Is Born featuring none other than Queen Beyoncé herself.
While the ladies tend to get all the attention when it comes to fashion at the Oscars – from dramatic necklines and voluminous skirts to intricate appliques and bold colors – many actors like to rock attention-grabbing suits with just as much personality as their female counterparts' gowns.
We were wondering how long it would take for Taylor Swift to show up in a skit for tonight's Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special, and, thankfully, we only had to wait about an hour or so to see her in all her comedic glory.
Get an up close look at the movie everyone is talking about.
'American Sniper' had a record-shattering weekend at the box office, grossing an astounding $105 million from Friday to Monday. It's already the second biggest earner of Clint Eastwood's entire career after 'Gran Torino,' and with six Academy Award nominations (and great word-of-mouth) behind it, it's posed to become his biggest hit ever.
I wonder if Chris Kyle was a Clint Eastwood fan. 'American Sniper''s marketing materials describe Kyle as "the most lethal sniper in U.S. history," but before his military career, Kyle was a cowboy. He wore a hat and boots, and even carried a six-shooter. Eventually, he gave up the cowboy life and decided to serve his country. He was a gifted marksman and trained to be a Navy SEAL. But even as a soldier, Kyle never lost that cowboy swagger—or that sense that someone has to venture out into the frontier and protect the American way of life. That's what Kyle learned from his father—who raised him to be a "sheepdog," a watchful protector in a world of sheep and wolves—and from watching violent Westerns like the ones that made Eastwood a major Hollywood star.


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I'm trying to achieve a right-hand-floated box, with a variable list of tables or divs (generated via ASP.NET Repeater, but that's not important) to the left. The tables/divs should expand to fill the remaining width.
That would be fine: float the box to the right, and set a
margin-right on each of the tables or divs. However, I want the tables/divs to expand to fill the full width of the page after they have 'gone past' the end of the float - basically, to wrap around the floated box, filling the remaining width.
(Here's some code that would be a basis for experimentation: I want the divs - or equivalent tables - to not overlap the floated box, but take the full width available.)

Hello, world

The only thing I have found that gets anywhere close is to have one of the columns within the tables to have a huge width, longer than is possible - e.g. 3000px. The table then 'expands' to try to get to 3000px but can't, and so it fills the available width, taking into account the floated box when it's near the top of the page, and just taking the whole width a little further down when the floated box isn't there anymore.
I hope I have explained this well enough, please comment if not. I did search for duplicates expecting plenty but I believe I didn't find this exact question; only people asking for the same thing but without the tables expanding to full width after the floated box is 'out of the way'. Thanks.


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Kermit Roosevelt Professor of Law
Kermit Roosevelt has expertise in constitutional law and conflict of laws. Professor Roosevelt is a frequent media commentator on constitutional issues and supports the University's affirmative action admissions policy. His books include The Myth of Judicial Activism: Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions.
"My take is that this decision is clearly right and consistent with the way the equal protection clause has functioned in our constitutional history: the Court invalidates forms of discrimination once it becomes clear that society has deemed them unjustified. There are always complaints that this amounts to granting special rights and that the court has usurped the people's right to self-governance. And they always look overblown in retrospect. Chief Justice Roberts suggested that we should not celebrate the Constitution, which had nothing to do with the decision. I feel sorry for him if his Constitution doesn't. My Constitution does. America's Constitution does."
Steve Barnes, 215-898-5181 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Theodore Ruger Professor of Law
"Today's decision will go down in history as a landmark moment in the history of the Supreme Court and our nation's long struggle to extend basic civil rights to all citizens. In its ruling, the court properly recognized the fundamental importance of the right to marry and ensured that all Americans will enjoy that basic right in the future. That this ruling reflects the culmination of much prior work and many prior victories in state courts and legislatures does not dilute the profound importance of having the nation's highest court unreservedly declare same-sex marriage to be the law of the land."
Steve Barnes, 215-898-5181 or email@example.com
Rogers Smith Professor of Political Science
Rogers Smith, a professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, chairs the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship and Constitutionalism. He is a scholar in constitutional law and American political thought with a special interest in questions of citizenship, race, ethnicity and gender. He is author of numerous publications, including Still a House Divided: Race & Politics in Obama's America (with Desmond S. King)
"Important as it is, the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of same-sex marriage probably only accelerates slightly what the tides of history and changing popular views would soon have brought about in any case. But the statements in Justice Anthony Kennedy's majority opinions stressing how a fundamental commitment to human dignity undergirds constitutional guarantees of equal protection and privacy are likely to shape debates over the Constitution's meaning on many issues and for many decades to come."
Jacquie Posey, 215-898-6460 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Tobias Barrington Wolff Professor of Law
Tobias Barrington Wolff writes and teaches in the fields of civil procedure and complex litigation, the conflict of laws, federal jurisdiction and constitutional law. He has served as counsel or counsel for amici curiae in many civil rights cases seeking equal treatment under law for LGBT people and authored one of the lead amicus briefs to the Supreme Court on interstate recognition in the marriage equality decision handed down.
"Generations of men and women risked their safety and their livelihoods, dedicated their labor and their honor, sacrificed their privacy and their peace of mind to achieve this victory. In one of the most consequential rulings on equality and liberty in decades, the court has reaffirmed that the Constitution is a living document that must respond to the real experience of ordinary people who seek to participate in its great promises. Today, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans are included in those promises. At long last, the equal dignity of our relationships under the Constitution is settled law."
Steve Barnes, 215-898-5181 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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The WT5C sprays water up to 100 ft. to control dust and wash down equipment on jobsites, where operators can switch from suction to discharge by turning a single lever. Mounted on a U.S. DOT-approved double-axle trailer, the polypropylene tank's integrated baffles reduce water movement en route for safer transport.
Multiquip Inc.www.multiquip.com
Fleets, Trucks and Accessories
Supervisory control and data acquisition data can be automatically imported into...
Public Works staff
Rotating water jet that agitates more soil with the same amount of water, works with...
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2015 Hanley Wood Media, Inc. All rights reserved.


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Swift Response Before Transgender Teen Recanted
SAN FRANCISCO -- Police in the San Francisco suburb of Hercules responded aggressively when a transgender teenager showed up at his high school health center saying he had just been beaten and sexually assaulted in a school bathroom.
Civil rights advocates swung into action, too, noting that another transgender student had complained of being bullied at Hercules Middle/High School last fall. School district officials promised to redouble their efforts to address sexual harassment, intolerance and violence on their campuses.
But on Tuesday afternoon, the 15-year-old student who alleged the attack recanted, acknowledging during a follow-up interview with a detective that he had fabricated the whole tale, Hercules police said.
"We investigated this thing as a true crime. We went at it full force until we found out there was no crime," said Connie Van Putten, a police department spokeswoman.
The reversal left open the possibility that the teen originally thought to be a victim could be charged with making a false criminal report, Van Putten said.
The student, who is biologically female but identifies as male, had told officers he was leaving a boy's bathroom at the school on Monday morning when three other boys he did not know pushed him inside a large stall and attacked him.
Officers took his statement and opened an investigation that included a sexual assault examination. But officers could not substantiate certain elements of his statement, including the time frame, and he lacked any physical injuries to his head, face and hands, police said.
The student acknowledged he had made up the story during the follow-up interview, Van Putten said. She would not speculate on why he had lied.
The made-up account came as school districts across California are bringing their policies into compliance with a law that took effect Jan. 1 guaranteeing students the right to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match the gender with which they identify. Opponents of the law, who say it violates the privacy of students who may feel uncomfortable sharing facilities with classmates of the opposite biological sex, tried to overturn it at the ballot box but failed to gather enough signatures to qualify a referendum for the November election.
Advocates who fought to get the law through the Legislature last year said the fact that the Hercules teen's story appeared to be untrue does not minimize the harassment that transgender students routinely face and the need for schools to work hard to address it.


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The #1905Cottage expansion is nearing its end. I'll be sharing more over the summer, but thanks to my friends at Troy-Bilt, I have gotten a head start on the garage! So check out these garage makeover tips - and learn how you can win a Troy-Bilt FLEX system! The garage is still in progress, but my DIY work couldn't wait! I was so excited when Troy-Bilt invited me to participate in the … [Read more...]
My Summer Beauty Favorites (and how you can win $500)!
It's been so warm here that I've already got my mind on summer ... So I'm already getting into summer beauty mode ... and I'm set to talk about my top 3 summer beauty favorites! I'm sharing some of my favorite summertime things in the short little video below: … [Read more...]
Anatomy of a Snapshot Part II: Eliminating Distractions in your Background
Thanks to everyone who left love on my blogs last week! I love photography and am excited to share what I know with others. There were several questions asked and I hope by the time this series is done, those questions will be answered. I hope you all looked through your photo files last week in search of chopped limbs and are practicing incorporating all body parts into your … [Read more...]


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Party, Craft & School Supplies
Brainy Toys for Kids of All Ages
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1000+ items up to 50% off! Shop
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100s of Pink Ribbon items to show your support. Shop
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Age Recommendation:
Makes 12
Item added to your wish list!
Metal Jingle Bell Wreath Christmas Ornaments Craft Kit
Makes 12
3.8 out of 5
Craft Stick Snowman Ornament Craft Kit
12 Piece(s)
5.0 out of 5
Turkey Craft Kit - Makes 12
4.8 out of 5
Beaded Candy Cane Christmas Ornament Craft Kit
4.7 out of 5
"Legend of the Gingerbread Man" Christmas Ornament Craft Kit
4.9 out of 5
Layered Snowflake Christmas Ornament Craft Kit
Makes 6
Now $7.58
24 Pc. Mouse Candy Cane Craft Kit
Makes 24
4.2 out of 5
Rhinestone Fall Leaf Craft Kit
4.0 out of 5
Handprint Reindeer Craft Kit
2015 Reindeer Ornament Craft Kit
Pom-Pom Snowman Candy Christmas Ornament
Fabulous Foam Penguin Christmas Ornaments
4.3 out of 5
Glitter Sticky Hands
72 Piece(s)
4.5 out of 5
Marshmallow Snowman Christmas Ornament Craft Kit
3.5 out of 5
Yes, Clear All
No, Keep All


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Drew is the Art Director for Genmotion. He is multi-lingual when it comes to modern art mediums. With a Degree in Digital Media and studies in the fields of Photography and Business he's limitless in any given environment.
Clips // 2012 - 2014
Marist College Graduate, May 2014
Music: Flume // Sleepless ft. Jezzabell Doran
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Just in case you had a yearning for a big, plaid-covered sack to attack.
Military and workwear-inspired.
The Cavs cross the desert for TNT's 'The Quest'
Classic look, contemporary boot.
The legend of the deductive detective returns to its birthplace.
The British artist talks about her musical influences and being honest.
Another Psychology 101 experiment gets the Hollywood treatment.
Faux ostrich skin and an icy outsole.
Honoring the iconic director's greatest achievements.
Stirring female portraits inspired by Japanese anime girls.


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Sports - Page 11
Watch This Dog Go Bananas Over World Cup Soccer [Video]
If you've been a loyal reader of my blog, you know how much I love videos of dogs doing wacky things. With the World Cup tournament now in full swing, there are plenty of talented dogs trying to get some soccer love. While we don't know what this dog's soccer skills are like, he clearly loves to watch the matches on TV.
Watch this pup go nuts over some frantic football action:
Watch – The Cowboy Monkey Rodeo Comes to FirstEnergy Park [Video]
One of the unique charms of Minor League Baseball are the unique, fun, and sometimes odd promotions that teams trot out each season. And Thursday night was no exception in Lakewood as the BlueClaws welcomed "The Cowboy Monkey Rodeo" to FirstEnergy Park.
It's one of those things that you had to see to believe. Watch:
Are You Ready For The World Cup ?
Warriors Fishing Tournament
Helping Military And Veterans Families With Homeruns For Heroes
The 3rd Annual James Volpe Foundation Golf Classic
Play Ball !
Golfing with the Girls!
The Upcoming Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore Golf Classic is coming up, get details
Watch What It Is Like To Go 150 M.P.H. !
So this week we had the opportunity to go hang out with the folks at Raceway Park in Englishtown! This weekend is the NHRA 45th Annual Toyota Summernationals ...


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JM Burkman & Assoc
Some of this data may be out of date
State influence data from the National Institute on Money in State Politics changed in format and availability during the 2013-2014 election cycle. While we work to integrate their new style of data release, state-level campaign finance data for the 2014 cycle and beyond will be unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience, but heartily recommend trying out their snazzy new site at FollowTheMoney.org!
Lobbying$13,116,000 Income
Figures are based on lobbying activity reported to the Senate Office of Public Records. Reported dollar amounts are required to be accurate only to the nearest $20,000. For organizations whose primary business is lobbying, we display total income and top clients. For organizations that are not primarily lobbying firms, we display total amount spent on lobbying and top lobbying firms hired.
For more information, please see our lobbying methodology page.
Lobbying Carried Out by JM Burkman & Assoc
Names of Lobbyists
Client Amount GC Barnes Group $630,000 Ecoark $560,000 Igov $529,000 ALC Day Solar $528,000 Holland & Knight $500,000 AC Technologies $417,000 Southwind Capital $410,000 Fidelity National Financial $320,000 Sytex Inc $280,000 In Sequence Inc $269,000
Most Frequently Disclosed Lobbying Issues
- Government Issues,
- Defense,
- Environment & Superfund,
- Energy & Nuclear Power,
- Health Issues,
- Banking,
- Insurance,
- Housing,
- Foreign Relations,
- Disaster & Emergency Planning
Recent Lobbying Contracts
Date Client Summary Oct. 6, 2015 Darco Construction Issues relating to transportation bill. View registration Aug. 20, 2015 Akouba Inc Issues concerning FDIC, OCC, and other banking regulations. House Financial Services Committee. View registration Aug. 3, 2015 Corigin Regulatory issues at DOE; contracts at DOD issues involving large defense companies; issues at USDA. View registration July 19, 2015 Lorna Counsell Advice re: defense, energy and transportation sectors. View registration


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Name: Tye Taylors
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Likes: Guns, Swords, Speed, Freedom, Women
Dislikes: Bad People, Spiders
Family: Mother-Being held captive in the astro-plane by Death.
Favorite Thing: His Sword
Patron: Death; Tye's time had come early, at 17 he met his end by the means of a drunk driver. Just walking home after dark, everything was over in an instant. Confronted in the astro-plane between life and death, Death offered him a second chance. "So much potential" he said, "Shame for it to go to waste" he said. He was offered all the power he could ever want, however he conveniently left out the cost...Tye's mother.
Powers: Psychokinesis, Devil's Armory- Any metal weapon Tye touches, he can transform into "Demon Weapons" Guns and Blades, able to pierce any mortal armor, more accurate and quality crafted than anything made by mortal hands. Demon Weapons have their steel covered with ornate "vines" etched out down the weapon from the base. They are able to damage minor demons like a .50 cal hitting a mortal man. Demon Form - Tye's true form, in this form all his energy is let loose allowing for him to change form when the situation calls for it. His added effects include a decent speed boost and black angel wings.
Skills: Shooting


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Charlie Sheen went on an explosive Twitter rant hours ago with Kim Kardashian as his prime target after he said she snubbed a six-year-old's request for an autograph.
The 49-year-old actor reportedly told the 34-year-old reality star to go "f yourself," and said "My apologies to your hubby, great guy I'm sure, I hope his vision returns one day."
He apparently said many more disgusting phrases, but he deleted the tweets. Now, Charlie has taken to Twitter to apologize for his explosive rant against her.
"Dear Kim, my extreme bad. really embarrassed by my actions," Charlie wrote in his letter to her. I was already pissed about some other crap that had nothing to do with you. I heard a story that bothered me." Charlie signed the letter #ShutUpSheen.
Click inside to read Charlie Sheen's entire apology letter to Kim Kardashian… More Here! »


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Americans were stunned when the news broke a few years ago that poor recordkeeping at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) had resulted in misidentified gravesites and lost veterans' remains. The chaos at some of the nation's most hallowed grounds was the consequence of non-automated, paper-driven processes and mismanaged offices. In 2010, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) asked the Northern Virginia Technology Council to help get the cemetery's bookkeeping back on track. Brad Antle, president and CEO of Salient Federal Solutions and chairman of NVTC, responded by assembling a task force of 17 industry members to assess the situation and sending the group's recommendations to Army Secretary John McHugh.
When we first came in, there was incredulity and disbelief. I think it was like how the public felt upon hearing what was going on. There was a sense of "how did this happen?" Over time, we developed an understanding of how this process evolved, and you could see there were opportunities for these errors to creep into the system. It became a little bit more obvious how these things were able to happen. What stood out most was the sheer amount of manual processes there were.
We realized there was a significant volume [of information] coming in that needed to be dealt with. And they aren't overly staffed. It didn't take much to make the magnitude significant.
After the initial briefing, it was about systematically going through each step of the process, understanding how things came in to the cemetery, what kind of paper trail there was and where the issues were cropping up. We examined the process from initial contact with the cemetery all the way to interment.
The solutions we came up with were largely process-oriented. Most centered on how ANC dealt with interment. Their processes were antiquated, largely paper- and fax-driven, and so we put together an approach that was much more automated and leveraged technology to support the processes so they would have fewer opportunities for errors.
We needed to eliminate things like faxes, which don't have any traceability, and have ANC rely more on traditional forms of electronic communication that have auditability. Faxes just aren't a positive form of communication. You don't know if a fax was received. With e-mail, you can actually go back and find an audit trail; you can see when it was sent and received. Eliminating steps in the process that didn't provide an audit trail — that was a priority.
Our solutions weren't necessarily technology-dependent. They didn't require a lot of investment in new technology, but they certainly relied on current technology to make the processes more efficient and dependable.
ANC actually started making some of the recommended changes before our report was even finalized. Once it was finalized, they reviewed it and continued to make improvements to their existing system, taking into account many of the recommendations that were made in the study.
Since then, they've made strides and corrected a lot of discrepancies. They're improving processes so the opportunities for mistakes have been greatly reduced. The folks at ANC are eager to find ways to improve their business processes. They aren't all the way there yet. This isn't a problem that cropped up overnight, and it's not going to go away in a day. But they're making a tremendous amount of progress.
Read more about the 2012 Federal 100 award winners.
About the Author
Amber Corrin is a former staff writer for FCW and Defense Systems.
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The outgoing speaker helped push forward data and transparency measures that have opened up the House of Representatives to the American people.
The Census Bureau announced plans to fold in new technology and third party data into its 2020 population count, but questions remain about the viability of the Bureau's enterprise IT.
A technology roadmap can help agencies reap the benefits FITARA has to offer. Here are the four stages of a successful effort.
In the newest Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, feds show they're feeling better than they have over the past few years – but there's still room for improvement, especially in mission-critical IT.
The General Services Administration's Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract will anchor the agency's NS 2020 telecommunications strategy.
House and Senate both approve a measure to maintain funding at fiscal 2015 levels through Dec. 11.
The aviation regulator missed a Congressional deadline to develop rules of the sky-ways for drones.
Agency heads, acquisition officers and even CIOs don't need to be hard-core techies. FCW's four-part look at the expertise that's really required to make federal IT run.
FCW recognizes 14 individuals having an outsized impact early in their careers.
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I'm using FOP to generate PDF reports. The problem is I need the DIN-Regular font instead of the default Times New Roman. Can anybody tall me how to change the font? I'm using fop-0.94.boc.02 version. Thanks
All you have to do is register the font and it's location in your config file, fop.xconf.
Like so:
In your FOP code you should refer the font like so:
Currently FOP supports only TrueType fonts correctly, I think.
You also have to take a look at the style of the font, in order to include it in your triplet. Do this by opening and investigating your font.
Make sure to include -c fop.xconf when you call fop and you should be good to go!


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- Product Information
Product Description
GOLFER LUMI LOON Patent No. 7,344,267 Our NEW & IMPROVED BALLOON LIGHT is a great way to decorate for your golf theme event. This is a party planners dream come true for your night time golf outings and golf theme events. An imprinted golf ballon and a light source, One Way Valve and attached 6' Ribbon. This item is soooo cool that a patent has issued and is pending. We have taken a High Quality ( U.S. made) 14" Latex Balloon with an imprinted Golfer, and attached it to a one way valve. Inside the valve are 3 Hi Powered L.E.D's that have multi modes. Packed in resealable bags of 10 pieces. Please order in increments of 1 bag (10 Lumi Loons). Please Note: The valve on the LUMI-LOON is designed to be inflated using a either Helium Tank or Compressed Air Supply with a black latex straight inflator. The patent pending valve creates a very tight seal to stop air from leaking but by doing so prevents the balloon from being inflated by mouth. It can be inflated using a standard bicycle/car inflator. THIS BALLOON CAN NOT BE INFLAT
- Questions & Answers
- Reviews
5 Steps to Keeping Zombies Away During the Zombie Apocalypse
In the event that a Zombie Apocalypse does occur, you and your loved ones will remain safe and untouched when you follow these (fun and) simple steps.
Party Tips on Hosting a Kid-Friendly Halloween Party
Teachers and moms, use these Halloween decorating and party planning tips in order to throw a fabulous Halloween party this year!
Create a Spooky Scene Outside Your Home with Halloween Decorations
We offer a wide selection of Halloween decorations in a variety of horror themes. Use this guide to help you choose the perfect decorations to make your home the most popular trick-or-treating destination this year!
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