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Read A Sample Chapter
On an island off the coast of Maine, a man is found dead. There's no identification on the body. Only the dogged work of a pair of local newspapermen and a graduate student in forensics turns up any clues, and it's more than a year before the man is identified.
And that's just the beginning of the mystery. Because the more they learn about the man and the baffling circumstances of his death, the less they understand. Was it an impossible crime? Or something stranger still...?
No one but Stephen King could tell this story about the darkness at the heart of the unknown and our compulsion to investigate the unexplained. With echoes of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon and the work of Graham Greene, one of the world's great storytellers presents a moving and surprising tale whose subject is nothing less than the nature of mystery itself...
Hard Case Crime was privileged to publish The Colorado Kid starting in 2005; while our paperback edition is not available for sale any longer (other than from used booksellers), you can still get the book in e-book and audiobook editions.
In July 2010, a new TV series called Haven debuted on SyFy (airing Friday nights at 10PM in the U.S.). Based loosely on The Colorado Kid, Haven tells the story of FBI agent Audrey Parker who comes to the town of Haven, Maine, in pursuit of an escaped criminal and winds up staying when she discovers that the town is a hotbed of supernatural activity—and may hold clues to her own mysterious past. Characters familiar to readers of the book include the colorful publishers of the local newspaper, and Agent Parker's personal story is intimately connected to an unsolved 27-year-old mystery in which a man died on a beach under strange circumstances...
To find out more, visit the Haven Web site.
2005-2006 Lineup Also Includes Lawrence Block, Donald Hamilton, Ed McBain and Donald E. Westlake
New York – Winterfall LLC, creator of the celebrated Hard Case Crime line of pulp-style paperback crime novels, today announced that a new book by Stephen King will be the lead title of the line's second year. The Colorado Kid tells the story of two veteran newspapermen and their investigation into the mysterious death of a man on an island off the coast of Maine. The book was written specifically for Hard Case Crime and has never previously been published. One of the most beloved storytellers of all time, Stephen King is the world's best-selling novelist, with more than 300,000,000 books in print.
Launched in September 2004 by novelists and pulp mavens Charles Ardai and Max Phillips (and recently nominated for two Edgar Allan Poe Awards by the Mystery Writers of America), Hard Case Crime revives the storytelling and visual style of the great pulp paperbacks of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. The line features an exciting mix of lost pulp masterpieces from some of the most acclaimed crime writers of all time and gripping new novels from the next generation of great hardboiled authors, all with new painted covers in the grand pulp style. Authors range from current best-sellers such as Lawrence Block, Max Allan Collins, Ed McBain, and Donald E. Westlake to Golden Age stars like Erle Stanley Gardner (creator of "Perry Mason"), Donald Hamilton (creator of "Matt Helm"), Wade Miller (author of Touch of Evil), and David Dodge (author of To Catch a Thief).
Cover artists include the legendary Robert McGinnis, creator of the posters for the original Sean Connery James Bond movies, as well as other award-winning painters chosen for their ability to work in the vivid and dramatic style that made pulp paperbacks so memorable. After seeing samples of Hard Case Crime's books, Mickey Spillane—creator of Mike Hammer and one of the best-selling paperback writers of all time—wrote, "Those covers brought me right back to the good old days."
The Colorado Kid will be published in October 2005 in the classic pocket-sized mass-market paperback format in which hundreds of millions of books were sold during the heyday of pulp fiction. The book will be published through Winterfall's ongoing collaboration with Dorchester Publishing, the oldest independent mass-market publisher in the United States. The book will also be available in audiobook and e-book editions from Simon & Schuster, publisher of Stephen King's work since 1998.
"Steve is an extraordinary writer, and as much a fan of classic paperback crime fiction as we are," said Charles Ardai, Hard Case Crime's editor. "We originally contacted him to see if he'd be willing to write a blurb for our line, and he decided that what he really wanted to do was write a book for us instead. We're thrilled that he wanted to be part of Hard Case Crime and we're very excited to get to introduce the world to the baffling mystery of The Colorado Kid."
"This is an exciting line of books," Stephen King commented, "and I'm delighted to be a part of it. Hard Case Crime presents good, clean, bare-knuckled storytelling, and even though The Colorado Kid is probably more bleu than outright noir, I think it has some of those old-fashioned kick-ass story-telling virtues. It ought to; this is where I started out, and I'm pleased to be back."
Since its debut in 2004, Hard Case Crime has been the subject of enthusiastic coverage by a wide range of publications including The New York Times, USA Today, Vanity Fair, Playboy, U.S. News & World Report, BusinessWeek, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Houston Chronicle, New York magazine, the New York Post and Daily News, Salon, Publishers Weekly and USA Weekend, as well as numerous other magazines, newspapers, and online media outlets. The Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Hard Case Crime is doing a wonderful job publishing both classic and contemporary 'pulp' novels in a crisp new format with beautiful, period-style covers. These modern 'penny dreadfuls' are worth every dime." Playboy praised Hard Case Crime's "lost masterpieces," writing "They put to shame the work of modern mystery writers whose plots rely on cell phones and terrorists." And the Philadelphia City Paper wrote, "Tired of overblown, doorstop-sized thrillers...? You've come to the right place. Hard Case novels are as spare and as honest as a sock in the jaw."
Hard Case Crime is scheduled to publish nine books in 2005, increasing to a schedule of one title per month in 2006. The next two titles in the line, due in stores at the start of March, are Home Is the Sailor by 1950s pulp master Day Keene and Kiss Her Goodbye, an original novel set on the mean streets of Edinburgh, by the rising young Scottish noir stylist Allan Guthrie.


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Flaherty plans 'stay the course' budget – with something for aboriginals
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is preparing to unveil a "stay-the-course" budget in March that will be far smaller and, the government hopes, less controversial than last year's sprawling magnum opus, with a focus on innovation and training, but no major new spending or cuts, nor any change in the Finance department's current timetable for achieving a balanced budget.
The 2013 budget will, however, likely contain some modest, cost-neutral measures intended to bolster aboriginal economic development, according to government insiders – including enabling greater access to private property on reserves, for bands that welcome such reforms, as proposed by First Nations Tax Commission head Manny Jules.
This would ignite further opposition among some within the Idle No More movement, who deem private-property rights tantamount to assimilation. However, many Conservatives believe property reform on reserves is long overdue, as a matter of human rights as much as economics. Such reforms would be in keeping with the government's emerging aboriginal strategy – that is, to engage on a case-by-case basis with those among the country's 600-plus bands that express a clear desire to pursue economic growth.
Skills-training measures in the budget, flowing from the Harper government's stated concern about a looming labour-market crisis, are expected to focus on four specific groups: Aboriginals, older workers, new immigrants and the disabled. There will be modest new investment in innovation, knowledge, science and technology.
As work proceeds on this budget, Flaherty revealed this week that he has been battling a rare skin disorder. However, his office has said it hasn't affected his ability to do his job.
On the overarching question of balancing the books, the government intends to tread carefully, insiders say: It will reiterate its desire to eliminate the federal deficit by 2015, while making it clear that factors beyond its control – in particular distressed economies in Europe and the United States – could derail that plan. Expectations are for modest economic growth this year of about two per cent, or slightly below that, down from 2.2 per cent or slightly higher.
Though there is no plan to impose major new spending cuts, officials are re-examining some proposed spending reductions that were considered but not implemented last year, with a view to finding additional incremental savings. There continues to be a vocal wing in the Conservative caucus pressing for faster and deeper reductions. Last year these hawks were overruled, with an initially expected $8-billion in cuts reduced to just over $5-billion on budget day.
From all this, the Harper government's strategy for re-election in 2015 begins to emerge. It is not, on the face of it, a bad strategy.
Last year at this time the prime minister was just off his trip to Davos, Switzerland, where he'd made headlines with pronouncements about dramatic changes in the offing, most notably the hike in the age of eligibility for OAS. Insiders set the stage for a "transformational" budget that would, above all else, streamline the relationship between government and the economy. The linchpin was to be a more efficient process for securing approvals for resource-development projects.
In Budget 2012, Flaherty delivered in some respects on the promise of change, but at heavy political cost: The Conservatives rammed great tracts of legislative reform that was not remotely budgetary, into the first of two omnibus budget bills. In doing so they effectively circumvented the democratic process, denying MPs the opportunity to debate the various pieces of legislation. They were soundly hammered for this by the opposition and in the media.
Come the fall, the second budget bill was broken up somewhat at the opposition's request: This was an early signal that the government's political radar system – exhaustive internal polls – had registered a measure of popular discontent over its tactics, and that it was resolving to play nice, or at least nicer, in hopes of shoring up its democratic credentials. But then along came the F-35 debacle, just before Christmas, and sent that effort to the ditch.
The 2013 budget plan indicates, among other things, an understanding that Canadians have had their fill of transformation for now, and that a time of quieter consolidation is in order. The Conservatives will continue to work the economy into every speech, because their data indicate that is what Canadians want to hear. But they will try to do so in a way intended not to raise so many hackles, with a view to the election campaign now two years and a bit away.
This is in keeping with the prime minister's recent onset of the warm and fuzzies, as demonstrated by his "day in the life" turn on Twitter. Harper remains the government's best communicator, by far: Expect him front and centre regularly this winter, culminating in a cabinet shuffle in a few months that will put some fresh faces on the front benches.
For the opposition New Democrats and Liberals, none of this is good news: It means the Conservatives, having done what they consider to be the heavy lifting, are settling back into the comfortable centre, where they have had their greatest electoral success.

subset: commoncrawl


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The environmental science field is interdisciplinary in nature. The UMass Lowell environmental science concentration blends a strong science core with focused areas in the humanities/social sciences leading to a program of study that is compatible with the student's strengths and goals. The science focus can be in either biology or chemistry. The choice of a humanities/social sciences focus will depend on the student's interests.
The concentration prepares students for employment in the private and government sectors where knowledge is required in management and protection of the environment, environmental laws and regulations, natural resources and environmental economics. Graduates of this concentration can pursue a variety of careers. Alumni have become doctors, environmental lawyers, teachers, environmental analysts, planners, water treatment plant operators, hydrological consultants, noise and air pollution specialists, and managers in private industry and government. This concentration also prepares students for graduate work in environmental science.
Please refer to the UMass Lowell Online Undergraduate Catalog for information about admissions, retention, the latest course information and degree requirements. To learn about the requirements for this major and a proposed four-year course of study, please visit the the Degree Pathways for Environmental Science.


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Contact us
Main Phone:
+34 646 377 731
UK reservations:
+44 20 3239 5593
US reservations:
+1 917 267 7815
Everyday from 9:00 AM until 4:00 AM (GMT +1)
+34 91 7912 677
Calle Apodaca 5
28004 Madrid
Palafox Central Suites
Click on this link to see the static version:
Photos of Palafox Central Suites
Welcome to Madrid Palafox Central Suites, a newly restored building located just 12 minutes walk through Chueca to Puerta del Sol. Around Palafox Central Suites the streets are full of bars and restaurants as well as great cafes and the trendy pedestrian shopping street of Fuencarral starts just 100 m away. From here all the major attractions of Madrid are within a comfortable walk through central Madrid and the lovely old town architecture.
Within 15 minutes walk you can explore Retiro Park, the Royal Palace, The National Library, The Prado Museum, The Reina Sofia Museum, Plaza Mayor, Gran Via, The Caixa Forum and many other sites of Madrid.
Palafox Central Suites is by Bilbao Metro station which connects throughout the city and within 30 minutes to the airport and 10 minutes to the Atocha Central Train station.
The apartments are large and fully furnished with 2 or 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms with hair dryer, spacious living room, separate dining room and a fully equipped kitchen with stove top, oven, microwave, fridge and freezer, dish washer, washing machine, kettle, toaster, blender, ironing facilities and coffee maker. 32 inch High Definition TV in the living room. All bathrooms have a new shower with hair dryer, amanities of shampoo and shower gel and top quality towels upon arrival. Daily cleaning available upon request.
All the rooms have central air-conditioning and climate control. Beds have comfortable visco topping and are king-size or twin by request, first class linen and large closet space in each bedroom. There are french balconies overlooking the street and lots of natural light pours into the windows. There is also an new elevator for a group of 6 people with a totally renovated historic stairs.
Included: internet WIFI, washing machine, TV, Staff available all year, kitchen, kettle, heating element, hair dryer and iron machine, central heating, bed linen and towels, balcony with views, heat/cool air conditioner, 10% VAT, 1 minute walk to metro
Upon request: traveller cot, terrace, quiet room, private parking, mobile phone, extra bed, daily cleaning, city views, breakfast, alarm clockPhotos of Palafox Central Suites


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Philadelphia Information Locator Service
Archival Record Series
Housing and Community Development, Office of[Record Group 60-17]
- 60-17.2 Reports and Publications
- 1977-1998
7 volumes,
Reports and publications issued by and/or received by the Office of Housing and Community Development. These include publications relating to the American Street Industrial Corridor and materials relating to the services offered by this office. Also included are copies (not a complete set) of the newsletter produced by the office during the 1990s.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Shelf list is available.
- 60-17.3 Applications for Development Block Grants
- 1978-1998
5 volumes, no index
The applications for community development block grants and other housing grants contain a wealth of material relating to the city's housing strategies and much statistical information in regards to the overall housing needs and market analysis within the city of Philadelphia. The section of housing and homeless needs contains chapters dealing with housing conditions and affordability, estimated housing needs by family and income categories, summary of housing needs by income group, needs of other categories of households (including distribution of income for Philadelphia households across ethnic/racial groups), non-homeless populations with special needs (elderly, disabled, AIDS, etc.), homeless needs and lead-based paint hazards. The second section, concerned with the housing market analysis, includes chapters on market and inventory conditions, areas of racial and/or low-income concentrations, inventory of public and assisted housing, inventory of facilities and services for the homeless, special needs facilities and services, and barriers to affordable housing development.
The strategic plan section addresses the city's approach to solving many of the problems and details the goals of the plan and priority needs summary table. Among the areas which are addressed in detail are affordable housing, homelessness, non-homeless special needs, non-housing community development, geographic allocation of resources, the strategy for removing barriers to affordable housing, lead-base paint hazard reductions strategy, anti-poverty strategy, the strategies for improving institutional structure and coordination, and public housing resident initiatives.
The action plan section (part 4) includes chapters on housing production, homeownership and housing preservation, homeless and special needs housing, employment and training, community economic development, acquisition, site preparation and relocation, community organization capacity building, neighborhood planning and development, federal program guidelines and the budget.
The later plans also include copious appendices and tables illustrating many of the elements discussed in the plans.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Shelf list is available.
- 60-17.4 Grantee Performance Reports
- 1977-1997
10 volumes, no index
The Grantee Performance Report is an annual accounting of the monies received and spent as a result of the Community Development Block Grant broken down by activity and project. The objectives of each activity are listed followed by a listing of the accomplishments and/or status of the project as of the end of the grant year. Many of the projects have a table indicating the total number of households/persons assisted by the activity broken down by income and ethnic backgrounds, the amount budgeted and the amount spent.
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Shelf list is available.
Links to related information...
PhILS Home
-->City Agencies
---->Housing and Community Development, Office of [60-17]
------>Record Series Information Sheet. (Graphical version of this page)
Send your comments to firstname.lastname@example.com
Last updated on November 9, 2000


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Woman killed in Mt. Orab crash
Icy bridge a factor in crash, troopers say
Woman killed in Mt. Orab crash
Icy bridge a factor in crash, troopers say
MOUNT ORAB, Ohio —
A woman was killed and a man was hurt in a Thursday morning crash that closed a highway in Mt. Orab.
Troopers said two vehicles collided on U.S. 68 at Ohio 32 at about 6 a.m.
Troopers said Charlotte A. Brown, 62, of Winchester, was crossing the bridge over Ohio 32 when she lost control on the icy surface.
Her car crossed the center line and struck an oncoming sport utility vehicle, troopers said.
Brown was pronounced deceased at the scene. The SUV driver, Walter Feck, 37, of Mt. Orab, was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
The highway was closed for some time for investigation purposes.


text: Tapjoy debuts rich media mobile ad units Published on September 18, 2013. San Francisco—Mobile advertising company Tapjoy introduced two new ad products: Tapjoy Rich Media and Tapjoy Video Plus. Tapjoy Rich Media enables advertisers to create customizable, immersive mobile ad campaigns that target users at each stage of the buying cycle. Tapjoy Video Plus is a new video format with enhanced video-viewing capabilities. Tapjoy is offering both products within its suite of mobile advertising solutions. Most Popular In this article: BtoB


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One of the oldest matchmaking services providing Lewisburg personals to the area. Matchmaker specializes in helping singles in the Lewisburg personals area find that special someone. Whether you are seeking a serious relationship or marriage; matchmaker.com can help you today. Our Lewisburg personals service provides the latest in dating services to help you meet Lewisburg single men and Lewisburg single women. Create a free singles ad and start dating online, its easy!
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Specializing in Lewisburg personals services for the past ten years and helping Lewisburg singles find that special someone has helped matchmaker become one of the best online destinations. Our cupid matchmaking service allows you to receive email updates when new members that match your preferences join out Lewisburg dating service. Find the best Lewisburg classifieds and Lewisburg personals when joining our online dating service today!


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The Whole Ed Catalog
Personal Finance - Credit by Examination - DANTES
Earn three college semester hours credit in "Personal Finance" by passing DANTES examination SE-550 with a recommended minimum score of 50% using this study guide:
DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support) offers credit by examination via a group of standardized tests developed for the voluntary education programs of the U.S. Armed Forces which have now been made available for civilian use. The civilian tests are administered by the Chauncey Group International , a wholly owned subsidiary of the Educational Testing Service.
Link to these related articles :
The bibliography below is based on the suggested preparation readings for the DANTES tests. It has been updated from the original recommendations with respect to current editions and changes of publisher so far as is practicable.


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Meal Type
Featured Videos
Featured Content
Featured Brand Sites
Featured Brand Sites
Product By Category
Tools & Info
Cooking Tips
Healthy Living
Your Kids
Recipe Ideas
food&family Magazine
14 servings
Tap or click steps to mark as complete
Kids can have fun decorating this cake. At 14 servings, this fun cake is the perfect size for a birthday party.
Tint whipped topping red or yellow, depending on the color of fire trucks in your area.
* Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.


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Golf Course Frequently Asked Questions
Bike Rentals and Other Frequently Asked Questions
10Best readers have it right: Hilton Head Island's beaches are awesome. The travel website recently released its list of the 10Best beaches in the U.S., chosen by the readers, and Hilton Head was ranked No. 2! Vacationers ranked Hilton Head above beaches in California, Florida and Hawaii!
From sunrise yoga to bike rides at sunset and everything in between, Hilton Head beaches are the perfect place to spend a vacation. This barrier island has 12 miles of gorgeous beach, three of which are located within Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort.
If you really study the beach itself, you'll notice Hilton Head's beaches are uninterrupted and wide. In addition to soft sand, the lower part – closest to the water – is hard-packed and perfect for building sandcastles, a game of Frisbee, running, walking or riding a bike.
Palmetto Dunes takes great care of the 3 miles of pristine beaches located at the resort. We invigorated our beaches using tons of sand dredged from our 11-mile lagoon system and Shelter Cove Marina.
We also offer lots of "toys" for our guests to enjoy on the beach, including surfboards, boogie boards, bicycles and more. Also on the property is the Dunes House, a public access beach facility located midway down the 3-mile stretch of beach. It features a deck, resort beach restrooms and limited parking for resort guests.
At Palmetto Dunes, even golfers can still enjoy the beach while at play. Our Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course (one of three courses on the resort) is one of only two oceanfront holes on Hilton Head Island. Its signature hole, the par-five 10th, offers an amazing view of one of the 10Best beaches in the nation.
As you enjoy the sand and surf, there are several regulations by the town of Hilton Head to keep in mind. The following are not permitted: alcohol, glass bottles/containers, littering, fires and fireworks and shark fishing.
We also want to protect these amazing beaches, so please be careful to throw your trash away in provided receptacles and please stay away from the sand dunes and sea oats, as well as other dune flora. Remember to leave any live animals and beach fauna you find alone, which includes sand dollars, starfish and conchs. Also, please turn out your beachfront lights to help make sure the baby sea turtles make their way out to sea.
We'd love to help you plan an amazing vacation at one of the 10Best beaches in the nation, so feel free to visit our website for details on Palmetto Dunes Resort's Hilton Head vacation homes and villas, activities and amenities, or call us at (866) 744-7558.


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Clerk, robbery suspect both show guns in NH
Suspect tackled by customer
Clerk, robbery suspect both show guns in NH
Suspect tackled by customer
Police say a New Hampshire pharmacy clerk got into a tense exchange with a female robbery suspect, with both drawing guns and the woman pointing hers at an elderly customer before another patron saw it was a pellet gun and tackled her.
Police say 30-year-old Nicole Chase of Manchester handed the clerk at Ken's Pharmacy in Manchester a note Wednesday demanding Percocet. She said she had a gun. The clerk didn't see a gun and challenged her, saying he had one.
The clerk retrieved a gun, but quickly returned it when the woman produced a gun and pointed it at the customer, saying she would shoot if her demands weren't met.
The clerk handed over pills as another customer recognized the weapon was a pellet gun and tackled her.


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wariest is a valid word in this word list. For a definition, see the external dictionary links below.
The word "wariest" uses 7 letters: A E I R S T W.
Direct anagrams of wariest:
waister waiters wastrie
Words formed by adding one letter before or after wariest (in bold), or to aeirstw in any order:
a - awaiters d - tawdries e - sweatier wasterie weariest h - waterish i - wisteria m - wartimes n - tinwares p - wiretaps r - strawier s - waisters waitress wastries t - wartiest
Shorter words found within wariest:
ae ai air airest airs airt airts ais ait aits ar are ares arise ars arse art arts as aster astir at ate ates aw awe awes ear ears east eat eats er era eras ers erst es et eta etas irate ire ires is it its raise ras rase rat rate rates rats raw rawest raws re rei reis res resaw rest ret retia rets ria rias rise rite rites sae sari sat sate sati satire saw sawer sea sear seat sei ser sera serai set seta sew sewar si sir sire sit sitar site sri stair star stare staw stew stir straw strew stria striae sware swart swat swear sweat ta tae tar tare tares tars tarsi tas taw tawer tawers tawie taws tawse tea tear tears teas terai terais tew tews ti tie tier tiers ties tire tires tis trews tries tsar twa twae twaes twas twier twiers wae waes wair wairs waist wait waiter waits war ware wares wars wart warts was wast waste waster wat water waters wats we wear wears weir weirs wert west wet wets wire wires wis wise wiser wist wit wite wites wits wrest wries wriest wrist writ write writes writs
List shorter words within wariest, sorted by length
Words formed from any letters in wariest, plus an optional blank or existing letter
Try a search for wariest in these online resources (some words may not be found):
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List all words starting with wariest, words containing wariest or words ending with wariest
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Other words with the same letter pairs: wa ar ri ie es st
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Previous word in list: warier
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Embracing the new normal
The word "normal" appears to be evolving. That which was normal a few weeks, months or years ago may not necessarily be normal by today's standards. If trends continue, certainly that which is normal today will certainly be everything but normal in the near future.
To be clear, "normal" does not necessarily mean "ordinary." The two words are often confused. "Normal" is a standard that is deemed acceptable by the majority of a society, culture or group where a subject in question is being judged.
A person of normal intelligence could have an IQ somewhere between 90 and 140. A person of average intelligence would have an IQ of 100. Both are normal.
"Normal" also measures acceptable patterns of behavior. Less than two decades ago, it was normal for a man to ask a woman for a date. By today's standards, women are just as likely to ask a man out as the other way around, without raising any eyebrows. Even that practice is becoming passé. The "date" among young adults is nearly a ritual of the past.
The "hookup" is the "new normal." Students and people entering the workplace have demanding schedules and lifestyles that allow little time for the courtship practices of bygone years.
The "hookup" is synonymous with a "casual" relationship, or friendship without strong emotional ties or commitments. Depending on the ground rules set by the people involved, different degrees of intimacy and exclusivity need to be defined for the hookup to be successful. The hookup is not a one-night stand; it is generally a friendship that could have romantic overtones without commitment.
The "new normal" is defining itself in many areas of societal interactivity that range from the way we do business to the way we mate, marry and raise offspring.
Internet relationships that were considered dangerous a decade ago are now encouraged with the advent of reputable online dating services. These matchmaking companies require detailed histories of their clients, which they then validate. Applicants are matched with like-minded people seeking partners with similar backgrounds.
For a fee, men and women can review a number of candidates that fit their profiles and make a decision to correspond and eventually meet. Before they even exchange e-mails with a likely candidate, both parties can see a picture, know the age, weight, occupation, annual salary, employment history, education, marriage history, credit rating and other vital statistics of a person who allegedly meets their dating criteria.
A search of court records reveals any legal issues that applicants might be attempting to hide.
The extent of information provided in this age of accountability is so detailed that by the time people finally get together through one of the dating services, they have little to talk about. They learn everything about the other person beforehand. What do they do on their first date— sit around and ignore each other? The mystery of romance has succumbed to the information age and the scrupulous eye of the statistician.
The jury is still out on how long these researched relationships survive, but if reports from users of the services are to be believed, the practice provides a comfort zone that makes exploring the possibility of a more serious relationship a bit easier.
Not to be close-minded to establishing a "new normal" in many areas of societal interactivity, but matching like-minded people statistically negates the wonderful surprises that are often gleaned from experiencing the offerings of another culture.
The magic of spontaneous attraction and the curiosity stimulated by everything from pheromones to a different point of view should not be lost. Clinical, statistically-driven matchmaking could divide multicultural societies even more than they are already divided.
Imagine if one of the required computerized matching categories was politically biased. If the computer listed Republican, Democrat and "other," and one person checked Democrat or Republican while the other person checked "other," the two people could be considered incompatible.
It would be sad if people who checked "other" did so because they had never lived in a democratic society. That would not necessarily mean they were adverse to a democracy, it would just mean they hadn't lived in one. What if they were born in a kingdom?
We should tread cautiously before we firmly establish a "new normal" in many areas of day-today life. There is something appealing about the adventure of experimentation that we enjoy by living in a system we can't understand.


text:
Only Show: Multi-day Tours
Page: 1
3-Night Andalucia Highlights Tour from Granada Including Cordoba and Seville
Visit the beautiful Andalucian cities of Granada, Seville and Cordoba on a 3-night tour from Granada, with 3- or 4-star hotel accommodation included! The ...
Location: Granada, Spain
Duration: 4 days
2-Day Seville Tour from Granada with Royal Alcazar Palace, Seville Cathedral and Flamenco Show
Get to know Seville, southern Spain's sultry Andalusian capital, on this 2-day tour from Granada! On a city sightseeing tour, you'll be introduced to the ...
Location: Granada, Spain
Duration: 2 days
Page: 1


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Lightspeed Fibre Optic 4K Ready 18Gbps HDMI Cable
0 Reviews
Monitor Audio Monitor MRW-10 Subwoofer
0 Reviews
Audio Affair focuses on higher quality hi-fi speakers, music systems, home cinema, headphones and specialist audio equipment, designed to offer the greatest enjoyment of music and movies at home. We are one of the few companies still offering real hi-fi and AV solutions. Choose from over 4000 carefully selected products, from great value DAB radios, desktop speakers and wireless active speakers, to some of the finest hi-fi and home cinema systems in the world. To get started online, browse our menu at the top, search or view our selection of brands.
Need help? Click here to e-mail an expert or call 0844 50 403 50 (9:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Saturday). 0% finance available on orders over £500 (minimum deposit 10%). Apply at checkout, in store or call to enquire. Looking for DJ or pro kit? Visit our sister business www.djtechdirect.com


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Steam Greenlight Spotlight: Enamel
Posted: 06:43PM
Author: ClayMeow
It's been three weeks since the last Steam Greenlight Spotlight, but it finally makes its triumphant return. Thanks to Hurricane Sandy, I was without power for a whopping 15 days, but I'm back and that means you can expect (hopefully uninterrupted) weekly spotlights once again!
Enamel is a 2D side-scrolling Action-RPG with a dark, gritty graphical theme. You play as Robert Widmark, the commander of a space shuttle sent to investigate a strange unidentified object. After the object violently flares up, damaging your shuttle, your character escapes in an emergency capsule and heads toward Earth – or what's left of it. Apparently the unidentified object caused a cataclysmic event back home. Not much else is known of the game's story at this time, so whether you're trying to investigate the event or simply trying to survive, I can't tell you.
Developer Ehnenu promises big, open maps in three different lands, unusual enemies, twelve weapon types, each with their own special attacks, modifications to the weaponry, and recipes for crafting items, ammo and more. In addition, your character will have skills, attributes, and perks, though nothing specific has been unveiled. You may be wondering why I have chosen a game with so much information still up in the air, but if you take a look at the video and screenshots below, I think you'll understand why the game caught my eye. Enamel is still early in development, but there's a lot of potential here.
There was nothing last week, but here was the last Spotlight: Three Dead Zed. And don't forget to visit the forum thread.


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Another View -- Dan Innis: Small business smarts will get America back to workDAN INNIS
February 20. 2014 11:09PM
It has been six years since the bailout and five years since the stimulus. We have been stuck with Obamacare for four years. Yet fewer Americans are working today than at the beginning of the recession. It is time for the advocates of big government to admit that we aren't going to spend our way into economic recovery. The only way to speed up this sluggish recovery is to get America back to work.
I'm running for Congress because I still have faith in the American economic miracle. In fact, my husband and I are currently expanding our own small business, and we're betting on a return to economic prosperity. Every small business success has its own story. That's one reason I'm launching a Jobs Tour, to hear directly from other New Hampshire entrepreneurs how they built their businesses, and what they need to create more jobs.
Politicians are quick to take credit for every good piece of economic data, as if they were responsible for creating jobs. Every new hire, every startup is because someone in the private sector took a risk.
It was a risk when we bought and renovated a small business in 2008. We hired two other employees and reopened in 2009. That small operation was successful enough that we are now expanding and will soon open The Hotel Portsmouth, which will employ a dozen people. That's more jobs than Carol Shea-Porter or Frank Guinta ever created in their eight years in Congress.
The hotel business is every bit as challenging as serving as dean of the Paul School of Business and Economics at UNH. In that capacity, I oversaw more than 100 faculty and staff, with an annual budget of $30 million, helping to educate nearly 2,500 students a year.
All of these experiences helped me create the Innis Agenda for Jobs and the Economy. The big-spending bailouts and stimulus bills that have come out of Washington D.C. have managed to create jobs only in Washington, D.C. My plan acknowledges that we create jobs from the bottom up, one new employee at a time. My plan will strengthen the fiscal and regulatory climate in which entrepreneurs decide whether or not to start and expand their businesses, creating a more favorable climate for all businesses.
We can shift the incentive for job creation by removing federal obstacles. We should restore the 40-hour full-time work week. The 30-hour rule under Obamacare is forcing employers to cut hours for part-time workers.
We can restore the Welfare to Work programs hailed by both Congressional Republicans and the Clinton administration. The Obama White House has weakened these incentives through executive order.
We can require workers on unemployment to take part in state retraining programs if they stay on unemployment longer than six months. We must remove trade barriers, reform the way we fund our transportation infrastructure, and finally approve construction of the Keystone Pipeline.
The economy is threatened by the taxes and other job killing policies on Obamacare, which is why I've already outlined a comprehensive health care plan. The $17 trillion national debt threatens our fiscal stability, which is why I have proposed a sweeping balanced budget agenda.
These are the job creation ideas I'm putting forward. I'd welcome similar plans from Frank Guinta and Carol Shea-Porter. Unfortunately, we haven't heard anything other than partisan talking points from either of them in quite some time.
Frankly, I'd welcome any ideas to get the economy moving again. Recent reports that Obamacare will lead to two million fewer people in the workforce is a testament to how much Washington has damaged our economy. Obamacare defenders even go so far to claim that millions of Americans staying home is a good thing. That's absurd.
We will speed up economic growth when we get more Americans back on the job, and my plan is the right first step.
Dan Innis is a Republican candidate for Congress in New Hampshire's 1st District. He is the former Dean of the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire.


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< Assistance to Philippines
Nov 15, 2013 09:38
Category: General News
Category: General News
Relations with the Middle East
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says the Obama administration needs more time to pursue a deal with Iran on nuclear weapons -- and needs to do so without new sanctions. Samantha Power tells "CBS This Morning" that one key obstacle is the "generations of suspicion" between the two countries. Many Republicans and Democrats in Congress have been pushing for tougher economic sanctions on Tehran, which denies it's trying to build nuclear weapons.


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If you've seen a Hawaiian tourism commercial, a beach movie, or even a cartoon with Daffy Duck in a lei and a grass skirt, you've heard the poignant strains of "Aloha Oe."
But the tune has a history stretching far beyond cartoons and commercials: It was composed in 1878 by the woman who would become the last queen of Hawaii, Lili'uokalani.
Hawaii is the only state to have once been an independent monarchy. And when Lili'u, as she called herself, was born in 1838, it was at its height.
"She was born at a time when all things seemed possible to the kingdom of Hawaii," author Julia Flynn Siler tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz.
Siler has written a new book about Lili'u and her times, Lost Kingdom: Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure.
She says the seeds of Hawaii's downfall had already been planted when Lili'u was born — by the missionaries who came early in the 19th century to bring reading, writing and Christianity to the islands.
"The old saying in Hawaii about the Christian missionaries who arrived was, they came to do good and they did very well," Siler says.
By the end of the 19th century, "the sons and grandsons of the missionaries controlled the vast majority of arable land, as well as the banks, the steamship lines and most other businesses," she says.
Those missionary descendents had snapped up vast tracts of land from the cash-poor, land-rich Hawaiian aristocracy; the Hawaii of Lili'u's childhood, a land of small-scale taro farms and fish ponds, had been plowed under and converted into sugar plantations.
When Lili'u came to the throne in 1891, she found herself in an impossible position. The islands and the mainland were suffering a terrible economic depression. Her brother and predecessor, David Kalākaua, had plunged the monarchy deeply in debt to the sugar planters.
He had also been stripped of many of his powers by the white merchant class.
"He was essentially a figurehead," Siler says, "and Lili'u, upon taking the throne, and at the request of her people, tried to regain some of those powers by introducing a new constitution."
It did not end well. The merchants and sugar planters banded together and overthrew Lili'u in 1893. And though she campaigned tirelessly for restoration, she was unsuccessful. Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1898.
Siler says the annexation of Hawaii marked a turning point for the United States.
"This was the first time in America's history that we reached beyond our mainland shores and took a nation that had been independent, sovereign, recognized by the other great powers," Siler says. "And we grabbed it for America."
Even though this song might make you think of a relaxed afternoon on a Hawaiian beach under a palm tree, the woman who wrote it actually lived through one of the most stressful times in Hawaiian history. The song is called "Aloha Oe," and it was in 1878 by Lili'uokalani, the last queen of Hawaii. The last one, because in 1893, Lili'u, as she called herself, was ousted by a cabal of white sugar planters who eventually engineered Hawaii's annexation to the United States five years later.
That story is told in our book this week. It's called "Lost Kingdom: Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure." Author Julia Flynn Siler says that Christian missionaries arrived in Hawaii a few years before Lili'u's birth in 1838, and they would soon change the islands almost beyond recognition.
JULIA FLYNN SILER: The old saying in Hawaii about the Christian missionaries who arrived was they came to do good, and they did very well. And they did very well, indeed, in fact. By the last decade, when Lili'u assumed the throne of Hawaii, the sons and grandsons of the missionaries controlled the vast majority of arable land, as well as the banks, the steamship lines and most other businesses.
Like when Lili'u was born, there had been, you know, for centuries, taro fields and fish ponds, and those were very rapidly replaced by sugar fields. And so the span of her life really followed the economic transformation of the islands. And my book is really about the collision between these two cultures, very vulnerable Polynesian peoples who had been isolated for so many years colliding with the Western capitalist world.
RAZ: By the time Lili'u becomes the queen, she finds herself in almost impossible position in Hawaii, right? I mean, at that point, it's almost as if the independence of Hawaii has already been determined.
SILER: Yes. She inherited the throne in 1891 after the death of her brother, David Kalakaua. The islands were being buffeted by an economic downturn, as was the mainland at that point. The white business class in Hawaii was crying for a solution to their problems, and some of them saw the solution to be closer ties to the United States or annexation.
And so while Lili'u is facing that, she's also facing a personal crisis, the death of her husband who had been her closest counselor for many, many years. He was a white man, the son of a ship captain. And the third leg of the stool is that native Hawaiians urged her to try to regain more powers for the monarchy.
During the time of her brother's reign, he had essentially been stripped of many of his powers by the white merchant class. He was essentially a figurehead. And Lili'u, upon taking the throne, and at the request of her people, tried to regain some of those powers by introducing a new constitution.
And what happened was that a very small group of people, the Committee of 13, which was named after the French revolutionaries, formed and used that action on Lili'u's part as a pretext for an overthrow that was backed by U.S. Marines in January of 1893.
RAZ: At this point, President Grover Cleveland calls for a congressional inquiry that finds this to be illegal, right? I mean, they - the U.S. Congress says what these merchants have done in Hawaii is against the law.
SILER: Yes, that's right. And that's one of the saddest parts of "Lost Kingdom" is that there was a 2,000-page report by the envoy sent out by President Cleveland that absolutely found on behalf of the queen that this was an illegal action. But that didn't end up reversing what had happened, and the queen never did end up getting put back on the throne.
RAZ: She had some initial success but could never convince enough people to back her, right?
SILER: Partly, that was it, and partly, that the second envoy that was sent out found something very different than the first envoy had found. And so he sent back a big report that muddied the waters about what exactly had happened. Meanwhile, Lili'u, in speaking to that envoy, perhaps in a moment of anger, perhaps in a moment of fury at what had happened, had spoken of the conspirators being beheaded as was the law at that time in Hawaii. And so that put the U.S. president into a terrible position. Could he put a queen back on the throne who had suggested that those who had overthrown her should be beheaded?
RAZ: What happened in Hawaii takes place at a time when the United States was really beginning to engage - actively engage in what could be described - easily could be described as imperialism, right? I mean, eventually, they would get to Cuba and the Philippines. So was this seen as a perfectly normal thing for an emerging power to be doing at the time anyway?
SILER: Well, our founding fathers had had a vision, at least initially, that we would not be an empire. And why this episode in 1893 in Hawaii is so important, is that this was the first time in America's history that we reach beyond our mainland shores and took a nation that had been independent, sovereign, recognized by the other great powers of the day, including Great Britain, including France, as being an independent nation, and we grabbed it for America.
RAZ: That's Julia Flynn Siler. Her new book is called "Lost Kingdom: Hawaii's Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America's First Imperial Adventure." Julia, thank you so much.
SILER: Thank you, Guy. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Nicaragua's congress on Wednesday approved allowing the military chief of staff to hold his post indefinitely and letting the army take a bigger role in the economy, further concentrating power in the hands of longtime President Daniel Ortega and his allies.
Ortega helped lead the 1970s uprising against dictator Anastasio Somoza and served as president until losing an election in 1990. Since returning to the presidency in the 2006 election, he has engineered a series of legal changes allowing him to remain in power indefinitely, leading his opponents to warn of a return to dictatorship.
The vote on the military came a day after the congress controlled by Ortega's Sandinista party altered the constitution to erase presidential term limits and eliminate a requirement for a candidate to receive at least 35 percent of the vote in order to win presidential election. Both measures are widely seen as easing Ortega's path to a fourth term.
The constitutional change also the president the power to issue decrees without congressional approval. It also allows serving military and police officers to hold what had been civilian posts in government agencies and gives.
The change approved Wednesday allows the army to help draft laws governing the country's national records, computer databases and telecommunications spectrum.
"We're looking to advance the legal framework for national security," Sandinista congressman Edwin Castro told reporters.
The military legislation also gives the army the ability to provide security to private enterprises like the trans-ocean canal proposed by a Chinese businessman as a rival to the Panama Canal.
"What can be seen is Ortega's clear intention to manage the army according to his tastes and whims," opposition congressman Luis Callejas said. "It's about the armed forces submitting to Ortega's will."
Former Ortega ally Dora Maria Tellez, who is now a member of a dissident Sandinista movement, said this week's legal changes are "custom-tailored for Ortega, who wants to die in power."
Ortega won a third term in 2011 after the Supreme Court, which is dominated by his allies, annulled term limits. The election was called fraudulent by his opponents, and the U.S. and European Union criticized it for a lack of transparency.


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Arrivederci Amore, Ciao (TH - DVD R3)
Ciao, bella! Gabe Powers celebrates the return of Italy's most promising maestro...
This review is sponsored by
Giorgio, a left-wing idealist-turned-terrorist, returns to Italy from exile in Central America to establish a life of comfortable bourgeois respectability. All the idealistic fervour and political conviction since destroyed during his horror-filled years on the run, Giorgio's obsessive desire for a normal life is limitless, his methods utterly ruthless. He sinks unavoidably and ever deeper into a vortex of violence and crime from which there seems to be no escape.
Italian director Michele Soavi disappeared from filmmaking after the release of his finest achievement – Cemetery Man (aka: Dellamorte Dellamore) – when his young son fell dangerously ill. In his absence Italian horror died, pathetically and quietly. Hope himself returned five years later, but Soavi chose to work exclusively in the crime genre, and only in the television medium. Finally, after a twelve-year absence, Soavi returned to cinemas with a new, feature-length motion picture, Arrivederci Amore, Ciao (aka: The Goodbye Kiss). Unfortunately for fans of Grand Guignol horror, it was another crime thriller. Fortunately for crime thriller fans, it's a pretty good one.
Arrivederci Amore, Ciao is a stylistic and lurid little cops and robbers flick, and one not at all uncomfortable in Soavi's small but distinctive canon. It may not be as oddball or flashy as his horror work, but here Soavi proves he can tell a visually entrancing tale even when demons, ghouls, and zombies do not infiltrate the narrative. The director holds an innate ability to find interesting camera angles, and he effortlessly keeps his camera moving, not unlike his many maestro mentors. However, unlike many of Italy's more garish filmmakers, Soavi has the ability to tone himself down, and make a film about more than visuals alone. His contrived images are natural rather than arresting.
Soavi's applies the lessons learned by the crime genre's modern aficionados (here and in his television work) without overtly ripping anything off. The film is a microcosmic look at crime through a single character experience, not unlike Scorsese's Goodfellas, casually skipping along the important elements of a rather epic time line. Soavi actively utilizes pop music to assist his story in a similar fashion to Scorsese as well. The colour pallet and general tone are similar to Michael Mann's television and film work – a kind of clean, neon style that has been very popular throughout Asia since the success of The Killer and Infernal Affairs. A pinch of DePalma inspired slo-mo flamboyance is then added for extra flavour.
The plot isn't anything particularly new, and often doesn't quite match the film's performances or direction. The script itself proves a solid enough foundation, and tells what should be a contrived and overlong story in an efficient fashion. Some of the characters aren't as thickly drawn as others, but traits and motivations are clearly stated and easily understood. The actors are perhaps a little hammy at times (including Italian favourite Michele Placido as a crooked cop), but they're Italian, so it's only natural for them to speak particularly boisterously.
The familiarity factor is the one thing really holding this feature back from genuine greatness. The story impresses most at its darkest points, and when it leaves the crime story stereotypes behind. Unfortunately the film ends rather abruptly, just when it's getting really good, leaving a few too many loose ends and failing to produce an actual climax. The film's structure is also very episodic—more like three episodes of a television series than a proper, three act feature. Apparently it's is based on a popular graphic novel series, so perhaps it's meant to be part of a set, or has been literally translated. This episodic nature is a problem shared by other Italian made comic book adaptations, like Mario Bava's Danger Diabolik and Soavi's own Cemetery Man.
Arrivederci Amore, Ciao marks the first time Soavi has worked in the scope aspect ratio of 2.35:1, and his visual control does not falter. The DVD is anamorphically enhanced, but slightly flat in appearance. Colours don't pop like they should, and background noise is a constant issue. Details are pretty sharp, though, and grain is minimal. A lot of the problems I experienced watching the film can be blamed on viewing a PAL video on an NTSC television, including some blocking on brighter details and edges, and some slightly strange camera movement. Overall a good disc but not as good as I may've hoped for.
This Thai release comes with both the original Italian track, and a dubbed Thai track, both in Dolby Digital 5.1. For a fun time I suggest watching the films more dramatic moments in the dubbed Thai. The Italian track is well balanced, and contains some fun and effective surround and stereo effects. The whole thing could do with an increase in bass, but cleanliness and clarity aren't issues.
Soavi's soundtrack choices are sometimes inspired, including original Italian pop music, The Fine Young Cannibals' She Drives Me Crazy, Jethro Tull's Aqualung, and Tears for Fears' Shout, and Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water. The PAL speedup isn't obvious for most of the film, but I know these songs like the back of my hand, and their tempo and pitch increases do not go unnoticed.
The English subtitles are full of errors, but nothing is so overly misspelled or mistranslated that I was ever confused as to what a character meant to say (though "I f*ck kill you" is pretty amusing).
Nothing here but the Italian trailer (see the French Trailer here, presented by Jonathan Demme), and a small photo gallery. From what I can tell this is an uncut version of the film as well.
Arrivederci Amore, Ciao is a solid thriller thanks to the assured direction of Michele Soavi and some effective cast performances, but isn't quite the return to the big screen most of us were probably hoping for. The script is episodic and occasionally thin, but there is a classic noir feel to the dialogue and dark situations. The soundtrack is pretty great, and this affordable Thai DVD release has English subtitles (though not the best I've ever seen).
So how about giving Soavi an American comic book property, studio heads? Between this and Cemetery Man he's got the credentials, and his television work proves he can work under a budget and with strict time constraints, while still delivering action packed results. Maybe Fox could give him the proposed New Mutant X-Men reboot (especially if it's based on Grant Morrison's work), or Marvel could pick him up for a live action Dr. Strange movie? He's bound to work out better than Brett Ratner, Len Wisemen, or David Goyer, and I bet he costs about a quarter the cost to hire.
This and other Soavi releases (including La Setta) are available from my friends at Xploitedcinema.com. Check them out and support my sponsor.
Review by Gabriel Powers
Not Applicable
Disc Details
Release Date: 4th February 2006
Discs: 1
Disc Type: Single side, single layer
RCE: No
Video: NTSC
Aspect: 2.35:1
Anamorphic: Yes
Colour: Yes
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Italian, Dolby Digital 5.1 Thai
Subtitles: English, Thai
Extras: Trailer, Photo Gallery
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Michelle Soavi
Cast: Alessio Boni, Carlo Cecchi, Isabella Ferrari, Alina Nadelea, Michele Placido, Kai Portman
Genre: Crime
Length: 107 minutes
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Macy's Inc. (NYSE:M) is a clothing retailer selling men's, women's and children's clothes and accessories through over 850 stores nationwide. Macy's Inc is divided into mid-tier Macy's and Bloomingdale's, an upper-tier store that sells more exclusive items.[1]
Private brands have been receiving increased attention from retailers due to the increased control they have over the production and distribution of their own line. Also, they tend to have a higher profit margin than third-party goods. This has impacted Macy's product mix as retailers move towards increasing private brand offerings. The credit crunch has also led to an increase in credit card balances and subsequently delinquent accounts. Macy's, as one of many retailers that extend a line of credit to their consumers, is thus susceptible to the risks inherent in a higher percentage of delinquent credit card balances. Therefore, Macy's exposure to increased credit card debt is mitigated through its partnership.
Macy's and upscale Bloomingdale's sell men's, women's and children's apparel and accessories, cosmetics and home furnishings. Aside from its brick-and-mortar stores Macy's also operates macys.com, bloomingdales.com and Bloomingdale's by Mail in addition to an online bridal registry.[2] Macy's mostly sells products from third-party manufacturers, however the company also produces a number of private brands, such as Alfani and Club Room.[2] [3]
Macy's is one of the oldest dement stores in the United States and an iconic retailing brand. It operates 810 stores ,.\nationwide and offers a huge array of top brands in all retailing categories. Events like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, 4th of July Fireworks, holiday traditions, and celebrity appearances all contribute to the nationwide recognition of the Macy's name.[6]
Bloomingdales is a nationwide downscale department store with 40 stores across the U.S. Bloomingdales positions itself as an upscale contemporary division of Macy's Inc. carrying labels such as Louis Vuitton, Armani, and Burberry. It has personal shoppers, lounges, and top fitting rooms for the most discerning customers.
Online sales are conducted through macys.com and bloomingdales.com.
Macy's portfolio of 15 private labels include Alfani, Charter Club, Hotel Collection and Club Room. These brands are only available at Macy's. [7]
Private label brands are clothing lines whose design, production and distribution are controlled by the retailer itself. They are especially popular in department stores such as Macy's, J.C. Penney (JCP) and Saks (SKS). Private brands are an attractive choice for the retailer because they can produce exactly the pieces they want instead of looking for them among their suppliers. In addition, they have control over the quality and fabrication of garments under those lines so they are more able to control the costs of the goods. In addition, since they are produced and sold directly to the consumer, private brands are usually less expensive than brands from third-party companies. The lower price point makes private brands more attractive to low-income consumers as well as those hoping to curb their spending due to poor economic conditions. According to The Nielsen Co., private label sales have been increasing since the recession began and captured a high share of many departments of retail stores studied. In 2008, private label sales represented 16.3% of total retail sales in the U.S., up 5% from the previous year. [8] Private label sales represented 19% of Macy's 2009 sales, with the rest of sales coming from market brands. [9]
The 2007 Credit Crunch has made it increasingly difficult for people to secure financing through methods such as borrowing against their homes. Therefore, many consumers have resorted to credit cards to make purchases. As credit card balances rise, so do the proportion of delinquent balances. This is bad news for retailers that extend lines of credit to their consumers. Macy's, however, has an advantage in the sense that it shares profits and losses with Citibank, meaning it does not suffer the full blow from an unpaid credit balance. In addition, Macy's benefits from letting Citibank--which has more experience in handling credit--extend credit to Macy's customers. This allows Macy's to focus more energy on its retail business.
Cotton consumption exceeded cotton production for the fifth year in the row, making cotton prices increase by 80.5% from last year.[10] [11] Natural disasters also severely damaged crops in many large cotton producer countries, such as China, India, and Pakistan. This led to decreases in cotton exports from these countries and increases in cotton imports as these countries sought to supplement their supply of cotton. [12][13] With limited cotton supplies and rising prices, retailers will either have to absorb these higher material costs, restructure the composition of their clothing to have less cotton, or pass these higher costs to its consumers. Higher clothing prices or lower quality clothing could discourage consumer spending, resulting in decreased net sales. However, adult or teen clothing retailers may not be too adversely affected as their clothing (which is usually 30-40% cotton based) has more flexibility in their composition and thus, costs. In addition, raising commodity prices in other areas will also raise costs for retailers. While premium price and established brands may be able to pass their higher costs to their consumers, value based companies may not fare as well and may suffer from lower profit margins.[10]
Macy's faces strong competition in the retail industry from other retailers in their geographic areas, including other traditional, moderate or luxury department stores, specialty stores, general merchandise stores, off-price and discount stores and other forms of shopping including the Internet, mail order catalogs and television. Retailers competing with Macy's include:
In terms of price point, Macy's faces stiffest competition from J.C. Penney (JCP) and Sears Holdings (SHLD):
Luxury department stores such as Saks (SKS) operate at a higher price point, attracting a clientele with more disposable income. Discount stores operate at a much lower price point, attracting less affluent consumers. Macy's is distinct from warehouse stores in that it does not sell goods in bulk and operates at a higher price point.


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Gourmet Coffee
Located in Eagle River in Wisconsin's beautiful northwoods, Eagle River Roasters flame roasts the world's finest specialty coffees for the freshest coffee in your cup. Owners Dan and Susan Beihoff are not new to specialty food products as the owners of the Cranberry Gift House, a featured store in the northwoods since 1964.
The coffee is available whole bean or ground, Monday through Friday. Here in the Northwoods no matter what the season, All Great Days...Start With Great Coffee...And Tea


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The Tesla Model S Is the New Toyota Prius
Like it or not, electric cars are going mass market.
On Wednesday, May 8, the rapidly-growing manufacturer of electric cars became a Wall Street darling after its announced its first-ever quarterly profit, driven by significantly better-than-expected sales.
But even more importantly, the highly-influential Consumer Reports gave the Tesla Model S luxury sedan a stunning 99/100 score, making it the highest rated car of all time.
That wasn't the only source of praise for the Model S.
Motor Trend named it the 2012 car of the year (as did many other outlets), and extremely positive reviews have streamed in from everyone from Edmund's to Yahoo Autos to the Wall Street Journal.
So I'll get right to the point. I think Tesla is right where Toyota (NYSE:TM) was with the Prius hybrid at the turn of the millennium.
From 2003 to 2004, I served as a spreadsheet jockey for a Toyota research department. Internally (and this is no secret), the company was massively bullish on the potential of hybrid cars.
But externally, for mass-market consumers, the Prius was largely viewed as a novelty item for smug, tree-hugging, ostentatious hippies.
Back then, I spoke to an awful lot of consumers who 1) didn't know what a hybrid card was or 2) insisted they would never become popular.
Then, gas prices started going up.
A lot:
And as it turned out, the Prius, while a bit odd-looking, was a pretty good car, and because people got tired of sticker shock at the gas station, they started buying Toyota's hybrid in droves. In 2003 in the US, Toyota sold less than 25,000 Prii (plural for Prius). Sales more than doubled the next year and hit 181,000 in 2007 before leveling off and falling a bit.
In a very strong 2012, the Prius was one of the top-10 selling cars in the US, and the best-selling car in California.
Now is the Tesla Model S destined to hit the top 10?
Probably not. Tesla's a long way away from getting even 1% of the auto market. Plus, the Model S starts at about $64,000, and it runs on an unfamiliar technology (an electric engine) with a limited range of 200-265 miles before recharging is required. Those are big obstacles for a lot of people.
Nevertheless, the Model S is going to break down new doors for high-performance eco-friendly cars, the same way the Prius did so for the very idea of alternative engines in mainstream cars.
Now you may know that just as the Prius was not the only hybrid car in existence last decade, the Model S is not the only plug-in electric car.
But there's a big difference in sexiness between something like the Ford (NYSE:F) Focus Electric, which according to Car and Driver, "drives as well as a regular Focus"...
...and the Model S, which is a luxury car that goes from 0-60 mph in as fast as 4.2 seconds (with the upgraded Performance Model).
The Prius worked because it was practical. It was a quality car that had the right feature at the right time.
The Model S is working because it's just plain exciting. It has serious nerd appeal, courtesy of Tesla's engineering achievements combined with something far more primal that's contained in no modern gadget: good old-fashioned power.
And you can be sure that the rest of the car industry is starting to freak about Tesla's surging sales, small as they are today.
Most of the industry was caught completely off-guard by the success of the Prius last decade, and you can bet that they want in on the next revolution in automotive energy efficiency -- the combination of great gas, er, kilowatt mileage and pure muscle, in a luxury package.
Heck, look at what's happening in North Carolina. (See: Tesla Is Becoming Too Popular for North Carolina Lawmakers.)
Courtesy of my colleague Sterling Wong:
The North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association is backing a bill that has been unanimously approved by the state Senate's Commerce Committee that would make it illegal for carmakers to skip dealerships and sell vehicles directly to customers.
Given that Tesla is the sole US auto company that has a direct sales business model, it's obvious that this legislative proposal is targeted at the Silicon Valley-based company.
If that doesn't tell you that the Model S is shaking things up, then I don't know what else to tell you.
There are a lot of obstacles to electric-car adoption in terms of infrastructure build-out and consumer comfort with a new technology, but mark my words, the Model S is the tip of the iceberg. It's going to change the industry because it's raising the bar so dramatically. Ultimately, consumers are going to win because we're going to get far better cars.
And hey, isn't it cool that it's an American company turning this business upside down for once?
The Japanese and Germans did a great job of shaking things up over the past few decades.
Now it's our turn.
And if America's in need of another aggressive CEO with a big fat middle finger directed at the corporate establishment, Elon Musk's the closest thing we've got to another Jeff Bezos.
Just look at what he did yesterday.
CEOs typically sell and sell and sell company stock until the end of time. Tesla announced a debt and equity offering at the close with the stock still near all-time highs, and Elon Musk is actually buying more Tesla stock.
That, my friends, is confidence in one's prospects.
See also:
Did the iPhone Play a Role in the Failure of Facebook Home?
Black Swan Watch: Mexico's Super Volcano Could Be the Next Market Catalyst
Calls for a Market Correction Looking Incorrect... So Far
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posted by Thom Holwerda on Sun 18th Nov 2007 15:45 UTC
Linux.com takes a look at gOS. They conclude: "I really liked gOS. It's a cute little system with lots of functionality and great looks. It works well and is fast and stable on my laptop. It should work on any computer that any other Linux supports. Enlightenment is an impressive desktop environment, and the iBar is a low-overhead way to blend cool effects with needed functionality. I think users will like it."


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The last decade of the twentieth century was not a happy one for the Mafia. During the nineties both the United States and Italy made remarkable strides in curbing organized crime, imprisoning gangsters and dismantling their business interests. Though it would be premature to declare either the Italian or the American Mafia dead, both have been wounded, the latter perhaps mortally. But if the Mafia is a shadow of its former self, you'd hardly know it from pop culture. In fact, media images of La Cosa Nostra seem to be proliferating in direct proportion to the decline of organized crime. Not since Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather reinvented the gangster genre in the early seventies have there been so many wiseguys on screen. The past year brought the films Analyze This and Mickey Blue Eyes, and with i fratelli Weinstein, Harvey and Bob, having acquired the rights to the late Mario Puzo's final novel, Omertà, for their Miramax Films, there's at least one other high-profile Mafia movie on the way. Another may well be the fourth installment of Coppola's Godfather saga. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Leonardo Di Caprio and Andy Garcia (Al Pacino's nephew in Godfather III) are keen to sign on to the project, pending a suitable script.
On television, gangsters with Italian surnames have been a surefire audience draw, from the days of The Untouchables to contemporary cop shows like NYPD Blue. A very partial list of recent programs includes the network miniseries The Last Don and Bella Mafia, as well as biopics about John Gotti and his turncoat lieutenant Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, and, on Showtime cable, an absurdly hagiographic one about Joseph Bonanno produced by his son, Bill. But no mob-themed show has generated the critical accolades and viewer enthusiasm accorded The Sopranos, the Emmy Award-winning HBO comedy-drama that has become the cable network's most-watched series, its recent second-season premiere attended by an avalanche of hype.
Moving from The Sopranos' suburban New Jersey turf to Palermo, HBO last fall premiered Excellent Cadavers, a feature- film adaptation of Alexander Stille's 1995 book about the anti-Mafia campaign launched by two courageous Sicilian magistrates. Why is Italian-American (and Italian) organized crime such a mainstay of American pop culture, and do these images reflect the reality of the Mafia? And does the persistence of the Mafioso as a pop-culture archetype constitute ethnic defamation of Italian-Americans?
That many of today's depictions of the American Mafia are in the comic mode–The Sopranos, Analyze This, Mickey Blue Eyes, the parody Mafia!–is possible only because organized crime is much less fearsome than in its heyday. Both The Sopranos and Analyze This feature Mafiosi on the verge of a nervous breakdown, their psychological crackups reflecting the disarray of their criminal enterprises under the pressure of law enforcement and the breaking of omertà, the code of silence, by gangsters who'd rather sing than serve time. V. Zucconi, a commentator for the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, analyzed this development in an article titled "America: The Decline of the Godfather." Zucconi claims that in the United States the Mafia survives mainly in its pop-culture representations, and that while it used to generate fear, today it is a source of humor. He says that in America one can observe "the funeral of the dying Mafia," an outcome he hopes one day will occur also in Italy. Is Zucconi overoptimistic?
Criminologist James Jacobs reaches a similar conclusion in his study Gotham Unbound: How New York City was Liberated from the Clutches of Cosa Nostra (NYU Press). Organized-crime-control strategies "have achieved significant success in purging Cosa Nostra from the city's social, economic, and political life," he writes. Gangsters in New York, and also in other large and small cities, are losing their foothold in the labor and industrial rackets that have been the source of their power and influence; and there is a dearth of younger, rising stars to replace aging or incarcerated leaders. The decline, says Jacobs, has been so marked that "Cosa Nostra's survival into the next millennium…can be seriously doubted." It's a different story in Italy. The Sicilian Mafia's economic might, its alliances with politicians and indifferent law enforcement enabled it to grow so powerful that it threatened Italy's status as a modern nation. As Alexander Stille observed in Excellent Cadavers, the war against the Mafia in Sicily is not a local problem of law and order but the struggle for national unity and democracy in Italy. HBO's film based on Stille's book promised to tell that story, but, at barely ninety minutes, it ended up too compressed to offer more than a skim on the events he reported and analyzed so compellingly. Talk about missed opportunities: Instead of the Z-like political thriller it could have been, Cadavers is a rather routine policier.


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Brayneford Surname Ancestry Results
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text: Flexible pump cage prevents pond pump damage or clogs due to leaves, stones, and other debris. Nylon mesh bag is lined with a polyester filter media pad to ensure even water flow while extending the life of your submersible pond pumps. Perfect for submersible pumps in areas where conventional pre-filters won't fit. Drawstring closure for easy pump access. 8" Pump Pro-Tector has 1 inch thick sidewalls and 12" Pump Pro-Tector has 2 inch thick sidewalls.


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I am looking for the root of 'eam' & 'eum' which I have run across in my reading. I have figured out the meaning of the words but I can't find where they come from or anything aout them. Any info would be much appreciated.
spiphany wrote:They're forms of the demonstrative is, ea, id. Is this what you were looking for?


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AMT Testing
American Medical Technologists (AMT) is a national agency that certifies seven primary designations of healthcare personnel: medical technologists, medical laboratory technicians, office laboratory technicians, medical assistants, phlebotomy technicians, dental assistants and medical office administrative specialists. The organization's purpose is to help protect the welfare of the public by maintaining competency standards in these occupations.
AMT Certification examinations are intended to evaluate the competence of entry-level practitioners. The examinations address content areas defined and validated by subject-matter experts, educators and individuals working in their respective fields. As the examinations provide only one source of information regarding examinee competence, they are used in conjunction with other indicators of training and experience in the granting of certification.
Certification Application
Before scheduling an examination appointment, you must have already:
- Registered for your examination(s) with AMT;
- Received your Authorization to Test letter from AMT;
- Paid an examination authorization fee to AMT.
Please carefully review the information contained in your Authorization to Test letter. If any of the information is incorrect, or if the information has changed, please contact AMT at (847) 823-5169.


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PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A motorcycle packed with explosives blew up outside a mosque frequented by both Sunni and Shi'ite worshippers in Pakistan's volatile northwest on Thursday, as the month-old government struggled to curb a rising tide of attacks.
Just hours later, another explosion ripped through a major border crossing lying on a NATO supply route between Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing two people, a security official said.
Taliban-linked insurgents are a main source of instability in nuclear-armed Pakistan, but sectarian violence by Sunni militants, who see Shi'ites as heretics, is another threat.
Two people were killed and dozens were wounded when the motorcycle exploded as people poured out of the mosque in the district of Kohat on Pakistan's first day of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, police said.
"Followers of both Sunni and Shi'ite sects pray in the mosque," said police official Gul Ameen Shah.
Pakistan's new government has been under intense pressure to tackle the violence. On Wednesday, the president's security chief was killed in a suicide bomb in the port city of Karachi.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the mosque attack. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, seen as the most ruthless Sunni sectarian group, has targeted Shi'ite sites in the past.
At the Afghan border crossing, the explosion took place when a man carrying a refrigerator on a push cart approached the gate from the Afghan side, the official said. Half a dozen people including security personnel were wounded.
The Chaman crossing, located in one of the most lawless and violent areas between the two countries, is where NATO supplies landing in the port of Karachi cross into Afghanistan before reaching international troops deployed in Kandahar.
(Reporting by Jibran Ahmad and Syed Raza Hassan; Writing by Maria Golovnina; Editing by Alistair Lyon)


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The 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League draw was conducted last night and the San Jose Earthquakes learned who their opponents would be when the tournament begins in August.
Well, they sort of learned.
The Earthquakes were drawn into Group 5 for the first round of the tournament along with fellow MLS side the Montreal Impact and a Guatemalan side to be determined. Why the uncertainty? With one of the country's two berths already secured by powerhouse club Comunicaciones, the second entrant will be decided at the conclusion of the Guatemalan League's playoffs later this month.
The eight-team Guatemala playoffs start this week, and with already-qualified Comunicaciones favored to win, the next best finisher will advance to the CCL. Some of the favorites for that honor include Heredia, which finished in second place in the regular season Clausura standings, and Xelaju, which competed in the CCL two of the past three years. One team that won't have a chance to qualify is Municipal, the most decorated team in Guatemalan soccer. The perennial contenders finished a disappointing Clausura season second from bottom in the league table and will miss the CCL for the first time in four years.
Meanwhile, the Earthquakes are very familiar with their other Group 5 opponent, the Montreal Impact. Holders of the Voyageurs Cup as winner's of last month's Canadian Championship, a four team tournament that annually determines the country's best team, the Impact are Canada's lone representative in the CCL. Montreal beat out fellow MLS sides Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC, as well as second division side FC Edmonton, to earn qualification into the continental championship.
San Jose and Montreal faced off once already this year, a heart-stopping 2-2 draw in early March at Buck Shaw Stadium, and now meet twice in a home and home series in the CCL tournament group stage. So why were two teams from the same league drawn into the same group when only one team will advance? Call it Canada's fate as a federation that is smaller than those in the U.S. and Mexico.
With eight total groups in the tournament and each of the four Liga MX and U.S. based MLS entrants distributed one to a group, there were no restrictions as to the group in which Montreal could have been drawn. As such, the current Supporters' Shield leading Impact would pose a difficult opponent for whichever top-eight side drew them in the group stage. Last night, that honor fell to the Earthquakes.
That the defending Supporters' Shield holders will do battle with the current best team in MLS only adds to the intrigue of the draw as only one of the two teams can move on to the knockout round. Already labeled the "Group of Death" by some pundits, even before the mystery Guatemalan team has been determined, Group 5 should prove to be extremely entertaining when things kick off in August.
Robert Jonas is a writer for CenterLineSoccer.com and SJEarthquakes.com. Send him feedback on Twitter: @RobertJonas


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Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) is the largest domestic carrier by total passengers, carrying over 110 million passengers over 1 million flights. [1]
A key component of the Southwest business strategy is its low cost structure, which is designed to allow it to profitably charge low fares.[2] The company has lower unit costs, on average, than most major carriers. LUV's low cost structure is currently facilitated its reliance upon a single aircraft type, its operationally efficient point-to-point route structure, and its highly productive Employees. The use of a single aircraft type, the Boeing 737, enables Southwest to simplify scheduling, maintenance, flight operations, and training activities. The company has been profitable since 1972, an unprecedented record in the industry..[2]
Southwest Airlines offers short domestic-only flights with minimal service and a simple, cheap fare structure.[2] Southwest's low cost structure enables the company to offer low prices to its customers.
Although Southwest officially reports only one business segment, revenues can be broken into two:
The rest of the revenues are from miscellaneous sources.
Typically, airline companies and aircraft manufacturers are more prone to swings in revenue and equity market prices due to the release of economic indicators.[4] Consumers tend to reduce travel if personal economic conditions are suboptimal, forcing airlines to cut capacity and production. Indicators such as unemployment indices, personal income, and even home sales affect airline industries in exaggerated fashion.
Southwest's key to financial success is its fuel hedging, where the company agrees to future fuel contracts that secure a particular price. As a result of different hedging strategies at each of the major airlines, oil fluctuations impact each of them differently. Southwest hedges more oil than any other airline, which has ensured the lowest prices on jet fuel during significant oil spikes. Southwest hedges around 70% of its fuel needs hedged, while most other major airlines have only between 20% and 30% of their fuel hedged.[5] However, the downside to hedging extensively is being subject to overpaying for oil when oil prices plummet or pursue a downtrend.
Southwest is pursuing plans to expand its U.S. only service to include flights to Canada and Mexico.[6] By pursuing a code-sharing agreement with regional airlines, the company will sell tickets on each other's flights and share the revenue. Southwest's code-sharing agreements are lower risks because they enable the company to expand its service without adding aircraft and employees.[6] Southwest has also continued to expand domestically.
Southwest competes against many low-cost carriers or low-cost subsidiaries of larger carriers. Southwest's main low-cost carrier competitors are AirTran Holdings (AAI) and JetBlue Airways (JBLU). Its other competitors include American Airlines (AMR) (in Chicago, Texas, Los Angeles, and Miami), and United Continental Holdings (UAL). Because of its efficient cost-saving strategies, Southwest's 37-year streak of profitability is unmatched in the airline industry.[7]
AirTran Holdings (AAI): AirTran Holdings (Nasdaq:AAI) is one of America's largest low-fare passenger airlines. The airline has managed to achieve low operating costs despite relying on a hub-and-spoke system, in which most of its flights originate and terminate at its hub in Atlanta, Georgia. Given AirTran's continued reliance on the hub and spoke system, airline management has cited other operational factors as cause for the airline having a cost structure that is among the lowest in the industry.[8]
American Airlines (AMR): AMR is the parent company of American Airlines, the second largest airline in the world based on available seat miles and revenue passenger miles On an average day, American Airlines flies approximately 3,400 flights between 250 countries. The company has been recording net losses for many years and has experiences very weak demand for air travel driven, particularly during significant economic downturns. [9]
Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL): Delta Air Lines is the 2nd largest passenger airline in the world by available seat miles. In recent years, the company has faced financial difficulties due to price competition from discount airlines like JetBlue and Southwest. This has limited Delta's ability to raise prices to their natural supply/demand and cost reflective levels. As a result, Delta was forced into bankruptcy in September of 2005. Since exiting bankruptcy on April 30, 2007, the company has followed a revised operating strategy calling for a network shift towards more profitable international routings. [10]
JetBlue Airways (JBLU): JetBlue Airways is the 8th largest airline in the U.S. by revenue passenger miles. JetBlue differentiates itself from other airline travel companies with its low fares, made possible by low distribution and operating costs - largely due to the fact that it has the youngest fleet in all domestic airlines. JetBlue Airways specializes in cheap point-to-point flights with high levels of customer service to over 50 destinations in around 20 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Carribean.[11]
United Continental Holdings (UAL) United Continental Holdings (UAL) is a holding company and its principals are United Airlines and Continental Airlines. The merger between United Airlines and continental took place on October 1st, 2010. Due to the merger, United Continental Holdings is the largest airline in the world. The combined entity operates approximately 5,800 flights a day to more than 375 U.S. domestic and international destinations.The company's hub and spoke system allows it to transport passengers between a large number of destinations with substantially more frequent service than if each route were served directly.
US Airways Group (LCC) US Airways is a major domestic air carrier approximately operates 3,800 flights to 230 destinations across the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe. The company's finances suffered considerably due to reduced air travel following September 11th, forcing the airline to declare bankruptcy in 2002. However, unlike other carriers that improved and emerged stronger following Chapter 11 protection, US Airways never fully recovered. The combination of high fuel costs and tough labor negotiations forced the company into a merger with America West in 2005. While the US Airways name was maintained for brand purposes, the merger actually left America West executives and stockholders with more control over the new company.[12]


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You Need Beautiful Art to Understand Data. Really, You Do.
It's tempting for those who work with numbers and spreadsheets, for those who live by the bottom line and whose minds run along quantitative paths to think that art exists for its own sake. It's tempting to think of art as something nice for the wall, pleasant to look at, maybe even restorative or inspiring in its impact, but ultimately not essential to the running of the world.
Yet consider the work of University of Maryland Computer Science Prof. Ben Shneiderman. Shneiderman is the inventor of treemaps — those graphics that chart often vast quantities of hierarchical data, such as electronic health records. He's also famous for the eponymous "Shneiderman's Mantra" of visual data analysis: look at an overview of the data first, then zoom and filter it, then, on demand, consider the details.


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WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate committee has voted unanimously to approve President Barack Obama's nominees to head the Commerce and Transportation departments.
The Commerce, Science and Technology Committee didn't bother to meet to vote on the nominations of Chicago billionaire business executive and philanthropist Penny Pritzker for Commerce and Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx for Transportation. Senators instead dropped by a room off the Senate floor, where a committee clerk recorded their "ayes."
Pritzker is a longtime Obama friend who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for his presidential campaigns.
Foxx won national recognition when Charlotte hosted the Democratic National Convention last year. He was a key surrogate in North Carolina for Obama during his re-election.
Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota said he expected Pritzker and Foxx to be confirmed easily.