text:
5 Whores Who Changed The Course of History
#2. Georgina Beyer
New Zealand.
How She Got Her Start:
As a man. Georgina was born George Bertrand. When he began to work as a transsexual prostitute as a young adult, he began going by the name Georgina Beyer (incidentally, "Georgina Beyer" wins our prestigious, "Least Creative Name for a Transvestite Hooker Award").
Whoregina Beyer would have been much more creative.
Georgina quickly fell in with a bad crowd. She started stripping at nightclubs across Sydney, and whoring on the side for extra cash. She soon ended up in the King's Cross neighborhood, a rough area where terrible things tended to happen. Georgina was accosted and raped by four unnamed men.
And while in an action movie, this is the point where Georgina would take to the streets in the name of bloody vengeance, he/she went another direction instead.
What Made Her Great?
After the attack, Georgina left Australia for New Zealand, in one stroke overcoming her trauma and reducing her likelihood of being killed by one of the 14,392 species of poisonous animals that call land down under home. In 1984, Georgina underwent a sex change. She began to work heavily as an actress, and then as a radio host. Finally, in the early 90s, she got into local politics.
She became the world's first transgendered mayor in 1995, a feat which was only eclipsed by her surprise 1999 election to the New Zealand Parliament (a parliament is like congress, but with substantially less cane fighting).
God bless America.
Georgina spent eight terms as the world's first transgendered MP and retired in 2007. She is still an active force in the fight for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered rights worldwide. And if in her spare time she takes to the streets to hunt down her attackers, perhaps with a huge Australian knife up her sleeve... well, that's none of our business.
#1. The Empress Theodora
5th century, AD.
How She Got Her Start:
History remembers Theodora as the wife and co-ruler of the great Justinian, the most lauded ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire. But Theodora wasn't born an Empress.
When her father died, Theodora, her mother and her two sisters were rendered destitute. Desperate for money, Theo's mother sent her three daughters off to work "in the theater." By this point in the list, you know what that means.
Theo took to harlotry like a duck takes to water. She couldn't sing or dance or play an instrument so, to make up for it, she became the most promiscuous courtesan Constantinople had ever seen. The historian, Procopius, said that she "gave her youth to anyone she met, in utter abandonment." Which is basically a fancy way to say she got ridden more than the town bicycle.
The Empress, after retiring from her career in fornication management.
Procopius elaborated on the subject with:
Often she would go picnicking with 10 young men or more, in the flower of their strength and virility, and dallied with them all, the whole night through. When they wearied of the sport, she would approach their servants, perhaps 30 in number, and fight a duel with each of these; and even thus found no allayment of her craving.
Translation: She made love to 10 virile men until they passed out, then she played crotch-soccer with all 30 of their slaves.
Once, visiting the house of an illustrious gentleman, they say she mounted the projecting corner of her dining couch, pulled up the front of her dress, without a blush, and thus carelessly showed her wantonness.
Translation: Real people got tired too easily, so she played pelvic pinochle with the couch instead.
And though she flung wide three gates to the ambassadors of Cupid, she lamented that nature had not similarly unlocked the straits of her bosom, that she might there have contrived a further welcome to his emissaries.
Translation: Three holes just aren't enough.
All of 'em. At the same time. And that fountain, too.
What Made Her Great?
Eventually Theo found a John that she wanted to take home for more than one night. Fortunately for her, that John was the Emperor Justinian. Theodora became his valued co-ruler and was, by all accounts, an equal partner in the ruling of the Empire.
During her years at the top, the scarlet-woman-turned-Empress cracked down on forced prostitution, made rape punishable by death and helped establish basic property rights for women across the Eastern Empire. Despite her lofty status, Theodora never forgot her humble roots. She was considered a friend to the poor, and one of the greatest women's rights reformers in history.
Hmmmm... kind of makes Pretty Woman look like a big pile of vapid bullshit by comparison.
And because we know you can't get enough tales of sex (pervert), check out History's 7 Most Astounding Sexual Resumes and The 6 Raunchiest, Most Depraved Sex Acts (From the Bible).


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What methodologies do user experience professionals adopt that differentiate them from usability professionals.
Many others have attempted to define the roles within user experience, but there are no hard boundaries.
Jesse James Garret descibes in his book The elements of User Experience (See overview) includes Usability as part of the Strategy Plane, although I'm sure he would agree that as in so many situations, the components of user experience do not fit neatly into little standalone boxes, but spill out into other areas. [Note that JJG adapted his top level 'element' from Visual Design to Sensory Design]
So, I think the Bible (That's Information Architecture for the World Wide Web by Peter Morville and Louis Rosenfield) very nicely describes various roles within the industry:
I quote directly from Chapter1 of the book: (which I heartily recommend in order to find out about the various methodologies you ask for, as I feel that is too wide a topic to answer here)
i look at usability as part of user experience design, an integral part of it. the different aspects of user experience design are so interconnected that usability just cannot be a standalone something
your user interface design with usability considerations will contribute to user experience, your copywriting will contribute to overall usability, and testing all of this will help find issues.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Republic of Haiti
Area: 27,750 sq. km. (10,714 sq. mi.); about the size of Maryland. Ile de la Gonave and Ile de la Tortue comprise Haiti's principal offshore territories.
Cities: Capital--Port-au-Prince (pop. 2 million). Other cities--Cap Haitien (pop. 600,000).
Terrain: Rugged mountains with small coastal plains and river valleys, and a large east-central elevated plateau.
Climate: Warm, semiarid, high humidity in many coastal areas.
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Haitian(s).
Population (2001 est.): 8.1 million.
Annual population growth rate: 1975-2001, 1.9%; 2000-2015 (est.): 1.3%.
Ethnic groups: African descent 95%, African and European descent 5%.
Religions: Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16%, voudou (voodoo) practices pervasive.
Languages: French (official), Creole (official).
Education: Years compulsory--6. Adult literacy (2001 est.)—50.8%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--79/1000. Life expectancy--49.1 yrs.
Type: Republic.
Independence: January 1,1804.
Constitution: March 1987.
Branches: Executive--President. Legislative--Senate (27 Seats), Chamber of Deputies (83 seats). Judicial--Court of Cassation.
Administrative subdivisions: Nine departments (a law creating a 10th department, approved by Parliament and signed by President Aristide, was awaiting publication to become law in November 2003).
Political parties and coalitions: Fanmi Lavalas (FL), Struggling People's Organization (OPL), Open the Gate Party (PLB), Christian Movement for a New Haiti (MOCHRENHA), Democratic Consultation Group (ESPACE), Popular Solidarity Alliance (ESKANP), several others. The Democratic Convergence is a coalition of most leading opposition parties formed to protest the results of May 2000 legislative and local elections.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
GDP (FY 2002): $3.5 billion.
Real GDP growth rate (FY 2002): -0.9%.
Per capita GNP (FY 2002): $425.
GDP by sector (2002): Agriculture--27%; industry--14%; services--52%; indirect and import taxes--7%.
Inflation (2002 CPI yearly): 14.8%.
Natural resources: Bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble. Agriculture (27% of GDP): Products--coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, cacao, sorghum, pulses, other fruits and vegetables.
Industry (15.5% of GDP): Types--apparel, handicrafts, electronics assembly, food processing, beverages, tobacco products, furniture, printing, chemicals, steel.
Services (52% of GDP): Commerce, government, tourism.
Trade (2002): Total exports f.o.b.--$248 million: apparel, mangoes, leather and raw hides, seafood, electrical. Major market--U.S. ($244 million). Imports--$870 million c.i.f. From U.S. $674 million--grains, soybean oil, motor vehicles, machinery, meat, vegetables, plastics, petroleum.
Note: There are serious problems with national accounts in Haiti, including incomplete coverage and the questionable accuracy of raw data.
Although Haiti averages about 290 people per square kilometer (748 per sq. mi.), its population is concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal plains, and valleys. About 95% of Haitians are of African descent. The rest of the population is mostly of mixed Caucasian-African ancestry. A few are of European or Levantine heritage. About two-thirds of the population live in rural areas.
French is one of two official languages, but it is spoken by only about 10% of the people. All Haitians speak Creole, the country's other official language. English is increasingly used as a second language among the young and in the business sector.
The dominant religion is Roman Catholicism. Increasing numbers of Haitians have converted to Protestantism through the work of missionaries active throughout the country. Much of the population also practices voudou (voodoo), recognized by the government as a religion in April 2003. Haitians tend to see no conflict in these African-rooted beliefs coexisting with Christian faith.
Although public education is free, the cost is still quite high for Haitian families who must pay for uniforms, textbooks, supplies, and other inputs. Due to weak state provision of education services, private and parochial schools account for approximately 90% of primary schools, and only 65% of primary school-aged children are actually enrolled. At the secondary level, the figure drops to around 20%. Less than 35% of those who enter will complete primary school. Though Haitians place a high value on education, few can afford to send their children to secondary school and primary school enrollment is dropping due to economic factors. Remittances sent by Haitians living abroad are important in paying educational costs.
Large-scale emigration, principally to the U.S.--but also to Canada, the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas and other Caribbean neighbors, and France--has created what Haitians refer to as the Tenth Department or the Diaspora. About one of every eight Haitians lives abroad.
The Spaniards used the island of Hispaniola (of which Haiti is the western part and the Dominican Republic the eastern) as a launching point from which to explore the rest of the Western Hemisphere. French buccaneers later used the western third of the island as a point from which to harass English and Spanish ships. In 1697, Spain ceded the western third of Hispaniola to France. As piracy was gradually suppressed, some French adventurers became planters, making Saint Domingue, as the French portion of the island was known, the "pearl of the Antilles"--one of the richest colonies in the 18th century French empire.
During this period, African slaves were brought to work on sugarcane and coffee plantations. In 1791, the slave population revolted--led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, Jean Jacques Dessalines, and Henri Christophe--and gained control of the northern part of the French colony, waging a war of attrition against the French.
By January 1804, local forces defeated an army sent by Napoleon Bonaparte, established independence from France, and renamed the area Haiti. The impending defeat of the French in Haiti is widely credited with contributing to Napoleon's decision to sell the Louisiana territory to the United States in 1803. Haiti is the world's oldest black republic and the second-oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere, after the United States. Although Haiti actively assisted the independence movements of many Latin American countries, the independent nation of former slaves was excluded from the hemisphere's first regional meeting of independent nations, in Panama in 1826, and did not receive U.S. diplomatic recognition until 1862.
Two separate regimes--north and south--emerged after independence but were unified in 1820. Two years later, Haiti occupied Santo Domingo, the eastern, Spanish-speaking part of Hispaniola. In 1844, however, Santo Domingo broke away from Haiti and became the Dominican Republic. With 22 changes of government from 1843 to 1915, Haiti experienced numerous periods of intense political and economic disorder, prompting the United States military intervention of 1915. Following a 19-year occupation, U.S. military forces were withdrawn in 1934, and Haiti regained sovereign rule.
From February 7, 1986--when the 29-year dictatorship of the Duvalier family ended--until 1991, Haiti was ruled by a series of provisional governments. In March 1987, a constitution was ratified that provides for an elected, bicameral parliament; an elected president that serves as head of state; and a prime minister, cabinet, ministers, and supreme court appointed by the president with parliament's consent. The Haitian Constitution also provides for political decentralization through the election of mayors and administrative bodies responsible for local government.
1991-1994 - An Interrupted Transition Coup
In December 1990, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a charismatic Roman Catholic priest, won 67% of the vote in a presidential election that international observers deemed largely free and fair. Aristide took office on February 7, 1991, but was overthrown that September in a violent coup led by dissatisfied elements of the army and supported by many of the country's economic elite. Following the coup, Aristide began a 3-year exile in the U.S. Several thousand Haitians may have been killed during the de facto military rule. The coup contributed to a large-scale exodus of Haitians by boat. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a total of 41,342 Haitians at sea during 1991 and 1992, more than the number of rescued boat people from the previous 10 years combined.
From October 1991 to September 1994 an unconstitutional military de facto regime governed Haiti. Various OAS and UN initiatives to end the political crisis through the peaceful restoration of the constitutionally elected government, including the Governor's Island Agreement of July 1993, failed. When the military refused to uphold its end of the agreements, the de facto authorities refused to allow a return to constitutional government, even though the economy was collapsing and the country's infrastructure deteriorated from neglect.
1994 - International Intervention
On July 31, 1994, as repression mounted in Haiti and a UN-OAS civilian human rights monitoring mission (MICIVIH) was expelled from the country, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 940. UNSC Resolution 940 authorized member states to use all necessary means to facilitate the departure of Haiti's military leadership and to restore Haiti's constitutionally elected government to power.
In the weeks that followed, the United States took the lead in forming a multinational force (MFN) to carry out the UN's mandate by means of a military intervention. In mid-September, with U.S. troops prepared to enter Haiti by force, President Clinton dispatched a negotiating team led by former President Jimmy Carter to persuade the de facto authorities to step aside and allow for the return of constitutional rule. With intervening troops already airborne, Gen. Raoul Cedras and other top leaders agreed to accept the intervention of the MNF. On September 19, 1994, the first contingents of what became a 21,000-member international force touched down in Haiti to oversee the end of military rule and the restoration of the constitutional government. By early October, the three de facto leaders--Cedras, Gen. Philippe Biamby, and Police Chief Lt. Col. Michel Francois -and their families had departed Haiti. President Aristide and other elected officials in exile returned on October 15.
Under the watchful eyes of international peacekeepers, restored Haitian authorities organized nationwide local and parliamentary elections in June 1995. A pro-Aristide, multi-party coalition called the Lavalas Political Organization (OPL) swept into power at all levels. With his term ending in February 1996 and barred by the constitution from succeeding himself, President Aristide agreed to step aside and support a presidential election in December 1995. Rene Preval, a prominent Aristide political ally, who had been Aristide's Prime Minister in 1991, took 88% of the vote, and was sworn in to a 5-year term on February 7, 1996, during what was Haiti's first-ever transition between two democratically elected presidents.
Political Gridlock
In late 1996, former President Aristide broke from the OPL and created a new political party, the Lavalas Family (FL). The OPL, holding the majority of the Parliament, renamed itself the Struggling People's Organization, maintaining the OPL acronym. Elections in April 1997 for the renewal of one-third of the Senate and creation of commune-level assemblies and town delegations provided the first opportunity for the former political allies to compete for elected office. Although preliminary results indicated victories for FL candidates in most races, the elections, which drew only about 5% of registered voters, were plagued with allegations of fraud and not certified by most international observers as free and fair. Partisan rancor from the election dispute led to deep divisions within Parliament and between the legislative and executive branches, resulting in almost total governmental gridlock. In June 1997, Prime Minister Rosny Smarth resigned. Two successors proposed by President Preval were rejected by the legislature. Eventually, in December 1998, Jacques Edouard Alexis was confirmed as Prime Minister.
During this gridlock period, the government was unable to organize the local and parliamentary elections due in late 1998. In early January 1999, President Preval dismissed legislators whose terms had expired--the entire Chamber of Deputies and all but nine members of the Senate--and converted local elected officials into state employees. The President and Prime Minister then ruled by decree, establishing a cabinet composed almost entirely of FL partisans. Under pressure from a new political coalition called the Democratic Consultation Group (ESPACE), the government allocated three seats of the nine-member Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) to opposition groups and mandated the CEP to organize the overdue elections for the end of 1999. Following several delays, the first round of elections for local councils--ASEC and CASEC, municipal governments, town delegates, the Chamber of Deputies, and two-thirds of the Senate took place on May 21, 2000. The election drew the participation of a multitude of candidates from a wide array of political parties and a voter turnout of more than 60%.
The Electoral Crisis
Controversy mired the good start, however, when the CEP used a flawed methodology to determine the winners of the Senate races, thus avoiding run-off elections for eight seats and giving the FL a virtual sweep in the first round. The flawed vote count, combined with the CEP's failure to investigate alleged irregularities and fraud, undercut the credibility of that body. The CEP President fled Haiti and two members eventually resigned rather than accede to government pressure to release the erroneous results. Nonetheless, on August 28, 2000, Haiti's new Parliament, including the contested Senators accorded victory under the flawed vote count, was convened.
Through a number of diplomatic missions by the OAS, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the United States, the international community had sought to delay Parliament's seating until the electoral problems could be rectified. When these efforts were rebuffed, Haiti's main bilateral donors announced the end of "business as usual." They moved to re-channel their assistance away from the government and announced they would not support or send observers to the November elections. Concurrently, most opposition parties regrouped in an alliance that became the Democratic Convergence. The Convergence asserted that the May elections were so fraudulent that they should be annulled and held again under a new CEP. Elections for President and nine Senators took place on November 26, 2000. All major opposition parties boycotted these elections in which voter participation was estimated at 5%. Jean-Bertrand Aristide emerged as the easy victor of these controversial elections, and the candidates of his FL party swept all contested Senate seats. On February 6, 2001, the Democratic Convergence named respected lawyer and human rights activist Gerard Gourgue as provisional president of their "alternative government." Gourgue called the act "symbolic," designed to protest flawed elections. On February 7, 2001, Jean-Bertrand Aristide was inaugurated as President. Notwithstanding the previous year's electoral controversy, the inauguration marked the first time in the country's history that a full-term president peacefully transferred power to an incoming president.
It did not, however, put an end to the political stalemate. OAS-mediated negotiations began in April 2001 to find a resolution, focusing on the on possible makeup of a new electoral council, a timetable for new elections, security for political parties, and other confidence-building measures. These negotiations made some progress, but were suspended in mid-July without a final agreement. On July 28, 2001, unknown gunmen attacked police facilities in Port-au-Prince and the provinces. A subsequent government crackdown on opposition party members and former soldiers further increased tensions between Lavalas and Convergence. On December 17, 2001, unidentified gunmen attacked the National Palace in Port-au-Prince. Following the assault, pro-government groups attacked the offices and homes of several opposition leaders. One opposition member was killed. Negotiations between FL and Democratic Convergence, already on hold following the July violence, were suspended indefinitely.
In January 2002, the OAS Permanent Council adopted Resolution 806 on Haiti that called for government action to address the political stalemate, growing violence, and deterioration in respect for human rights. It also authorized OAS establishment of a Special Mission in Haiti to support implementation of steps called for in Resolution 806. T The OAS Special Mission began operations in March 2002, working with the government on plans to strengthen Haiti's democratic institutions in security, justice, human rights, and governance. Nevertheless, the climate of security deteriorated and a rapidly weakening economy created risks of a humanitarian disaster. The OAS Permanent Council adopted Resolution 822, September 4, 2002, which set a new course for resolving the crisis by: committing the Haitian government to a series of steps leading to an improved climate of security for free and fair elections in 2003; supporting Haiti's resumption of normal relations with the International Financial Institutions; and strengthening the mandate of the OAS to monitor as well as support GOH efforts to comply with OAS resolutions. It also conferred new mandates related to conduct of elections and disarmament.
Protest strikes and attacks on opposition demonstrations by government-supported gangs between November 2002 and February 2003 hardened attitudes on both sides. The opposition issued a public call for Aristide's removal and announced plans for a transitional government. In March, 2003, a high-level joint delegation of the OAS and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) presented specific demands to President Aristide to restore public security and create confidence necessary to move toward elections: select new leadership for the Haitian National Police in consultation with the OAS; arrest Amiot Metayer, a notorious gang leader; and disarm the security forces used by government politicians to intimidate opponents. Since then, a new police chief, appointed June 9 in consultation with the OAS, resigned and fled the country June 23 after being ordered to give up his authority over budget and personnel; government-paid thugs violently disrupted a civil society public ceremony July 12 in Cit� Soleil; police attacked civil society marches in Cap Haitien August 30 and September 14 and prevented an opposition march scheduled for October 5. Amiot Metayer was murdered September 21 (it is widely believed the government ordered the murder to prevent release of compromising information). The government announced August 13 that it was re-activating a defunct CEP in what many have interpreted as a move toward holding elections outside the framework of OAS Resolution 822 . The OAS and other foreign observers, including the U.S., have denounced these steps. To re-invigorate the process envisioned in Resolution 822, the OAS designated a Special Envoy for Dialogue in Haiti, Terence Todman, a retired U.S. Career Ambassador. Todman, a native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, undertook three negotiating missions to Haiti in September-October 2003. The political stalemate that began with the May 2000 legislative elections continues through the date of this report.
International Presence
After the transition of the 21,000-strong MNF into a peacekeeping force on March 31, 1995, the presence of international military forces that helped restore constitutional government to power was gradually ended. Initially, the U.S.-led UN peacekeeping force numbered 6,000 troops, but that number was scaled back progressively over the next 4 years as a series of UN technical missions succeeded the peacekeeping force. By January 2000, all U.S. troops stationed in Haiti had departed. In March 2000, the UN peacekeeping mission transitioned into a peace-building mission, the International Civilian Support Mission in Haiti (MICAH). MICAH consisted of some 80 non-uniformed UN technical advisers providing advice and material assistance in policing, justice, and human rights to the Haitian Government. MICAH's mandate ended on February 7, 2001, coinciding with the end of the Preval administration. The OAS Special Mission has some 25 international police advisors who arrived in summer 2003; is in addition to observing and reporting Haitian police performance, they provide limited technical assistance.
Principal Government Officials
President--Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Prime Minister--Yvon Neptune
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Joseph Philippe Antonio
Ambassador to the U.S.--vacant (Harry Frantz L�o, Charge d'Affaires)
Ambassador to the OAS--Raymond Valcin
Ambassador to the UN--Dr. Jean C. Alexandre
The Embassy of Haiti is located at 2311 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-332-4090).
Haiti remains the least-developed country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world. Comparative social and economic indicators show Haiti falling behind other low-income developing countries (particularly in the hemisphere) since the 1980s. Haiti now ranks 150th of 175 countries in the UN's Human Development Index. Haiti's economic stagnation is the result of earlier inappropriate economic policies, political instability, a shortage of good arable land, environmental deterioration, continued reliance on traditional technologies, under-capitalization and lack of public investment in human resources, migration of large portions of the skilled population, a weak national savings rate, and the lack of a functioning judicial system.
The 1991 coup and the irresponsible economic and financial policies of the de facto regime resulted in a sharp economic decline from 1991-94. Following the coup, the United States adopted mandatory sanctions, and the OAS instituted voluntary sanctions aimed at restoring constitutional government. International sanctions culminated in the May 1994 UN embargo of all goods entering Haiti except humanitarian supplies, such as food and medicine. The assembly sector, heavily dependent on U.S. markets, employed nearly 80,000 workers in the mid-1980s. During the embargo, employment fell below 17,000. Private domestic and foreign investment has returned to Haiti slowly. Since the embargo's end, assembly sector employment has gradually recovered to about 30,000, but further growth has been stalled by investor concerns over safety and political instability.
Under President Pr�val (1996-2001), the country's economic agenda included trade/tariff liberalization, measures to control government expenditure and increase tax revenues, civil service downsizing, financial sector reform, and the modernization of two out of nine state-owned enterprises through their sale to private investors, the provision of private sector management contracts, or joint public-private investment. Structural adjustment agreements with international financial institutions (IFIs) intended to create conditions for private sector growth proved only partly successful, however.
Haiti's real GDP growth turned negative in FY 2001 after six years of growth. Real GDP fell by 1.1% in FY 2001 and 0.9% in FY 2002. Macroeconomic stability was adversely affected by political uncertainty, the collapse of informal banking cooperatives, high budget deficits, low investment, and reduced international capital flows, including suspension of IFI lending as Haiti fell into arrears with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and World Bank. Haiti's economy stabilized in 2003. Although FY 2003 began with the rapid decline of the gourde due to rumors that U.S. dollar deposit accounts would be nationalized and the withdrawal of fuel subsidies, the government successfully stabilized the gourde as it took the politically difficult decisions to float fuel prices freely according to world market prices and to raise interest rates. Government agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a staff monitored program (SMP), followed by its payment of its $32 million arrears to the IDB in July, paved the way for renewed IDB lending. The IDB disbursed $35 million of a $50 million policy-based loan in July and began disbursing four previously approved project loans totalling $146 million. The IDB, IMF, and World Bank also discussed new lending with the government. Much of this would be contingent on government adherence to fiscal and monetary targets and policy reforms, such as those begun under the SMP, and Haiti's payment of its World Bank arrears ($30 million at 9/30/03). The IMF estimates real GDP was flat in FY 2003 and projects 1% real GDP growth for FY 2004. However, GDP per capita-- $425 in FY 2002-- will continue to decline as population growth is estimated at 1.3% p.a. While implementation of governance reforms and peaceful resolution of the political stalemate are key to long-term growth, external support remains critical in avoiding economic collapse. The major element is foreign remittances, reported as $931 million in 2002, primarily from the U.S. Foreign assistance, meanwhile, was $130 million in FY 2002. Overall foreign assistance levels have declined since FY 1995, the year elected government was restored to power under a UN mandate, when over $600 million in aid was provided by the international community.
Workers in Haiti are guaranteed the right of association. Unionization is protected by the labor code. A legal minimum wage of 70 gourdes a day (about U.S. $1.70) applies to most workers in the formal sector.
Haiti is one of the original members of the United Nations and several of its specialized and related agencies, as well as a member of the Organization of American States (OAS). It maintains diplomatic relations with several dozen countries.
The international community rallied to Haiti's defense during the 1991-94 period of de facto military rule. Thirty-one countries participated in the U.S.-led multinational force (MNF) which, acting under UN auspices, intervened in September 1994 to help restore the legitimate government and create a secure and stable environment in Haiti. At its peak, the MNF included roughly 21,000 troops, mostly Americans, and more than 1,000 international police monitors. Within 6 months, the troop level was gradually reduced as the MNF transitioned to a 6,000-strong peacekeeping force, the UN Mission in Haiti (UNMIH). UNMIH was charged with maintaining the secure environment which the MNF had helped establish as well as nurturing Haiti's new police force through the presence of 900 police advisers. A total of 38 countries participated in UNMIH.
To spur Haiti's social and economic recovery from decades of misrule before that, international donors pledged in 1994 to provide more than $2 billion over five years in total assistance. Most bilateral assistance is now channelled through non-governmental organizations. Major bilateral donors are led by the United States, with the largest program, and include Canada, the EU, France, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. Cuba provides highly visible, low-cost medical and technical experts. Multilateral aid is provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and the UN and its agencies. All aid is coordinated informally by the World Bank.
U.S. policy toward Haiti is designed to foster and strengthen democracy; help alleviate poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition; promote respect for human rights; and counter illegal migration and drug trafficking. The U.S. also supports and facilitates bilateral trade and investment along with legal migration and travel. U.S. policy goals are met through direct bilateral action and by working with the international community. The United States has taken a leading role in organizing international involvement with Haiti. The United States works closely with the Organization of American States (OAS; see "Key OAS Issues"), particularly through the Secretary General's "Friends of Haiti" group (originally a UN group that included the U.S., Canada, France, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina which was enlarged in 2001 to add Germany, Spain, Norway, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and The Bahamas), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and individual countries to achieve policy goals.
Maintaining good relations with and fostering democracy in Haiti are important for many reasons, not least of which is the country's geographical proximity to the continental United States. In addition to the many Haitians who receive visas to immigrate into the U.S. (averaging over 13,000 annually in FY 1999-2003), there is a flow of illegal migrants. Over 100,000 undocumented Haitian migrants were intercepted at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard in the past two decades, particularly during the 1991-94 period of illegal military rule when more than 67,000 migrants were interdicted. Since the return of the legitimate government in 1994, the interdiction of illegal migrants by U.S. Coast Guard vessels has decreased dramatically, averaging fewer than 1,500 annually. Neighboring Caribbean countries, particularly The Bahamas, continue to interdict Haitian migrants as well. The prospect remains, however, for the renewal of higher flows of illegal migrants, particularly under conditions of political unrest or further economic downturn.
U.S. Economic and Development Assistance
Political insecurity and the failure of Haiti's governments to invest in developing the country's natural and human resources has contributed significantly to the country's current state of underdevelopment. U.S. efforts to strengthen democracy and help build the foundation for economic growth aim to rectify this condition. The U.S. has been Haiti's largest donor since 1973. Between FY 1995 and FY 2003, the U.S. contributed more than $850 million in assistance to Haiti. These funds have been used to support programs that have addressed a variety of problems. Among the programs are:
Haiti has been plagued for decades by extremely high unemployment and underemployment. The precipitous decline in urban assembly sector jobs, from a high of 80,000 in 1986 to fewer than 17,000 in 1994, exacerbated the scarcity of jobs. To revitalize the economy, U.S. assistance attempts to create opportunities for stable sustainable employment for the growing population, particularly in rural areas. More recently, programs that help to increase commercial bank lending to micro-enterprises, especially in the agricultural sector, have helped to create a significant number of jobs. U.S. assistance is channeled primarily through private voluntary agencies and contractors to ensure efficient implementation of U.S. assistance programs.
Combating Drug Trafficking
Haiti is n a major transshipment point for South American narcotics, primarily cocaine, being sent to the United States. To counter this threat, the U.S. has taken a number of steps, including signing a counternarcotics letter of agreement with the Government of Haiti in May 2002, vetting and training the counternarcotics division of the Haitian National Police, providing material assistance and training to the Haitian Coast Guard for drug and migrant interdiction, and obtaining the expulsion of several traffickers under indictment in the United States. Although Haiti did not meet counternarcotics certification criteria the past three years, the country was provided a waiver of any sanctions on grounds of vital national security interest.
U.S. Business Opportunities
The U.S. remains Haiti's largest trading partner. Port-au-Prince is less than 2 hours by air from Miami, with several daily direct flights. A daily flight also connects Port-au-Prince with New York, and a new Port-au-Prince-Fort Lauderdale flight started in 2003. Both Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien on the north coast have deepwater port facilities. Many Haitian entrepreneurs conduct business in English, and U.S. currency circulates freely in Haiti. A number of U.S. firms, including commercial banks, telecommunications, airlines, oil and agribusiness companies, and U.S.-owned assembly plants are present in Haiti.
Further opportunities for U.S. businesses include the development and trade of raw and processed agricultural products; medical supplies and equipment; rebuilding and modernizing Haiti's depleted infrastructure ; developing tourism and allied sectors--including arts and crafts; and improving capacity in waste disposal, transportation, energy, telecommunications, and export assembly operations. Haiti's primary assembly sector inputs include textiles, electronics components, and packaging materials. Other U.S. export prospects include electronic machinery, including power-generation, sound and television equipment, plastics and paper, construction materials, plumbing fixtures, hardware, and lumber. Benefits for both Haitian and American importers and exporters are available under the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA)-- which provides for duty-free export of many Haitian products assembled from U.S. components or materials-- the successor program to the Caribbean Basin Initiative.
U.S. export opportunities also exist for four-wheel-drive vehicles, consumer electronics, rice, wheat, flour, animal and vegetable fats, meat, chicken, vegetables, and processed foodstuffs. The Government of Haiti seeks to reactivate and develop agricultural industries where Haiti enjoys comparative advantages, among which are essential oils, spices, fruits and vegetables, and sisal. The government encourages the inflow of new capital and technological innovations. Additional information on business opportunities in Haiti can be found at the Country Commercial Guide for Haiti.
Establishing a Business
Individuals wishing to practice a trade in Haiti must obtain an immigrant visa from a Haitian Consulate and, in most cases, a government work permit. Transient and resident traders must also have a professional ID card.
Property restrictions still exist for foreign individuals. Property rights of foreigners are limited to 1.29 hectares in urban areas and 6.45 hectares in rural areas. No foreigner may own more than one residence in the same district, or own property or buildings near the border. To own real estate, authorization from the Ministry of Justice is necessary.
Hurdles for businesses in Haiti include poor infrastructure, a high-cost port, an irregular supply of electricity, and Customs delays. The government places a 30% withholding tax on all profits received. There is little direct investment.
Foreign investment protection is provided by the Haitian Constitution of 1987, which permits expropriation of private property for public use or land reform with payment in advance. American firms enjoy free transfer of interest, dividends, profits, and other revenues stemming from their investments, and are guaranteed just compensation paid in advance of expropriation, as well as compensation in case of damages or losses caused by war, revolution, or insurrection. The U.S. and Haiti have a bilateral agreement on investment guarantees that permits the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation to offer programs in Haiti. The two governments also signed a bilateral investment treaty in December 1983, but it was not ratified.
Additional information on establishing a business in Haiti can be found at www.usatrade.gov, then to market research, then Country Commercial Guide.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--James B. Foley
Deputy Chief of Mission--Luis G. Moreno
Consul General Julia Stanley
Public Affairs Officer--Judith Trunzo
USAID Director--David Adams
The U.S. Embassy in Haiti is located on 5, Harry Truman Blvd., Port-au-Prince.
Contact Information
U.S. Commercial Service does not have a separate office in Haiti. Commercial matters are handled by the Embassy economic section.
Tel: (509) 223-1477
Fax: (509) 223-9038
Cell: (509) 409-1441
Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)
1615 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20527
Tel: (202) 457-7200
Fax: (202) 331-4234
U.S. Department of Commerce
14th and Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20230
Office of Latin America and the Caribbean
Tel: (202) 482-0704
Fax: (202) 482-0464
Caribbean/Latin American Action
1818 N Street, NW, Suite 310
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 466-7464
Fax: (202) 822-0075
Association des Industries d'Haiti (ADIH)
Bldg. Le Triangle Delmas 31, #139
Tel: (509) 246-4509/4510 or 2211
Centre Pour la Libre Entreprise et la Democratie (CLED)
37, Avenue Marie-Jeanne,
No. 8 B.P. 1316
Tel: (509) 244-0901 or (509) 245-6039
Fax: (509) 222-8252
Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie d'Haiti
P.O. Box 982
Tel: (509) 222-0281 or (509) 222-2475
Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AMCHAM)
Rue Oge, A-5
Republic of Haiti
Tel: (509) 511-3024, fax not available


text:
Logical-Mathematical Gift-Boosting Activities
In This Article:
The Super Bowl is over, but the math skills it uses last all year. Sharpen those pencils and prepare to pass!
Get a taste of the state math tests. And see which family members have math in the bag.
Multiplication rules in this fishy printable.
Determine the operation to be used in solving word problems.
We pitch you the math problem, you chose your answer and swing.


text:
We believe in Customer Inspired Growth.
We help the world's leading brands partner with their customers. Through these partnerships, our clients gain deep insight, creative ideas and honest input.
Our work with you and your customers will inspire decisions that lead to improved business results.
Our Products and Services
Client Stories
Growing CPG sales and strengthening retail partnershipsMars
Launching the Santander brand in the USSantander
Innovating a superior car rental experienceNational
B2B Innovations and Organizational ChangeAviva
Growing a Global Insurance Business Around High Value CustomersZurich
Improving B-to-B delivery serviceSysco
Co-creating products and advertisingDanone
Reinventing luxury air travelEtihad
Outperforming the market
Here's how our clients have grown compared to the Standard and Poor's 500 index. The correlation is simple. Partner with your customers and your business will be more profitable. (What does this graph mean?)
What is behind this graph?
The red line indicates the performance of the S&P 500 Index from 2008 to 2014. The S&P 500 is an American stock market index based on the market capitalizations of 500 large companies having common stock listed on the NYSE or NASDAQ. These 500 companies may change from year to year.
The blue line or C Space Index indicates the performance of our top 20 clients. The top 20 clients may change from year to year. We calculate it just like the S&P 500 does it.
The results: over a 10 year period from Jan 2005 – Dec 2014, the portfolio of top 20 C Space clients outperformed the S&P 500 by 29%. There were some years it was a much as 60%.


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My question is about the construction of derived functor in the language of model categories. (As it is done for example the paper by Dwyer and Spalinski "Homotopy Theories and Model Categories".) I've just started learning these things, so my question may be trivial.
When one looks at the model category of (non-negatively graded) chain complexes, the procedure of taking cofibrant replacement is taking projective resolution of a given complex (Cartan-Eilenberg resolution). This gives a standard recipe for computing derived functor via projective resolution.
However, it is a fact that in order to compute derived functors of an additive left exact functor $F: A \to B$ one can take resolution by any adapted to $F$ class of objects $R$. Actually, there is an equivalence (induced by inclusion) between the derived categories of (non-negatively graded) complexes of objects from $R$ and the derived category of $A$. Class of injective (projective) objects is adapted to any functor. (See Gelfand and Manin III.6 for example.)
How can one prove these facts in the language of model categories?
Thanks for your help,


text:
Hello, I'm interested in the case when all varieties are projective threefolds over the complex numbers.
Start with a flopping contraction $f:Y \rightarrow X$, with corresponding flop $f^+: Y^+ \rightarrow X$. It has been proved that there then exists an equivalence $\Phi : D^b(Y^+) \rightarrow D^b(Y)$.
Is there a way to understand this (or any other) equivalence explicitly?
I've heard there is a way to find an equivalence by considering a common resolution of $Y$ and $Y^+$ and then using derived pullback and pushforward, is it true?
I am mostly interested in what happens to sheaves on $Y^+$ supported on the exceptional locus.


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Today on Tweet Beat, Lambert gets into particulars, Lance Bass celebrates, Diddy ponders new media, Diablo Cody speculates on the sex life of certain young documentarians, and Mindy Kaling has pointers for parental raconteurs.
Thank you U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips for the injunction of Don't Ask Don't Tell!! HUGE Historic day for human rights!
Dear @x17online please stop having your photographers wait at my kids school. http://bit.ly/buiKrK
I've learned a lot of self control & acceptance. Still never gonna be ok with grown men creeping outside schools. Gotta do what i can do
In a rented Ford Fusion hybrid...I like.
This a a good pickle!.......................................................................(Minds out the gutter)
Bunches of errands today. Manly things. Oil change, shower head replacement, push ups, purse organizing and so on...
Note To Self: Never listen to "Cat's In The Cradle" unsupervised again.
Still so intrigued by "social network"-anyone read "the facebook effect" or the "accidental billionaires"? Which ones closer to the truth?
Getting angry at Ann Coulter is like getting angry at Borat.
Parents, when you're relaying a story of your toddler's cuteness, NEVER DO A BABY VOICE
I bet Andrew Jenks gets a ton of ass.


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User Comments for Week 8 QB Rankings
I need Major Help On who I should Start for QB in Week 8? It's a NON PPR League!! I have 2QB's On My Roster, Which R QB M. Stafford vs SeaHawks and QB J. Flacco with his BYE Week!!! So as I was thinking that's another really tuff DEF Stafford is facing this week and there's A Few Good Waiver Wire QB's In My League that I can Pick up and Start For Week 8 these R Some of Them>(J. Cutler),(B. Wheeden),(C. Palmer),(J. Freeman),(T. Romo)and(R. Wilson)!!! So My Dilemma that I need Everybody's Expertise on is, if I should Drop A Player from My Roster{Which is Listed Below}For 1 of the Waiver Wire QB's I Listed Above To Start in Week 8 instead of(M. Stafford), then drop'em Next Week for Somebody else maybe WR or RB? I Have to Win this Week 8 bc if I don't then No Playoffs for me forsure, Which Sucks but I know I can Beat the Guy I'm against this Week 8!! His Week 8 starting QB is (T. Brady)!!! I'd Very Much Appreciate All the HELP I can get on This Dilemma of Mine!!! Thanks and WHIR 100%
{My Roster it's a NON PPR League!!}
QB:(Matthew Stafford)and(Joe Flacco)
RB:(LeSean McCoy),(Jamaal Charles),
(Alfred Morris)and(Mikel Leshoure)
WR:(Andre Johnson),(James Jones),
(Mike Williams),(Kenny Britt),
(Denarius Moore)and(Dwayne Bowe)
TE:(Aaron Hernandez)
K:(Sebastian Janikowski)
DEF:(San Fransisco)
{My NON PPR League Format!!}
{Have To Start}:1QB,2RB,2WR,1TE,
1Flex(RB/WR),Kicker & DEFENSE
6 Bench players
Six19R_OG-Mobsta 10/23/12 07:16 PM
Drop Flacco, pick up and start Romo. Giants still have a shaky secondary. Romo is a good fantasy qb and he scored well against them earlier this year.
dirtycabin 10/23/12 10:17 PM
Looking for some advice. I have Matt Stafford v. sea. and Josh Freeman v min. who should i gow with this week. Both defenses are pretty tough, Freeman is coming off a monster game, and Stafford has been struggling. I'm not sure how much longer freeman will keep up this awesome play, or how long Stafford will continue to be so shaky. Any one have a suggestion. And its a non PPR league
bcarey34 10/24/12 09:09 AM
^Yup, I'm in the same boat. Cam Newton vs CHI D or Josh Freeman Vs MIN D?
giwarriors12 10/24/12 10:01 PM
Me too!! Stafford or romo this week
Kidmikey23 10/25/12 08:51 AM
See I'd usually go freeman but there hasn't been any offence on the Thursday night games. I'd say go Cam he should still put up points
tommccrossin 10/25/12 11:22 AM
I need to start one or the other: Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.
conlijac000 10/25/12 05:26 PM
Luck or Newton.
Kpierce40 10/25/12 07:01 PM
xeroun 10/26/12 12:02 PM
Rapistberger or RG3?
csadow 10/26/12 05:31 PM
Should I start Jay Cutler or Andrew Luck this week. I should add, I also have Brandon Marshall, so I'd be getting double points for TD passes with Cutler in, but Chicago should stomp Carolina this week, meaning they'll probably be running the ball a lot in the 2nd half. I'm also a Bears fan, so it's hard to sit Cutler, but I think Luck shows tremendous upside this week.
bmwsoxfan 10/26/12 05:38 PM
i also am not sure who to put in. i have Eli Manning and Matthew Stafford. Eli is vs Dallas and Stafford is vs Seattle. can some one please help me.
shane321 10/26/12 10:25 PM
Andrew luck vs TENN
Matt Ryan @ PHILLY(with maybe some bad weather from the hurricane)
Champ2186 10/27/12 12:34 PM


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I bought a used 2001 Lexus ES 320 with 195K miles on it. It drives well, but I feel its pickup is not as good as I would expect from a 3.0L V6 engine. By pickup I mean the time it takes for the car to get from 0 to 25 miles per hour or so. So my question is - does a car lose its pickup with age?
Sign up
- Anybody can ask a question
- Anybody can answer
- The best answers are voted up and rise to the top
This is a little hard to answer without more information about the history of the car. My first instinct tells me, though, that you're just looking at a situation where a vehicle deserves some freshening maintenance.
Here are some fundamentals worth checking:
Barring any further information, I suspect that you're just looking at a clogged air filter. If I'm right, you're in luck: it's a super easy fix to replace a panel filter.
It should not. There can be minor engine wear resulting in a very slight loss of compression, but that's usually offset by some parts being "looser" and having slightly less friction. Modern cars are designed to go 100k miles without even having detectable wear at all!
Anything other than that is abnormal and is a symptom of some problem. Weak ignition coil perhaps, maybe a flaky O2 sensor (while the computer is supposed to detect those, the computers really aren't good at it, you can have one that's basically dead and STILL not get a MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light) for it). Could even be a slipping transmission. Whatever it is, it can be fixed (although the price could be anywhere from a few dollars up to thousands, depending on what the root cause is).
The NYtimes recently published this article basically stating that the longevity of modern cars (2001 seems to fit into that) far exceeds that of the previous generation. It quotes a Ford person saying that a test F150 was stripped down after 250K miles and showed no engine wear.
This would tend to indicate to mean that your car should not lose its pickup unless there is a mechanical problem; age is not an issue.
As for that problem may be, I cannot help.


text:
Fact Sheets
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Arab World
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Saudi US Relations
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Saudi Arabia In Focus
no Saudi solar energy production to soar Minister of Petroleum delivers speech in Poland
Al-Naimi: Saudi Arabia's solar energy production to soar
June 2, 2011
Fossil fuels, led by petroleum and gas, will continue to meet most of the world's energy needs for at least the next few decades, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi said during a speech in Poland. However, new sources of energy will need to be added over time in order to maintain the strength of the world economy.
Al-Naimi made his remarks at Poland's Gorniczo-Hutnicza University of Science and Technology, where he was recently awarded an honorary PhD. The Minister of Petroleum stressed the partnership between the Polish institution and the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST), noting that both universities play a pivotal role in the field of sustainable energy.
In the wake of the emergence of the middle classes in Asia and the rapid population increase in developing countries, the sustainable provision of greater energy supplies has become a vitally important issue, Al-Naimi explained. Reaching this goal will require the use of petroleum to meet the majority of the world's energy needs, while also allowing for the development of other sources.
Al-Naimi highlighted the work of the Gorniczo-Hutnicza University of Science and Technology in researching methods to make oil a more secure source of energy and described its breakthroughs in the fields of conversion technologies and non-classical gas reserves.
For its part, the Kingdom is constantly working on maintaining stable flows of energy to the world. Saudi Arabia's proven reserves of 264 billion barrels of oil are just a part of the equation, Al-Naimi said, noting that the Kingdom has invested $125 billion over five years in different phases of the oil industry. Saudi Aramco continues to focus on supply sustainability and is using technology to find and exploit new reserves.
Furthermore, Al-Naimi continued, Saudi Arabia has expanded its focus to other forms of energy, including solar. In this regard, KAUST is playing a pioneering role in solar and other renewable energy technology. Al-Naimi disclosed that KAUST and Saudi Aramco are cooperating in the creation of low-cost solar energy solutions for industrial activities, including cooling, water desalination, pumping and other processes. He added that Saudi Aramco is planning to build the Kingdom's biggest solar energy plant, which would produce 10 megawatts of light electro energy, at a car parking lot in Dhahran. Saudi Arabia plans to produce solar electricity in levels tantamount its oil production, Al-Naimi declared.
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The Crow's Nest
Who will be the next deep pocket for Oxnard nonprofits?
By The Spotter 12/06/2012
Republic Services is the Grinch that stole Christmas in Oxnard. And the city's nonprofits have to be wondering if they will suffer because Republic's Santa Claus got the ax and no one knows if his replacement will be as generous.
Trash is a lucrative business in most cities and Oxnard, with its huge trash operation, was the girl everyone wanted to date.
There has been fierce competition among longtime Oxnard company BLT Enterprises, locally owned E.J. Harrison & Sons, and national giants Waste Management and Republic Services. BLT had the contract for a while in the mid-1990s, but sold its interest to Republic.
When the contract for operation of the city's Del Norte Recycling Station went out to bid in 2009, BLT won the contract back, partly because Republic was doing a poor job of running the place. But then, the district attorney's investigation of the city and its handling of contracts snared BLT and its president, Bernie Huberman.
The contract was placed on hold and Republic was allowed to continue operating Del Norte. At this point, someone at Republic apparently woke up and decided that Oxnard was worth fighting for. It started getting its act together and hired Santa Barbara's "Trash Czar" Stephen MacIntosh.
He hit the ground like a tornado. MacIntosh joined groups, such as the Boys & Girls Club Board and the Chamber of Commerce. He made himself a familiar figure at all things Oxnard. But most important to the city's nonprofits, he took Republic's checkbook wherever he went and supported everything that ended in 501(c)(3). And for a while, it was working.
See, BLT had offered the same kind of support to the city's nonprofits for years. (In fact, part of the DA's investigation centered on a gift by Huberman to a nonprofit.) But Huberman and BLT never sought any credit for their giving. The company's profile was so low that even the Oxnard Chamber director once asked publicly, "Who's Bernie Huberman?"
But while the DA's investigation turned up a big fat zero on BLT, the damage had been done. Power shifting on the City Council to Tim Flynn and Carmen Ramirez meant that the previous contract awarded to BLT was kaput. They wanted negotiations to start all over. Although Ramirez stated privately that MacIntosh's check-writing was "pretty easy to see through," it appeared the strategy had helped Republic.
Earlier this month, however, when Republic, in a cost-cutting move, laid off 200 middle managers, including MacIntosh. The Spotter understands it was unceremonious — one of those "Come in. Have a seat. Turn in your cellphone and laptop" meetings.
The dumping of MacIntosh infuriated many nonprofits in the city where he made a lot of friends with the company's donations. And while his successor might be generous as well, no one in the city will ever feel quite the same about a national corporation, publicly traded, that dumps executives on a whim.
In truth, the donations have little to do with who gets the new contract. That is to be decided on who submits the best proposal. But the generosity of Macintosh with Republic's money did a lot for the city's nonprofits. They might be wishing the trash contract was always out for bid.
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The following is from the U.S. Attorney's Office:
A Kansas City man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for a bank robbery in Leavenworth, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Monday.
Donnique H. Kelley, 22, Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced to 130 months in federal prison. Kelley pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during the robbery. In his plea, he admitted that on Sept. 13, 2011, he and co-defendant Dale K. Hill, 52, Kansas City, Mo., robbed the Country Club Bank, 2310 South 4th Street in Leavenworth, Kan. They entered the bank and yelled, "Give me all the money. Open all the drawers." Kelley held a black handgun and pointed it at the tellers. They fled the bank in a black SUV.
They abandoned the SUV, which had been stolen, and attempted to escape in an orange Dodge Challenger. Lansing police spotted the orange car at Main and Ida in Lansing and attempted to stop it. The vehicle fled at a high rate of speed with Lansing police and the Kansas Highway Patrol in pursuit. The robbers drove east on I-70 and then east on I-670 into Kansas City, Mo., where police used stop sticks to disable the getaway car.
Co-defendant Dale K. Hill is set for sentencing April 16.
Grissom commended the Leavenworth Police Department, the Lansing Police Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead for their work on the case.


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Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition - Nintendo Wii
Same deal that was posted at Target but sold out - only available in stores.
19 Comments add a comment
Price is listed at $29.99 on website (not noted in original post).
$29.99 is the normal full price. Target and BestBuy do not really have a deal. K-Mart on the other hand is offering a $10 game credit (good for $10 towards a future game purchase) and of course is still selling it at the same price.
Toys 'R' Us has the best deal on the last few pages of their ad, though it is in store only. If you purchase one Mario All-Stars, you get a $5 gift card, but if you purchase 2, you get a $25 gift card. And if any of you don't know, you can sell these games for $35 on ebay so it practically free. I've done it a few times this week already.
"Shipping: Not Available" "Store Pickup: Check Stores"
Possibly sold out.
The limited run on this title has caused most stores to sell out quickly, and they are not limiting quantities in my area. If I had known that I would be the guy walking out of the store with all the copies they had and selling all but one on Ebay or through Amazon for $50.00 or more...
Not sold out. I did order online and picked up in-store half hour later.
Also, the price on Amazon is at $50 - so, the chain stores are selling at a discount.
@thumperchick: That Amazon price is a third party seller, looks like Amazon is sold out. My copy with Amazon as the seller was 29.99, the MSRP. I also did the K-Mart deal twice, so I can gift a copy and keep a sealed copy for myself.
Just made an online purchase, but had to choose in store pick up. A big plus to ordering this way....Bestbuy.com accepts PayPal.
26.99 at Costco
No matter how many times this is posted, it's still not a deal.
Regular retail price.
Cool! Says it's in stock at my local store, I'm gonna try to make a trip at lunch to pick one up for the husband. Thanks!
SOOO LAMEEE it doesnt even have super mario world. The original did!
the original didnt have super mario world...
I already bought these on the virtual console for my Wii ...and they were cheaper. What's the big deal with this? Am I missing something here?
@rhowdy17: It has a CD with some of the game songs on it. Not sure if they added support for the Wii controllers.
@rhowdy17: The Virtual Console versions are recreations of the games as they were in their original releases, whereas this is pretty much an exact re-release of Super Mario All Stars for the SNES--which featured "updated" graphics, backgrounds, illustrations, and music. This also includes a music CD with a sort of "greatest hits" selection of Koji Kondo's favorite Mario tracks, as well as a Mario history booklet.
All in all, if you're only interested in the more classic-look gameplay and you already have the Virtual Console games, you might as well save the $30. If you're interested in the extras--and the packaging itself IS pretty sweet, I must admit--it's not a terrible price.
@thumperchick: http://mario25.nintendo.com/allstar/
the official site:
Would not buy anything at Best Buy. Still fighting over Black Friday deal. Trip to store, online complaints, phone calls, complaint to Federal Trade Commision. Didn't have any but showed 1 to 3 day shipping. Item backordered. Can't get it cancelled.


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Wright scores 20 for 76ers in 88-79 win at Boston
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A jury recommended two life sentences for a western Kentucky man convicted of killing a woman in 2010.
The Paducah Sun reports formal sentencing for Mark Taylor is set for April 3. The same jury convicted Taylor on Thursday of murder, kidnapping and tampering with evidence in the death of 21-year-old CaSondra Evrard.
Evrard was found dead in a creek bed with stab wounds to her chest and cuts to her neck and face on Dec. 11, 2010.
The 12-person jury returned life sentences Friday on both the murder and kidnapping convictions, and the additional five years on the tampering conviction. The jury could have sentenced Taylor to death.
Six other people were charged in connection with the case. Five pleaded guilty, and one is scheduled for trial in March.


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The SeaSense® submersible bilge pumps are tough enough for any bilge. The 600 GPH and 800 GPH use 3/4" hose and the 1100GPH uses 1-1/8" hose. Meets ABYC specification H-22. Impact resistant ABS housing. Ignition protected. Certified flow rates. 30" tinned marine grade wire leads. Stainless steel shaft and mounting hardware. Universal quick release strainer base for easy cleaning. Universal mounting hole positions. 3-year warranty.
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Applies to a door where it is half open and half closed. In order to maintain sufficient airflow in an un-air conditioned room or under-air conditioned room, while still maintaining some level of privacy.
Hey leave that door clopen it's warm in here.
by Dont Hoff me bro August 18, 2010
Trending Now
Top Definition
Clopen is the act of closing at work one day and opening the next day.
Dude, Monday and Tuesday are gonna suck because I have to pull a clopen. I'm off at midnight and have to be back in at 8.
by JK651 January 07, 2007
In retail closing shifts often end between 9 and midnight and opening shifts start between 7 and 9 am. A clopen is a portmanteau of closing one night and then opening the next morning, thus having as little as eight hours to eat, sleep, and shower between shifts. Depending on the kind of retail and the hours involved, clopens can be a mild annoyance or a brutal test of human endurance.
I'd love to hang out tomorrow night, but I'm clopening, so I won't get home until midnight and then need to be up at six am~
by DexRicon July 07, 2009
At a place of employment, having to close one night and then open the next day.
Damn, I only got four hours of sleep, I had to clopen at Starbucks today. I hate my boss.
by UnleashTheThrashards February 22, 2008
In mathematics, a set that is both open and closed.
The union of the closed intervals |0,1] and |2,3] is a clopen set.
by Raptor007 January 27, 2009
To work shifts where you do a closing shift and then the next day an opening shift.
Person 1: What's your work schedule this weekend?
Person 2: I have a clopen. I work closing shift on saturday (2:30pm-11pm) and then open on sunday (7am-3:30pm).
Person 2: I have a clopen. I work closing shift on saturday (2:30pm-11pm) and then open on sunday (7am-3:30pm).
by fullofjoy20 May 08, 2009
When one works a closing shift and the the next day works an opening shift
Man, I've gotta clopen on thursday
by DrEdrection November 06, 2010
The term for closing and then opening in a retail job.
Man I can believe I have to clopen twice this week.
by Kirkbridian January 12, 2009


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does the fact that the jetties are temporary matter? Sure interrupting littoral drift of sand and **** factors in, but the break is rock bottom. Won't it regenerate itself after a couple years after the jetties are removed?
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does the fact that the jetties are temporary matter? Sure interrupting littoral drift of sand and **** factors in, but the break is rock bottom. Won't it regenerate itself after a couple years after the jetties are removed?
The problem with this plan is no one knows what will happen as a result. The proper review channels were not activated to evaluate the impacts of this plan and what the alternatives to it are.
It was approved under an emergency measure. I have yet to hear what the big emergency is.
Rhode island is notorious for dragging out construction and/or not completing the job in its entirety in a timely fashion.
What is all this about bad vibes at Ruggles and/or Newport overall? I surfed a bunch of spots in the area back in '08 while living in upstate NY. I was doing shift work at the time and seldom got the opportunity to surf. When I did, I usually ended up driving 6 hrs overnight, showing up at Spot X before dawn and sleeping in my car for a bit before suiting up. Every time, I would end up sharing conversation in the parking lot with some cool locals. Personally, I thought the town had a great vibe. One guy even let me follow him to a secret spot after I asked him about it (you could see it going off from where we were at the time). I got plenty of waves and met wonderful people. Sorry to hear about the bad experiences that some folks encountered, but those stories are a far cry from anything I have seen at Ruggles or anywhere nearby.
Same, I've never had any issues anywhere in R.I.
the cliffwalk is three feet wide. they could hire laborers to push wheel barrels of concreat out there to fix it and it would be a fraction of the cost of building four huge jetties jut for moving machinery. sounds like some serious palm greasing going on here. They are definitley trying to get their hands on as much sandy relief money as possible. It would be easy to make a lot of money dissapear into fake hours and expenses with a project like this.
So true. 8 million dollars?! It's crazy. EVERYONE should be up in arms about the way this money is being spent. Not just surfers and environmentalists.


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For Maror there are those that use lettuce, those that use endives, those that use fresh grated horseradish, or maybe something else. Is there a difference in what you use for Maror and what you use for Koraich?
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The Mishna (Pesachim 39a) lists five types of plants which are considered marror. They are:
Although various opinions have been offered to define these five species, we only use those those species which are known by tradition to be marror.
The first, Chazeres, is defined as Chasa which is commonly accepted as Romaine lettuce. Some hold that it is crisp head or iceberg lettuce. Even although it isn't bitter initially, if held in the earth for a time it becomes bitter. The Yerushalmi explains that the development of lettuce simulates the situation in Egypt, sweet at first and then becoming bitter. The Chazon Ish maintains that the lettuce must have at least somewhat of a bitter taste, other poskim disagree.
Ulshin is considered to be endives or escarole, types of chicory.
Tacha is horseradish
Charchavina and Marror, poskim hold that their definition is no longer known to us by tradition. (Pesachim 39a)
Not me, nor others I've seen in my limited experience.
For what it's worth, here's what my family does:
For Maror, we each get a small slab of fresh horseradish, and we complete our requirement with lettuce. For Koreich, we each get a small sandwich including fresh-grated horseradish, and again complete our requirement with lettuce.
I suspect that the reason we get slabs at Maror and grated at Koreich is that the former is better for dipping by itself, while the latter sits on matza in a sandwich more readily.


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Cougars Cruise To Win« Back to Stories
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AZUSA, Calif.-- With the 17th ranked NCAA Div. II team on the opening day schedule the NAIA's 7th ranked Azusa Pacific women's tennis team was likely expecting a battle. Instead the Cougars won the first seven matches of the day en route to an 8-1 win over UCSD on Saturday afternoon.
"It was a good competitive match. They competed hard we competed hard," said head coach Mark Bohren. "We got a lot of things to go our way, and you usually win when that happens. The score wasn't really indicative of how close it was."
Azusa Pacific began the day by sweeping the doubles matches. The No. 1 team of Emily Harris and Kim Koetterheinrich posted an 8-2 win over the Tritons' Haley Perrotte and Melissa Breisacher. In the No. 2 doubles Leah Hoffee and Danae Ingwaldson took an 8-3 win while Natalie McNall and Molly Ruby cruised to an 8-3 victory in the No. 3 doubles.
With the three-point cushion the Cougars needed just two singles wins to seal the match. Hoffee ran through UCSD's Perotte, going unscathed in a 6-0, 6-0 rout, and Harris clinched the win with a 6-3, 6-0 defeat of Samantha Yeung. Azusa Pacific registered another win after Ruby came back from a 3-6 opening set defeat. The sophomore from Paradise Valley, Ariz. Steamrolled through set No.2 with a 6-2 win and held on for a tight 11-9 victory in the third set.
Following Ruby's match Ingwaldson notched a 6-1, 7-6 win, but the Cougars' run ended there as the team's No. 1 singles player, McNall, suffered a tough 7-6, 6-4 defeat to make it 7-1 in favor of Azusa Pacific. Koetterheinrich ended the day with a come from behind win (4-6, 6-4, 10-6) in No. 5 singles play to finalize the match at 8-1.
Azusa Pacific improves to 1-0 with the win, while UCSD drops to 0-1 on the year. The Cougars next match is on Feb. 13 at Fresno Pacific.


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This tutorial should illustrate how to use bms with panel data. For the purpose of illustration we will use the data put forward in Moral-Benito (2011) and made publicly available at .
The data contains 35 variables (including the dependent variable, the growth rate of per capita GDP) for 73 countries and for the period 1960-2000. The dependent variable, GDP growth, is calculated for five year averages resulting into eight observations per country. Moral-Benito (2011) argues in favor of calculating averages of flow variables, while stock variables have been measured at the first year of each five-yer period.
The data can be downloaded here paneldat.rda.
After havin started R and loaded the BMS library we can have a closer look at the data:
library(BMS) head(panelDat)
The rownames of the data are a combination of the country code and the year of the observation. To estimate a country fixed effects panel we can make use of the Frisch-Waugh-Lovell Theorem and demean the data accordingly. That is, in the case of country fixed effecst, subtract from each observation (dependent and independent variable) the within country mean. For the case of time fixed effects, subtract from each observation the mean across countries per time period.
We will start with the country fixed effecst first.
R-bloggers.com offers daily e-mail updates about R news and tutorials on topics such as: Data science, Big Data, R jobs, visualization (ggplot2, Boxplots, maps, animation), programming (RStudio, Sweave, LaTeX, SQL, Eclipse, git, hadoop, Web Scraping) statistics (regression, PCA, time series, trading) and more...


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Willie Brown Says Healthy S.F. Violators Should Just Negotiate With Herrera
He says they should come clean and not pay for lawyers.
He says they should come clean and not pay for lawyers.
The city releases the full list.
At least 50 restaurant owners are being targeted in a citywide crackdown on the misuse of funds that were supposed to be earmarked for healthcare.
They have to pay out $320,000 in penalties, with $200,000 going back to employees.
They found that 'a small but growing number' of restaurants were profiting from the pocketing of unused health care set-aside funds, and that the city should disallow the practice.
His readers remain vehement too.
Oh, he's still steaming mad...
The change in the law means restaurants must now keep $8,500 per full-time employee in reserve at all times.
• The Board of Supervisors and Mayor Ed Lee continue to try to reach an agreeable compromise and one that won't enrage the restaurant community regarding those healthcare set-aside funds and how soon a restaurant can re-pocket unused...
Mayor Ed Lee has also vowed to veto the legislation, which would force restaurants to use their 'Healthy S.F.' funds for healthcare alone.
Restaurants like One Market say it's up to employees to fill out the paperwork and apply for the funds, but they aren't doing it; consequently restaurants keep the cash.
• The U.S. Supreme Court has asked for President Obama's input on the Golden Gate Restaurant Association's challenge to San Francisco's health care mandate. [SF Gate] • Moraga students learn math and nutrition in their elementary school garden. [Co Co...
• A University of California, Berkeley study found that San Francisco's health care mandate did not result in job losses, as some had predicted. [SF Chronicle] • To save wine from global warming, chefs and wine industry folks in France...


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Following the instructions in this page https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LaTeX , I installed TexLive, which needs some 1GB of space (I installed the texlive-full package). Yet, after installation, I don't seem to find any command that seems to represent the TexLive!! Is it the normal tex, latex, pdflatex, etc.? Well, I already had those before installing TexLive? So where was the 1GB installed? What about the packages? Where were they installed?
You could use
Type this at the command prompt to get the main path of your TeX installation:
Further you could use the
You may also check the versions of TeX, pdfTeX, LaTeX etc.:
All can be done at the command prompt, i.e. within a terminal window.
Further there are of course package managing tools of your distribution for look-up which packages are installed - Synaptic,
If you're still not sure: just go ahead, compile a LaTeX file. Afterwards read the first line of the
So you know if you're using a current version. The package manager which you used for installation should have taken care of all, so texlive would be used. The questions 'What' and 'Where' can be answered by the mentioned
If you installed
You may want to install the more updated version from the TeX Users Group, but then you must remember to add the path of the executables to your system then. Read the installation documentation for more information.


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Is your dog not a natural-born swimmer? Do you want to give him a little extra water security? The Aussie Life Jacket is the perfect way to give your pet a little extra water security. This superbly buoyant life vest is equipped with two handles for a sturdy grab, so you can easily lift your pet in and out of the water. The jacket's boasts a secure, stay-put design that helps prevent your pet from slipping out and offers super comfort, ensuring your dog enjoys life on the water. Secure, adjustable, self-fastening closures with plastic clips under belly ensure easy on/off. This life vest is made from durable polyester with highly visible reflective trim to ensure your best friend is visible day or night. Includes a D-ring for leash attachment. 6 sizes are available to fit dogs of all sizes. Orange.
How to Select a Size for your Pet
Please click on "More Information" for fit and care instructions.


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The 7 Most Questionable 'Haunted' Items on eBay
So, it turns out that eBay is full of "haunted" (or cursed, or possessed) items people are trying to get rid of. These fall into two categories: items being sold by the mentally ill or extremely superstitious (whom we just feel sorry for), and worthless junk being sold by hucksters hoping someone is stupid enough to buy them if they claim it's magic.
These items are the latter. Here are some of this year's braver efforts to profit from the superstitions of idiots.
We have so many questions about this one that we're not sure where to begin. Why did the little girl who owned this doll have it painted with weird fake nail polish blood? Did that happen after it became haunted? When your friends ask you why you bought something that looks like a rejected prop from the movie Se7en, and you tell them it's because it's possessed by ghosts, do you expect them to ever talk to you again?
In any event, you better be careful bidding on this one, because it's ONE OF THE MOST HAUNTED POSSESSED ITEMS THEY HAVE EVER INVESTIGATED. And it comes with free shipping.
It'd be downright irresponsible to sell a demon-possessed toy without a warning.
The auction page, adorned with animated spinning pentagram gifs straight off a 1994 Geocities site, tells the story of Reagan, the really seriously haunted and potentially evil murder doll. If you pick this one up, you can expect your home to be filled with electrical disturbances and the screaming and crying of spirits being tortured in hell. Did we mention the free shipping?
Luckily the doll is "manageable" now after the owners have been "working with her for several weeks," whatever that means. So this is a domesticated screaming hellbeast now?
That's the flaming pentagram of quality.
#6. "Very Old White Witch Handcrafted Powerful Item to Rid Insomnia"
How do you make money from a half-broken old pine cone? Stick a couple of craft-store googly eyes onto it, and suddenly it's a "very old" magical ancient sleep charm crafted by a powerful witch.
It's a good thing it's possessed by the ethereal powers of an otherworldly realm, because otherwise there is no way we would ever bring this ass ugly thing into our home.
What a lovely shade of poop mustard.
The auctioneer explains that this "very fragile delicate cute little feller" was made in 1948 from an unnamed "third generational White Witch." They go on to say that it "looks like it has been made from pine cones," but they don't seem too sure.
One can imagine "ghostlyencounter45" is pretty hard up for cash to give up the ability to sleep for such a low low price. But our hearts really go out to the poor fool who actually bought it for $24.95 plus shipping.
Is anyone else uncomfortably reminded of the California Raisins?
#5. "Haunted Doll 'Arson' Ironacally Died in a Fire"
"Arson" is the name of a doll haunted by the ghost of a girl who "ironacally" died in a fire. The description says this one comes with the added bonus that the doll will warn you about any fire hazards in your home.
Such as her hair.
The seller weaves an overly comprehensive and oddly specific tale about a man who named his daughter "Arson" because he thought fire was beautiful. Then one day, the man's boss asked him to set fire to his business so he could collect the insurance money and for some reason the man complied.
But surprise! It all turned out to be an elaborate scheme for the boss to kill his wife, and so Arson's father went to jail for the rest of his life and she was pretty sad about it. Also, on a completely unrelated note, Arson later ironically died in a completely different fire.
If you make it through five paragraphs of a story that turns out to have nothing whatsoever to do with anything, the seller finally explains that Arson's ghost lives inside this doll now. And because she's belatedly wise to the concept of fire safety, she tends to bug people about in-home fire hazards, as "she will pester you until they are fixed and no longer a hazard."
Because that's what you need in your home, a possessed doll who keeps bitching to you about double-stacked adapters.
"Karaoke night just isn't worth it!"
"Thegallowsofsalem66" is hocking a haunted plush toy that doesn't even resemble a lamb accidentally. If your child came home carrying this thing, you'd probably assume she found it lodged in a sewer grate or behind a trash can, which are the only places it rightfully belongs. But what sets this apart from all the other useless crap in your attic is that it's possessed by the soul of a girl named Cindy who was killed in a hit and run. How is this a selling point? We don't know, either.
The caps lock makes a compelling case.
According to an unreadable red wall of text, you can hear Cindy's voice emanating from the lamb, which "sounds distorted and like an old record playing that will keep skipping." Also there are orbs or something.
Cindy's mother was understandably distraught by all of this, but as luck would have it, she was also an amateur paranormal sleuth who knew an "investigator" who could test the toy for hauntedness. Sure enough, after the lamb cried all over his floor, he concluded that it carries with it the ghost of the little girl.
So what does her mother do when she finds out that she's harboring the ghost of her dead daughter? She sells it on eBay for 20 bucks. Thanks, Mom.
"We bought Timecop on DVD and some sandwich meat. It's what you would have wanted."


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Our Hanging Gift Wrap Organizer is sure to please gift packaging enthusiasts everywhere! It can be used in three ways to store all your decorative packaging necessities: hang it on a closet rod or on a hook, lay it flat and slide it under a bed, or fold it in half for tabletop use or to carry it with you wherever your gift wrapping projects take you. Specialized sections are provided to store and protect virtually any type of decorative packaging you might possess. There are pockets for greeting cards, ribbon, tape, and scissors. Bow pouches have diagonal slots for easier access to the interior. The ribbon pouch has a horizontal slot for access to the ribbon, which can be dispensed directly from the organizer. Rolled paper is held upright (when in the hanging position) to keep it from being crushed. Velcro straps hold the rolls in place, yet can be released when the organizer is folded in half.
Enter your zip code for product availability and pickup options at your nearest store or select a store by state.
Special pockets on the back are designed for tissue sheets, totes, and folded gift paper. The backing of the organizer is crisp white, super durable vinyl, while the pockets are clear for easy identification of the contents. For those who have only a little space to organize their decorative packaging, the Hanging Organizer is a space efficient and highly versatile choice.


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The Sherwood Voice welcomes to its online edition, nlrtimes.com, handicapper Charlie Cooper for the 2013 Oaklawn Park racing season.
"I'm happy to carried on sherwoodvoice.com," said Cooper. "I have a lot of fans and friends in the Central Arkansas area, and I get notes and calls from folks all across Arkansas. This should be another exciting season in Hot Springs."
Cooper has spent a lifetime around thoroughbreds. He attended school in Pine Bluff when, at the age of 16, he began working at the racetrack.
He started as a hot walker and then a groom at Louisiana Downs, then went to Calder Race Course in Florida where he was an assistant trainer. He's also been a jockey agent.
His love of racing started when he was 9 years old. His family had gone to Omaha on a vacation where his parents took him to Ak-Sar-Ben Race Track. Cooper became fascinated by the coming and goings of horses, jockeys, trainers and the like. "I was immediately hooked," he said.
Cooper finally was able to beg his father into showing him how to read the Daily Racing Form, and he has been picking horses ever since.
Cooper will be the first to say that he tries not to pick favorites because the payout isn't much "and they lose 70 to 75 percent of the time." Even at that, he picks winners at a high rate.
"I pick more exactas and trifectas than any other public handicapper in the country," he said.
Cooper and his better half, Marcy Jordan have qualified on multiple occasions to attend the Daily Racing Form/National Handicapping Championship.
The two live in Irving, Texas, but Cooper takes advantage of the fact that Oaklawn races are carried on HRTV, "the Network for Horse Sports" and watches each and every race.
Charlie's Picks will be carried on the Sherwood Voice website, www.sherwoodvoice.com, throughout the racing season.