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As I write these words, my auntie, who has lived with us for the past twenty-three years is in the next room, dying. The hospice nurse believes we have a couple of hours. I was looking at various things, and noticed I'd written a reflection on Holy Saturday a couple of years ago. Felt appropriate to reprint it today, another Holy Saturday…
Today is Holy Saturday, perhaps the strangest and with that among the more compelling days of the Christian calendar.
Jesus is dead. With that in the Christian story, God is dead.
Resurrection has not yet happened.
So many questions follow. Questions of heart. Of feeling. Of mortality.
Who are we really? Who am I really? And with that, so closely connected to that, what about death?
What about death?
Now that's a question.
Zen likes questions. Particularly questions like this. In fact if a question can directly point toward the great matter, the deepest truth of our reality, of our precious emergence as individuals as well as how we are woven out of our encounters in a vast dance of intimacy – or, how all this, each and every thing as well as the web itself has no substance, no essential qualities, is simply brilliantly, stunningly, empty, boundless – well, then in Zen it is put to work.
We call these questions koan – literally, public case, as in a legal document. A koan is an assertion about reality and an invitation to an intimate encounter.
There are an endless number of koan.
In Japanese Zen, in both the Rinzai and the Harada Yasutani koan curricula, once one has broken open into the great matter through a minute investigation into the question of life and death aided by the pursuit of one of the "dharmakaya," "breakthrough," or "first" koan, pick your term, there is a short course called "Miscellaneous Koan."
In my school, a branch of the Harada Yasutani, these were once called "Miscellaneous Koans Following Kensho," but that usage has fallen away. That word kensho, which is generally understood as enlightenment was seen by many of our teachers to be a bit over the top, or redundant, or, probably, a little of both. But however we call 'em, I love these miscellaneous koan. Unlike some of the cases we encounter later, they are very brief. "Save a Ghost," "Count the Stars in Heaven," for instance, are both the title and the whole case. Not only do they introduce us to the range of what we will encounter as we go forward in the discipline, here we learn the tropes and style of the koan way.
It is a rich time, with powerful and multifaceted pointers.
Among these, one of my favorite is called the "Stone Crypt." It does have a bit more to it than the title, although not all that much more.
"You find yourself in a stone crypt. There is no window and the door is locked from the outside. How are you free?"
A good question, I find.
And, particularly, on this day. God is dead. You are dead.
How are you free?
Now, that's something for the human heart to break on.
I find myself thinking of my family members who are now dead. My father. My mother. My son. My first wife.
I feel the aches and pains as I straddle the middle of my sixties. And think how
I need to exercise more. I need to lose some weight.
Which, as important as that is for quality of life and maybe pushing out the parameters of the end of my life a bit, does not prevent death, my death.
I was given a button the other day. It reads "Spoiler alert: Everybody dies."
Those who promise you will not die, well, they lie. Probably to themselves, but very much to you.
Indeed, if the Christian story is nothing more, as some tell me, than a promise I will not die, they're lying. It is a vain denial. The universe bares witness to
this lie. It just isn't the way things are.
But, if the Eastertide story is a doorway into another way of seeing, one that puts death in its proper perspective, then Holy Saturday in fact a pointer toward something glorious.
"You find yourself in a stone crypt. There is no window and the door is locked from the outside. How are you free?"
Knowing this precious moment contains all that was – and, all that will be – how, lying in that crypt how are you free?
Not someone else.
Not someone else.
Today. On Holy Saturday.
When Jesus is dead.
When God is dead.
And so are you.
How are you free?
Open your heart. Let it all be. Just let it be.
And something will be revealed…
Read more: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/monkeymind/2015/04/inside-the-stone-crypt-a-zen-meditation-on-holy-saturday-2.html#ixzz3X07eeINM


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"Bag in the lens" and additive multifocal IOL
Search Medline for
|March 9, 2011
Todays cataract surgery is no longer simply extraction of the lens content and implantation of a spherical IOL. The surgeons can now make their choices between more complex optics IOLs which may better meet their patients expectactions. The number of patients expecting to function without spectacles at all distances after uneventful cataract extraction is steadily increasing the last years.
This introduction sounds directly borrowed from the marketing and while some surgeons claim a 100% success, others warn to be very careful in "choosing the patients" who will be ideal candidates for these complex optics IOLs.
However, the eligibility criteria remain vague and in case of unsatisfied patients, the surgeons blame this dissatisfaction on poor "brain plasticity". The surgeons who are prudent (realistic) will state that "the patient should be informed preoperatively that there is no absolute guarantee of spectacle freedom". Their message is that patient selection, informed consent and realistic expectations are important for a successful postoperative result.
Why do these complex optics introduce new concepts like "brain education", "realistic expectation", and "patient selection"?
The 21st century also introduced a new group of IOLs called "premium IOLs". Also this term is vague and comprises aspheric, toric, diffractive, refractive multifocals and accommodating IOLs.
The principal limitation of the aspheric IOLs is the lack in full compensation of the corneal curvature. Concerning the toric IOLs, the limitation relies mainly in the precise correction of the corneal astigmatism axis.
The diffractive, refractive or combined diffractive-refractive IOLs present an additional degree of difficulty related to pupil dynamics, which is more sensitive for IOL decentration.
After cataract surgery the pupil diameter will reduce, at far and at near. The central area of multi-focal lenses are located in the geometrical center of the lens. The questions that now raises is whether that geometrical center corresponds to the center of the entrance pupil of the eye once the multifocal IOL is located in the capsular bag.
Another question that needs to be addressed is whether PCO will cause active displacement of the IOL over time. The answer is clearly yes.
All the above factors will ultimately bear on patient satisfaction. Geometrical decentration will result in immediate postoperative visual complaints while PCO will cause visual related dysfunction later on.
These are all reasons why my preferred approach up till now is to work with a removable additional diffractive/refractive IOL in combination with the bag-in-the-lens, which approach allows me to easily correct postoperative patient's complaints of glare or chromatic aberrations due to possible misalignment issues.

subset: commoncrawl


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Getty Images
Defensive end Matt Shaughnessy is betting on himself.
Shaughnessy, who spent his first four NFL seasons with the Raiders, has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Cardinals, per a source with knowledge of the situation.
The base deal is $1 million, with the ability to make several hundred thousand more via sacks and playing time.
He had interest elsewhere (including Tennessee and Philly, where he had trips scheduled), for deals longer than a year and for more money. Shaughnessy opted instead to roll the dice on a one-year opportunity to improve his value come 2014.
The Raiders, we're told, never even called Shaughnessy.


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Yiddish or German term meaning "black person". It is not a hateful term.
Shaquille O'Neal is considered a schwartza since he is a black man.
by Michael Schwartz November 03, 2004
A Yiddish term that American Jews use to call a black person a "nigger" without them knowing. It is extremely derogatory
Dad, why did you call Kobe Bryant a dumb schwartza when he hit the winning shot against us?
by Ahomes23 May 11, 2008


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Information Resource Center Management (IRCM)
by Edward B. Stear and Joel Wecksell
Driven by the forces of information technology (IT), information resource centers (IRCs), business information centers and corporate libraries are in the midst of an evolutionary change. No longer confined by the limitations of print material, the library's traditional function as an "information repository" has been dramatically transformed. IT has enabled new capabilities for the access, collection and redistribution of external information. Today, the corporate library functions as a center for distributed interactive electronic information. Tomorrow, the IRC will take on a new role as it becomes an active participant in the creation of enterprise knowledge management systems. This evolutionary process will elevate the IRC from a support function with overhead expenses to a strategic component for competitive advantage.
The Knowledge Management Era: An Opportunity for the IRC
We are now witnessing the beginnings of a crusade for organizational knowledge management. From a business perspective, knowledge management facilitates rapid, well-informed and effective business decisions required for the continued growth of the organization. From a technology perspective, knowledge management represents the systems and architecture necessary to capture, translate, analyze, reuse and distribute a combined knowledge base of internal and external data and information. Unfortunately, many organizations find themselves suffering from "infofamine" or "infoglut." This represents a tremendous opportunity for the information resource center (IRC) to become an active participant, if not the visionary force, for architecting a strategy for organizational knowledge management.
The information and knowledge management problems faced by the organization are analogous to the ones faced by the IRC in its efforts to implement enterprisewide delivery, distribution and integration of external content. Information has been rendered into a wide variety of data formats, creating problems of access, synthesis, distribution and storage. At the same time, client/server technology has created isolated "islands of information," which become lost, inaccessible and unleveraged. This is comparable to the information specialist knowing that the information is "out there somewhere" and jumping from one database or online service to another trying to discover the right location. Within this environment, IRCs, along with the rest of the organization, are in a constant struggle to create an integrated document-related architecture to provide end-to-end digital document strategies which support knowledge management.
The State of the IRC
The IRC has evolved from being an information depository to becoming a center for distributed, interactive information. IT has enabled new capabilities for information access, collection and redistribution. Everyone is connected to a network, and the ranks of the content providers are swelling daily as the information industry looks at enormous new market opportunities. At the same time, workgroup and intranet strategies offer possibilities for new ways of accessing and adding value to business information. That's the good news. The bad news is that the information revolution is in its infancy, and the IRC will be exposed to all the fear, uncertainty and chaos that surrounds a revolution as the IRC attempts to construct its future.
The IRC Is a Part of the Developing Electronic Workplace
Assembling a contemporary IRC is very much like solving a jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces must fit together and present a unified vision for external information delivery and distribution (see Figure 1).
Figure 1
This is only the first layer of a much larger puzzle. The problems of information management faced by the IRC represent a microcosm of the challenges facing the entire enterprise as it changes from a physical location to a set of electronic capabilities that empowers users and workgroups to communicate, share, use, add value to business information and streamline business processes. Within this developing electronic workplace, the IRC must also ensure that its IT strategies are aligned with the rest of the organization (see Figure 2).
Figure 2
Solving the Puzzle
The IRC as an information depository fits well with a physical workplace. However, in
the emerging era of the electronic workplace, the IRC must support the dynamic, distributed and
disbursed structures typical of a virtual organization, as the IRC actively works to manage the
knowledge resources of the organization for competitive advantage. This will not be an easy task.
The IRC must negotiate significant obstacles in its evolutionary path to become the champion for
knowledge management. These will include
The Evolution of Knowledge Management
Within five years, knowledge management will be the single most important activity of the IRC. The IRC must coordinate its strategies with the organization's vision for the evolving electronic workplace.
The fundamental nature of an office is changing from a physical location to an electronic workplace. Creating the electronic workplace will require a high degree of coordination among all the participants. For the IRC wanting to integrate external information into the electronic workplace, these coordination activities will require an overall understanding of the IT vision for the entire organization, as well as a knowledge of IT capabilities and costs for its own area of expertise.
The Importance of Alignment: IRCs that choose IT solutions not aligned with enterprisewide office/document strategies will not be positioned to participate in the essential business processes of their organization beyond 2000 (see Figure 2).
The problems of information management and the electronic workplace faced by the IRC represent a microcosm of the challenges facing the organization as a whole. Change cycles for IT, management philosophies, organizational structure and budget priorities are frequent and often severe. In this environment, IRCs along with the rest of the organization are in a constant
struggle to assemble the pieces of an "electronic jigsaw puzzle." In this context, the IRC should not consider its solutions apart from the organization as a whole. All participants in the effort to create an electronic office must work in a coordinated fashion.
Demonstrating the Imperative for Coordinated Knowledge Management Efforts: On a very basic level, the IRC will provide and import electronic documents, or gateways to electronic documents, as a part of the enterprise office system embedded in the electronic workplace. The electronic workplace will likely result in the development of a "personal electronic workbench" comprising devices for profession-specific and generic administrative applications, communication services, and an entry point into the organization's infrastructure. This "electronic workbench's" evolution will be facilitated by these developments:
These developments in the evolution of the electronic workplace will have a tremendous impact on the IRC that seeks to integrate external information with the enterprisewide knowledge base. The knowledge management imperative of the IRC must be coordinated with the overall knowledge management activities embedded in the developing electronic workplace. IRCs that choose to go their own routes will not be positioned to participate in essential business processes.
Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Stamford, CT, Gartner Group serves approximately 6600 client organizations worldwide. Additional information about Gartner Group is available at http://www.gartner.com
Communications to the author should be sent in his care at Gartner Group Inc., PO Box 10212, Stamford, CT 06904-2212; 203/316-6913; fax: 203/316-6280; email@example.com
Edward B. Stear is Senior Research Analyst, Information Resource Center Management, Gartner Group Inc., a leading provider of IT advisory and market research services.
© Gartner Group RAS Services


text:
Cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is gradual develops gradually, beginning as a pre-cancerous condition called dysplasia. It is usually a slow-growing cancer and if caught early can be successfully treated. Routine Pap smears can detect early changes in the cells of the cervix, allowing cervical cancer to be diagnosed early. The new human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine will prevent most cases of cervical cancer.
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SANTA BARBARA -- There was once a little bookstore, tucked into an unglamorous mall on the wrong side of town, where few visitors were likely to stumble upon it. Its owner had opened a small shop in 1974 with a modest bequest from her mother, and she and her husband had had to dip into their life insurance funds to keep it going. People from across the county drove for miles to buy books there — and to see friends, to pick up free copies of the New York Times Book Review, to special-order out-of-print works no one else could be bothered to find. But these days, so it was said, it was easier, cheaper — more fun — to shop online. A computer could read your taste better than you could. One click could bring you the whole world, radically discounted.
Just as Amazon.com was getting going, a large store called Borders came into the small town and set up a three-story emporium at its central intersection. This bright new palace sold CDs and boasted aisles full of magazines and cookies and coffee; musicians struck up concerts outside its entrance; thousands of books were sold at vastly marked-down prices; and it used the cozy chairs and community air of a neighborhood store to crafty corporate advantage.


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STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - President Barack Obama issued a blunt challenge to skeptical U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday to approve his plan for a military strike on Syria, saying inaction would put America's prestige and their own credibility at risk.
Using a visit to Sweden to build his case for military action, Obama insisted that the world could not remain silent after the "barbarism" of the August 21 chemical weapons attack he blamed on the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"My credibility is not on the line. The international community's credibility is on the line," Obama told a news conference in Stockholm.
"And America and Congress' credibility is on the line, because (otherwise) we give lip service to the notion that these international norms are important."
One day before travelling to St. Petersburg for a G20 summit hosted by Vladimir Putin where Obama will look to persuade other world leaders over Syria, he said he held out hope that the Russian president would back away from his support for Assad.
Obama's comments came after Putin offered a glimpse of potential compromise over Syria by declining to entirely rule out Russian backing for military action. At the same time, Putin said any strike on Syria would be illegal without U.N. support.
Obama has taken a big political gamble by delaying military action and asking a divided Congress to grant authorization for a strike on government targets in Syria.
Although Obama denied it, foreign policy experts say his standing as a world leader is also at stake if he fails to enforce his year-old warning to Assad.
Obama appeared to take umbrage at a reporter's question about the "red line" he set for Assad at an August 2012 White House news conference.
"I did not set a red line, the world set a red line," Obama said, referring to bans on chemical weapons use.
Obama declined to say if he would proceed with a strike even if Congress rejected the plan. But he said he was not required by law to put the matter before Congress and made clear he reserved the right to act to protect U.S. national security.
"I would not have taken this before Congress just as a symbolic gesture," he said, as he made some of the strongest hints so far that he could act on his own if he chose that course.
At the joint news conference with Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, a Swedish reporter asked how it felt to be a Nobel Peace Prize winner preparing to attack Syria.
"I would much rather spend my time talking about how every 3- and 4-year-old gets a good education, than I would spending time thinking about how I can prevent 3- and 4-year-olds from being subjected to chemical weapons and nerve gas," he replied.
Obama will fly to Russia on Thursday for a two-day summit of the Group of 20 leading economies, a gathering sure to be dominated by tensions over Syria. The meetings will bring him face-to-face with Putin, a key Syrian ally and arms supplier and a staunch critic of the U.S. push for military action.
"Do I hold out hope that Mr. Putin may change his position on some of these issues? I'm always hopeful, and I will continue to engage him," Obama told reporters.
Syria tops the list of disputes that have sent U.S.-Russian relations to one of their lowest points since the end of the Cold War.
Obama's three-day foreign trip offers a chance to try to shore up a shaky international coalition against Syria.
Britain, a generally reliable U.S. ally, pulled out after a parliamentary revolt last week, but France, western Europe's other main military power, is still coordinating possible action with the Pentagon.
Obama will meet French President Francois Hollande, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the G20 sidelines.
Reinfeldt's government is close to the United States on many issues, but he made clear that Sweden had no intention of assisting in military action, saying: "let's put our hope into the United Nations."
Although the Nordic democracies generally do not command heavy U.S. foreign policy attention, Obama was expected to make his case on Syria at a dinner with regional leaders.
Any attack on Syria is likely on hold until at least next week, the earliest timeframe for a vote by U.S. lawmakers, who formally reconvene on September 9 after their summer break.
Obama faces a tough fight in Congress for endorsement of strikes over what Washington says was the killing of 1,400 people in a chemical attack carried out by Assad's forces.
Many lawmakers staunchly oppose a strike, fearing it would entangle the United States in the Syrian civil war. Others favor rewriting the use-of-force resolution the White House sent to Capitol Hill over the weekend so that it sets clear limits on any military action.
Still others, mostly more hawkish Republicans, want Obama to make sure any strike is punishing enough to weaken the Syrian military, and are calling for increased help for beleaguered anti-Assad rebels.
Additional reporting by Geert De Clercq, Alistair Scrutton, Niklas Pollard, Simon Johnson, Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm and Roberta Rampton in Washington; Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Robin Pomeroy


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0194. Distribution of the American milliped genus Boraria Chamberlin, 1943: Introductions of B. stricta (Brölemann, 1896) in New York and B. infesta (Chamberlin, 1918) in Connecticut; indigenous occurrence of B. profuga (Causey, 1955) in Louisiana (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae).
The southern Appalachian millipeds Boraria stricta (Brölemann, 1896) and B. infesta (Chamberlin, 1918) (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae) have become established in Westchester Co., New York, and Hartford Co., Connecticut, respectively. Only three individuals are available for the latter, but B. stricta has established a reproducing population in southern New York state. This species is also recorded from Bland Co., Virginia, in the Ridge and Valley Physiographic Province. Boraria profuga (Causey, 1955) comprises two allopatric populations, one in Montgomery Co., Arkansas, and the other in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. Distributional records and gonopod drawings are presented for these species plus B. deturkiana (Causey, 1942).


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Prices are reasonable at Le Boulanger.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Le Boulanger des Invalides Jocteur
Prices are reasonable at Le Boulanger.
26 comments:
- Chef Lucinda12:53 PM
a Bichon is made of la pâte levée feuilletée not pate brisee but you are forgiven your error in your wild enthusiasm for the bichon.ReplyDelete
Such delights!ReplyDelete
Good thing you told us that the chicken is not edible because after wading through all those exquisite pastries I was lusting after something sweet and would have devoured it!
Un billet tres rose... A very pink post :-) Appetissant... Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)ReplyDelete
The blueberry cake..looks amazing..all those blueberries..Carol it's uncanny how sometimes there is one little part of your post that is close to home..last night we were driving home from my friends..and on Sirius..Sinatra..La Vie En Rose was playing..I said to my husband...this is so nice.ReplyDelete
This post is so mouth-seducing...I begin to think perhaps I should steer very clear of Paris. I need one of everything!ReplyDelete
Very honored to be mentioned in your superb blog Carol !... I indeed love Jocteur praline sable.ReplyDelete
This place is to die for. They seem friendly to allow you to take pictures. I would love to try everything because it will be very hard to choose?!ReplyDeleteReplies
no need to choose PamelaDelete
Get 3 items :)
pas cher ici
Ha. I don't like cakes or anything in a patisserie. Are you surprised? I was greatful for the red chicken. In fact I want one!!!ReplyDelete
I love your photos though:)Replies
Oh how I wish I didn't like cakes...Delete
well eating them...
I do LOVE the look of them - the designs and the colors
Adorable blog! I wish I had the guts to move there, but your blog will have to suffice for now. :)ReplyDelete
Yum yum, but so rich! I wouldn't be able to say no to the tarte aux pommes though.ReplyDelete
LOVED your post on Francoise Gilot - wish I could see that exhibition.
And I'm totally captivated by your watercolour of little Lillie - I think you're going to be flooded with requests from the mamans of Paris!
- Chez Lindy6:46 AM
All your posts are beautifully and smartly curated.ReplyDelete
I receive other Fr blogs (longing for France) and I've noticed sometimes they're slapped together. I'm sure it's not easy to keep up the postings.
But yours are all little jewels, clearly done with great care and style, and a real pleasure to read.
Thanks for the inspiration.
I love this boulangerie! Our rental agency is across the street so we stopped for sandwiches after signing the paperwork. They were probably the best sandwiches I've had in Paris. And pas cher too!ReplyDeleteReplies
I have never had a sandwich here!?Delete
I will definitely go for more substantial fare before diving into the pastries next time...
Oh my goodness, Carol, you've added more Parisian temptation. I wonder what it would be like to arrive at this marvelous boulangerie at the opening hour and just steadily sample their baked delights throughout the day, perhaps venturing out for a short walk every few hours.ReplyDelete
I am imagining a certain form of heaven. xo
Even if one can't eat sweets, they are visually so beautiful. I'll add this boulangerie to my list.ReplyDelete
Looks gorgeous, but I get breakfast at my hotel, the Hotel du Louvre. Can't wait for tomorrow! Love breakfast. And love the Louvre!ReplyDeleteReplies
Cakes for breakfast..I don't remember that on the menu there..Delete
But why not?
I need to get to this boulangerie, especially with the frilly pinks. Bichon is like a chausson-aux-pommes with puff pastry. These ones look really good!ReplyDelete


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As many of my followers know, Catalina Coffee is one of my favorite coffee shops and hang outs. In my opinion, it epitomizes cafe culture (albeit a unique American variant) and has, bar none, the best coffee in Houston, period. In many cases, like many regulars there, I'll make it by more than once in a day. I'm very sad to say, however, I had an extremely unpleasant experience today.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, it has been extremely difficult to come upon a coffee shop (or anywhere, for that matter) with a) power, b) coffee, and c) wireless Internet access. Catalina was one of the only places in Houston to offer all three, and they did so the day after Ike made it's appearance in our fair city. None of the local Starbucks were open, and other local coffee shops (Coffee Groundz) that were either had bad coffee, no Internet, or both.
When word got out, Catalina quickly became overwhelmed with new business from Houstonians needing their caffeine fix. It also served as a command center and refuge for many citizens who had no power or Internet at home, who wanted to check the latest status updates from Centerpoint Energy, check on loved ones, and generally go about their business online. Consequently, long lines for coffee and tables overcrowded with laptops became the norm.
Though I've made a few appearances at Catalina after the storm for coffee, today I arrived with my fully discharged laptop needing to catch up on a couple of mundane tasks, including paying a few bills and moving utility services to my new residence (incidentally, my old place has power but no Internet; my new place has no power). I was surprised to see all the power outlets had metal plates over them. Suspecting this was a result of Ike-related water damage or some other such safety issue, I inquired when the outlets would be available again. Max (the proprietor) responded, "Never." He stated the reason was that the environment was getting mob-like and out of control over the last few days as "people were fighting over power outlets" and things of that sort. While I certainly understand the need to mitigate unruly behavior, there are many other ways to go about it. I do have to tip my hat to Max for his ingenuity in solving the supposed "problem;" it was extremely effective. The problem is it unnecessarily penalizes legitimate, regular customers who spend lots of money on coffee and conduct their affairs online. To add insult to injury, he decides to use this "solution" during a time of crisis and when people need to use it the most. It smacks of reactionary behavior and poor business citizenry in the least. After debating the issue with Max for a few minutes, I seem to have unearthed some far deeper rooted issues that apparently vex Max. I'll reiterate some of our discourse and let you be the judge.
After getting the "never" response from Max to my question about when we would expect to get the power outlets back (assuming this was a short term fix, even if it was extremely poor timing given the current situation post-Ike), I politely stated that I needed to get some things done on occasion, along with a subtle allusion to my regularity and largesse (not only do I spend lots of money on coffee and am always careful to not take up space unless I'm buying things along the way, but I tip extremely healthy and have referred lots of new people to the establishment). He said, "bring another battery." I told him that wasn't an acceptable solution (a) I don't have another battery, and b) where am I supposed to have charged these batteries especially if I don't have power?). His shocked response to that was, "Unacceptable? Are you fucking kidding me? Unacceptable. I can't believe that." I told him that especially after Ike in a time of crisis I thought he was betraying his customers' trust. He stated that he was "tired of people abusing my space. Cafe culture is not sitting down at a coffee shop for three hours." Really? Are you kidding me? I suppose you have never sat down in a Parisian cafe then. Incredulous and stunned to that response, I told him that I thought the defition of cafe culture was different for everyone and that one should err on the side of what your customers wanted it to be. His response? "Customers? I don't care what customers want. What matters is what I want. I opened my own shop because of that." I asked him if he had thought of better ways to address the problem. His very cavalier response was that he had solved the problem and wasn't really interested in discussing the subject any further. I told him that he was curing cancer by killing cancer patients and there certainly were better ways of addressing the problem.
I have tremendous respect for Max, his craft and his business acumen. He runs a very tight ship that produces a superior product and spares no expense nor takes any short cuts to achieve it. That is a very rare quality that I think more businesses should adopt. I also absolutely appreciate running your own business on your terms and not doing things the way everyone else does. I respect his ingenuity in his approach to the problem, but it is akin to solving email spam by simply only accepting 1 out of 1000 emails to your inbox, regardless of content. If his problem is slim margins from not turning over enough tables, he should address the business model accordingly and raise prices, or charge for wifi, or establish minimums. Ripping out the rug from under customers and biting the hands that feed him is not the proper solution. I am troubled by Catalina's "solution" on two fronts: 1., the "solution" itself, and 2., the arrogant, cavalier attitude exhibited about the "problem." I wasn't aware that working quietly on my laptop for a few hours and spending $20 while I'm there in one sitting was "abusing his space." In 20 years of starting and running small businesses, I do understand the importance of "firing" bad customers and mitigating abuse. By the same token, however, I have always found it extremely beneficial to the bottom line to err on giving customers the benefit of the doubt and applying the golden rule in abundance. That this decision comes in the highest time of need, makes it especially pernicious.
What do you think?
To: Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison & John Cornyn
RE: Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act
The Senate is scheduled to debate and vote on the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act the first week of June.
As a citizen of Texas, a technology entrepreneur, a co-founder of one of Houston's first Internet service providers, a veteran of the armed forces, and a current real estate professional, I urge you to seize this historic opportunity and pass this bill.
Here are five compelling reasons to act now:
Erik Fowler
Houston, TX


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Petro River Announces Filing of Annual Disclosure and Material Impairment on Missouri Assets
HOUSTON, TEXAS--(Marketwire - Nov. 5, 2012) - Petro River Oil Corp., (the "Company" or "Petro River"), (PINKSHEETS:GRAVF) announces that it has filed its annual audited financial statements, annual management's discussion and analysis, and certification of its annual filings for the year ended April 30, 2012 (the "Annual Disclosure"), its annual information form for the year ended April 30, 2012 (the "AIF") and its Form 51-101F1 Statement of Reserves and Other Oil and Gas Information.
Petro River became subject to cease trade orders issued by the Alberta Securities Commission and the British Columbia Securities Commission on August 31, 2012 and September 10, 2012, respectively (the "Orders") for failing to file its Annual Disclosure and AIF within the time frame permitted under applicable Canadian securities law. The Company was unable to complete the preparation and filing of its Annual Disclosure and AIF as a result of the resignation of its previous auditor on June 26, 2012 and an unexpected delay in appointing a successor auditor until August 10, 2012. As of the date of this release the Orders have not been revoked and no assurances can be given as to when or if they will be revoked. Until the Orders are revoked the Company's ability to raise capital is significantly restricted.
While finalizing the Annual Disclosure, management of Petro River determined that after analyzing the current capitalization of the Company and the capital needs of each of its oil and gas projects, in view of its inability to raise the necessary capital to commercialize its assets, it would be necessary to record an impairment on the value of the Missouri properties of US $15,218,209, resulting in a remaining book value of US $950,000 (representing its estimate of salvage value for its Missouri assets in accordance with US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). In light of the above noted impairment, and if sufficient financing is not arranged and dedicated by the board of directors to restarting operations on the Missouri property by April 30, 2013, a significant or total downward revision of the Company's reserves may be recorded for the year ending April 30, 2013.
As previously announced on June 27, 2012, the Company has entered into a nonbinding letter of intent with Petro River Oil, LLC, a privately held Delaware limited liability company ("Petro LLC") that would result in Petro River acquiring Petro LLC in exchange for the issuance of common shares of Petro River (the "Merger Transaction"). The letter of intent also contemplates a board of directors consisting of 5 members, 4 of whom will be nominated by Petro LLC. On September 7, 2012 at a meeting of shareholders of Petro River, shareholders approved several corporate actions to set the stage for the merger, including continuing the Company to the State of Delaware and the election of the new board of directors. Currently, it is intended that, should the Company complete the Merger Transaction, current common shareholders of Petro River will own approximately 2% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company, holders of preferred shares and notes will hold approximately 18% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company and holders of shares and notes of Petro LLC will hold approximately 80% of the issued and outstanding shares of Petro River.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
Jeffrey Freedman, Interim CEO and CFO
Petro River Oil Corp.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the downward revisions of reserves and other statements that are not historical facts. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward looking statements will not occur, which may cause actual performance and results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These assumptions, risks and uncertainties include, among other things: that the necessary funding to re-start production is obtained; that production is re-started, that the Merger Transaction is completed and the impairment is no longer applied to the Missouri property, state of the economy in general and capital markets in particular, investor interest in the business and future prospects of Petro River.
The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Petro River disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities law. Additionally, Petro River undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made, by third parties in respect of the matters discussed above.
Petro River Oil Corp.


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Views: 1094
The point remains valid. Being a couch potato doesn't make someone athletic by default. I want to try this analogy on them. I am not their god, thus, I AM a god.
On this point, I don't think atheism is a religion but I'd agree that atheists can practice some religions and have behaved consistently in regards to not believing in gods.
Religion generally believes in a supernatural power. Religion tells people that god knows all the deeds of human beings and all their thoughts and god rewards those who obey his commands and punishes those who do not do so. In other words, a religion imposes a code of irrational behaviour. Atheism does not impose anythig on anybody. A religion says that its own beliefs and practices are correct and any contrary beliefs are incorrect. Religion thus promotes intolerance. Many differences between thee two can be cited but it may suffice to say that atheism is as opposite to religion as any two things can be. It believes in humanism and is not in intolerant.
Humanism does NOT equal atheism. Humanism IS religion like, in the same sense as Buddhism. It has a set of rules, its adulations (in this case Humanity) and belief systems which may or may not be rational. Humanism attempts to impose its Westernised WASPy, although godless, worldview onto the public face of atheists. So please, do not make them one and the same, just because you happen to use both terms to describe yourself, they are not. There are plenty of atheists who do not believe in Humanism.
You seem to have some mistaken ideas about Buddhism and humanism. Buddhism is not just about ahimsa and atheism. Buddhism advocates prayers and rituals, it advocates renouncing worldly pleasures in exchange of heavenly pleasures, belives in soul and reincarnation. Humanism does not posses even a single attribute of a religion. Atheism is not eternal. As G.K.Chestern said, there would be no atheists when there would be no god. In a sense, the whole humanity is going to be atheist some day but humanism will be needed as long as humanity exists on this planet.
One of the purpose why man created religion was to install a social order by means of fear. When atheism will remove the fear, it will be the responsibility of atheists to provide a basis for a new social order. We certainly can not leave a vaccum and abandon responsibility. Humanism will certainly be one factor for a new social order. You need humanism whether you are a theist or an atheist. If there are any atheists who do not believe in humanity, they need to change themselves.
Wow, speak of dogmatic! Non Humanist believing atheists need to change?!?!? Creepy!
Humanism is but a leftover paradigm of last century. Humans have been believing in Humanity since humans have existed... serving humans' benefits to the detriment of all others. In fact, it's highly time we became a little more sceptical of ourselves. When one wields such powers to change our environment and to enslave as humans do, it is high time we stopped our navel gazing.
Atheism has TNT666 making and imposing rules; humanism does not.
??? That makes no sense!
Atheists have no manifesto, no agenda, Humanism does. Atheists have no rules per se, only those atheists which care to join particular doctrines preach "rules".
"Atheists have no manifesto, no agenda, Humanism does."
The point is, your comparing humanism with religion. Please compare the manifesto and agenda of religion with those of humanism. All atheists seem to be ignorant about this! And one question: Are you an atheist?
Madhukar Kulkarni.
POI: Capital H... for Humanism.
I am a third generation atheist, as opposed to a new atheist. So our family has been atheist since the end 19th century. Humanism is a set of doctrines and values which are only partially more rational than conventional theistic religions, which is why I place Humanism alongside Buddhism. The Humanist manifesto is founded on the same basic values as Christianity, very much similar to the new testament, which reflects the Christian sources of Humanism. The very recent penchant for secular Humanism is basically the same set of values minus the celestial god component and has only come about in the past half century.
Gods are but inventions of humanity, they were created in our own image, so adulating gods is no different than adulating humanity.
"Humanism is but a leftover paradigm of last century"
"Humanism is a set of doctrines and values which are only partially more rational than conventional theistic religions, which is why I place Humanism alongside Buddhism."
I am sorry to say that all you say above can not be accepted without sufficient explaination. You are saying that values of humanism are only partially more rational than religion. You must explain such sweeping statements more elaborately.This is going to be of interest to all atheists as all of us believe in humanism. If humanism is only a 'leftover' then it should have been reject by almost all humanity. This is certainly not so.
"Gods are but inventions of humanity, they were created in our own image, so adulating gods is no different than adulating humanity."
This is another statement of your's that is obviously untrue. You seem to be drawings parallels between god and humans plainly on the basis of appearance! What about Egyptian and Hindu gods that are not in human image? Is it alright to adulate them? There are plenty of human inventions other than god. And then you talk of three generations! Atheists are supposed to be rational people who do not make sweeping statements without proof.
Madhukar Kulkarni.
You may want to read up on the history of Humanism, and the manifestos, all three of them, to understand the 'genesis' of Humanism. As for gods, I have yet to see any gods of human invention which do not at least at 90% not resemble humans, so what if they have dog/elephant noses/ears and whatever other combination, they're still human in general design. Frankly Madhukar, you seem like a few other atheists I've met here, you threw away one dogma just to hop into another. Hey it's your right to be a Humanist, I'm not going to criticise you on your choice... It just annoys me to see labels applied equally that are in fact independent as you inferred in your first response (Humanist=atheist) some Humanists are atheist, some are not, some atheists are Humanists, some are not. They are entirely separate definitions.
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Catch the livestream, parts 1-7:
Break off a nug of some cannabis news.
Catch the livestream, parts 1-7:
Catch the livestream, parts 1-7:
A new national study has been released regarding cannabis, medical cannabis specifically, and President Obama's amplified war on the plant. Mason-Dixon conducted an interview of 1,000 likely 2012 general election voters, informing them that "currently, 16 states plus the District of Columbia have made the use of marijuana legal. In some of these states, individuals have been authorized to cultivate and sell medical marijuana under tightly regulated conditions. However, medical marijuana use remains illegal under federal law, even in states that have passed laws or ballot measures that allow it for medical treatment." Mason-Dixon's poll then asked the 1,000 participants if they felt President Obama should "respect the medical marijuana laws in these states, or use federal resources to arrest and prosecute individuals who are acting in compliance with state medical marijuana laws?"
With the participants broken into near thirds of political parties, 37% identifying as democrat, 32% republican, and 30% independent or unaffiliated, this slice of our nation found 74% want the Obama administration to respect the states with medical cannabis laws and end federal funding for raids. Independents rang in the heaviest support with 79%, while republicans showed two thirds support, and only 19% responded with opposition to those complying with state laws. The 18-34 demographic was overwhelmingly supportive, 81% answering that they felt Obama should respect medical cannabis laws, and 64% of the oldest group agreed.
The final results across races, ages, political affiliation and sex showed the United States clearly disagrees with Federal cannabis policy. Huffington Post reported via Americans for Safe Access that more than 170 aggressive SWAT-style raids have been conducted in nine states that allow medical cannabis, resulting in at least 61 federal indictments since October 2009. Steve Fox, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project, told Huffington Post that "what the results of this survey show is there is absolutely no political justification for what President Obama is doing with respect to medical marijuana laws. Across the board… there is extremely strong support for respecting state medical marijuana laws."
If you identify as one of the 74% of American voters like myself who wish the Obama Administration would discontinue funding the war on cannabis, let them know! Call the White House directly at 202-456-1111 between 11am and 5pm and leave a comment for President Barack Obama, or cruise ContactingTheCongress.org and let your Congress men and women know that they have the majority of their parties support in passing and protecting medical cannabis laws. We are the voices that need to be heard, as our President seems to ignore the growing population seeking safe access.


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Bug in Ruby YAML Feb 29
Recently I stumble on a really wierd bug in Ruby's YAML implementation(using syck parser that is default for ruby < 1.9.3).
The problem is that the parser converts \r\n(windows new line) into \n(linux new line),you can see this error by running this code:
running this will return "test\n" while it should return "test\r\n" (serialzing and deseralizing are suppose to be exact inverse function).
This is fixed in Ruby 1.9.3,since it uses the psych parser by default.


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GONAIVES, Haiti (AP) - Haiti's government says the death toll from Tropical Storm Hanna has more than doubled to 137, with most of the deaths coming in the flooded port city of Gonaives.
The Ministry of the Interior and the Civil Protection Department issued statements Thursday saying that 80 of the deaths were in Gonaives, which has been almost entirely cut off by floodwaters from Hanna.
Virtual lakes have formed over every road in the city and officials are attempting to get food and water to residents who were stranded. Another 22 deaths were confirmed in areas immediately surrounding the coastal city.
The rest of the deaths were scattered across the country. The previous death toll had been 61.


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Axiom's Granfondo H20 Seat Bag is large enough for your spare tube, patch kit, tools and other ride essentials, plus an extra bottle. It's made of tough, water-resistant 600-denier polyester, boasts an easy Velcro attachment system and has reflective accents for safety. And, its narrow shape ensures you'll forget it's there until you need it.
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NEWPORT Gwent Dragons went down to their third home defeat of the season after Bath cruised into the quarter-finals of the Amlin Challenge Cup at Rodney Parade.
The English side are going great guns in the Aviva Premiership and their second-string maintained the momentum with a routine 30-13 win.
It was the first of two demolition jobs in Newport with the city centre Capitol Car Park ready to be downed by explosives tomorrow morning to make way for the Friars Walk development.
Bath rested a host of big guns but showed that they boast real strength in depth to join Leinster and Munster as winners at Rodney Parade this term.
The Dragons, however, were shocking and the gulf in class between the sides was alarming.
They have made real improvements under Lyn Jones to sit sixth in the RaboDirect Pro12 this season but they were back to their old tricks in their worst display of the campaign.
It was a performance that will have done little to convince the Aviva Premiership that the regions would add value to their tournament.
The Dragons were toothless and sloppy in attack while their defence was abysmal with a raft of poor decisions and a sky-high count for missed tackles.
It was nip and tuck at half-time when the sides met at the Rec but it was game over when they headed for the break at Rodney Parade.
Bath had their bonus point in the bag after just 31 minutes when number eight Leroy Houston added to scores by scrum-half Micky Young, wing Tom Biggs and flanker Mat Gilbert.
All the Dragons could muster was a pair of penalties by Steffan Jones that made it 27-6 at half-time after an awful first 40 minutes that also saw fly-half Jason Tovey and wing Tom Prydie helped from the field after suffering leg injuries.
The game was gone but thankfully the second half was better from a Dragons point of view.
Openside Nic Cudd sneaked over following a spirited break by full-back Dan Evans and the hosts bossed territory and possession against a Bath side that had already got the job done.
The Dragons were still, however, hindered by errors that prevented them from putting the Englishmen under any real pressure and the game died a slow death.
Dragons scorers: try – N Cudd; conversion – S Jones; penalties – S Jones (2)
Bath scorers: tries – M Young, T Biggs, M Gilbert, L Houston; conversions – T Heathcote (2); penalties – T Heathcote


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Marc P needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 82 designs submitted by 18 freelance designers.
Franchise Performance Breakthroughs
We are a business consulting firm that specializes in mid to large scale franchise companies. Our clients typically contract us to perform presentations and consulting programs that produce intense results.
Mid to Large scale franchise companies.
Need a logo that can be incorporated into an overall design and branding package that carries throughout our programs, website, case studies, etc.
We like the colors Purple and Red but are not necessarily set or demand you use those. We are looking for creativity and professionalism all fused into one amazing, fun, inspiring, and world changing logo! Is that too much to ask! haha
The imagery should suggest a company that experiences a breakthrough or company changing event/program. Something both evolutionary and revolutionary along with a nice side salad. Professional, colorful, descriptive, and catchy.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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- 30×70in+ 1.0in Bleed, CMYK Print Ready.
- Fully-layered Photoshop PSD CS2 or higher
- Fully-layered Indesign CS4 or higher
- 4 Color Themes & 2 File formats for your convenience.
- Easy to customize and Change Color
- Excellent for your multipurpose corporate usage.
- Font used: lato,Nexa,Chunkfive,KomikaAxis
- Exclusive on Graphicriver Only.
- Preview images/photos are not included, for illustration only.
[ Yummy Tasting – Roll-Up Banner Template ]
[ Support & Help ]
Don't hesitate to contact me for any questions about the design.
Comment on the Item page or Leave a message from here or Send me an Email.


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Bills QB Kevin Kolb has concussion-like symptoms
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Buffalo quarterback Kevin Kolb was treated for concussion-like symptoms after getting kneed in the back of the helmet in the Bills' preseason game Saturday against the Washington Redskins.
Kolb was hurt at the end of an 8-yard scramble in the first quarter. He remained in the game for four more plays, until the drive ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by C.J. Spiller.
Washington won 30-7.
Kolb has been competing for the starting job with first-round pick EJ Manuel, but Manuel hurt his left knee in the Bills' previous game and is out for the rest of the preseason. Kolb was 2 for 4 for 16 yards and had two runs for 12 yards Saturday when he left the game.
With both Manuel and Kolb hurt, undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel became the only healthy quarterback on the roster. Tuel entered the game on the next series.
Kolb has suffered at least two concussions over six NFL seasons. Selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2007 draft, he lost the starting job to Michael Vick when he was sidelined by a concussion in the season opener in 2010.
Kolb spent the past two seasons in Arizona, where he failed to secure the starting job because of an assortment of injuries, including a concussion in 2011. He switched to a new helmet the following year, one meant to gives addition protection to the back of his head.
The Bills also had two defensive backs leave with injuries in the first half. Da'Norris Searcy, who started at safety in place of Jairus Byrd, suffered a head injury. Starting cornerback Stephon Gillmore had a wrist injury.
Byrd was on the sideline but did not suit up. The two-time Pro Bowl safety joined the team this week after signing a one-year, $6.9 million franchise player tender, having missed all of the offseason practices and training camp.
AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org


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Summer 2014 brings new opportunities for undergraduates at the Boston campus, with a variety of courses at a reduced cost and a lively campus environment. Join us to:
- Accelerate progress toward your degree
- Save on tuition by taking lower-cost courses
- Lighten your course load
- Fulfill requirements
- Live in campus residence halls at a reduced rate
Undergraduate students enrolling in Suffolk Summer courses at the Boston campus will save more than $100 per credit.
And if you want to stay on campus, the cost will be as low as $22 per day for students enrolled in a minimum of two courses. This price includes breakfast and an activities fee to cover the many exciting events planned for Suffolk Summer students. Additional meal plans also will be available.


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Its existence on PlayStation 3 was seemingly outed back in February thanks to SCEE Worldwide Senior VP Michael Denny's apparent slip of the tongue, and now NewEgg has given it a product listing on their website. - PSLS
Interesting. It would be a great way to end 2013 for the PS3.
Whoops! Wow that would be a KILLER E3 reveal. Hope Newegg didn't just blow it.
If this turns out to be true i will scream like a little girl.
Next-gen Forza 5 vs Ps3 Gran Turismo 6?
I hope, GT6 coming ps4.


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What's New
Holiday House Tour Tickets Now On Sale!
Tickets Now On Sale!
By Phone - By Mail - In Person
The 2012
Holiday House Tour
Is Coming!
December 8th
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Advance Sale Tickets are discounted!
Purchase your 2012 Holiday House Tour tickets in advance and receive a discount!
By mail: Click on the red brochure to the right
By telephone: 978-462-8681
In person - stop by the museum gift shop
Tickets are now available at the Custom House Maritime Museum Gift Shop -- Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-4pm, and on Sunday 12-4pm -- or by calling 978-462-8681.
Click HERE to download the 2012 Holiday House Tour Brochure and Advance Ticket Order Form.
Ticket prices:
$23.00 - General Public
$20.00 - Museum Members
All tickets sold Day-Of-The-Tour: $28.00
Catch the Yuletide spirt on the 2012 Holiday House Tour!
Join us for a spectacular excursion through greater Newburyport's historic roots, breathtaking views, and unique private residences. The tour begins at the Custom House Maritime Museum and features a jeweled perspective of Joppa framed by a trio of waterfront homes, followed by Federalist traditions throughout the South End. The tour continues throughout the heart of Newburyport along historic High Street's graceful sea captain's mansions and finishes with a dazzling townhouse overlooking Brown's Square. These festively decorated homes represent four centuries of Newburyport's history and culture reflecting each homeowner's individual holiday style. Come and experience a day full of holiday magic and surprise!
Advance tickets are now available at the
Custom House Maritime Museum Gift Shop
Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-4pm, and Sunday 12-4pm
or by calling 978-462-8681


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1995 Annual Report to Congress -- April 2, 1996
When a member of the public complains to OCR of discrimination, OCR gets to work. Because of improvements in how OCR does its job, OCR started work on virtually all complaints in FY 1995 within ten days. OCR knows that problems that are addressed immediately can often be resolved more amicably and less intrusively. Thus, OCR staff are on the telephone or on site as quickly as possible, working with parents and schools to identify and remedy problems of illegal discrimination. In cases where agency intervention is not appropriate, or where the facts provide an insufficient basis to find that there is illegal discrimination, OCR can also end its involvement more quickly.
OCR's new attitude and new approaches continue to produce results. OCR resolved 5,559 complaints of illegal discrimination in FY 1995, up from 4,480 in FY 1993. In almost 1,800 cases, schools, colleges and universities took corrective action that resolved any underlying problem of illegal discrimination. The public, on average, waited 119 days for OCR's resolution of a complaint in FY 1995, down from 131 days in FY 1993.
Fifty-four percent of all complaints received by OCR alleged discrimination based on disability. OCR enforces Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability, 29 U.S.C. 794 (implementing regulation at 34 C.F.R. Part 104), and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. 12131 (implementing regulation at 28 C.F.R. Part 35), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability.
Parents of a Native American high school student with a disability (Dandy-Walker hydrocephalus) in the Klamath-Trinity Unified School District (California), for example, complained that their son was excluded from the regular school program because of his disability. The district was sending non-certified teachers to his home. OCR determined that the student should not have been excluded from attending school, and that his education had been severely affected. Because of the extended time the student had been inappropriately kept from attending school, and because the student was already a sophomore, the district agreed to remedy its past inaction by forming a trust to fund the student's future evaluations, transitional services, and his enrollment in a postsecondary program. Illegal discrimination was ended, and a strong, educationally sound remedy put in place.
At the postsecondary level, a complaint was filed against Salem State College (Massachusetts) alleging a violation of Section 504 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The complainant charged the College discriminated against him by not making necessary academic adjustments. The complainant has a language-based learning disability that affects his processing of oral and written information. His requests for several adjustments, including untimed testing, note takers, and access to lecture notes prior to attending classes, were denied. Following OCR's intervention, Salem State repaid $1,020 toward the complainant's tuition loan. Salem also is implementing new procedures so that students requesting academic adjustments are assisted promptly. As a result of becoming educated on this issue, Salem is now voluntarily assisting Massachusetts' other public colleges to develop methods for promptly and appropriately determining appropriate adjustments for students with disabilities.
Twenty percent of complaints received in FY 1995 alleged illegal discrimination on the basis of race or national origin. OCR enforces Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin, 42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq. (implementing regulation at 34 C.F.R. Parts 100 and 101).
One student at Purdue University (Indiana), for example, complained to OCR that his ability to participate in the university's educational program had been threatened by racial harassment. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), an educational institution may be held responsible for racial harassment if the harassment is sufficiently severe or pervasive to create a hostile environment and the institution fails to respond adequately. After working with OCR, the University agreed to the need to develop procedures for enforcing its anti-harassment policy. The University decided to establish a "DiversiTeam" consisting of faculty, students and staff who were specially trained to offer workshops for all recognized student organizations, fraternities, sororities, cooperative houses and residence halls during the 1994-95 academic year. The University's actions ensure that the approximately 36,000 students on its main campus, and the 33,000 students on its regional campuses, are able to benefit from its educational programs regardless of their race or national origin.
Seven percent of complaints received in FY 1995 alleged illegal discrimination on the basis of sex. OCR enforces Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs, 20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq. (implementing regulation at 34 C.F.R. Part 106).
OCR investigated a complaint filed against the Chicago Public Schools, District No. 299 (Illinois), for example, and found that few female students at the elementary level participated on the district's interscholastic elementary teams. The district was not making sufficient efforts to provide athletic opportunities for female athletes at that level. In addition, OCR found the district was not meeting the interests of female high school athletes. In response to OCR's findings, the district is now providing a post-season softball tournament and a volleyball camp for girls, and has agreed to establish interscholastic volleyball competition for girls at the elementary level. In subsequent years, the district has also agreed to establish additional teams and sports until girls' interests and abilities in athletic competition are fully met.
OCR's remaining complaints were filed on multiple discrimination bases, on age discrimination or on other discrimination bases. OCR also enforces the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, 42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq. (implementing regulation at 34 C.F.R. Part 110).
[Introduction: OCR is Changing] [OCR Initiates Investigations in Serious Cases of Illegal Discrimination]


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|System: Xbox 360*, PS3
|Dev: Ubisoft
|Pub: Ubisoft
|Release: March 20,2012
|Players: 1
|Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p
|Fantasy Violence, Crude Humor, Mild Suggestive Themes
As for the game's aesthetics, the revamped graphics are pretty decent, with modern effects enhancing the upscaled textures. Nobody will mistake this for a recently-developed game, of course. There's only so much one can do with early 3D models, and the rough edges are particularly noticeable on natural objects like trees. There are some occasional inconsistencies in the HD upgrade as well. On-screen text sometimes looks very sharp, but other times looks jaggy and pixellated. With a maximum 720p resolution, the game is likely to look better on a smallish HD TV than a big-screen, on which I imagine the relics of the original graphic design would be far more obvious.
Ubisoft made an unfortunate sound design decision in Rayman 3, deciding to fully voice all the characters. The result sounded like a lame attempt to be hip and zany back in 2003, so now it sounds like a particularly lame attempt to be hip and zany. Rayman himself is all right, but some of the supporting characters are cringe-worthy. It just goes to show that sometimes silent heroes are the best heroes. As for the rest of the sound, it's fine, but doesn't hold a candle to the impressively imaginative music and sound found in last year's Rayman Origins.
Gamers who miss old school 3D platforming should find a lot to like about Rayman 3 HD. After all, beyond Super Mario Galaxy, there hasn't been a lot of pure platforming in 3D lately, and Rayman 3 can scratch that itch. It comes with some of the usual problems found in the PS2 era, though, and its weird emphasis on high scoring plus the annoying voice acting keep it from being one of the best examples of early 3D platforming. Those who are simply looking for a great platformer, whether 2D or 3D, might want to skip this and reach directly for the far superior Rayman Origins.
Becky Cunningham
Contributing Writer
Date: April 2, 2012
Game Features:


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"Hoorah! Hoorah!"
Charlestonians were licking their fire-eating lips as they salivated at the thought of devouring the Union Army. A 128-man Federal garrison was hunkering in the heart of Charleston Harbor like a school of fish trapped inside a barrel of stones and brick. Named Fort Sumter in honor of one the Palmetto State's greatest heroes in the country's first civil war in 1776, the island fortress became the main entree for the fire-eating secessionists of South Carolina. For four months, the Carolinians had been tightening their grip on the Federal forts at the mouth of the Ashley, Cooper and Wando rivers. The time bomb was ticking, ticking ever so close to exploding into the most devastating war our country has ever suffered.
The election of Abraham Lincoln ignited the fuse, but not before more than two decades of bickering between the northern and southern states had primed it to the point of spontaneous combustion. It was going to be a war started by men and fought by boys. Some experts have calculated that half of the 2.5 million-man Union army was composed of soldiers 18 years of age and under, with nearly a quarter of those sixteen and under. The percentages of Southern soldiers were likely about the same.
Two days after Christmas in 1860 and one day after Maj. Robert Anderson, USA, abandoned Fort Moultrie and retreated to the safety of Fort Sumter, Col. James J. Pettigrew sent a company of 150 men to take Castle Pinckney, a small fort located a mile from the Charleston's Battery Park on Shute's Folly Island. In the first overt act of the then undeclared war, the invaders expected a considerable fight. Instead they found only Lt. Meade, Sgt. Skillen and his family occupying the fortress. Meade refused to accept Pettigrew's authority to seize the fort. No one remembered to bring a flag, so to show their trivial triumph, Pettigrew commandeered a red flag with a single white star from his ship, the Nina.
With its artillery batteries encircling Fort Sumter, South Carolina's military forces began fortifying for war. On the 9th day of January, Maj. P.F. Stevens, commanding some forty cadets from The Citadel military school, began preparations for an attack. As the USS Star of The West headed into the harbor on it's formerly secret resupply cargo mission, Stevens gave the order to his artillerists to commence firing. Cadet E.G. Haynesworth pulled the lanyard. The first true shot of the war was fired. Other batteries fired, doing little damage to the Federal ship. The beleaguered ship turned and steamed out of range. Anderson's batteries on Sumter were readied, but remained oddly silent.
The seizing of Federal military installations was not within the sole purview of the secessionist Carolinians. Alabamians seized Ft. Morgan and Ft. Gaines in Mobile on January 5. The U.S. Arsenal in Augusta was seized on the 24th of January, eight days after the Georgia legislature voted to secede from the Union. Ft. Jackson and the Oglethorpe Barracks in Savannah were abandoned two days later.
Five weeks after the inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln, the inevitability of the war was no longer in doubt. When, where, and how the war would begin was not definite, but all eyes were on the Cerberi as they guarded the Gates of Hades in Charleston Harbor. Virginia, Arkansas, and Tennessee were clinging to hopes that they could remain in the Union.
Roger A. Pryor, a journalist-politician from Virginia, was an early advocate of his state leaving the Union. Pryor traveled to Charleston to stir the flames of secession, which had been smoldering for three months. From his balcony pulpit, Pryor preached an imploring sermon of secession and liberty from the villainous northern states and the Federal government which he maintained were strangling the economic well being of South Carolina and threatening to destroy their very existence as they knew it.
On the evening of April 11, Gen. P.T.G. Beauregard, commanding the Confederate forces in Charleston sent a trio of his most trusted aides to deliver an ultimatum from Confederate president Jefferson Davis. Capt. Stephen D. Lee, Col. James Chestnut, and Col. A.R. Chisolm piloted a small boat under a flag of a truce toward Sumter. There they met face to face with Sumter's commander, Major Robert Anderson, a Kentuckian and former war hero, who was well known and admired by his opposing officers.
The message read, "If you will state the time which you will evacuate Fort Sumter, and agree in the meantime that you will not use your guns against us unless ours shall be employed against Fort Sumter, we will abstain from opening fire upon you." Anderson conferred with his staff officers. The Major responded that he would evacuate Sumter by April 15 at high noon, unless he received orders to the contrary. Only Anderson knew that his men had only two days of rations on hand. Col. Chesnut deemed the response as unacceptable. He replied with a note which he handed to Anderson and which read, "Sir: by authority of Brigadier General Beauregard, commanding the Provisional Forces of the Confederate States, we have the honor to notify you that he will open the fire of his batteries on Fort Sumter in one hour from this time." Anderson politely escorted the officers to their boat, exchanged hand shakes and said "If we never meet in this world again, God grant that we may meet in the next."
At approximately 4:30 a.m. on the morning of April 12, 1861, Capt. George S. James offered the distinguished honor of firing the first official shot of the war to Congressman Pryor. Pryor deferred to James by saying, "I could not fire the first gun of the war. Lt. Henry Farley, or a member of his crew, pulled the lanyard that launched the first shot, a signal shell which exploded into a brilliant flare over Sumter to begin the aerial assault. Edmund Ruffin, the most voracious fire-eater of them all, made a point of being present to see the attack on Fort Sumter. Although he did not fire the actual first shot, Ruffin did fire a subsequent round directed at Sumter. Again, Anderson withheld his fire. Just before dawn, Capt. Abner Doubleday, the purported inventor of the game of baseball, fired a shot at the rebel battery at Cumming's Point.
The firing continued constantly until dusk. A gentle rain extinguished the fires inside the fort. All during the night, Confederate artillerists continued firing four rounds per hour, just to keep the inhabitants of the fort from a peaceful sleep, as if a peaceful sleep was actually possible.
On the morning of the 13th, the Confederate batteries once again opened up with "hot shot" designed to burn the wooden structures inside the fort. Anderson ordered his troops to throw their remaining supply of gunpowder into the sea to prevent an explosion within the fort. After absorbing nearly 3000 rounds without a single loss of life, Major Robert Anderson agreed to a truce at two o'clock in the afternoon.
Twenty four hours later and less than a day before he promised to evacuate Fort Sumter, Anderson's men abandoned their post to the booming thunder of their own 100-gun salute - a condition of Anderson's surrender terms. One Union soldier was killed during the ceremony and another was mortally wounded when a canon backfired.
The conflict between the North and the South had reached their inevitable point of no return. It was war. It was the feast the fire-eaters craved. Men cheered. Women sobbed. And, the country was set on an irreversible course toward a lamentable conflagration of death and suffering. One quarter of the South's men of military age would die, six hundred thousand or so on both sides in all. Millions of others, maimed and broken, would live in misery for the remainder of their lives. That was the final tab for the voracious appetite of the fire-eaters. And, it all began 150 years ago today.


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Poulter lifts Albany to Tavistock Cup title
Windermere, FL – Ian Poulter's birdie during the first playoff hole gave Albany the victory over Lake Nona at the Tavistock Cup.
Albany and Lake Nona, which had won the last four Tavistock Cups, both finished Tuesday's round with a cumulative score of 7-over par.
Due to the finish of the Arnold Palmer Invitational being delayed until Monday, the normally two-round tournament was shortened to just an 18-hole individual stroke play format on Tuesday.
Sixteen of the 24 players at the event took part in a better ball stroke format round on Monday that did not count towards the total results.
Poulter battled the wind to lead Albany with an even-par 72, while Tiger Woods and Tim Clark each carded 1-over 71s and Justin Rose finished with a 5-over 77.
Graeme McDowell was one of just two players to break par with a 1-under 70 to pace Lake Nona. Ross Fisher followed with an even-par 72, Henrik Stenson carded a 2-over 74 and Peter Hanson struggled to a 6-over.
Primland and tournament host Isleworth finished in a tie for third place with a cumulative score of 8-over. Primland's Webb Simpson had the best round of the day with a 2-under 70.
Oak Tree National finished in fifth at 12-over and Queenwood ended in sixth at 20-over.
After Woods failed to convert a lengthy birdie putt at the last that would have potentially won the tournament for Albany, two players from each team were selected to replay the 18th hole with a best ball format for the playoff.
Woods and Poulter represented Albany, while McDowell and Stenson were chosen for Lake Nova.
Poulter then hit his approach within five feet of the pin and converted the winning putt as McDowell failed to scramble out of a set of trees following his drive and Stenson could not roll in his long birdie putt.


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Chickasaw National Recreation Area is burning slash from thinned eastern red cedar cut during the summer and fall of 2010 and 2012. Burning is anticipated to occur daily, from approximately 4 to 9 pm, beginning Friday and continuing through February 14.
Smoke may be visible in downtown Sulphur, Davis, Dougherty, Rock Creek, Veterans Lake, Buckhorn areas, near Goddard Youth Camp Road, and along Chickasaw Trail. Smoke will be present in the vicinity during burning, but is generally expected to settle over the Lake of the Arbuckles and disperse overnight. People who are sensitive to smoke or have pre-existing respiratory problems should limit outdoor activities and keep windows closed during the burn.
If you would like to receive daily updates on which burn unit will be ignited and predicted direction of smoke impacts, please call (580) 622-7234 or visit http://www.inciweb.org.
Thinning of the eastern red cedar will increase public safety by reducing the hazardous fuel load in the wildland-urban interface and move the ecosystem closer to a natural state


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Samuel Heath products are available from selected bathroom showrooms and department stores
Curzon tumbler holder with ceramic tumbler. Traditional design for a period feel. Made from the finest materials with a combination of the latest technology and hand craftsmanship. Employing a high quality plating process to ensure a flawless finish
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