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Baby Parties
Designer Parties
Our Class Leaders run baby parties that are specifically designed to meet your requirements. These parties can run in your own home or at a venue of your choice, to book your party please contact your nearest Class Leader.
What occasions are the parties for?
Baby Sensory and Toddler Sense parties are suitable for any occasion when parents and babies are coming together for a celebration. We run parties for:
Christmas Parties;
Groups of parents and babies/toddlers attending a wedding;
Christenings and Naming Ceremonies:
School Fayres.
Whatever your event, we can help to make the occasion even more special.
What happens at a Baby Sensory Party?
If you have experienced one of our award winning Baby Sensory sessions then you will know all about some of the exciting experiences that are in store for you and your baby. If not, we can suggest a range of activities and songs to suit the occasion. Alternatively, you may wish to opt for a theme such as 'Baby Pirates' or 'Jungle Jitters'.
Our Baby Sensory Class Leader will work with you to plan an exciting session that is suitable for the babies and the venue. Whether you are planning a party for a small group of parents and babies at your home or holding the party at a country mansion, you can be sure that we will help you design a party that is right for you.
What happens at a Toddler Sense Party?
If you haveexperienced one of our Toddler Sense sessions then you will know all about someof the exciting experiences that are in store for you and your child such as:
- Adventure tunnels
- Bouncy castle
- Disco and light show
- Bouncy hoppers and rockers
- Parachutes
- Action games
Christmasand summer holiday parties are special and include a whole new range ofactivities to suit the season.
Summer Holiday Workshops
Special Toddler Sense workshops run throughout the summer holiday periodand may include the following themes:
Rock and Roll
A celebration of rock and roll music that will keep you on your feet! Dance,jive, bounce, twist, turn and shake to the beat in an electrifying atmosphereof light and sound. An unforgettable experience!
Summer Extravaganza
A fantastic mix of colourful activities and games that will keep you on the go!Explore the obstacle course and the giant sports arena, fly the flag, join the carnivalprocession and enjoy the rollercoaster experience! The fun goes on and on andon…
Disco Space Party
Get ready to dance your way through the ultimate disco space party and light show.Orbit rockets into space, catch bubbles, ride a space horse, reach for thestars, dance with comets and make space music. Exciting, fast-moving, actionpacked and great fun!
How do you plan your own party?
Contact the Class Leader closest to you.
Arrange a date which is suitable for you and your local Class Leader.
Find a suitable venue, if the party is not being held at your home.
Decide on the length of the party and your theme.
Select the activities you would like from our extensive range of experiences.
Invite your guests (we have special Baby Sensory Party Invitations available).
Get ready for a fun packed party that your guests will talk about for weeks afterwards and you will remember fondly.
What ages are the parties suitable for?
Baby Sensory parties are suitable for babies up to about 13 months and Toddler Sense parties are suitable for children from 2 to 5 years. To make this an enjoyable experience for everyone, all babies and children will want to be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult with whom they can share the wonderful experiences.
Special Touches
If you want to add that special touch, Baby Sensory CD's and Baby Sensory Ducks are available. Please speak to your Class Leader about these when booking the party.
I wanted to get in touch to thank you, Karsten and Jennie for a fabulous party. I have been astounded by the amount of positive feedback relating to the baby sensory party - even from people without children! I was so impressed by the amount of effort that went in to dealing with such a wide age range of overexcited kids and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Many thanks, Hanna
"We found out about Baby Sensory parties through a friend who already attends the weekly classes and she highly recommended the Baby Sensory experience! Steph was very well organised and very professional and everyone had a fantastic time!" (Wirral).
Just to say a big thanks for your help at Bonnie's 1st birthday party, everyone commented how brilliant the games and songs were. Bonnie had such a great time that we couldn't get her off to sleep that night!!!
Many thanks again, Lucy & Bonnie Maughan 14th June Solihull
"The feedback from our guests was superb, I definitely recommend Baby Sensory parties!" (Wirral)
"Wow! What a party! Unforgettable, fantastic, just what we wanted!" (Wirral)
"I have already recommended Baby Sensory parties to others. It made our son's 1st Birthday really special, it was a fantastic day that we will always remember, Thank you so much Steph!" (Wirral)
'Thank you so much for a fantastic Baby Sensory Party for Sophia & Oliver. All the preparation together with your enthusiasm really made it a party to be remembered. So many of the Mum's who came have said to me how much they enjoyed it to.
Well done and a big thank you!' (Basingstoke - Oct 2007)
'Thank you so much for such a wonderful party – I really enjoyed it. Mummy says thank you so much for all your hard work in preparing my party – it was such good fun.
I am sure all my friends and family had a great time too!' (Basingstoke - Feb 2008)
'Thank you very much for the Baby Sensory classes that I have been to. I have enjoyed them very much and had lots of fun. My Birthday party was excellent – thank you for making it so special for me!' (Basingstoke - Feb 2008)
'A huge thank you from everyone at the party - we had a fantastic time!
This of course was all down to your enthusiasm, activities and creating a wonderful atmosphere of fun! Thank you!' (Basingstoke - Mar 2008)
"We decided to have a baby sensory birthday party as we wanted to celebrate our sons 1st birthday but without the stress of having to entertain the babies ourselves.
I sat down with Juliette and came up with a plan for the party. We picked songs that would work well for new parents who had not experienced a baby sensory class so that everyone could join in. We hired our village hall which was relatively cheap and meant we had plenty of room for the party.
The party was just like a class with 20mins of singing followed by 20mins of free play to allow the babies to explore the toys that Juliet brought. We then had a further 20mins to finish off the hour. My son obviously enjoyed his 'extra' class and it was nice to see the parents and babies who haven't experienced Baby Sensory before enjoying themselves.
I would certainly recommend anyone who is thinking about having a Baby Sensory birthday party to speak to their class teacher as it is a great way to celebrate your child's 1st birthday without the hassle of having to do the entertaining yourself whilst creating a fun and memorable day." (Bath)
"We hired baby sensory to run a session at our joint 1st birthday party. The party was great fun - the 7 babies all really enjoyed themselves as did the adults! The combination of a structured session broken up by some play worked really well. Lucy was incredibly enthusiastic and made the party a huge success! The baby scuba diving was particularly good fun as was the light show! A big thank you to Lucy for all her hard work" 1st birthday party - NCT group - Kent
"Joshua's 1st birthday party was a unique experience, thanks in large parts to Baby Sensory. The session provided lots of fun activity which kept all of Joshua's friends enthralled by way of singing, group participation and colourful visual experiences. I would highly recommend this experience to celebrate a baby's birthday." Best regards Joshua, Helen and Julian (Kent)
Below are some photographs taken by Dan Burman Photography at one of our Baby Sensory parties.


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HP 14 and Lenovo X131e
Also - nothing for these guys yet, but I am hoping to pick up an HP 14 sometime this week and get Bodhi going on it. Our same team member who did all of the wonderful improvements to the Jessie filesystem for the Samsung recently picked up a Lenovo X131e and has started work on dual booting this with Bodhi. I will post updates about these when we have something substantial to share.


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Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue 278 for the week August 6 - 12, 2012.
In This Issue
- Announcing the Ubuntu App Showdown winners
- Welcome New Members
- Ubuntu Stats
The State of the LoCo
Resources for Ubuntu LoCos
Free Official Ubuntu Book For Approved LoCo Teams
- San Francisco Ubuntu Hour and Debian Dinner Wrap-up
- Successful Ubuntu Hour in Jo'burg today
- Juju and Nagios, sittin' in a tree.. (Part 1)
- Oliver Grawert: The Bamboo Feeder – automating continuous ARM image tests
- Didier Roche: Quickly reboot: developer feedback wrap up and templates content
- Mathieu Trudel: Bug 1010724: Why doesn't dnsmasq listen on both IPv4 and IPv6?
- s.fox: An Interview with Idleone
- Nicholas Skaggs: Quality mid-cycle checkup
- Ubuntu TV: Ubuntu TV Weekly Update #5
- Jorge Castro: Easier Installation for Everyone With the Ubuntu Button
- Canonical Design Team: Ubuntu Online Tour
- The Fridge: Interview with Jasna Benčić
- The Fridge: Ubuntu Manual: Call for Authors
- Canonical News
- Ubuntu App Showdown: 15 Hot Apps to Watch
- Ubuntu Light Themes Updated With New Style For Nautilus, More [Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal]
- In Other News
- Other Articles of Interest
- Weekly Ubuntu Development Team Meetings
- Upcoming Meetings and Events
- Updates and Security for 8.04, 10.04, 11.04, 11.10 and 12.04
- And much more!
General Community News
Announcing the Ubuntu App Showdown winners
David Planella of the App Developer blog announces the gold, silver, and bronze prize-winners of the Ubuntu App Showdown, which had a total of 133 app submissions: Lightread, Fogger, and Picksaw. He describes each of these applications, and thanks both the participants and the Application Review Board (ARB).
In addition to these top prizes, there is also an upcoming "community vote" prize. All participating app developers will also receive a free Ubuntu t-shirts.
Welcome New Members
A little late with these announcements from July 30th, but welcome!
Stefano Rivera was approved as an Ubuntu Core Developer - https://launchpad.net/~stefanor
Matthieu Baerts was granted PPU upload rights for cairo-dock, cairo-doc-plug-ins and latexila - https://launchpad.net/~matttbe
Ubuntu Stats
Bug Stats
- Open (98114) -444 over last week
- Critical (64) +1 over last week
- Unconfirmed (48838) -404 over last week
As always, the Bug Squad needs more help. If you want to get started, please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad
Translation Stats Precise
- English (Australia) (3) +1 over last week
- English (United Kingdom) (7794) -176 over last week
- Spanish (10152) -31 over last week
- Bosnian (33781) +1 over last week
- Brazilian Portuguese (33947) -476 over last week
Remaining strings to translate in Ubuntu 12.04 "Precise Pangolin", see more at: https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/precise/ and https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Translations
Ubuntu Brainstorm Top this week
To use a computer running Ubuntu as a wi-fi repeater - http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/30020/
Built-in help features are weak - http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/30026/
Ubuntu Brainstorm is a community site geared toward letting you add your ideas for Ubuntu. You can submit your own idea, or vote for or against another idea. http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/
Ask Ubuntu Top 5 Questions this week
Where is the bootloader stored - in ROM, RAM, or elsewhere? http://askubuntu.com/questions/173248/where-is-the-bootloader-stored-in-rom-ram-or-elsewhere
Do I really need the "source code" in software sources? http://askubuntu.com/questions/172586/do-i-really-need-the-source-code-in-software-sources
Why isn't VLC the default video player? http://askubuntu.com/questions/173203/why-isnt-vlc-the-default-video-player
Is "laptop-mode-tools" still relevant for 12.04 and the 3.x kernels? http://askubuntu.com/questions/172391/is-laptop-mode-tools-still-relevant-for-12-04-and-the-3-x-kernels
How do I remove a PPA added via command-line? http://askubuntu.com/questions/173195/how-do-i-remove-a-ppa-added-via-command-line
Ask (and answer!) your own questions at http://askubuntu.com
LoCo News
The State of the LoCo
Benjamin Kerensa writes about the status of LoCo teams in the United States. He shares "troubling" quotes from some unapproved teams he contacted to learn what has prevented them from becoming approved teams. In order to address the issues brought up, he suggests: improved mentoring, better engagement with unapproved LoCos, follow-ups and health checks of LoCos who are declined approval, and a library of resources that include a leadership document.
Resources for Ubuntu LoCos
Benjamin Kerensa informs Ubuntu LoCos about books and other resources available for Ubuntu events and release parties. Kerensa gives a list of resources along with contact information for: O'Reilly Books, Apress Books, Peachpit Books, Focal Press Books, Pearson/Addison-Wesley/Pretince Hall/SAMS
Free Official Ubuntu Book For Approved LoCo Teams
Jono Bacon informs approved Ubuntu LoCo teams how to obtain a free copy of the Official Ubuntu Book. Bacon states: "Prentice Hall is happy to send each and every approved LoCo team one free copy of The Official Ubuntu Book. To be entirely clear: this is one copy of the book per team. This will be a great addition to each team's library of Ubuntu books!"
San Francisco Ubuntu Hour and Debian Dinner Wrap-up
Elizabeth Krumbach writes about her hosting experiences at the recently held Ubuntu Hour and Bay Area Debian dinner at San Francisco, and how Debian dinners help boost Ubuntu Hour attendance.
Successful Ubuntu Hour in Jo'burg today
Maia Grotepass shares photos from a recent Ubuntu Hour in Johannesburg and thanks queery1985 for "sharing CDs and for organising the Ubuntu Hour."
Ubuntu Cloud News
Juju and Nagios, sittin' in a tree.. (Part 1)
Clint Byrum starts a series of posts about Juju and Nagios. In this first post, he explains Nagios in detail, focusing on two main features that Nagios provides: service monitoring and resource monitoring. He then introduces some of the benefits of Juju when configuring Nagios for service checks.
The Planet
Oliver Grawert: The Bamboo Feeder – automating continuous ARM image tests
Oliver Grawert discusses his work and the challenges that were overcome at a recent sprint with the Canonical QA team setting up and PXE booting a bunch of pandaboards for testing.
Didier Roche: Quickly reboot: developer feedback wrap up and templates content
Didier Roche reports on the recently held Quickly reboot sessions, now available for viewing on YouTube at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nIyFxdTEpU. Roche also announces the next sessions which will focus on templates in Quickly.
Mathieu Trudel: Bug 1010724: Why doesn't dnsmasq listen on both IPv4 and IPv6?
Mathieu Trudel writes about dnsmasq in Ubuntu currently only listening on an IPv4 address, stating: "Dnsmasq currently only listens on 127.0.0.1; that's done on purpose. If the only nameserver you have is 127.0.0.1, both IPv4 and IPv6 queries will go through it. It doesn't listen on an IPv6 address." Trudel goes on to say "Letting dnsmasq listen on IPv6 is definitely something I wouldn't mind to see working; but it's unfortunately not as simple as adding '--listen-address=::1' to the parameters passed to dnsmasq by NetworkManager."
s.fox: An Interview with Idleone
s.fox interviews Giovanni Chiazzese about his involvement in the Ubuntu community, interests in Linux, computers, and much more.
Nicholas Skaggs: Quality mid-cycle checkup
Nicholas Skaggs writes about plans and progress with application testing, SRU verification, general testing (e.g., day-to-day running of the development version), calls for testing, QA tracker development, hardware database, and test cases.
Ubuntu TV: Ubuntu TV Weekly Update #5
Jim Hoddap reports about changes in Ubuntu TV project including:
- Unity 3D status
- Work continues to progress on this effort. More specific details coming soon after the changes land in a public launchpad branch
- Grilo plugin for TMDB has been written. Commit to Grilo upstream should occur soon.
- Use the Grilo test GUI to experiment with the plugin
- Community members can use the TMDB as a template to contribute other metadata provider plugins (such as TTVDB)
Hoddap also reports on the current status of the project and requests volunteers willing to join the project.
Jorge Castro: Easier Installation for Everyone With the Ubuntu Button
Jorge Castro writes in his blog about the Ubuntu Button, stating "we have a bunch of places where we could use this button, and it'd be easy for people to submit edits and make each answer better and better. When someone google's "How do I install foo on Ubuntu?" it'd be nice to see that big honkin' button."
Canonical Design Team: Ubuntu Online Tour
Anthony Dillon writes about his recent work with the Ubuntu online tour innovations with HTML5 and JQuery. Dillon states: "As a member of the web team I decided to take on the challenge as a cool way to testing out some HTML5 and jQuery. The purpose of this blog is to talk about some of the challenges and thought processes I went through during the build." Dillon also puts out a call for contributors who have HTML, CSS and jQuery skills.
The Fridge: Interview with Jasna Benčić
Elizabeth Krumbach interviews Jasna Benčić about her involvement in the Ubuntu community, her role in the community, future plans, and much more.
The Fridge: Ubuntu Manual: Call for Authors
John Xygonakis of the Ubuntu Manual team shares Ubuntu Manual plans for the 12.10 cycle and puts out a call for authors on the following sections: Ubuntu Desktop, Working with Ubuntu, Viewing and editing photos, Reading and compositing mail, Browsing the web, Getting online, and Learning More.
Canonical News
An enterprise summit not to be missed!
Cezzaine Haigh writes about Ubuntu Enterprise Summit to be held in Copenhagen on October 30th. Haigh also emphasizes the summit's three key topics:
- How flexibility creates business value
- Choosing which bandwagon to board
- The way ahead, from client to cloud
The future is open cloud
Susan Wu writes about increased enterprise interest in open cloud computing and about its benefits, including reduced costs and increased flexibility without the risk of vendor lock-in. Wu also mentions Juju and MAAS, referring them as "technologies are streamlining the deployment process, making it quicker and simpler than ever to get applications running in the cloud."
In The Blogosphere
Blender and Ubuntu Creating TV Ad Magic in Brazil
Joey Sneddon of OMG!Ubuntu! shows how Brazil-based graphics studio OvniVFX is working in the advertisement industry to create vibrant, imaginative TV commercials for various clients using only Blender and Ubuntu.
Ubuntu App Showdown: 15 Hot Apps to Watch
Manuel Jose, Tech Drive-in, reviews 15 of the "hottest" apps in the Ubuntu App Showdown Contest recently held to encourage development in Ubuntu. More than 150 applications were submitted and 133 qualified for the final list. At the time of writing, winners had not yet been announced. Even so, Jose provides an information on how to download the apps.
Ubuntu Light Themes Updated With New Style For Nautilus, More [Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal]
Andrew of WebUpd8 reviews the new Ubuntu light themes updated for the new Nautilus in Quantal Quetzal (Ubuntu 12.10). Changes include the new Ambiance and Radiance themes for Quantal with new rounded tabs and larger, more rounded, buttons. He also provides screenshots of the new themes with Nautilus and non-Ubuntu default programs, such as Epiphany and Gnome Contacts, Documents, and Applications.
Video Review: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
Michael Perks of REVIEWLINUX provides a short video demonstration of Ubuntu 12.04. Perks states: "This is an OS that you will enjoy for years."
Ubuntu Delays Wayland System Compositor
Michael Larabel of Phoronix writes that according to a blueprint update, "Ubuntu 12.10 will not be shipping with a Wayland-based system compositor as was once hoped for, but the experimental system compositor can be enabled from a PPA in a very primitive state."
Ubuntu Desktop Environment Usage Statistics
Nitesh from Ubuntu Vibes reports on the usage statistics of the Ubuntu Desktop Environment. The various desktop environments include Unity, Classic Gnome, KDE, Gnome Shell, XFCE, LXDE. Results were tabulated through the Popcorn Project which reported on usage statistics totaling 2,363,432 users of Ubuntu. The usage statistics feature is automatically activated with the installation of the OS, and it reports on files used and packages installed.
In Other News
Three Top Ubuntu Alternatives
Matt Harley of Datamation explores his "top 3" Ubuntu alternatives. These are derivatives based on Ubuntu, yet having their own unique take on the Ubuntu base. The three derivatives covered are Linux Mint, with its simpler UI, software backup, and desktop environment. Then there's Peppermint Linux OS which, in contrast to Linux Mint, is very cloud-centric in its preferences in cloud software over local apps. Then there's Pear Linux 5, which is very Apple-like in its UI and is ideal for netbooks.
Ubuntu 12.10 Might Ship With Nautilus 3.4 Instead Of 3.6
Andrew, WebUpd8, reports on recent comments from Sebastien Bacher, software engineer at Canonical, that Ubuntu 12.10 Quantal Quetzal might go back to Nautilus 3.4, even though Nautilus 3.5 is already in Quantal repositories. Furthermore Ubuntu might follow the recent forks from Nautilus, such as Marlin or Nemo.
Other Articles of Interest
KDE Running on Windows 8, Replaces Metro [Video] - http://www.ubuntuvibes.com/2012/08/kde-running-on-windows-8-replaces-metro.html
Intel Continues With Mesa Changes For Valve - http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTE1NTc
Open Source for the Space Age - http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/open-source-space-age
Steam to move beyond games on Windows. Will it bring productivity apps to Linux? - http://www.itworld.com/personal-tech/289066/steam-move-beyond-games-windows-will-it-bring-productivity-apps-linux
ZaReason Launch The First Linux UltraBook - http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/08/zareason-launch-the-first-linux-ultrabook
Party like it's 1999: CDE Unix desktop REBORN- http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/09/cde_goes_opensource/
Weekly Ubuntu Development Team Meetings
Kernel Team - August 7, 2012 https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeam/Meeting#Tues.2C_07_Aug_2012
QA Team - August 8, 2012 https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/Meetings/QA/20120808
Desktop Team - August 7, 2012 https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DesktopTeam/Meeting/2012-08-07
Security Team - August 6, 2012 https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/Security/20120806
Server Team - August 8, 2012 https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/Server/20120807
Upcoming Meetings and Events
For upcoming meetings and events please visit the calendars at fridge.ubuntu.com: http://fridge.ubuntu.com/calendars/
Updates and Security for 8.04, 10.04, 11.04, 11.10 and 12.04
Security Updates
[USN-1524-1] WebKit vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2012-August/001777.html
[USN-1525-1] Calligra vulnerability - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2012-August/001779.html
[USN-1526-1] KOffice vulnerability - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2012-August/001778.html
[USN-1527-1] Expat vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2012-August/001780.html
[USN-1514-1] Linux kernel (OMAP4) vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2012-August/001781.html
[USN-1529-1] Linux kernel vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2012-August/001782.html
[USN-1530-1] Linux kernel (OMAP4) vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2012-August/001783.html
[USN-1531-1] Linux kernel vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2012-August/001784.html
[USN-1532-1] Linux kernel (OMAP4) vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2012-August/001785.html
[USN-1533-1] Linux kernel vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2012-August/001786.html
[USN-1534-1] Linux kernel (EC2) vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2012-August/001787.html
[USN-1535-1] Linux kernel vulnerabilities - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-security-announce/2012-August/001788.html
Ubuntu 8.04 Updates
expat 2.0.1-0ubuntu1.2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/hardy-changes/2012-August/012795.html
expat 2.0.1-0ubuntu1.2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/hardy-changes/2012-August/012796.html
End of life - April 2013 (Server)
Ubuntu 10.04 Updates
nis 3.17-31ubuntu0.10.04.3 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013037.html
cacti 0.8.7e-2ubuntu0.3 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013038.html
pango-graphite 0.9.2-3.1ubuntu0.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013039.html
ipsec-tools 1:0.7.1-1.6ubuntu1.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013040.html
linux-meta 18.104.22.168.49 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013041.html
linux-meta 18.104.22.168.49 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013042.html
linux-ports-meta 184.108.40.206.34 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013044.html
linux-ports-meta 22.214.171.124.34 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013043.html
linux 2.6.32-42.95 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013045.html
linux 2.6.32-42.95 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013046.html
linux-backports-modules-2.6.32 2.6.32-42.44 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013047.html
linux-backports-modules-2.6.32 2.6.32-42.44 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013048.html
linux-meta-ec2 184.108.40.2067.28 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013049.html
linux-ec2 2.6.32-347.52 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013050.html
linux-ec2 2.6.32-347.52 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013051.html
linux-meta-ec2 184.108.40.2067.28 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013052.html
expat 2.0.1-7ubuntu1.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013053.html
expat 2.0.1-7ubuntu1.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/lucid-changes/2012-August/013054.html
End of Life - April 2013 (Desktop) - April 2015 (Server)
Ubuntu 11.04 Updates
koffice- https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/natty-changes/2012-August/012628.html
koffice 1:2.3.3-0ubuntu4.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/natty-changes/2012-August/012629.html
linux 2.6.38-15.65 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/natty-changes/2012-August/012630.html
linux 2.6.38-15.65 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/natty-changes/2012-August/012631.html
linux-ti-omap4 2.6.38-1209.25 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/natty-changes/2012-August/012632.html
linux-ti-omap4 2.6.38-1209.25 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/natty-changes/2012-August/012633.html
expat 2.0.1-7ubuntu3.11.04.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/natty-changes/2012-August/012634.html
expat 2.0.1-7ubuntu3.11.04.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/natty-changes/2012-August/012635.html
End of Life - October 2012
Ubuntu 11.10 Updates
udev 173-0ubuntu4.3 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012301.html
koffice 1:2.3.3-0ubuntu6.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012302.html
koffice 1:2.3.3-0ubuntu6.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012303.html
pcmanfm 0.9.9-0ubuntu1.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012304.html
xdiagnose 1.6.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012305.html
nis 3.17-32ubuntu1.3 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012306.html
linux 3.0.0-24.40 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012307.html
linux 3.0.0-24.40 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012308.html
linux-backports-modules-3.0.0 3.0.0-24.17 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012309.html
linux-backports-modules-3.0.0 3.0.0-24.17 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012310.html
linux-meta 18.104.22.168.28 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012312.html
linux-meta-ti-omap4 126.96.36.1994.13 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012311.html
linux-meta 184.108.40.206.28 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012313.html
linux-ti-omap4 3.0.0-1214.26 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012314.html
linux-ti-omap4 3.0.0-1214.26 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012315.html
linux-meta-ti-omap4 22.214.171.1244.13 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012316.html
expat 2.0.1-7ubuntu188.8.131.52 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012317.html
expat 2.0.1-7ubuntu188.8.131.52 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/oneiric-changes/2012-August/012318.html
End of Life - April 2013
Ubuntu 12.04 Updates
cups 1.5.3-0ubuntu3 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016885.html
amavisd-new 1:2.6.5-0ubuntu3.2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016886.html
apport 2.0.1-0ubuntu12 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016887.html
libxslt 1.1.26-8ubuntu1.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016888.html
gnome-control-center 1:3.4.2-0ubuntu0.4 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016889.html
live-build 3.0~a24-1ubuntu32.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016890.html
live-build 3.0~a24-1ubuntu32.2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016891.html
light-themes 0.1.9.1-0ubuntu1.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016892.html
sqlite3 3.7.9-2ubuntu1.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016893.html
unity 5.14.0-0ubuntu1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016894.html
live-build 3.0~a24-1ubuntu32.3 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016895.html
live-build 3.0~a24-1ubuntu32.3 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016896.html
ibid 0.1.1+dfsg-3ubuntu0.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016897.html
accountsservice 0.6.15-2ubuntu9.3 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016898.html
python2.7 2.7.3-0ubuntu3.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016899.html
ubuntu-docs 12.04.6 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016900.html
libvirt 0.9.8-2ubuntu17.3 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016901.html
psensor 0.6.2.16-1ubuntu4.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016902.html
webkit 1.8.1-0ubuntu0.12.04.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016903.html
webkit 1.8.1-0ubuntu0.12.04.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016904.html
unity-greeter 0.2.8-0ubuntu1.2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016905.html
aptdaemon 0.43+bzr805-0ubuntu3 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016906.html
cedarview-graphics-drivers 20120717-0ubuntu1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016907.html
cedarview-drm-drivers 20120717-0ubuntu1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016908.html
cedarview-vaapi-driver 20120608-0ubuntu1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016909.html
update-manager 1:0.156.14.8 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016910.html
launchpad-integration 0.1.56.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016911.html
nspr 4.8.9-1ubuntu2.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016912.html
update-notifier 0.119ubuntu8.5 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016913.html
openoffice.org 1:3.3.0-7ubuntu7.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016914.html
software-center 5.2.5 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016915.html
freerdp 1.0.1-1ubuntu2.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016916.html
compiz 1:0.9.7.8-0ubuntu1.4 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016917.html
d-conf 0.12.0-0ubuntu1.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016918.html
mythtv 2:0.25.2+fixes.20120802.46cab93-0ubuntu1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016919.html
calligra- https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016920.html
calligra 1:2.4.0-0ubuntu2.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016921.html
apt-clone 0.2.2ubuntu2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016922.html
walinuxagent 1.0~git20120606.c16f5e9-0ubuntu2~12.04.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016923.html
virtinst 0.600.1-1ubuntu3.2 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016924.html
update-manager 1:0.156.14.9 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016925.html
linux 3.2.0-29.46 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016926.html
linux-armadaxp 3.2.0-1606.9 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016927.html
linux 3.2.0-29.46 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016928.html
linux-meta 184.108.40.206.31 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016929.html
linux-ti-omap4 3.2.0-1417.23 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016930.html
linux-backports-modules-3.2.0 3.2.0-29.14 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016931.html
linux-backports-modules-3.2.0 3.2.0-29.14 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016932.html
linux-armadaxp 3.2.0-1606.9 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016933.html
linux-meta-armadaxp 22.214.171.1246.9 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016934.html
linux-meta 188.8.131.52.31 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016935.html
linux-meta-armadaxp 126.96.36.1996.9 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016936.html
linux-ti-omap4 3.2.0-1417.23 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016938.html
linux-meta-ti-omap4 126.96.36.1997.17 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016937.html
linux-meta-ti-omap4 22.214.171.1247.17 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016939.html
expat 2.0.1-7.2ubuntu1.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016940.html
live-build 3.0~a24-1ubuntu32.4 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016941.html
expat 2.0.1-7.2ubuntu1.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016942.html
live-build 3.0~a24-1ubuntu32.4 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016943.html
xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.17.0-1ubuntu4.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016944.html
libxml-sax-perl 0.99+dfsg-1ubuntu0.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016945.html
perl 5.14.2-6ubuntu2.1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016946.html
pokerth 0.9.4-1+precise1 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016947.html
aptdaemon 0.43+bzr805-0ubuntu4 - https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/precise-changes/2012-August/016948.html
End of Life - April 2017
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text:
Middle East
The Middle East is the second moon of earth. Scientists believe it was once part of earth until the rest of the planet got sick of it and nuked it off the planet.
The Middle East, was a region of Middle Earth, east of the Middle West between Africa, Asia Minor, and Australia. The region was discovered by the US in the late 1970's mere days after the discovery of oil.
The Middle East was not created by God as so many Christians believe. But it was created by Raptor Jesus that is why praying for it to be sucked into the Earth will not work. Actually, the Middle East was created by Satin and pushed it up to the Earth's crust with the soul purpose of ruining George Bush's Presidency. In the near Furture the Middle East will be sucked back into the earth were again Satin will push is back to the Surface with even more deadly people such as Barney the not so fun loving Dinosor and Giant Gingers that will try to take over the world.
Today the Middle Easties are the most peaceful region on Earth. Socio-marine physicists claim this is due to the high levels of Oil in the area and the Israeli-Palestinian playing hide and seek.
There are no sunsets in the Middle East because the sun sets in the west.
Ancient History[edit]
The first great civilization in the Middle was that of the Babylonians (so called because the wealth of their empire was built on the baby-loaning industry), the Babylonians invented running water, running beans and running, but perhaps what they are best known for is their hanging gardens (a euphemism for breasts).
A couple of other empires happened but these, according to the Guber-Hackhard Synthesis on Civilisation are not cool enough to mention, and were thus removed from history.
The first religion to emmerge in the region was pagan worship and fallos idolatry. People enjoyed this as was easy and didn't require giving people presents.
After this came Nu Rave which contary to popular belief is the most followed World Religion (closely followed by Neo-Nazism).
Next came Zoroastrianism, this religion has a cool name and may or may not worship Jeremy Paxman.
Next emmerged Dudaism, this is what all the sneaky, rich business owners worshiped because they were investing, making money and giving money to genitals. All the Zoroastrians thought they were rich and they called their God an investment. The Dewish God, to prove he was not an investment, but a God, destroyed the banks of Switzerland, England and your moms check book. The Zoroastrians then changed the transliteration system so that Dudaism would be pronounced Judaism for all eternity, and then they went off to make more money and hire mexicans to mow their lawns.
A thousandish years later, the Arabs founded Cross-dressing. Cross-chanism has been accurately described as "Marxism in sandals" by Oscar Wilde, and became incredibly popular. Curiously, Wilde seems not to have realized that Jesus was, in fact, a tremendous enemy of Karl Marx; at one point, they engaged in a debateen brawl in a London alley. Jesus, in a move widely considered to be selling out by his followers, left the Middle East to become president of America in 71AJ.
According to Theologians, a passage in the bible states that the Apocalypse will be brought about after there is 'peace in the middle East', leading many to the conclusion that it is in their interests to prolong conflict in the area although even without intervention from the West the Apocalypse could well be prolonged by at least several thousand years.
The Middle East Today[edit]
"I visit it regularly, often in shorts."
Until recently, most of the Middle East is ruled with a velvet-gloved iron-fist(ing) by the emperor of Israel, Ariel Sharon, the man who put all the oil under the region, and subsequently made it so wealthy. However, Sharon has since been incapitated after falling into a comma and a bitter power struggle has grasped the region. Forerunners in the struggle include Charles Clarke and Robocop, however, it is likely the position shall go to Israeli Defence Minister Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who faces unflinching popular support due to his Weird Face policies.
One region not under Israeli control is Iraq (Iraqinistan: lit. home of the spider-people), since 2003, this country has voluntarily served as a holiday destination for the American and British armed forces, complete with authentic iraqi hole-in-the-ground toilets and a regular explosive firework show every night which features flying limbs and real blood.
Recently, the Middle East has been under complete military control of the Grand Armed Forces of Buffalo. The President of Buffalo has promised that order will be returned to the area by the beginning of the Sabres 2007-08 season.
In Conclusion[edit]
The Brazilian movie "City of God" was actually a dramatization of the war in God's Holy Land, with the notable exception that instead of drug turf wars portrayed in the film, the middle east has a religion turf war. Famous film critic Vladimir Lenin summed up the movie by saying that "Religion is the opiate of the masses" or some such.
This is coming to a holo-theatre near you this Dodecember!!!
See also[edit]
- Failed State
- Sand
- Ak-47
- Bombs
- Nuclear weapons
- Oil
- Jew
- Arab
- Israel
- Iraq
- George W. Bush
- Philistine
- Saudi Arabia
- Zionists
- Why?:They Hate Us?
External links[edit]
|Countries and territories of Asia
|Armenia - Azerbaijan - Cyprus - Georgia - Japan-France - Russia - Turkey (the country, not the bird) - Lebanon
|East Asia
|People's Republic of China - Hong Kong - Japan - Kansai Republic - Korea (north) (south) (pick 'em) - Macau - Mongolia - Taiwan (Republic of Taiwan) - Tibet
|Western Asia
|Arabia - Bahrain - Iran - Iraq - Israel - Jordan - Kuwait - Oman - Palestine - Qatar - Saudi Arabia - Syria - United Arab Emirates - Wherethefuckistan - Yemen
|Central Asia
|Kazakhstan - Kyrgyzstan - Tajikistan - Turkmenistan - Uzbekistan - other-stan
|South Asia
|Afghanistan - Bangladesh - Bhutan - India - Maldives - Nepal - Pakistan - Sri Lanka
|Southeast Asia
|Cambodia - East Timor - Indonesia - Laos - Burma - Malaysia - Philippines - Singapore - Thailand - West Timor - Vietnam


text:
Northern Heights 1 Inch Wood Blinds
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- Measure Instructions and Specifications
- Estimated Ship Date: 10/12/2023
You can now add at checkout with just one click - it's easy!How it works
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Put the beauty and warmth of wood in your windows without breaking the bank. The Northern Heights 1 Inch Wood Blinds, made from North American hardwood, feature a strength and lightness that makes them both long-lasting and easy to operate. Their ability to coordinate with Northern Heights 2 Inch Blinds makes it possible to get a designer-specified look throughout your entire home, while the 1" depth makes them perfect for the shallow window depths of older homes, as well French Doors.
Choose from a number of popular wood stains and painted finishes that will allow you to match your furniture, floors and wood trim. The details of color-coordinated hardware, ladders, cords and tassels give an added dimension of designer appeal that will ensure a well-designed look from top to bottom.
Install Time: 10 - 12 minutes
We Recommend:
A free valance comes standard with this product! Valances upgrade the look of your blinds and gives a finished look.
Add decorative tassels to your blinds for greater designer appeal.
For blinds that are prone to banging (e.g., blinds on doors), consider using hold downs to keep the bottomrail securely in place.
- Due to weight constraints of the blind, certain sizes might require multiple blinds on one headrail.
Coordinating Products:
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Child Safety Information:
This product has accessible cords and is not recommended for windows where children or pets may be present.
In addition to Bali's manufacturer warranty, the assurance of the Blinds.com Warranty means you can trust that this product will last and provide added value and beauty to your home.
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With SureFit™, a Blinds.com exclusive, we make sure you have complete peace measuring for any product we offer. If you made a mistake measuring your blind, we'll remake it at no cost to you. * You don't even pay for the return shipping of your old blind!
*You only pay if there's a price difference between your old and new blind, or if the new blind requires a shipping fee (generally, this applies when it's over 94" wide).Important Disclaimer:
- Limit 1 remake per item; 4 item remakes per household per lifetime (unless the error is ours, in which case, we'll make it right!).
- Same-product exchanges only, within 30 calendar days of receipt of package.
- Changes are restricted to size and mount only.
- Refunds are not offered under this guarantee.
- Commercial orders: any order containing 25 or more of the same product, of tax exempt status, or containing any Blinds.com Commercial brand product.
- Any product ordered outside our recommended sizes or specifications, which can be found on the product page.
Standard Blind Specifications
- Minimum Width: 8"
- Maximum Width: 96"
- Minimum Height: 12"
- Maximum Height: 120"
- Approximate Inside Mount Deduction: 1/2"
Mounting Requirements
- Minimum Inside Mount Depth: 3/4"
- Minimum Inside Mount Depth (fully recessed): 2 1/4"
- Minimum Outside Mounting Surface: 1 1/4"
Optional Upgrades:
- 3 1/2" Premium Traditional Valance
- 2-on-1 Headrail
- Hold Downs
- Spacer Blocks
Add-On Products
Origin of Production
- Imported


text:
First Published: 23 Jul 2018
This report looks at the state of rights of women's rights in Great Britain in 2018. It assesses the progress that has been made since 2013 and makes recommendations to the UK and Welsh governments.
First Published: 25 May 2018
Become a gender champion to advance gender equality in the workplace. Here's how.
First Published: 23 Mar 2018
This report looks at the effectiveness of unconscious bias training and makes recommendations for employers, policymakers and human resource professionals


text:
An adult female Mallard duck swims along with a single duckling. This impossibly cute original design of familial tenderness is perfect for moms of single children.
Probably the best known of all ducks, the Mallard is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and sub-tropical areas of North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.Mallards are strongly migratory in the northern parts ... More
All of our Birdorable apparel and gifts are made-to-order by our fulfillment partner Zazzle.
All our products are customizable and many are available on different styles.
Zazzle offers 100% money back guarantee on our high quality Birdorable products.
In case you are not happy with your purchase, you can always return your Birdorable product for an exchange
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text:
Google took advantage of the launch of social networking service Google+ to give Gmail a makeover. The company says the process of updating Google Apps is ongoing, and improvements have continued to roll out in recent weeks.
Here's a primer to help you wade through the changes.
–Multiple calls from Gmail. Google added the ability to place Gmail calls on hold and handle multiple calls simultaneously last week. The feature works for both incoming and outgoing calls, so it's possible to hold one call while placing or receiving another.
–Choose an inbox style. Most Gmail users have likely already noticed an option at the top of their inbox to choose between the handful of ways Gmail sorts incoming mail. The options will be familiar to most — starred first, unread first and Priority Inbox, which Google started offering last year. After users choose one of the options, the bar across the top disappears. To try a different inbox style, there's a drop-down on the Inbox link on the left-hand side.
–View ZIP and RAR contents without downloading . Last week, Google added previewing capability for both types of attachments. It's now possible to see the contents of an archive within your inbox before downloading it. You can also download individual files from the archive to a local source or save them to Google Docs.
–More sender information. A bit of a no-brainer here, but Gmail also now automatically displays the full address of mail from a person not in your contacts list. It also tells you when a message has come from a mail-sending service. The idea is to cramp down on phishing attempts. In fact, Gmail will now call your attention to messages it thinks might be after your personal information, giving you the option to report the address back to Google.
–Spreadsheet keyboard shortcuts . A new keyboard shortcut sheet is available from within a Google Doc spreadsheet. Pressing Ctrl+/ or Cmd+/ brings it up.
Another change: There's also now the ability to share Google Docs with the Android app and a few other upgrades to mobile capability.
Google promises more improvements, following the announcement that it will be shutting down its Google Labs division to focus on existing products.


text:
Senate GOP seeks Bergdahl hearing
Republicans are demanding an open hearing on the negotiated release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in return for five Taliban prisoners, arguing the classified hearing set for next week doesn't go far enough.
Senate Republicans are pushing their Democratic colleagues and the White House to agree to an open discussion of the sensitive and potentially classified information. They say that the current level of disclosure on Bergdahl has sewn further discord between Capitol Hill Republicans and the White House — a relationship that's been rocky for quite sometime.
The GOP has questions about Bergdahl's service, what Obama's motivations were in making the deal to release Bergdahl and perhaps most notably, why senior congressional leaders were not given advance notice about the swap that led to the release of five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay.
( Also on POLITICO: Criticism of Bergdahl deal mounts)
Due to their position in the Senate minority, the Senate GOP lacks the ability to set the chamber's committee schedule. But Republicans were clearly perturbed that they were left out of the process and it didn't take much on Monday to elicit fiery responses from GOP lawmakers.
"The law says they ought to give us 30 days' notice; if the president thought that was unconstitutional or an invalid law he shouldn't have signed the bill. He knew very well he was required by law to give us 30 days notice and he didn't do it," said Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), the top Senate Republican on intelligence matters. "I don't believe a thing this president says now."
"The whole motive here is that the president wants to continue to try to shut [Guantanamo] down. He knows he doesn't have the support of Congress and that's part of the motivation," said Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee. "It fits right in to what the president's been trying to do with Gitmo since before he was president of the United States. And it's kind of scary."
( Also on POLITICO: Rogers: 'A price' for U.S. soldiers)
Lawmakers received notice late Monday that on June 10, the Armed Services Committee will receive a classified briefing from the Defense Department's lawyer and two other senior officials who work on defense policy in Afghanistan.
Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) did not totally dismiss having a public debate over Bergdahl, but said first his panel must hash out the sensitive debate in a secure room in the Capitol Visitor Center.
"We'll make that decision after we get a classified hearing. But there's a lot here that has to, I'm sure, remain very, very classified. And then we'll decide after that whether we need another one," Levin said.
Inhofe said he might abstain from the private briefing, citing frustrations with being unable to relay anything to the public afterward.
( Also on POLITICO: Rice: 'Sacred obligation' led to swap)
"I'm not even sure I want to go to a closed one. They tell you things that you can't share. And if I can't share it with the public, then I don't want to know," Inhofe said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who had sent Levin a request Monday to have such an open hearing, said a classified hearing was a good first step — even if it falls on the day of his Republican primary. But Graham argued that ultimately the discussion over Bergdahl must be a public one.
"We had open hearing when it came to problems at Gitmo and detainee abuse," Graham said. "The public needs to be fully informed as much as possible about what this means to us."
And with reports flying about Bergdahl's service record and allegations that he's a deserter, Graham said the Defense Department should be tasked with an independent investigation into Bergdahl to determine his record of service and fill in the biography of a man the U.S. worked so hard to release.
"The one thing I don't want to do is judge this young man based on Internet rumors," Graham said. "I want to find out why he left his post and the ramifications of leaving his post."
Jeremy Herb contributed to this story.


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Some Mother's Son1996 Drama | History
A 1981 hunger strike in a Belfast prison is the historical inspiration for the drama Some Mother's Son, which attempts to focus on the personal dimensions of the event through its portrayal of the families of the striking prisoners. Directed by Terry George, co-author of In the Name of the Father, the film is anchored by Helen Mirren's performance as Kathleen Quigley, an educated, thoughtful schoolteacher who feels the Irish-English conflict is remote from her life until her son is arrested for his involvement with the Irish Republican Army. Yet while she supports her son and works to save his life, Kathleen nevertheless maintains her disdain for violence. This is in great contrast to Annie Higgins, the mother of Gerard's collaborator, who wholeheartedly embraces the IRA's mission. Despite their differing philosophies, the women form an uneasy bond over the suffering of their imprisoned sons. Kathleen finds herself increasingly politicized but finds herself facing a moral dilemma when the prisoners begin a hunger strike. As Gerard's next of kin, it is her right to agree to intravenous feeding should her son enter a coma; however, many people, including Annie, would see such as an act as betrayal of the strike, leaving Kathleen with a choice between saving her son's life and respecting his cause.~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide


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Flight prices to Slovenia from Pitcairn usually are around 76.00 GBP. easyJet is a common carrier airline.
Common international airlines are
Adria Airways. Popular domestic airlines are
Adria Airways
No, you are not expected to tip at restaurants and other service businesses.
No, you don't have to carry cash with you. Credit cards are generally accepted. This may not be the case in smaller cities so you should double-check when you land.
Some popular telecom companies are
Yes, you can generally drink tap water. This may not apply in smaller towns and rural areas. Double-check when you arrive.
We currently don't have information on ride-sharing services. Local taxis may be the best option. Check with local authorities upon landing.
The primary currency is EUR.
To put that in perspective, the average dinner will cost you roughly $6.61 USD.
A Visa is not required for citizens of Slovenia. Tourists are able to visit without a visa for a certain amount of time.
There are no special notes about passport validity at this time. In general, it is good to ensure that your passport is valid 3 months after your trip ends.
Freedom of movement (at least until December 31 2020):
Do not travel.
These values are calculated by computing the average scores that we have available to us across all cities in Slovenia. In some cases, they may not be completely accurate.
$50.00 USD / night
Get visa updates and travel trends in your inbox once a month.


text: GENERAL QUESTIONS Alternative Play Costs (APCs) Q: Some cards have a condition that must be true to play them with their alternative play costs (APCs). For example, Lashknife's APC reads, "If you control a plains, you may tap an untapped creature you control instead of paying Lashknife's mana cost." When do you check to see if that condition is true? A: The condition must only be true when you announce you're playing the spell. If the condition isn't true later, you don't have to back up and pay the mana cost. Q: What happens if something that makes me pay additional mana to play a spell (Gloom and Squeeze, for example) is in effect when I try to play a spell by paying its APC? A: Paying for a spell with its APC only gets you out of paying the spell's mana cost. All other costs must still be paid, including those imposed by effects such as Gloom's. Fading Q: How exactly does this ability work? A: Fading is an ability that causes permanents to stay in play for a limited time. Cards with fading come into play with a specified number of fade counters on them. They also have a triggered ability that forces you to remove one of these counters at the beginning of each of your upkeeps. When you try to remove a fade counter and there are none left to remove, you must sacrifice the permanent. Q: Why do some of the cards with fading have no reminder text? A: On a few cards, the reminder text for fading simply wouldn't fit in the text box. Fading works the same on every card, though, whether it has reminder text or not. Q: Do I have to sacrifice the permanent with fading as soon as I remove the last fade counter from it? A: No. The permanent sticks around until you try to remove a fade counter when there aren't any left to remove. Fading works similarly to being "decked"--you don't lose when you draw your last card, you lose when you have to draw a card and can't. Q: What if I forget to remove a fade counter? A: The triggered ability that makes you remove fade counters is mandatory, not optional, so you must back up and remove a counter. (If there are none left to remove, you must back up and sacrifice the permanent.) Laccolith Creatures Q: How does the ability on the laccolith creatures work? A: The laccoliths have an ability that enables them to deal damage directly to a target creature instead of dealing combat damage to creatures blocking them. It triggers whenever the laccolith becomes blocked. When it triggers, you choose a target creature. When it resolves, you decide whether to use the ability or deal the laccolith's combat damage normally. Q: What happens if a creature with first strike blocks a laccolith creature? A: If the laccolith's controller decides to use its ability, the laccolith deals damage first. This is because the laccolith ability triggers and resolves during the declare blockers step--long before the time during the combat damage step when creatures with first strike deal their combat damage. Q: Can I use a laccolith's ability to deal damage directly to a creature blocking it? A: Yes, but if you do, the laccolith won't deal its combat damage that turn. Q: Does a laccolith's ability trigger if I block it with an effect like Trap Runner's or Fog Patch's? A: Yes, because the ability doesn't say "blocked by a creature." Mercenaries/Rebels Q: If an effect tells me to search my library for a Mercenary or Rebel card and put it into play, do I have to? A: No. You can choose not to find a card of the specified type. (If this rule didn't exist, judges at tournaments would have to verify that you didn't have cards of the type you're supposed to search for.) CARD-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS Accumulated Knowledge Q: When I count the number of Accumulated Knowledge cards in graveyards, do I get to count the one that's resolving? A: No. Accumulated Knowledge is still on the stack while it's resolving, not in a graveyard. Angelic Favor Q: If I play this during my end step, can I keep the Angel token and attack with it during my next turn? A: No. Angelic Favor reads, "Play Angelic Favor only during combat," so you can't pull off the old Waylay trick. Animate Land Q: Can I play Animate Land on one of my lands and then attack with it? A: Yes--if the land has begun the turn under your control. Otherwise, you'd have to give it haste if you wanted to attack with it. Chieftain en-Dal Q: When it attacks, will it give itself first strike? A: Yes. (If it didn't, it would read, "all other attacking creatures gain first strike.") Coiling Woodworm Q: Does its ability count my opponent's forests? A: Yes. (If it didn't, it would read, "the number of forests you control.") Defiant Falcon Q: Does this count as a Rebel card for effects that search for Rebels? A: Yes. Each separate word that appears after "Creature -- " on a creature card gives it a creature type. Defiant Falcon is a "Rebel Bird," so it has two creature types: Rebel and Bird. Divining Witch Q: When I play its ability, when do I have to name a card? A: You name the card as the first step of resolving the ability. Flowstone Overseer Q: Can I target my opponent's creature with the Flowstone Overseer's ability? A: Yep. (If you couldn't, it would read, "target creature you control.") Fog Patch Q: Let's say my opponent attacks me with a creature with trample. I don't block it, but I play Fog Patch. What happens? A: Fog Patch's effect will block the creature, but that effect doesn't have a toughness value like a blocking creature would. This means all the attacking creature's damage will "trample through." Kill Switch Q: Can I choose to leave Kill Switch tapped during my untap step? A: No. Mana Cache Q: Is the second ability a mana ability? A: Yes, regardless of who's playing the ability. Netter en-Dal Q: If I play its ability on a creature that's already attacking, does that creature leave combat? A: No. Once a creature is declared as an attacker, it's too late--the Netter's ability can't stop it. Noble Stand Q: How much life do I gain if one of my creatures blocks multiple attackers (such as Wall of Glare)? A: You gain only 2 life. Noble Stand's ability triggers only once for each creature that blocks, not once for each attacking creature that gets blocked. Off Balance See Netter en-Dal. Oracle's Attendants Q: What happens if, after the ability resolves, Oracle's Attendants isn't in play when the target creature is dealt some damage? A: As worded, the damage will end up being dealt to nothing. That's why we had to update the wording on Oracle's Attendants. It should read, "T: All damage that would be dealt to target creature this turn by a source of your choice is dealt to Oracle's Attendants instead as long as both are creatures in play." Overlaid Terrain Q: Can I tap my lands for double mana before Overlaid Terrain makes me sacrifice them? A: No. Overlaid Terrain reads, "As Overlaid Terrain comes into play, sacrifice all lands you control." This means that you sacrifice them at the same time you're putting Overlaid Terrain into play. By the time Overlaid Terrain's continuous effect is "on," your lands are already in your graveyard. Pale Moon Q: If I tap a land that produces more than one mana (such as Lotus Vale), how much colorless mana do I get? A: Pale Moon doesn't change the amount of mana being produced, only the type. With Pale Moon in effect, Lotus Vale would produce three colorless mana. Parallax Wave/Nexus/Tide Q: When Parallax Wave leaves play, will it return all cards removed from the game with any Parallax Wave? A: No. When a card refers to itself, it refers to only that copy of the card, not others with the same name. This means each Parallax Wave keeps track of the cards it removed from the game separately. When the Wave leaves play, it will return only the cards it removed, not cards removed by other Parallax Waves. The same is true for Parallax Nexus and Parallax Tide. Q: What happens if I activate Parallax Wave's ability multiple times and then destroy it before the activated abilities have a chance to resolve? A: The Wave's leaves-play ability would trigger and go on the stack, on top of the activations that haven't yet resolved. That triggered ability would then resolve, returning to play all cards removed with the Wave--but none have been removed yet. Then the activations resolve, removing creatures from the game. The removals are permanent, because the Wave is already gone. The same is true for Parallax Nexus and Parallax Tide. This timing trick mandates a slight rewording of these three cards. Here it is: Fading 5 Remove a fade counter from Parallax Wave: Remove target creature from the game if Parallax Wave is in play. When Parallax Wave leaves play, each player returns to play all cards other than Parallax Wave he or she owns removed from the game with Parallax Wave. This wording means if the Wave is no longer in play when its activated ability tries to resolve, the target creature won't be removed from the game. Parallax Nexus and Parallax Tide get similar corrections, but without the "other than this card" restriction: Fading 5 Remove a fade counter from Parallax Tide: Remove target land from the game if Parallax Tide is in play. When Parallax Tide leaves play, each player returns to play all cards he or she owns removed from the game with Parallax Tide. Fading 5 Remove a fade counter from Parallax Nexus: Target opponent removes a card in his or her hand from the game if Parallax Nexus is in play. Play this ability only if you could play a sorcery. When Parallax Nexus leaves play, each player returns to his or her hand all cards he or she owns removed from the game with Parallax Nexus. Q: How does Parallax Wave interact with Opalescence? A: The corrected wording stops weird tricks involving Parallax Wave removing itself from the game while Opalescence is in play. Spiteful Bully Q: Can I have the Bully deal damage to itself? A: Sure. The Bully's ability doesn't say, "another target creature," so it can target itself. (In fact, if the Bully is the only creature in play, it must target itself.) Stronghold Gambit Q: What happens to cards that aren't put into play? A: They remain in their owners' hands, and they don't stay revealed. Q: What happens if neither player chooses a creature card? A: Nothing is put into play. When Stronghold Gambit resolves, everyone reveals a card, but only the creature cards and their mana costs matter. Noncreature cards simply stay in their owners' hands. Terrain Generator Q: If I play Terrain Generator's second ability during my turn, does it count as my one land play for the turn? A: No. Using a spell or ability to put a land into play doesn't count as your once-a-turn land play. Topple Q: When does this spell check to see which creature has the greatest power? A: Topple reads, "target creature with the greatest power." This means you can target only the creature with the greatest power when you play Topple. When it resolves, if your chosen target no longer has the greatest power (or is at least tied for greatest), it's no longer a valid target and Topple will be countered. ©1999 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved.


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June 10, 2010
Google Web Alerts No Longer Available
"We've decided to retire Web alerts because they are used by very few people and an alert of type Everything will find the same results. This week we'll be changing all alerts of type Web into alerts of type Everything. You may receive more results after this change. If you find that you are getting too many results, you can change the "How often" setting to "once a day" or "once a week." You can also change your search query. You can do this on the alerts management page, or by removing the alert using the link at the bottom of each alert email and creating it again with different settings."
Maybe Google should discontinue Google Alerts and provide regular feeds for search results. Right now, you can create feeds for web search results using Google Alerts, but they have URLs that can't be generated automatically. Google News, Blog Search, and Google Video already offer feeds for search results.
{ Thanks, Abhijeet. }
21 comments:
Hopefully they're working on cleaning up the spam in Alerts, especially if they're returning results from everything. Right now it seems many alerts are frequently coming from some spam blog that is aggregating search terms/links.ReplyDelete
Oh well, that's fine I guess. Thanks for the update, just got the same from Marcel Gordon in Google.ReplyDelete
They never worked for me or with long delaysReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 10, 2010 at 11:03 AM
I am bummed. I used them to search specific craigslist sections for certain keywords.ReplyDelete
I bet if more people used them for things like that many more people would be using them.
- AnonymousJune 10, 2010 at 11:08 AM
Add url to Goog Reader & get the same result as web alerts.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 10, 2010 at 12:12 PM
Don't change it to only rss feeds. I find getting a mail of searchresults for my name every 2 month much easier than checking an rss feed every day!!ReplyDelete
I depend on Google Alerts for many things. It is one way get news fast :)ReplyDelete
Google is really going down hill lately !
- AnonymousJune 10, 2010 at 1:15 PM
Huh, I just noticed why my google alerts never worked.ReplyDelete
The search queries are language-restricted. My query was written in English, but because I had the Google UI in French, the query was set to only query French pages. There is no visible way to change this.
If you have that problem: use http://www.google.com/alerts/export and check the second to last column is what you expect. Make sure to visit http://www.google.com/alerts/manage?hl=en if you want your query to run against pages in English.
I wish I could get RSS feeds from custom search, that would be more usefull.ReplyDelete
How the hell do I turn them off?? the alerts I am talking about.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 11, 2010 at 12:30 AM
I didn't like Google Alerts because I couldn't get it to watch a particular web page for updatesReplyDelete
- CedricJune 11, 2010 at 5:04 AM
I have an alert looking for "viagra" on my web site.ReplyDelete
If I ever get hacked, I should get an email when it happens.
I use Google Alerts. They shouldn't shut it. Having RSS feeds, on the other hand, will be handy.ReplyDelete
Google is not discontinuing the service. Instead of getting alerts for web results, you'll receive alerts that include results from Google Web Search, Google News, Google Blog Search etc.ReplyDelete
i love google alerts. but i need the alerts on everything to see if someone is stealing my literary work.ReplyDelete
Salvad las alertas, son muy útiles y cómodasReplyDelete
This is a good/bad thing for me. For my own use I usually got everything anyway but for clients I would use specific alerts like News for the news section of their blogs.ReplyDelete
Although Google.com sent Alerts to retirement, Google just made this service available in Arabic. Announcement came on the official Google Arabic blog.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 14, 2010 at 9:59 AM
I have been using Google Alerts on many topics, for long. Perhaps Google ain't getting money from these!!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 24, 2010 at 9:10 PM
OK, I don't quite understand this.....at first I was thinking they were dumping the service....BUT, it seems like they are just dumping the "Web Search Only" alerts.....they still have the "Comprehensive" which monitors all avenues of possibility.ReplyDelete
And gotta say I love Google Alerts to monitor my works as well as "local news" for my community.
I really, really got hooked to Google Alerts and now seeking a way too have an alert sent to me automatically, but if not available, so be it. It was excellent and very useful to me for my chronicles. "Thanks for the memories."ReplyDelete


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For most 8 year old boys, giggling is an expression of joy! For our son, Mark, episodes of uncontrollable laughter are a rare type of seizure. As a toddler, Mark was quick to smile and laughed often. He seemed happy, but my husband, Craig, and I had a feeling something was amiss. Mark often made swallowing motions and had frequent, but brief moments where he "spaced out." Our pediatrician diagnosed him with reflux and assured us he was fine. As first time parents, we assumed we were being overly sensitive. However, when Mark's preschool teacher validated our concerns, we began a series of medical screenings. Test after test came back normal increasing our anxiety that something was being missed and further isolating us from our friends – we could see Mark was "different" from his peers – why wasn't it obvious to anyone else?
One day Mark and Craig went ice skating. Mark had been ice skating proficiently since he was 2 and loved to hit a puck around on the ice with his dad. Mid-skate stroke, Mark froze. After a minute, he tried to skate but kept falling down and could not stay upright. Suddenly, Craig, an orthopedic surgeon, realized that Mark was experiencing the disorienting state that follows a seizure. A neurologist diagnosed Mark with epilepsy and an MRI was scheduled to rule out the "bad stuff."
Mark had the MRI just before his 5th birthday. At first, the radiologist reported Mark's MRI appeared normal. However, after we conveyed the strange "staring spells" and "unusual giggling" episodes Mark experienced, the radiologist reviewed the MRI again. He concluded that Mark had a very small hypothalamic hamartoma (HH) – a rare tumor on his hypothalamus. The giggling was a "gelastic" seizure.
You can imagine the fear we felt when we were told Mark had a brain tumor. A hypothalamic hamartoma is 1 in a 200,000 diagnosis and most radiologists would have missed it. We found some information on an international online support group and suddenly Mark's peculiar symptoms began to make sense. However, the information created new anxiety because many children diagnosed with HH are severely handicapped due to frequent seizures and are physically, cognitively, and behaviorally challenged. Is this what was in store for Mark and our family?
Mark's symptoms worsened and he began having daily gelastic, absence, complex partial, and grand mal seizures. We tried antiepileptic drugs even though gelastic seizures do not respond to medicine. We sent Mark's records to over 20 neurosurgeons worldwide hoping for guidance. Some doctors declared Mark did not have a HH; others were convinced he did. Some thought we needed surgery; others advised we should "watch and wait." The diversity of medical advice from top neurosurgeons was overwhelming. We felt scared for Mark as we realized all of the ways this condition would impact him, as well as alone in trying to make the best decisions for our son.
At age 5 ½, Mark underwent Gamma Knife Surgery (GKS) (radiation targeted at the tumor with the goal of killing it to make the seizures cease) which at the time was considered "experimental." Since Mark was high functioning and his seizures were fewer than most HH children, he was deemed a good candidate for this procedure which could take up to 3+ years to determine whether or not it was effective.
In the three years since Mark's surgery, he has become a gifted artist and continues to play sports with his neighborhood friends. While he is experiencing fewer gelastic and absence seizures, he is not cured. He has significant memory deficits and processes information more slowly than his peers. His 2 ½ year younger brother has surpassed Mark's ability to read and he attends a school for children with learning disabilities. He struggles with many educational, emotional, and social side effects. It is heart wrenching to watch your child laugh against his will and then deliberately try to cover it up as if someone had just told a joke.
One of Mark's neurologists put it best – he is a minority (epilepsy diagnosis) – within a minority (HH diagnosis) – within a minority (high functioning compared to other HH kids). We have been forewarned that the effects of HH worsen as children age. Consequently, we are now confronted with the difficult decision of whether to continue to watch and wait, repeat GKS, or try endoscopic surgery that would involve going deep into Mark's brain. If surgery is successful, Mark could be seizure and symptom free. But if anything goes wrong, we risk irreparable harm to our high functioning, happy-go-lucky son. This is an impossible decision – with surgery, we might cure our son of this condition for life or leave him far worse. How do you choose?
As a surgeon and former non-profit executive, we felt a strong calling to use our resources and experiences to help others. In early 2010, we joined with 3 other families and founded a 501c3 nonprofit foundation – Hope for Hypothalamic Hamartomas (www.hopeforhh.org) – whose mission is to provide information and support to HH patients and to promote much needed research into this condition. We fear that many HH kids are misdiagnosed like Mark or are treated for psychiatric problems (given the peculiar seizures). Even kids who have been correctly diagnosed with HH often end up having parts of their brain removed that should have been left intact because of misunderstanding of the condition.
Research is key to figuring out how to prevent and cure this devastating condition so HH kids can laugh from joy and not against their will.


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Sounds horrible! What happened to our free market system and letting failures like these work themselves out?
The increased debt load is beyond ridiculous.
In my last article I wrote about the one aspect of the $300 billion dollar housing bailout that I thought made sense, but the full text of the bill known as H.R. 3221 is over 700 pages so it is too complex to discuss in any one blog post. Today I shall highlight some of the more questionable and even dangerous aspects of the bill.
Loose underwriting standards for troubled homeowners - In a section called "Flexible Underwriting Criteria", the bill states that The Oversight Board will "ensure that each mortgagor under a mortgage insured under this section has a reasonable expectation of repaying the mortgage, taking into consideration the mortgagor's income, assets, liabilities, payment history, and other applicable criteria, but which shall not result in a denial of insurance solely on the basis of the mortgagor's current FICO or other credit scores, or any delinquency or default by the mortgagor under the existing mortgage or mortgages, or any case filed under title 11, United States Code, by the mortgagor." Basically it says that a troubled homeowner can still qualify for a new government insured loan despite bad credit and past financial mistakes. This is encouraging for those truly trying to get out of their real estate nightmares, but I imagine it will probably result in more defaults because some financially irresponsible people just never change. When those second defaults come in, tax payers will have to eat more loan losses.
Revenue recovery through home sale profits - According to Section 257 of the bill, if the FHA gives a loan to a troubled homeowner then the FHA is entitled to an exit premium. This means that when the homeowner sells the home and makes a profit the FHA can collect all or a portion of the profits. The FHA is entitled to 100% of any profits realized within one year, 80% of any profit realized within two years, 60% of any profit realized within three years, and 50% of any profit thereafter. I can see a lot of ways to get around this provision. For example, sellers and buyers can work out a deal where it looks like the seller is not making a profit, but in actuality the buyer gives the seller cash in the form of a "gift". It also does not seem clear how they will collect these profits.
Credit card and other payment processors must report transactions to the IRS - At first glance, I thought that it was strange this is in this housing bill. Apparently, the government believes that if all credit card and other monetary transactions such as PayPal are reported they are likely to receive more tax revenues. Groups and consumers concerned with privacy are very wary of this provision because many small business owners use their own Social Security Numbers as a tax ID. See more information in this article from Computer World .
More tax credits and deductions for homeowners - There are over 60 sections in this bill related to various different tax incentives. One section describes the $7500 first time homeowner tax credit that I discussed a while back in this article. Another section allows an additional standard deduction on the federal tax return for filers who do not itemize for their local property tax. The additional deduction is $350 for an individual filer or $700 for a joint return so the impact should not be very big. As I said in my previous article, I think there are enough tax credits for homeowners already.
The Treasury gets a blank check to maintain Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae - The Treasury is given the authority to buy stocks and debt in these two giant Government Sponsored Enterprises in order to keep them afloat. In short, taxpayer money will be used to cover losses Freddie and Fannie incurred. This is pretty irresponsible considering that most tax payers did not benefit from Freddie and Fannie financially when their stocks were darlings of Wall Street. Now that these companies are falling down it is the taxpayers that have to pay for the damage.
The national debt limit is raised by $800 billion - All I have to say is, why do they even bother with a limit if they intend to spend and borrow as much as they can? This increase brings the debt ceiling to $10.6 trillion, and that is equivalent to about 75% of America's gross domestic product. This will probably devalue the dollar as America becomes a more risky place for investment.
The Senate is set on voting for this bill this week and President Bush has backed off from saying that he would veto this bill so most likely it will pass. I think this bill will be very costly to every tax paying American resident. It could also have the effect of artificially propping up home prices because lenders will probably jump at the chance of getting whatever they can from the government rather than going through a long and painful foreclosure process. If the government's agenda is to advance affordable housing, then this bill is not the answer.
What do you think of this complex and far reaching bill? Do you think it will help Americans or backfire in a horrible way?
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Sounds horrible! What happened to our free market system and letting failures like these work themselves out?
The increased debt load is beyond ridiculous.
Sadly, you are right. The politicians won't look beyond November 4th, but they forget that they have to live here too.
The Government Accountability Office, despite being part of the government, is truly excellent. You can tell it's good because no one listens to them. They did a study in April 2007, called, "The Nation's Long-Term Fiscal Outlook." The subtitle is, "The Bottom Line: Federal Fiscal Policy Remains Unsustainable."
If you click on the PDF link, the graph on page one could have been drawn by Daffy Duck: "Shoot me now, or shoot me later." Both scenarios show our economy dying, and these do NOT take this new $800 Billion increase to our deficit into consideration.
Figures 2 and 3, on pages 3 and 4, show more detailed graphs for these scenarios that show where the money goes. Figure 4 is particularly disturbing. It shows the projection with keeping Bush's tax cuts. By the year 2040, the NET INTEREST ALONE will be almost twice the Social Security payout.
Again, this projection is BEFORE this $800 Billion addition to our national debt. I expect to be dead by 2040, but I really care about America. Whatever your political affiliation, please call or write your Congressman and Senators and ask for fiscal sanity. The names and contact info are at:
And please vote in November. The only wrong vote is the one that you don't cast.
It's the blind, deaf & dumb leading the blind, deaf & dumb. Another fantastic example of our Wonderful politicians & bureaucrats managing our lives.
One consequence of allowing homeowners who are presently struggling to have, as the result of taxpayer largess, their mortgages reduced is to encourage other homeowners opt in. Think about it. Your neighbor has his mortgage principle reduced to 87% of what it was originally. This bill will offer that to those who have missed payments.
Now, you happen to be paying off your mortgage responsibly, faithfully... but the value of your house has dropped 15 - 20 - 25% and you see your neighbor get a helping hand from the taxpayers.
Hmmm, what happens next? Not tough to figure this out. Our responsible neighbor becomes irresponsible - misses a couple payments. He calls the bank and inquires about this new government program!
Wow, an unintended consequence that makes the whole mess get worse. Now - you would've thought all those smart politicians and bureaucrats in Washington would have foreseen this, wouldn't you?
Hate to say this and cause a ruckus, the free market has been lost. I have come to the realization that the average person isn't ready for capitalism. And now we've entered into a socialist/fascist economic system, where government either own the means of production or heavily regulates it.
Neither Obama or McCain - both democrats, one more liberal than the other - will save us.
re: your second point, IANAL, but that would seem like a fraudulent conveyance designed to undermine the FHA as a creditor. FHA might be able to bring a claim in bankruptcy if the seller is bankrupt, and otherwise might be able to bring a valid state law claim
(breach in contract law and violation of good faith? claim in equity?) if the seller is not in bankruptcy.
Any lawyers out there who can speak to this issue?
It sounds crazy - to the logically thinking person, however given what has happened in recent years it seems that there are very few clear and/or logically thinking people left. What is another billion or trillion when you are already up in that neighborhood already? I really think that bailing everybody out is stupid and it makes me so angry. We are on the downhill side of our mortgage and how unfair is that when people who KNEW that they couldn't afford the silly huge mortgage can maintain their home and their standard of living when those of us who scrap and save and pay-off on our own get nothing but a bill (hidden in a pile of increases) to pay off theirs as well????!!!!???? Just wait until "president" Obama takes over and stacks up some more bills for us to pay for everyone, including the illegals. Seems we're all going to hell in a handbasket.
When will we learn? For as long as I can remember, the American economy has been one massive bubble that eventually bursts, showering light on the corruption that started the bubble to begin with, followed by recession - and then the next bubble. We sure seem to love our hills and valleys.
The government should not be in the business of bailing out people, industries or anyone. What about those who lost money in the internet bubble? What about bear stock market cycles. Where does it stop?
The funny thing is. Nearly everyone I talk to think the bailout is a bad idea no matter if they're liberal or conservative. I live in the Bay Area so it's more liberal. Then when I looked in the news the only people applauding this bill are Realtors and bankers. Every other news report seem to say that it is a pretty bad idea. Even though it is anecdotal I feel like MOST Americans think that this bailout is a bad idea. So how come their representatives don't agree with them? I thought this was a democracy? Oh right, democracy is only accesible to those with lobbyists in Washington.
Another great group of people that nobody ever listens to are the economists of the Austrian School, who correctly predicted this awful mess years ago. Check out the Ludwig von Mises Institute.
Of course, the Federal Reserve's deliberate debasement of the dollar is almost entirely to blame. The business cycle is not an uncontrollable natural phenomenon, but rather the product of central bank interference in our money.
For a great introduction to this topic, check out Murray Rothbard's What Has Government Done To Our Money?. No equations and dense mathematics- I promise!
This is yet another step deeper into fascism - nothing new.
My question is: Where were these leaders when the housing/mortgage bubble was inflating?
Now the dollar will continue to decline. BTW it has declined almost 95% since 1913 when the Federal Reserve system was created.
Yes, many do vehemently agree that this bill is a bad idea. That is, unless you happen to be a homeowner underwater because of poor decision-making.
It doesn't matter - the ruling elite have decided in their wisdom that the bankers and wall street must be rescued. The ruling elite do not care because the American people are sheep.
I blame both Repubs & Dems for this lame-as^$#d flop of a piece of legislation. Conservatism is dead for the foreseeable future, and with it our future, our children's future and our grandchildren's future is in jeopardy.
Why did this legislation promoted by Barney (D) Mass & Dodd (D) CT ever get as far as this?
First of all. Bernake and Paulson look like stooges sitting there and Paulson ineptly tries to dodge every question put to him. Is this performance by public officials supposed to inspire confidence? This whole bill is nothing more than welfare for Wall St. and stinks of corruption and payola. Thomas Jefferson warned about the sorts of games bankers play:
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to the Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin (1802)
3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)
I forgot to post this before. One side effect of this bill will be to further deteriorate the public balance sheet and the value of the dollar. If this goes through, prices in commodities and essentials will escalate further. Interest rates have already been rising in response to the proposal.
At the bottom of this page is a chart of 10 year Treasury yields. They spiked about 9% in one week after the initial Paulson announcement. As government borrowing costs escalate, this will force them to issue even more debt further weakening the dollar in what could become a vicious cycle.
The result for the average American is higher costs in everything from food and gas to mortgages and imports. The middle class could be further weakened as wages will never be able to keep up with inflationary pressures in necessities. The lower class worker will be utterly devastated.
Three reasons why I will leave America when I retire:
1. The socialist housing market.
2. Obama and the Dems planning to double the capital gains tax on investors, and tax retirement funds.
3. The open border with Mexico.
It's hell to live in America when you are a responsible person who plays by the rules. It's become what I call a "socialist caste system", where homeowners reign supreme while they bleed the country dry.
Forget worrying about a 20% loss in home equity.
Worry about the 50% devaluation of the U.S. dollar since 9/11.
Sure, we can "monetize" the mortgage market, effectively nationlizing the losses (up to several hundred BILLION dollars)
But that only further trashes the dollar internationally.
And since oil is priced in dollars...$6/gallon gasoline, anyone?
The rational response is capital flight - ship one's dollars overseas for anything else, at whatever exhange rate one can get.
Of course, once that happens, it is unlikely that capital will ever come back home.
Great article and I just wrote about my views on the bill. Your points just conifrm why the housing relief bill will fail. As I wrote recently - - The government again is trying to spend us out of an economic crisis, which is unlikely to work and only add to our national debt and the continued devaluation of the US dollar. Only time and a cleansing of the economic system will resolve the current mess.
We talk about consumers getting out of debt, what about the government who seems to love debt more than anyone else.
"All I have to say is, why do they even bother with a limit if they intend to spend and borrow as much as they can?"
I think that the national debit is so endemic of the causes behind the housing crisis. Our government should be like a good parent or sibbling and set GOOD spending habbits!
So much for being able to make a worthy investment to secure your future. First let us hurt the quality of employment so we may try to do what we need with less money than we need; then we shall sign on for "help". This way when the real estate value returns and you decide to reap the rewards of your hard earned efforts you will give the lion's share of it to our federal government! Isn't that grand? The worst part is they are betting on the come and our leadership planned for this.