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BEIJING (Reuters) - Despite causing a huge diplomatic incident between the world's two largest economies earlier this year, the Chinese official in charge of the hometown of blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng said on Friday that he has no idea who he was.
Chen, one of China's most prominent human rights advocates, slipped away from under the noses of guards and eyes and ears of surveillance equipment around his village home near Linyi in eastern Shandong province in late April.
He then sought refuge at the U.S. embassy in Beijing for six days, embarrassing China and creating an awkward backdrop for U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit which happened to fall at the same time.
But asked on the sidelines of a party congress in Beijing about Chen, Linyi's Communist Party boss Zhang Shaojun deadpanned.
"I've never heard (of him)," Zhang told Reuters, before hurrying away into a closed-door meeting.
In May, Chen told Reuters that an unnamed central government official had promised to investigate accusations that local officials engineered his jailing on false charges and subsequent 19 months of extra-judicial house arrest and abuse.
But Zhang, a portly man with thinning hair, said he knew of no such investigation.
"I've never heard of this matter," he said.
Robbed of his sight as a child, the rural-born Chen taught himself law and drew international attention in 2005 after accusing officials of enforcing late-term abortions and sterilizations.
Following intense negotiations between Chinese and U.S. officials, Chen left the embassy and was allowed to apply for a visa to study abroad. He is currently a visiting fellow at the New York University School of Law.
(Reporting by Gabriel Wildau; Editing by Ben Blanchard)


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This is the velomobile with a solar-powered motor, enabling jaunts to be powered by the sun or the rider's pedaling power. A solar panel built-into the roof powers the 600-watt electric motor for up to 45 miles on a single charge or 100 miles when combined with pedaling. The velomobile travels up to 20 mph when propelled by just the motor or up to 30 mph in pedal-assist mode, thanks to a continuously variable transmission that allows smooth, natural pedaling synchronized with the motor. The velomobile's aircraft-grade aluminum frame, stainless steel hardware, and durable carbon fiber body withstand exposure to rain and sun. Its LED headlights, brake lights, and turn signals provide clear alerts to other cyclists and automobiles while navigating streets or bike trails. The handle bar provides familiar bicycle steering, handlebar levers control the front and rear disc brakes, and the seat adjusts to accommodate riders between 5' and 6' 9" tall. Motor recharges in 7 hours via sunlight or 2 1/2 hours via the included AC power adapter. Legally classified as a bicycle, it does not require a license to drive. White, Orange, or Green body. Special conditions and guarantee limitations apply. Please call 1-800-227-3528 for details. 105" L x 48" W x 60" H. (150 lbs.)
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Sifting through Netflix Instant's massive selection of titles can be overwhelming. So with this bi-weekly column, we're helping you cut through the clutter by highlighting some of the choice features now streaming that pair nicely with the latest theatrical releases.
This week, in vein of Resident Evil: Retribution, House at the End of the Street, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, we've picked out some female-fronted action flicks, spooky suburban horror stories, and compelling coming-of-age tales for your home-viewing pleasure.
Resident Evil: Retribution
The Husband and wife team of director Paul W.S. Anderson and action heroine Milla Jovovich are back with a fifth installment of the ongoing adventure of leather-loving zombie-killer Alice. This time around Alice awakes deep in the bowels of the evil Umbrella Corporation, which continues to spew forth legions of the ravenous undead. Not only must Alice fight her way out, but also she uncovers some shocking truths about her mysterious past. Kevin Durand and Michelle Rodriguez co-star.
With a string of pulse-pounding action features to her name, cover girl Jovovich proves she's so much more than a pretty face. If you want more thrilling adventures that feature powerful women at their center, we've got a little genre spread below, ranging from sci-fi, to swashbuckling fantasy to espionage thriller.
The Fifth Element (1997) Fun fact: before she got hitched to her Resident Evil director, Jovovich wed Luc Besson, her helmer for this visually dazzling sci-fi adventure. The pair married just months after the film's premiere, which is sort of fitting since this Earth-in-peril pic is ultimately about the power of love. Jovovich stars as "the perfect being" sent to Earth to save us all from a world-ending evil that's arrival is imminent. Bruce Willis plays her gruff guide to all things Earth, including serious sexual chemistry. If you've never seen this: treat yourself. And if you have: revisit immediately; it's better than you remember. Gary Oldman and Chris Tucker lend stellar support as a manic villain and hyperactive radio personality respectively.
Cutthroat Island (1995) Before there was Jovovich and Anderson, or even Jovovich and Besson, there was Renny Harlin and Geena Davis. The former directed the latter in this big budget action-adventure that became one of the biggest box office bombs of all-time. Still, I rewatched this recently, and it offers some pretty extravagant action sequences, along with a so-strange you can't look away romance between Davis—who plays fearless lady pirate Morgan Adams—and Matthew Modine, who hams it up as a social-climbing con man. I won't say it's a good film, but I will promise it's the kind of big dumb fun unique to the late '90s. Frank Langella co-stars as Morgan's evil uncle Dog, who'll kill her to get the treasure he sees as his by right.
Haywire (2012) Unconventional auteur Steven Soderbergh was so inspired after seeing MMA fighter Gina Carano kick some serious ass in a cage match that he decided to arrange a meeting, and offer her the chance to be his muse. From that fateful meeting came this hard-hitting spy thriller that takes stage combat to a ferocious new level. Offering punishing blows and a stern performance-style, Carano stars as Mallory Kane, a savvy spy who must take down a string of deceitful men after being framed for an assassination. If you missed this kick-ass feature earlier this year, take the opportunity to watch Carano beat the holy hell out of such stars as Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor and Michael Fassbender.


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Learning in Outdoor Education (EDUH4052)
Everybody has an innate sense of adventure, a need to explore and connect with nature, and learn about their own potential through challenging experiences in the great outdoors. Learning in Outdoor Education (EDUH4052) has been specifically designed to meet these needs. It achieves this by a series of engaging lectures and tutorials, a day trip to the Royal National Park and a three-day/two-night field trip to the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains.
During these excursions you will not only enjoy the opportunity to see the spectacular natural environment surrounding Sydney, you will also experience it and learn about it firsthand with students from all around the world. This unique class will be delivered under the guidance of expert practitioners who will facilitate your personal and professional learning. The content and teaching are ideal for people from all backgrounds and faculties because the focus is on experiential learning theory and how it can be applied across different disciplines.
Picture yourself walking along remote pristine beaches, hiking through lush rainforests and discovering breathtaking views of waterfalls and valleys. Conclude each day around a campfire, reflecting on your adventures and, sometimes, life-changing learning that occurred. If you are ready to step out of your comfort zone and into your courage zone, explore the Australian bush, and build stronger relationships with nature and your fellow students, this unit of study is for you!


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ATLANTA – Forecasters say accumulating snow could hit Alabama, Mississippi and other areas of the South that have been dealing with days of soaking rains.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for much of north Alabama and central Mississippi. Forecasters say parts of both states could get from 1 inch to 2 inches of snow.
In Mississippi, the snow could cause slush on some bridges overnight. But forecasters aren't expecting widespread treacherous driving conditions.
Snow in Alabama could begin overnight and continue possibly into Friday.
The biggest threat was northeast of Birmingham, particularly in higher elevations.
Some areas of Alabama have received as much as 6 inches of rain since Sunday.
Forecasters say north Georgia, including areas of metro Atlanta, also could get ice and snow Thursday.


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The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is asking state residents to refrain from feeding white-tailed deer.
In the following release, DIFW takes a somewhat subdued position against supplemental feeding. Rather than banning the practice altogether, DIFW is trying to educate the public about problems that arise due to feeding.
A Position Statement of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife:The Practice of Supplemental Feeding
Supplemental feeding of deer is gaining popularity in Maine. Practiced primarily during late autumn, winter, and early spring, deer feeding involves placing grains, apples, hay, and other feeds where deer will find and consume them.
A diverse array of people feed deer. Many are suburbanites who feed a few deer; others provide supplemental food to literally hundreds of deer within deer wintering areas. Deer feeding sites are sometimes maintained by municipalities, which commit a portion of their tax revenues to deer feeding, or by businesses that fund deer feeding operations as a cost of doing business.
People are motivated to feed deer for a variety of reasons. They may believe deer cannot survive winter without supplemental food, or they believe that feeding deer in winter will result in a larger, huntable population the next year. Suburban landowners may believe supplemental foods will divert deer away from expensive shrubbery, hence reducing landscaping costs. Others simply enjoy seeing deer at close range. Some business owners know that attracting deer also attracts customers.
The Department acknowledges that most individuals who feed deer are well-intentioned. As the state agency responsible for the stewardship of Maine's wildlife resources, we are compelled to alert Maine people to the many problems that winter feeding may exert upon deer and their habitat.
Some Disadvantages of Supplemental Feeding
Feeding deer in late fall may disrupt deer migration to natural wintering areas.
In early winter, deer normally migrate to preferred wintering habitat, in some cases more than 20 miles from summer range. Deer "short-stopped" by supplemental feeding operations are often more vulnerable to malnutrition, because they do not have access to the right type and amount of foods found in traditional wintering habitat. Also, without the protection of wintering habitat, deer are particularly vulnerable to severe winter weather and predation.
Supplemental feeding may not reduce deer losses during winter.
Predation, not starvation, is the major cause of winter mortality among deer in Maine. Although predators, such as coyotes and bobcats, will selectively kill winter-weakened deer, they are also able to prey upon healthy, vigorous deer. Winter severity (deep snow, intense cold, glare ice on lakes) and the quality of wintering habitat are the real determinants of deer survival in winter. Supplementally-fed deer are still vulnerable to predation, if wintering conditions are severe, particularly where deer are being fed in marginal habitat.
Supplemental feeding may actually increase predation.
Providing a supplemental food source crowds deer into a smaller area than when deer range widely to find food. Concentrated deer maintain a limited network of escape trails, since they often bed near feeders. Deer require extensive trails to elude predators. It is not unusual to observe predation on deer within sight of supplemental feeders.
Deer feeding sites near homes also place deer at greater risk of death from free-roaming dogs.
Family pets that are allowed to roam pose a serious threat to deer, particularly when snow is deep and crusted. Winter feeding operations that concentrate deer in residential areas increase the likelihood that deer will be run and killed by neighborhood dogs.
Deer feeding sites may increase deer/vehicle collisions.
Most deer feeding is conducted near homes, which places deer in close proximity to well-traveled highways. Collisions with motor vehicles near supplemental feeding sites can result in significant losses to a local deer population. For example, at a large feeding site near a well-traveled highway in Maine, 60 to 70 deer are lost to motor vehicle collisions each winter. This loss may exceed the amount of natural losses one would expect, if supplemental feeding were not being practiced in that wintering area. Locating deer feeding sites 1/2 mile or more from plowed roads can minimize road-kill losses.
Deer May Starve When Fed Supplemental Foods During Winter
Deer require one or two weeks to adjust to new foods.
Waiting until deer are starving before offering supplemental foods actually hastens starvation. Stress (related to diet change) is minimized if deer are introduced to supplemental foods early in the winter, when they are still healthy.
Some foods are not easily digested by deer during winter.
Hay of any kind, kitchen scraps, or cabbage and lettuce trimmings do not provide adequate nutrition for deer. Feeding these foods to deer can lead to starvation. Deer usually do well when apples, oats, or acorns are given as diet supplements. However, the best supplemental food is a complete horse, dairy, or deer formulation in pellet form. It contains about 14% protein and provides sufficient energy and fiber to promote normal digestive function in most deer.
Deer compete aggressively for scarce, high-quality foods.
When crowded together, only the strongest, most dominant individuals in the deer population gain access to the food. Frequently, those deer most vulnerable to starvation in winter (usually fawns) are denied access to supplemental feed by more aggressive deer. Distributing supplemental feed in many locations reduces competition among deer.
Deer reject grains or pelleted foods that have become spoiled or moldy.
It is difficult to keep grains dry outdoors. Special feeders, which protect feed from rain and snow, may help, but none are foolproof. Hence, much feed is typically wasted. There are some molds deer may not detect; consequently, they may ingest toxins that can be fatal.
Supplementally-fed deer may die from eating too much feed at one time.
Losses of this nature have been observed at winter deer feeding sites in Maine. Mature bucks seem to be most prone to overeating high-energy supplemental foods.
Supplemental feeding is expensive.
Grains and pelleted foods are sold at a premium price in winter. A deer will consume 2 to 3 lbs of grain each day. Deer seem to be able to communicate the location of "free food" among themselves. Consequently, people who feed a few deer in December often find they are buying food for considerably more deer by February. Some large-scale Feeding operators spend $300 or more per week on grain for wild deer.
Once a feeding program is begun, it should not be terminated until spring greenery emerges. Ending a feeding operation prematurely, or providing inadequate amounts of feed, will lead to nutritional problems for deer that have become dependent on supplemental feed. Attracting deer to feeding sites, while failing to provide adequate amounts of supplemental foods can actually cause malnutrition in normally healthy deer populations.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW), is sometimes requested to fund, support, or implement supplemental feeding programs for deer during winter. While emotionally appealing to those concerned for the welfare of deer, emergency feeding programs seldom succeed in reducing deer losses during severe winters, and the cost of procuring and distributing feed to several thousand deer wintering areas across Maine would be prohibitive.
Deer concentrations at feeding sites may increase the vulnerability of deer to diseases.
MDIFW has documented deer concentrations equivalent to 350 deer per square mile at some feeding sites. This level of crowding produces ideal conditions for outbreaks of infectious diseases. One such outbreak occurred in 1994 among supplementally-fed deer in Michigan. The highly infectious disease, "Bovine tuberculosis," is currently infecting deer and cattle within 4 counties in Michigan. This disease outbreak poses a serious threat to deer populations and livestock in the affected area.
In Maine, we have documented an outbreak of demodectic mange among deer using a winter feeding site. Demodectic mange is specific to white-tailed deer and is caused by tiny mites living on the hair. Severely infested deer lose their protective winter pelage and are covered with skin lesions. Mange mites are transmitted among deer by close contact, as at crowded feeding sites.
Supplemental feeding may have long-term impacts on the behavior of both deer and the people who feed them.
Deer tend to lose their wariness after prolonged contact with people at feeders.
This loss of wildness in deer diminishes their appeal to many people. Moreover, lack of fear of humans may result in intensified conflicts with people, whether from browsing damage or risk of collisions with motor vehicles.
People's attitudes toward deer change after initiation of supplemental feeding projects.
Those who feed deer often become protective of "their" deer. They tend to lose sight of the fact that deer are wild animals managed in trust for all of Maine's citizens. Concentrating deer at winter feeding sites treats deer more like livestock than wildlife. It is not unusual for overly-protective landowners to quit hunting deer and to actively discourage others from hunting. The desire to protect deer from perceived harm occurs even when hunting seasons precede the time deer are being supplementally fed. As such, the practice of supplementally feeding deer during winter can lead to increased land posting, which in turn, can thwart MDIFW's efforts to maintain deer populations at desirable levels.
Supplemental feeding may increase browsing of landscape plants and gardens.
Even when provided with optimal supplemental foods, deer will continue to browse on shrubbery, tree buds, garden plantings, and seedlings in the adjacent forest. At many feeding sites, deer may occur at densities that are 3 to 5 times higher than "normal" wintering density. When highly concentrated, deer can literally kill all vegetation within their reach in the vicinity (one to several hundred acres) of deer feeding sites. Attracting deer to supplemental feeders in residential neighborhoods may result in deer damage to neighbors' property, because deer usually feed while en route to and from feeding sites.
Supplemental feeding within a deer wintering area can reduce the forest's ability to shelter deer.
Heavy browsing caused by deer concentrated near feeding stations can affect forest regeneration and growth.
Over-browsing of cedar, hemlock, spruce, and balsam fir can destroy or significantly retard the development of critical future winter shelter. Hungry deer can eliminate young hardwood trees, removing important natural winter food. Deer crowded into the areas near feeding sites can eliminate fifteen years of young forest growth in one winter. Few landowners can afford such losses in the productivity of their forest.
Some landowners cut northern white-cedar trees to provide food for deer in winter. Although this provides highly palatable forage in the short run, cutting cedar trees to feed deer may reduce the carrying capacity of that woodlot for future generations of deer. Cedar does not regenerate following cutting, if deer are abundant. Young cedar seedlings cannot withstand heavy browsing by deer. Over time, the practice of cutting cedar to feed deer in wintering areas will gradually eliminate white-cedar from the forest. Cedars are long-lived, easily attaining 200 years of age if left uncut.
Each winter, cedar trees drop some of their green leaves when dislodged by snow, wind, ice storms, and squirrel and porcupine feeding. Deer rely heavily on this, and other sources of litterfall, for a substantial portion of their daily browse requirements. Cedar trees are too valuable to the long-term viability of deer wintering habitat to be felled solely as a short-term forage boost. A living cedar tree may provide food and shelter for deer for 100 years — a felled cedar feeds 10 deer for 1 day.
Preferred Alternatives to Supplemental Feeding of Deer
There are better approaches than supplemental feeding to ensure the health and survival of deer during winter.
The key is to maintain sufficient amounts of high-quality wintering habitat. Rather than expending limited Department resources on quick fixes, such as emergency feeding programs,we will achieve better long-term benefits by ensuring that deer have access to high-quality wintering habitat. This, in the long run, will minimize the effects of severe winters, reduce deer losses during normal winters, and provide for a more sustainable population of deer to be enjoyed by all of Maine's people.
Because deer in Maine exist near the northern limit of the species' range, abnormally severe winters will inevitably cause periodic declines in deer abundance.
In nearly all parts of Maine, deer populations are normally kept well below the capacity of the habitat to support deer. This ensures that deer remain productive, that they have access to high quality forages, and that they achieve near-optimum body size and condition prior to winter. Body fat provides almost 1/3 of a deer's energy needs while yarded in winter. Fat deer can withstand more severe wintering conditions than lean deer.Healthy, naturally-fed deer do not require a handout to thrive in Maine.
The Citizens of Maine can best help Maine's winter deer herds by:
Taking an active role in managing their lands to improve deer habitat naturally.
MDIFW encourages landowners to develop a management plan for their lands to provide optimal winter and summer habitat for deer. Many wood harvesting practices are good for deer, while also providing income from timber production. Some practices, such as weeding, thinning, crop tree selection, and firewood cutting can provide immediate benefits for deer, and simultaneously enhance the value of future timber sales. Timing one's forest management activities to occur during winter also provides deer with a large amount of natural browse, when they can best use it.
Many other practices improve year-round habitat for deer and other wildlife.
Apple trees can be released from competition to encourage better production of fall foods. Small fields can be planted in cool season forages for deer. Hardwood stands can be managed to favor acorn and/or beechnut production. Wetlands can be improved to diversify forages for deer.
There are a number of agencies that assist landowners who are interested in improving wildlife habitat.
Some agencies offer cost-sharing programs, others provide educational materials and technical advice.
Supporting MDIFW programs that protect and enhance deer wintering habitat. This includes:
* MDIFW's efforts to manage land-use and timber harvesting in the zoned deer wintering areas in Maine's unorganized townships;
* MDIFW's initiatives to negotiate cooperative agreements with large landowners for the long-term management of deer wintering areas for sustainable supplies of timber and deer; and
* MDIFW's efforts to ensure that town governments adequately address the protection of special habitats, such as deer wintering areas, via town-level comprehensive planning.
Working cooperatively with MDIFW to control deer populations in residential areas.
Often, suburban deer are overabundant and pose a nuisance. Providing supplemental foods to overabundant deer populations will not reduce conflicts with people. In developed areas, the usual method of keeping deer numbers in check (recreational hunting with firearms) may not be practical, so landowners are urged to support MDIFW's efforts to implement innovative hunting seasons to reduce deer populations safely and discreetly. This requires homeowners, town governments, and MDIFW to work cooperatively to devise safe and effective ways of maintaining deer populations at tolerable levels.
Allowing deer hunters access to their huntable lands.
This is the most effective means of ensuring that deer populations remain in balance with available habitat, and at levels that minimize negative impacts on deer habitat, farmers, forest landowners, rural residents, and motorists.


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Following its largest inventory expansion to date, Charles Ross & Son Co. now offers more than 80 ribbon blenders from stock, sized for different working volumes and bulk densities. Most standard and sanitary models can ship within two weeks or less. Built-to-order custom units are also offered with fast lead times like the pictured 10-cu-ft sanitary ribbon blender featuring 150-grit stainless steel 316 internal and external surfaces, bottom discharge extruder, lantern rings, spray bar system with atomizing nozzles, load cells, and a NEMA 4X Ross SysCon control panel. Ribbon blenders are commonly used for rapid blending of dry powders, granules, pellets, and other solid forms. These machines also mix paste-like materials, wet granulations, and solid-liquid suspensions.
Charles Ross & Son Co., Hauppauge, NY 800-243-7677 www.mixers.com
For related equipment reviews, articles, and news, visit our Mixers & Blenders Equipment ZoneRoss, Charles & Son Company


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Jim LeavittSan Francisco 49ers
Assistant Coach
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News | Stats | Stat vs. Team | Targets | Injury | Depth Chart | Roster
|49ers | Jim Leavitt hired
Wed, 19 Jan 2011 07:47:36 -0800
Updating a previous report, the San Francisco 49ers have hired former South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt as their linebackers coach, reports Rick Stroud, of the St. Petersburg Times.
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|49ers | Considering adding Jim Leavitt to coaching staff
Thu, 13 Jan 2011 10:36:38 -0800
The San Francisco 49ers are considering hiring former South Florida head coach Jim Leavitt as their new linebackers coach, a source told Matt Barrows, of the Sacramento Bee.
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Nonsense Alphabets by Edward Lear
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That radar screen blip could soon turn into a gaggle of programs almost tailored to California agriculture that will likely spill over into the rest of American agriculture.
The coming change is a result of the 2002 Farm Bill, which contains one of the most ambitious conservation titles ever included in federal farm legislation.
There is even a program that will financially reward farmers like the tree and vine producers in California for already practicing good stewardship, according to Charles Bell, NCRS state conservationist for California.
Bell was one of a bevy of USDA administrators and bureaucrats who descended on the California State University, Fresno campus for one of four regional farm bill briefing meetings. However, these meetings are being held not to attract rank and file farmers to hear about commodity programs, but rather to detail programs like NRCS and services for minorities. In fact, the sessions are in response to a discrimination lawsuit settlement filed by minority farmers who claimed they have been discriminated against by USDA.
Showcase NRCS
However, a major focus in Fresno was on NRCS programs, which deputy USDA undersecretary Mack Gray said have not been utilized as much in California as elsewhere.
But, he expects that to change just as the role of NRCS will change from an agency focusing on soil conservation, wildlife habitat conservation and farmland and wetlands preservation and restoration to rapidly emerging environmental challenges to every-day farming.
Those traditional programs will not disappear, but with a huge influx of new funds Gray expects NRCS to play a bigger role in the emerging challenges facing agriculture of air and water quality and endangered species.
These are not new issues to California farmers and ranchers, but they are looming bigger each day for Golden State agriculturists.
California is the pacesetter in many things from fashion to music and unfortunately for farmers outside of California, Gray said California has once again emerged as the bellwether for what the future will hold for them in meeting air, water and endangered species regulations.
One NRCS program, Environmental Quality Incentive (EQUIP) is already stepping up to help California farmers, especially those in the eight-county non-attainment San Joaquin Valley to meet stringent new air quality regulations. It provides cost-sharing funds up to 75 percent of the cost for purchasing new, cleaner burning diesel irrigation pump engines.
EQUIP funding grows
Bell said California has been receiving about $7 million annually for EQUIP projects, but last year received $17 million. Under the new farm bill it could reach $21 million, according to Bell.
These funds will be used not only for diesel pump replacement, but to help farmers meet tougher air and water quality standards by putting in place practices to reduce soil erosion and off-farm water movement and dust emission.
The new Conservation Security Program in the latest federal farm bill, Bell said, is "perfectly tailored" for California's so-called "minor crops" like vineyards and orchards. It was set up to "reward stewardship and provide an incentive for addressing additional resource concerns on working agricultural lands.
"This is for all producers, not just those producing the so-called program crops. This will be a huge benefit to California producers," he said.
As with many elements of the greatly expanded conservation title of the farm bill, details are sketchy. However, Bell said the conservation security program will provide payments for producers who historically have practiced good stewardship on agricultural lands and incentives for those who want to do more.
$3.7 billion
"We have just received notice that the program has been funded for $3.7 billion nationwide. What we don't know yet is whether the money will be used in pilot programs or used to fund incentive programs nationwide."
Tons of new monies are being tossed into conservation begging for new an innovating conservation farming practices. One idea being bantered around is compensating farmers for using transgenic crops that reduce tillage and pesticide use.
When asked if NRCS would pay technology fees for using herbicide-resistant corn or cotton varieties that reduce tillage, Bell said if they are components of a conservation tillage program, they could be eligible.
Typically when government expands a program, it also funds additional staffing. Not for NRCS and the new conservation funds.
Bell said his office is turning more than ever to private consultants and farmers to develop and seek reimbursement funds.
"Our tasks have been multiplied under the new farm bill with no additional staff," he said.
"However, we have long relied on outside experts to develop projects," said Bell. As an example, he said his office relies on professional irrigation system designers to develop projects eligible for cost-share funding.
Bell said his office will be looking to increasingly find more certified professionals to develop programs for farmers and ranchers. While Certified Crop Advisors have been listed as one of the professions certified to develop programs under the new farm bill, Bell said he does not expect it to stop at CCAs.
Utilize advisers
"I would think licensed California pest control advisers could be utilized by farmers to develop and submit conservation programs for cost sharing. There are other specialists like those involved in ag waste management who could be utilized as well," he said.
Bell finds it ironic that the focus is now on California in conservation.
"California farmers have been using things like laser leveling and drip irrigation to conserve water and reduce erosion since the mid-1970s."
However, since California agriculture is dominated by what the federal government calls "minor crops," those advances have been largely ignored in the overall scheme of national conservation farming that focuses on the Midwest and program crops.
"It has always been interesting to me to listen to people in the Midwest and other parts of the country discover some of the things we have been using in California for years," said Bell.
However, California is no longer ignored for it will be from California that solutions to air, water and endangered species challenges will likely come for the rest of the nation.


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How to check your WORKSTATION CONDITIONS:
Use the following checklist, Workstation Conditions*. To any question
that you answered with NO, explore strategies to reduce the risk of
Your chair is designed or arranged so that...
The keyboard and mouse are designed or arranged for data entry so that...
The monitor is designed or arranged so that...
*Adapted from Workstation Check List developed by OSHA. For more detail
see: www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/computerworkstations_ecat/checklist.html
Copyright 2003 Erik Peper, Ph.D. and Katherine Hughes Gibney
Permission to copy and distribute Healthy Computing Email Tips for
personal use is granted. Distribution or copying of Healthy Computing
Email Tips for commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written
consent of the copyright holders


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The 1987 City of Ecorse Receivership
In 1984, the city of Ecorse, a small downriver city south of Detroit, was sued by its electricity provider and its police and fire pension board for being delinquent in payments.[*] The missed payments were the culmination of a long history of fiscal problems, ranging from improper accounting, a falling tax base, and fringe benefit and other auto-pilot expenses that increased steadily. The city's expenses in its general fund — the city's key operating fund — rose from $7.6 million in 1980 to $8.2 million in 1986.[7]
Judge Richard Dunn, who initially presided over the case, asked for a review of the city's finances and commanded the city to issue bonds in order to raise the cash necessary to pay the bills. The judge also ordered the city to pass a balanced budget, as required by state statutes.[8]
City officials, however, did not comply with the judge's orders. While they did use the bond proceeds to pay some of their debts to the plaintiffs in the case, they again failed to pay new bills from the city's electric, water and sewer utilities.[9]
In fiscal 1986, the city did not receive as much tax revenue as officials had expected, and the city again operated at a deficit. They also failed to pass a budget for the general fund for fiscal 1987.[10]
At this point, the city of Ecorse's accumulated deficits were unknown. The city was also paying general expenses by borrowing from funds earmarked for restricted purposes, such as the water and sewer fund, from which the city borrowed $1.86 million. Other inappropriate borrowing occurred from the major streets fund, the local streets fund, the debt service fund and others.[11]
In addition, Ecorse, like other cities, collected property taxes for other governments entities, such as school districts and counties. Instead of passing the revenues from these other millages to their respective governments, the city kept this tax revenue and spent it on the city's own general operating expenses.[12] There were also other fiscal problems with the city's insurance, infrastructure, unions and the city-financed municipal court.[†]
The final straw for Judge Dunn appears to have come when the Ecorse City Council approved travel expenses for some council members to attend a conference in San Antonio.[13] Shortly thereafter, the judge appointed a receiver for the city for a three-year period.
Court-ordered receivership for local governments is rare. Ecorse was not the first example in Michigan, however: A receiver had been ordered by a court in the Taylor School District — another downriver community — in 1979. While this receivership was later overturned by an appeals court, that court nevertheless affirmed that a judge may appoint a receiver as a permissible remedy in extreme cases "when other approaches have failed to bring about compliance with court orders, whether through intransigence or incompetence."[14]
In Ecorse, the receiver was Louis Schimmel, then the executive director of the nonprofit Municipal Advisory Council of Michigan. As receiver, Schimmel was given broad authority over the city. He was empowered to set budgets, control finances, sell assets, hire workers, close positions and negotiate contracts and collective bargaining agreements. Although the city's elected officials were still in office, he eliminated their annual salaries and their benefits package, including the mayor's city-paid leased vehicle. The receiver, however, was not allowed to alter the city's union collective bargaining agreements or other contracts.[‡]
Schimmel made a number of changes to city operations over the 45 months of his tenure. He eliminated nonessential services, such as the ice arena and the community center. He also corrected city accounting, contracted out city services, closed libraries and parks, eliminated the city's water bill delinquencies, ended interfund borrowing, renegotiated vendor contracts, won major concessions from the city's unions, and contracted with a private firm to perform the major functions of the city's department of public works. This privatization of the department of public works alone saved the city a minimum of $509,451 annually[15] — substantial savings in an $8 million to $9 million budget.
He also resolved ongoing litigation — usually with the litigant dropping interest (and sometimes claims) in order to obtain the original amounts the city owed.[16] Overall, the city's net general fund deficit — the amount that the city owes but does not have equity to cover — reversed from $2.0 million in 1986 to a $95,707 general fund surplus in 1990. More importantly, the city was on firmer fiscal ground, with an accounting system in place and payments to vendors and the pension fund made on time.
The judge ended the receivership on August 31, 1990, and control of the city returned to the mayor and city council.
As the actions in Ecorse show, and as a state court of appeals affirmed, local governments were subject to being operated by unelected managers before the passage of Public Act 4 and earlier state legislation in this area.
[*] Robert Daddow, "Ecorse: The Fall and Rise of a Michigan City," (Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Dec. 1, 1992), http://www.mackinac.org/5596 (accessed Oct. 15, 2012). The Detroit Water and Sewer department and Wayne County later joined the suit to receive payment for the city's purchase of water and use of the county sewer system.
[†] For an detailed assessment of the problems that led to the judicial placement of a receiver, and the actions taken to correct the city's finances, see Daddow, "Ecorse: The Fall and Rise of a Michigan City,"(Mackinac Center for Public Policy, 1992).
[‡] Daddow, "Ecorse: The Fall and Rise of a Michigan City," (Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Dec. 1, 1992), http://www.mackinac.org/5596 (accessed Oct. 15, 2012). Judge Dunn retired shortly after ordering the city into receivership. The scope of the receiver's powers was largely decided by Judge James Rashid, who took over the case.


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Useless (Featuring Aaron Barrett) Lyrics
Thick-skinned and an attitude for danger. Just a no-good, hateful stranger. A bad example of a girl, who's gonna call me out? Alright, so I've got an evil vice. Anything to kill the time. You never told me to quit, I think you're over this. It's just a day in the life. I wanted it this way, I can get by. The weight of the world is wearing me down; I bit off more than I can chew. I'll spit it out on you. What I want, I can get it with a wink. It's easier than you think. And what I'm sayin' is true. Why would I lie to you? When I crash, everyone comes down. When I'm flyin' high, your feet can't touch the ground. Wonder why you hate to love me? I think you're over this. There's no excuses, I guess I'm useless. A wasted mind. Can you tell me when I've crossed the line?


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furniture. Sunday , December 17th , 2017 - 10:59:27 AM
The glass top is not meant to be the center of attention in the case of the Parobol table. The top is actually meant to be as simple and as transparent as possible in order to highlight the sculptural beauty of the base. The base is made from thermo-formed Corian and the glass top touches it in three small points, appearing to be floating.
The Senzafine closet was designed specifically for orderly storage. It includes a variety of different systems and features that allow you to hang clothes, to fold them and store them on shelves, to put your bags and shoes on display, to organize your accessories and to meticulously find a place for every item.
Initially, a credenza used to be a furniture piece on which food that needed to be tested for poison was kept. This was a ritual done before serving important people and aristocrats. Back then, the credenza had no legs. More modern designs such as the one for the Blade Credenza, show a few design transformations. This one has large doors made from a single board of elm wood and brass door pulls. It sits on a steel frame plated in antique brass and this offers it a slim figure.
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LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell PLC says it has reopened a pipeline in the oil-rich southern delta and has lifted a month-old production warning on its supplies to Nigeria's liquefied natural gas plant.
A Shell spokesman told The Associated Press on Friday that Shell's Nigerian subsidiary had lifted a "force majeure" on supply to the plant on Nov. 8. The term is used when an oil company cannot cover the promised supply from the field.
Precious Okolobo said the decision to lift the warning came after it repaired the Trans Niger pipeline which was hit by "crude theft and flooding."
The oil giant issued the warning on Oct. 3.
The Trans Niger pipeline is a major conduit for Shell through Nigeria's oil-rich region.
Nigeria is a top energy supplier to the U.S.


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It's Fire
Prevention Week
Mayor Chris Christopherson has proclaimed this week "Fire Prevention Week."
The Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department is encouraging residents to have "two ways out" of their residence and practice the routes so all members of the family are familiar with them.
The emphasis during the week is to plan escape routes and practice using them in case of fire.
In 2011, Fire Chief Rick Paris stated, there were some 369,500 home structure fires in the United States with 13,350 injuries and 2,640 deaths, causing $6.9 billion in property damage.
Grand Coulee City Council approved several modifications to its law enforcement contract with the Bureau of Reclamation last week. Modifications include: Purchase Spillman Mobile Software for four computers; purchase installation services for equipment; purchase four tasers and associated equipment.
The council also approved purchase of software for four patrol vehicles, paid for by the city.
Pertussis cases reported
Grant County Health District officials reported to the Grand Coulee that there have been 42 whooping cough cases in the county so far this year, largely in Moses Lake, Ephrata, Royal City and Warden. The patients ranged in age from newborn to 59 years old. Also called pertussis, the disease has raised concerns nationally this year with more cases reported in most states.
boundaries have changed
Hunters who are used to hunting in the Delano and Snyder Hill areas are asked to check with Electric City for city boundaries, since some of the area that people traditionally have hunted in are now within the Electric City limits, where there's no hunting allowed.
Does Coulee Pioneer
Museum have a nice ring to it?
A meeting to discuss developing a museum will be held at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 18, at the Senior Center.
The idea of a museum is to document the people who have lived in the Grand Coulee Dam area before, during and after the construction of the dam. Birdie Hensley, who is pushing for a museum, said there's a need for people who want a depository for historical information to step up and help out.
price rises
The Regional Board of Mayors Monday approved a 1.3-percent increase in garbage rates, effective Jan. 1, 2013. Officials from Sunrise Disposal asked for the increase due to the high price of fuel and other considerations. The increase translates into a 35-cent increase for households in the four municipalities.


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This edgy western Corral boot is handcrafted in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico by some of the most experienced boot makers in the country. Angel wing cross cowboy boot features a distressed black goatskin leather foot under a matching 13" scalloped leather shaft. Silver-tone leather inlay pull straps. Lightly cushioned insole. 2" cowboy boot heel. Updated snip toe silhouette. Single stitched welt.
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The abstract work of Susan Lott expresses a fresh exploration of surface and texture unhindered ...more
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Media: Original Lithograph
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Title: Premium Members Big Black Book, Artist's Directory – 2018
Lawrie Dignan uses a stylized and a methodical way of image development to build up ...more
Title: Moss Covered Blue Forest
Size: 15" x 11"
Media: Pen and ink on paper 1997
The unique abstract subject matter of Kate Taylor exemplifies bold and effervescent movement of shape ...more
Title: A light wind at twilight
Size: 36x36 inches
Chapel Gallery presents 'Earthtones', works from the collection of the Saskatchewan Arts Board. <p> It can be ...more
Title: David Garneau, Yorkton Pow Wow, 2009
Jane is a landscape painter who is influenced by international settings from South Africa, Europe ...more
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New York, NY (PRWEB) February 07, 2013
The following is a statement by Carol Steinberg, acting chief executive officer of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA), in response to the release yesterday of a new study estimating that the number of people with Alzheimer's disease will reach 13.8 million by 2050, a figure nearly triple the estimated 5.1 million people currently diagnosed with the disease. The government-funded study, published in Neurology, was conducted by researchers at Rush University in Chicago and based on an analysis of more than 10,000 people 65 and older enrolled in the Chicago Health and Aging Project since 1993.
"The study findings confirm the looming epidemic ahead given the nation's aging baby boomers, and further underscore the urgent need to provide quality care and support for individuals and their families affected by Alzheimer's disease. Resources like those provided by the Alzheimer's Foundation of America will increasingly be in high demand since it is impossible for families to face this alone. No amount of fear or denial should stop people from reaching out for assistance.
The latest findings also add further weight to the need for federal leaders to fund and move forward on recommendations in the "National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease." The historic plan was released in May 2012 and will be updated annually. The plan's overarching goals call for preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's disease by 2025, and expanding clinical care and long-term support services for people with Alzheimer's disease and their families.
Recently, the Alzheimer's Foundation put forth more than three dozen recommendations in a report entitled "Time to Build" that expand upon the plan's current goals and take the initiative to the next level. Our bold but vital recommendations seek to alleviate the emotional and financial burdens put on families, and include programs that would allow family members to be hired as paid caregivers, income tax deductions for out-of-pocket costs for long-term care services; and greater access to government-funded home- and community-based care services such as adult day programs. We also urge the government to strengthen efforts to build a high-quality dementia care workforce by requiring more training and offering federal student loan forgiveness for professionals in geriatrics and gerontology.
We are at a pivotal moment, one which can make or break the increasing number of lives impacted by the unforgiving reality of this disease. Pressure will continue to mount and costs will skyrocket if we do not ensure adequate resources to effectively blunt the disease's impact on families, communities and the government. Our nation must be prepared on all fronts to address this healthcare crisis."
Alzheimer's disease results in loss of memory and other intellectual functions, and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Advanced age is its greatest known factor. There is no known cure.
The Alzheimer's Foundation of America, based in New York, is a national nonprofit organization that unites more than 1,600 member organizations nationwide with the goal of providing optimal care and services to individuals confronting dementia, and to their caregivers and families. Its services include counseling and referrals by licensed social workers via a toll-free hot line, e-mail, Skype and live chat; educational materials; a free quarterly magazine for caregivers; and professional training. For more information about AFA, call toll-free 866-232-8484 or visit http://www.alzfdn.org.


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71C Transmission - Stuck Forward Clutch Piston
First of all, this is my first post - so hello MC community! Two weeks ago I purchased a 88 Prostar 190. I got a great deal; but it is a project boat. I starting the restoration now so that she will be ready by spring. I am focusing first on the transmission problem (no reverse). During my test drive the transmission had a fast leak in the forward seal and I suspect it was run low on fluid (the fluid by the way also looked like pepto bismo indicating that some what was in there - so this trans was a bit neglected).
I have disassembled most of the 71C transmission and found the problem. The rear clutch pretty much exploded with one of the brass clutches in pieces and springs everywhere. Fortunately there was no sign of metal fragments throughout the transmission and the expensive parts have no sign of damage - even the oil pump looks new (amazes me). I have ordered the rebuild kit and am aiming to assemble this weekend... except for one problem - I can't get the forward clutch piston out its cylinder!
Per the Velvet Drive service manual, I have plugging two of the hydraulic input holes and blew air into the third. I have also tried sealing the top and bottom of the cylinder and attaching an air hose to blow air in all three holes at once. While I did not achieve a perfect seal, I am pretty certain I was putting about 130 PSI behind that piston. It will move about 1/16" of an inch and then stops.
I found a couple of small pieces of rubber around the piston-cylinder mating/sealing surface. I believe the 'O'-ring has deteriorated and is wedging itself into the sealing surface as the piston moves. This is causing the piston to become stuck as it moves out of the cylinder.
Anybody have any bright ideas on what to try next? I have lightly put the piston in a vice and attempted to spin the cylinder, but it will not budge. I don't want to apply a lot of force since the piston is just cast aluminum.
My next thought is that perhaps I can melt that rubber 'O' ring out of there somehow.... Anybody know of a chemical that will eat all of that 'O' ring without damaging the metals? I was thinking carb cleaner might do it - but looking for any other insights before moving forward.
Here is a picture of the offending unit:
Problem Solved!
A buddy of mine at work helped me separate the piston from the cylinder. In a large vice we clamped a 3/4" piece of delrin (a type of plastic) to either side of the cylinder to form a good seal. We then drilled a hole through one of the delrin pieces and blew compressed air into the hole using a rubber-tipped air nozzle to seal to that hole. I am not sure if the higher air pressure available in the shop at my work or the better seal that motivated the piston out of the cylinder.... but either way, it is out and I am happy!
As expected, both the inner and outer 'O'-rings were shedding rubber pieces. I will need to do a bit of polishing to the sealing surfaces, but that should be a piece of cake.
When I rebuilt mine it came apart using the air methode from the manual. Did you try putting some type of lube in the cracks, then try twisting it, then the air again?
"Heavy" beer is for wine drinkers that are too embarrassed to drink wine in front of their buddies. "Light" beer is a drinkin' man's beer!
I have the unit fully disassembled and cleaned. Should be assembling tonight with a water test on Saturday. If you have any, feel free to share "lessons learned" from your assembly experience. The manual is pretty straight forward so I am hoping there will not be any issues.
Thanks for your response.
Doh! I didn't notice the second post was yours as well. Glad it work out for you. Good luck on the rest of the rebuild.
"Heavy" beer is for wine drinkers that are too embarrassed to drink wine in front of their buddies. "Light" beer is a drinkin' man's beer!
|71c, piston, stuck, transmission, velvet
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Is it possible?
TUS KVCD Group
In theory yes, as this what CHKDSK does. There are also a number of third party repair/recovery tools on the market that run under Windows, and claim to do this.
My personal view (and it is a generalisation) is that repair tools are more likely to be effective if you run them in safe mode.
Obviously a lot depends on what is actually wrong with your NTFS.
In general, you want whatever tool you use to check for any NTFS errors to have exclusive access to the system. With Windows (after the start-up sequence finished), this becomes a bit troublesome because all kinds of applications will be requesting the services from this device. This tends to slow down the repair system because all these other tasks are intervening with it. Plus, the repair tool has to make sure that all other application still get their proper data. And more troublesome, some tasks might have access to a file, and because it is open, the repair tool might not have full access to it until it is closed again.
Doing repairs during the start-up sequence has one major advantage, though. Almost everything on the harddisk will still be closed and the repair tool can claim exclusive access to the disk. Even better, all other tasks will just wait for the repair tool to finish what it is doing. Thus it can repair faster and more easily. It just needs to reboot.
Technically, it would be possible to use Windows in some exclusive mode after it is running but I think Microsoft kept that out of the OS on purpose. A badly written application could for example enter this exclusive mode and then end up in an endless loop and the system would just be dead until someone switches the power off and on again.
Fortunately, many repairs can be done already while Windows is running and don't need a reboot. Partition Magic, for example, can divide any harddisk in multiple partitions for as long as you haven't accessed it yet. (Meaning, the drive has no drive-letters assigned.) Basically, like Linux, Windows is mounting and unmounting disk stations. But with Windows, a mounted disk gets a disk letter. But once mounted, Partition magic has to temporarily unmount the disk so no other applications can get access to it. If this happens to be your disk that your OS is running on, this would be a problem. Thus PM partitions mounted disks only during the start-up sequence, just like many repair tools do. That way, PM has exclusive access and can thus move around clusters and split (or merge) the disk partitions.
So the answer:
Theoretically it is possible. It just takes a lot of work and it has some risks of messing things up. Doing these actions during reboot just makes things easier and a bit faster, although it does require a reboot.
Thanks everyone. That answers my question completely.
Forum Rules


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When Lake Ozark voters head to the polls on April 2, they will have a choice for mayor. Paul Sale is challenging incumbent Johnnie Franzeskos.
When Lake Ozark voters head to the polls on April 2, they will have a choice for mayor. Paul Sale is challenging incumbent Johnnie Franzeskos. Both were asked questions of importance to Lake Ozark. Here are their responses:
Johnnie Franzeskos: I grew up in Kansas City, Mo. After graduating from Northeast High School, I enlisted in the United States Air Force serving in the military police squadron during the Berlin and Cuban Crisis. After completing my military service with an honorable discharge as staff sergeant, like my father before me I went to work on the Kansas City Fire Department, working my way through the ranks to captain. During that time, I attended Penn Valley Community College, graduating with an associate's degree. In 1997, I retired after 32½ years of service to my community. I have three sons, a daughter, six grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
I am presently serving on these boards:
Planning and Zoning Board City of Lake Ozark
Joint Sewer Board/ Osage Beach and City of Lake Ozark
Lake of The Ozarks Solid Waste Management District T
Lake of The Ozarks Council of Local Governments
Miller County Tax Increment Financing
Lake Ozark Regional Economic Development Council
Chairman- Lake of the Ozarks Solid Waste Management District Council
Paul Sale: I have lived in the lake area for 20 years now. My family and I moved here to manage the horseback riding stables on the State Park, and my kids grew up working there and attending local schools. In the past few years, I have found a love of pottery art, and now own a small shop on the Strip called Fire and Earth Studio.
I have served as the Lake Ozark mayor in the past, and as an alderman, too. Although I am originally from Colorado, I lived all over the world as a career Marine.
Why are you running for mayor?
Johnnie Franzeskos: My wife Courtney and I have always loved the Lake of the Ozarks, so nine years ago we decided to make it our permanent home. However, soon after settling in I realized that working as a public servant for more than three decades wasn't enough! I loved my new home but I saw a lot of untapped potential so I decided to get involved in city government.
In 2006, I successfully ran for the position of alderman for the city of Lake Ozark and served in that position for one year. In 2007, I decided to seek the position of mayor of the City of Lake Ozark to bring about a change in the way the city conducted business and improve the image of the city government. I am presently serving in my third term.
The changes were not easy and came with struggles, but effort, time and a newly adopted "teamwork approach" allowed the city to emerge with a brighter future and move forward with greater success. However, it didn't happen by chance. We chose to work through our differences to develop a cohesive team that is focused on one thing: making the city of Lake Ozark the very best that it can be. I sincerely believe we are on the fast track to make that happen because the momentum has shifted in our favor. I want to continue to be part of the team that's guiding the city of Lake Ozark to new heights and believe the strong associations I've forged with elected officials and department heads in Jefferson City as well as in the lake area will help accomplish that.
Paul Sale: At one time, I thought I was done with Lake Ozark politics. However, I cannot sit by and watch what's happening in the city without at least trying to make a difference. Citizens are not involved in committee activity like they used to be and that's critical to shared governance. City government is not about what the mayor and city administrator want, it's about what's best for the citizens and the businesses of the town. I am the type of leader who listens to the citizens, and can manage change in a positive manner.
In addition to short council meetings with little citizen input and few committee meetings, I am concerned about communication in general. The city web site is a joke. Our comprehensive plan is not being used for guiding growth. Even meeting notices barely meet legal posting requirements.
Most cities allow you to pay your tax and utility bills online, but you won't find that here. I also feel that the mayor should NOT be a voting member of the Planning and Zoning Commission. The current mayor has managed to obtain that status, even though it appears to be against state of Missouri statute.
List three challenges the city faces in the next five years.
Johnnie Franzeskos: I believe the top three challenges we face are
1. Maintaining a balanced budget.
2. Building our reserve funds.
3. Continuing to provide and improve services to all of our residents. That list of services includes, among other things, repaving many of our streets and then purchasing equipment that will help us maintain them; providing reliable vehicles for our police so they can answer calls; expanding our storm sirens and improving our water and sewer systems.
While it is expensive to operate a city, and while the "to-do" list might seem great, I believe the continued growth of our tax base through new residential and commercial development, coupled with the redevelopment of our existing commercial areas, will help us accomplish everything that we've set out to do.
Paul Sale: We need to find the resources to upgrade all of the main roads in the city.
1) We need to find a way to build the infrastructure on Rt. 242 without asking the citizens to pay for it with tax increases. This area needs to be developed to increase our sales tax base.
2) We need to find a way to build prosperity for all Lake Ozark businesses while cherishing the traditions of the Historic Bagnell Dam Strip area.


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With only the scraps we have now, any statements about D&D 4e are purely speculative.
However, for me a "generic" system is one a GM can tinker with and customize for just about any genre. Some, like GURPS and Hero, give you tools to synthesize any ability you need; others, like BRP and especially PDQ, have such a simple foundation that a GM can add whatever he or she needs.
D&D has never really been either of those things. Creating new classes (and now feats) has always been a black art, requiring rigorous playtesting to avoid PCs who are either wimps or gods. D&D itself also makes certain assumptions: PCs fall into discrete classes, magic works in a specific way (or three specific ways: arcane, divine, psionic), etc.
Maybe the promised Modern system will provide more flexibility, but I doubt the upcoming D&D will encompass anything but, well, D&D.


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Accessibility Links
This fund cannot be shown as it has less than one year of performance data.
Important documents Before investing please ensure that you have read the Fidelity Key Features Document (incorporating the Fidelity Client Terms) and the fund information documents. These can be found by clicking on the 'Important documents' link.
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|Stuart Edwards
|Jack Parker
Fund Objective The Invesco Perpetual Global Bond Fund aims to achieve a combination of income and capital growth over the medium to long term. The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in debt securities and currencies globally. Debt securities include government bonds, as well as securities issued by supranational bodies, local authorities, national public bodies and corporate issuers. The Fund may also invest in high yield, unrated, convertible, sub-investment grade debt securities, cash, cash equivalents, money market instruments, collective investment schemes and other transferable securities. Financial derivative instruments can be used for investment purposes and for efficient portfolio management. They may include derivatives on currencies, interest rates and credit and can be used to achieve both long and short positions.
|Fund Status
|Fund Type
|12-Month NAV High
|12-Month NAV Low
|Fund Comparative Index
|Morningstar CategoryTM
|Global Bond
|Dividend Frequency
|Twice Yearly
|Distribution Yield
|Underlying Yield
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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York's comptroller has sued Qualcomm Inc. in an attempt to compel the wireless technology company to disclose its political spending to him and other shareholders.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Delaware seeks a court order to inspect company records, saying prior requests for the information have been rebuffed by the San Diego-based corporation. The suit cites studies that say corporate political spending tends to hurt investor returns.
"We think the fullest possible disclosure is what we're entitled to as shareholders," Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said. He is sole trustee of New York's pension fund for public workers, which has 6.1 million Qualcomm shares valued at almost $380 million.
According to the comptroller's office, the company spent more than $4.5 million on lobbying last year. That figure was based on data compiled by OpenSecrets.org, which showed Qualcomm spent more than $6 million on lobbying in both 2010 and 2011.
Qualcomm didn't initially respond Thursday to requests for comment.
DiNapoli said the lawsuit is a new tactic that holds promise for getting corporate transparency and accountability for shareholders. "It's just part of our continuing effort to have companies we invest in follow the best practices," he said.
The New York pension fund and other members of the Council of Institutional Investors sent letters to 430 companies in 2010 asking that they disclose political contributions made with corporate funds. In the past two years, the fund filed 27 shareholder resolutions asking for disclosures, reaching agreement with 10 companies, comptroller spokesman Eric Sumberg said.
The lawsuit says corporate political activity has risen sharply since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010 removed restrictions on it. The suit also cites recent studies, including one from Strategic Management Journal in 2012 that indicates that spending in general "is negatively correlated with enterprise value." The abstract of that study said researchers looked at 943 companies from 1998 to 2008.
"We find that firms' political investments are negatively associated with market performance and cumulative political investments worsen both market and accounting performance," the abstract said
Firms that put former public officials on their boards also performed worse. Corporate political activity had a positive effect on market performance in regulated industries, it said.


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Domestic oil production is literally rolling across the country.
The country's vast rail network has become, in effect, the pipeline for newer sources of crude oil unlocked by hydraulic fracturing, particularly in North Dakota's Bakken region.
But along with prosperity, the oil shipments have brought worry to communities along the rail lines. Since last summer, deadly and destructive derailments in Quebec, Alabama and North Dakota have created anxiety among community leaders from coast to coast.
Here are the answers to some common questions about shipping crude oil by rail:
Q: Why use rail?
A: A pipeline can take years to approve and build, and can cost billions of dollars. Rail uses an existing network that can handle the product with relatively minor modifications. Because the federal government regulates rail transportation, there's less state and local oversight and fewer options for environmental and community groups to block new crude-by-rail operations.
A pipeline also goes only from point A to point B, whereas the rail system goes just about everywhere. While more expensive, it's faster and more flexible. Shipping in unit trains, where every car contains the same product, helps bring the costs down.
Q: Are pipelines safer?
A: Not necessarily. Pipeline failures have resulted in large spills, fires and fatalities, too. An Enbridge oil pipeline ruptured in Michigan in 2010, spilling nearly 850,000 gallons of gunky Canadian tar sands into the Kalamazoo River, and it's still being cleaned up. That same year, a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. natural gas pipeline exploded in San Bruno, Calif., killing eight people and destroying more than 100 homes. An Olympic pipeline ruptured in Bellingham, Wash., in 1999, spilling 237,000 gallons of gasoline and igniting a fire that killed three people.
Q: Will building the Keystone XL pipeline help move crude oil off the rails?
A: Probably not. The 1,700-mile pipeline from western Canada to the Gulf Coast, if approved and built, would be completed long after energy, pipeline and rail companies made major investments in rail infrastructure, including loading and unloading terminals, tank cars, locomotives and track. North Dakota is producing a million barrels a day, nearly three-quarters of which move by rail, and could produce 2 million barrels a day in a few years. At most, Keystone would move 100,000 barrels of Bakken crude a day, barely a dent in the production. What's more, it would reach only Gulf Coast refineries, not the ones on the East and West coasts, which have become increasingly reliant on unit trains.
Q: Why are railroads shipping oil in unsafe tank cars?
A: They have no other choice. Tank car manufacturers can't build new ones fast enough to meet the demand. Domestic crude oil shipments surged from fewer than 10,000 barrels a day in 2008 to more than 400,000 last year. It happened so fast that oil producers turned to the only rail cars that were available, ones that puncture easily in derailments.
The rail industry took voluntary steps to improve tank car design in 2011, and all the tank cars built since meet the new standard. But even when 55,000 newer cars are in service by 2015, there will still be 45,000 older ones hauling crude oil and ethanol. The Canadian government this week required the industry to phase out the older cars within three years, but the U.S. Department of Transportation has yet to make a similar move.
Q: What's taking the DOT so long?
A: It's complicated. The regulatory process is slow, and there are a lot of concerns to address. For example, regulators concluded in January that Bakken crude oil is more flammable than more conventional kinds. They've been testing it to see what's really in it, and the results might affect tank car design in the future.
Any proposed regulation must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, a process that could take months. While the DOT hasn't committed to an exact date for a new rule to take effect, Secretary Anthony Foxx told a Senate committee earlier this month, "We are not going to wait until 2015."
Q: Aren't railroads required to tell communities where they're shipping crude oil?
A: No. Railroads do not make that information public, and they provide limited information on hazardous materials shipments to emergency response agencies by request. Even then, they disclose only what hazardous products they're shipping, not how much or when.
However, state and local officials are beginning to demand that railroads offer more details about hazardous shipments. Some railroads are cooperating, while still falling short of full transparency. They don't want to disclose the information to the public, citing security and competitive concerns that critics consider overblown.
Q: Can't railroads just route this cargo around populated areas?
A: Not really. In Philadelphia, for example, the only way to deliver crude oil to refineries in the area is on aging rail infrastructure in densely populated neighborhoods. And simply moving the traffic away from cities shifts the risk to rural communities, which often lack the emergency response capabilities required for a major disaster.
Q: Railroads say they're forced to haul crude oil. Is that true?
A: Yes. Under their common carrier obligations, they can't turn it away. However, that's not to suggest they're not making money from it. Crude oil is very profitable for railroads, which like other sectors took a hit from the recent recession. It helps make up for the decline in their old mainstay, coal, caused by an abundance of cheaper natural gas.
They're spending hundreds of millions of dollars buying new locomotives and laying new track. The largest hauler of crude oil in trains, BNSF Railway, recently announced it would buy 5,000 tank cars, which is unusual because railroads don't typically own tank cars. On its website, CSX promotes its fast, double-track "Water Level Route" for crude oil trains with language borrowed from passenger train advertisements of the 1950s.


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Night win over Sparty at the big house. Never in our history have we paraded the Paul Bunyan trophy on the field, but still a nice sight anyway.
I still have my NCAA 2004 for X-Box.
Lil' Bro won't be happy. Michigan is holding up Paul Bunyon.
They know it belongs to us. After it comes home this year they can focus on their real rival, the chips.
That's nice, too bad they never fix the gameplay.
Linebackers with 5' vertical jumps knocking down any passes over the middle.
Yours only get batted down? I have freaking OLBs transport themselves 10 yards in an instant, leap up and grab one-handed interceptions.
I hate it when I have a WR run a deep in against 2 deep coverage and linebacker goes all braylon edwards 2004 vs msu on me.
I've just gotten really good at hitting TE flag routes out of play action because I hate throwing over the middle.
Always slants. Only thing I can hit thats even close to over the middle
TE post routes all day baby!, gets me a good 20 yards every time
Off the 4 verticals. I may or may not have (read DID) set the single season receiving record in NCAA 12... with Kevin Koger. Then broke that record with Moore.
I've seen Charles Woodson do that.
What's that? Charles Woodson was the best DB to ever play the game?
Oh...well, then.
Wish we could just update the roster every year for a cost insted of 60 bucks every year for the same game.
You can download an updated roster every year for free...
I'm only buying it of Desmond is on the cover.
Nice! They got the new scoreboards in! Now I'm officially going to buy it.
Everyone go vote on their facebook page for Desmond Howard to be on the cover with RG3! It would be the 3rd time a Wolverine would be on it and the 2nd time for Desmond.
I have the NCAA 99 and 06 games on display on my bookcase.
NCAA 06 was the best of the bunch for 2 reasons:
- Actual soundtrack, not the same 10 fight songs in a loop.
Mike Hart had just finished his freshman season and was unstoppable in this game as well.
I'm worried this might hurt denards chances for the 2014 cover... I would much rather have denard on alone than Desmond on the cover again sharing it.
Are they retaining the new coaching carousel and custom conferences?
Those are two of my favorite parts of the game. Also it will be nice to have some of the new teams to FBS in the game.
Dont get me wrong, looks awesome, but cant we improve the gameplay 1st EA? Super jumps, defenders covering 2 receivers at once?
wow, I completely forgot about that (blocked it out, clearly). Now the rage is filling me again.
/CB covers the fly route and the shallow in simultaneously.
//FS covers all four vert routes.
While I'm at it, how about a 6'0 205 running back getting taken down easier than a 5'7 170 pound guy or a defensive back not even turning but knowing where the ball is at
Are they retaining the LOL NO READ OPTION FOR YOU and the WTF 50' VERTICAL MLB? If so I will be a sad panda.
Outside zone read doesn't work so well because the AI dictates your first couple steps, making it difficult to take advantage of cutback lanes. Plus, it's a play you have to set up first. Inside zone read, however, works perfectly. It's just unfortunate that most playbooks don't carry the appropriate formations for it. Usually I use Michigan, but with Oregon's playbook. Plus, Oregon's playbook has a heck of a lot more constraint options in case the read option isn't working out.
Word. Oregon's is my go-to playbook, too. Although I do think it's fun to use Georgia Tech's playbook once in a while if I'm playing against a crappy opponent.
to use is Miss. St. Lots of good read plays, and a few more formations with a TE/ H-Back in the backfield. GT's playbook is a lot of fun to run with online against people. If you run any option based playbook well it gives the other guy fits, haha.
Is the most annoying part of the game! I could have a wide open WR 30 yards away and the LB will bat it down.
It was only when I started playing FIFA and NHL regularly that I realized how bad EA's football division is. Stop worrying about stupid mascot gimmicks and make the actual game better.
Exactly this. I have NCAA '11, and from what I saw in the video:
- The fans look exactly the same (with the backward hats and everything)
- The cheerleaders look a little better (who cares? EA could leave them out altogether and I wouldn't notice)
- The parachuters coming into Army's stadium before the game (I haven't seen this in any other versions, and it's cool... but it's a gimmick. Nothing to do with the actual gameplay)
- The mascots (they look exactly the same)
I had told myself to wait 2 years before buying the next NCAA game, but seriously, what would I be getting? The updated rosters are appealing, but honestly, after the first couple years in dynasty mode, most of the guys I like will have cycled out of the game already.
you make a great point, my friend. Just keep recruiting that 5'6 160 RB that's 5*s and is impossible to tackle. he shows up every few years and you can win multiple heismans with him.
I think the offensive line blocking (actual zone blocking) improved dramatically in '12 over '11, and the running feels a lot more natural.
For this year I hope they continue to build on that and have OL who actually know their assignments and get to the 2nd level when they should. A lot of guys online have figured out how to trick your OL into missing their assignments, and it's rather obnoxious.
The primary reason I'm looking forward to this year is that it will be the first time Michigan will be rated highly in a long time, and as someone who refuses to play as anyone but Michigan online, this will translate to a dramatic improvement in my record. Or so I hope.
Michigan is pretty good in '12, though it's almost guaranteed that Denard gets hurt at some point in the game.
NHL, and FIFA, two of EA's best games are made by EA Canada. They really get the whole player engine/movement thing.
I love fifa because of the fluid gameplay. Not a big fan of the new tactical defending but i suppose it makes it more realistic than just holding down a button and following after the ball.
Thats it! Nhl and fifa are good but that universal engine they use doesn't suit a football game. they keep trying to polish a turd.
FIFA is certainly the best video game franchise. However, you suck at it, and shouldn't comment as if you have real knowledge of the game.
Completely agree, I can't play Madden anymore. However, I know you have no skills in Fifa.
I bought last years game after taking a year off hoping it would be better. After the roster bug finally got fixed two months later(the one where player tendency switched) I played it three times before I realized it was utter crap still. I'll pass this year.....most likely.
Jetpackman? Screw EA, I want Jetpackman
will our alternates be in this you think?
The alternates better be in the game this year.
would probably be the make or breaking for buying it for me. (unless they fix the horrid passing)
The game has become recycled garbage. They refuse to put this game into a dumpster fire and start over from the ground up. Instead they sell people on "dreads" and crap like that. After 11 I refuse to buy EA anything. I just found NFL2K5 and its better then Madden 12. A game that is 7 years older is deeper in everyway. Even did the roster update so its current. Its so good.. It makes me wonder what 2K could do with the NFL and College football now. People don't feed the monkey. Stop buying it.
Easier said than done. Where else can I play an NCAA football game? For as bad as the gameplay can be, EA does a good job introducing new features in the game each year (Coaching Carousel, Contracts)