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Technical Resources
State Technical Committee
STC Agenda
/ Rhode Island State Technical Team Meeting Notes March 2012
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Technical Resources
March 15, 2012
USDA Conference Room
Warwick, RI
9:00am - Noon
Attending: Elizabeth Scott (RIDEM), Dick Went (NRICD), Jean Lynch (NRICD), John Obrien, Richard Blogett (Providence Water Supply Board), Heather Faubert (URI), P. Vongkhamdy, Mike Moorman, Mike Kenyon, Joe Bachand, Eric Boettger, Kevin Farmer, Paul Brule, Marilu Soileau (FSA).
Meeting was opened by P. Vongkhamdy at 9:10 AM. Introductions were completed. Principal staff will have a VTC with the Chief so they will have to leave at 11:00 AM. Article came out about USDA funds and subsidies. RI farmers do not get subsidies. RI Farmers get the conservation programs. Writer thinks that changes are needed but they did not realize that the conservation programs are different from subsidies. RI gets very little subsidies. RI does benefit from the conservation programs.
Phou says that we need to work with our partners to provide good conservation to our client. At the last meeting we had a client who was dissatisfied with the NRCS assistance. We request that our partners let us know about these types of situations before they become to big of a problem. Phou provided a graph showing how the conservation planning funds has increased while our staffing has remained the same. We are working to get new staff trained so we can better provide service. It seems we never get credit when we provide good service. Phou read a letter from a citizen thanking NRCS for assistance.
Phou stated that NRCS will have two meeting one with clients and one with partners to see how we can better work together to provide service to our clients.
Heather asked if we can have some client meeting with some growers when Leonard Jordan comes to Rhode Island. They will have an opportunity to meet at the conservation districts. Heather will work with the Districts.
We need to select the watershed for the initiative. We have been given a list for the potential ri watersheds. WE can ask for others if we provide justification. Eric B handed out information on the watersheds. Two watershed are on the list and two are not these were provided by RIDEM. Rich from PWSB would like to add two watersheds from the Scituate Reservoir.
Liz Scott: Section 303d defines waters that are not meeting WQ standards. Once a body is listed states must complete TMDL plans. Once TMDL is completed we can determine what are the sources of pollution. Completed TMDL with agricultural sources, Hunt River, provide focus to the Newport Water supply watersheds these are located in Tiverton, Newport. These water bodies are experiencing increase nitrogen, phosphorous etc.. RIDEM thinks we cannot wait to address these issues. Would like to add that there are other TMDL completed that identify agriculture, palmer river and kickemuit river (mount hope bay). The palmer river shellfish resource was shut down due to agricultural pollutants and other pollutants. Farms in Mass may be some of the biggest pollutants. We should give priority to drinking water watersheds. Sakonnet River, Palmer, Kickemuit, Upper East Passage.
Rich Blogett (PWSB): Rich is the Watershed Source Protection coordinator. Providence Water Supply Board would like to suggest adding the regulating reservoir since they are seeing high phosphorous levels. Both residential and agricultural land use are contributing to the problems.
Moswansicut Pond-Huntinghouse Brook.
Joe went over guidance for the initiative.
Questions were asked about how NRCS will outreach to the specific watershed. The Districts have done some agricultural inventories that will help. RIDEM will be having a public meeting to develop the watershed plans for the palmer and kickemuit. NRCS is invited to attend and make a presentation. Fruit growers have their annual meeting on March 29, 6pm Richmond Grange.
Easements: Mike Kenyon went over easements. FRPP received 9 applications, RI has 4.1 million dollars. We could get an additional 1.4 million from regional equity. Estimated value for 9 apps 7.6 million. Would be 262 acres. Waiting for the agreement template to obligate funds. GRP, have three active projects, signed an agreement for 65 acres, two other applications for 140 acres. WRP, three applications are being worked on, 2 appraisals are completed, we are waiting for one.
FOTG: Boettger and Farmer- will post Releasing notice 153 and 154- which will have a list of practices for review. Eric will post on FOTG. Will send out an email notice.
Joe Bachand went over RI Air Quality Ozone initiative, the initiatives was reviewed and the STT agreed to have the initiatives for FY 2012. Joe reviewed the CIG Rhode Island component for FY 2012, there will be approximately $125,000 available for grants. The categories for FY 2012 were reviewed. The STT agreed with the categories. Working Lands for Wildlife was reviewed. WHIP-Working Land for Wildlife which will be for New England Cottontail for Rhode Island.
Dick Went provided updates on work being done by NACD on the Farm Bill. New England conservation District are putting together a New England Watershed initiative. The document will be published soon. Dick made a motion for NACD to vote on a resolution to allow WHIP funds to be used on public lands. Will look at changing the 50,000 annual limit for WHIP.
Next meeting: May 10, 2012 at 11:00a in the USDA Conference Room.
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I sure wish I could have written a "Complete Photography Guide," but Lifehacker did such a great job it seems silly for me to duplicate (wishful thinking as well I should add).
So if you want to learn:
- How your Digital Camera works
- What the automatic settings are supposed to do
- Manual settings – explained in English
- Some good tips for composition – if you don't know the rule of thirds, now's the time
- Post production – lots of good info, just hope you have Photoshop
Be sure to check out their links under additional resources at the bottom of the main page. If you're looking for hardware, a NAPP membership will deliver good deals in addition to their Photoshop tutorials.
For hardware reviews, I like DPReview.com and friends like Steves-Digicams.com. A game changing possibility that was just anounced is Lytro's really cool lens technology. Hopefully this recommendation won't look too silly in a couple of years.
And of course, don't forget to watermark images you post to the web and those you print!
In the interest of full disclosure: Digimarc and I work with the NAPP folks, but all the other websites mentioned are ones that I just happen to like.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Film
Filmmaker Frances Nkara first met Robert Hall on a weekend meditation retreat. Hearing him improvise a talk, she was struck by how bravely and generously he spoke about the sexual and physical abuse he suffered as a young boy. "At 66, Robert had found a way to relate to the experience openly and beyond the necessary stages of anger," Nkara says. "I sensed that he was not in denial, but had truly found peace with it." She decided to create a film to tell his story.
At the age of four, Hall was kidnapped and went missing for days. His family sent a search party and found him alone and half-naked in a shed. It was 1938. As Hall explains, his family "decided that the best thing to do was to let me forget the whole thing, and everybody ignored it. They didn't even call the police." Traumatized, Hall stopped talking for a year. His mother felt guilty about the incident and often whipped him until he bled. When Hall was 11, his family's hired hand began sexually abusing him — an abuse that continued for years. Feeling alienated from the rest of his family, he secretly fell in love with his abuser. As a young child these events were confusing and overwhelming, and Hall repressed the memories of his abduction until he was 32 years old.
Unfortunately, the terrible events that happened to Hall while he was growing up are not isolated occurrences, but part of a larger social epidemic. One in four women and one in six men report having experienced sexual abuse. Many suffer in denial or silent fear of being seen and shunned as damaged. They struggle wondering if they will be haunted for life, and often question if such a life is worth continuing. Nkara believed a film about Hall would help address the issue through the experiences of someone who had come to terms with it personally.
The Filmmaker
- Frances NkaraProducer


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PLAINSBORO – A resident of a Plainsboro assisted living community had nearly $200 worth of items stolen from a basket on her walker Friday night, police said.
The woman lives at the Pavilions at Forrestal on the 1000 block of Windrow Drive. Between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday, unknown suspects allegedly took a Panasonic cordless telephone, TV remote control, white and black make-up bag, and two books of U.S. stamps from the walker basket.
Police were called to the scene, and said the estimated value of the stolen property at $178.


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I wrote to The Plain Dealer after the shootings in Chardon. Since those words may not have conveyed my thoughts clearly, I will try again, quoting a more powerful source:
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Craig R. George Brecksville


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Is it technora or wood for dedicated (non-professional) windsurfers?
View Single Post
9th January 2008, 10:41 PM
Posts: n/a
wood does feel a bit nicer and is a bit lighter but wider boards breaks quite easy (>70 cm on, smaller boards don't break easy though) and is very difficult/expensive to repair. Another thing is that wood boards suffer more during daily temperature changes (day/night) than technora which automatically spells out a shorter lifespan.
If you need the utmost performance and are willing to sacrifice durability -> wood
If you want peace of mind and a "don't bother just fix it and get back on the water" life -> technora
Wood is very nice but it comes at a cost


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Still so stuffed with turkey that you can't think straight? Standing in line to pay the Black Friday piper? Couldn't absorb any of my typical gory or grandiose theology? Me neither.
Let's play free-association Friday.
Catching Fire, the movie version of Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games, book 2 released on November 22. Perhaps you're tapping your foot through the trailers even as you read this. Perhaps you could care less. Me, too.
I've neither read nor watched them. Yet. (Wish list. Just sayin'.) When I do, I'm sure I'll wax eloqu—, well I'll wax. In the meantime, you tell us what other cultural or Christian themes come to mind when you think Catching Fire—the movie, the book, or just the basic concept.
To get you started, I've condensed four pieces that spring to my mind into . . . poetry—never mind that two of them were already lyrics—thus exposing my own silliness and releasing you from any self-expectations of brilliance or perfection.
Pass It On
Remember this cute, campfire kumbaya by Kurt Kaiser?
It only takes a spark
Warm up
Pass it on
Girl on Fire
Have you seen Alicia Keys's R&B ballad (also written by Jeff Bhasker and Salaam Remi)?
Got our feet on the ground
We're burning it down
Got our head in the clouds
We're not coming down
This girl is on fire
Pharaoh's Problem
And how could we forget this one from Exodus 3:1–12 (RSV-ish)
Keeping flock of father-in-law
West side wilderness
God's Mountain
Angel appears aflame
Bush burning
Not consumed
Turn aside
See this sight
Bush not burnt
Sees him turn aside to see
God calls Moses
Here am I
Don't come near
Off your shoes
From your feet
Stand on holy ground
I Am the God
Hides his face
Fears to look
I see the affliction
I hear their cry
I know their sufferings
I come down to deliver
Cry comes to me
I see oppression
Now you come
Send you to Pharaoh
Bring forth my people
Who am I
President's Problem
And finally, I had to mess with this one, too: Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire (New York: Scholastic, 2009), 20–23.
I have a problem, Miss Everdeen
You pulled poisonous berries
I guessed Gamemaker's choice
Suicide—no victor
Or letting both live
The latter
Love-crazed schoolgirl bit
Capitol quite convinced
Not the districts
Face flicker
Trick with the berries
Girl from District Twelve
Defies Capitol
Walks away
What stops districts doing same
Lead to revolution
Released grip
System collapse
Taken aback
Must be very fragile
Berries bring it down
Didn't mean to
Start uprisings
Prophetic wardrobe
Katiniss Everdeen
Girl on fire
Spark left unattended
OK. Your turn. Catching Fire makes you think _____


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The Apple Watch Edition has perplexed many Apple fanboys with its ridiculously high price tag. We still don't know how much the beautiful, high-end smartwatch will cost, but it's expected be one of the most expensive Apple products ever, which has a lot of analysts wondering, how many is Apple going sell?
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that only 17 percent of the first 5 million Apple Watch orders were for the pricey gold Edition. That number sounds almost insignificant, but Daring Fireball's John Gruber did some math and found that Apple is expecting to sell about 1 million of the exorbitantly expensive timepieces per quarter.
Hitting 1 million in sales for the super-expensive smartwatches in the first quarter would be an impressive feat. But what's more surprising is that if Apple actually hits that number, the gold Edition Apple Watches would account for the most Apple Watch revenue, bringing in at least $5 billion per quarter.
Here's why:


text: [Federal Register Volume 78, Number 21 (Thursday, January 31, 2013)] [Notices] [Page 6825] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2013-02084] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2012-N-1205] Accessible Medical Device Labeling in a Standard Content and Format Public Workshop; Request for Comments; Correction AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of public workshop; request for comments; correction. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is correcting a document that appeared in the Federal Register of January 7, 2013 (78 FR 951). The document announced a public workshop entitled ``Accessible Standardized Medical Device Labeling.'' The document was published with the incorrect date for submission of presentation materials. This document corrects that error. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Weick-Brady, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 66, rm. 5426, 301-796-6089, FAX: 301-847-8510, email: firstname.lastname@example.com. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Correction In the Federal Register of January 7, 2013, in FR Doc. 951-953, on page 952, the following correction is made: Under Requests for Oral Presentations, on page 952, in the first column, the sentences that read ``All requests to make oral presentations must be received by the close of registration on April 5, 2013, at 5 p.m. If selected for presentation, any presentation materials must be emailed to Mary Weick-Brady (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) no later than March 29, 2013'' is changed to read ``All requests to make oral presentations must be received by the close of registration on April 5, 2013, at 5 p.m. If selected for presentation, any presentation materials must be emailed to Mary Weick- Brady (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) no later than April 19, 2013.'' Dated: January 25, 2013. Leslie Kux, Assistant Commissioner for Policy. [FR Doc. 2013-02084 Filed 1-30-13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4160-01-P


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Best of Toronto
The Best New Fashion Stores in Toronto, 2009
When it comes to the Toronto fashion scene, 2009 was the year of the homegrown designer - almost half the stores on this list are mainly stocked with Canadian lines.
The demand is there for local talent, and designers are obliging--the stores on this list have everything from vintage fabric earrings (Coal Miner's Daughter) and recycled leather purses (Imelda and Black Daffodil) to handmade tees (Shared) and Lundstrom LaParkas (eleven).
Many boutiques are also carrying beautiful contemporary lines that can hold their own among American and European brands - look for Label at Chasse Gardee, Dace at Vocado, Sui Generis at Coal Miner's Daughter, and Joeffer Caoc at eleven.
Canadian designers can compete with the best of 'em, and it's wonderful to see that Toronto's shopowners trust that our city's fashion fiends are finally buying local and loving it.
Here are the 15 best new fashion stores to open in Toronto during 2009, as voted by readers of this site.
The Best New Clothing Stores in Toronto, 2008
The Best Eyeglasses in Toronto
The Best Shoe Stores in Toronto
Coal Miner's Daughter
Mirvish Village is a somewhat unlikely spot for a new clothing store, but Coal Miner's Daughter has doubly bucked the odds by opening a shop that offers handmade pieces that are both stylish and very affordable. Favorite brands include reworked cheesy nature shirts from Clementine & Tweed ($35), Sui Generis rompers and cocktail dresses ($100), and Biko jewelry ($25-$70). More »
Poor Little Rich Girl
Yonge and Eglinton might have your next party frock. Poor Little Rich Girl is dress-obsessed. Betsey Johnson, Nicole Miller, and BCBG by Max Azria numbers sit prettily alongside more edgy offerings by Voom and Dolce Vita. I also dig 442 McAdam's bags and clutches ($260-$440). More »
Frock owner Cathryn Dajka opened a shoe store on Roncesvalles, bringing together fashion and function in the sensible footwear from brands like Miz Mooz, Fly London, Bos & Co., and El Naturalista. You'll look cute strolling down Roncy in Irregular Choice wedges or Hunter wellies. More »
Black Daffodil
Up-and-coming Canuck brands are the ones to watch at this new Junction store that specializes in simple streetwear and retro-inspired dresses. If you want to buy local, seek out NaMoDa's handpainted scarves ($35), recycled leather purses from Baggage ($240), everyday tops by Hypercube ($69-$98). More »
Tucked away in the labyrinthine Liberty Village is Vocado, one of the better-edited stores in the city. Showing a real dedication to this country's talent, the clothes here are dead chic but easy to wear - this is where you'll find lne, Dace, Lily & Jae, and Mackage. More »
For those who want some kick-ass clothes, Yorkville seems an unlikely destination, but the boys at Serpentine are determined to bring a little rock-and-roll to this fair city, courtesy of jewelry lines like Lazaro and Luke Satoru, and clothing from Damir Doma, Diet Butcher Slim Skin, Tuesday Night Band Practice, Wolverine and Passarella Death Squad. More »
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Name them, then.
Many people start taking regular backups AFTER
they've lost their hard disk or had a computer crash.
An information box will appear on the screen that
will instruct which files that you wish to clean up.
The body of an Andalusian is short and strong, with well-sprung ribs and a broad chest.
The Andalusian name derives from an area of southern Spain called Andalusia--Andaluca in Spanish--after the name
given to the area by its Moorish conquerors in the 700's.


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Member Since: October 12, 2010
December 6, 2013 at 6:15pm
Let's see the place withe the black light on……..my guess the place would glow.
In reply to the story It's Hard to Believe (But Hilarious) That Top-Ranking Senate Democrats Live Like This in D.C.
December 6, 2013 at 6:24pm
AmericanOfSpirit responded:
[-1] November 30, 2013 at 12:22pm
For the whole World to see what kind of animals the Government is raising to be good quality citizens for the next generation.
In reply to MightyBaconSammich's comment on the story Why the Internet Is Going Crazy Over a Girl Named 'Sharkeisha'
November 30, 2013 at 12:10pm
Looks like a very happy pup!
November 27, 2013 at 7:22pm
Not a drop on the guy.
In reply to the story The Video of an Exploding Whale You Don't Want to Watch (But Secretly Really Do)
November 27, 2013 at 7:49pm
tikityler responded:
November 26, 2013 at 7:55pm
Just right for NH!
November 23, 2013 at 8:10am
Add your comments
November 16, 2013 at 1:37am
I love the way the guy lights up the big finger at night.
In reply to the story Man Buys House Next to Ex-Wife & Then Erects This Giant Statue as Message to Her
November 2, 2013 at 5:52pm
WTF was that?
In reply to the story Fans Horrified After Motionless Mascot Is Lowered Onto Game Floor
November 2, 2013 at 5:37pm
That @ssmunch don't ave a pot to pi$$ in. This is coming from a man who spits out illegitimate children at the drop of a dime.
November 1, 2013 at 8:14pm
Smile like a donut when you go to prison Jorge.
October 31, 2013 at 8:14pm
Gas Monkey not going to be happy about that.
October 26, 2013 at 10:46pm
My money is on the Silverback Mooch.
In reply to Dusty_Hale's comment on the story Who Allegedly Has 'Tentacles' in Every Issue at the White House?
October 24, 2013 at 10:16pm
Oh Beautiful……Oh Crap!
October 24, 2013 at 9:35pm
yeah lets start with 100% of his net worth then see how he feels about that.
October 21, 2013 at 7:20pm
Add your comments
In reply to the story Woman Nearly Faints Behind Obama During Health Care Remarks
October 20, 2013 at 8:32am
It's 2004 all over again, I hope the Red Sox sweep the Cards again.
In reply to the story Boston Red Sox Tame Detroit Tigers to Advance to World Series
October 20, 2013 at 8:57am
ROLOL responded:
October 13, 2013 at 8:38pm
Add your comments
October 13, 2013 at 8:34pm
He has a pig her name is Moochelle!
October 10, 2013 at 5:40pm
My guess DingleBerry will pardon him.
In reply to the story Corrupt Ex-Detroit Mayor Sentenced to 28 Years
October 10, 2013 at 5:38pm
Hey prov1 are you from NH?
Thanks for the tip!
Submitting your tip... please wait!


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According to top rank's facebook page and boxingscene.com it will be another top rank fighter not named yuri foreman facing manny pacquaio march 13th. Joshua clottey will face manny pacquaio march 13th. This does not excite me considering clottey had cotto bloody and hurt in june but at times just did not fight, and therefore lost via decision. Thoughts on the proposed clottey-pacquaio matchup in march?
Breaking News: Clottey Vs. Pacquaio Done Deal For March 13. Booo!
By phil Leone ,
Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories
Al Bello/Getty Images


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Syracuse defeats No. 19 Florida, 89-83, in the semifinals of the CBE Classic here at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.
Syracuse put five players in double-figures. Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris each scored 18 for the Orange. Harris added 11 rebounds. Arinze Onuaku also had a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards. Andy Rautins had 15 points; all in the first half, on 5-for-9 shooting from 3-point range. Kris Joseph scored 10 points. Eric Devendorf scored nine points.
Syracuse shot 52 percent from the field (31-for-60) and 40 percent from 3-point range despite Devendorf's 1-for-6 shooting.
Florida was led by sophomore center Alex Tyus, who scored a career-high 24 points. Nick Calathes scored 19 points for the Gators.
Syracuse will now take on the winner of tonight's second game between Kansas and Washington.
Mike Waters


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Sabah Malaysia, Borneo, Kinabalu National Park. Dramatic cloud formations viewed at sunset from Laban Rata on Mount Kinabalu - The highest mountain peak in South East Asia.
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How international relations got religion, and got it wrong - The Washington Post
You may enjoy this, whether or not you agree with it.
How international relations got religion, and got it wrong - The Washington Post
You may enjoy this, whether or not you agree with it.
How international relations got religion, and got it wrong - The Washington Post
Isis's online propaganda outpacing US counter-efforts, ex-officials warn | World news | The Guardian
- "When these people go online, they needed to be treated like trolls," Amanullah said, "and we keep feeding the trolls."
- it is "impossible for State to know if it's succeeded or failed at its task"
- he initiative was inadvertently creating a dialogue of equals between the US and Isis, distracting from Muslim criticisms of Isis that carry more credibility within the Muslim world
- The "tragedy of the US government's attempts to engage online", Amanullah said, is that "there's nothing these people like more than to see the US government specifically acknowledging and interacting with them online. They turn right around to their followers and say, 'See? We're every bit as powerful as we say we are, the US government is proof.'"
Heh. Disregard IR scholars, acquire an historian!
Who predicted Russia's military intervention?
- scholars who study international security or Russia (or Eastern Europe) as a primary or secondary specialty were more likely to foresee the intervention. It pays (a little bit) to listen to those who know what they are talking about.
- scholars who work at a Top-25 institution (as identified by TRIP) were least likely to be correct. This is consistent with Philip Tetlock's finding that the more famous and successful the pundit, the less accurate the predictions. Perhaps in academia, as in punditry, forcefulness, confidence and decisiveness pay even as these qualities do not translate into predictive accuracy.
- Fourth, and most interesting to me, are the differences related to the "paradigm wars." International relations scholars have long classified themselves as belonging to different schools of thought, often referred to as "the isms" (see here for a primer). A growing group of scholars, myself included, worry that becoming a card-carrying member of a paradigmatic club can lead to blinders that, among others, interferes with predictive accuracy.
Consistent with this, those who do not identify with a paradigm were somewhat more likely to be accurate, closely followed by Realists. Self-identified Liberals and Constructivists did poorly, with Liberals both very unlikely to predict intervention and very likely to offer a definitive "no" rather than the "don't know" answer that was very popular among Constructivists (who sometimes look dimly on the predictive ambitions of social science).
Perhaps a misplaced faith in the power of international law and institutions was at the root of this. After all, the Russian intervention violates a system of laws and norms that these paradigms hold dearly. Yet, non-realist scholars who study international law or international organizations as their primary or secondary field were more likely to foresee the military action (see graph).
- All of these findings ought to be taken with a hefty grain of salt. The sample is pretty small once you start breaking it down into subgroups. Moreover, if there were a subgroup called "conspiracy theorists," who see military intervention lurking behind any crisis, we would have declared them clairvoyant based on this one prediction exercise. This is why continuation of these snap polls is so important: it helps expose our biases in a systematic way. Finally, none of this should distract us from the most important conclusion: that most scholars (including me) got it wrong.
Interesting Gulfi video artist discusses cars, Ballard, and Arab futurism
Study: Reading Fiction Makes People Comfortable With Ambiguity
- Are you uncomfortable with ambiguity? It's a common condition, but a highly problematic one. The compulsion to quell that unease can inspire snap judgments, rigid thinking, and bad decision-making.
- Read more literary fiction.
Surveillance as a tool of demobilization.
Rules For Living In The Total Surveillance State | Uncrunched
- the only rule to living in our particular kind of surveillance state (where the machine is permanent, but the targets swing wildly over time with the whims of democracy) is this – be completely apathetic. Support nothing and condemn nothing.
A neat take on music notation. Worth playing with, I think - might appeal to different kinds of learners, and would be fun in any case.
Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA, tries new approach to school discipline — suspensions drop 85% « ACEs Too High
The asperger brain often responds to the world with fight/flight, since all kinds of sensory input may be experienced as trauma. The approach discussed here should be of interest to any involved in educating or caring for aspies.
"In flight, fight or freeze mode," Turner explains, "survival trumps everything else." So when a kid who's got complex trauma feels threatened or overwhelmed, exploding in rage at something that most people wouldn't even shrug over is a perfectly normal response.
That's worth repeating: exploding in rage, getting pissed off, stomping, hitting….it's all normal. Until a school helps kids learn how to control their emotions, they'll just keep losing it. For some kids, erupting is a stress reflex response.
"That's the hardest pill to swallow," says Erik Gordon, a science teacher at Lincoln High. "Trying to figure out how much of their behavior is from a choice and how much is outside their control. It's a drag when you believe it's outside their control, because all of the easy disciplinary action doesn't work."
Rule No. 1: Take nothing a raging kid says personally. Really. Act like a duck: let the words roll off your back like drops of water.
Rule No. 2: Don't mirror the kid's behavior. Take a deep breath. Wait for the storm to pass, and then ask something along the lines of: "Are you okay? Did something happen to you that's bothering you? Do you want to talk about it?"
How football explains the world. Again.
Turkish protests: look at football match policing for an explanation | John McManus | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
Usually, Istanbul is famed for the fierce tribal rivalry between its three main clubs: Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray. All three are huge, but Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray lay claim to the majority of fans, titles and wealth. Beşiktaş are seen as the halkın takımı, the "people's team", with a traditionally more working-class and leftwing fanbase, and segments of its fans have in the past been more openly critical of the current ruling AK party.
Yet the recent demonstrations have seen a remarkable solidarity among fans. Traditional enmities have been put aside to fight the common enemy of the police. Opposing fans have been glimpsed arm-in-arm in scenes that would have been unthinkable only a week ago.
- To be met with excessive violence when engaged in a peaceful activity is both terrifying and rage-inducing. Multiply incidents like this, and you have large numbers of people who are both angry and experienced in confronting such tactics.
Horrible prospect. Save the developing world from Bookface!
Facebook and Google spread 'their' net across the mobile world | Technology | The Observer
- "Facebook and Google are … persuading wireless carriers in poor countries to offer customers free or very cheap online access that is limited to stripped-down versions of the web giants' sites. The idea is that once these new users get some experience in a walled garden of Facebook or Google, they will want more internet access and pay for it, making the carriers' initial investment worthwhile."
- many new users of the internet from poor countries will think that Facebook (or Google) is the Internet. This would be a particularly pernicious outcome for those who find themselves inside Facebook's walled garden
Computer Science is done strikingly differently in Vietnam.
Quite an interesting discussion of torture, terrorism etc. through the lens of The Battle of Algiers
Good roundup from MERIP on the most recent Jordanian election.
The Jordanian State Buys Itself Time | Middle East Research and Information Project
- the elections have afforded the regime room to breathe
- For the moment, the state seems confident that it commands the loyalty of the silent majority. For years, polls have found that most Jordanians are politically conservative, holding positive impressions of the king and royal family and darker views of political parties -- including the Islamists. Jordan has long been regarded as an oasis of stability compared to its neighbors who have faced invasion, foreign occupation and insurrection. Polls and interviews indicate that Jordanians put a high premium on a sense of security, the maintenance of which is of course a mainstay of regime rhetoric.
- The opposition, on the other hand, draws its strength primarily from concerns about the economy and complaints about corruption in the cabinet and Parliament. Many in the opposition also note the state's well-documented history of using "political reform" as a sop to critics. [3] In tough times, the regime pledges to open up the political system, but then offers changes that do little to alter the established power structure.
- holding an election that is pronounced clean and successful may be of less value to the state than is now apparent. As the year progresses, the public is likely to evaluate the new parliament and government by their ability to address popular concerns
- High turnout and good reviews of election day are the foundations of the state's claim to have a new mandate. But election monitors in Jordan have made the same point time and time again: An election is much more than the casting of ballots, and a successful poll does not equate to the advent of democracy.
- monitors were also unanimous in their assessment that the system underpinning the vote falls considerably short of ideal. Their criticism centers on the distorted representation inherent in the election law and the political culture that gerrymandering promotes. Jordan's voting system boosts the fortunes of candidates whose support base lies in large tribes or localities, while handicapping political parties and unaffiliated candidates who have national agendas. In Jordan's last five parliamentary elections, most of the seats have gone to such independent or "tribal" candidates. Once elected, the MPs have little ability to shape national policy in any event, since the king appoints all other branches of government.
- The incentives created are perverse. Voters may feel pushed to back the candidate who returns home bearing spoils from the treasury, rather than the one who represents their vision for the nation. Indeed, deputies in past assemblies have been lambasted for passing out rewards to supporters while ignoring national issues -- one voter, on election day, derided previous parliaments as "service departments." Polls have found that large portions of the public see parliamentarians as highly corrupt. It is easy to see how this system becomes self-reinforcing. Voters feel that their vote means little on the national stage, while candidates for office seek to become local patrons while feathering their own nests. The result can be vote buying and coercive campaigning.
- the "tribal" bias of the election system boosts turnout, since the groups that benefit directly from the parliamentary spoils system show up to keep the spoils coming
- ambient mistrust
- According to a July 2012 poll by the International Republican Institute, more Jordanians think the country is going in the wrong direction than the right one and many feel deep discontent with the weak economy and perceived government corruption. The same poll found Jordanians taking a dim view of politicians in general, and parliamentarians in particular, who despite being elected appear less popular than royally appointed officials. And in a September 2012 CSS survey, a big portion of the public said the state's reforms had been insufficient -- though large majorities still said it was better to change the system through political action than through street protest.
- There are indications that the new parliament is more representative -- or at least more diverse -- than the old one. Candidates from al-Wasat al-Islami, a centrist Islamist party, came away with 16 seats, a substantial increase in their representation. Leftists also picked up around a dozen seats (depending on who is counting). Whether either of these groups will be credible to the protesters in the streets is an open question: In the past, many leftist and Islamist MPs have been characterized as "safe," regime-aligned candidates rather than a genuine opposition.
Palestinian Jordanians likewise seem to have gained ground, now holding roughly 35 seats as opposed to 20 or so in the last parliament. Women's representation also increased slightly, with women taking two national list seats and two district seats, in addition to 15 seats from the 10 percent quota they are allotted under the election law.
- If Parliament is unable to make serious progress toward improving the economy, an item which usually tops the list of the public's grievances, that will also have consequences. The first challenge the new deputies will face, the yearly budget, will be doubly critical, establishing both the MPs' economic credentials and their ability to have a serious debate
- What the state has won is time, which it may use to carry out a reform program, to appease its core constituents or to do a bit of both. In the past, Jordan's electoral exercises have generally been preludes to consolidations of regime power. But history is not destiny. The state may travel down the path of reform it has laid out, toward parliamentary government and constitutional monarchy, even at the cost of upsetting its traditional clients. Or it may attempt to delay reform again, using the same bait-and-switch it has employed for decades
- The unfolding disaster in neighboring Syria will likely keep security high on the local agenda; on the other hand, the state faces another moment of potential crisis, as sometime early in 2013, probably April, conditions of Jordan's IMF loan agreements will require the state to engage in another round of subsidy removal like the one that triggered the November 2012 unrest
Your Brain Is Hooked on Being Right - Judith E. Glaser - Harvard Business Review
Useful insights for educational situations, also.
- situations of high stress, fear or distrust, the hormone and neurotransmitter cortisol floods the brain. Executive functions that help us with advanced thought processes like strategy, trust building, and compassion shut down. And the amygdala, our instinctive brain, takes over. The body makes a chemical choice about how best to protect itself — in this case from the shame and loss of power associated with being wrong — and as a result is unable to regulate its emotions or handle the gaps between expectations and reality. So we default to one of four responses: fight (keep arguing the point), flight (revert to, and hide behind, group consensus), freeze (disengage from the argument by shutting up) or appease (make nice with your adversary by simply agreeing with him
- there's another hormone that can feel just as good as adrenaline: oxytocin. It's activated by human connection and it opens up the networks in our executive brain, or prefrontal cortex, further increasing our ability to trust and open ourselves to sharing
Israel's left turn to the far right | Jonathan Cook: the View from Nazareth
- The white middle class in Israel, comprising Ashkenazi Jews, has remained disgruntled at what it sees as the rapid decline in its privileges and standard of living as Netanyahu's neoliberal policies have accreted ever more power and wealth to a small business elite, many of them benefactors to his party.
By contrast, Lapid captured the self-pitying mood of the protests with his demand that all Israelis "share the burden" – a dig at the rapidly growing community of Jewish religious fundamentalists known as the Haredim, and the large minority of Israel's 1.4 million Palestinian citizens. The burden, in this case, refers chiefly to serving in the army, or doing equivalent national service.
Far from a collapse of the right, the election demonstrated that the right is continuing to push the center of political gravity – particularly on the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – ever further rightwards.
Oy vey! Why is Orientalism not dead yet?
Muftah » The Orientalizing Effects of "Sex With Egyptian Women (According to 'Mike')"
Not all Egyptian women are circumcised, and not all European women are sexually "free" (indeed we should ask what this even means). Until we move past these meaningless binaries, which are constructed through objectifying women's lives, we cannot engage in meaningful struggles that will target problems like female circumcision.
Unfortunately, these tendencies are not confined to mainstream media articles, but also permeate development organizations and, thus, have real concrete effects on Egyptian women. That alone is enough reason to present alternative narratives.
It seems clear that Badt had no intent of acting as an ally to Egyptian women with this article. Instead it appears that her sole aim was to starkly contrast European and Egyptian society.
For Badt, one is modern, the other is backwards. Like so many before her, she creates this contrast by using the bodies of women as cultural signifiers. It is through women's sexual lives that Badt is able to construct Europe as sexually free and Egypt as sexually repressive. All this while not giving a single Egyptian woman the chance to speak. While she implies that Egyptian culture silences its women, Badt's article not only does the same – it also misrepresents them.
Also on Pinterest, but no posts so far: http://pinterest.com/khameneiir/
Like? Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 'joins Facebook' | World news | guardian.co.uk
- He also joined Pinterest very recently, but hasn't posted http://pinterest.com/khameneiir/
This will set off a succession struggle in the movement, which is a hybrid of Sufism and political Islamism. His daughter has been effectively a joint leader with him. Will her charismatic authority overcome patriarchal resistance to women's leadership and allow her to take over? Fascinating implications.
on 12-17-2015
on 10-09-2015
on 05-13-2015
on 12-05-2013
on 07-02-2013


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Registered Name: LONDON CRIMESTOPPERS INC.
Business Number: 119023711RR0001
About This Charity
Our Mission
London-Elgin-Middlesex Crime Stoppers is a partnership of the public, police and media which provides the community with a proactive, non-profit, charitable Program to anonymously assist in solving crime and contributing to an improved quality of life.
About Our Charity
Crime Stoppers is a non-profit charitable organization that combines the best efforts of the community, the media and the police in the fight against crime.
Each week the media appeals for information about unsolved crimes. A "Crime of the Week" is highlighted in newspaper articles, radio spots and television re-enactments. People are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers anonymously to report any information that may help solve this or any other crime.
A group of dedicated, concerned citizens make up the civilian Board of Directors for Crime Stoppers of London-Elgin-Middlesex. Board members raise, control and administer funds, organize reward payments to callers and promote the program.
For more information on becoming a board member, or a member of "friends of Crime Stoppers" call our administrative office.
Find Out More About This Charity
Donate To This Charity Now
Make a one-time donation to this charity now using a credit card , PayPal™ account or a CanadaHelps Gift Card.
Schedule monthly donations using a credit card or PayPal™ account.
It's an easy way to make a big impact and helps the charity plan. Choose the day of the month for your first donation. We'll charge you on the same day every month thereafter for the remainder of the period you set.
A donation of securities or mutual fund shares is the most efficient way to give charitably since the capital gains tax does not apply. Your security or mutual fund donation means a larger donation for the charities you support. It also means a larger charitable tax receipt for you. We're the largest processor of online security and mutual fund donations in Canada. And, we make it easy to disburse your donation across multiple charities.
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A CanadaHelps Fundraising Page gives you the tools to tell your fundraising story and to track your progress. Share your page with everyone you know by email, using the integration social media feature and more. Before you know it, you will have increased awareness and funds for a charity you care about.
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Now that was a great gift idea!


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Leaving town for good after Memorial Day. I have a family wedding and a couple other loose ends to tie up. It's kind of scary. I've never taken a leap like this. It's exciting too. I can't wait to see what's out there.
3 boys: 8, 10 and 4 months
I inadvertently did this last year. I moved 1500 miles for a job that fell through when I got here. It took me a couple of months to find another job, but I did a lot of fun, inexpensive things in between.
Enjoy your adventure!
Status: D 2011
Above all, be the heroine, not the victim. - Nora Ephron
It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
- J. K. Rowling


text:
St. Louis Arcade Bath-House.
Frederick Eckert,
No. 128 and 130 North Third Street,
St. Louis, Mo.
This well-known Establishment is open every day, where
Warm, Cold, Shower and Salt Baths,
can be had at all Times and Seasons.
To the Ladies' Apartments, the Entrance is at No. 130 North Second.
Lewis, Bauman,
Importer and dealer in
Watches, Jewelry, etc.,
No. 30 Market Street,
St. Louis. Mo.,
Keeps constantly on hand a choice and splendid assortment of
Gold and Silver Watches, Rings,
Ladies' and Gentlemen's Breast Pins, Lockets, Necklaces,
Pencils, Thimbles, Gold and Silver Guard Chains,
and Spectacles. Also, a choice assortment of Sil-
ver, Britannia, and Plated Ware,
All of which he will sell low for cash, wholesale or retail.
☞ Watches, Clocks, and Time-pieces repaired and warranted.
Hair Cutting.
W. RileyBonner, .
Marcus L.Lewis, .
Bonner & Lewis ,
Practical and Fashionable
Hair Cutters,
No. 103 Fourth Street,
(Next Door to the Mansion House,)
St. Louis, Mo.
Where Gentlemen are Respectfully Invited to Call.
Shaving and Shampooing
Executed in a style unsurpassed—Razors, Surgical Instru-
ments, &c., set ready for use.


text:
Quick Bytes :
Location : Near Kohima, Nagaland
Languages : Angami, English
Temperature : Sub Zero in winters; Warmer in summers
Major Attractions : Trekking, Flora & Fauna
Best Visiting Time : Months between June and September
The picture-perfect Dzukou Valley is located at an altitude of more than 2000 meters from sea level and is surrounded by Japfu hilly ranges. This valley of Kohima district is a paradisiacal destination that will captivate you by its alluring beauty and bountiful nature. Its vistas are covered with countless flowering plants. If you are looking for a peaceful vacation site, then this tranquility studded location is just perfect for you.
Highlights :
Nature and its Temptations :
Considered as a nice summer retreat, the valley is cris-crossed by a number of streams that swirl with water in summer and get frozen in cooler season. The celestial charm of the place is best reflected in its exotic flora as well as fauna. A temptation to nature enthusiasts, Dzukou Valley is home to several herbs, shrubs, and flowering plants. You can look forward to species of lilies, aconitums, and euphorbias. With the advent of monsoon, the plethora of these cover the entire area and offer a visual treat to visitors. Though, the place is laden with numerous types of botanical species, bamboo brush is quiet predominant and impart the look of a mowed lawn. You can also see varieties of rhododendrons that further beautify the place. Visit the place in months of July/August and you will be overwhelmed by the presence of thousands of flowering plants that dot the entire valley.
Among the fauna that you can happen to see here includes leopard, elephant, Tragopan, and Asiatic black bear. In addition, there are some endangered species that aare sheltered here.
Trekking :
Dzukou Valley is considered on of the ideal destination for enjoying trekking. As the valley is landscaped by hills; there are myriad opportunities that are available to trekkers. Camping can be a highly enjoyable experience here. The experience of ascending up the hill amidst lush greenery and charming streams can be one of the most cherishable experiences of your life. Tourism department has set up a few rest houses that allow you to take rest in the lap of nature. These exclusive accommodations for trekkers are managed by SAPO. While enjoying the warmth of the rooms, you can have the panoramic view of the dazzling valley. Despite of having a difficult terrain, trekkers throng to this place; the challenge of accessing the rugged hills is fascinating in itself.
Trek Route :
There is a specific trek route that you can follow.
Day 1 :
Reach National Highway 39 from Kohima and travel to Crying Child Valley. Upon moving ahead, you will reach a pass located at an elevation if about 2550 meters from sea level. This is the gateway to Dzukou Valley. Cross the stream of water that is visible after sloping down a bit and you will reach Trekker's hut.
Day 2 :
While camping at hut, you can explore the spectacular beauty of the valley, You can pay a visit to Ghost Cave which is located at a walking distance from here. While retreating back and following the right side along the ridges, you will com across Vishwema Village.
Day 3 :
From Vishwema Village, follow the road going in northwestern direction. This will take you to the base of Japfu Peak. Here, you cam camp and wait for the next day to start the ascending journey.
Day 4 :
Start out early; the trail path will lead you into a thick forest. Be careful as the climb s quiet steep here. Upon reaching the top, you can enjoy the panoramic view of the valley and nearby villages.
Accommodation :
Several circuit houses and bungalows by PWD can be availed by you; the accommodations offer nice staying options to the tourist from all over world.
Words alone cannot let you enjoy the charms of Dzukou Valley; be there to feel it and have the experience of lifetime.


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The high-paying jobs that disappeared during the recession are being replaced by low-paying positions, according to a report at MSNBC.
An analysis done by the National Employment Law Project shows the distribution of private sector jobs lost during the Great Recession, (8.84 million), and the jobs gained since the recession ended (1.26 million).
Michael Greenstone, a former staff member for the White House Council of Economic Advisers, told MSNBC it's "premature to make too much of where the particular job creation is occurring," because the "immediate issue is that there are too many people" out of work.
- Lower-wage industries constituted 23 percent of job loss, but fully 49 percent of recent growth
- Mid-wage industries constituted 36 percent of job loss, and 37 percent of recent growth
- Higher-wage industries constituted 40 percent of job loss, but only 14 percent of recent growth
The NELP analysis concurs with that opinion. "In short, it is too early to predict whether the pattern of unbalanced, bottom-heavy growth will continue," the report reads. "But these findings do suggest that for unemployed workers, as well as for those seeking to move up in the labor market or entering it for the first time, the current distribution of job opportunities has deteriorated, compared to before the recession."


text:
Turner, Phil and Turner, Susan (2006) Place, sense of place and presence. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 15 (2). pp. 204-217. ISSN 1531 3263Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)
Recreating real places--as distinct from virtual spaces or environments--using virtual reality technology raises a series of significant challenges. Fortunately there is a large body of existing research into the experience of place which might reasonably contribute to our understanding of the task. This paper reviews key aspects of the place literature, relates them to the concept of presence, and then illustrates their application in the context of virtual reality. We conclude that some modification of existing theories of sense of place is necessary for this context and outline proposals for further work.
|Item Type:
|Print ISSN:
|1531 3263
|Uncontrolled Keywords:
|Multimedia information systems; Virtual realities; User interfaces; Human factor; Design; Performance;
|University Divisions/Research Centres:
|Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Creative Industries > School of Computing
|Dewey Decimal Subjects:
|000 Computer science, information & general works > 000 Computer science, knowledge & systems > 006 Special Computer Methods
100 Philosophy & psychology > 150 Psychology > 152 Perception, movement, emotions & drives
|Library of Congress Subjects:
|B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA76 Computer software
|Item ID:
|Depositing User:
|RAE Import
|Date Deposited:
|23 May 2008 14:14
|Last Modified:
|26 Mar 2013 14:04
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text:
This deal has ended.
Update: the David Lorenz Winston 'Solitude' Framed Art Print is now sold out! For a limited time, Overstock takes an extra 10% off select art for a savings of up to 55% off retail. Check out the Don Li-Leger 'Summer Blossom' Framed Art Set reduced from $63.99 to $57.59, the
David Lorenz Winston 'Solitude' Framed Art Print, lowered from $97.99 to $88.19, and the Judy Paul 'Get Out I' Oversized Canvas Art (pictured), dropped from $189.99 to $170.99. Shipping is $2.95 and there is no sales tax (except UT).


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The Mountainside Education Foundation is soliciting nom-inations for its Outstanding Character Award to a graduating eighth grade Deerfield student. The purpose of this award is to recognize a student who has demonstrated a continuing commitment to character and self-development, and to emphasize the importance that these attributes play in a child's growth to adulthood.
The core principles of the MEF Outstanding Character Award Program are Courage (taking risks and following your conscience), Integrity (being truthful and trustworthy to oneself and others), Responsibility (conveying an attitude of commitment and conviction), Concern (demon-strating compassion and a caring attitude toward others).
Nominations for the award may come from any member of the Mountainside community, not related to the nominee, including teachers, school staff, coaches and scout leaders. Completed applications for the award must be submitted to the MEF mailbox at either Deerfield or Beechwood School, or emailed to email@example.com, no later than Friday, June 8, in order for the candidate to be considered.
All award applications will be reviewed by the Mountainside Education Foundation Board of Trustees. One recipient will be selected based on the criteria listed above and the information provided in the application.
The award will be presented to the recipient at the Deerfield School graduation ceremony on June 21.
The application can be found at: http://www.mountainsideeducationfoundation.org.


text:
Police in New Jersey's most impoverished city say a 2-year-old boy was decapitated — apparently by his mother — and his head left in the freezer of their home before the woman fatally stabbed herself.
Chevonne Thomas, 33, called 911 just after midnight to say something had happened to her child and it "sounded like she had done it," Camden County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Jason Laughlin said.
Officers found Zahree Thomas' body on the first floor of the home on Kaighn Avenue and the boy's head in the freezer.
The child's mother was upstairs still talking to the 911 operator when officers backed out of the home because they didn't know if she was armed, Laughlin said.
The mother stabbed herself in the neck with a kitchen knife and died, Laughlin said.
There was no immediate word on how long Thomas and the boy had lived at the address. Police don't believe anyone else was in the house.
Camden, which lies across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, has been plagued by poverty and high crime rates.


text:
Wolf sightings
WELLSVILLE-An animal described by witnesses as a wolf was sighted on three separate occasions last weekend in Yellow Creek Township.
All three sightings took place on Mick Road near state Route 45, north of Wellsville, according to Yellow Creek Township Trustee Kenny Biacco Jr.
The suspected wolf has been sighted near a residential area and was even seen on the front porch of a residence, said Biacco, who said he received several phone calls from citizens reporting the sightings.
"They all tell me they know a wolf when they see one, and it's a wolf," said Biacco, who also urged residents to be vigilant and pay close attention to the whereabouts of children and pets.
"There are a lot of children playing outside this time of year and a lot of people leave their pets outside as well," he said.
The last reported wild wolf in Ohio was killed in 1842, however, a hybrid wolf, likely bred and raised in Ohio as a pet was shot and killed in Sandusky in 2010.
Anyone who sees the animal is encouraged to contact the sheriff's office, 330-424-7255.


text:
Almost half of the 1,700 veterans that had been left off the waiting list in the Department of Veterans Affairs' healthcare system in Phoenix have asked for a health appointment within the next 30 days.
Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said Wednesday that the VA has reached out to as many stranded veterans as possible that were identified by the VA's Office of Inspector General last month. The VA said of the 1,700 identified in the OIG report, some were duplicates and some did not provide contact information.
That left 1,586, and of those, about 725 veterans have asked for health care services within the next 30 days.
Gibson said VA reached out to these veterans in response to the OIG report, and said it was a priority of the VA to ensure they get care.
"The Department has now reached out to every Veteran identified by the OIG to discuss individual medical needs and immediately begin scheduling appointments," Gibson said Wednesday. "Getting this right is our top priority, and taking care of the Veterans in Phoenix is a good place to start."
The OIG report cited "systemic" failures throughout the VA healthcare system, and was seen as evidence that VA officials had been hiding the long wait times that many veterans faced when seeking health services in that system.
Gibson said that as a next step, the VA would continue to find stranded veterans around the country to ensure they receive immediate care if they need it. The VA said Gibson would be in Phoenix on Thursday to make additional announcements about what steps the VA would take next to repair the broken healthcare system in the department.
Earlier Wednesday, House Republican leaders called on President Barack Obama to personally speak to Americans about what steps are being taken to fix the problem. GOP leaders asked specifically what the government is doing to find veterans outside the Phoenix system, and called on Obama to support legislation giving veterans healthcare options outside the VA system.
"Our veterans should not be left in limbo, relying on what your own audit acknowledges is a 'systemic lack of integrity within some Veterans Health Administration facilities,' " GOP leaders wrote.


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Two one-alarm fires in Union City this week left no one injured and only caused minor damage, according to North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue chief Frank Montagne.
The first one-alarm blaze, which was reported at 10:12 p.m. on Wednesday outside a church at New York Avenue and 27th Street, started when an electrical box connected to an ornamental cross caught on fire, Montagne said.
The fire, which was controlled within an hour, was contained to the area behind the cross, but firefighters had to break their way into the church through a side door to make sure the fire hadn't spread inside, hee said.
The second one-alarm blaze, which was reported at 12:45 a.m. this morning in a four-story apartment building at 1912 New York Ave., was contained to a fourth floor apartment that was under construction, he said.
The cause of the apartment fire, which Montagne said was controlled within 25 minutes, is currently under investigation but is not suspicious.
No one was injured in either fire, and only the exterior siding of the church and the flooring in the fourth floor apartment sustained minor damage, he said.


text:
|By Marketwired .
Article Rating:
|April 30, 2014 07:53 PM EDT
BEIJING, CHINA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/30/14 -- Mountain China Resorts (Holding) Limited (TSX VENTURE: MCG) ("MCR" or the "Company"), today reported its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2013. MCR reports its results in Canadian Dollars.
Financial Results
Total revenue and the net results were from resort operations with no real estate sales revenue during the Reporting Period. For the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company generated revenues from resort operations of $8.85 million and a net loss of $44.07 million or $0.14 per share compared to revenue of $9.45 million and a net loss of $17.85 million or $0.06 per share in 2012. The increase of the net loss was due to the impairment loss of $22.80 million on the properties under construction (villas) that was recorded as of December 31, 2013 as the Company decided to temporarily cease investment in further construction and finalization of the villas.
Resort Operations EBITDA for 2013 was negative $0.72 million compared to $2.54 million last year. The reduction of EBITDA was mainly due to a series of unfavorable political policies issued by the Chinese central government in 2013 aimed at cutting budgets and tightening up spending on government and business reception and entertainment activities.
Resort operations expenses totaled $9.29 million for the year ended December 31, 2013 compared to $8.08 million in 2012. Operations expenses within the resorts are mainly attributable to snow making, grooming, staffing, fuel and utilities, which also include the G&A expenses relating to the resort's senior management, marketing and sales, information technology, insurance and accounting.
Other income totaled $0.61 million (2012: 2.68 million), which mainly consists of income recognized from the deposit by Club Med of $0.33 million. For the same period in 2012, a major component of other income included a $2.23 million insurance compensation received for the damage of Gondola B, and $0.31 million recognized from the deposit by Club Med.
Corporate general and administrative expenses ("G&A expenses") totaled $0.89 million for the year ended December 31, 2013 compared to $1.51 million in 2012. This amount mainly comprised executive employee costs, public company costs, and corporate information technology costs.
Depreciation and amortization expense from continuing operations totaled $11.60 million for the year ended December 31, 2013 compared to $11.18 million in 2012.
The Company incurred financing cost of $6.75 million during the year ended December 31, 2013 compared to $8.00 million in 2012. Financing costs mainly related to the loan interests, accretion expenses of convertible bonds, and also included bank administrative fee and service charge. The decrease in interest expense in 2013 was due to accretion costs of convertible bonds decreased as the three convertible bonds matured during the year ended December 31, 2013 and 2012.
Cash and cash equivalents totaled $8.29 million and working capital deficiency was $93.15 million as at December 31, 2013.
Operations Sun Mountain Yabuli
The Company's 2012-2013 Sun Mountain Yabuli Resort winter season operations commenced on November 24, 2012 and closed on March 24, 2013. The 2013-2014 winter season operations commenced on November 29, 2013 and closed on March 23, 2014. The revenue of Sun Mountain Yabuli Resort operation comprises mainly by mountain operation, beverage, skiing-related services and hotel lodging. Skiing-related services includes rental of ski equipment, goggles, lockers, gloves, etc, sales of ski equipment and skiing training services offered in the ski school. It also includes the mountain operation which is using the facilities built in the mountain, such as sight-seeing trams, snow tubing and alpine.
The Company reported decreased revenue in fiscal year 2013 and the decrease in the revenue was resulted from unfavorable political policies issued by Chinese central government in 2013 aimed at cutting budgets and tightening up spending on government and business reception and entertainment activities. However management believes that the downturn of 2013 operations compared to 2012 was only a temporary situation. As the general political environment gradually loosens and social atmosphere becomes less tense, those industries affected by these policies will recover and grow in the long run. Management provides a more detailed analysis on revenue and future prospects in its 2013 Management Discussion and Analysis.
Sun Mountain Yabuli - Real Estate Development
By the end of Fiscal 2010, the Company had finished working on the exterior decoration of the 55 villas of which three were completed with interior finishing. At this time of the reporting date, certain construction is still needed on the exterior grounds to complete lighting, roads and utility connections. The Company had not been successful in selling any of the villas. Management is of the opinion that in order to complete sales, it is necessary to first complete the exterior construction. Management estimated these additional construction costs to be at least $4.50 million.
In 2013, general political environment further affected tourism related real estate industry negatively. A few other similar projects in ski resort areas in China started marketing and the outcome were quite frustrating. Those projects include Qingyun Town in the Yabuli region, and real estate projects of Changbai Mountain. As of December 31, 2013, management was of the opinion that, even with additional costs to be invested to get the villas ready for sale, it is unlikely that the benefit will exceed the cost at this time. Therefore no further investment was made in 2013, and management did not expect any investment to be made in the near future. Judging from the current economic situation, management's opinion is that there is very limited net realizable value associated with the villas at the moment, and a full impairment of $22.80 million was recorded as of December 31, 2013.
Despite of the current difficulty, the Company does have confidence with its first of a kind skiing in and skiing out villas in China. And the Company will be reasonably flexible with its pricing when the market shows sign of a turn around. No other detail milestones for the above matter are available from the Company as the related government policies are set to be temporary but with durations undetermined.
Financial Highlights
Summary Financial Results
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (in thousands of Canadian dollars For the year ended For the year ended except for per share data) December 31, 2013 December 31, 2012 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revenue 8,852 9,453 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operating expenses (9,294) (8,084) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other income 614 2,680 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- General and administrative expenses (892) (1,508) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Depreciation and amortization (11,604) (11,176) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operating loss (12,324) (8,635) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total non-operating income and expenses (31,788) (9,350) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deferred income tax recovery 39 133 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Results of discontinued operation - - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net loss (44,073) (17,852) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net loss per share (Basic and Diluted) (0.14) (0.06) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weighted average number of shares outstanding(Basic and Diluted) 308,859,103 294,130,414 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Balance Sheet Key Indicators
(in thousands of Canadian dollars except for December 31, December 31, ratios) 2013 2012 Current Ratio(1) 0.14:1 0.40:1 Free Cash 8,293 9,080 Working Capital(2) (93,154) (60,661) Total Assets 126,907 151,815 Total non-current liabilities 24,500 19,817 Total Debt(3) 133,384 120,511 Total Equity(4) (6,477) 31,304 Total Debt to Total Equity Ratio (20.59):1 3.85:1
1. Current ratio is defined as total current assets divided by total current liabilities 2. Working capital is defined as total current assets less total current liabilities 3. Total debt is defined as total current liabilities plus total non- current liabilities 4. Total equity is equal to the total shareholders' equity
The Company has an accumulated deficit, a working capital deficiency and has defaulted on a bank loan, which casts substantial doubt on the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. The Company's ability to meet its obligations as they fall due and to continue to operate as a going concern is dependent on further financing and ultimately, the attainment of profitable operations. These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the amounts and classifications of assets and liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern. Management of the Company plans to fund its future operation by obtaining additional financing through loans and private placements and through the sale of the properties held for sale. However, there is no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain additional financing or sell the properties held for sale.
Despite of the financial difficulty posed by the overdue debts and continued loss, management is confident in the development of both the industry and the Company in the near future. The government of Heilongjiang Province had demonstrated strong incentive to support the skiing industry and the Company by increasing local infrastructure investment and providing potential bank loan interest subsidy scheme. In August 2013 the Company was notified by Harbin Commercial Bank that they had approved to extend the repayment schedule of its bank loan with an outstanding balance of $24.60 million (RMB 140 million) from three years to ten years. Revenue from Club Med in winter season had been growing steadily, and the Company will be the official partner and playing field of 2016 World Championships of Snowboarding. Management is also working on various means to attract new investment into the Company to complete the construction of villas and improve the capital structure of the Company.
December 31, December 31, 2013 2012 (in thousands of Canadian dollars) Accumulated deficit $ 335,431 $ 291,358 Working capital (deficiency) $ 93,154 $ 60,661
In March 2014, Yabuli resorts defaulted on its fourth principal payment of $8.79 million (RMB 50 million) for the RMB 250 million bank loan with China Construction Bank.
Revenue from Club Med declined in 2013 Summer and Winter Operations
In 2013, Club Med started its second summer operation from July 5th to August 18th, 2013 (44 days in total). In 2012, summer operations started on July 14th and ended on September 2nd (50 days in total). Revenue generated in the summer operations was $0.7 million (2012 - $1.14 million). The decrease in revenue and number of operation days was mainly attributable to Club Med opening its second resort in China (Club Med Guilin Resort) in September. As marketing activity for Club Med Guilin Resort started in advance, many guests were attracted to Guilin instead of Yabuli. Also, Chinese government issued a series of policies since March 2013 when the new generation of national leaders took office in the 12th People's Congress, which policies aimed at cutting budgets and tightening up spending on government and business reception and entertainment activities. As a result, consumptions in tourism and business reception and entertainment have dropped on a large scale, and operations of Club Med were negatively affected by this general social environment.
The 2013-2014 winter season operations commenced on November 29, 2013 and closed on March 23, 2014. Revenue from Club Med was reported to be declined in December 2013 compared to December 2012. With December being the traditional peak season for overseas customers in Christmas vacations, number of foreign guests decreased due to Club Med's shifted focus on more local customers and reducing its marketing activities in overseas markets. In February, 2014, spring festival vacations boosted sales in domestic market, and from the perspective of the entire winter season which closed in March, 2014, revenue was actually $0.3 million (RMB 1.67 million) higher than 2012-2013 winter operations.
Maturity of Bank Loan from Harbin Commercial Bank Extended to ten years
On February 14, 2012, the Company secured a bank loan for the amount of $24,598 (RMB 140 million) from Harbin Commercial Bank (the "Original HCB Loan"). The Original HCB Loan carries a three year-term with a maturity date of February 15, 2015. The interest rate is prime rate plus an additional 10% of the prime rate and is payable on a monthly basis commencing February 16, 2012. The principal of the Original HCB Loan was repayable in four installments starting with the first installment repayment due on August 15, 2013 and each subsequent installment repayment due every six months thereafter.
In order to improve the capital structure, management of the Company negotiated with the bank to extend the repayment schedule. In August 2013, the Company was notified by Harbin Commercial Bank that the bank had approved to extend the repayment schedule from three years to ten years (the "Adjusted HCB Loan"). According to the new arrangement the loan will mature in December, 2022. The first installment of $527 (RMB 3 million) is repayable in August 2013, and thereafter the Company will need to repay $2,460 (RMB 14 million) each year for eight consecutive years (RMB 0.2 million in December and 13.8 million in February), and $4,393 (RMB 25 million) in the final year (RMB 0.4 million in December and 24.6 million in February).
Updates on China Construction Bank Loan Defaults
On March 31, 2013 the Company defaulted on its third principal payment of $7.03 million (RMB 40 million) under its $43.93 million (RMB 250 million) loan agreement with the China Construction Bank ("Construction Bank"). According to the Loan Agreement between Yabuli and Construction Bank, Construction Bank has the right to accelerate Yabuli's obligation to repay the entire unpaid principal plus interest immediately and to take legal actions to enforce on the security. In August 2013 the Company was made aware that a formal prosecution has been brought by the bank to demand repayment. As of on December 31, 2013, the principal and interest owing was $46.86 million, and the collaterals associated with the loan agreement are made up of the Company's land use rights and property and equipment with a carrying value of approximately $55.65 million. The outcome of this lawsuit cannot be accurately estimated at the time. The company has been negotiating with the bank to arrange for a debt restructuring plan, and as of the reporting date, no consensus has been arrived yet. Although the bank informally expressed their intention to maintain normal operations of the Company, there is no assurance that they will not take further actions in the future.
Updates on Debt Restructuring
On February 8, 2012, the Company entered into a Debt Settlement Agreement with Melco Leisure and Entertainment Group Limited ("Melco" or "MLE") for the settlement of a loan in the principal of US$12 million made by Melco to the Company (the "MCR Loan") and a loan in the principal of US$11 million (the "MCRI Loan", and together with the MCR Loan, the "Melco Loans" or "MLE Loan") made by Melco to Mountain China Resorts Investment Limited ("MCRI"), the Company's Cayman subsidiary, both in 2008. On May 29, 2012, the Company and Melco entered into Amended and Restated Debt Settlement Agreement ("the Agreement") to clarify details of the loan settlement mechanism and procedures to implement the settlement of the Melco Loans. On July 10, 2012, during the Company's Annual General Meeting, the Company obtained Shareholder Approval on the Agreement. The transactions contemplated under the Agreement have been approved by the TSX Venture Exchange.
Detailed settlement arrangement can be found in Note 13 of 2013 Consolidated Financial Statements. Settlement procedures were started in the second quarter of 2013, and the Company paid $3,01 million to MLE on May 31, 2013 as a partial fulfilment to its cash repayment obligation specified in the Agreement. The Company also filed for issuance of 20,600,000 (the "Issuance I") and 19,444,444 (the "Issuance II") common shares to its subsidiary MCRI on July 2, 2013 and July 23, 2013 respectively. Subject to the agreement of MLE, the 20,600,000 shares issued in Issuance I are proposed to be transferred to MLE for full satisfaction of the MCRI Loan with the new principal amount of USD $14.9 million. According to the Company's initial contact with MLE, the US$3.5m Principal would be settled by conversion into 19,444,444 shares. Issuance II was then made for the purpose of settlement. However, after a series of negotiation, it is probable that management of MLE will choose to take up to the maximum of five villas on the basis of USD $0.7 million per villa for the settlement. Therefore, it is probable that the Issuance II will be later canceled accordingly. Furthermore, there is discrepancy in calculation of number of shares in relation to the Issuance II. As of the reporting date, the Company is still in negotiation with MLE on the details of the settlement.
Update on Changchun Resort
On November 17, 2010, the Company announced its updates with respect to certain developments that have taken place with respect to its Changchun Resort. The government of Erdao district of Changchun City in the Jilin province of the People's Republic of China (the "Erdao Government") holds the view that the Changchun Resort, is still owned by the government and it may, through Changchun Lianhua Mountain Agricultural Project Development Company Limited ("CCL Agricultural"), manage the same to the Company's exclusion. The Company disagrees with the Erdao Government's position. The Company had engaged Global Law Office, a reputable law firm in PRC, to do legal due diligence on the assets before they were acquired by the Company. Global Law Office had advised the Company that the assets acquired are not state-owned assets and the same may be validly transferred to the Company. Because of CCL Agricultural's and the Erdao Government's action, the Company has been deprived of management of the Changchun Resort.
As a result of the foregoing, the Company has lost control of the company itself and has therefore written off the full value of the assets and liabilities of Changchun Resort and reported it as a loss from discontinued operations as of December 31, 2010. In 2011, the Company commenced legal actions against the Erdao Government in an effort to regain control and ownership of the assets and operations.
The Company's legal department sent three letters of formal complaint to the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China in June 2012, the Erdao Government, and Jilin Lianhua Tourist Committee. Recently, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China has assigned the case to the relevant authority called the Economic and Technological Cooperation Department of Jilin Province for handling. After a series of negotiations made and no consensus arrived, management had decided to start formal administrative prosecution process against the government. As at December 31, 2013, management had sent several additional letters of notice, but no formal prosecution has been started.
Senior Executive and Board Committee Change
On August 23, 2013, during the second quarter Board meeting, the Board resolved that Mr. Han Gang would replace Mr. Mao Zhenhua as the Company's CEO, and Mr. Shi Yang was appointed as the new CFO of the Company. Mr. Shi Yang is a Certified Public Accountant in China, and is experienced in corporate finance. It was also resolved that to improve the corporate governance structure of the Company, Mr. Wang Lian would replace Mr. Philip Li as the chairman of the Nomination Committee.
About MCR
MCR is the premier developer of four season destination ski resorts in China. MCR is transforming existing China ski properties into world-class, four seasons luxury mountain resorts with excellent real estate investment opportunities for discerning buyers. In February 2009, the Company's Sun Mountain Yabuli Resort was awarded Best Resort Makeover in Asia by TIME Magazine. Yabuli is also the permanent home of the China Entrepreneur's Forum the leading and most influential community of China's most distinguished and successful entrepreneurs and business leaders with over 5,000 members from across a variety of key industries.
The TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.
The TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Information in this press release that is not current or historical factual information may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of securities laws, and actual results may vary from the forward-looking information. Implicit in this information are assumptions regarding future operations, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates and intentions, such as the plans to develop the ski resorts in China. These assumptions, although considered reasonable by MCR at
the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect. Readers are cautioned that actual future operating results and economic performance of MCR are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including general economic, market and business conditions, uncertainty relating to land use rights in China, adverse industry events for the ski and real estate industries, real estate prices in general in China, MCR's ability to make and integrate acquisitions, the requirements of recent Chinese regulations relating to cross-border mergers and acquisitions, the inability to obtain required approvals or approvals may be subject to conditions that are unacceptable to the parties, changing industry and government regulation, as well as MCR's ability to implement its business strategies, dispose of assets or raise sufficient capital, MCR's ability to obtain additional financial resources and sufficient working capital, MCR's ability to complete the announced non-brokered private placement, seasonality, weather conditions, competition, currency fluctuations and other risks, and could differ materially from what is currently expected as set out above.
Forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on current estimates, expectations and projections, which MCR believes are reasonable as of the date of this press release. MCR uses forward-looking statements because it believes such statements provide useful information with respect to the operation and financial performance of MCR, and cautions readers that the information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While MCR may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required by applicable law.
Throughout this news release we use certain non-IFRS measures such as the term "EBIDTA" to analyze operating performance. We define EBITDA as operating revenues less operating expenses from continuing operations and therefore reflect earnings before interest, income tax, depreciation and amortization, non-controlling interest and any non-operating and non-recurring items. These non-IFRS measures do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. These non-IFRS measures are referred to in this news release because we believe they are indicative measures of a company's performance and are generally used by investors to evaluate companies in the resort operations and resort development industries. Figures used in calculation of EBITDA are in compliance with IFRS, therefore no reconciliation is needed.
Mountain China Resorts (Holding) Limited
Mr. Han Gang
Chief Financial Officer and Director
[email protected]
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