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Mount Leuser National Park, Trekking in The Wild
Covering both resilient Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and antique North Sumatra Province, most parts of the national park rest in the lush South East Aceh region, blessed with tropical fruits like mango, rambutan, durian, avocado, orange, papaya, and guava. The other parts are situated in the east Aceh, south Aceh, and Langkat of North Sumatra, known to produce world-class coffee and tobacco. Most visitors normally start their adventures in the national park through Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra, where you can always find the gentle giants of the jungle, the orangutans. Discover the gentleness of these sociable primates as your discovery of Sumatra begins right here.
Mount Leuser National Park, named after its highest peak, Mount Leuser (3,381 m), is one of the largest and the most diverse national parks in Indonesia, covering an area of 7,927 square kilometer in the northern tip of Sumatra, Indonesia. Embracing various ecosystems, the national park is in fact a cluster of various nature reserves and forests: Gunung Leuser Nature Reserve, Kappi Nature Reserve, Kluet Nature Reserve, Sikundur-Langkat Wildlife Reserve, Ketambe Research Station, Singkil Barat, and Dolok Sembilin.
The park is so extensive, it covers mangroves, beach and swamp forest, lowland rainforest, moss forest, and up to subalpine forest. When traversing its extraordinary landscape, enthusiastic adventurer like you will not be disappointed.
The Mount Leuser National Park, which is Taman Nasional Gunung Leuser in Bahasa, encompasses more than 100 kilometers of the Bukit Barisan Mountains, known for its steep, almost inaccessible mountainous terrains. The altitude ranges from beach area in Kluet (South Aceh), to 3,381 meter on top of the Gunung Leuser (Southeast Aceh). The breathtaking Alas River cuts the park into an eastern and western half, where your tropical thirst for adrenaline will be captivatingly fulfilled.
Around 130 species are identified in this park only. The mysterious Sumatran tigers, elephants, rhinos, Siamang monkeys, macaques, clouded leopards, reptiles, fish, and around 325 species of birds are among the endemic wildlife known to inhibit the park. Surely the trek to the inner park is more than just a great adventure to the last zoo you visited. Come and take in the experience living in a small friendly village, Ketambe, where the locals are naturally knowledgeable and ecologically hospitable.
Bohorok River flows within the area of Bukit Lawang, a small village 86 km north-west of Medan, North Sumatra. It is the largest orangutan sanctuary and the only access to the Leuser National Park from the east side. In the sequence up the pathway by the river in Bukit Lawang, several accommodations are available to choose from.
• Jungle Inn is a pleasant accommodation, directly opposite the orangutan sanctuary. It offers reasonably priced rooms, but slightly inflated prices for food by Sumatran standards. Jungle Inn has a couple of very special rooms namely 'Honeymoon Suite' for IDR 350,000+ and the new 'Penthouse' for over IDR 450,000.
• Jungle Tribe is a free standing house at IDR 250,000 per night with 'a bar and restaurant' next door.
• Garden Inn stays not far from Jungle Inn, which is another pleasant place to stay in Bukit Lawang (Nice double bedrooms, cold shower and mandi for IDR 50,000 to IDR 60,000).
• Hostel Indra Inn is located directly at the riverside at your left side when you walk to the orangutan center. Authentic rooms and three new rooms that were completed at the end of March 2007 are now available. They serve good and healthy food for reasonable prices.
• Greenhill now has two rooms built high up behind their beautiful open air building with incredible views. Rooms are IDR 150,000 per night.
• Rain Forest is a new accommodation built by Nora's family has five (5) rooms and a restaurant. Rooms are available from IDR 40,000 per night. It is a great place to stay, lots of fun entertainment with many of the guides playing guitar and singing in the evenings, great food and, as always, Nora herself provides a great company. Down by the river there are a number of other accommodations to stay in.
• Bukit Lawang Cottages also known as 'Eco Lodge' is just across the river from main village at the base of the hill and where the walking tracks start. It is a good option with prices starting from IDR 80,000 per night. It's also one of the main places to eat/drink at night and meet in the morning for treks.
• Wisma Bukit Lawang Indah is across the river next door to Yusman, which is next door to Wisma Sibayak. Cheap rooms with a double and single bed go for IDR 35,000. Bukit Lawang Indah has excellent cheap food.
• In village of Gotong Royong where the weekly market is held on Fridays is Nora's other homestay. Almost opposite the new hospital built with the inspiration and determination of the amazing Becky Coley of Bukit Lawang Trust Foundation.
• Nora's Homestay, approximately two kilometers by road from the river, is a great kampung-style experience, starting from IDR 25,000 per night including self-contained shower and toilet.
Explore the multi-path jungle trek when you go to this park. Seeing the reclusive orangutan in the wild is one of the best experiences you will have in your life. So, prepare your gears to learn more than a swing in Bohorok-Bukit Lawang Orangutan Rehabilitation Station that detects more than 5,000 orangutans living in the sanctuary.
Collectively protects the diverse wildlife with Bukit Barisan Selatan and Kerinci Seblat National Park, they form a World's Heritage Site. It is the only place on earth where four of the world's spectacular animals namely the orangutans, rhinoceros, elephants, and tigers are found altogether.
Take a breath during your break while watching the dynamic Thomas leaf monkey. They are superb creatures that leap into air, as they move from tree to tree. Their Mohawk hairstyles and faces make these tree-hopping actors a delightful interruption in your expedition. The village of Ketambe offers a childhood interlude activity in the Alas River. They love going tubing. Here, one uses an inner tube to float down the river. Tubes can be rented at various stalls along the village.
Other activities you might want to consider are visiting bat cave, hiking along the rice fields and rubber plantations, visiting social projects like free English school, Children's home and clinics, and the joyful Friday market. If you are curious enough, just hang out with some of the locals and enjoy the relax-paced atmosphere around local warongs.
For a more challenging trip, you may consider hiking to the peak of Mount Leuser, which takes about 10-14 days. The small village of Angasan is a common and suitable starting point.
It is highly recommended to always go into the jungle with some assistance from your local guide. There are sufficiently good and reliable guides around for a great adventure. All reliable guides have to be licensed, and hence, ask to see their permit to make sure of someone's expertise and service excellence. Not only will you have a safe expedition, as the chance to sightings of the orangutan and other wildlife can be much favorable.
In Bukit Lawang or Ketambe, walking is very pleasant as the village is quite small and accessible within short time. You can walk from one side to the other in about 25 minutes. There are three bridges that provide access to the resorts across the river. Access to the Gunung Leuser National Park is IDR 20,000 per person. Payment is done either in Bukit Lawang, or at the orangutan feeding ground.
Bukit Lawang is in North Sumatra, and getting to Medan is essential. Please refer to Getting There – Medan article for detailed accessibility to the city. Ketambe is also an alternative to get in to Leuser National Park. Getting to Ketambe is also easier from Medan or Kutacane, a closer city to Ketambe.
You can take a one-way large, non air-conditioned bus from Medan, Pinang Baris Bus Terminal to Bukit Lawang, 86 km by road to the north-west. Check the fare for one trip and prepare the money in advance. The bus leaves in every 30 minutes. Sometimes the schedule skips. Going back to Medan, you can take a minibus or a large bus from Bukit Lawang Bus Terminal.
You will expect to find insistent drivers offering minivans from the Belawan ferry terminal direct to Bukit Lawang. Also expect to be shifted to different minivan at least once in Medan. The prices may vary and higher compared to public transportation as they reduce your travel hassles. The driver will usually recommend a family or friend's accommodation.
"Photos are copyrighted by their owners."

subset: commoncrawl


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Thanks so much for this amazing doll house!
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My 4yr old absolutely loves it.
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Wooden lounge furniture set scaled to fit 1:12 size doll houses
A wooden sitting room furniture set for Le Toy Van doll houses.
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Le Toy Van creates award winning traditional toys in a number of iconic ranges from collectable characters through to classic dolls houses.


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Out beyond the limits of this little weblog you will find the latest issue of Strange Horizons, which includes a new column of mine, plus some better things, like fiction and poetry and articles and the final page of the Violet Miranda graphic novel serialization.
If you're not interested in any of that, then the least you could do would be to read Kelly Link's answers to Jeff VanderMeer's silly questions. Although I must say I found the answer to the final question disturbing, because we discover that if Kelly's book doesn't sell and she becomes destitute, she might try auditioning for "Survivor". I find this answer disturbing because I think it would be really fun to see Kelly on "Survivor", but I don't want her book to be a failure or for her to be destitute. So I'll be starting a petition to the Publicity & Laundry Dept. at Small Beer Press to try to convince them to send Kelly to a "Survivor" audition as part of her transcontinental book tour. Actually, now that I think about it, perhaps Road Rules would be better, because then the book tour could be integrated into the show. Oh, the possibilities!


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Windows Forensics-Where to look-What to use
I had originally intended to put together a tutorial outlining a toolkit for incident response teams. I decided instead it would probably be more useful to put together a basic lesson geared towards the enthusiast, and the system administrators that normally don't do computer forensics. Most of the tools I have listed have been mentioned here in one thread or another. Oh, I'm not including the links to any tools, they are easy enough to find.
I realize also that there have been 2 previous tutorials relating to forensics, and this one is intended to compliment them. "Windows forensics", by Grinler, looks at it from a networking angle. "Building your Forensic Toolkit", by magnoon, lists many useful tools. I recommend you read both of them.
Unless you are conducting a casual inquiry, you should make a 'ghosted' copy from whatever media you are trying to recover data. There are many sites that detail making a forensically sterile copy.
One of the first tools you should have is a clean boot disk, unless you're not really trying to build a legal case against anyone. Why? I'm glad you asked. On my computer, when you type in "cmd" from the run command, it starts a little program that overwrites every bit of data on my hard drive.(Ok, not really, but you get the point.)
AVAILABLE SOURCES FOR INFORMATION, or WHERE DO WE LOOK
- Logical file system
- Logs
- Registry
- Temp files
- Recycle bin
- Browser histories
- Misc. others
First and foremost, password protection. As users are becoming more sophisticated, some are actually turning to password protection. I'm sure many of you are already aware of tools available for password cracking, I just am listing my personal favorites:
Cain & Abel- Very powerful, tons of features. It has recently been iproved to include network capibilities.
NTpassreset- Has the ability to reset admin password from a bootdisk.
A cursory search with Explorer for anything interesting. (i.e stuff_to_steal.txt)
In Windows XP, there are system logs, application logs, and security logs. System logs record system processes and device driver activities. Application logs record activity by, oddly enough, applications. Security logs detail changes in user privelage, changes in policy, system users, and file and directory access. The downside to the logs is that they are not enabled by default. Also, the IP addresses of remote systems are not recorded.
Logfiles are usually stored in the %system%\sys32\config, but may be in a different location.
A search of .log files on my xp box turned up some sixty or so files. Two of them were somewhat interesting.
-ebd.log= Transaction log that monitors any changes to the active directory
-userenv.log= Tracks settings and changes applied using the group policy
psloglist: a tool from sysinternals to parse the logs, included in the pstoolsuite. This tool is very useful when the event log is password protected, or you are on a remote computer.
mslogparser: command line app that parses all logs into an easy to read format (kind of hard to find )
The registry is, in essence, a huge log file. Installed software, MRU files, security configuration, and hardware are among the keys that can be found here. Keyword searches are generally the most useful way to search. Don't forget to snoop around for backups of the registry also.
One of the downsides to the registry is the lack of time/date stamps, making it difficult to narrow your search (at least I couldn't find any)
Read a tutorial or two so at least you have a basic understanding of the registry structure.
regedit: all you really need, but limited.
regmon: a very good registry viewer that does include some date information, and includes some parsing abilities. Generally most useful for "live" analysis.
A close cousin to the registry is the Master File Table (MFT). In basic terms, it is an index to every file and folder on your hard drive. A copy of the Master Boot Record is kept here also.
I haven't been able to dig up too much information on forensics tools and techniques related to this area other than what I could find with Google. They are essential for proper operation of you system, and are essential for system restore capabilities. They are seen as $mft, and $mftmirror.
Winhex: not free, but fully functional. Allows you to view specific clusters on the hard drive. I rate this among the must have of tools.
Emails, sites visited, they are all here somewhere, even if you have history disabled, and caching disabled. Check the registry, amongst other places. As was pointed out in a thread awhile back, your browser leaves crumbs everywhere. (my apologies to whoever authored that...I couldn't find it)
Netscape keeps its email files in Program Files\netscape\users\<account>mail. It is stored as an .snm file, and a text file. Very useful from a forensics standpoint.
Outlook records can generally be found in Documents and Settings\<user>\local settings|application data\microsoft outlook, and they are stored as a .pst file. Outlook has some configuration capabilities, so you may have to hunt for them.
Exposed: Another tool on the must have list, but be careful with it!!
Pasco: A nice tool from foundstone that reveals browser activity.
"So", you might ask,"what if my suspect used one of those nifty browser/window washer applications I hear so much about?" Never fear, I will address that in Data Recovery
Many programs leave remnants in .tmp files from installation and creation. In some cases, Outlook and Netscape leave attachments as .tmp files. Any hex editing program can be used.
The recycle bin is another place one should examine for evidence if installations, documents, etc. And most of us are aware that the recycle bin is not actually emptied, but rather the files are marked as available space. So what if the recycle bin is empty? See Data Recovery.
So, what do you do when the recycle bin is empty, and your fishing around in the browser histories turn up nothing? Try the following tools.
PC inspector file recovery- works on all flavors of windows
Disk Investigator-displays the drive contents by reading directly from drive sectors, and bpassing your OS.
WinHex- mentioned before.
A couple things to note. As I mentioned in an earlier thread, "washer" type software, in general, does not overwrite any of the data...it is still recoverable with one of the above programs.
I also had the opportunity to test some file "wiping" software...they didn't work either. I'm not sure if that is NTFS related, or if the deleted files were still somehow protected in the recycle bin.(alternatively, I am a complete moron that didn't use them correctly) I hope to have some time to investigate that further.
If all your searching turns up nothing, there are still a couple things you can try. One is by generating MD5 hashes of all files, and comparing them against various databases...again, turn to Google. (http://www.knowngoods.org/)
Alternate data stream detection, from a forensics standpoint, is a relatively new field, and there are not very many tools available. Basically, it is hiding data within other data. A couple tools I found:
Scanads: ScanADS Scans Alternate Data Streams (ADS) in a local/remote system.
lads: Shows the ADS of encrypted files, even when these files were encrypted with another copy of Windows 2000. From HeySoft.de.
Steganography- although the concept has been around longer than many of us have been alive (and maybe longer), the field is also relatively new to forensics.
Stegdetect: Capable of detecting several different steganographic methods to embed hidden information in JPEG images.
Root kit detection-although a forensics issue, it is more of a networking issue. I wasn't able to find any freeware tools other than demos, although I was able to find alot of info for Linux.
***please excuse some of my over simplistic explanations, and bad jokes. Hopefull once I get a stable version of linux running (my project for the next few days) I'll be able to put one together for linux. Please also excuse my typos, bad grammar, etc.


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MIAMI (Reuters) - A 12-year-old boy was arrested on Monday at an Orlando, Florida, middle school after a security official found two weapons, including a fully loaded MAC-10 machine pistol, in his backpack, a police official said.
Authorities examined the 7th-grader's bag after receiving a tip that a student brought a gun to the Glenridge Middle School, said Orlando Police Department spokesman Sergeant Jim Young.
Police said a preliminary investigation found the boy did not intend to harm any students. The other weapon was a handgun, Young said.
The student was arrested on a charge of possession of a firearm on school property and taken to a local juvenile detention center.
A former student of the University of Central Florida, also in Orlando, shot and killed himself early on Monday in a dormitory apartment where police found guns, bombs and writings suggesting he had been planning a campus attack, authorities said.
The dormitory was evacuated and classes were canceled on Monday morning, but resumed at midday after the explosives were removed.
(Reporting by Kevin Gray; Editing by Dan Grebler)


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| WMU News
KALAMAZOO—Students from both Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College have an opportunity for an early admission decision to attend the Western Michigan University School of Medicine.
WMedStart is an early decision program that accepts students during their junior year of undergraduate education for admission to the WMU medical school for the academic year following completion of their baccalaureate education.
WMedStart is open to all qualified students from WMU and Kalamazoo College. Applicants are selected on the basis of their experiences, attributes and performance in academic studies. Experiences typically include a combination of volunteer service, community service, leadership roles or research.
Successful applicants are notified of acceptance toward the end of their junior year. Students who accept an offer of admission to the WMU School of Medicine must agree not to apply to other medical schools since they have officially accepted admission to medical school.
"The WMedStart program is an excellent way to offer outstanding students from Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College a seamless transition into medical school," says Hal B. Jenson, founding dean of the WMU School of Medicine. "Our organizations and the students admitted will all benefit from this collaboration."
Applications available in December
The WMedStart application will be available Dec. 1 for consideration for the medical school class beginning in 2015. The deadline to submit a WMedStart application and for the school to receive all supporting materials is Jan. 31. There is a $75 nonrefundable application fee.
To apply for the WMedStart program, students from WMU and K College must be in the junior year of their undergraduate studies and have an overall GPA of 3.7 or higher, with a GPA in science—biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics—of 3.5 or higher.
Other requirements and information about how to apply can be found on the WMU School of Medicine website at med.wmich.edu/admissions/wmedstart. Prospective applicants may also call the school's Office of Admissions at (269) 337-6103 or send email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
For current news from the WMU School of Medicine, visit med.wmich.edu/about-us/news-and-media/news.
About the Western Michigan University School of Medicine
The WMU School of Medicine is a collaboration between Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo's two teaching hospitals, Borgess Health and Bronson Healthcare. It has been in planning since 2008 and was granted preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in 2012. Welcoming its first class in fall 2014, the school is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation supported by private gifts, clinical revenue, research activity, tuition from students and endowment income. In March 2011, Western Michigan University received a gift of $100 million for the medical school from anonymous donors.
The home of the new medical school includes the WMU School of Medicine Clinics, a modern 60,000-square-foot clinical building and a seven-story, 350,000-square-foot building in downtown Kalamazoo that was donated by MPI Research. Located on the W.E. Upjohn Campus, the building is undergoing a $68 million renovation and expansion project and opens in June 2014.


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Consumer advocates applauded Tuesday a unique clause hidden in the Department of Justice's tax-evasion settlement with Credit Suisse that prevents the global banking giant from taking a tax write-off for its massive penalty.
Buried in the settlement with Credit Suisse, announced formally Monday night after weeks of speculation, is a clause that pleased public interest groups. The language prevented the Swiss bank from taking, directly or indirectly, and tax deduction, credit or any other offset against the huge $2.6 billion settlement it will pay as part of the plea agreement with the DOJ and bank regulators.
"This stipulation protects taxpayers. We call on the Justice Department to make it a standard practice," Phineas Baxandall, a senior tax analyst for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, said in a statement.
Although the bank agreed to pay $2.6 billion, roughly $1.33 billion was in fines and penalties that would have been difficult to deduct. Another $667 million must be paid as restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. Preventing a deduction from this sum alone, said Baxandall, will save taxpayers about $233 million.
"When companies write off settlements for wrongdoing as a tax deduction, ordinary taxpayers end up picking up the table, either in the form of higher tax rates to make up for lost revenues, cuts to public programs or higher national debt," he said.
Bills in the House of Representatives and Senate seek to end the practice of businesses taking a tax write-off when settling cases with penalties and fines.
Credit Suisse late Monday acknowledged what had been made abundantly clear in a Senate hearing earlier this year_ that it for years had helped Americans flaunt U.S. tax laws and squirrel their money away in secret Swiss bank accounts.
The Justice Department did not highlight the special clause prohibiting tax write-offs for the settlement, but it was widely criticized for lacking such a clause in settlements with big U.S. banks and BP after its dreadful oil spill that fouled beaches across much of the U.S. portion of the Gulf of Mexico.


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For some ridiculous reason, I felt like I had something to prove with Alex's class snack today. Here's how that turned out.
At Alex's preschool, there is a communal morning snack that the parents sign up to bring in. When Alex first started school, I envisioned my snack contributions to be healthy, homemade, clever and memorable. "Wow, that Mrs. Ruddy is a great mom and a great cook!" I imagined the teachers saying about me as they snuck samples of my snack offering.
Of course, as with many mom things I imagine doing lately...I didn't do it. I've signed up for snack a few times and each time my day rolls around, I'm basically like, "Holy $!*&! I have to bring snack today?! What the @!&$! am I gonna do?!" and I wind up stopping at the grocery store for grapes and Annie's cheddar bunnies or, the last time, I got bamboozled by Alex into sending fruit by the foot because the kid he's obsessed with loves them.
Lately, I've been missing the opportunity to sign up for snack because I haven't been dropping off (or picking up) since I've been working around the clock on my fundraising campaign. Nick doesn't think of things like snack day and so when I saw an opening a few weeks ago for April 25th, I grabbed it. And I planned to do something impressive. I knew it was going to be a crazy week—our big Cancerversary Bash fundraiser is four days away—but I figured I could take care of the snack ahead of time. Only that's another thing I always say I will do and then never do. (On the rare occassion that I actually do do things ahead of time, I'm always like Oh, wow, so this is why people do this, ahhhh). So last Friday when Alex and I were at the grocery we saw beautiful blueberries and cooked up a plan to bake blueberry muffins for snack day. He'd help, it would be a fun activitity, I'd assuage some of my mom guilt of late and I'd be sending in a great morning snack for his classmates.
Here's what actually went down: At around 6 p.m. last night, while the kids were munching on some homemade guacamole* (or "cock-a-mole" as Nora calls it) I blurted out "Oh $!&#! I have to make blueberry muffins!" Here is the point of the story where I should have scrapped the plan and went with one of the crackery snacks we have stockpiled in our armageddon pantry in the basement (this is not an actual thing, it's just a byproduct of too many trips to Costco). But that would be admitting failure and that was not an option. So I basically lied and told Nick I was on "muffin duty" for school (if he'd known I didn't actually have to make muffins he would have protested). Since I take care of all things school related he didn't question it. So I found a recipe that called for ingredients I had in the house (i.e., basic) and sent Nick to the market up the street for whole milk. Then over the course of the next two hours, while making dinner for myself and for the kids, and fielding about 28 calls and emails and texts about the event, I mixed up these muffins. You know how you can tell as you're making something that that something isn't going to be very good? I could tell before I made these. And I was right. I took a phone call during the folding in of the dry ingredients part which basically meant I overmixed the shit out of that batter.
And because I didn't feel like doubling the recipe on something I knew wasn't going to be a hit, I turned them into mini muffins. The problem: Some of these blueberries are on steroids, so all that would fit in the tiny tins was one giant blueberry with a little dense dough around it. Yum! Also, there are 25 kids in the class and I eeked out 26 mini muffins that are so small they could be eaten in one bite by a four year old. Which means way-too-good-to-me Nick had to stop at the market on the way to drop off this morning to supplement with fruit. The worst part about not having enough is that I couldn't even taste one this morning to sample what I'm sending in! (And I couldn't let the kids have one either, despite their begging.) Oh, and Alex barely helped at all (in his defense, it was bed time) so my plan to blame the muffin fail on him kinda backfired. And, I burned my arm while taking them out of the oven so I now have a nice welt to show off in my sleeveless dress Monday night. During this whole episode I just kept thinking, Why the hell did I do this to myself? Thankfully, I've reached the all-you-can-do-is-laugh point of the week as the crap just starts piling up. So I laughed it off.
It's not like I'm being graded. It's not like the kids would care if I sent in mini bagels and cream cheese (they'd probably prefer it and then I could have gotten an everything with scallion from the bagel store—doh!). And I already know the teachers like me. The other day when I made a rare appearance at drop off, they each handed me a check for the fundraising campaign. How awesome is that? But I guess I feel like I have something to prove. Perhaps it's just to myself (kind of like Easter) but it's still a feeling I have. And now, thanks to my poor showing today, a feeling I still have.
Do you ever feel like you have something to prove on snack day? Or any other day for that matter?
*Do you like how I casually worked in the fact that I made my kids guacamole. Bonus points!
Check out TWO SISTERS. TWO CANCERS. ONE MISSION. to learn more about our fundraising campaign and how you can get involved!


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You want to connect your iPod Touch / iPhone / iPad to a bluetooth GPS device, heart rate monitor or OBD key but it does not work?
You need to carry with you all your documents and share them on many computers like with a USB flash drive key?
Apple does not provide those functionalities by default, roqyBT and roqyUSB will help you!
What is roqyBT?
roqyBluetooth (aka roqyBT) is a complete bluetooth app to enhance the official bluetooth. Roqy team provides all the software components to connect your iPod Touch / iPhone / iPad to your devices:
- roqyGPS (included in roqyBT app): connect a bluetooth GPS receiver and benefit from any navigation software!
- roqySPORT (addon to roqyBT app, free): connect a bluetooth heart rate monitor and start your favorite training app!
- roqyOBD (addon to roqyBT app, free): connect an OBD key and watch live data from your car network!
What is roqyUSB?
roqyUSB is an app that creates a USB mass storage interface (like a USB flash drive key) compatible with any computers. No need of iTunes to carry and share your files!
roqyBT and roqyUSB are available on Cydia package manager for jailbroken devices (ModMyI sources).
Have fun!


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Andrew wrote:Nice work, thanks once again!
Thanks boss.
S_Brat wrote:wow way to go dc!!!! your starting to get the hang of it!!!!
Thanks man.I had no idea that I should be adding noise to the cf to make the skin look more real.The issue I had the most with in ebo editing was when it would zoom in too much and then when I had to zoom out a message would come up and say something about overflow and then it would close.Also aligning the eyes.
I happened to come across another cf making tutorial from some french guy on youtube.He also made an ebo editing tutorial but both are for nhl 09.
JMcCaskill wrote:Sir DC31 can i get a copy of your carmelo anthony who has a new hair.... becoz my carmelo anthony's hair is cornrows... plssss i beg for a copy many thanx.....
Check you inbox man.


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Applicant Tracking System Comparison
Get free recommendations and price quotes. Answer below.
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Updated: Aug 30th, 2018
TechnologyAdvice Guide to Applicant Tracking Systems
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Introduction: What is Applicant Tracking Software?
Applicant tracking software is a centralized tool for managing the candidate sourcing, evaluation, and hiring process from start to finish. Common features include job board posting, career sites, interview tools, and analytics.
A company's recruiting efforts should be as efficient and effective as possible— especially when just one job posting can generate hundreds of resumes. As a company grows, applicant tracking software is necessary to automate and optimize routine aspects of hiring and free HR managers to find the best person for the job.
The demand for hiring software is steadily growing. According to Bersin by Deloitte, HR research specialists, more than 60 percent of all companies have some type of applicant tracking system (ATS) in place. Talent acquisition makes up a $120+ billion worldwide market and boasts over 400 competitive solutions for hiring. The ATS market alone is expected to show growth of over 11 percent through 2018. Companies spend over $3,500 on the average hire, so the cost of hiring the wrong person is higher than ever.
Market Breakdown
Top ATS Systems, By Market Presence
- SmartRecruiters
- Zoho Recruit
- Jobvite
- Greenhouse
- RecruiterBox
- iCIMS
- Bullhorn
- Jazz
- Workable
- Jobscience
- BreezyHR
Top Applicant Tracking Systems Comparison
|Pricing Tier
|Job Board Postings?
|Mobile App?
|Free Trial?
|Zoho Recruit
Applicant Tracking System Comparison
An ATS is the company's digital hub for hiring. It allows an organization to centralize their recruitment database by housing all information on candidates, job openings, and placements. Most applicant tracking systems include a website where candidates can complete customizable online applications. Once forms are completed, resumes are automatically parsed and screened according to previously determined keywords. Then qualified applicants are saved in the database for future reference.
Many ATS systems integrate with calendars to automatically coordinate interview scheduling. Offer letters and other document templates can be created to save time, and some systems may also provide background checks or verify paperwork during the onboarding process. The following are key components that a modern applicant tracking system will offer:
- Career site: a brandable portal featuring job openings, customized input forms, pre-screening questions, and automated resume screening, ranking, and e-mail notifications. A good ATS also includes an internal portal where employees can view job postings, apply, or refer outside candidates.
*Example of a custom careers site, hosted by SmartRecruiters.
- Advanced search: powerful search and sorting features allow recruiters to quickly search for candidates with specific keywords, phrases, and skills or experience.
- Applicant tracking: this includes the ability to upload files, documents, and additional information to a candidate's CV. Assessment tools and reference checking are important components of this function, and some vendors may refer to the overall aspect of organizing applicant communications as "candidate relationship management".
- Interview tools: along with automatic interview scheduling, video interviewing is becoming increasingly popular.
- Analytics: a paperless recruiting process allows you gather, store, and generate reports to help you pinpoint bottlenecks in your hiring process. You can track your social sourcing efforts, career site engagement, and even manage advertising campaigns.
In addition to these basic features, additional functionality and workflow customization— such as website integrations, job board postings, document collaboration, event management, rules and permissions, and integrated marketing automation — will vary from system to system. Some vendors will include them as standard features, while others may be purchased as add-ons.
The overwhelming amount of features and ATS options available, coupled with the various monikers they go by — hiring software, human capital management, talent lifecycle management, recruiting software — makes performing an applicant tracking system comparison simple.
An ATS is a major component of recruiting software, though recruiting software is generally much more powerful. Applicant tracking systems started as a way to scan paper resumes into a database. The technology evolved to filter, manage, and analyze candidates in the hiring workflow. Now, nearly every HR software company sells one. In addition to applicant tracking, recruiting software often equips users with task management and social recruiting tools, as well as modules for PR, CRM, billing, and a portal for clients.
Compared to an ATS, recruitment software is considered a complete solution for an organization's hiring process. However, the market is changing rapidly and talent management software is at a crossroads. The line between systems is blurring as vendors constantly release new features to differentiate themselves in a crowded market. Unfortunately, these "next generation" features swiftly become standard, and buyers are left with no obvious way to discern between systems.
Additionally, this constant market transformation creates a confusing lexicon with little standardization amongst providers. For example, you will find some vendors strictly call their solution an ATS, though it could be considered recruiting software since it covers sourcing, tracking, onboarding, and analytics. On the other hand, many vendors market their solution as recruiting software, even though many are suitable as an in-house ATS.
To spice things up, some vendors adopt taglines such as 'not just another ATS' or 'next gen recruiting' and encourage buyers to move 'beyond the ATS'. Others have simply embraced both terms and market their solution as "Recruiting and Applicant Tracking Software."
There's no denying that talent acquisition is a critical and strategic HR function. So while the market fights to come to terms, our advice to you is: don't get caught up on how vendors label themselves.
Keep your focus on the goals of your business— learn what you want your system to do for you. What problem are you trying to solve? Where can you streamline and automate your hiring process? What is your old software missing? Answering these questions will determine the features you need from a new system, which means you get the best software for your business— whether it's called ATS, workforce recruiting, or magic hiring pixie dust.
ATS Trends
The hiring world is now focused on managing the "people network," not just capturing and tracking resumes. The intersection of four key trends is driving ATS innovation:
Assessments and video interviewing
Can you tell if your candidates are qualified or just selling themselves? With online tests, you can validate skills and ensure your candidate is a good fit from the start. In addition to recruiting internationally and easing scheduling conflicts, video meetings and interviews guarantee authenticity and standardization in the selection process. All qualified candidates will undergo the same exact interview process and hiring groups can independently evaluate each candidate.
Social recruiting, employee referrals, and online talent networks
Social recruiting can leverage data in social networks, and use personalized messaging, gamification and automation to target candidates. Recruiting is moving beyond job board postings and employers must develop a talent network comprised of fans, candidates, employees, alumni, and even customers. These connections can be used to gain referrals and find talent faster.
Web-based and mobile-first platforms
Mobile recruiting is on fire. The majority of Americans have a smartphone within reach 24/7, so mobile optimized career pages allow candidates to apply faster and even interview right from their phone. Additionally, hiring managers can move away from desktops and laptops and recruit on tablets, phones, and other devices. Modern web-based software deployments make hiring anytime and anywhere possible.
Building an end-to-end workforce management solution
An applicant tracking system is no longer simply a repository for resumes. Now that the entire hiring process has gone digital, companies know they can use recruiting data and analytics to optimize their process. Recruiters can predict which candidates are likely a fit, and analyze inbound/outbound marketing programs, user experience, mobile apps, and social media usage. And since the hiring process transitions into onboarding and talent management, more and more companies are seeking an all-in-one system that handles other HR processes in addition to applicant track functionality. Vendors that offer a full HR suite can help eliminate duplicate data and inefficient workforce management across an organization.
Common Applicant Tracking Software Applications
It's best to view choosing an applicant tracking system as finding a strategic business partner, rather than just picking a software vendor. You'll need a vendor that can build a long term relationship and meet your changing business needs. Different business sizes and types may need additional features, so it's important to consider ATS common applications to ensure the vendor you choose is a good culture fit. The market is generally divided into three tiers:
- Enterprise: For large organizations, an applicant tracking system that integrates with existing HR or ERP systems is necessary. Highly complex global enterprises also need strong collaboration features to share applicant data and receive feedback from hiring managers. Large companies with legacy applications in desperate need of an upgrade should consider integrated suites from one vendor, or ensure a new ATS will integrate seamlessly with existing systems.
- Agency: For high-volume recruiting, staffing agencies need many of the same features as enterprises. But agencies need additional features to handle client needs, such as customer relationship management (CRM) functionality. Agencies should consider industry specific recruiting software, but also keep in mind that the ATS market is swiftly evolving to meet their specific needs, so the label is less important than the functionality.
- SMB: Thanks to SaaS deployments, small-to-medium sized businesses can get the benefits of an enterprise ATS in a simpler and more economical format. SMBs should put scalability near the top of their features requirements list.
Oftentimes, businesses with no HR department use a free applicant tracking system with limited functionality. This can be a great option starting out, but growing companies will eventually need a paid solution to handle more positions, users, and tech support.
As an SMB scales, it can be tempting to upgrade with a vendor in order to circumvent data transfer to another system. But it may not be the top option. You'll need to evaluate your company's goals and growth projections to see if the vendor will continue to be a good fit moving forward.
How to Create Executive Buy-in
Creating executive buy-in is one of the most challenging portions of the software adoption process. To overcome this obstacle, you'll need to build a compelling proposal that addresses how individual departments will benefit from the new ATS, as well as the company as a whole. Executives invest in solutions that save or help make money, avoid risk, or serve long term strategic purposes. To ensure successful adoption and long-term ROI, you must appeal to the differing pain points of your C-level audience so they see the need for an ATS.
Applicant tracking systems streamline administrative tasks, simplify the hiring process, and create one central location for all your workforce data. But to create a common language and shared perspective, you'll need to connect the dots for other decision makers. You should speak their language and use data to back up your proposal. Below are a few ways to align your initiative.
CTO/CIO: Talking to your technology leadership before a project starts may feel like overkill, but it's important to involve them in new requests as early as possible. Your company's IT department is constantly aligning company goals and infrastructure, security, downtime, data back-up, and so on. Their purpose is to help your business function efficiently and stay agile and competitive in the market. Seeking their advice early and often will help minimize implementation issues later.
CIOs can help ensure that an ATS aligns with the company's growth and 3-5 year technology life-cycle plan. They'll likely be interested in solutions that reduce infrastructure requirements, updates, and support. and as well as the potential to reduce their needs for internal infrastructure. They'll eventually manage your ATS anyway, so make the IT department your ally upfront. When HR and IT can stand together behind a new proposal, you'll have a better chance of buy-in from other execs.
CEO: Your CEO is concerned about the big picture— not the specific functionality an ATS offers. Talent and leadership shortages are a huge business challenge: 63 percent of CEOs are concerned about the availability of key skills, and 50 percent of CEOs plan to increase headcount over the next 12 months. HR technology can alleviate these concerns.
With data analytics, HR departments can provide applicant conversion rates, how long it takes to review resumes, or other key metrics at a glance, as well as predict what skills will be needed, then plan for those changes. Time saved by automating hiring tasks can then be used to focus on improving strategic initiatives that attract and retain talent.
CFO: Do you know how much an ATS costs and how much it can save the company? Because these are the answers your financial officer needs to know. Prices vary with features and add-ons, but your shortlist isn't the only item your CFO needs to see. You should be prepared with ways an ATS will give back to the company. Consider the presenting following metrics and how technology can improves or affects them:
- Hours spent by HR per new hire
- Turnover rate and loss of revenue per vacant position
- Number of resumes received per job
- Cost of ATS per year, per new hire, per applicant
- Time spent on old process vs time spent with new ATS (this estimate may come from a free trial or demo)
In short, you'll need to know the potential ROI and prove that a modern system will allow you to continually measure new hire quality and use that information to fine-tune the recruiting process.
Remember, focus entirely on your decision makers and what's in it for them?
Applicant Tracking Software Case Study
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For decades, the hospitals of Allegheny Health Network have provided exceptional healthcare to patients. AHN is comprised of seven hospitals, more than 200 primary and specialty-care practices, 2,100 physicians, 17,000 employees, and 2,000 volunteers.
But as you might imagine, staffing a multi-hospital healthcare network comes with distinct challenges, such as:
- Specialized talent requirements
- Clunky, paper-based system
- Limited reporting capability
The company's "post and pray" strategy and outdated ATS severely limited reach and growth possibilities. Additionally, with highly diverse talent requirements to meet, AHN's sourcing and recruiting model needed a total overhaul. AHN implemented Jobvite to streamline their entire hiring process.
"With anything new, there's always reluctance first. But with the ease of use and the productivity that Jobvite brought about, we were able to successfully transition our entire recruiting program from the platform up. It was a complete makeover, and the managers on the other end of the system absolutely love it. Now, they're an integral part of the hiring process and they have more visibility, which has been a huge factor in our success." — Irv Naar, AHN's Corporate VP of Talent Acquisition
With Jobvite's extensive reporting, workflow organization, and referral management, AHN dramatically cut time-to-hire, streamlined its agency budget, located top healthcare talent, and meet the ever demanding talent needs of the organization. Additional benefits of the new ATS:
- AHN is now paperless with a strengthened and organized process
- Rapid and successful company-wide implementation
- Reduced time-to-hire by 35 percent: from 120 days to an average of 35 to 40 days
- Effective and comprehensive compliance reports
- Integrated referral system of 10,000+ AHN employees that drive recruiting attention
- Reporting capabilities allowed the AHN team to better understand the job seekers path to hire, create an easy application process, and pinpoint effective sources of talent.
Choosing the Best Applicant Tracking System
Ready to find the best applicant tracking software for your business? That's where we come in. From guides, to reviews, to side by side system comparisons, product information, and research articles— we've done the hard work for you. If you need guidance choosing a solution, free personalized product recommendations are available by phone or online via our Product Selection Tool.


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15 Ways to Eat Your Greens in the Winter
It's an unfortunate winter truth that when the tender lettuces of spring seem farthest away, I begin to crave all things green. The rich foods of December leave me with a strong desire to bury my face in a huge bowl of perfect salad all January long. But while the green leaves of spring lettuce are indeed a season off, that doesn't mean my cravings have to wait too. Here, just in time for the January blues, are 15 ways to eat the greens you crave.
Winter is high season for the stronger greens, like chard and kale, that grow robustly through the icy temperatures in cold frames or even outdoors. The best kale I ever ate was from my garden, where it somehow survived an ice storm and perked back up, proudly sweet and green, right in the snow.
If you're lucky enough to have sheaves of strong, bitter winter greens in your kitchen right now, here are 15 favorite ways to tuck in. They range from just adding them to other favorite dishes (pasta with greens, hurray!) to recipes like collard stew that let these greens stand proudly on their own.
• 1 Pizza with Crispy Kale, Butternut Squash, Bacon & Smoked Mozzarella
• 2 Kale, Bacon and Egg Sandwich
• 3 Fried Eggs and Collard Greens over Polenta
• 4 Open-Faced Ravioli with Poached Egg, Wilted Greens, and Brown Butter-Lemon Sauce
• 5 Bean, Bacon and Butternut Squash Soup with Swiss Chard
• 6 Sautéed Rainbow Chard with Raw Beets and Goat Cheese
• 7 Collard Greens Stew with Chorizo & Garlic
• 8 Grilled Bitter Greens Salad with Roasted Beets, Spiced Pecans & Roquefort
• 9 Kimchi Fried Rice with Extra Greens
• 10 Ham Bone, Greens, and Bean Soup
• 11 Thai Stir-Fried Greens
• 12 Crispy Pan-Fried Beans and Wilted Greens
• 13 Chicken and Swiss Chard Pasta Bake
• 14 Sukuma Wiki (African Braised Kale with Tomatoes)
• 15 Fettucini with Balsamic Delicata Squash & Bitter Greens
What's your favorite way to eat greens in the wintertime? Do you look for overwintered ice spinach or kale at the winter market? Or do you gravitate towards the rough and robust greens of collards and turnip tops?
(Images: See linked recipes for full image credits)


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By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Freighters with no place to unload cargo lined up at anchorages off Los Angeles and Long Beach for a seventh day on Monday as shippers and striking clerks resumed talks to end a labor dispute that has idled most of America's biggest container port complex.
With mounting economic losses estimated at several billion dollars, the strike marks the largest cargo traffic disruption at the twin Southern California harbor facilities since a 10-day lockout of longshoremen at several West Coast ports in 2002.
Unlike the labor clash a decade ago, which took place in the fall, the latest dispute is unfolding after the busy pre-holiday shipping season, limiting the scope of its ripple effect.
Major U.S. retailers, including Target and Home Depot, said they have so far been largely unaffected by the strike because the bulk of their Christmastime inventory has already made it to store shelves.
But the National Retail Federation has asked President Barack Obama to intervene, warning that a prolonged strike could have a "devastating impact on the U.S. economy."
The brunt of the latest dispute at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together account for nearly 40 percent of all U.S. cargo container imports, has been borne mostly by dock workers and truckers in the region.
Terminal operators also worry about lost business as some cargo is diverted to competing ports.
Striking port clerks remained at loggerheads on Monday with shippers and terminal owners over the future of union representation for clerical jobs after employees retire. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 has so far resisted calls for outside mediation.
The 800-member clerical workers unit of the ILWU local walked off the job on Tuesday, with some 10,000 longshoremen and other union members refusing to cross picket lines, forcing a shutdown at 10 of the twin ports' 14 container terminals.
Four other container terminals remained open, along with facilities for handling shipments of automobiles, liquid fuels and break-bulk cargo such as raw steel.
The overall economic impact of the strike has been estimated to run at more than $1 billion a day - including lost wages of dock workers, truckers and others idled by the walkout and the value of cargo rerouted by shippers.
The strike has prompted at least 11 freighters to change course and take their cargo to ports in Northern California, Mexico and Panama, according to the non-profit Maritime Exchange of Southern California, which tracks shipping in the region.
Another 11 ships were waiting at anchorages outside the Los Angeles-Long Beach complex, unable to discharge their cargo, said Dick McKenna, executive director of the Maritime Exchange.
"Shippers are a conservative bunch. If there is no reliability at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, they'll go someplace else," said Steve Getzug, a spokesman for the Harbor Employers Association, representing shippers and terminal operators in the labor talks.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa sent a letter to negotiators for both sides on Monday urging them to bring in a mediator to help resolve the dispute and to stay at the bargaining table around the clock until an agreement is reached.
The Harbor Trucking Association, representing 8,000 truck drivers, called on Monday for the Federal Maritime Commission to bring greater pressure to bear for a settlement.
Marathon negotiations over the weekend, capped by another exchange of proposals, failed to produce a breakthrough.
John Fageaux, head of the ILWU Local's clerical workers union, criticized management's negotiators for calling a break in the talks on Saturday night, saying, "We were prepared to bargain all night."
Getzug, of the employers association, said they were "trying to move this thing along as quickly as possible," and that the companies would welcome a mediator.
ILWU leaders are demanding that jobs traditionally performed by their members remain classified as union work and subject to the union's contract terms, even after employees holding them retire. The employers insist on reserving the right to fill only those jobs that need to be filled.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together handled more than $400 billion in goods arriving or leaving the West Coast by ship last year.
The two ports directly or indirectly support roughly 1.2 million Southern California jobs - workers involved in moving freight to or from the shipping complex, experts say.
A number of retailers told Reuters their holiday-season merchandise was already in the supply chain and that they were using other ports around the country as needed to divert incoming shipments.
Companies such as Lowe's and clothing retailer Aeropostale said they have yet to feel a pinch from the strike, though they were prepared to make adjustments as needed.
"We're asking ourselves why the striking union waited this long to act, when it would have had more leverage with a big threat to the holiday season," Caris & Co analyst Dorothy Lakner said in a research note.
Shippers agreed that it was mostly a wait-and-see game for now, though the season was in their favor.
The "peak transportation season for Christmas holiday has almost been over and it is weak season for container shipment now," Zhang Shouguo, chairman of the China Shipowners Association, told Reuters.
(Additional reporting by Jessica Wohl in Chicago, Dhanya Skariachan and Ben Berkowitz in New York and Yimou Lee in Hong Kong; Editing by Dan Whitcomb, Vicki Allen and Mohammad Zargham)


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The state agency responsible for protecting disabled adults is coping with diminished resources and an expanding workload.
WATERTOWN — While reports of abuse against disabled adults have increased by nearly 20 percent since 2009, the state agency responsible for protecting them has seen its staffing reduced and it would fall further under the governor's budget recommendation.
"We have some investigators that have over 50 open investigations," Disabled Persons Protection Commission Executive Director Nancy Alterio told the News Service, after requesting additional funding from a legislative panel Monday. She said, "We're addressing the emergencies. The problem is then following up and completing the investigation."
Alterio said the organization has a State Police detective assigned to it, and it refers criminal cases to the district attorneys and moves to put disabled adults in safer situations if they suspect abuse.
In one case, highlighted in an info sheet, an alleged abuser hit a member of his family, a 54-year-old woman, in the head several times, dragged her, banged her against walls, and threw a 25-pound bag of kitty litter at her head, leading to pain and vomiting.
"An individual with an intellectual disability who's now 23 years of age was repeatedly beaten and sexually assaulted by her mother's boyfriend since she was about the age of 12," said Alterio. She said, "Tens of thousands of additional stories of victimization have been reported to the Disabled Persons Protection Commission."
The testimony caused Sen. Patricia Jehlen, a Somerville Democrat who is chairwoman of the Committee on Elder Affairs, to want more information on the challenges the agency faces.
"That was disturbing, and I don't know if any of these things are just a matter of money, but it was disturbing to hear the number of people who are subject to abuse," Jehlen said after the hearing ended.
The state agency has 28 full-time equivalent employees, down from 32 in fiscal year 2009, and it would need $2.49 million to maintain its current staffing level, an increase caused by a higher rent at its Braintree offices and increased telephone payments.
Gov. Deval Patrick's budget recommendation is slightly below that, at $2.46 million. To return to 32 fulltime-equivalent employees, the commission would need its budget increased to $2.77 million, according to a DPPC info sheet.
"I respectfully request consideration, serious consideration, be given to restoring DPPC back to the staff of 32 FTEs," Alterio said. "This is truly a small investment given the magnitude of the problem."
The independent agency investigates crimes against people with disabilities who are between the ages of 18 and 59, maintaining a 24-hour hotline. In fiscal year 2013, the agency received 7,986 abuse reports, up from 6,722 reports in fiscal year 2009.
"Historically DPPC has been confronted with the challenge of doing more with less," Alterio told the House and Senate Ways and Means committees on Monday. She said, "At the same time we have experienced an unprecedented increase in our caseload."
In the first six months of fiscal year 2014, abuse reports were up 17 percent, and the investigations caseload was up 6 percent, and there are 600 overdue investigations, Alterio said.
"Over the course of a recent week one investigator was assigned 11 new investigations, including an after-hours emergency, which requires an immediate response," Alterio said.


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Main Site - :: Why Won't God Heal Amputees? ::
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Never seen a white guy round my end of the world til about 1740,did not work out well for my people.Introducing my ancestors to the Godly way killed 90% by 1862.We were Good without God,sure we had wars,but never on the scale of any Christian conflict
i can be good without god, i can't speak for others. but i don't believe being good has anything to do with god, you're a kind person, or you're not, you're a criminal, or you're not, you should know right from wrong, you're truthful or you're a liar...with or without god, you are still these things. it's all about the choices we make for ourselves. i don't need god as a crutch to force my behavior if that's not how i'd behave. i'm me, and i will be me, god or not, i'm not going to waste my time worrying what god thinks about what i'm doing, i'm living for right now, cause who knows if i'll be sucking air tomorrow. i'm a good person, because i would feel bad being any other way. i don't like hurting people. not my nature. i'm a lover not a fighter
What's a scamologist?-Nam
Also, really understand i'm not using 'god' in the typical sense, not like how the bible uses 'god'.
I always say what I mean. But sometimes I'm a sarcastic prick whose tone can't be properly communicated via text.
What is god?[1]-Nam 1. is anyone going to answer me? I mean,is there a context here, a generalisation? Are we speaking about multitudes of gods, or are we just speaking about a specific god? The Biblegod? The Qurangod? The Torahgod? The plethora of other Biblegods? Gods without religions? What god?
well, i think a lot of this falls into what 'god' is, ...


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Yeah that sounds good. I can play both days this weekend. So do you want to meet at Bill Barber tomorrow morning at 11am?
Bill Barber sounds good. This weekend works for me, but I can also hit tonight if you're available.
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The Grant County Fire Chiefs' Association hopes to establish a new emergency services taxing district to fund additional ambulances, replace expiring equipment and expand services.
The group, which includes the chiefs from all five fire departments in the county, presented its proposal Feb. 6 to the Grant County Fiscal Court.
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Recognizing the gift
Brain tumor puts life in perspective for Brady woman.
Every morning when Amy Most wakes up, she says a prayer of thanksgiving and then hits the floor running.
With four active children between the ages of 5 and 15 and a full-time job as the Brady school's assistant cook, Amy doesn't see much of a choice."Life gets busy," says Amy, who has lived on a ranch west of Brady since 2006. "I'm just grateful the Lord still has a purpose for me."
After a hiccup feeling on the right side of her stomach evolved into an uncontrollable twitching in her arm two years ago, Amy sought medical advice from her family doctor.
The twitching was thought to be a muscle spasm caused by lifting and carrying her youngest son, Lukan, too much.
But when Amy started feeling weakness in her hands—unable to successfully remove seeds from a watermelon—and she stumbled when her foot dropped, she knew it was more.
Blood tests and an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) ordered by a North Platte neurologist held the answer: Brain tumor.
"I was in denial," Amy says of the diagnosis. "I felt healthy, like it couldn't be me."
But the MRI pictures were unmistakable. A large "blank" spot showed clearly on the left side of Amy's brain near the area that controls the motor skills.
Four days later, Amy and her husband Nate were on their way to see a neurosurgeon in Omaha.
"I had no idea what to expect," Amy says. "There's so much that goes through your mind."
When Amy and Nate met Dr. Michele R. Aizenberg, they were taken aback by her appearance.
"She seemed so young," Amy said, "and I was concerned about her experience."
Despite being Aizenberg's first patient at UNMC, the Mosts soon realized the assistant professor in the neurological surgery and oncology is an accomplished neurosurgeon.
"She seemed very confident and that put us more at ease," Amy said. "She took the time to answer every one of our questions and we never felt pressured or rushed."
The decision to do surgery, Amy said, was not easy but obvious.
A week later, the Mosts traveled back to Omaha. Amy went through several tests including brain mapping to pinpoint the tumor and surrounding control centers of the brain.
Knowing the complexity of the surgery and the proximity to the motor strip, Aizenberg chose to perform an awake surgery.
"Of course that's scary," Amy said, "but I trusted her to do the best thing for me."
Amy was under anesthesia for the first portion of her surgery when her skull was opened to expose her brain.
Then she was awakened so she could respond to the doctor's commands.
"I'm not sure I realized how tricky the surgery would be with the tumor so close to the motor strip," Amy said. "That's why they woke me up, to make sure they weren't compromising any motor skills."
To ease her mind through it all, Amy said she quoted Bible verses, sang Sunday school songs under her breath and said lots of prayers.
"I was feeling a lot of anxiety but I knew if I could survive this, I could survive anything," she said.
Amy remembers Aizenberg saying this thing or that thing was "pesky."
"She likes to say pesky a lot," Amy said. "At one point I heard her tell one of the nurses to go tell my family I was doing great."
During the surgery, Aizenberg asked Amy to perform a series of tasks such as lift her fingers, grip a wash rag, wiggle her foot and smile.
Although she had no pain from the surgery and little memory of the nine-hour surgery, she woke up with a backache.
"I had to lay flat on that table for a long time," she said. "My back was killing me."
Tests following the surgery showed Aizenberg removed the entire tumor and Amy was cancer free. Six weeks of radiation therapy followed as insurance.
"This put me face to face with my own mortality," Amy says. "I've tried not to dwell on the negative possibilities. A lot of things could happen but it doesn't do any good to worry about that stuff."
Two years later, Amy still has a little celebration after every checkup. Again last month, her tests showed no reoccurrence.
And other than a funky ridge on the top left side of her head, Amy hasn't had any residual effects from the surgery except a new perspective on life.
The experience not only strengthened an already solid marriage, she said, but it also helps her sort out life's daily struggles.
"I realize some battles just aren't worth the fight," she says.
A story about Amy's brain tumor, surgery and recovery has appeared in the UNMC magazine and she recently taped a commercial for the hospital.
"Every time I'm asked to tell my story, I do," she says. "It's an opportunity for me to share what God is doing in my life."
Amy continues to be active in the First Baptist Church. She also enjoys sewing, scrapbooking, gardening, reading and spending time with her family.
She doesn't dwell on the fact that she survived having a brain tumor. Instead she realizes the gift of life every day.
"I'm alive. I need to live," she said. "None of us are promised any more than today."
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How to Upgrade Your Rental Car — To A Bentley (Video)
Travelers often dream of upgrading to first class for flights, but what can you do about the rental car that is waiting when you land? Car rental companies are offering a growing range of luxury cars for people who want flashy rides to impress clients or spice up a class reunion.
We're not talking about swapping a cheap subcompact for a midsize SUV or large sedan. Some companies will rent you an Audi or a even a Bentley with a sticker price north of $200,000. Be careful, though, because special cars sometimes carry special liabilities. Scott McCartney, The Wall Street Journal's Middle Seat columnist, suggests making sure your insurance has you covered.
You can watch a video about high-end rentals after the jump.


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Nuance celebrates 20 years of Dragon
Nuance Communications has announced that its signature software solution – Dragon – turned 20 this year.
Nuance Communications has announced that its signature software solution – Dragon – turned 20 this year.
Apple's iTunes is joining Spotify in Microsoft's Windows Store.
Twitter has announced that it will be launching a new always-on TV service that covers an array of programming, from live sports to breaking news, concerts, and fashion.
The Playbase fits conveniently under your TV, but it's not the best home theater speaker we've heard.
The Razer Blade Pro's THX certification applies only to its 4K IGZO screen and its headphone jack—but hey, it's still the first!
Fans of Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, and Veep were delighted by HBO's clever SXSW installation.
Anyone with a Plex Pass subscription can now get at their media libraries from Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive (personal) with Plex Cloud.
Hidden in the code for the latest version of the YouTube Kids app is a reference to Family Link, which would let parents block videos and change settings remotely.
We last reviewed Fetch TV's main set-top box (second generation) two years ago. How things change in that time? Back then we primarily lamented the lack of built-in WiFi – something that would be unthinkable these days - but now the third-generation box (called the Mighty) has added it to the mix.
In ye olde days, the Fetch TV came as a chunky box which would only work with some routers under certain conditions over an ADSL connection. Picture quality was poor and so was the channel choice. Not anymore.
Google hasn't said what's coming yet, but if you sign up for the initiative you'll be part of the group that's in the know.
Sony's latest update to the PlayStation 4's system software adds high dynamic range support for older consoles.
The Bolt+ builds on the original Bolt, featuring six tuners and 3TB of onboard storage.
Pioneer's great-sounding, feature rich, Android-based player's only major drawbacks are its lack of MacOS support and its bulky size.
When the Hypertext Transfer Protocol was introduced nearly 30 years ago, the Internet was a small, cozy club hosting just one website. The nearly three decades of service since – more like three centuries in "technology years" – have shed light on several challenges never thought of in the design process.
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I need power and lots of it. As a Front End Web developer anything less just won't cut it which is why the MSI GT75 is an outstanding laptop for me. It's a sleek and futuristic looking, high quality, beast that has a touch of sci-fi flare about it.
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MSI GS65 Stealth Thin
If you can afford the price tag, it is well worth the money. It out performs any other laptop I have tried for gaming, and the transportable design and incredible display also make it ideal for work.
Brother MFC-L9570CDW Multifunction Printer
Touch screen visibility and operation was great and easy to navigate. Each menu and sub-menu was in an understandable order and category
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The printer was convenient, produced clear and vibrant images and was very easy to use
WD My Cloud Home
I would recommend this device for families and small businesses who want one safe place to store all their important digital content and a way to easily share it with friends, family, business partners, or customers.


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The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed restricted free-agent forward Nicolas Batum to an offer sheet. Under the terms of the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Portland Trail Blazers will have three days to match Minnesota's offer. The deadline for Portland to match the offer sheet is Wednesday, July 18 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Reports have said the deal could be worth around $46 million over four years, but that is not confirmed.
Batum, a 6-8 forward from France, was originally selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. Portland acquired his rights in a draft-night trade in exchange for the draft rights to Darrell Arthur and Joey Dorsey. In his four seasons with the Blazers, Batum has averaged 10.2 points and 3.9 rebounds in 255 games (202 starts). He averaged a career-high 13.9 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game in 2011-12, while also establishing career bests with 90 steals and 60 blocked shots. The 23-year-old has career shooting averages of 46.0 percent from the field, 37.2 percent from three-point range and 83.6 percent from the free throw line. Batum scored a career-high 33 points on Feb. 4 vs. Denver, and set a Portland single-game record with nine three-pointers. He also tallied 33 points on Feb. 14 vs. Washington. Batum played professionally in France for four years before coming to the NBA.


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Hey, A-ca-ballers, pull out your rape whistles. Stop eating your twins, and throw on your Bumper-sponsored sports sandals. We've got some important news to talk about. Pitch Perfect is coming back in all its hysterical and catchy glory. There will be renditions of hit songs, hilarious dialogue and some of our favorite characters.
I say some because we don't really know who will actually be in the movie. Original screenwriter Kay Cannon, who is returning, hasn't completed a studio-approved draft of the script yet, and apart from Rebel Wilson, Anna Kendrick and Elizabeth Banks, who will direct, it's unclear if anyone else has even been contacted to gauge their interest levels at returning. Consequently, there's an overwhelming likelihood that some of the more important faces from the first film will not be returning, but that's actually a good thing.
You can't make the exact same movie over again, especially when it involves college students who are graduating and going on to different things. It works okay to make up an excuse for one or two graduates to come back, but to be true to life, you really need to inject new blood. That was part of the secret of Friday Night Lights. People grow up. They graduate. New spots open up. New conflicts arise, and for that to happen, some favorites have to go.
So, without further ado, here is a round up of the main characters and some words on whether or not I'd like to see them come back.
Come Back: Beca MitchellBeca is the anchor of Pitch Perfect. Despite her hatred of movies and her angsty personality, her life outlook and clever comments are what propels the film forward. I would watch an a capella movie without her, but there would be no point in calling that film Pitch Perfect. She's the only character that is an absolute prerequisite for the new film. She's the only possible dealbreaker, at least as far as my excitement level.
Besides, there's plenty more about Beca's life we can easily look into. Now that she's 20% less angry, we could get some awkward failed bonding scenes with the step-monster. We could look into her taking some real shifts as a radio DJ on the campus, and (gasp) we could potentially see her on some dates with different types of dudes who might not pursue her as aggressively as Jesse did during Round 1.


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Written by gothenburgtimes Friday, 14 August 2009 21:03
Not only can cover crops planted in no-till fields fix nitrogen in the short term, they can also reduce soil erosion and mitigate the effects of drought in the long term, said a Natural Resource Conservation Service agronomist at a recent extension to-till conference in Holdrege.
Cover crops have always been valuable for erosion control, said Barry Fisher, NRCS Indiana state agronomist. But if we look at it from a no-till standpoint, especially a never-till standpoint, cover crops have a whole new host of benefits that they never had in conventional tillage. They give us the ability to build vertical soil structure. They build deep macropores in the soil, which allow more water to penetrate during the winter months. They're at work when there's nothing else out there working on the soil.
"For years we've known that competition from the cover crop alone helps control weeds," Fisher said. There's a lot of evidence that some of the oilseed radishes, some of the brassicas, and annual rye grass are very effective at controlling soybean cyst nematode as well as other pests.
Some producers are aerial seeding cover crops directly into standing corn or soybeans sometimes in September. That way it can get established, but not create a problem with harvesting the cash crop. Fisher advised producers to time the cover crop with the cash crop so that it can conserve and trap nitrogen and protect the soil from erosion during the fallow period.
"If I were going to harvest these crops, I would do it through an animal," he said. "Certainly there's a good opportunity, especially in this part of Nebraska where grazing cornstalks is very much a part of the culture, for having a cover crop to provide extra nutrition and also a network of roots to support the hoof traffic."
Fisher doesn't think of these cover crops as another cash crop, though. Instead, he's focused on the benefits to the soil, trapping nitrates and nitrogen during the off season. Tests show that a lot of the cover crops can scavenge 60 to 70, maybe as much as 80 pounds of nitrogen per acre, Fisher said. That's the immediate economic payoff for growing these crops.
Soil quality is a long-term benefit, he said. Cover crops provide risk protection in dry, hot years; they build soil nutrients and better biological activity.
Fisher recommended a book called Managing Cover Crops Profitably that's available on the Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education organization's Website at http://www.sare.org/publications/covercrops.htm. Fisher also listed the NRCS electronic Field Office Technical Guide, available at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/eFOTG/ as a reliable resource.


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Kattar wins main event in MMA action in Salem
June 15. 2013 10:22PM
SALEM - Calvin Kattar entered the cage to the theme of "Rocky" and then fought an epic battle with Gabriel Baino before being declared the winner by unanimous decision in the thrilling main event of Combat Zone MMA on Friday night in the packed Sports Club at Rockingham Park.
Kattar, who hails from across the border in Methuen, Mass., had the strong backing of the partisan hometown crowd as he bloodied Baino from the opening round and ruined the Brazilian fighter's previously unblemished record.
Baino, who appeared to be fighting blindly in the later rounds after Kattar opened deep, gushing cuts over both eyes, dropped to 5-1 while Kattar fought his way out of a guillotine choke hold at the end of the first round and a kimora submission attempt in the third to improve to 14-2.
Baino looked gassed and outclassed in round 2, but he dug down deeply and willed his way back to inflict damage of his own and opened a cut over Kattar's left eye.
To veteran observers, this appeared to be Kattar's toughest pro fight.
In the co-main event between two first time professionals, Lakes Region Valley Tudo representative Mike Burke dominated John Healey (0-1) from Wakefield, with a succession of strikes, dropped him to the ground, and continued to batter and bloody him until the referee stopped the fight 1:12 into the first round.
With the TKO, Burke stands at 1-0 after an impressive 5-1 amateur record.
In the first amateur fight of the night, Team Triumph of Nashua representative Jay Perrin improved to 3-1 by submitting Matt Denning of CMBJJ with an arm bar in 2:28 of round 2. Denning, who battled his opponent evenly in the first round at 140 pounds, dropped his second straight match to fall to 1-2.
The second fight featured a pair with spotless records and brought a name with MMA star power into the cage when Kirk Florian, the younger brother of UFC luminary Kenny Florian, matched skills with Dominic Cofone for the full three rounds.
Florian's better stand-up game proved the difference as he was declared the winner by split decision and upped his record to 3-0 while Cafone is now 3-1.
Next up, Scott Gorgone and Dave Sousa got the crowd screaming and cheering from the opening bell with an aggressive, intense and evenly waged bloody battle featuring a flurry of powerful strikes and a masterful ground game from both tough and courageous fighters for the first two rounds.
Gorgone gained the advantage in the final round with his ground game and was declared the winner by unanimous decision to remain undefeated at 3-0-0, while Sousa dropped to 1-2 while being a better fighter than his record shows.
Despite giving his opponent a 17-year advantage, 38-year-old Wayne Ahlquist (2-5) prevailed over Tollison Lewis (3-7) in the next match at 155 pounds by controlling the pace and being more aggressive.
Then Dan Connaughton (1-0) needed only 1:07 of the first round to win his amateur debut when he submitted local favorite Kristian Lombardi of Team Fury (0-1) by an arm bar in their fight at 185 pounds.
Pro bouts:
145 - Calvin Kattar (Methuen, MA) def. Gabriel Baino (Brazil), unanimous decision
155- Mike Burke (Laconia, NH) def. John Healey (Wakefield, NH), TKO, 1:21 Round 1
Amateur bouts:
140 - Jay Perrin (Hudson, NH) def. Matt Denning (Lewiston, ME), arm triangle, 2:28 Round 2
150- Kirk Florian (Dover, MA) def. Dominic Cofone (Westbrook, ME), split decision
145 - Scott Gorgone (Maynard, MA) def. David Sousa (No. Andover, MA), unanimous dec.
155- Wayne Ahlquist (Meredith, NH) def. Tollison Lewis (Windham, ME), unanimous dec.
185 - Dan Connaughton (Lynn, MA) def. Kristian Lombardi (Methuen, MA),
190 - Paul Gaffney (Manchester, NH) def. Crowsneck Boutin (Lube, ME), TKO round 1