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As one of the first major acts in its lame-duck session, the House of Representatives is expected to vote to approve permanent trade relations with Russia, possibly by Friday, but free-trade deals might face a considerably tougher go in 2013.
At least that's the prediction of opponents, who say that the 2012 election campaigns further soured Americans on global trade, as they were exposed to tons of China-bashing and scores of negative ads on job offshoring, from the presidential candidates on down the ballot.
Many of the candidates for Congress who made a particularly big deal out of their opposition to trade agreements wound up winning. They included Democratic Sen.-elect Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and a handful of incumbents in contested races, such as Democratic Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Jon Tester of Montana.That will make it more difficult for Congress to approve trade deals and for the Obama administration to win public backing for its huge new Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement next year, said Lori Wallach, the director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch."Across the country Americans have been marinated in election ads that focused on the damage of bad trade agreements, which only reinforces their anger – and the demand to do something about it," Wallach said.
A study by Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization, found that of the more than 125 trade-related ads deployed in congressional campaigns in 30 states this year, only one ad from one candidate – Republican Senate candidate Linda Lingle, who lost her race in Hawaii – featured support for free-trade agreements.
In Senate races, winning candidates ran anti-trade ads in 13 states: Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin. McCaskill ran anti-trade ads even though she'd voted for free-trade agreements in the past, the study said.
In the presidential race, the number of trade-related ads rose from 10 in 2008 to 33 this year, with most of them critical of offshoring and calling to get tougher with China on trade enforcement, the study found.
That came as a surprise even to longtime trade watchers.
"I think it's remarkable that the Republican presidential candidate had as a central part of his plank trade enforcement – trade enforcement with China. That's never happened before," said Bill Frymoyer, a trade expert at the Washington law firm Stewart and Stewart whose experience dates to the early 1990s, when he worked on the North American Free Trade Agreement as a top aide to then-House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt.
President Barack Obama ran 21 trade-related ads this year, compared with nine in 2008.
Looking ahead, Frymoyer said, it's clear what to expect from the White House next year: "It's no secret he's going to be as aggressive, if not more aggressive, on China in his second term."
Others wonder whether this year's campaigns really are likely to result in any major change.
Trade pacts always draw a mixed reaction on Capitol Hill, said Joshua Meltzer, a fellow with the Brookings Institution, a center-left research center in Washington, who specializes in the global economy and development.
"I don't see the election as having necessarily an appreciable impact on the challenges that already would exist in terms of actually getting something through Congress on the trade front," he said.
Despite the negative ads, Meltzer said, it will be important for Obama to increase U.S. cooperation with China if he's serious about doubling exports during his presidency. But advancing the relationship will be "rather difficult" as concerns linger that unfair business practices in China are hurting the U.S. economy, Meltzer said.
As one possibility, he suggested that Obama could seek to do more business with China as it moves aggressively to develop more renewable energy, also a top goal of the president.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership, which the Obama administration is negotiating privately with 10 other countries, got little mention in this year's campaigns. But after Congress and the president sign off on normalizing trade relations with Russia – the House will begin debating the deal Thursday and it's likely to vote Friday, sending it to the Senate for final approval – the Trans-Pacific Partnership will be the biggest agreement remaining.
The Trans-Pacific deal, expected to be the largest trade agreement in the nation's history, is thought to be in its final stages, with a 14th round of negotiations set for next month.
The main outstanding issue the Trans-Pacific Partnership faces is whether to allow Japan to join, Meltzer said. He added that such a move would give the agreement "economic heft" and that it should remain a top priority for the president.
Once it's concluded, critics say, the agreement is sure to face a storm of opposition in Congress, particularly if U.S. negotiators ban "buy American" preferences for U.S. manufacturers.
Critics say the ban would give companies in participating countries equal access to U.S. procurement contracts. As a result, they say, Chinese government-owned firms in Vietnam might get equal treatment with American firms in winning contracts for goods and services bought by the U.S. government.
In May, a group of 69 House members wrote a letter to Obama, warning that such a move would be a big blow to the nation's economy and that "we simply cannot allow this to happen."
Wallach, of Public Citizen, said there was a "large disconnect" as the Trans-Pacific Partnership proceeded and the public's opposition to trade agreements grew, setting the stage for a big clash on Capitol Hill.
"It's like a train wreck," she said.


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Category Archives: Bank No Credit Check
List of Second Chance Banks Online
Banks with Second Chance Checking
Around 85% of banks use Chexsystems or Telecheck when you apply for a new checking account. Some banks simply skip the Chexsystem verification process. There are at least a couple banks in every state that offer "Second Chance Checking Programs" or what some banks call Fresh Start Checking, Opportunity Checking or New Start Checking. Banks offering second chance checking use Chexsystems but are willing to forgive your previous banking mistakes and give you a second chance. Second Chance Banks Online
To open a new checking account through a second chance bank program, many banks require that any negative balances owed to another bank have been paid. Most banks with second chance checking do not have online applications and ask that you apply in person. Each bank has different requirements for opening a second chance account. Often, the bank requires you to take a class on how to prevent you from overdrawing your bank account. You might also have to enroll overdraft protection and pay additional monthly fees. If you want to open a "second chance bank account" see the list below or view a list of banks that do not use Chexsystems at all.
Banks with Second Chance Checking Programs
- Compass Bank – The new BBVA Compass ClearConnect and BBVA Compass Clear Choice Checking Account are free and offer no monthly service charge, free online and Mobile Banking with Bill Pay, free online and paper statements, unlimited check writing and no fees on BBVA Compass ATMs.
- Discover Bank – Open a Discover Bank savings account online instantly and earn a rate 5x the National Savings Average with a low opening deposit and access to your cash anytime. The opening deposit is $0 but you have 30 days to make a deposit at a local branch or by setting up direct deposit. You can also make your opening deposit by mail. Discover Bank also offers its customer the opportunity to open a checking account. You have to have either a Discover Savings account or credit card to open a Discover Bank checking account.
- Wells Fargo Bank offers an Opportunity Checking Account to people who have been reported to ChexSystems for bouncing checks or overdrawing a checking account in the past five years. The minimum opening deposit for the Opportunity checking account is $50, and account holders must pay a $12 per month service fee. Wells Fargo Second Chance Checking Account banks that don't use chexsystems
ChexSystems is a check verification provider and consumer credit reporting agency that provides deposit account verification services to its financial institution members to aid them in identifying account applicants who have a history of overdrawn accounts or bounced checks. When you make a purchase or apply for a bank account, ChexSystems is contacted. They verify and report your checking account activity and informs the merchant if it's okay to accept a check from you.You can have a negative ChexSystems record if your account has been overdrawn, even if you have never bounced a check. If you've been issued insufficient funds fees for purchases made with a bank check card, your bank likely reported you negatively to Chexsystems.
TeleCheck is another check guarantee service provider that protects businesses from bounced check and check fraud. TeleCheck provides merchants with information concerning your check writing and checking account activity. The merchant then makes a decision to accept or deny your check. Each report submitted to ChexSystems remains on file for five years, unless the bank that filed the report requests its removal or ChexSystems becomes obligated to remove it under applicable law. Wells Fargo Bank Opportunity Checking List of Banks with Second Chance Checking second chance bank in and

subset: commoncrawl


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7000 W. Geneva Dr. Riverside Industrial CentreSt. Peters, Missouri 63376
United States
Phone: 636-279-1111
Fax: 636-279-1121
See map: Google Maps
Conveyor Dynamics specializes in vibratory foundry equipment including Furnace Charging Systems, Mold Dump Conveyors, Casting Cooling Conveyors, Shakeouts, Screens, and Shot Blast Charging Systems. Our Dyna Sync Dynamic Drive System is the most advanced technology worldwide. It overcomes the high stresses and maintenance problems of brute force and other high frequency drives.


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With the budget process approaching the Board of County Commissioners faces tough questions on how to handle the county�s trash.
With the budget process approaching the Board of County Commissioners faces tough questions on how to handle the county�s trash.
With less than five years remaining in the life expectancy of Five Points Landfill and given the money pit that is solid waste removal, commissioners are examining myriad questions about the future of garbage collection and who picks up the tab.
That will almost certainly mean an increase in tipping fees at Five Points Landfill and possibly the end of roadside yard debris removal and the implementation of mandatory garbage pickup.
And looming over any discussion is the reality that unless the county has a permitted, operational method of disposing of solid waste, the county is prohibited by law from issuing a building permit.
During a workshop on Monday commissioners were provided the stark reality of the county�s plight by Solid Waste/Public Works director Joe Danford.
The portrait was nothing to cheer about.
The county currently, and has for years, operated the Five Points Landfill, the lone remaining landfill in the county, at a significant loss.
Several years ago that loss was close to $1 million per year but during the current fiscal year the county will lose $452,013.73, all borne by ad valorem taxpayers.
�Since it opened we have operated with negative income,� Danford said. �Five Points has never made a profit and that means the taxpayer has paid the costs all along.�
The primary problem, Danford said, was that the BOCC has over the years never charged a sufficient tipping fee, which is compounded by the lack of solid waste to sustain the landfill in the black.
The county currently charges $35 per ton.
Further, the county handles roughly 3,800 tons a year, with 99 percent of household garbage hauled out of the county.
�We can�t support a new landfill,� Danford said. �We are never going to have another landfill. It is too expensive. To my mind expansion will cost way too much. Of course, none of it is going to be cheap.
�And we can�t support an incinerator� (as in Bay County).
Five Points, opened in 1987 with a permit upgrade in 2009, also has a short shelf life.
The permit for the landfill will expire in 2018 and the county must choose between expanding the landfill, which Danford said would add roughly 10 years to the site, or move in the direction of establishing a transfer station from which the county would haul solid waste to Panama City.
Danford said the logistics of expanding the landfill would prove problematic due to wetlands issues � the recent modification to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection permit, three years in the approval, was to create a dome at Five Points � and due to costs.
Moving to 80 acres the county owns on the north end of the county near Wetappo would be unsuitable for the same reasons, wetlands.
The cost of dirt alone in building up a 20 acre site to suitable level, Danford said, could run $11-$12 million.
The estimate to expand the landfill, Danford said, would bring about an annual operating deficit of $664,426.14, or more than $6.6 million to taxpayers over the life of the expansion, through 2028.
That would include an increase in tipping fees to $46.50.
Establishing a transfer station on the south end � and Danford said eventually commissioners would have to create one on the north end as well � would be less costly, would require no funds be placed in escrow to handle costs associated with closing a landfill and would open up the potential for recycling.
Closing a landfill is expensive. The county currently sets aside $96,000 a year, and has for 20 years, to cover Five Points at its expiration date. The county would have to budget $320,000 a year to ultimately cover any expansion.
The transfer station, though, would be operated in the red at nearly the same cost the county currently sinks into Five Points.
The transfer station would cost the county $447,920 a year, with the potential the county could recoup at least $90,000 by recycling at the transfer station.
�I need a decision from this board and I need one by September,� Danford said, noting the time required to prepare to expansion of the landfill or creating a transfer station in the next five years. �I think a transfer station is the way to go, but it won�t magically happen.
�One transfer stations probably would not be enough to handle everything we have. Eventually you are going to have to have one at both ends of the county.�
Commissioner Carmen McLemore agreed, saying it sounded like the county would need to go the direction of a transfer station.
Commissioners also agreed with Danford�s suggestion to increase tipping fees by $5 per ton to $40.
�That would give us a place to start and I would suggest an increase every year,� Danford said, citing the higher prices charged by neighboring counties.
Given they were in a workshop, commissioners could take no formal action.
They also wondered if the roadside pickup of yard debris had to stop. The BOCC had voted to stop the pickup several years ago but since the service has returned, and some residents, one commissioner said had to come it �as an entitlement.�
But deputy administrator Michael Hammond noted that county loses $125,000 a year while removing yard debris at no cost, another burden not uniformly borne by ad valorem taxpayers while not universally used.
�The people deserve some services,� McLemore said. �I am not in favor of cutting them out.�
The discussion about mandatory garbage pickup echoed that theme.
Danford suggested it as a necessity and noted the amount of garbage that ends up on roadsides and under bridges.
�It is ending up in your parks,� Danford said. �It becomes a community problem, and a health problem.�
Commissioner Joanna Bryan said commissioners need to find the most efficient method of dealing with solid waste since taxpayers are �paying either way.�
McLemore said he had a big problem with tourists coming down and leaving their trash behind while tacking on more expense for those on a fixed income.
�It is going to be hard for me to support mandatory garbage pickup,� he said. �There are people who can�t afford mandatory garbage pickup.�
Administrator Don Butler said that mandatory garbage pickup has issues, most notably that some residents won�t pay and others will dispose of their garbage by other means.
Commissioner Tan Smiley said he no real problem with mandatory pickup since the cities already employ mandatory pickup.


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How Does an Observatory Work?When magma rises through Earth's crust to a mid-ocean ridge, ocean observatory sensors detect the ground motion, the spilling lava, and the chemicals spewing from hydrothermal vents. Observations are relayed via satellite back to shore-based researchers, who can command their instruments and a robotic vehicle to make specialized measurements, and then muster an expedition to inspect the eruption firsthand with submersibles or other undersea vehicles. (Animation by Jack Cook, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Copyright ©2007 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, All Rights Reserved, Privacy Policy.
Problems or questions about the site, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com
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Meet thousands of Oakland singles through one of the best Oakland online dating sites. Matchmaker.com has great instant messenger and live video Oakland chat service for our members. Oakland dating has never been easier with our show interest feature that will allow you to break the ice with attractive local singles.
Matchmaker.com has some great services for Oakland singles looking for a longer term relationship. Besides our great Oakland chat product with live video matchmaker users can send email messages to people in the area. The Oakland dating scene can be hard to find the right person at times; however, we are here to help and our Oakland online dating service is free to register.
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Apacer recently announced a new series of SD memory cards with capacities up to 2GB and high transfer reading/writing speeds (150X). Apacer kindly offered us the chance to test its new product and find out what we can expect from a 2GB SD card both in real life tests and under synthetic benchmarks.
- Features/Package
According to Apacer's press release, the 150X SD version 1.1 compatible flash card comes in capacities up to 2 GB and is great for use with digital cameras, PDAs, digital video cameras, MP3 players, camera phones and other multimedia products that benefit from SD storage with high read/write speeds. This Apacer 150X SD card has a super fast read speed of 22.54 MB/sec (150X compatible) and write speed of 15 MB/sec. There will be three capacities, 512MB, 1GB and of course the 2GB model that we will be testing here.
Apacer's 2GB memory card has the following features/specifications:
The package is quite simple, the 150X data transfer logo differentiates the Apacer memory from other, similar products ensuring that users will recognize its high reading/writing speeds. The card itself is labeled with the Apacer and SD logos and as you can imagine, can be used with all digital cameras, PDAs, mobile phones and mp3 devices that support the SD format:
On the left side there is a mechanical write protect slide switch, providing added protection against accidental deletion of stored data.


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Skip to comments.Four Chinese Surveillance Ships Push Their Luck With Japanese Patience
Posted on 01/07/2013 5:58:20 AM PST by blam
Four Chinese Surveillance Ships Push Their Luck With Japanese Patience
Agence France Presse
January 7, 2013
Four Chinese government ships entered territorial waters around Japan-controlled islands at the centre of a dispute on Monday, the Japanese coastguard said.
The four marine surveillance ships were seen moving within 12 nautical miles of the islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyus in China, just before midday, the coastguard said in a statement.
It was the first time since December 31 -- and the 21st time since Japan nationalised the islands in September -- that any state-owned Chinese ship has been seen in the archipelago's waters, which lie in the East China Sea.
A state-owned Chinese plane flew through airspace over the islands early last month. Tokyo responded by scrambling fighter jets and said it was the first time Beijing had breached its airspace since at least 1958.
On Saturday, another Chinese state-owned plane approached the islands without entering the airspace, prompting another Japanese fighter jet dispatch.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Japan wants to strengthen its military connection to the US, yet can't stand to have US troops in Japan.
Can't have it both ways...
Can you blame them?
With the soetoro administration? Now, that would be funny were it no so tragic.
I have mixed emotions about this (having lived as a military dependent in Japan for several years.)
Clearly, Japan is conflicted over the remaining (smaller than ever) US footprint, yet cannot defend itself as even South Korea is allowed to do (the Japanese constitution.)
I think China sees this as a dual opportunity, first to take a leading position in controlling their side of the Pacific and also to pay back the Japanese for the horrors of WW II.
The gains made by the western powers during WWII are in danger. China & Russia extending their influence, while the U.S., Europe, & Israel are threatened.
All due to American economic and foreign policies.
Pei Ping.
Thanks for the ping. I was wondering what was going on with this standoff.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


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just spent about three months constructing a 400 gal aquarium out of plywood fibergass and epoxy paint.
the filter is a substrate one foot deep . 9" sand 3" pea gravel.
water is draw from under the sand and returned to the tank via a waterfall that travels the full length of the 8' tank


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Choosing the decorative curtain rod or curtain track, i.e. the curtain hardware is also essential both from an aesthetic and functionality point of view.
Get ideas from Decowindow.in to give a classy, stylish touch to your home with these automatic Roman blinds, and transform your house into a smart home.


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LEXINGTON, Va. -- The 14th-ranked Washington and Lee women's lacrosse team outscored Stevenson 6-2 in the first half en route to a 10-8 victory on Saturday afternoon at the W&L Turf Field.
The Generals (2-0) started the contest with an unassisted goal by first-year midfielder Julia Van Sant (Chevy Chase, Md./Taft School) in the first minute. Sophomore midfielder Alex Van Horn (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis) continued the fast-pace scoring, netting another at 27:07 to bring the score to 2-0.
Stevenson (0-1) made it a 2-1 game at 16:17, with a tally by first-year midfielder Erin Fischer (Leonardtown, Md./Northeast), however, Van Sant and Van Horn each notched their second goal pushing the lead to three (4-1) at 14:45.
The Mustangs' second goal of the first stanza came from sophomore attacker Leah Warner with 13:11 left in the half pulling their deficit back to two points, only to have the Generals post two more goals before time expired and go into halftime with a 6-2 advantage.
Stevenson fought back early in the second period bringing the score to a 6-6 tie in the first 6:12 of the second period, as four different Mustangs registered four straight goals. W&L sophomore midfielder Meade Brewster (Brookside, N.J./West Morris Mendham) added a score at 21:45, but a free position shot by Stevenson first-year midfielder Amanda LeGar (Eldersburg, Md./Liberty) pulled the score back to even (7-7) by the 18:31 mark.
Brewster, senior attacker Maddie McKaig (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis) and senior attacker Alli Shearin (Essex Fells, N.J/ West Essex) each found the back of net to bring the General lead to three (10-7) with 9:17 left in the contest. The Mustangs attempted the comeback with a goal from senior midfielder Emily Gartrell (Jarretsville, Md./North Harford), but fell in their 2012 opener.
In goal for W&L, first-year Cara Mulligan (Glen Ridge, N.J./Glen Ridge) collected four saves with seven goals against in 41:29 in net. Senior Jennifer Linder entered the game with 17:56 left in the contest and registered two saves and one goal against. Senior Jenny Schroeder (Severna Park, Md./Seton Keough) spent all 60:00 minutes in goal for the Mustangs, tallying six saves and 10 goals against.
Van Sant, Van Horn, Brewster and Shearin each scored two goals for the Generals. Van Horn added 13 draw controls and sophomore defender Leanne Stone (Darien, Conn./Darien) logged three ground balls and three caused turnovers.
For Stevenson, Gartrell and LeGar led with two goals and two assists apiece. Sophomore attacker Leah Warner (Pasadena, Md./Northeast) added two assists, and first-year defender Meg Gill (White Hall, Md./North Harford) and senior midfielder Alli Novak (Glenwood, Md./Glenelg) both registered four ground balls.
The Generals return to action when they travel to Franklin and Marshall on March 3 for a 1:00 pm contest.


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Angola thanks FAO for successful implementation of projects
20 June 2013, Rome –José Graziano da Silva met yesterday with Afonso Pedro Canga, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Angola, and Victoria Francisco Lopes Cristovao de Barros Neto, Minister for Fisheries. The Director-General congratulated the Angolan Government for its outstanding progress in fighting hunger, formally recognized at a ceremony here on Sunday.
Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development expressed his Government's support of the Director-General's Programme of Work and Budget and for his work in strengthening the Organization. He thanked FAO for successfully implementing several projects in his country, some of them developed after Graziano da Silva's visit in to Angola in February 2013.
The Minister noted that a focal point has been appointed in the Ministry for FAO's matters. He thanked the Organization for its financial support in implementing a census of forest.


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Program designed to help teachers bring real-world learning into the classroom
VENICE, Fla., June 11, 2009 – School may be out for students across the state of Florida, but not for teachers at Suncoast Polytechnical High School (SPHS) in Sarasota.
PGT Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of PGT, Inc. (NASDAQ: PGTI), and one of the nation's largest manufacturers of custom windows and doors, hosted a group of teachers from SPHS this week to help them ensure real-world lessons are integrated into their classroom teaching.
"By spending the day with PGT professionals, the teachers will be able to share with their students what it's like to work in a manufacturing environment," said Liz Evers, training and development manager for PGT, who organized the visit. "Suncoast Polytechnical offers exceptional programs in architecture and construction, creating a pipeline of possible future employees for PGT and other local manufacturers.
" SPHS, which opened during the 2008-9 school year, is located on the same campus as the Sarasota County Technical Institute (SCTI). According to the school's principal, Jennifer Putnam, the academic program will be college preparatory and career-focused with an emphasis on business knowledge and 21st Century Workplace skills.
Wanda Calderón, a teacher at SPHS, said she was impressed by how well integrated the different areas of work are and by the level of communication skills that everyone is required to have at PGT.
Another SPHS teacher, Daniel Cole, agreed: "We 'talk the talk' about teamwork here at SPHS teachers observe the robotics used to trim PVB in the PGT glass plant. Suncoast Polytechnical High School and that is what we are teaching. That's one of our 21st Century Workspace skills. PGT shows us how to 'walk the walk'. I appreciated the chance to experience that in our job shadow."
According to Warren Hunter, a manufacturing group leader at PGT, the teachers asked poignant questions: What type of math skills are required to perform at various PGT jobs? What types of software should they be teaching the architectural students?
"These teachers are really going to prepare their students for the future," said Hunter. "It's one thing to have book knowledge; it's another thing to have real world knowledge. If they can bring real life examples into the classroom – that's superb."
Both the teachers and PGT professionals expect the partnership to continue, hopefully with student visits to the PGT plant, as well as internship possibilities.
ABOUT PGT: PGT® pioneered the U.S. impact-resistant window and door industry and today is the nation's leading manufacturer and supplier of residential impact-resistant windows and doors. Founded in 1980, the company employs approximately 1,250 at its manufacturing, glass laminating and tempering plants in Florida and North Carolina. Utilizing the latest designs and technology, PGT products is ideal for new construction and replacement projects serving the residential, commercial, high-rise and institutional markets. PGT's product line includes PGT® Aluminum and Vinyl Windows and Doors; WinGuard® Impact-Resistant Windows and Doors; PGT® Architectural Systems; and Eze-Breeze® Sliding Panels. PGT Industries is a wholly owned subsidiary of PGT, Inc. (NASDAQ: PGTI). For additional information, or to find a distributor near you, visit pgtindustries.com or call 800-284-6019.


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This is an incredible shot of Michael Rogers from HTC Columbia riding his Scott Plasma a few days ago in the Amgen Tour of California. More photos here. The Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall can be seen behind him.
Michael Rogers On A Scott Plasma During 2010 Tour of CaliforniaPublished May 30, 2010 cycling Leave a Comment
Tags: Amgen, bicycles, Big Shots, bikes, cycling, Michael Rogers, plasma, road, Scott, time trial, Tour of California
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City papers: A flawed right-to-know policy
April 22. 2014 6:51PM
Alderman Bill Barry has proposed a right-to-know policy for the city, which is long overdue. Unfortunately, his proposal would make it harder for citizens to access public information.
The city does not have a written policy detailing how it will comply with the state right-to-know law. Having one is a good idea because it could diffuse arguments and explain to people exactly what they can expect when they come to City Hall to obtain a public record. Barry's draft spells out how the city would respond to requests for public records, what the duties of various employees are, and what records are excluded from disclosure (the law does not cover every record).
The draft has some big flaws, though. For example, the section on the duties of various city employees does not clarify that requests made to department heads, instead of to the city clerk, must receive a response within five days and must be filed within a reasonable amount of time. That is required under law, but the point of having a policy is to explain to both the citizen and the employee how requests must be handled. This falls short.
Barry's proposal also lets the city charge "per page" for electronic copies of documents. The law allows a reasonable charge for copies. It was meant to cover the costs of actual physical copies plus a little extra for the effort. But there is no physical cost to loading a person's zip drive. A per-page charge serves only to raise the price of electronic copies to unreasonable levels, thus discouraging people from obtaining public records.
This proposal needs a lot more work. If adopted as-is, it will impose an unreasonable burden on the public.


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June 2018
Understanding the relationships between impulsivity and drug use vulnerability may help identify new ways of treating or preventing substance use disorders.
October 2014 Research shows that some gene variants that influence body mass index also shape smoking behaviors.
August 2018
Researchers developed a tool that enables them to closely monitor HIV activity in key brain cells. The tool may accelerate the development of treatments for HIV in the brain.
February 2015 Can marijuana use put offspring at heightened risk for opiate addiction, even if the use stops before the offspring are conceived? Results from a recent NIDA-funded study are consistent with other studies suggesting that a parent's history of drug use, even preconception, may affect a child's brain function and behavior.
March 2008 Describes the work of researchers who have found a statistical link between one region on chromosome 17 and an increased risk of opioid dependence.
March 2008 Describes a study showing that cocaine, which increases dopamine levels, also can tap into an intracellular dopamine reserve pool.
November 2009 Discusses the work of NIDA's Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research, organized to track drug use and provide empirically based information for researchers and service providers.
July 2012 Dr. J. David Jentsch is the recipient of the 2011 Jacob P. Waletzky Memorial Award for Innovative Research in Drug Addiction and Alcoholism. Dr. Jentsch and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles, are studying genetic and neurochemical factors that influence individual differences in inhibitory control.
May 2014 One of NIDA's goals is to try to understand the individual differences that contribute to whether or not someone who takes a drug will become addicted to it. Dr. Rutter's research focuses on three types of differences: Environmental, developmental, and genetic and epigenetic.
March 2008 Discusses the role of epigenetics, the study of cellular mechanisms that control gene expression and its impacts on health and behavior, in addiction research.


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Things to Do in New York City: Week of July 21, 2014
Jul 18, 2014
This week's list of reasons to leave the house include a whimsical animated Japanese movie, gallery openings in Chelsea, and a two-day outdoor poetry festival. If that still doesn't fill your calendar, remember that you can always check Groupon for more great things to do in New York City. Summer Restaurant Week July 21–August 15 The summer edition of restaurant week brings three-course prix fixe menus to eateries such as Red Rooster Harlem, Café Boulud, Bann Restaurant, and Tertulia (pictured above). Luckily, the "week" actually runs for three-and-a-half weeks, so there's still plenty of time to make reservations at crowded spots ahead of time. ($25 lunch, $38 dinner; see a full list of participants) Neutral Milk Hotel at Prospect Park Bandshell Prospect Park | Tuesday, July 22, and Wednesday, July 23, 7 p.m. It may have been 15 years since their last tour, but Neutral Milk Hotel haven't lost the idiosyncratic touch that made 1998's In the Aeroplane over the Sea an indie classic. Join a packed crowd in Prospect Park to hear frontman Jeff Mangum weave together his eccentric, Anne Frank–inspired lyrics with horn-centric melodies. ($39.50 in advance, $45 day of; buy tickets here for Wednesday's show) A Letter to Momo West Village | Wednesday, July 23–Tuesday, July 29 A fanciful, hand-drawn tale in a similar vein to Spirited Away, 2011's A Letter to Momo tells the story of a Japanese teenager, Momo, whose only relic of her lost father is a letter to her he never finished. Momo comes to terms with her loss with the help of three mischievous goblins who have taken up residence in her mother's attic. (IFC Center, 323 Avenue of the Americas; $14 adults, $10 children and seniors, $9 IFC members; buy tickets here) Chelsea Art Walk Chelsea | Thursday, July 24, 5 p.m.–8 p.m. More than 100 participating galleries in Chelsea stay open late for a free public viewing of their summer exhibitions, as well as artist talks, openings, and other events. (free; see a full list of participating galleries) New York City Poetry Festival Governors Island | Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. The fourth annual event brings literati to Governors Island for a weekend of readings and performances by more than 250 poets, including Mark Doty, Joyelle McSweeney, Matthea Harvey, and Paul Muldoon. In between sets, browse indie crafts and booksellers' wares, fuel up with snacks from food vendors including Morris Grilled Cheese and Mud Coffee, or quaff pints in a beer garden sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery. (free; register here) Photo of Tertulia by Jen Davis
BY: Groupon Guide Staff
Groupon Guide Staff


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This calendar shows all activities, meetings and services in and around St Peter's. You can skip to previous and future months, and hover over events of interest to see more information.
- This event has passed.
St Peter's Cleaning Team
August 10 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
An event every week that begins at 10:00am on Friday, repeating indefinitely
Our volunteers meet weekly on Friday mornings from 10.00 to make the church spic and span ready for our Sunday services. We take a friendly coffee break half way through. New members are welcome to join us.


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Thanks Erin, and everyone, for the warm welcome! I'm excited to be blogging about my pregnancy here on Parenting.com; it's a crazy time, and it'll be great to have a place to share the ups and downs, the fun parts and the scary parts. I've no doubt, too, that the wide range of perspectives that all of you can offer will be an indispensable gift, and that someday I'll look back at this record of-sorts and vividly recall what this whirlwind feels like.
I'm five and a half months pregnant with my first child, a boy. My husband and I are delighted, and rapidly trying to put the pieces together (and even just figure out what the real pieces are, as they differ from couple to couple, family to family). As Erin mentioned, we didn't expect to get pregnant when we did. In fact, we found out we were pregnant three months into wedding planning, and got married when I was three months knocked-up.
I'm 24, and my husband's 33, so among friends my own age I'm definitely the first to embark on this journey (the average new American mom is 25, but the average here in NYC is certainly higher), and among friends his age we are-- save for one couple who adopted their first child two years ago and is waiting for their second-- also at the front of the pack, although more of our friends in that circle are actively trying to conceive, or actively curious about how it's all going down for us. I'll put money on the likelihood of one or two more babies being present at next year's round of holiday parties.
In the meantime, I've got a big cheering section, but this is in many ways brand new territory that the people I'm surrounded by can't directly relate to. Everyone's experience is different, of course, so this is true to some degree for everyone. I hope that through sharing my experience here, though, I can offer camaraderie and reassurance to others who've found themselves expecting when they didn't expect to and navigating the wilds of weight gain, work, blood tests, and financial question-marks. For you more seasoned moms and moms-to-be, I hope to make you laugh and that we'll all expand each others' ideas about pregnancy, parenting, and the ongoing adventure we're all a part of.
I welcome your ideas, questions and comments --let me know what you want to read and discuss.
I'm also keeping another blog at http://altmama.blogspot.com/ where you can find tips, interviews, and anecdotes from me and other moms (some who've been at it for longer than I have) who are taking a creative approach to being a Mama. Stop by!


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San Joaquin Valley wine grape growers, buoyed by prospects of balanced supply and demand after removing perhaps as much as 90,000 acres, must now gain tightly worded contracts and deliver high quality at fair prices in a global wine arena.
That's the essence of a message presented by Nat DiBuduo, president of Allied Grape Growers, at the 2004 Spring Ag Outlook Forum in Visalia, Calif..
Speaking at the annual event held by the California Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, DiBuduo said growers and wineries are collaborating to brighten the elusive "light" at the end of their industry's "tunnel." Location in the state, type of contract, and variety will determine an individual's position in the tunnel.
"We'd like to see some miracle to make the industry turn around, but with all the miracles in the world, it will still take hard work and effort. I am positive we are working together," said DiBuduo, whose Fresno-based marketing cooperative represents 500 growers who produce 200,000 tons of wine grapes from Kern County to Lake County.
In setting the scene for his comments, he noted California contributes a mere 5 percent of the wine grapes in the global total. "We have to realize that imports in to the U.S. have increased to where one of four bottles of wine sold here is an import, and we've lost market share."
For growers in the SJV, a stark reality is that in 2003's 3.4 million-ton crush they contributed 56 percent of the tonnage but claimed only 18 percent of the value. The all-time low in prices, such as $65 to $90 a ton for Thompson Seedless, in 2003 saw more acreage pulled and replanted to almonds or other crops.
Planting of grapes, except replants of table varieties, has stopped in the SJV, and estimates are that about 90,000 acres of grapes was removed from valley counties from 1998 to 2003. Industry estimates are that another 10,000 to 15,000 acres will be pushed out this year, he said.
By contrast, in the North Coast region, where 9 percent of the crush represented 39 percent of the income in 2003, some planting continues even as recently planted acres have yet to bear.
Although land prices and costs of production make it more expensive to farm, non-bearing hillside acreage there suggests, as DiBuduo put it, "they haven't caught on there's an oversupply."
He offered tips about winery contracts for growers and appraisers (who use contracts in setting valuations of properties) to consider as part of a list of new challenges appearing as the industry shakes off its depression. Growers need first to look at the term of the contract and what conditions would breach it.
Important too is whether it is a production contract or a tonnage contract. "In many cases growers have thought they had a production contract, but it had a tonnage element to it. For example, it might be for 200 tons from a ranch, but if it ran to 204 tons, the extra four tons was overage."
"Contracts have been introduced in the last couple of years that require certain aspects of fruit quality. Those are good things, but just make sure you understand what you are expected to do and whether it adds to your cost factor."
In one example, he explained, a contract vaguely allowed for the winery to determine whether the grapes at the time of harvest meet "the intended use" by the winery, without specifying levels of sugar, acid, or material-other-than-grape.
In another, a contract set a maximum sugar of 23. When the grapes reached that level, the winery ruled the flavor was not proper. Although the winery did not penalize for a sugar of 26 or 27, higher than allowed in the agreement, the grower lost because of shrinkage.
"We believe the quality of grapes has improved significantly throughout California, like it had to do to compete in global markets. Growers have to be compensated for that higher quality," he said.
DiBuduo said the acreage already removed by SJV growers is about equal to the crush of coastal vineyards from Monterey to Santa Barbara. "The SJV can only do so much and others will also have to adjust their supply or increase the demand side in other areas."
The state's grape growers need to support efforts to promote and sell more California wines. "We need to tell our own story and get consumption up and recover our market share."
He called for better reporting procedures for acreage reporting, both bearing and non-bearing. Vineyard statistics now are compiled and released a year after the fact. The reporting is now voluntary, and steps are being taken to make it mandatory.
Touching on the increasing role of grape concentrate, he said the concentrate business is here to stay, as seen in a shift from cola beverages to fruit based drinks.
However, concentrate utilization has suffered from the removal of Thompson Seedless, whose neutral flavor and color make it well adapted as a sweetener. Thompson Seedless competes with concentrate from apples or pears, and its prices were quite low last year.
Noting that much of the Thompsons that formerly went to concentrate wound up last year either made into raisins or removed, DiBuduo said he now reminds processors seeking white concentrate they offered too little for it last year. In many cases, he added, "I told them those vineyards were now called almonds."
French Colombard and other white varietals grown in the SJV were once made into concentrate, but after acreage was reduced, the remaining production was diverted to wine use.
The concentrate business even drank from red wine grape production when they were in surplus, an example being Zinfandel concentrate filtered to remove its color. Now wineries are again looking for tonnage for White Zinfandel, DiBuduo said.


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The Nicholls State University baseball team has seen a number of heroes emerge during the course of its young season.
The Nicholls State University baseball team has seen a number of heroes emerge during the course of its young season.
Now, they can add Mike Barba's name to that list as the senior right fielder from South Terrebonne High School came up in a big way for his team with a bases-loaded RBI walk-off single that helped Nicholls ease past visiting Sacred Heart, 3-2, in the first of a three-game tilt on Friday at Ray E. Didier Field.
Despite seeing starting pitcher Mike Suk pitch eight solid innings that produced 13 strikeouts and only one earned run, the Colonels found themselves heading in to the bottom half of the ninth tied at 2 after reliever Jordan McCoy allowed a run on a hit batter with the bases loaded.
After forcing a pop up to get Sacred Heart batters off the field, Nicholls (8-7 overall) came out and eventually loaded the bases thanks to a walk, David Zorn's infield single and a hit batter. With pinch runner Cole Wilson standing at third, Barba stepped to the plate with two outs and drove the first offering from pitcher James Cooksey (0-2) off the top of the left field fence.
"Walking up, my mindset was just going after the first good pitch I could hit," said Barba, who finished the evening going 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. "Mike (Suk) pitched a great game, and I just didn't want to let our team down and the other team off the hook."
Nicholls coach Seth Thibodeaux said pitching and defense was key for his squad on a night where offense was hard to come by.
"Mike (Suk) was locked in and determined to be successful," he said. "I hate we couldn't get him a win, but Mike doesn't care about that as long as his team wins. The arm (Kody Kerski) they threw was a good, arm and you have to give him credit. ... We're a gritty bunch. Sometimes it is going to be big, and sometimes it is going to need that (Barba's hit with two outs and the bases loaded), but were going to go for whatever the day (or night) calls for."
Sacred Heart's Kerski pitched six strong innings, striking out eight and allowing only two runs on two hits.
After keeping Nicholls off the scoreboard through two frames, Nicholls struck first with a pair of runs in the third inning to make it 2-0. The first run came on a Brandon Jackson RBI double down the right field line that plated Barba, who reached earlier in the inning on single to left. The second run crossed home plate on a RBI fielder's choice groundout struck by Cody Dufrene. Dufrene's grounder scored Philip Lyons from third base.
Sacred Heart finally put a run on the board in the top half of the eighth inning when John Murphy hit a RBI single to center. Murphy's shot plated Jonathan Servilla to make the score 2-1.
McCoy received his first win of the year for Nicholls even though he allowed the tying run in an inning where he allowed two hits.
Derrick Horn led the way offensively for Sacred Heart (0-6) as he went 3-for-4 from the plate.
The Colonels will return to action for game two of its series against Sacred Heart with the first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. today.


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Just eight years ago, a vaccine to stop valley fever seemed within reach.
Just eight years ago, a vaccine to stop valley fever seemed within reach.
Ambitious scientists at five universities had brought in millions of dollars since 1997 from private donations and government funding to develop a way to beat the fungus before it ever had a chance to lodge in a person's lungs and wreak havoc on his or her organs.
"A vaccine is at hand," Dr. Richard Hector, the director of the umbrella organization, the Valley Fever Vaccine Project of the Americas, told an excited group of scientists at California State University, Bakersfield, in 2004.
But today, early animal trials of experimental vaccines have ground to a halt. Research funds have dried up. And the once-thriving academic effort has slowed.
Private industry interest is critical to bringing a vaccine to doctors' offices and clinics. That has been the pattern for all modern vaccines, including, most recently, the successful development of a vaccine to prevent the virus that causes cervical cancer. But there has been no interest by big pharmaceutical companies in investing in valley fever.
"Certainly, we think that more attention is needed on finding new effective treatments as well as preventive measures, like a vaccine," said Dr. Benjamin Park, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's chief expert in fungal diseases, adding that progress has been harmed by "neglect" and underinvestment.
The disease is tricky. The fungus that causes it infects a person for life and can never be removed from the body. But if a person successfully fights off the disease, he is immune to future infections. That's why people who grew up in areas where the fungus is prevalent often avoid serious illness while people who visit the area or move there are hit harder.
When one vaccine was evaluated in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and proved effective in mice and monkeys, hundreds of people signed up for human clinical trials.
But patients complained of very sore arms and swelling at the injection sites even at low doses. The shot was so painful ,people dropped out of the trials.
Ultimately, that vaccine didn't show conclusive protection, something some researchers attributed to the low doses. For a vaccine potent enough to provide true immunization, people would have suffered too much pain to make vaccination practical, said Hector, now a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco.
Scientists had to start looking for different vaccines.
Over the following decade, about $16 million was raised to find another vaccine.
But, progress has faltered because of the exorbitant costs of manufacturing and testing the experimental vaccine in today's much more rigorously controlled research environment.
Nearly all the money raised during the early excitement for a new vaccine has been spent and donations have dwindled, said Michael Cooper, president of the Valley Fever Americas Foundation, which raises funds for the vaccine project.
The start of the recession in 2008 also took a toll on funding. When the state was looking for ways to make up a massive budget deficit, it stopped funding the vaccine. However, in the wake of the Reporting on Health Collaborative's series, Assemblyman Michael Rubio said he intends to try to revive state funding for vaccine research.
The Valley Fever Americas Foundation and Kern County remain financially committed.
The foundation has invested close to $1 million over the years for the Valley Fever Vaccine Project, but that's just a fraction of what the project needs.
The amount of money raised to date is not enough to move a vaccine forward quickly. For a vaccine to be brought to market would require, by some estimates, an additional $100 million in research funding. At the current rate, it would take more than 60 years to raise that much money.
That's the kind of money only the pharmaceutical industry can provide.
U.S. pharmaceutical companies are working on about 300 vaccines for diseases, including HIV, pancreatic cancer and a host of other conditions, including allergies to peanuts and cat hair.
But no U.S. pharmaceutical company is funding the development of a vaccine for valley fever, according to a 2012 report compiled by the trade association Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
Merck spokesman Robert Consalvo said it can take more than a decade to develop a viable vaccine. Simply fronting the cost and managing the logistics of enrolling hundreds, if not thousands, of patients for human studies can be a significant undertaking, Consalvo said.
To pay for that kind of investment, drug companies often look for vaccines that will have a market that will expand over time. The annual influenza vaccine, for instance, was initially marketed to parents with young children, older adults and people with compromised immune systems. But the market has grown to the point where everyone now is encouraged to get a flu shot, and they are offered in drug stores and grocery stores nationwide.
Valley fever, so far, does not have the promise of a larger market. With the vast majority of cases concentrated in California and Arizona, most of the country doesn't have to worry about the disease.
For a longer version of this story, and for more stories on valley fever, go to reportingonhealth.org/valleyfever. If you want to tell how valley fever has affected you, write firstname.lastname@example.com or call (661) 748-3142.


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Skip to comments.Dems Shy From Town Hall Anger
Posted on 06/18/2010 5:56:43 AM PDT by KaslinEdited on 06/18/2010 7:50:15 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
WASHINGTON -- If you were hoping for a repeat of those town hall meetings last summer where Democrats were confronted by angry voters who opposed President Obama's health care bill, well, forget it. They're cancelled.
Democrats passed government-run Obamacare, despite strong grassroots opposition in their states and districts, and now these so-called "public servants" are unwilling to go through the democratic ritual of having to listen to what dissatisfied voters think of them now.
Congressional Democrats can, and do, read the polls that show a majority of voters want the health care bill repealed, which is why America's town halls will be empty this summer. Furthermore, voters are even angrier now than they were last year, and being booed and publicly criticized in the congressional run up to the midterm elections won't look particularly good for the Democrats in the local news media in what is shaping up to be a tough political year for Obama and his party.
So before Democrats headed home for the Memorial Day recess last month, party leaders gave them some blunt advice: avoid free-for-all town hall gatherings and unscripted Q&A meetings. Instead, try holding meet-and-greet events in "controlled settings," like the local bank or credit union, businesses, community service centers, union halls and other special interest groups.
It didn't require a lot of convincing. House Democrats are avoiding town hall events like the plague, The New York Times reported under a headline that read, "Democrats Skip Town Halls to Avoid Voter Rage."
"If the time-honored tradition of the political meeting is not quite dead, it seems to be teetering closer to extinction. Of the 255 Democrats who make up the majority in the House, only a handful held town-hall-style forums in their districts" in recent weeks, the Times said.
Many Democrats are holding remote telephone conference calls that can reach thousands of constituents, while avoiding the anger and political complaints that end up on local nightly news shows or shown on YouTube.
In "Live Free Or Die" New Hampshire, where participatory town hall democracy is at the heart of self-government, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter is thumbing her nose at the state's historic tradition.
Announcing that she would not hold any town hall meetings during the congressional recess, her campaign website ran this message: "No upcoming events scheduled. Please visit us again soon!"
Republicans, on the other hand, are attending open meetings in their districts to sharpen the political contrast with their Democratic opponents, who think they don't have to answer to anyone, least of all the people they serve.
But in the end, the voters will have the last word in this election and all of the top election analysts are forecasting a major defeat for the party in power.
The "macro picture still looks bleak for Democrats," says Amy Walter, senior Senate elections analyst at the Cook Political Report.
"Democrats are trailing or tied with Republicans on the generic ballot test. Meanwhile, polling continues to show that Republicans are more motivated to vote this fall than Democrats. And while President Obama's approval rating is hovering close to 50 percent, he's viewed unfavorably by independents," Walter said in her mid-year election review.
"Of the 10 seats most likely to turn over in The Hotline's latest Senate Race Rankings, nine are held by Democrats. At this point, we see a GOP pickup of six to eight seats," she said.
Could Republicans win 10 seats that would give them control of the Senate? To do that, Democrats would have to lose two of three seats that are seen as their firewall: Sen. Barbara Boxer, California; Russell Feingold, Wisconsin; and Patty Murray, Washington -- all of whom have seen their approval polls decline this year.
"That scenario seems unlikely today, but given the incredibly volatile -- and unpredictable -- cycle we've had thus far, it'd be foolish to dismiss it completely," Walter says.
Among the likely GOP pickups, none look more vulnerable than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. While the media herd thinks the GOP's nominee, "tea party" conservative Sharron Angle, gives Reid a 50-50 chance of squeaking through, his polls against Angle have been weak -- 38 percent to 40 percent -- for months.
"It will be difficult for Reid to make the election about Angle, whose demeanor doesn't seem scary to voters, than about Obama, the unpopular Congress, the economy and the Democratic agenda," writes veteran elections handicapper Stuart Rothenberg. "And that's why Harry Reid is still more likely than not to lose."
Here in Washington, the national news media has yet to come to grips with the Democrats' dilemma.
A poll conducted for National Public Radio by Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg and Republican pollster Glen Bolger shows that the Democrats have a severe message deficit. They tested messages from both parties on health care, the economy and financial reform in 70 of the most competitive congressional districts and found that the GOP message consistently registered more traction with voters.
Is it any wonder that the Democrats are hiding from the voters and refusing to hear their grievances face to face?
Be interesting to see if he'd like to have my whole family, inlaws and all, surrounding him talking Republican and Conservative politics and policies.
We've done it before; we may do it again.
coup d'etat...
The 'Rats have an ass whupping of biblical proportions coming their way and I'm anticipating it like a kid looking forward to Christmas.
What's up with the article link? It takes me to the FR article post page.
FINE! Let's find out where the "controlled setting" meeting is taking place, and FLOOD the entire OUTSIDE place and DOORS with 'common citizens'!
Have the your own meetings in front of their office and bring cameras and a big picture if the rep.
Let people ask the picture of the rep questions about health care lies. Give a pause to let the picture formulate an answer and then go on to the next question.
Post the video of the question and non answer on Youtube.
Title the videos "Representative _____ 's July 2010 town hall meeting".
Ike Skelton is hiding under his bed.
New York's 29th Congressional District Denied Representation
Any Dem that avoids town halls is providing perfect ammo for his opponents. Said avoidance should be made a major issue of any campaign where it happens.
I noticed to... weird eh?
Anyway, here's the link
Good job, Mr. Lambro
Running & hiding is a sure sign of guilty.
Running & hiding is a sure sign of guilty.
Of course they will chicken out
My apology, I did not realize I copied and pasted the FR link. I asked the moderator to correct it
I copied and pasted the FR link instead of the Townhall link, I asked the moderator to correct it
And cowardness
The two kids who had the temerity to ask "Beat-em-up Bob" a question on the street had the right idea. Well dressed, respectable, polite. Asking hard questions.
It will continue to be most interesting to see the flip-phone videos of reps getting asked hard questions in "friendly" settings.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


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EAST HARTFORD — For decades, aerospace manufacturers like Pratt & Whitney have fabricated engine parts by tooling, lathing, milling and forging.
Now, they're printing.
Unlike that laser printer in your office, there is no toner, no paper and no "PC LOAD LETTER" errors.
Instead of ink, these printers — called 3-D printers — use lasers to heat granules of plastic or metal to build up three-dimensional parts, layer by layer. The end product could be any solid design, however complex.


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Our good friends and kitchen wizards over at Food for Hunters typically have a mouth-watering venison dish with some flair and this week's offering is no exception!
They whipped up a little Venison in Chimichurri Sauce with a few simple ingredients and some "non-choice" cuts. As they explain on the site (which is loaded with recipes), a lot of hunters ignore or don't take the time to cut up meat from the leg or other areas, or toss it into the jerky pile.
"Countries like Uruguay, Southern Brazil, Bolivia, Ecaudor and Mexico all have their own versions of chimichurri," they write. "The sauce is simply made with oil, vinegar and a combination of common herbs and spices like cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and parsley. Because of its acidic element, it makes the ideal marinade for tenderizing tougher cuts of meat"
With a little effort, and a super marinade or sauce, these cuts are delicious. Try this with your venison and enjoy.
Servings: 2
Marinade Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 5-8 minutes
– 1 lb. of venison, whatever cut you like
– 2 cloves of garlic, minced
– 1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
– 1/4 cup of flat leaf parsley, chopped
– 1/4 cup of onion, chopped
– half a jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
– 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
– 1/2 cup of olive oil
– 1 tbs. of dried oregano
– 1/4 tsp. of kosher salt, plus more
For the rest of the quick and easy prep, visit Food for Hunters!
Want some great cookbooks?
With Christmas just a couple of weeks away, you better make sure these are under the tree for your favorite chef!
The Sporting Chef's Better Venison Cookbook – Scott Leysath's recipes in "The Sporting Chef's Better Venison Cookbook" are outstanding. They're easy, taste great and are based on years of knowledge and experience. BUY IT HERE
Gut It Cut It Cook It – Authors and longtime hunters Al Cambronne and Eric Fromm provide great tips on processing, preparation, cuts, storage, cooking and more. BUY IT HERE
Happy Healthy Family– Stacy Harris created "Happy Healthy Family" with simple, super recipes. They're outstanding, as is this book. BUY IT HERE


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Youth games must be played with modifications to the FIFA Laws of the Game to match the level of ability and knowledge of the players. STYSA has made modifications to the FIFA laws to match the various ages of play. Become familiar with these modifications so you can enforce the laws appropriate for the age you are refereeing.
STYSA Modified Laws
- Details
- Hits: 24346


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Like the song suggests, it is hip to be square! And if your dog is wearing one of our geometric dog collars, he or she will be ultra hip!
You will find stripes, exotic handloomed silks, our silk brocade blocks, and more! Our geometric category is probably our largest category so be sure and look at all of the pages.
The dog collars in this category are available as a martingale with or without the buckle as well as standard dog collars.


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THE310 Live Theatre Experience
Students witness New York City theatre productions and New Paltz productions. Through lectures, discussions, and written assignments, the course examines the appeal and ingredients of live theatrical presentations. Focus will be on plays rather than on opera and dance.
- 3 (may be repeated for credit)
- Liberal Arts
- Must be enrolled in the following level: Undergraduate
- May not be enrolled in the following class: Freshman


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Mini August - Lime Green Crystal Heart Necklace with Red Crystal Drop
Silver Tone Mini August - Lime Green Birthday Crystal Silver Tone Heart Necklace with Red Crystal Drop. Birthday Crystal Heart is approximately 0.24 x 0.25 x 0.11 inches (HxWxD) not including loop. Back is smooth and rounded. 1.5mm Dainty Cable Chain Necklace: 18 inches with 1 inch extender chain and lobster claw clasp. Red Crystal Channel is 6mm in diameter. We use Swarovski Crystallized Elements. This red crystal is siam-colored and perfect for January and July Birthdays. PLEASE NOTE: Our products are lead safe, but are not intended for children 14 years and younger.
Weight (lbs.):0.1
Length (in.):20
Ships To
Additional Item
Continental United States
Alaska & Hawaii
Puerto Rico
This product usually ships in 2 business days and should be delivered in 15 business days.
Returns not accepted. Custom products cannot be returned.


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WESTPORT, Conn. (AP) — The floodwaters churned by Superstorm Sandy damaged waterfront homes along Connecticut's southwest coast, and turned the charming center of tony Westport into a ghost town, with sandbags lining streets of flooded-out boutique shops.
A fire at the height of last week's storm destroyed three Greenwich mansions, and hundreds of Fairfield homeowners waited days for water to recede so they could return to their homes.
While Connecticut was spared the destruction seen in New York and New Jersey, many communities along the shoreline — including some of the wealthiest towns in America — were struggling with one of the most severe storms in generations.
For some living along Connecticut's vaunted "Gold Coast," the effects of Sandy and earlier storms were enough to reconsider life on the waterfront.
"We feel traumatized and displaced," said Jessica Levitt, the mother of two young children while waiting last week for the waters to subside in Fairfield, in a neighborhood of modest and more expensive homes. "Everyone is walking around with these blank looks on their faces. Nobody knows where to go and what to do."
The storm battered the entire Connecticut shoreline, destroying homes in cities and towns including Milford, East Haven and Norwalk. Three people were killed.
In Bridgeport, the state's largest city, flooding and widespread power outages complicated the lives of thousands.
"There's no heat. Our food is destroyed," said Yvonne Figueroa, 21, of Bridgeport, who said she could not get paid because the Fairfield clothing store where she works lost power. "I haven't been to work. I'm broke."
But the storm upended life most dramatically perhaps in the wealthier towns of Fairfield County, which is known for its hedge funds, New York City commuters and consistently high ratings for quality of life.
Along the shoreline community of Westport, remnants of Sandy's wrath were everywhere — canoes, massive sewer pumps and propane tanks ripped from homes in jumbled heaps at the end of streets.
Rumors were everywhere too: that the power wouldn't return for weeks, that a baby shark had washed up on a beach, and that a house had been washed away when, in fact, it was still standing.
Mary Anne Mayo, a 58-year-old lawyer and her husband, Stephen Nelson, 62, also a lawyer, have lived for 15 years in a 40-year-old contemporary post and beam house at a corner overlooking where the Saugatuck river flows into Long Island Sound.
Sitting Friday in her second floor living room with sweeping views of the water, she fielded phone calls from heating and electrical contractors, insurance adjusters and FEMA. Below, all that could be heard was the deafening din of workers with heavy equipment tearing out the soaking sheet rock from a first floor that barely exists anymore, washed away by the storm surge. Pieces of her furniture, some of which had floated into the nearby yacht club, sat drying in the muck that covered the front yard.
"We had flooding with Irene, but not like this," she said. "It was mucky and disgusting, but it just soaked our carpets. It didn't pull out our sheet rock."
Mayo said that after the initial horror of seeing the damage, a thousand emotions and thoughts filled her head. Should they leave the home and community they love? Should they try to rebuild and raise the house or should they tear it down?
"We're close to retirement age," she said, choking up. "Now we have to get another mortgage."
The same questions were being asked by her neighbors down the road on Saugatuck Island, a tight-knit community of about 100 homes, as they shoveled mountains of sand and debris from their yards, mucked out five feet of silt from their basements and surveyed the tangled jumbles of electrical power lines scattered along streets.
The community is a mixture of older cottages and large, expensive modern homes with a picturesque neighborhood beach, and home to the Cedar Point Yacht Club. The randomness of the storm was astounding. Some smaller cottages crumpled or were washed away. Some larger homes had breakaway trellis walls ripped off, but were still standing.
Backhoes and heavy excavating equipment droned down every street and in some instances workers wore haz-mat suits as they sorted through debris. Out on the water, barges could be seen towing the remains of piers and docks that had been torn from waterside homes.
Jim Hood had finished repairing his five-bedroom, contemporary-style Westport home from damage done by Tropical Storm Irene just last week. Now, he's facing $150,000 or more in repairs from Sandy, which dumped 10 feet of water into his entry way.
Out-of-town friends made their house available to Hood's family, but he is staying put at his waterfront home. Because the storm blew doors off his house, he worries about security.
"It's a nice house, in a nice neighborhood," said Hood, a consultant. "I'm very concerned about the possibility of looting."
Sandy didn't spare Greenwich. Many houses near the water had inspection signs, designating whether they were safe or unsafe to occupy, and the usually tidy town was filled with water damaged possessions in yards.
Contractors buzzed around Jay Shaw's house overlooking Long Island Sound with a view of a lighthouse. The storm tore a third of Shaw's dock off and tossed it about 40 feet away into the water.
The 58-year-old Shaw, who works for a private equity firm, figures he has about $500,000 worth of damage to his colonial house. But he wasn't complaining. He's been through plenty of storms on the coast.
"It sort of goes with the territory," he said. "I just sort of expect every five years to have a week of disaster to deal with. Certainly not disaster compared to a whole bunch of other people."
Barbara Norrgard, who lives near the water in Greenwich, also was dealing with flooding and had an unsafe sticker on her house. The 80-year-old retired teacher lost her prized collection of books and sheet music.
"It's a little frightening to think about it," Norrgard said about the extent of the damages. "I'm feeling kind of numb. I have to keep reminding myself when I look at the television and see the destruction on the New Jersey coast, at least we still have a house."
In Fairfield, Arthur Yann found the basement of his house near the beach filled with water. Antique furniture and the paintings of Nantucket where he and his wife, Amy, enjoy vacationing, may not be salvageable. The water even reached the second floor, destroying a Persian rug.
The couple was planning to tear down their home and build a new one before the storm abruptly sent them into an apartment.
"Looks like we won't be moving back into our house," Arthur Yann said. "It's a sad way for that house to come to an end."
Late in the week, the National Guard escorted residents on military vehicles to see flooded neighborhoods in Fairfield, where huge pumps were working to remove the water.
Karen Kahn was also coping with flooding to her home near Compo Beach, in Westport.
"Yesterday it was shock, tears, anxiety," she said Wednesday. "In a strange way I feel I'm violated. It's as if something came and dirtied, soiled my home, my place."
But Kahn, a 60-year-old owner of a consulting company for large law firms, suddenly noticed a red rose that survived the storm. Chirping birds mixed strangely with the buzzing of water pumps and chain saws. She is determined to stay.
Levitt, a psychologist, sounded less certain after living through Irene and Sandy. Her husband wasn't able to reach their Fairfield home by kayak until Wednesday. Late last week, they were still waiting to learn the extent of the damage.
"Maybe after all this clears we'll remember how beautiful it is to live by the beach and everything will return back to normal," Levitt said. "Or maybe we'll decide it's not worth the risk and head to higher ground."
Allen Ferriello, 57, a finance manager who works in New York City, has lived a short walk from the beach in Westport for 18 years and is sure life will quickly return to normal.
"I think in six months this will all be a bad memory," he said. "People will be back to living here and loving it and saying, 'that was the big one, we're safe for another 10 years.'"
Associated Press writers Dave Collins and Helen O'Neill contributed to this report.


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Horace W. Shaylor Sr., Portland, ca. 1900Item 74201 info
Maine Historical Society
Horace W. Shaylor was born in Ashtabula, Ohio, in 1845. His parents, Israel, a ship carpenter, and Frances, a homemaker, had six children: Lucien, Frances, Egbert, Horace, Henry and Cornelius.
Horace and Henry were twins; however, Henry died at age of 13.
Railroad bridge pencil drawing, Ohio, ca. 1900Item 74459 info
Maine Historical Society
Horace took up the study of penmanship as a child. His first penmanship teacher was Platt Rogers Spencer, the creator of Spencerian Script, a uniform system of cursive writing.
Shaylor was in the 1863 graduating class of Platt R. Spencer School of Penmanship of Geneva, Ohio. The school was a small log structure; the students had to supply their own chairs and candles.
Theory of Spencerian Penmanship, 1874Item 74462 info
Maine Historical Society
Spencer, known as the "Father of American Handwriting," was born in 1800 along the Hudson River. He, like Horace W. Shaylor, spent his youth in Ashtabula.
Spencer's mother was widowed and his family was so poor that he could not afford paper. Instead, Spencer practiced his handwriting on leaves, bark, snow and sand.
He loved writing so much that he performed extraordinary acts just to explore it further. One time he walked barefoot for 20 miles simply to borrow a book. Another time, Spencer was supposed to demonstrate script for a visitor but did not have a pen; he used a broom straw and blood from his finger instead.
Spencer taught handwriting at age 15. Often he was so engaged with his lessons, he forgot to collect pay from his students.
His script has been described as rhythmic, comfortable and derived from natural forms. During lessons Spencer often brought in items from nature such as rocks, to show the forms had similar curves to handwriting.
Horace Woodbury Shaylor Jr., ca. 1880Item 74179 info
Maine Historical Society
Though the Spencerian Script was an established penmanship technique, it was soon taken over by the Palmer method.
The Palmer method omitted the curls and swirls, focusing instead focused on legibility, rapidity, ease and
Palmer introduced "muscle motion," which focused on writing with the proximal arm muscles, rather than finger muscles. In fact arm movement was so instrumental that the method suggests a penman cut off the right under sleeve of his shirt, as to not obstruct movement, therefore producing better results.
A. N. Palmer (1860-1927), like Spencer, had a mother who was widowed.
Palmer attended the Bryant and Stratton Business College. He later went on to work as a clerk and bookkeeper where he learned that speed was important in the world of business. Speed became a major part of Palmer's writing philosophy.
At 28 he founded a penmanship magazine, The Western Penman and published Palmer's Guide to Muscular Movement and Writing. The guide appealed to Catholic schools because of its emphasis on hard work and discipline.
In 1904 Palmer attended the St. Louis exposition where a New York City superintendent witnessed his writing methods. Four years later half the public schools in NYC were teaching the Palmer method.
Palmer had offices in New York, Chicago, Cedar Rapids and Maine. By his death 25 million people had been taught the method and it was continuing to be taught in three quarters of the schools in America.
Neither Spencer nor Palmer acknowledged left-handed writing.
Augusta C. Shaylor, ca. 1905Item 74302 info
Maine Historical Society
Horace W. Shaylor moved to Maine in 1861 at the age of 18, arriving with only two dollars. Shaylor got work as a business college instructor.
He lived in Portland with his wife, Augusta, and their two children, Horace Wood Jr. and Luella (Evelyn) Shaylor.
Harmon summer home, Massachusetts, ca. 1900Item 74390 info
Maine Historical Society
Shaylor's daughter, Luella, born in 1871, was an artist who worked as a sculptor and a painter, specializing in miniatures.
She and her husband, Harry True Harmon, lived at 147 Pine St., Portland. Her studio was located on the top floor of her house, which provided the best light.
She attended the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts and later moved to Massachusetts. Luella was associated with the National Academy of Design, Gloucester North Shore Art Association, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Society of Independent Artists and Boston's Vose Galleries.
She was elected into seven prominent art clubs in the country, and was appointed to serve on the Jury of Society of Miniature Painters, based in Pennsylvania.
Harmon believed "work is play" she truly loved painting and sculpting, but she also believed that "home comes first," that she "wouldn't put art over her woman's duties and family life."
Shaylor Engraving Company, Portland, ca. 1900Item 74198 info
Maine Historical Society
Horace Jr. (1870-1952) was an engraver who started Shaylor Engraving Co. on Middle St. in Portland.
Horace Jr. lived in the Falmouth Foreside with his wife, Rose, and daughter, Georgina. He was a member of the Maine Charitable Mechanics Association and The Portland Club.
He retired from his engraving company in 1938 and moved to Santa Monica; there he died after a long illness at 84.
Shaylor advertisement, ca. 1881Item 74457 info
Maine Historical Society
A decade after moving to Portland, Shaylor Sr. began publishing penmanship textbooks. The books were a success; two million copies were sold in five years.
'A Calendar of Stray Thoughts,' ca. 1900Item 74191 info
Maine Historical Society
Shaylor went on to become the supervisor of drawing and writing in the Portland Public School district.
In 1915 he retired and as a parting gift he prepared calendars for all Portland Public School teachers.
Goose Eye Mountain, 1896Item 74456 info
Maine Historical Society
In February 1921 Shaylor and his daughter both held art exhibitions in Portland. Luella featured her famous miniatures depicting her daughter, son-in-law, and herself.
Her father, who rarely showed his artwork to those other than close friends, featured pencil drawings and watercolor images of Maine landscapes.
The exhibitions were reviewed highly, with a particular emphasis on the rarity of a father-daughter show.
Hiram Bridge pencil drawing, 1909Item 74156 info
Maine Historical Society
In 1925, Shaylor donated 125 pieces of artwork to the Nathan Clifford School and the Butler School including pictures in pencil, watercolor, India ink, ink, and illumination.
Along with donating all the materials including the frames and hanging wire, 80-year-old Shaylor supervised the hanging of the art.
The "Shaylor Corridor" also included a bust of Horace W. Shaylor by his daughter and a bronze tablet relief of HWS with a memorial testimony written by former pupil, William B. Jack, superintendent of Portland Public Schools. The tablet dedication reads:
This Corridor
Is Dedicated to
Horace W. Shaylor
Who Was Forty-Five Years
Teacher, Guide, and Friend
To the Boys and Girls of Portland
He Opened the Door to the
World Beautiful, and Little
Children Saw the Happy Island
The Peaceful Valleys, and the
Everlasting Hills.
One proviso to his gift was that if the pictures were no longer wanted by the schools, they would be sold and the proceeds would be placed in a fund for unfortunate and indigent teachers. Shaylor started the fund by writing a $1,000 check.
Horace W. Shaylor Sr., Portland, 1906Item 74449 info
Maine Historical Society
Shaylor died on December 30, 1925 at age 80. He had been ill for two weeks prior to his death.
Shaylor was a member of the National Penmanship Association, the High Street Congregational Church and State Street Church Society.
Shaylor had been a teacher of drawing and penmanship for 51 years.


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CLEVELAND — As Browns linebacker D'Qwell Jackson walked across the field, he noticed saw something different in the faces of Pittsburgh's players.
They weren't just upset Sunday following a 20-14 to Cleveland, the rival they're accustomed to walking all over. The Steelers were deeply pained, disturbed, angry.
For once, things didn't go their way.
"A lot of them didn't want to shake our hands," Jackson said, "and I'm OK with that."
With their defense forcing eight turnovers, the Browns shook off a brutal start and finally came out on the winning side of a close game, beating the Steelers for just the second time in 18 games and giving new owner Jimmy Haslam a win over an NFL franchise he plans to use as a model for Cleveland.
"We want to re-establish the rivalry," said Haslam, who still owns a minority share in the Steelers. "This is a great place to start."
The Steelers (6-5) had to start 37-year quarterback Charlie Batch. They were missing safety Troy Polamalu and Pittsburgh was forced to sign 35-year-old wide receiver Plaxico Burress off the street this week because of injuries. But that hardly mattered to the Browns (3-8), who gave their fans something to savor in what has been another miserable season.
"I love to beat those guys," Jackson said. "I don't like them. They don't like us. It's great to beat up on them."
With their playoff lives in peril, the Steelers kept turning the ball over and Batch didn't do nearly enough to overcome the miscues.
"When you turn the ball over the way we did, you're not going to beat anybody," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "We were highly penalized. When you do those things, you're going to lose I don't care who is playing quarterback."
Batch, forced to start because of injuries to Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich, threw three interceptions and the Steelers lost five fumbles, the last on a desperation final-play lateral. The Browns' eight takeaways were the most by any team since 2001, when New Orleans forced eight against St. Louis.
Many of Cleveland's young players got their first taste of the Steelers-Browns rivalry and found it pleasing.
"One game never counts more than another one, but our biggest game every year is against the Steelers," Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas said. "They're our biggest rival. They're in our division. To get a win against them is awesome."
But the win came with some cost.
Browns rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden sustained a concussion in the final minutes, when he banged his head while falling awkwardly after an incompletion. Backup Colt McCoy, who suffered a concussion when the teams met late last season, came in and finished off the win without attempting a pass.
Coach Pat Shurmur said he spoke with the 29-year-old Weeden after the game.
"He's good," Shurmur said. "We had a good conversation. He's being treated for a concussion, and we'll see where that goes. Some guys come back quickly, some guys don't."
Browns rookie Trent Richardson rushed for 85 yards, scoring the go-ahead TD on a 15-yard run in the third.
Cleveland's win also sent president Mike Holmgren out on a winning note. After the game, the Browns announced that it was the final game for Holmgren, who has been replaced by CEO Joe Banner. The Browns went just 12-31 under Holmgren, but at least one of those wins came against the Steelers.
Once one of the NFL's fiercest rivalries, the Steeler-Browns conflict has been shaded in yellow and black for most of the past decade. Even with the loss, Pittsburgh is 23-5 against Cleveland since 1999, but in each of the seasons they lost one game to the Browns, the Steelers missed the playoffs.
That could happen again. Pittsburgh is tied with Cincinnati for second place in the AFC North behind Baltimore, and will visit the Ravens next week.
"We aren't going to have any team meetings, not going to sit in a circle and sing 'Kumbaya' or anything like that," safety Ryan Clark said. "We are going to do what we do after we win a game — go back to work and figure out a way to play better."
Phil Dawson kicked field goals of 28 and 32 yards for the Browns, and has made 27 in a row since last season, tying his team record.
Cleveland's fourth takeaway, a pick by cornerback Sheldon Brown, set up Richardson's TD for the game's final points.
It didn't start so good for the Browns. Weeden's third pass was tipped and intercepted by linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who returned it 53 yards for a touchdown.
Just 71 seconds in, the Browns were down but not out.
Jackson saw something then in his teammates — determination.
"There wasn't guys with panicked faces," he said. "Everyone in the stadium could have thought, 'OK, here we go again.' But guys kept fighting and we made the plays at the end."
NOTES: The Browns' five fumble recoveries are their most since 1989. … The Steelers gained just 49 rushing yards and were 1 of 9 on third downs, the lowest total by a Cleveland opponent since 2006. … Tomlin dropped to 9-2 against Browns. … Richardson's 6 rushing TDs are the most by a Browns rookie since William Green (6) in 2002.


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NWSB Managing editor and Seattle Seahawks writer "Q" tells us what its going to take from Russell Wilson and the new QB era in Seattle to change how he feels about the uniform #3 and its history with the organization. From Rick Mirer to Jeff George, to Josh Brown the number hasn't been to well kept. Russell Wilson is here to change that. He will lead the Seahawks to greatness. Just wait and see says Q.
Russell Wilson can change how I feel about the #3 for the Seahawks
August 27, 2012 By


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DVD Boondocker 9
What do you do when Mother Nature doesnt cooperate? Load up the sleds and hit the road! Thats exactly what the Boondockers crew did during the winter of 2011-2012, logging thousands of miles chasing storms and exploring new locations. This winter the riders pushed further into the backcountry in search of deep snow and technical terrain. What resulted are the most incredible shots weve ever captured on film. New locations filled with endless canyons of untracked powder, pristine river valleys, and rugged mountain landscapes set the stage for a film that is all about pure backcountry snowmobiling and those who live for it. Watch as riders take lightweight turbo sleds to new levels, re-defining whats possible with huge air, technical lines, and unbelievable champagne powder. Join the Boondockers crew for an epic adventure through the Rocky Mountains in search of the most spectacular riding conditions. Starring: Matt Entz, Kris Kaltenbacher, Dan Gardiner, Geoff Phatty Dyer, Ryan Nelson, Erik Woog, Adam Onasch, Aaron Case, Ryan Searle, Keith Curtis, Cole Wilford, Chris Brown, Chris Burandt, Anthony Oberti, Shane Kynaston, Stephen Darcy, and Many MoreÂ… Appropriate for audiences of all ages.


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Give a Little, Get a Little
The holiday season is upon us and now's the perfect time to get into the giving spirit with The Front Porch Café and Toys For Tots.
Now through December 15, restaurant and hotel guests who bring a new, unwrapped toy for the bartender at Breezeway bar and the Front Porch Café will receive a free happy hour cocktail, available daily from 4-7 p.m.
- Present to the bartender at the Front Porch Cafe a NEW, UNWRAPPED toy, valid only during happy hour (daily 4-7 p.m.), now through December 15.
- Toys must be new, and no realistic weapons and/or food items will be accepted.
- You'll receive a FREE COCKTAIL and enjoy the feeling of giving.
For more details or to book a reservation, contact The Front Porch Café during normal business hours at 305-531-8300.
Toys for Tots is a national organization that helps less fortunate families and children throughout the United States experience the joy of the holidays with free gifts and donations from around the country.
The program is set up in participating locations to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distributes these toys as gifts to less fortunate children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.
Toys For Tots has a special place reserved in the heart of The Front Porch Café Executive Chef Todd Webster, a huge supporter for the cause. (Read more about Chef Todd's story in this Miami Herald special.)
If you want to learn more about Toys For Tots, visit their official website, www.toysfortots.org
In addition to free drinks and charitable do-gooding, feel free to sign up for Salsa, Merengue or Bachata lessons every Tuesday in the Breezeway area.
Classes are from 6:30pm till 7:30pm. You can bring a significant other but you are not required to. The group rotates partners.
What better backdrop to learn Latin American dances than Miami? So drop a toy off, grab a strong, cold cocktail and get those hips moving!
RSVP here for Salsa, Merengue or Bachata lessons at The Front Porch Café.
Save at Z Ocean
Visit and Like our Page on Facebook to get access to 10% off our best daily rate when you sign up or book your room through our Facebook app. You'll also stay in the loop regarding the latest hotel news, deals and events. Visit http://www.facebook.com/zoceansouthbeach now to get started.


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The price of oil slipped below $89 a barrel Tuesday after a slowdown in China's manufacturing reinforced concerns over the level of demand in the global economy.
By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark oil for June delivery was down 73 cents to $88.46 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The expired contract for May rose 75 cents to finish at $88.76 on Monday.
The fall comes after HSBC Corp. revealed that its preliminary reading of its monthly purchasing managers' index for China declined to a worse-than-expected 50.5 in April from March's 51.6 on a 100-point scale. Readings above 50 indicate expansion.
"This has prompted growing fears that oil demand could decline in the world's second-most important oil consumer country, which in previous years has been a driving factor for global oil demand," analysts at Commerzbank in Frankfurt said in a report. "According to the IEA, China is also set this year to account for half of the expected growth in demand."
The downbeat Chinese survey follows last week's news that Chinese economic growth in the first quarter of the year unexpectedly declined to an annual 7.7 percent from the previous quarter's 7.9 percent rate.
Investors are also awaiting fresh information on U.S. stockpiles of crude and refined products.
Data for the week ending April 19 is expected to show a build of 1.4 million barrels in crude oil stocks and a draw of 700,000 barrels in gasoline stocks, according to a survey of analysts by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos.
The American Petroleum Institute will release its report on oil stocks later Tuesday, while the report from the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration — the market benchmark — will be out on Wednesday.
Brent crude, which is used to price oil used by many U.S. refiners, was down 81 cents to $99.58 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.
In other energy futures trading on the Nymex:
— Gasoline declined 2.92 cents to $2.7323 per gallon.
— Heating oil dropped 0.91 cent to $2.7863 a gallon.
— Natural gas added 0.5 cents to $4.272 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this report.


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more (adj.)
Old English mara "greater, more, stronger, mightier," used as a comparative of micel "great" (see mickle), from Proto-Germanic *maizon- (source also of Old Saxon mera, Old Norse meiri, Old Frisian mara, Middle Dutch mere, Old High German mero, German mehr), from PIE *meis- (source also of Avestan mazja "greater," Old Irish mor "great," Welsh mawr "great," Greek -moros "great," Oscan mais "more"), from root *me- (3) "big." Sometimes used as an adverb in Old English ("in addition"), but Old English generally used related ma "more" as adverb and noun. This became Middle English mo, but more in this sense began to predominate in later Middle English.
"Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
"I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more."
"You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: "it's very easy to take more than nothing."
More or less "in a greater or lesser degree" is from early 13c.; appended to a statement to indicate approximation, from 1580s.