text:
TATE HOUSE-Nice And Quiet Apartment
Maximální počet hostů3
Počet místností1
Velikost60 m²
Floor No.4(with elevator)
- Klimatizace
- Internet/WiFi
- Ručníky
- Výtah v budově
- Kuchyně
- Televize
- Pračka / sušička
- Myčka na nádobí
|Viale dei Quattro Venti, 00152 Roma, Itálie
|Typ nemovitosti
|Ident. objektu
It's a perfect space for two people, and from the very first moment you get in, you can have the feeling to stay at home.
The access to the whole apartment will be exclusively yours. Clean bed linen and towels will be ready for you. Washing machine, dishwasher, fridge-freezer, microwave, iron and hairdryer, wifi facilities are provided.
Bus connections to the city center are very easy.
There are local food shops and a group of local restaurants for nights out. Wonderful bakery just beside of the building.
Let me know what you prefer to have for breakfast and I will provide.
Check in and out times can be flexible upon request.
|Weekly rate for up to 2 guests
|616 €
|Monthly rate for up to 2 guests
|1931 €
|Cena za více než 2 ubytované(ých)
|26 € Cena za osobu/noc navíc
|Příjezd po
|Check-in before
|Odjezd před
|Stornovací podmínky
|Středně přísné
The apartment was percect! Very tidy and everything organized!
They, Eleonora and her mother Regina had thought of everything!
We felt so welcome!
It was easy to take the bus down to all the sights.
Åsa Peter Kimberly
Everything was delivered as advertised! :)
Our stay was warmly welcomed by Eleonora, she was always there if we needed something. Very tidy place, suburban neighborhood with everything you need around the corner. Good Bus and Metro connection. 10 out of 10.
A really lovely and quiet appartement. It is close to Vacatican city (one trainstop away) en the bus to the city centre is also nearby. I loved the neighbourhood, which was not tourstic at all, and everything you need (supermarket, restaurants) is in the area. I would really recommend this appartement for a couple!
- Ověřenou kvalitu ubytování
- Prověření každého hostitele
- Bezpečné platby prostřednictvím SSL šifrování


text: Sports Tigers 5, White Sox 3 Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers Austin Jackson A.J. Pierzynski U.S. Cellular Field Omar Infante White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski watches the Tigers' Omar Infante, left, congratulate Austin Jackson after Jackson belted a two-run in the fifth inning at U.S. Cellular Field.Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune

subset: commoncrawl


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Motocross Madness Xbox 360
- Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
- Release Date: Apr 10, 2013
User Score
Generally favorable reviews- based on 71 Ratings
User score distribution:
Positive: 53 out of 71
Mixed: 6 out of 71
Negative: 12 out of 71
Review this game
- User score
- By date
- Most helpful
Apr 22, 2013Found this rather boring. Not really sure what else to say. Its riding dirt bikes around tracks with jumps, ramps and shortcuts and either racing or doing tricks. Good concept but nothing about it grabs me that much.
Oct 18, 2014Recently available for free with the Xbox Live Motocross Madness is a perfectly passable motocross game with plenty of modes, both single player and multiplayer, and a decent selection of tracks. The handling model isn't all that tight however, and it doesn't really do anything that hasn't been seen plenty of times before, meaning my experience with it was pretty short lived.
Awards & Rankings
Sep 10, 2013Motocross Madness is arcade racing that doesn't really have much in common with earlier Motocross games. Still it is a pleasant experience, but some pesky bugs holds it back from true greatness.
Games Master UKMay 30, 2013One of XBLA's better racers. [July 2013, p.75]
May 13, 2013If you're looking for a motocross games with lots of solo content, this isn't for you, but if all you want is some simple and dirty mud racing online, Motocross Madness has what you need.


text:
On 05/30/2013 06:39 AM, Eric Blake wrote: >>> I'll wait for a review on this one, particularly since I'm still >>> trying to solve another qemu failure on cygwin: >>> >>> qemu/qemu_monitor.c:418:9: error: passing argument 2 of 'sendmsg' from incompatible pointer type >>> /usr/include/sys/socket.h:42:11: note: expected 'const struct msghdr *' but argument is of type 'struct msghdr *' > > As far as I can tell, this seems like a bug in cygwin's gcc (4.5.3); > still no idea how I will work around that yet. Found the root cause - a bug in cygwin's <sys/un.h> requires that <sys/socket.h> be included first prior to any use of struct msghdr. Patch coming up soon. -- Eric Blake eblake redhat com +1-919-301-3266 Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org
Description: OpenPGP digital signature


text:
Our coverage of GM's Red Tag Sale rolls on, and this time we're taking a look at available deals on Cadillac, Saab and Hummer models for 2008 and 2009. Given the pricey nature of most of these vehicles, the percent-off calculations are slightly less impressive than, say, Chevrolet's might be, but the cash back and Red Tag prices team to provide some interesting deals.
For example, the 2009 STS V6 1SC saves $5,719 off its original MSRP of $55,325. The 2008 Escalade SUV 2WD drops $10,183 off its original MSRP of $56,890, among others.
Saab and HUMMER have their fair share of deals as well. A 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero Sport sedan drops from $35,960 to $30,145 after the Red Tag sale and cash back, while the 2008 9-5 Aero Sport sedan drops all the way to $32,719 from $39,480. Most of the Hummer deals are what you'd expect — huge rebates and cash back on the company's slow-selling models. There is one interesting outlier, though: The brand-new 2009 H3T has $1,500 cash back; with the Red Tag sale, it drops from $31,495 to $28,188.
A larger list of vehicle deals is below. As always, be sure to double-check your zip code on GM's site to make sure deals apply in your area.


text:
By John Paul Titlow
"The shutdown of Google Reader has sparked outrage among a passionate minority. Here's why we're so upset.
"When people use a Web-based service so heavily for so many years, they take its presence for granted. Of course Google Reader is there. When we open a new tab and tell our browsers to go there, the interface will load and there will be new things to read. It doesn't even cross our minds (even if it should) that Reader will one day disappear. We don't think about the contents of these browser tabs from a CEO's perspective. We're just users. Over time, the places we go on the Internet almost start to feel as much a part of our environment as our physical surroundings.
"That's why, when faced with the prospect of such a service going away, people freak out. For those who rely on it the most, especially for professional purposes, the feeling is especially unsettling."
Via Jim Lerman


text:
Books Is That a Poem in Your Pocket…
posted by April 17 at 11:49 AMon
…oh, never mind.
It's "Poem in Your Pocket Day" in New York City. New Yorkers are encouraged to carry a poem in their pocket and then share their pocketed poems with friends. Yes, really.
This, of course, is part of National Poetry Month, which is something that I've been trying desperately to ignore for…oh, about 17 days now. These theme months have all the same appeal as being forced to write five pages on "To Build a Fire" for fifth grade English class.
I'm mostly writing about PIYP Day, as it's referred to on the website, to let you know that it's entirely a coincidence that I write about a poet in this week's Constant Reader. I'm not writing about poetry because it's National Poetry Month, I'm writing about poetry because a motherfucking amazing poet is coming to town next Tuesday and you should know about it. If anything, I'm less likely to write about poetry during National Poetry Month because it feels cheap, and obligatory, and unimaginative.
But if you want to take part in Poem in Your Pocket Day, I'll be gracious and provide, after the cut, a poem for you. It's called "The Tay Bridge Disaster," it's by William Topaz McGonagall, and it was written in 1879. It's widely believed to be the worst poem in the English language not written by a teenager. If you really want to appreciate its badness, I suggest that you read it aloud. Barring a reading of Sylvia Plath's "Daddy" by George W. Bush, or some other unforseeable gorgeous disaster, I promise that this is the only post about National Poetry Month you'll see from me on Slog.
The Tay Bridge Disaster
William Topaz McGonagall (1879)
Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silvry Tay!
Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be rememberd for a very long time.
Twas about seven oclock at night,
And the wind it blew with all its might,
And the rain came pouring down,
And the dark clods seemd to frown,
And the Demon of the air seemd to say —
Ill blow down the Bridge of Tay.
When the train left Edinburgh
The passengers hearts were light and felt no sorrow,
But Boreas blew a terrific gale,
Which made their hearts for to quail,
And many of the passengers with fear did say —
I hope God will send us safe across the Bridge of Tay.
But when the train came near to Wormit Bay,
Boreas he did loud and angry bray,
And shook the central girders of the Bridge of Tay
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be rememberd for a very long time.
So the train sped on with all its might,
And Bonnie Dundee soon hove in sight,
And the passengers hearts felt light,
Thinking they would enjoy themselves on the New Year,
With their friends at home they lovd most dear,
And wish them all a happy New Year.
So the train movd slowly along the Bridge of Tay,
Until it was about midway,
Then the central girders with a crash gave way,
And down went the train and passengers into the Tay!
The Storm Fiend did loudly bray,
Because ninety lives had been taken away,
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be rememberd for a very long time.
As soon as the catastrophe came to be known
The alarm from mouth to mouth was blown,
And the cry rang out all oer the town,
Good Heavens! the Tay Bridge is blown down,
And a passenger train from Edinburgh,
Which filld all the peoples hearts with sorrow,
And made them for to turn pale,
Because none of the passengers were savd to tell the tale
How the disaster happend on the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be rememberd for a very long time.
It must have been an awful sight,
To witness in the dusky moonlight,
While the Storm Fiend did laugh, and angry did bray,
Along the Railway Bridge of the Silvry Tay,
Oh! ill-fated Bridge of the Silvry Tay,
I must now conclude my lay
By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay,
That your central girders would not have given way,
At least many sensible men do say,
Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,
At least many sensible men confesses,
For the stronger we our houses do build,
The less chance we have of being killed.


text:
Re: Why do people use store cards?
Store cards definitely have their place in the credit market. Stores use them to get you to buy more as studies show that you are inclined to spend more with a CC vs. cash. They entice you into the store usually by discounts/promotions of some kind. For some, if you typically shop at a certain store, the discounts can add up. Or in the case with home improvement cards - they radomly offer 0% financing for longer than some CC's offer - also without the need to apply for a new CC to get the 0%.
I personally don't have any store cards yet, but if I develop a trend where I tend to shop at a store often and the rewards look good, I might app for one in the future.
Current Scores: Equifax: 738 (Fako) TransUnion: 721 (Fico) Experian: 717 (Fico)
Disclaimer: I am by no means a financial advisor. My posts are based on opinion, experience, and/or knowledge.


text:
Lakeview Signature Inn Calgary Airport
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Travel Blogs from Calgary
The adventure Continues
... January 27th, 2014. We spent a week in Ontario before heading to Calgary, arriving on February 9th, 2014, just in time for family dinner to celebrate Matteo's Birthday. It felt so good to be home!
We began settling back into life in Calgary: seeing friends, finding work, making decisions about where we would live. Gav picked up some great subbing gigs, painted our new basement apartment, and built a deck at Mom ...
Change of Title, Change of Space...
... expletive of your choice. Hook it up. Back to the dealership. Mel hadn't even seen it at our house! But now I'm sitting in it drinking a beer - the first of a few I imagine - waiting for it to rain. But I bet it won't. She'll make me wait... And so that's the new deal! We're pumped, as are the kids (though they're already tired of hearing me say, "don't touch that!"). New space, new adventures. "Shasta" is fun to say too. Give it a go. Be ...
Brazil.. The end!
... for me.
My final destination for Brazil, and South America, was Rio de Janeiro. Not a bad place to end the trip. I was very surprised by how mountainous the city is being directly on the coast. I stayed in a hostel located in the favelas directly above Copacabana beach. The favelas you may have heard about its basically a poor neighborhood straight up the side of the mountain. This one was relatively tame and I was able to walk around the streets at any time of ...
On the Road
... some day I will complete it.
Our departure was delayed by a couple of days of snow - much need moisture for the farm crops - and last minute tasks needing completion. We were on the road before noon and had sunshine for our travels. More on that in our next post.
April seems early for camping but the weather on the coast is quite enticing!
A Lesson in Slowing Down
... my feet on the Great Wall outside of Beijing, I'm hoping to get into the Eastern Plateau of Tibet - where Buddhism abounds and the practice of mindfulness may be easier to come by. After all, when there's nothing to do - you do nothing. You are present in every single moment. It's what I love about traveling in more challenging countries, it forces you to Breathe. To stop. To be. I'm very much looking forward to Being. ...


text: 000 FXUS64 KAMA 252335 AFDAMA Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Amarillo TX 635 PM CDT MON JUL 25 2016 .AVIATION... 00Z TAFs - Scattered thunderstorms will move into the western Panhandles later this evening and affect KDHT, and possibly KGUY though confidence wasn`t high enough to include TS mention there at this time. Outside of convection, VFR conditions are expected everywhere through the TAF period except KGUY where confidence has increased that IFR ceilings will be a concern early Tuesday morning. Isolated thunderstorms are possible Tuesday evening for the Panhandles. Elsenheimer && .PREV DISCUSSION... /Issued 336 PM CDT MON JUL 25 2016/ DISCUSSION... Water vapor imagery shows upper ridge beginning to amplify over the four corners region resulting in increased 500mb northwesterly flow over the TX/OK Panhandles. This in combination with decent mid and upper level moisture will result in increasing chances for thunderstorms Monday afternoon and evening as a subtle wave approaches from the northwest. At the surface... dew points are in the low to mid 60s. Typical summertime mixing will result in 30- 40 degree dew point depressions... but with highs only in the low to mid 90s the spreads won`t be as high as the last few days. A weak stationary boundary is also noted from near Hereford to Clarendon where storms are initiating with day time heating prior to aforementioned upper level disturbance. As better upper level forcing comes in with wave...storms will increase in coverage especially along our western Zones. With precipitable water expected to be above 1.5 inches...heavy rain is possible. Severe weather is not expected with skinny CAPE profiles and bulk shear generally less than 20kts across the area. Slightly better 100mb mixed CAPE up across the OK Panhandle may lend a few stronger storms with small hail and gusty winds. Storms will start decreasing across the area after 06Z Tuesday as better dynamics move south and decoupling commences. The forecast for the next few days is very similar to today as subtle waves continue to round the base of the high pressure to our west and move in on northwesterly flow aloft. Latest model guidance does keep rain chances a bit lower for Tuesday with very little in terms of forcing/dynamics progged. Still can`t rule out a diurnally driven afternoon thunderstorm especially across the northwest. A more pronounced shortwave embedded in northwesterly flow approaches on Wednesday with a surface boundary pushing into the area resulting a better chance for scattered storms. Temperatures will be much more tolerable this week with highs mainly in the 90s across the area due to increased cloud cover. At this time... models are trying to bring the upper ridge back over the southern Plains towards the end of next weekend. However...there are differences between the ECMWF and GFS on timing with GFS being faster resulting in a drier forecast for Saturday and Sunday. Decided to put a little more weight in ECMWF solution resulting in precip chances across the area on Saturday. By early next week confidence is fairly high for the ridge to slide back east putting a damper on rain chances and increasing our high temperatures once again. && .AMA Watches/Warnings/Advisories... TX...None. OK...None. && $$ 18/10


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Home > News > Accelrys Announces the Release of MS Modeling 3.1
November 30th, 2004
Accelrys Announces the Release of MS Modeling 3.1
Accelrys, Inc. today announced the latest release of MS Modeling, the Materials Studio(R) modeling and simulation software suite for materials researchers. The release will benefit scientists in the chemicals and materials-based industries and in nanotechnology.
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text:
By Mr. Anthony Ricchiazzi (AMC)September 20, 2010
TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, PA. - Continuous improvements to the support of a radar used to train pilots have made the mission a candidate for a national-level quality prize.
Mini-MUTES Branch technicians have worked on the AN/MST-T1(V) Miniature Multiple Threat Emitter System for about 11 years. The Mini-MUTES is an Identify Friend or Foe tracking and training simulator that provides realistic threat signals for pilots and aircrews. The system can replicate threats such as surface-to-air missiles, early warning radar systems, anti-aircraft artillery and airborne intercept systems.
The Shingo Prize program recognizes private and public sector organizations that successfully apply Lean Six Sigma techniques to improve the quality and efficiency of their operations. It is regarded as the premier manufacturing award recognition program for North America. As part of the Shingo Prize mission and model, the Prize highlights the value of using Lean/world-class manufacturing practices to attain world-class status.
Lean is a quality improvement and business strategy that emphasizes reducing defects, repair cycle time and costs.
"For the first few years of the mission, we were scattered in three areas, Building 4, Bay 6; Warehouse 3, bay 1 and Building 3005," said Jeff O'Neill, acting chief, Range Threat Systems Division. "The system was new to us, so we had a learning curve."
As technicians became familiar with the mission, they began making improvements, such as a new floor layout for a portion of 4-6. This prepared the branch for its first Value Stream Analysis (VSA) in 2005. They worked with the Productivity Improvement and Innovation, Systems Integration and Support, Production Management and Production Engineering directorates.
"We did a VSA on our entire overhaul process," said Tom Weir, electronics mechanic leader. "Our average RCT (Repair Cycle Time) at that time was 718 days." The target is 365 days.
O'Neill noted that those were the early days of Lean and they were one of the first depot organizations to begin implementing Lean practices and techniques. The branch held a Plan and Layout a Process (2P) event with Firefinder organizations, with who they shared space.
"We completed a Value Stream Map and identified areas for improvement," O'Neill said. "One of the most significant changes to come from that was consolidating part of the mission within 4-6, plus we created a new floor layout for the enclosure overhaul process."
The enclosure is the component that houses electronics equipment on the Mini MUTES.
"That was definitely the beginning stages of improvements," Weir noted.
Improvements were made to increase efficiency for the Azimuth and Elevation Drive overhaul area and Lean techniques were adopted to restructure the Line Replaceable Units area.
In 2006, a Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) was held for the enclosures, during which branch employees developed a standard work document.
"It's similar to a manual; anyone can open it and they will know what to do to repair the enclosure equipment," said Brian Wilcox, electronics mechanic. "We began reorganizing our shop, not just with PII, but on our own, with 6S events. We reviewed our teardown process, kitting and intershop palletization."
6S identifies the various waste in the process such as injuries, defects, excessive inventory, over production, waiting, unnecessary movement and processing waste.
Even though they began to realize savings in time and increased efficiency, it was an incident in 2007 that drove home the need for even more improvements.
"We shipped a system to Poinsett Electronic Combat Range in South Carolina and there were serious quality issues that required me and Paul Williams from Quality Management Division to conduct a site visit," O'Neill said. "It opened our eyes to the need for continuous improvements to quality."
"We started digging deeper into our processes to find and improve or correct how we carried our mission," Weir said.
Employees went through each failure of the Poinsett incident, noting what went wrong and implementing changes. For example, a Final System Checklist was developed by branch employees.
"We use that process to this day for every system we ship out," O'Neill said. "We learned from that incident, made improvements and have not had a similar call again. Our Customer Satisfaction Surveys reflect that improvement."
After that, they began to see more dramatic improvements to the RCT. In 2005, their average RCT was 718 days. By 2008, it had dropped to 450 days. In June 2009, they completed a system that took 364 days, one day below the target.
"The improvements that we began making in 2005 took time to pay off," Wilcox said. "We have now met or exceeded the target time for the five systems we've completed since that system was completed in June 2009."
Despite this success, the branch held another VSA in February to help reach new goals, such as reducing the RCT to 320 days, reducing the Unit Funded Cost (UFC) by about 10 percent and incorporating the fielding cost into the UFC.
"One of the areas we've targeted for improvement is the rain test; currently it's at 85 percent failure, so most of the systems are failing this test the first time around," O'Neill said. "We are going for a first-time pass for every system."
Branch employees along with Production Engineering and Quality Management Division are developing an improved rain test procedure that includes a key point sheet that will remind technicians to check that all the preparation work is carried out before the test, such as proper gaskets being installed on cable connectors.
A second improvement is to reduce travel time by taking a system directly from the range threat test pad to Building 9 for painting, rather than taking it back to their shop to mark areas requiring touch up painting.
"That really is the painter area of expertise and we realized it was a non-value added step," Weir said. "Once it is implemented, it will save us 1,360 feet of travel round trip, or about a quarter of a mile, and reduce travel time by 99 percent. Instead of 218 hours, it will be one hour."
Since that VSA, three RIEs have been held to move the branch toward its goal of a 320-day RCT. In March, a RIE on the Prime Shop Enclosure overhaul was performed. On May 3, employees held a RIE to identify cost savings and process improvements for the evaluation, inventory and disassembly processes.
"This month, we are completing an RIE for the Line Replaceable Unit process," O'Neill said.
Tobyhanna Army Depot is the Defense Department's largest center for the repair, overhaul and fabrication of a wide variety of electronics systems and components, from tactical field radios to the ground terminals for the defense satellite communications network. Tobyhanna's missions support all branches of the Armed Forces.
About 5,600 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania.
Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army CECOM Life Cycle Management Command. Headquartered at Fort Monmouth, N.J., the command's mission is to research, develop, acquire, field and sustain communications, command, control computer, intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors capabilities for the Armed Forces.


text:
A world of structures, patterns, and colours
DCM has published a collection of 22 previously unpublished works from the Moravian Society in Christiansfeld, which in the late 18th century was widely known for their music performances and education.
Catalogues of Japanese and Korean manuscripts and rare books
Manuscripts on palm leaves in The Royal Library
Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts and Catalogue of Chinese Manuscripts and rare books
Early European Books from the Eastern and South Eastern Europe until the year 1700 in the collections of the Royal Library
Historical aerial photographs of Denmark. Oblique and vertical pictures.
Reading rooms in The Black Diamond
Digital presentations of treasures from the library, Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard, The Poma manuscript, plates from the Danish flora and Archive of Danish Literature
The Royal Library has a considerable collection of digital resources based on its own collections, including both digital facsimile editions, web exhibitions and guides to information searches.
Treasures in the Royal Library, Danish bookbindings, Flora Danica, Monsters, Constellations, Anatomy, etc.


text:
Campaign Ads
Political consultant Fred Davis has had no shortage of notable clients, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Carly Fiorina to John McCain. Davis gives his Brief but Spectacular take on how to captivate and convince viewers with an advertisement they will always remember. Continue reading
This election has seen more ads than any other midterm election in history. Here are a few of the most telling political ads of the season. Continue reading
More than $1 billion has been spent in this campaign on TV ads. There were several that stood out this year for different reasons — from the issues they brought up to the, sometimes strange, attempts at getting attention. We highlight the best, worst, and most memorable of this campaign. Continue reading
The Supreme Court ruled that if an individual intends to buy a gun for someone else, he or she must say so. In a separate ruling, the court unanimously supported a challenge to an Ohio law that makes it illegal to lie about a candidate's position during a campaign. For a closer look at both cases, Jeffrey Brown talks to Marcia Coyle of The National Law Journal. Continue reading
Judy Woodruff talks to NPR's Greg Allen, who traveled to Raleigh, N.C., to explore how the presidential candidates are spending campaign funds to target Latinos, voters who are generally younger and hard hit by the economic downturn. But some political messages, like on health care reform, may be mismatched to their audience. Continue reading
Washington Post columnists Ruth Marcus and Michael Gerson discuss the week's top political news with Judy Woodruff, including recent negative campaign ads, the shifts in polling, and Mitt Romney's anticipated vice-presidential announcement. Continue reading
A recent ad run by GOP Sen. John McCain alleged that his rival, Sen. Barack Obama, chose to skip a chance to meet with wounded troops because media was not allowed — claims that have since been disputed. The Washington Post's Dan Balz and FactCheck.org's Brooks Jackson discuss the debate over the ad. Continue reading
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on a part of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law that, under certain conditions, bars campaign ads by interest groups close to elections. Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal discusses the case. Continue reading
Several Republican moderates won't be rejoining Congress next session after November's midterm elections. NewsHour correspondent Kwame Holman reports on the election casualties. Continue reading
Despite Alaska's solid Republican base that handed George W. Bush a resounding win over Al Gore in the state in 2000, the Senate race between Republican incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski and former Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles remains tight. Continue reading


text:
The 52nd Topology Festival is being planned for May 13–15, 2016. There will be a concentration of talks in topological combinatorics. The meeting will start at 11:30am on May 13th with two introductory lectures, followed at 4:30pm by the first plenary talk. There will be a table for preprints, a banquet, a picnic, a panel discussion on recent advances in the field, and much opportunity for conversation. The final talk will end at 4:30pm on May 15th.
If you need accommodations to participate in this event or advice on sources of child care and other types of family care during the conference, please e-mail email@example.com.
Key Dates
|April 1
|Deadline for applications for funding
|April 8
|Funding decisions will be e-mailed on or before this date
|April 12
|Earliest deadline for group rates on hotel bookings
|May 2
|Registration closes
We encourage participants to book hotel rooms as early as possible as there will be many visitors in town for the Law School convocation.
- Karim Adiprasito, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Laura Anderson, Binghamton University
- Anders Björner, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
- Florian Frick, Cornell University
- Patricia Hersh, North Carolina State University
- Matthew Kahle, Ohio State University
- Greg Kuperberg, University of California at Davis
- Ciprian Manolescu, University of California at Los Angeles
- Emmy Murphy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Bena Tshishiku, Stanford University
- Günter M. Ziegler, Freie Universität Berlin
The Topology Festival gratefully acknowledges the continuous support of the National Science Foundation since the Festival's inception. Special thanks to Acme Klein Bottle, purveyors of "the finest closed, non-orientable, boundary-free manifolds sold anywhere in our three spatial dimensions," for donating a prize every year for many years.


text:
Personal loans from £1,000 to £25,000
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24.5% APR representative on loans from £1,000 – £2,999
|Representative example
|Loan amount £1,000
|Term time 2 years
|Rate of interest per annum (fixed) 24.5%
|Representative APR 24.5%
|Total amount payable £1246.44
23 monthly repayments of £51.94and a final payment of £51.82
18.9% APR representative on loans from £3,000 – £4,999
|Representative example
|Loan amount £3,000
|Term time 3 years
|Rate of interest per annum (fixed) 18.9%
|Representative APR 18.9%
|Total amount payable £3874.01
35 monthly repayments of £107.62and a final payment of £107.31
5.5% APR representative on loans from £5,000 – £7,499
|Representative example
|Loan amount £5,000
|Term time 3 years
|Rate of interest per annum (fixed) 5.5%
|Representative APR 5.5%
|Total amount payable £5424.39
35 monthly repayments of £150.68and a final payment of £150.59
4.6% APR representative on loans from £7,500 – £15,000
|Representative example
|Loan amount £12,500
|Term time 4 years
|Rate of interest per annum (fixed) 4.6%
|Representative APR 4.6%
|Total amount payable £13683.65
47 monthly repayments of £285.08and a final payment of £284.89
4.8% APR representative on loans from £15,001 – £25,000
|Representative example
|Loan amount £20,000
|Term time 4 years
|Rate of interest per annum (fixed) 4.8%
|Representative APR 4.8%
|Total amount payable £21976.83
47 monthly repayments of £457.86and a final payment of £457.41
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Spacecraft adventures started after the first mission on moon. This created new era of discoveries and developments. After each mission engineers worked on the spacecraft designs to make it more efficient. Different powers of the world started sending their own spacecrafts (i.e NASA spacecraft and Russia spacecraft) on space missions. Due to these spacecraft adventures following major discoveries were made:
Titan (Saturn's Moon) was Explored
On January 14, 2005, the European Space Agency's Huygens dropped their spacecraft on the moon. The spacecraft design was not suitable to live in such kind of environment for a long time but it unveiled several mysterious truths of the solar system. Before this mission the scientist have very little information about the largest moon of Saturn. After this, they get to know about the composition of the atmosphere of titan, they realized that it was similar to young Earth.
There is Water on Moon
Indian spacecraft confirmed the presence of water on moon. Still the surface of the moon is drier then the driest desert on Earth but it was discovered that the wind interaction with the lunar surface produces hydroxyl molecules. This has given a hope that in future by sending spacecrafts water could be extracted and that can be used for human settlement on moon.
The Discovery of Organic Matter in Outer Space
Meteorites found on Earth contain the organic chemistry that was originated in the space. NASA also announced that during their spacecraft mission they found samples of glycine in Stardust's collection plate. Traces of organic chemicals were also found surrounding a star that is situated 220 light years from earth. Carbon dioxide, methane and water vapors are also discovered in space.
A Massive Black Hole in the Center of Space
It was found that there is a super massive black hole called Sagittarius A* is situated in the center of our galaxy. The presence of black hole was confirmed when it was found that a line star called S2 was encircling some kind of massive object and that was a black hole. The presence of black hole in the center of Milky Way also confirmed the theory that every galaxy contains one in its center.
Pluto was Demoted
In 2005, it was discovered that a minor body, which was 27 percent larger than the Pluto was found orbiting the Sun was said to be the 9th largest body to be orbiting around the Sun. In 2006, the International Astronomical Union presented a report stating that there are very high chances of finding other rock bodies of this size so the definition of the planet should be reconsidered. After this report, Pluto was added to the list of dwarf planets.
The Discovery of Dark Matter
In 2006, the presence of dark matter was confirmed when there was a head on smash between the two great clusters of galaxies in the Bullet Cluster.
Water was also Found on the Surface of Planet Mars
In 2008, NASA's spacecraft landed on the red surface of Mars in order to get confirmed proofs and evidence relating the presence of water and organic matter on Mars. Eight year before this, astronauts found gullies on the surface of Mars that are formed through flowing of water. During this exploration on Mars, they found white powder, which vanished slowly. Afterwards it was discovered that it was water ice. This discovery not only confirmed that there is water on Mars but it also give hope that they could find life on Mars that might be using this supply of water in order to survive on the planet.
Alien Planets Discovered
During space missions it had been detected that there were alien planets called exoplanets present in space. To this date 400 alien planets have been discovered.
Space investigation is the progressing disclosure and investigation of heavenly structures in space by method for persistently developing and developing space innovation that includes future spacecraft design. While the investigation of space is completed for the most part by astronomers with telescopes, the physical investigation of space is directed both by unmanned automated tests and human spaceflights. For this purpose several spacecraft adventures are being carried out by several space agencies. With passing days several wonders and beauties of space is being discovered. This is causing the way we see our galaxies to be changed. The spacecraft adventures including those of NASA and Russian spacecraft are not only helping us to change and develop our science but it is also helping to get solution to the problems that are going to arise in our future.


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IMDb > Captain Lebeau (Character)
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Captain Lebeau (Character)
from "Hot in Cleveland" (2010)
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- "Hot in Cleveland"
- Claus, Tails & High-Pitched Males: Birthdates 3 (2012) TV episode, Played by Gilles Marini
- Beards (2011) TV episode, Played by Gilles Marini
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Every college basketball team with designs on the Sweet 16 needs one. It's not a low-post presence or a control-the-tempo point guard. No, judging by what I hear from the people announcing the games, the one thing every team needs is The Glue Guy.
The Glue Guy doesn't do the big things, as we're constantly told. He does the little things, but he does them so often and so well that you probably could make the case that they add up to at least one or two big things. (Which raises a question: How many little things does it take to create one big thing? And how many intangibles does it take to add up to one tangible?)
The Glue Guy is usually a small guy who bounces around a lot and slaps the floor on defense and yells whenever possible. He steps in to take a charge and always, always passes off on a two-on-one break. There's one reason for that: The Glue Guy knows the guy to whom he is passing is a better bet to make a hoop. That's why he is The Glue Guy.
And let's be honest -- The Glue Guy is almost always white, he usually doesn't start and he's always the first guy off the bench during a timeout the other team calls to stop a run by Glue Guy's team.
Sometimes it seems like Glue Guy's biggest contribution to teamwork is his willingness to yell "Help!" every time he gets beat off the dribble. Does he bring his team together in such an intangibly adhesive manner by making the other four guys on the court concentrate on team defense? Hey, whatever it takes.
I've heard five or six guys be described as "Ultimate Glue Guys" in the past week. If so many teams have an Ultimate Glue Guy, it's not really "ultimate," is it? You might think this is nitpicking, but if we're going to overuse superlatives, we at least have to be judicious with our overuse. Too much overuse can lead to meaninglessness, and if that happens, we'll need more than glue to hold things together.
It's remarkable that no big-time college coach has come up with the idea of recruiting a team comprised solely of Glue Guys. Forget the NBA-ready power forwards like Blake Griffin and the game-altering big men like Hasheem Thabeet. Give me five Glue Guys on the court at once, and I'd like my chances.
Imagine how together they'd be and how valuable all their contributions would be. Imagine the back cuts and the floor burns and the clever use of the shot clock. Imagine, if you can, the patience. And then imagine how tough our team of Glue Guys would be on those who compile the box scores, since nothing they do would ever show up.
It's right about now that people start writing and talking about how much better college basketball is than the NBA. The NCAA tournament brings almost as much schmaltz and weepy sentimentalism as spring training.
However, the differentiation most college-over-the-NBA proponents fail to make is obvious: The basketball is infinitely better in the NBA -- far better players, of course -- but the game is better at the college level.
The appeal of the college game is the beautiful panic. Consider the scene just after a timeout call. There always is some backup forward hopping out to midcourt, getting into his point guard's face to exhort him to greater heights. There are eight 19-year-olds going absolutely nuts while the coach, clipboard in hand, neck veins distended, is trying to impose some level of order. He's trying to calm them down, and the only way to do it is to scream and point. And pretty soon, he's completely out of control trying to get the fellas under control.
During the Illinois State-Northern Iowa MVC title game Sunday, a bench player from Northern Iowa was screaming nose to nose with one of his teammates as he came off the court during a timeout. I don't know what he was saying, but the guy on the receiving end seemed to enjoy it. UNI was ahead by eight at the time, but if you looked at the two of them, you would have sworn Illinois State was up by 20.
Then, of course, there's the star of March: the clapping coach. You know this guy -- every bench has one. His job is to clap and nod vigorously as the guys come off the court, then clap and nod vigorously when the head coach is finished screaming and the guys are heading back onto the court.
This Week's List
• One more thing we all can do without: "Last four in, last four out."
• Yeah, it cost him his job, but without a Facebook account, how would anybody know he's a fan of Coldplay and "Survivor"?: A gate chief at Lincoln Financial Field -- strictly a game-day employee, like a vendor -- was fired after he insulted his employer, the Philadelphia Eagles, by calling the team "retarded" as part of his Facebook status.
• You mean, like a mouth?: I forgot which team it was, but while the television screen showed a college team's trainer checking a player's teeth on the bench after a collision, the announcer said, "They're checking his oral cavity."
• In his attempt to reverse the economic downturn, only one man has the kind of counterintuitive brilliance to change the entire paradigm: Warriors coach Don Nelson, in a stated attempt to get more time for his younger players, has instituted a policy of keeping one veteran in street clothes for every game.
• Just for the heck of it: Jud Buechler.
• They were a trendy Final Four pick at the beginning of the season, and now they finally are playing like they should be once again: Gonzaga.
• One coach who should land a big-time job before long: Portland's Eric Reveno.
• Not to say that it was planned or anything, but given the timing and the circumstances, it just seems really, really convenient: Alex Rodriguez and the hip surgery.
• Peaking too early?: Adam Dunn in the World Baseball Classic.
• Let's all shed a barrel of big ol' dadgum tears for: Bobby Bowden, whose chase for Joe Paterno's win record might be curtailed by that big bad ol' NCAA, which wants to take away some wins because of some little ol' itty-bitty violations like systemic academic fraud in the program.
• And finally, doesn't he have fees to raise or liberal-arts programs to cut somewhere?: Bowden's program is put on probation again, and the Florida State president's first response is to threaten a lawsuit against the NCAA if it denies Bowden the wins the school has to forfeit?
ESPN The Magazine senior writer Tim Keown co-wrote Josh Hamilton's autobiography, "Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back," which is available on Amazon.com. Sound off to Tim here.


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The Little Couple
The Little Couple First Look: Bill's Health Scare, Jen's Recovery and Talky Toddlers
Originally posted 12/01/2014 01:15PM
[BRIGHTCOVE "3917725523001" "" "" "auto"] These days, The Little Couple stars Dr. Jennifer Arnold and husband Bill Klein have their hands full.
The Little Couple's Dr. Jennifer Arnold Is Doing 'Really Well' Post-Cancer
Originally posted 09/19/2014 08:00AM
Nearly six months after her last round of chemotherapy to treat a rare cancer, The Little Couple star Dr. Jennifer Arnold says she's doing great – and happily busy with work and family.
"I'm back to work full time," Arnold, 40, said at the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute's Angels in Adoption event held in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.
The Little Couple's Jen Arnold and Bill Klein Renew Wedding Vows (Video)
Originally posted 06/17/2014 11:00AM
They made it official – again!
In a touching moment in front of friends and family on a Galveston, Texas, beach, Bill Klein of TLC's The Little Couple got emotional as he renewed his vows with his wife of five years, Dr. Jen Arnold.
"I was afraid I would lose you," Klein says in an exclusive sneak peek of Tuesday's season finale (9 p.m. ET). "You defeated cancer. We're here to celebrate you for being you every day for a long time to come."
Sneak Peek: The Little Couple's Vow Renewal Cake & Signature Cocktail
Originally posted 06/11/2014 02:20PM
Under the sea! Get the recipe for the couple's starfruit drink and the scoop on their shimmering dessert
Watch The Little Couple's Bill Klein Pop the Question – Again! – to Jennifer Arnold
Originally posted 06/10/2014 11:00AM
Bill Klein: best husband ever?
The Little Couple star makes grooms everywhere want to step up their game in this exclusive clip from Tuesday night's episode, which shows Klein sweetly presenting wife Dr. Jennifer Arnold with a gorgeous ring and then getting her permission to renew their vows the following day.
(Arnold, 39, looks momentarily panicked to be renewing their vows so soon, but not to worry – he's handled every little detail.)
"After all that we've been through, I love you more now than I have before," Klein, 39, told a beaming Arnold as he kneeled before her. "Let's let everybody know that it's just as good as it was day one."
Dr. Jen Arnold Tells Graduates Not to Be Like 'Dr. McDreamy' (VIDEO)
Originally posted 05/20/2014 03:00PM
For Dr. Jen Arnold, having the power to heal also comes with great responsibility.
Speaking to the 2014 graduating class of West Coast University in Irvine, California, on Sunday, the star of TLC's The Little Couple shared her own experiences growing up with skeletal dysplasia and developing a strong bond with her own surgeon, as she had to have dozens of surgeries throughout the years.
"Each of you graduates has the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others through your profession," she told a crowd of more than 4,000, including 650 graduates entering the healthcare field. "Now that you have the power to heal, can you maintain the courage to be humble?"
The Little Couple's Jennifer Arnold and Bill Klein Renew Wedding Vows
Originally posted 05/06/2014 01:35PM
They do!
Six years after they first walked down the aisle, Dr. Jennifer Arnold and Bill Klein of TLC's The Little Couple renewed their wedding vows in a April 27 ceremony on a beach in Galveston, Texas, surrounded by 50 family and friends – completely planned down to the last detail by Klein as a surprise for his wife.
"It turned out great," Klein tells PEOPLE. "She was so surprised. It has been a crazy year, good and bad, and we came out unscathed. I really wanted to make it happen and do something special for Jen."
Jen Arnold and Bill Klein of The Little Couple Celebrate Son Will's Birthday
Originally posted 04/28/2014 03:45PM
Play testcaption testcredit Share on Facebook Tweet Pin on Pinterest Share on Tumblr Alligators, armadillos and cake ... oh, my!
Jen Arnold and Daughter Zoey of The Little Couple Enjoy Tea Time
Originally posted 04/22/2014 07:00AM
Tea for two!
Dr. Jennifer Arnold and Bill Klein of TLC's hit reality show The Little Couple, are finally settling into a schedule with new daughter Zoey, 2, and son Will, 3, now that Arnold is recovering from a diagnosis of a rare cancer, intensive chemotherapy treatment and remission.
And that schedule includes a little mommy and me bonding.
"So I'm starting to feel a little bit better now that I am finished with chemotherapy," Arnold says in an exclusive sneak peek of Tuesday's episode, airing at 10 p.m. on TLC, "and I wanted to do something special with Zoey and spend some time with her."
Jen Arnold of The Little Couple Celebrates Final Chemo Treatment
Originally posted 04/07/2014 10:00AM
Last year brought both extreme highs and extreme lows to Dr. Jennifer Arnold and her husband, Bill Klein, of TLC's hit reality show The Little Couple.
Their dreams of becoming parents finally came true when they adopted son Will, 3, from China, and daughter Zoey, 2, from India. But then, Arnold, 39, a neonatologist at Texas Children's Hospital, received the devastating news she had a rare form of cancer, which she fought to bring into remission.
The family celebrated Arnold's final chemo treatment in the hospital with cupcakes all around, shown in an exclusive sneak peek of this week's episode of The Little Couple that will air Tuesday, April 8 at 10 p.m.
The most buzzed about stars this minute!
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Death of a Pop Music Icon
Michael Jackson's Life of Fame and Scandal Ends at 50 on Eve of Comeback Concerts
LOS ANGELES -- Michael Jackson was pronounced dead at a hospital Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home, marking a sad end to the life of a man who had been a global pop icon since childhood.
Mr. Jackson, age 50, was one of the most successful, visible and influential pop singers in history. His albums sold hundreds of millions of copies and his music videos helped define the medium.
He gained equal attention for his personal life. He was known for his flashy, theatrical dressing style, his repeated recourse to plastic surgery, which significantly altered his look over his career, and, in later years, two accusations of child molestation.
Mr. Jackson's 1980s habit of wearing a single white glove inspired a short-lived fashion trend, while his signature moonwalk dance became nearly as iconic as his music and look.
Mr. Jackson spent many years at his 2,600-acre ranch, Neverland, in Los Olivos, Calif., which was outfitted as a kind of playground for a child with an unlimited allowance, with carnival rides, a movie theater and two working railroad lines.
His death fell on the eve of what was to be an ambitious and potentially lucrative rehabilitation of his career after several years of controversy during which he stopped performing or releasing new music. Mr. Jackson's last major moment in the spotlight had occurred in 2005, when he was acquitted of criminal child-molestation charges. But even before then, his career had been stuck in a holding pattern.
A profligate lifestyle and his massive legal fees had also left the singer with $500 million in debt, and he defaulted on a $24.5 million loan backed by Neverland. However, Mr. Jackson had made a few key business decisions early on that kept him afloat through the tabloid-fodder madness that eventually engulfed him. By acquiring and holding lucrative music-publishing he assets, including the rights to many Beatles songs, he was able to maintain a modicum of financial stability.
Nevertheless, by early 2009, Mr. Jackson was so overextended financially that he was in a panic about money, people close to him said.
In March, concert promoter AEG Live announced that Mr. Jackson would perform a series of shows at its O2 arena in London. Demand for tickets proved to be enormous, and the run was eventually extended to 50 concerts, with hundreds of thousands of tickets sold. The dates were spread over several months, starting in early July and stretching well into 2010.
Journal Community
Jackson in the Journal
- Economic Reality Prompts a Makeover at 'Neverland' (June 13, 2009)
- The King of Pop Returns to Stage (03/06/09)
- Michael Jackson: The Next Elvis? (06/13/08)
- Beatles Songs May Help Pay Pop Star's Debts (04/13/06)
- It Won't Be a Song For Jackson to Keep Assets, Save Career (6/14/05)
- Michael Jackson's Other Battle: Staving Off Financial Disaster (6/8/05)
- In This Michael Jackson Video, He Sings South Korea's Praises (12/16/97)
- Did Michael Speak? Yes! Yes! He Said, 'Thank You' (Sigh) (04/01/92)
- Pop and Rock Tours Like Michael Jackson's Grow More Complex (07/09/84)
- PepsiCo Gambles Big on an Ad Campaign With Michael Jackson (02/21/84)
Mr. Jackson's agreement with AEG Live, owned by Denver billionaire Phil Anschutz, included an option to extend the concert series even further into a world-wide tour over three years or more. All told the tour could have earned him $400 million.
In preparation for the London performances, Mr. Jackson had undergone a five-hour physical examination. AEG Live Chief Executive Randy Phillips said in March that Mr. Jackson had "passed with flying colors."
But signs of trouble arose even as the singer was preparing for the initial concerts. The first four dates were postponed, ostensibly because the singer needed more time for dress rehearsals in the venue. Some people close to the singer expressed doubt whether he would be able to pull off so many concerts.
Born in 1958 in Gary, Ind., Mr. Jackson was quickly pushed into the limelight. Even at a very young age he was the star of the Jackson Five, the singing group his father, Joseph Jackson, assembled with five of the Jackson sons.
The Jacksons quickly graduated from local talent shows to the national stage. They signed to Berry Gordy's Motown Records and enjoyed a string of hits that included "ABC" and "I Want You Back." But life under their hard-charging father and manager took its toll, and Mr. Jackson had anything but a normal childhood.
After striking out on his own, Mr. Jackson's fame grew. His 1982 "Thriller" is one of the best-selling albums in history.
Thursday afternoon, the sidewalks outside UCLA Medical Center were overflowing with people. Some onlookers burst into tears even before an official announcement of his death had been made. Other impromptu Michael Jackson memorials popped up around the country, including one outside Harlem's famed Apollo Theater.
In 1993, he faced a child-abuse investigation after a 13-year-old named Jordan Chandler accused the pop star of inappropriate behavior. The child's family sued Mr. Jackson for $22 million. The singer later paid a multi-million-dollar settlement while maintaining his innocence.
A brief marriage to Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Maria Presley, ended in divorce. Another marriage, to Debbie Rowe, produced two children but also ended in divorce. He had a third child, Prince Michael II, whose mother he never identified publicly.
In 2003, new problems began to surface for Mr. Jackson after he said during the filming of a British documentary that he shared his bed with boys. The next year, Jackson faced an arraignment in California after a teenage cancer survivor said that the pop star had gotten him drunk and molested him.
In 2005, a trial began in Santa Maria, Calif., where Jackson defended himself against charges of child molestation and providing alcohol to minors, and faced a possible 20-year prison sentence. Though he was acquitted on all counts, the three-month trial exposed many details of Mr. Jackson's personal life.
—Sabrina Shankman and Nicholas Casey contributed to this article.
Write to Ethan Smith at firstname.lastname@example.com


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European Sunflower-Crop Outlook Cut by Oil World on Summer Heat
Sunflower production in the European Union, Russia and Ukraine will be lower than previously expected after heat and dry weather in June and July damaged the oilseed crop, Oil World wrote.
The three producers will harvest 24.8 million metric tons of sunflower seed this year, the Hamburg-based researcher wrote in an e-mailed report, cutting its July forecast by 660,000 tons. That compares with a 28.1 million-ton crop in 2011.
Sunflower seed is the world's fourth-biggest oilseed crop after soybeans, rapeseed and cotton seed, accounting for about 9 percent of global oilseed output last year, Oil World data show. Sunflower-oil prices may rise relative to other cooking oils due to the production drop, the researcher wrote.
"The volumes lost in sunflower seed and oil are likely to be sufficiently large to have an impact on the global vegetable-oil market," Oil World wrote. "The losses come on top of the prospective sharp decline in world production of soya oil in the next six months."
EU production of sunflower seed will drop to 7.22 million tons from 8.2 million tons in 2011 on smaller crops in France, Hungary, Spain and Romania, according to Oil World, which previously expected a harvest of 7.87 million tons.
Russia, Ukraine
Farmers in Russia will harvest 8 million tons of the oilseed, down from 9.5 million tons last year and 400,000 tons less than last month's outlook, the report showed. Ukraine's sunflower-seed crop is seen falling to 8.6 million tons from 9.3 million tons, with the outlook cut by 600,000 tons.
The outlook for Northern Hemisphere sunflower-seed production is "declining at an alarming rate," Oil World wrote. "Production prospects have considerably deteriorated as a result of unfavorably hot and dry conditions."
Importers in North Africa and India can still buy sunflower oil from the Black Sea region at competitive prices compared to soybean oil from Argentina due to more attractive freight costs, according to Oil World.
While sunflowers are more drought-resistant than corn, weather conditions in coming weeks will be "critical" and yields may deteriorate further if there is no adequate rain "soon," Oil World wrote.
The production slide "will enforce a reduction in crushings and strengthen the prices of sun seed, oil and meal in the next months, spilling over also to rapeseed and products," the researcher wrote. "We are now in a transition period. We would not be surprised if sun oil widens its price premiums relative to soya oil, rape oil and palm oil."
EU imports of sunflower seed are predicted to be 300,000 to 350,000 tons in the 2012-13 crop year compared with 322,000 tons in the previous season, according to Oil World. Turkey will import 650,000 to 750,000 tons, compared with 900,000 tons in 2011-12, the researcher forecast.


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The North Face is celebrating Earth Day by expanding its Clothes the Loop omnichannel initiative, with the goal of recycling more than 100,000 pounds of apparel and footwear this year.
Water conservation is big business for the nation's largest home improvement retailer who earned accolades from the Environmental Protection Agency for selling nearly 13 million WaterSense devices.
To help customers save water and grow its sales in the process Home Depot will execute a massive customer education initiative later this month.
Consumer goods manufacturer SC Johnson continues to make progress on an ambitious waste reduction goal by securing "zero landfill" status at its eighth global manufacturing facility.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Lowe's Companies the highest honors for industry leadership in its WaterSense and SmartWay programs.


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Bond Market Favoring Obama as Euro Threatens Germany
Germany is being penalized in the global bond market as European leaders fail to show investors they have a plan that will succeed in curing the region's most- indebted economies.
Yields on 10-year bunds are poised to rise above comparable maturity U.S. Treasuries for the first time since June 2009 on concern Germany will assume a greater burden to support the European Monetary Union. The difference narrowed to as little as 7 basis points on Nov. 29, from 90 basis points in April as the 85 billion-euro ($114 billion) aid package for Ireland failed to stem concern that Europe's debt crisis will broaden.
German borrowing costs have risen relative to the U.S. as Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed to limit spending on bailouts and European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet disappointed investors when he didn't announce new measures to spur a recovery. In the U.S., President Barack Obama has run consecutive $1.4 trillion budget deficits to boost the economy and prevent the financial and auto industries from collapsing.
"The ECB and the policy makers in Europe didn't learn from the experience of the United States that you have to address these problems aggressively, quickly and effectively, and if you don't, it's only going to get worse," said James Kochan, chief fixed-income strategist at Wells Fargo Funds Management, which oversees $175.6 billion of bonds in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. Investors have been "frightened out of the euro-currency markets, and they're buying Treasuries again," he said in a Nov. 30 interview.
Yield Spread
Bunds are underperforming Treasuries even though Germany's economy is growing faster and its debt is lower than in the U.S. German gross domestic product may expand 3.5 percent in 2010 with a budget deficit that is 3.75 percent of GDP, according to the median economist forecasts in Bloomberg surveys. The U.S. will grow 2.7 percent, with a budget deficit projected at 9 percent of GDP.
Treasuries have returned 0.95 percent on average since the end of June, compared with a loss of 0.5 percent for bunds, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch indexes.
The gap in yields between bunds and Treasuries has narrowed from 45 basis points, or 0.45 percentage point, on Aug. 27, when Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said during a Jackson Hole, Wyoming, symposium that the central bank would provide additional stimulus as needed.
Yield Forecasts
Trichet told reporters on Dec. 2 after leaving interest rates unchanged that the central bank will delay the withdrawal of emergency funding. Trichet nevertheless refused to say whether the ECB will boost or broaden its bond purchases and said the central bank will keep sterilizing them, unlike similar programs at the Federal Reserve and Bank of England.
"Further, decisive, policy action is needed to prevent further escalation of the crisis," economists at Barclays Plc in London wrote in a research report dated Dec. 3.
The median estimate of more than 19 strategists and economists surveyed by Bloomberg is for bund yields to rise above Treasuries next quarter and stay there through 2011.
The yield on the benchmark 2.5 percent German note due January 2021 climbed 12 basis points last week to 2.86 percent as the price of the security fell 1.04, or 10.40 euros per 1,000-euro face amount, to 96.89. The yield closed at 2.85 percent in London. The 2.625 percent U.S. Treasury due November 2020 jumped 14 basis points last week to 3.01 percent as its price dropped 1 5/32, or $11.56 per $1,000 face value, to 96 23/32. The 10-year note yielded 2.94 percent at 3:02 p.m. in New York, according to BGCantor Market Data.
Relative Yields
Bunds have yielded 18 basis points on average less than 10-year Treasuries since 1990, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The difference reached a record 123 in October 2005.
U.S. yields last fell below those in Germany in November 2007 as the financial crisis that began with subprime mortgages began to spread, freezing credit markets and driving America's economy into recession.
Treasury yields remained below bunds until June 2009, when signs of a recovery spurred investors to buy riskier securities such as stocks and corporate bonds. At the same time, Treasury sales rose to a record to pay for $862 billion in fiscal stimulus and the $700 billion Troubled Asset Recovery Program, pushing the budget deficit to an all-time high.
Yields on 10-year Treasuries would be eight to 10 basis points higher if it wasn't for increasing concerns about smaller European economies, such as Ireland, Portugal and Spain, Jim Vogel, head of agency-debt research at FTN Financial in Memphis, Tennessee, wrote in a note to clients published Nov. 29. The rise in bond yields in those countries has spread to Belgium and Italy, he said.
Additional Liabilities
"As we've learned, it's not all about math and analysis," Vogel said in telephone interview. "It's political will; it's leadership; it's the direction things are going."
The response of European policy makers is piecemeal and insufficient to stem the spread of contagion to healthier sovereign credits, said Scott Mather, a managing director who helps oversee global debt at Pacific Investment Management Co. The Newport Beach, California-based firm manages about $1.2 trillion, including the biggest bond fund.
"The additional liabilities accumulate for Germany with each and every bail-out," Mather said in an interview last week. "Near term the major issue is who's next in Europe. Portugal's almost a foregone conclusion. It seems they're constantly two, three, four steps behind the market, and so they're always in crisis-response mode and not proactive," he said in reference to policy makers.
Conflicting Policies
The adoption of the euro by most of western Europe in 1999 helped Germany by lowering barriers to exports and providing a more easily traded currency, according to Brian Kim, a currency strategist at UBS AG in Stamford, Connecticut. It also cut borrowing costs, fueling the indebtedness that presaged the current crisis, he said.
Germany's trade surplus has risen to 16.8 billion euros from about 5 billion euros at the time of the creation of the common currency. The difference in yields between German and Irish 10-year debt shrank to less than 50 basis points in 1999 from about 180 in 1994 and about 300 in 1992, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The gap reached 668 last week.
Conflicting policies in Germany and Greece and Portugal, which have trade deficits, "hamstrings the ability to use the currency as a policy tool," Kim said in a Dec. 3 interview. "The peripherals would love to be able to devalue currency at a time like this," but can't because it would spark faster inflation in Germany, he said.
Auction Concerns
The strategist forecasts the euro will fall in the next six months to between $1.20 and $1.25 as policy makers continue with country-by-country solutions to the crisis. The euro weakened to $1.2969 on Nov. 30, from last month's high of $1.4282 on Nov. 4, before ending last week at $1.3414.
Rising concern about Germany was evident in the 4.76 billion euro auction of 10-year bunds on Nov. 24, according to William O'Donnell, head U.S. government bond strategist in Stamford, Connecticut, at Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc. The offering was originally slated at 6 billion and wound up generating 5.91 billion of bids.
When concerns about Greece's finances first surfaced a year ago, it took until May for the ECB to produce a $1 trillion aid package for countries with sovereign debt troubles, which by then had expanded to Portugal and Spain.
"The ECB has a completely different philosophy about how they intervene," said Dominic Konstam, head of interest-rate strategy at Deutsche Bank AG in New York. "The U.S. has always been about keeping liquidity as easy as possible, and the ECB has been more careful about trying to set monetary policy for the euro zone."