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She found me one fall day when I was walking my other two dogs around the block. Reluctantly, I brought her home thinking I'd figure out who she belonged to after the rush hour traffic died down.
She never left.
When she first joined us she showed obvious signs of neglect. Her belly was covered in fleas, she had extra toes on her rear legs and the nails had become in-grown. Mainly, though, she was desperate for affection. We chose her name –- Violet -- based on the color of the collar she was wearing when I found her. She was a mutt -- part shepherd we think -- that our vet use to gleefully describe as a typical American dog. Her tongue lolled out the corner of her mouth when she was happy and her tail possessed such joy and power that she could sweep coffee cups and picture frames off of tables. She was the only one of my dogs who could be trusted off lead and also, strangely, the only dog who'd never been to obedience school. It's not that she had manners; she just desperately wanted to be with you.
She was a bad dog, with an appetite for paper that didn't distinguish between manuscripts and money. She hated thunderstorms and destroyed my front door in a fury of rain-induced anxiety. In motion, she looked like a zeppelin, her large posterior threatening to reach the bottom of the steps before her front did. She anxiously awaited that moment each morning when your eyes first opened. Then, before you could recognize that she was friend not foe, she pounced on you, her 65+ pound body pinning you to the bed and leaving you no choice but to laugh at her efforts to greet you with good morning kisses. Cat-like, she batted at you with her paws, ultimately holding your arm in place so that she could drench it with her tongue.
As many women do, she grew regrettably pear-shaped over time. She loved nothing more than to have her belly rubbed, a substantial effort given its size. In a house full of male dogs, she was the queen, putting both boys swiftly in their place if they tried to do anything that wasn't to her liking. If they were already seated where her royal highness wished to be, she merely climbed on top of them until they cried uncle and squeezed out from beneath her bulk. She loved to lick their ears and often battled them for the right to do so. If we were threatened by a loose dog while walking, she was the only pup who rose to the occasion to defend me, warning the infiltrator in a voice reminescent of women on "Jerry Springer," exclaiming, "you don't know me."
She dug up my plants and enjoyed burying rawhide until the rain rendered it soft and disgusting. She would haul this canine-kimchi through the house until you insisted she relinquish it to the garbage, which she always did willingly. When I wrote, she was at my side, oftentimes attempting to lay on my keyboard in an effort to comment on the futility of my prose.
When I was sad, she was the first one at my side. As I suffered the pains of three miscarriages in two years, she pressed her body against my belly, simultaneously soothing my physical pain and assuring me that the terrible emptiness would pass.
We didn't expect her to get sick. We didn't expect to have only seven years of her affection and haranguing.
Goodbye baby girl. I miss you. Every day.


text:
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A Chevron Corp. executive says the oil giant is facing risks in its joint venture with Argentina's state-controlled oil company YPF, but considers that worth it for the chance to exploit a huge shale deposit in Patagonia.
Chevron's chief for Latin America and Africa, Ali Moshiri, made the comment at a news conference Thursday, a day after provincial legislators approved the joint venture for exploration in Argentina's Vaca Muerta field.
The deal will take effect Friday, and the first phase calls for Chevron to invest $1.24 billion for drilling about 100 wells in the field in Argentina's Neuquen province.
Opposition politicians, environmental groups and others have voiced strong criticism of the deal. Complaints focus mainly on potential environmental problems and the government's refusal to release all of the contract's provisions.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Cobertura de Prensa
June 2018
Digital Engineering
Siemens Announces Solid Edge 2019
Siemens has announced the latest release of Solid Edge software for mechanical and electrical design, simulation, manufacturing, technical documentation, and data management.
June 2018
Solid Edge 2019 has Arrived
Siemens recently unveiled the newest member in its longstanding 'Solid Edge' family of CAD products.
June 2018
What's New for Solid Edge and NX
At the annual PLM Connection user conference, Siemens PLM Software developers introduced Solid Edge 2019 and upcoming continuous-release delivery of NX, as well as a new partnership with HP to enable design for full-color 3D printing.
June 2018
What's New in Solid Edge 2019
Siemens PLM has released details of its Solid Edge 2019 CAD package.
June 2018
Review: Siemens Solid Edge 2019
With a wealth of new technology at its disposal after key acquisitions by Siemens PLM, Al Dean takes a look at the latest release of Solid Edge and finds a system that's growing exponentially in its workflow and task coverage.
May 2018
Digital Engineering
Frontloading CFD is a Win for Business
March 2017
Busy Bean
Continuous digitalisation at Swiss coffee machine manufacturer Thermoplan helps engineer the perfect cup of coffee.
February 2017
Eureka! Magazine
Time to Engineer Fusion Energy
There are grey areas between science and engineering. Such a case is fusion energy, and one British company has a clear development path for turning decades of science into a reality.
May 2016
Desktop Engineering
New Cloud Capabilities Revealed in Siemens PLM Software's Solid Edge ST9
Announced at Siemens PLM Connection in Orlando, it will provide flexible access Solid Edge with cloud-based licensing, user preferences and collaboration tools. In addition, the company says the new built-in data management capabilities will enable users to easily index their CAD models, while the new migration tools will enable rapid conversion of legacy design data from virtually any CAD system.
March 2016
Desktop Engineering
The Growing Demand For On-Demand CAD Licensing
When people are leasing a car, they tend to get a model that's much nicer than what they can afford to buy," says Cristiano Sacchi, co-founder of the online design software reseller Novedge. He suspects the same might be true of people renting software. "People might get a more sophisticated software package when the barrier of entry for cost is much lower."
February 2016
Robot Man: Fresh Thinking for Industrial Machines
The path from a child's toy to industrial robots that can operate in some of the world's most dangerous environments is an unusual, but remarkable interesting.
January 2016
How an Artist Approached CAD-Phillip Norman and Ross Robotics
Norman had spent the last decade of his life building a modular robotic system that is being touted as a breakthrough by engineers, roboticists and some of the world's most clever scientists.
December 2015
Design News
Design Apps to Speed the Design Process
Here are a number of apps that streamline the design process with the goal of getting the products to end-users as quickly as possible.
Desktop Engineering
Robot Design Goes from Toy to Large Hadron Collider
Philip Ross, CEO of Ross Robotics, gave an inspiring keynote at Siemens PLM Software's Solid Edge University (SEU) in Cincinnati, OH, this year.
Q&A with Dan Staples, Vice-President of Solid Edge Development
In an interview with Cadalyst, the executive discusses the state of Solid Edge ST, its position in the MCAD market, Solid Edge on the cloud, and more.
Desktop Engineering
Pay As You Go Software
Almost all browser-based, cloud-hosted software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings are sold as subscription software … but not all subscription softwares are browser-based, cloud-hosted SaaS titles.
November 2015
Siemens Solid Edge and the Six Big Trends in CAD
If you are evaluating a CAD system, the future direction of that platform may be as important as the features it has today. With that in mind here are six major trends that we see for CAD along with commentary on how you can expect the Solid Edge CAD platform to address them.
What Synchronous Technology is - And Why You Can't Ignore It
IUsers will appreciate using Solid Edge primarily because of the design freedom that ST provides. You can design without the CAD program getting in the way. It's really that good.
Where Solid Edge is Heading
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Solid Edge.
Solid Edge University 2015: Annual User Event Highlights Solid Edge ST8, Sneak Peak at ST9 and Introduces Msoft Surface Pro4
John Miller, senior vice-president and general manager, mainstream engineering at Siemens PLM, kicked off Day 1 by welcoming attendees, touting the company-supported Greenpower Education Trust, an academic program that promotes sustainable design and engineering to young students, and introducing the next speaker, who left most of us speechless.
June 2015
Nasa Tech Briefs
Femap Software Helps NASA Simulate Performance of James Webb Telescope
Because there will be only one opportunity for the JWST to succeed, every part and assembly of every system needs to be thoroughly tested on Earth to ensure that all instruments will function flawlessly under expected conditions.
The Strange Phenomena of Solar Flight
Engineering is often seen more widely as safe, calculated and sanitized, and it is all too easy to forget about those inspiring engineering success stories from yesteryear. The Solar Impulse story is sure to capture your imagination.
Desktop Engineering
Diversity in Medical Simulation Applications
Good dental health, the best possible vision, accurate laboratory tests and more owe much to products developed through simulation software.
Develop 3D
Solid Edge ST8 and Synchronous Technology
The simple truth is that for well over a decade (if not two) Solid Edge has been one of the most consistently impressive tools available on the market.
February 2015
Desktop Engineering
Centralizing CAD and PLM Workflows
Ocap SpA uses Teamcenter to help streamline data from across the globe.
December 2014
Medical Design Technology
CAD Solution Enables Faster Redesign of Advanced Brain Surgery Technology
Solid Edge helps team produce Alpha Omega's next-generation microelectrode recording (MER) system used in neurosurgery.
September 2014
Design Product News
Internet of Things Redefining and Refining How Designers Use Data
At the Siemens PLM Software 2014 Analyst Event in Boston, senior VP Mainstream Engineering Karsten Newbury spoke with DPN about how the "Internet of Things" is part of a natural evolution in manufacturing.
Desktop Engineering
3D Printing the Car of the Future
When attendees arrived at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago last month, the Local Motors 3D printing demo was a must-see exhibit.
June 2014
A&D India
Reimagining What's Possible in 3D Design
Siemens PLM Software hosted Solid Edge University 2014 (SEU2014) on May 12-14, 2014 at Atlanta, USA, to provide a unique opportunity to its users to enhance their productivity, and have a firsthand look at Solid Edge ST7.
Review: Solid Edge ST7
Solid Edge is one of the most mature 3D design and engineering systems available. Al Dean takes a look at some of the highlights in Solid Edge ST7 and finds that there's still room for innovation with Synchronous Technology and elsewhere.
Siemens Introduces Solid Edge ST7
The latest release of Siemens' Solid Edge software (Solid Edge ST7) will include new functionality that significantly accelerates the product design process.
Solid Edge ST7 Release – First Look
At Solid Edge University 2014 Dan Staples and his team outlined the main features coming with the new release, dubbed ST7.
Siemens Introduces Solid Edge ST7
Amid the palpable excitement of its most ardent users, Siemens introduced the latest release of its flagship software, Solid Edge ST7 at this year's Solid Edge University in Atlanta, Georgia.
CAD Insider
Solid Edge Looking Like a Big CAD Company in Atlanta
Solid Edge University packs the room. Solid Edge is looking every bit like a big CAD company.
Siemens PLM Community
Dan Staples Woos the Crowd with Solid Edge ST7
Solid Edge ST7 received loads of applause and shouts during the session announcing the latest release this week at Solid Edge University (SEU) in Atlanta.
Desktop Engineering
GrabCAD Selects Siemens' Parasolid for Cloud-based PDM
GrabCAD has licensed Siemens' Parasolid to provide 3D model interrogation, inspection and visualization within Workbench for cloud-based product data management (PDM). The official announcement was made at Solid Edge University today.
Solid Edge University 2014: Doing More by Doing Less
Siemens PLM Software unveils Solid Edge ST7, which pushes productivity by simplifying design reuse and executing many 3D modeling tasks more quickly than its predecessor.
February 2014
3D CAD World
Will CAD Subscriptions Shatter Cost Barriers to Entry
New monthly subscription plans make high-end CAD tools accessible to companies with low-end budgets. Article also available on Design World.
October 2013
Canadian Manufacturing/Design Engineering
Ordered vs. Synchronous Modeling in Solid Edge – Part 1
For those debating between the control of history-based modeling and the freedom of synchronous modeling in Solid Edge, the good news is you can leverage the advantages of both.
September 2013
Baltimore Sun
University of Maryland Receives $750 Million in Software
The University of Maryland, College Park receives a software grant valued at $750 million from a division of Siemens Corp. – the largest donation of its kind for both the electrical engineering giant and the state's flagship university. The software – used for product design, manufacturing and management – has already helped NASA develop the Mars rover "Curiosity" and helped the Callaway Golf Co. improve its clubs.
Washington Business Journal
UMD Gets $750M Siemens Software Grant
"As product complexity continues to grow, students with PLM software experience are expected to be highly recruited," said PLM software chief executive Chuck Grindstaff.
August 2013
Siemens Offers Monthly Subscription Option for Solid Edge
With more than 500,000 licensed seats in use, Solid Edge is gaining on the top two in mainstream 3D CAD.
July 2013
Popular Mechanics
Revving the Creativity Engine: Software Makes It All Happen
Increasingly, manufacturing begins not in a factory, but in a computer. Whether it's a completely new sports car designed by thousands of enthusiasts in a "co-creation" environment or the organisation of the millions of lines of code behind most innovations in production-line cars, software is where the action is.
June 2013
Solid Edge University 2013
Part 1: Solid Edge ST6 Adds 1,300 User-Requested Features
Announced this week at the annual user conference, the "greatest version ever" is said to increase performance sixfold on some tasks
Solid Edge ST6 Revealed
Siemens PLM also introduces SharePoint version, mobile viewer.
Desktop Engineering
Solid Edge Comes Out Swinging at Annual User's Conference
Solid Edge ST6 release focuses on attracting new users by improving productivity and collaboration.
January 2013
CAD Digest
Understanding Solid Edge ST5: A five-part series
Part 1: Installing Solid Edge
Part 2: Editing Engineering and Production Models with Solid Edge
Part 3: Working with 2D Files and Drawings in Solid Edge ST5
Part 4: Working with Data Imported into Solid Edge ST5
Part 5: Getting and Edge Over SolidWorks
Switch to Direct Modeling Speeds Furniture Maker's CAD Workflow
Kimball International moves to Solid Edge with synchronous technology and gains shorter design times and simplified reuse of legacy data.
Desktop Engineering
Meshing Your Design for Analysis: Which Path to Take?
Automation makes the job easier, but flexible options still rule. Whether generating ballpark figures or finely detailing nonlinear responses, engineers are increasingly using simulation software to analyze mechanical design behavior. A necessary part of the process requires subdividing the design into a mesh of 2D or 3D elements defined by nodes and closely following the geometry. This task can be tackled in one of three ways.
December 2012
Desktop Engineering
Siemens PLM Software Walks the Walk with Openness Promise
For those who think Siemens PLM Software's talk about openness is just talk, it pays to consider its latest announcements, that while seemingly unrelated, seem to go a long way in underscoring its commitment to the much discussed strategy.
October 2012
Fast Company
How Two College Students Created a Prosthetic Arm for an Eight Year-Old
Daniel Wilson wanted a prosthetic to let him ride a bike and swing a bat (and he wanted it to be red), so two engineering students found an ingenious way to make one for him.
September 2012
Design News
Siemens Technology Stack Takes the Sting Out of PLM
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) has always been a tough pill for enterprises to swallow, even for the largest companies in sectors like automotive and Aerospace & Defense (A&D), which have been among the earliest adopters of the technology. While historically, there's been no shortage of user interface enhancements and packaged templates and workflow customizations to ease deployment and improve accessibility, companies have continued to struggle to squeeze value out of PLM beyond its core roots as a souped-up repository for managing engineering data and change orders.
Design Engineering
Siemens NX 8.5 Reduces Time to Market
Siemens PLM Software has released NX 8.5, which includes extensive customer-driven enhancements and new capabilities that provide increased flexibility and productivity across product engineering and manufacturing to help reduce time to market, the company says.
The Engineer
Design Software Helps to Land Curiosity on Mars
Early last month, after an epic 8½ month voyage through the inner Solar System, NASA's Curiosity rover touched down on the surface of Mars. Described by the space agency's leadership as the most challenging robotic mission in its history, Curiosity's journey to the red planet was a dramatic illustration of one of the great truisms of space travel: the success or failure of years of engineering effort frequently boils down to a breathless few minutes as the landing site comes into view.
CAD Insider
Siemens PLM - We're Just One Big Happy Family
In the race to be everything to everyone, Siemens PLM may be winning. The company known best for NX and Teamcenter was riding high on the shoulders of Siemens AG, the German juggernaut that seems to make just about everything. Maybe not cars or airplanes, but so much of what goes inside them.
Control Engineering
Siemens PLM Software Introduces RobotExpert Software
RobotExpert expands Siemens PLM Software's digital manufacturing solutions which include its Tecnomatix portfolio for digital manufacturing, automation and simulation. It enables the design, simulation, optimization and offline programming of robotic applications to maximize the speed, flexibility and operation of automated systems.
June 2012
Wind Systems Magazine
Automating Wind Blade Development From Root to Tip
By adopting and executing a product development process that integrates design with performance simulation to find problems before they occur, engineers can avoid blade failure in their designs.
March 2012
Manufacturing Automation
Simulation, Creation and Automation: A New Production Plant is Fully Optimized Before Construction
For the Siemens AG Energy Sector, a supplier of products, solutions and services for power generation, transmission and distribution, as well as for the production, conversion and transport of oil and gas, Plant Simulation software allowed them to lower costs and eliminate bottlenecks - all before construction of a new manufacturing plant began.
Machine Design
Synchronous Technology Sheds Light on Surgical Laser Design
This article describes how Energist Group in Nyack, N. Y., recently moved from several different CAD packages to standardize on one. The intent was to improve the design and manufacture of its surgical lasers and light-based devices for hair-removal and skin treatments.
February 2012
Composites for Complex Curvatures
Composites have long been used in aerospace but now a number of other industries - notably commercial automotive – are following. However, while both industries are becoming increasingly dependent on composites, these high tech materials are used very differently within aerospace and automotive. Cross fertilization of ideas does occur, but the two industries operate under very different criteria as discussed in this article.
Desktop Engineering
On a Mission to Mars
This article discusses how engineers designed and tested the latest Mars rover.
automotiveIT International
Siemens PLM: "Unreserved Support" for PLM Openness Codex
In this interview Siemens PLM Software CEO Chuck Grindstaff discusses his belief in open systems as well as upcoming new products, the changes in automakers' PLM needs and the impact of new mobile technologies.
Software Enables Submarine Shipyard's Composites-for-Metal Effort
When Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH looked for a software solution to reduce the risk of using composites for a greater range of thicker parts, FiberSIM software from VISTAGY enabled its engineers to develop initial designs more quickly and to better understand the impact of design changes.
Composites in Manufacturing
Synchronizing Development
This article demonstrates how Vistagy specialized engineering software can close the loop between design and analysis in aerospace applications and reap the benefits of composite materials.
January 2012
One Size Does Not Fit All When It Comes to Composites
This article discusses the need for industry-specific solutions that has led suppliers of composites engineering software to evolve their products, addressing emerging challenges with expanding capabilities to model the diverse set of materials and processes that are being employed and developed by the automotive industry today.
November 2011
Aerospace Engineering Online
Streamlining the Airframe Fastener Management Process
This article discusses how the Fastener Pattern capability in SyncroFIT 2011 incorporates design rules to position fasteners to satisfy edge distance, pitch, and tangent edge requirements while enabling a concurrent approach to part and assembly development.


text:
'Major tip' sparks new search for clues in grisly Ashland murder
ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) Police divers have searched a murky farm pond in Southern Oregon after investigators got what they described as a major tip in the year-old slaying of a grocery clerk who was nearly decapitated walking home on a popular bike path.
Ashland police Chief Terry Holderness said Thursday the divers were using metal detectors to probe the bottom of the one-acre pond on a rural property on the outskirts of the neighboring town of Talent.
"We're not at the end of this," he said of the investigation.
Over the past year, police have interviewed nearly 2,000 people and sent several swords, machetes and knives to the state police crime lab for analysis without finding the weapon used to kill 23-year-old David Grubbs.
Holderness said that despite the recent tip and renewed searches, authorities do not have a solid suspect.
About 50 people, including police from neighboring cities and counties, joined in the searches that started Wednesday.
While six divers probed the irrigation pond, others using dogs and metal detectors poked through fields, blackberry patches, old barns and sheds, junk piles and a home on the 18-acre Talent property. An FBI serial killer specialist was on hand, Holderness said.
"Just because we are doing search warrants doesn't mean the people who own the houses are involved in the case," Holderness said. "It just means there might be some evidence in the case at those properties."
Holderness said they got the tip about a month ago, and in that time developed enough information to ask a judge for three search warrants. Police have previously executed six other warrants in the case without making an arrest.
In Ashland, half a dozen officers seized a vehicle and searched an apartment a few blocks from where Grubbs was killed. It's part of the family student housing complex for Southern Oregon University.
Leonard Parrish, the owner with his wife of the Talent property, told the Ashland Daily Tidings he had no idea what was going on with the search.
The newspaper also reported that a vehicle registered to a woman living at the Ashland apartment was at one time registered at the Talent address.
Grubbs grew up in Ashland. He played in his high school orchestra and worked at a local grocery store. He had been walking home on a bike path past a park and an elementary school at dusk on Nov. 19, 2011, when he was killed, authorities say. Two passersby found him lying on the ground with horrible wounds to his head and neck.
Police have said no one witnessed the attack, and have spent the past year largely in frustration.
If the tip leads to an arrest, it would qualify for the reward, which has grown to $21,000 with contributions from the city and individuals, Holderness said.
Information from: The Ashland Daily Tidings, http://www.dailytidings.com
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.


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If this is your first time on BYC, we suggest you start with one of these three options:
Not a member yet? join BYC here & then introduce yourself in our community forum here.
wtb cheap chickens
Discussion in 'Buy Sell Auction - Archives' started by 11langenkamp_w, Aug 28, 2008.
Page 1 of 2
Page 1 of 2


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Hopper and Melandri still seem to be in MotoGP pergatory, which only gives people more time to speculate on what might become of the two riders. The prevailing rumor right now is that Hopper could end up with a World Superbike ride with Stiggy Honda Motorsports, along-side rider Leon Haslam. This move would mean that Hopkins would replace Roberto Rolfo, who has had problems with a dislocated shoulder.
This appears to be news to Rolfo who recently posted to his site about his recovery and plans for the season without any apparent concern about being replaced by the American.
Hello boys!
In these days I am receiving a lot of mail regard to my injury, I want in the first place say you "thanks" for your support! During the tests of Portimao I completed only a few laps, the lesion was still too much fresh; I knew that it would not have been immediately easy, but it has been however important for me to enter in track, to better know the bike and the new team! I'm happy because the upgrades them is very high!
The days before the next tests in Australia are enough for being able to recover the form with a lot of motivation and training! I am not losing not even a minute of time, therapy, race, bicycle, swim, always with much music: thanks special also to Diabo for the songs of the "El Canto del Loco"! I will take advantage of every day at best, in order to arrive to the top in Australia for the next tests!
By by… and always… Gasss!
With the pace that the news has been going about these two, it is really only a matter of time before the Hopkins/Melandri Moto2 rumors start surging; but until then, WSBK might seem like a nice fit for Hopper.


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Mike Tyson lands Scary Movie 5 role
Mike Tyson is to star in 'Scary Movie 5'.
The 46-year-old former boxer has landed a cameo role in the forthcoming horror spoof movie - which stars Charlie Sheen, Ashley Tisdale and Lindsay Lohan - along with 'The Hills' beauty Audrina Patridge and former Playboy bunny Kendra Wilkinson.
According to Blackfilm.com, Tyson has already started filming the motion picture in Atlanta, Georgia, with co-star Heather Locklear.
The news comes after Ashley took to her twitter account on Thursday (27.09.12) to reveal there were ''lots of cameos'' being filmed for 'Scary Movie 5'.
She wrote: ''Lots of cameos shooting today on #scarymovie5. Super excited!!!!#thisjobisawesome (sic)''
Details of Tyson, Kendra and Audrina's roles in the movie - which is helmed by Malcolm Lee - are being kept under wraps. But the plot is thought to involve three dancers who are best friends and go up against each other for a role in a new production which is being created by an oversexed and snooty director called Pierre.
Tyson has recently played himself in cameo appearances in 'The Hangover' in 2009 and later in its sequel 'The Hangover II' in 2011.
Audrina has starred in a number of movies including 2009's slasher film 'Sorority Row' alongside Rumer Willis.


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I was planning on making this long and involved but I thought "Let the usernames speak for themselves"
Before I go on, let me just say this is not a popularity contest, simply a thread about a few members that shook things up a bit THIS year. Not of all time.
So I simply ask: What Jub member stood out this year? Who sparked the most backlash? Who inspired the most copy cats? Who shitted? Who was shitted on? Who caused the most meltdowns?
Choose wisely


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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court wrestled Monday with the First Amendment implications of a policy that forces private health organizations to denounce prostitution as a condition to get AIDS funding.
The court appeared divided, and not along ideological lines, in an argument over whether the anti-prostitution pledge violates the health groups' constitutional rights.
Four organizations that work in Africa, Asia and South America are challenging the 2003 law. They say their work has nothing to do with prostitution.
The Obama administration says it is reasonable for the government to give money only to groups that oppose prostitution and sex trafficking because they contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS.
A federal appeals court In New York struck down the pledge as an unacceptable intrusion on the groups' right to speak freely. Another appeals court, in Washington, upheld the provision against a similar challenge.
Among the justices most receptive to the groups was Samuel Alito who questioned whether the government could force a group to express agreement with a policy it opposes just to get money.
"It seems to me like quite a dangerous proposition," Alito, a conservative, said. Liberal Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor also aggressively challenged Justice Department lawyer Sri Srinivasan in his defense of the law.
By contrast, when David Bowker, the groups' lawyer, said Congress is courting trouble when it decides whether to give money to an organization based on its viewpoint, Justice Antonin Scalia chimed in.
"They can't fund the Boy Scouts of America because they like the programs that the BSA has? They have to treat them equivalently with the Muslim Brotherhood? Is that really what you're suggesting?" Scalia said.
Two groups — Alliance for Open Society International Inc., which runs a program in Central Asia to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS by reducing drug use, and Pathfinder International, which provides family planning and reproductive health services in more than 20 countries — went to the courts after they adopted policy statements opposing prostitution in order to keep their eligibility for funding intact. Pathfinder did so even though it wishes to remain neutral on the issue or prostitution, the appeals court said.
The other two groups are Global Health Council and Interaction.
The groups pointed out in court papers that the World Health Organization and other international organizations receive U.S funds to fight AIDS and do not have to comply with the anti-prostitution pledge. Indeed, some of the international agencies support lesser penalties for prostitution as part of their AIDS-fighting strategy.
Sotomayor and Ginsburg both raised the issue to question the importance of the anti-prostitution pledge. "I would have less problem accepting your message if there weren't four major organizations who were exempted from the policy requirement," Sotomayor said.
Justice Elena Kagan is not taking part in the case, presumably because she worked on it while serving in the Justice Department. A decision is expected by late June.
The case is United States Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society International, 12-10.
In other action Monday, the court said it will hear an appeal from automaker Daimler AG that seeks to shut down a U.S. lawsuit over allegations that its unit in Argentina played a role in that country's 'dirty war" in the 1970s. The decision to hear a case involving alleged human rights abuses abroad follows last week's decision in which the justices cut back on the use of a 1789 law, the Alien Tort Statute, by victims of atrocities.
The new case tests whether the company has sufficient ties to California to allow a lawsuit to be filed there — an important issue for both state and federal lawsuits against international companies that do business in the United States.
As a consequence of last week's decision, the justices also ordered the federal appeals court in San Francisco to reconsider its ruling that allowed London-based mining company Rio Tinto LLC to be sued in the United States on allegations it aided the government of Papua New Guinea in genocide and war crimes.
The justices also rejected these appeals:
— The government's plea for the high court to step into a dispute over judges' pay. Instead, the court left in place a lower court ruling that said judges were entitled to cost-of-living increases promised to them by Congress but never paid.
— The tobacco industry's challenge to a 2009 law that gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to restrict how they can market their products.
— A challenge to a 89-year prison term given to an Ohio man for a rape he committed when he was 16. Chaz Bunch said the sentence violates the court's 2010 ruling that prohibits prison terms with no realistic opportunity for release for people who were under 18 and did not kill anyone.


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Audit (A-04-11-07025)
Medicare Compliance Review of Palmetto General Hospital for Calendar Years 2009 and 2010
Executive Summary
Palmetto General Hospital generally complied with Medicare billing requirements for selected inpatient and outpatient claims. Of 188 sampled claims, 14 inpatient and 1 outpatient claims had billing errors, resulting in overpayments totaling $125,000 for calendar years 2009 and 2010.
Complete Report
Download the complete report
Adobe® Acrobat® is required to read PDF files.
I'm Looking For
Let's start by choosing a topic
XExclusions Database Report Fraud
Priority recommendations summarized.
Work Plan
OIG planned projects.
Semiannual Report
Significant OIG activities in 6-month increments.


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Old-time farmers usually have plenty of planting advice, such as "When the daffodils bloom, it's time to plant peas," or "Plant corn when oak leaves are the size of a squirrel's ear." Experience has taught them that seasonal changes correlate with animal behavior and plant growth. This kind of folklore is based on phenology: the relationship between the annual cycles of plants and animals and how they respond to seasonal changes in the environment.
Phenology has been used for ages in gardening and agriculture to determine when to plant, when pest insects will become a problem, and when plants will bloom. It turns out there is scientific basis for these observations. Modern plant scientists have found that phenology corresponds to a measurement called growing degree days. Growing degree days are calculated by adding the average daily temperature to, or subtracting it from, 50°F. This information provides a way to estimate the timing of certain events, such as when controls for pest insects need to be used to maximize their benefit.
If you want to have some fun exploring the phenology of your region or elsewhere, visit the phenology Web site compiled by a Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) - a USDA-sponsored project. You'll find links to sites that chart insect emergence, the bloom times of wildflowers in various regions, the timing of bird and butterfly sighting patterns throughout the country, and much more. The Web site is located at http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/phenology.html
By the way, if you see caterpillars later than usual this fall, you can expect a mild winter.


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The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of AgWeb or Farm Journal Media. The opinions expressed below are the author's own.
Our family farming history began with my great-great-... (nine generations ago) grandfather Johannes. He, his wife and three children left Saxony, Germany, on April 20, 1734, aboard the ship St. Andrew, mastered by Capt. John Stedman. They landed at Philadelphia on Sept. 22 and eventually settled our family's first "New World" farm near Society Run in Frederick Township, Montgomery County, Pa., in 1743. Pig farming was our family's specialty until the mid 1950s. A lot has changed since then. Our BQA cow–calf operation includes 100% grass-fed registered Red Angus, Hereford and purebred Beefalo; 30 to 35 pastured Duroc and Spot pigs; 100 Freedom Ranger broilers; and 90 Golden Comet and Buff Orpington layers. We organically maintain 80 acres, comprising 15 acres in rotational pastures, 15 acres in tillable cropland, and alfalfa/mixed grass hay on the balance. We have never used chemical pesticides or herbicides on our pastures or hay fields. We are not a "certified" organic farming operation, but we prefer the natural/organic approach to help promote sustainability.
Prescribed Grazing Management - Part 1
The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides assistance to ranchers and farmers who wish to apply grazing management to their operation. The primary conservation practice used is prescribed grazing. Prescribed grazing is the vegetation management practice that is applied to all land where grazing is a planned use. The grazing may be from domestic livestock, semi-domestic animals (buffalo and reindeer) or wildlife. This practice has been developed to incorporate all the methods and concepts of grazing management.
Prescribed grazing is…
the controlled harvest of vegetation with grazing or browsing animals,
managed with the intent to achieve a specified objective.
The objectives developed with the rancher/farmer during the planning process determine the level of planning and detail necessary for the application of prescribed grazing. The minimum level of planning for the prescribed grazing practice includes enough inventory information for the landowner to know the proper amount of harvest to maintain enough cover to protect the soil and maintain or improve the quality and quantity of desired vegetation. The available forage and the number of grazing and browsing animals must be in balance for effective management of grazing lands. This is done by developing a feed, forage, livestock balance sheet. This part of the inventory identifies the available forage from the land and the demand for forage by the livestock and wildlife. It identifies where and when shortages or surpluses in forage exist.
Grazing is one of the major forces in defining which plant species will dominate a site. Different grazing pressures by different grazing and browsing animals favor different plant species. If the grazing is severe, undesirable plants are generally favored. Grazing management can be planned and applied that favors a particular plant community or species. This can be done to meet the objectives of the landowner and the needs of the resource.
Grazing management has been successfully planned and applied that has favored the re-establishment and increase in woody plants along riparian areas while still providing quality forage for the grazing animal. Where plants have died possibly due to overgrazing, recovery depends upon establishment of new plants. Although plants of the original community are invigorated by the reduction of grazing pressure and may suppress the successor species, the seedlings of the original species can become established in competition with the undesirable species only under favorable conditions.
Rate of plant regrowth following grazing is dependent on the amount of leaf area remaining for photosynthesis and the availability of active axillary buds to initiate new tillers.
Every management unit has certain characteristics that influence the distribution of grazing. Among these characteristics are soil, topography, size of pasture or feedlot, location of water, fences, riparian areas like tree and shrubbery plantings available through NRCS/FSA grant Programs like CREP, natural barriers such as strips of grass a minimum of 30' wide that animals are not granted access to, and the kinds and distribution of plants. In addition, weather conditions, insects, location of salt and minerals, type of grazing management being applied (frequency and severity of grazing such as "MOB" grazing) and habits of the grazing animals affect the pattern of grazing use.
For these reasons it is impractical to prescribe grazing use for every part of a large grazing unit, rotational paddock or feedlot or to prescribe identical use for all enclosures of a farm or ranch. Determining the key grazing area(s) in each enclosure and planning the grazing to meet the needs of the plants in the key area is more practical. If the key grazing area of a unit is properly grazed, the unit as a whole will not be excessively used. The key grazing area in a management unit is a relatively small area within the grazing unit. This key area is used to represent the grazing unit as a whole. Most plant communities in a grazing unit consist of several plant species in varying amounts.
Even though the entire plant community is of concern to management, to attempt to attain the desired use of every species would be impractical. It is more practical to identify a single species (or in some situations two or three) as a key species to serve as a guide to the use of the entire plant community. If the key species within the key grazing area is properly grazed, the entire plant community will not be excessively used.
Characteristics of a key grazing area:
• Provides a significant amount, but not necessarily the greatest amount, of the available forage in the grazing unit.
• Is easily grazed because of even topography, accessible water and other favorable factors influencing grazing distribution. Small areas of natural concentration, such as those immediately adjacent to water, salt or shade, are not key grazing areas, nor are areas remote from water or of limited accessibility. However, riparian areas are of special concern when establishing key grazing areas. Riparian areas are of generally small extent in relation to the surrounding landscape. These areas represent a significant resource in terms of forage production, buffering surface water flows, controlling accelerated erosion and sedimentation, capturing and transforming subsurface pollutants, and providing essential wildlife habitat and local biodiversity.
• Areas of special concern can also be designated as key areas. Areas of special concern could include habitat for threatened or endangered species, cultural or archeological resources, water quality impaired waterbodies and critically eroding areas.
• Usually limited to one per grazing enclosure. More than one key grazing area may be needed for an unusually large enclosure, enclosures with riparian areas, enclosures that have very rough topography or widely spaced water where animals tend to locate, when different kinds of animals graze the enclosure, or when the enclosure is grazed at different seasons. The entire acreage of small enclosures can be considered the key grazing area.
Key grazing areas should be:
• Selected only after careful evaluation of the current pattern of grazing use in the enclosure.
• Selected to meet the objectives and needs of the resources, livestock and landowner. Objectives and needs must meet the FOTG quality criteria.
• Changed when the pattern of grazing use is significantly modified because of changes in season of use, kinds or classes of grazing animals, enclosure size, water supplies or other factors that affect grazing distribution.
Degree of grazing use as related to stocking rates
Because of fluctuations in forage production or loss of forage other than by grazing use, arbitrarily assigning a stocking rate at the beginning of a grazing period does not ensure attainment of a specific degree of use. If the specified degree of use is to be attained and trend satisfactorily maintained, stocking rates must be adjusted as the amount of available forage fluctuates. When determining initial stocking rates, grazing distribution characteristics of the individual grazing unit must be considered.
Many methods are used to determine the initial stocking rate within a grazing unit. Often the past stocking history and the trend of the plant community are the best indicators of a proper stocking rate. The Multi Species Stocking Calculator in the Grazing Lands Application (GLA) software is one method for determining stocking rates, especially when the area is grazed or browsed by more than one kind of animal.
Prescribed grazing schedule
A prescribed grazing schedule is a system in which two or more grazing units are alternately deferred or rested and grazed in a planned sequence over a period of years. The period of nongrazing can be throughout the year or during the growing season of the key plants. Generally, deferment implies a nongrazing period less than a calendar year, while rest implies nongrazing for a full year or longer. The period of deferment is set for a critical period for plant germination, establishment, growth or other function.
Grazing management is a tool to balance the capture of energy by the plants, the harvest of that energy by animals and the conversion of that energy into a product that is marketable.
This is done primarily by balancing the supply of forage with the demand for that forage.
Such systems help to:
• Maintain or accelerate improvement in vegetation and facilitate proper use of the forage on all grazing units.
• Improve efficiency of grazing through uniform use of all grazing units.
• Stabilize the supply of forage throughout the grazing season.
• Enhance forage quality to meet livestock and wildlife needs.
• Improve the functioning of the ecological processes.
• Improve watershed protection.
• Enhance wildlife habitat.
Many grazing systems are used in various places. Prescribed grazing is designed to fit the individual operating unit and to meet the operator's objectives and the practice specifications. The basic types of grazing management systems follow. Many others can be developed to fit specific objectives on specific lands.
• Deferred rotation
• Rest rotation
• High intensity—low frequency
• Short duration
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LONDON (Reuters) - Emmanuel Adebayor scored twice in four minutes as Tottenham Hotspur overturned a two-goal aggregate deficit to beat 10-man Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 3-2 over two legs on Thursday to reach the last 16 of the Europa League.
It was a painful return to London for Tottenham's former coach Juande Ramos whose side took the lead on the night through Roman Zozulya.
Forward Zozulya was then sent off in the 62nd minute, six minutes after Christian Eriksen had levelled, and Adebayor grabbed his quickfire double to give twice UEFA Cup winners Spurs a 3-1 second-leg victory.
Nabil Ghilas, of twice former champions Porto, netted in the 86th minute to secure a 3-3 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt, the Portuguese side going through on away goals after the tie ended 5-5 on aggregate.
Napoli, with coach Rafa Benitez attempting to win back-to-back Europa Leagues after picking up the trophy with Chelsea last season, and Ludogorets also came out on top in thrilling second-leg matches.
The Serie A team scored two late goals to beat Swansea City 3-1 on the night and on aggregate while Bulgarians Ludogorets ousted Lazio after an 88th-minute goal from Juninho Quixada gave them a 3-3 home draw and a 4-3 win overall.
Ramos looked on course for revenge over the club that sacked him five years ago when his Dnipro team took the lead on the night through Zozulya who headed in unmarked early in the second half.
Joy soon turned to despair for the Spanish coach, who led Tottenham to their last trophy when they won the English League Cup in 2008, as Eriksen scored with a free kick and Zozulya saw red for appearing to head-butt defender Jan Vertonghen.
Tottenham were then firmly in command and Adebayor converted an Eriksen cross from close range on 65 minutes before grabbing his second after collecting a long-ball and finishing with a clever flick.
The Togo striker now has 11 goals from his last 15 games, making it harder to see why he was left out earlier in the season under former manager Andre-Villas Boas before being brought back into the fold by new boss Tim Sherwood.
"I'm very glad to be back scoring goals and happy with my team," Adebayor told ITV Sport.
"I have to keep focused and keep going. I want to say thank you to the new manager who came in and gave me my stage to perform."
Porto looked to be heading out when they trailed 2-0 in Frankfurt, Stefan Aigner prodding the German side ahead from close range and Alexander Meier converting a cross to double the lead.
Two second-half headers from defender Eliaquim Mangala made it 2-2 and levelled the tie 4-4 on aggregate.
Eintracht regained the advantage through Meier but Ghilas latched on to a loose ball when keeper Kevin Trapp could only parry a shot and slid the ball into the empty net to give the visitors an away-goal victory.
Ludogorets had won the first leg against Lazio 1-0 but were quickly behind in the return game when Balde Diao Keita bundled the ball into the net after a minute and Brayan Perea converted an Ogenyi Onazi pass to make it 2-0 on the night early in the second half.
Goals from Roman Bezjak and Hristo Zlatinski made it 2-2 but the Italians again looked set to advance when Miroslav Klose poked in a rebound with eight minutes remaining.
Quixada then pounced on a long pass to flick the ball over the on-rushing Lazio keeper and put the hosts into the last 16.
Napoli scored early through Lorenzo Insigne's dinked finish but Swansea equalised through Jonathan de Guzman.
Gonzalo Higuain's predatory instincts then came to Benitez's rescue as the Argentine swivelled and volleyed home with 12 minutes remaining before Napoli keeper Jose Reina pulled off a remarkable reflex save from Dwight Tiendalli's header.
Gokhan Inler netted deep into injury time to take the tie out of Swansea's reach.
Serie A champions Juventus comfortably beat Trabzonspor 2-0 in Turkey to progress after winning by the same scoreline in Italy last week while Benfica scored three goals in nine second-half minutes to beat PAOK Salonika 3-0 on the night, 4-0 overall.
Salzburg, who won all six group matches earlier in the competition, thrashed Ajax Amsterdam 6-1 on aggregate after winning 3-1 in Austria in the second leg.
Spanish club Real Betis secured a 3-1 aggregate victory over Russians Rubin Kazan, winning 2-0 away with Nono and Ruben Castro on target.
Sevilla beat Slovenians Maribor 2-1 with goals from Jose Antonio Reyes and Kevin Gameiro to go through 4-3 on aggregate while Viktoria Plzen defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 to advance 3-2 overall.
Alexandre Lacazette scored in the 80th minute for Olympique Lyon against Chernomorets Odessa to progress 1-0 on aggregate and Fiorentina drew 1-1 at home to Esbjerg but went through 4-2 overall.
(Editing by Tony Jimenez)


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The horror and the heroes of war
BILL Downer runs his fingers along his left eye socket. "That's where the shrapnel hit me," he says. It's a statement that many war veterans can understand - the only problem is it happened when Bill was only nine-years-old.
That was the third time Mr Downer, now 80, escaped death as a child during the German blitz of England in the Second World War. The Goodna RSL sub-branch member grew up in Southampton, a port town in southern England and a target for German bombing raids in 1940. It was during the "Southampton Blitz" of November and December that year that Mr Downer, his brother and sister found out first hand the true horror of war.
"We were living alongside a railway yard and I still don't remember who was looking after us at that time, it may have been an aunty," Mr Downer says.
"The railway was what the Germans were aiming for but the misses hit the houses nearby.
"The house I was in got blitzed and we were saved by a Morrison Shelter. It was like a big metal cage and it saved our lives. They were used basically as tables and you had to sit sideways at them. All I know is my sister, myself and my brother got pushed into this thing."
Seventy-two years have past since that day, and Mr Downer went on to serve with the British Forces in the Suez Canal in 1952, but the emotion of those childhood experiences remain ever present. He pauses for a moment and fights back tears as he describes the moments before and after the explosion that destroyed the house.
"I just remember a red flash and that was it," he says.
"When I woke up it was a job to breathe, my sister was screaming but otherwise it was dead quiet.
"Then in the distance I could hear a dog barking. Then there was a light and we were rescued."
Like many British children of Second World War, Mr Downer and his siblings grew up without their parents. His father, William senior, served with the British Navy and his mother, Helen, worked as a despatch writer for the Royal Air-Force.
Mr Downer recalls his mother returning to evacuate the children to Bournemouth following the blitz but the danger had far from passed.
During the train journey from Southampton to Bournemouth a German fighter plane attacked the train causing chaotic scenes among the frightened children
"A chappy came along and bashed on the doors telling the children to get out and bring the gas masks," Mr Downer says, again struggling to contain his emotions while recalling the horrific memory.
"We got under the train and hid. We were all so small that we needed help to get back up onto the train later on."
After arriving in Bournemouth Mr Downer then survived another bombing while posting a letter. While struggling to reach to mail slot he can only remember the explosion that gave him a permanent reminder in the form of a shrapnel injury.
Following those incidents Mr Downer and his brother were relocated to Kitson House, an English mansion outside of Bournemouth that was used as a children's refuge during the war.
It was at Kitson House that Mr Downer had perhaps his most surreal war experience.
Mr Downer, his brother and a third boy were playing at the rear of the mansion when they noticed a dogfight between a German Messerschmitt and two Allied planes in the sky.
The trio climbed a wooden fence to the roof of the property's pigsty to watch the action before the fight ended in the most unusual way.
"We could see the plane trails in the sky and one of the planes got him and he started to go down," he says.
"It was on fire and smoking on its way down but the smoke stopped as it neared the ground.
"I remember it was going around as it was coming down and it had no wheels.
"Behind the fence of the next property was a big field with a road separating the two properties.
"It came down and it skidded right across the road and all the way up the wooden fence where it stopped.
"We all jumped down and as we did, this German pilot got out.
"The thing I remember is how big he was and how smart he looked in his uniform.
"He got out and lit a cigarette, sat down on the wing of the plane, looked at us and waved.
"We ran over and climbed up on the wing as well. I don't know to this day if he could understand English but we asked him if we could have pieces of his broken screen.
"He broke some bits off and gave them to us but never said anything. He was the first German I'd ever seen. He was nice to us and in the background we could see the home guard and the air force were coming across with fixed bayonets.
"They grabbed his arm began to put his hands behind his back.
"I said something like 'don't hurt him, he's a nice man'."
The experience with the German fighter pilot, bombing raids, friendly American soldiers who gave sweets to the children of Kitson House, and many more have given Mr Downer a set of experiences that make Remembrance Day very personal.
It's the reason he struggles at funerals and why his emotions sometimes get the better of him when discussing his childhood. But it's also why he understands that the horror and heroes of wars aren't always found on the battlefield.
"There are thousands of hidden heroes in every town across England," he says.
"People who risked their lives during those bombing raids to save others, nurses, shopkeepers, anyone."
So tomorrow, when Mr Downer pauses for a minute's silence, he'll remember not only the soldiers that gave their lives to protect our freedom but also the innocent victims of each and every horrible war.


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Sealed Bids will be received by the Henry County Board of Commissioners, Purchasing Department, 140 Henry Parkway, McDonough, Georgia 30253 until 3:00 P.M. local time on October 6, 2010. Late bids will not be considered nor returned. Bids will be opened at the County Administration Building by staff personnel. Bidders and their agents are invited to attend.
The work to be bid consists of furnishing all materials, labor, tools, equipment and services for 1.44 miles of grading, widening and paving for Mackey Road/Stallsworth Road from Keys Ferry Road to Sandy Ridge Road, located in Henry County, Georgia. All questions regarding the bid must be in writing and addressed to Glynn Purser, Henry County Purchasing Department, 140 Henry Parkway, McDonough, Georgia 30253; questions may be sent via fax, 770-288-6047, or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com. All questions must be received by 3:00PM on September 28, 2010. All questions will be answered in writing and posted at the Henry County, Georgia website by 4:00PM on September 30, 2010, along with any addenda here:
All Bids shall be accompanied by a Bid Bond in an amount of not less than five percent (5%) of the bid for the complete work. The Bid Bond shall be forfeited to Henry County, Georgia as liquidated damages if the Bidder fails to execute the Contract and provide Performance and Payment Bonds within fifteen (15) calendar days after being notified that he has been awarded the Contract. The Bid Bond shall be in the form of a surety issued bond made payable to the Henry County Board of Commissioners. The Surety Company shall be licensed to do business in the State of Georgia and listed in the Department of the Treasury Circular 570, latest edition. The Surety Company shall have an A.M. Best Company minimum rating of "A" with a financial size of VI "6" or better.
If awarded, this project shall be paid solely with funds generated by the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) program. Payment will be made monthly on completed work. Retainage will be held by Owner to a maximum of ten percent (10%) of each progress payment.
The Bidder is expected to examine the site(s) of the proposed work, the Proposal Form, Specifications, Supplemental Specifications, Special Provisions and Contract forms before submitting a bid. Qualifications of the Bidder will be reviewed before Award of the Contract. Henry County may consider Award of the Contract to other than the low bidder. Bids will only be considered by those bidders and sub contractors currently pre-qualified with the Georgia Department of Transportation.
The Bidding Documents, Proposal Form and Specifications are available from the Purchasing Department, 140 Henry Parkway, McDonough, Georgia 30253. A non-refundable fee of $100.00 will be charged for each bid package.
The Work on this project shall be completed within three hundred thirty (330) calendar days after receipt of the written Notice to Proceed. All work shall be completed in accordance with Georgia Department of Transportation Standard Specifications Construction Of Transportation Systems , 2001 Edition (as amended).
Envelopes containing the bids must be sealed, addressed to the Henry County Board of Commissioners, Purchasing Department 140 Henry Parkway, McDonough, Georgia 30253, and marked: "Sealed Bid No. SB-11-24-100610-1".
Bids may not be withdrawn for sixty (60) days after the time and date set for bid opening, except as allowed by OCGA. Henry County reserves the right to reject any and all bids and to waive any technicalities.
Last updated: Friday July 28 2017


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Why Leaving Goldman Sachs Breaks the Rules of the Game
In his transformative 1978 essay, "The Power of the Powerless," Czech dissident Václav Havel explains how one person "living in truth" can shine a light on unspoken questions, revealing the automatism of our usual assumptions: "When a single person breaks the rules of the game, thus exposing it as a game—everything suddenly appears in another light."
With his March 14 New York Times op-ed, "Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs," now former Executive Director Greg Smith broke many rules of the game. He has been called unprofessional. Sanctimonious. Dishonest. Self-serving. Disgruntled. Naïve.
Like any defector, Greg Smith was disloyal. He aired dirty laundry, describing how Goldman Sachs had lost the client focus that once defined its culture. "It makes me ill how callously people talk about ripping their clients off," he said. Why would he so publicly denounce his employer? And after twelve years? He must, detractors speculate, not have been happy with his bonus. He must have been bypassed for promotion. He must be planning to write a book.
All of this is possible.
But sometimes people are more motivated by their values than we assume.
Every day, people do outrageously responsible things. Linda Almonte is risking personal financial ruin to ensure JP Morgan Chase's robo-signing practices and inaccurate recordkeeping don't send its clients into debt-collection hell. As Reinhold Niebuhr explains in Moral Man and Immoral Society, public moral acts are always disruptive, and defectors of any type are likely to be labeled as malcontents.
So while we are understandably skeptical, we need to consider that Smith might just be calling it as he sees it. And if so, what might his truth-telling be telling us?
From this distance, his action seems to be one of conscience. Insiders have said Smith is now virtually unemployable. And despite claims that he must have socked away millions, we know nothing about his finances; nor if he passed up a package that would have required his silence. He is likely to face isolation and family stress. But most significantly, he recognized an unhealthy compromise and took action to stop it. This is surprisingly difficult for human beings to do.
The most important aspect of Smith's defection is not the questions it raises about Goldman—though clearly we must consider how markets or democracy can possibly function when distorted by concentrated regulatory influence and market power. Even free-market purist Milton Friedman conceded that the pursuit of profit needs to happen "within the rules of the game."
The most important aspect of Smith's post is that it reveals at least two worldviews within the culture of business. The first view is represented by Bloomberg's response, "Yes, Mr. Smith,Goldman Sachs is All about Making Money." Of course Goldman rips its clients off: "It is not charity work," say the editors.
This can be a dangerous perspective—for business and the world.
Serving customers is not altruism. A desire to collaborate in an environment of teamwork and humility is not "soft." Creating real value, as espoused by a second worldview, is not the purview of a few poorly paid nonprofit directors, but the work of all responsible adults.
The strongest finding in my research on workplace compromise is that the vast majority of business people want to be good guys. Contrary to widespread attributions of blind greed, most professionals actively seek out employers they can believe in—which means companies that fulfill commitments to clients, employees, and society.
From the perspective of this second worldview, Smith's editorial raises some critical questions for business professionals and reformers alike:
How do we distinguish "good profits" from "bad profits"?
This story is not really about making money versus serving clients but about two different ways of making money. One the one hand, businesses can earn "good profits" derived from delivering value to customers and meeting obligations to other stakeholders. Or, they can pursue "bad profits" derived from destroying relationships and other valuable assets. The problem with bad profits is they reduce the firm's future profits (and, potentially, prey on its societal obligations). When a company doesn't distinguish between good profits and bad profits, it ends up rewarding the executives who take the most shortcuts, not those who create the most value.
What does it mean for a business to make a commitment?
Everyone is debating whether Goldman has an obligation to advance its clients' interests since it is a for-profit corporation. But this ignores the fact that Goldman may have voluntarily taken on additional obligations.
For example, companies routinely make brand promises and other commitments in order to win customers, attract investors, and recruit talent. Consider InterfaceFLOR's commitment to zero adverse impact on the environment by 2020 and how that influences willingness to do business with them. Similarly, Goldman Sachs has committed to a set of Business Principles, the first of which says, "Our clients' interests always come first." Such a promise may have influenced Greg Smith in joining the firm, or helped in his recruiting efforts. Having made such a commitment, is Goldman obligated to keep it?
What do responsible business people do when market incentives are distorted?
Most professionals who hold this second worldview believe that, in the long run, the greatest financial rewards go to whoever creates the most value. Unfortunately, when regulations are distorted or monopoly power comes into play, businesses can be rewarded for actions that do not add value for customers or other stakeholders. For example, by convincing regulators to drastically reduce banking oversight, Goldman and other banks helped create incentives for banks to take irresponsible risks, for which society ultimately bore the cost. When market incentives are distorted, pursuing "bad profits" actually pays off. Unfortunately, many responsible business professionals are not yet aware of the distortions caused by regulatory influence, especially given that corporations are considered legal persons and have a significant and growing impact on democratic processes.
How to Find Meaning and
Money In Your Work
Millions of us are resigning ourselves to work that hurts us, hurts others, and damages the planet. We're wasting our greatest assets.
Ultimately, Smith's piece is about the right to have our work create real value in the world—not just that which is counted in overly simplistic definitions of profit. It's about how to create real wealth, rather than phantom wealth.
As Neibuhr explained, societies evolve when those enjoying the greatest rewards question what makes those rewards legitimate—and stop pressing for advantages that seem predatory or hypocritical.
Smith's piece raises questions for everyone. It asks us to challenge the assumption that we must make millions before doing work we believe in. Like Smith, we need to know at what point to say, "I didn't sign up for this," and find another way to make our living. It challenges us to help keep our company's commitments real, perhaps by asking at the next meeting, "What are this client's real goals?" And as citizens, it asks us to consider the regulatory structures, democratic reforms, and enforcement efforts needed to ensure that creating real value is rewarded.
At any moment, Havel wrote, any of us can be struck by the force of the truth. Change is first a question of confidence—in ourselves, in each other, and in the world.
David Korten: Profit-centered market fundamentalism has become a national religion.
In an essay adapted from his new book, The New Good Life, John Robbins points out that we've been measuring happiness in all the wrong ways. How can we find true quality of life?
How to avoid money games and create real wealth.


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Somniosus microcephalus
|Scope: Global
Language: English
|Scientific Name:
|Somniosus microcephalus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
|Regional Assessments:
Common Name(s):
Squalus microcephalus Bloch & Schneider, 1801
|Taxonomic Source(s):
|Eschmeyer, W.N. (ed.). 2015. Catalog of Fishes. Updated 6 April 2015. Available at: http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp. (Accessed: 6 April 2015).
|Taxonomic Notes:
|Yano et al. (2004) confirm that sleeper sharks found in the South Atlantic and Southern Ocean are a separate species, Somniosus antarcticus Whitley, 1939.
|Red List Category & Criteria:
|Near Threatened ver 3.1
|Year Published:
|Date Assessed:
Needs updating
|Kyne, P.M., Sherrill-Mix, S.A. & Burgess, G.H.
|Heupel, M.R., Simpfendorfer, C.A. & Cavanagh, R.D. (Shark Red List Authority)
A large dogfish of the Arctic and North Atlantic, inhabiting inshore zones to continental shelves and slopes usually in depths of 0 to 1,200 m (one individual recorded at 2,200 m). Maximum size is uncertain but reaches at least 640 cm total length (TL), possibly to 730 cm TL, with most adults between 244 to 427 cm TL. This appears to be an extremely long-lived and slow-growing elasmobranch with limited reproductive capacity. Historically targeted for its liver oil in Norway, Iceland and Greenland with catches reaching 32,000 sharks/year in the 1910s in Greenland alone. These fisheries may have had a significant impact on this species, but the rate of historical decline (if any) is unknown. Presently taken as bycatch in trawl, gillnet and trap fisheries, as well as in Arctic artisanal fisheries. Its population dynamics and biology are not well understood but its large size and slow growth rate suggest it is vulnerable to fishing pressure. This shark is listed as Near Threatened on the basis of possible population declines and limiting life history characteristics. There is a need to examine historical data and monitor current bycatch levels.
|Range Description:
|Restricted to Northern Atlantic and Artic regions. Reports of S. microcephalus from the Southern Hemisphere are S. antarcticus.
|Countries occurrence:
Native:Canada (Labrador, New Brunswick, Newfoundland I, Nunavut, Prince Edward I.); Denmark; Germany; Greenland; Iceland; Norway; Russian Federation; United States (Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina)
|FAO Marine Fishing Areas:
Arctic Sea; Atlantic – northeast; Atlantic – northwest
|Additional data:
|Range Map:
|Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.
|Current Population Trend:
|Additional data:
|Habitat and Ecology:
|Littoral and epibenthic, ranging from river mouths and bays to continental shelf and slope waters. Usually found in depths of 0 to 1,200 m, but one shark was observed at 2,200 m off North Carolina (Herdendorf and Berra 1995, Compagno in prep. a). During winter months in the Arctic and boreal Atlantic, the species occurs in the intertidal zone and at the surface in shallow bays and river mouths, moving into depths of 180 to 550 m during warmer months. At lower latitudes (Gulf of Maine and North Sea) the species occurs on the continental shelves with possible movements into shallower water during spring and summer (Compagno in prep. a). Short term tracking studies of the Greenland sharks under ice off Baffin Island during late Spring suggest that individuals remained at deeper depths during the morning, gradually moving into shallower depths in the afternoon and at night (Skomal and Benz 2004). The species has been recorded in water temperatures of 0.6 to 12°C (Compagno in prep. a).
Maximum size is uncertain, but is at least 640 cm TL, possibly to 730 cm TL, however most adults are between 244 and 427 cm TL (Compagno in prep. a). Aplacental viviparous with one observed female carrying 10 young (Compagno in prep. a). Tagging studies have shown the species to be very slow growing with medium size sharks appearing to grow at a rate of 1 cm per year (Hansen 1957, Castro 1983, Castro et al. 1999).
Although reportedly sluggish, feeds on a variety of prey including invertebrates, fish, seabirds, seals as well as offal (see Compagno in prep. a for more details).
Life history parameters
Age at maturity (years): Unknown.
Size at maturity (total length cm): Unknown.
Longevity (years): Unknown.
Maximum size (total length): 640-730 cm TL.
Size at birth: ~37 to 38 cm TL (Bjerkan and Koefoed 1957, Compagno in prep. a).
Average reproductive age (years): Unknown.
Gestation time (months): Unknown.
Reproductive periodicity: Unknown.
Average annual fecundity or litter size: 10.
Annual rate of population increase: Unknown.
Natural mortality: Unknown.
|Major Threat(s):
The Greenland shark was historically targeted by shark liver fisheries in Norway, Iceland, and Greenland waters. These fisheries may have had a significant impact on this species. The Greenland fishery commenced in the very early nineteenth century. In 1857 the estimated catch was 2,000-3,000 sharks/year, but in the 1910s this had grown to 32,000 sharks/year (Jensen 1914). Commercial fishing of the Greenland shark for liver oil ceased in 1960 (Castro et al. 1999). During the 1970s the species was perceived as a problem for other fisheries in western Norway and the government subsidized a fishery in order to reduce the stock of the species (Catro et al. 1999).
Currently the species is taken as bycatch in Greenland halibut and shrimp trawl fisheries (D. Kulka, pers. comm.) and fish traps and gillnets. It is also caught by artisanal fisheries in the Arctic (Compagno in prep. a).
|Conservation Actions:
|There is a need to research the historical catch data if available, to determine any population declines as a result of the fisheries. Bycatch rates in various fisheries around the Artic and north Atlantic need to be determined and monitored.
|Kyne, P.M., Sherrill-Mix, S.A. & Burgess, G.H. 2006. Somniosus microcephalus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2006: e.T60213A12321694. . Downloaded on 26 September 2018.
|To make use of this information, please check the <Terms of Use>.
|If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please provide us with feedback so that we can correct or extend the information provided


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One such option is polarized sunglasses – or those shades that have polarized lenses. Once the purview of fishermen and boaters along with truck drivers and outdoor enthusiasts, polarized lenses have hit the mainstream, and are now essential for everyday wear. In fact, sunglasses with polarized lenses are the fastest growing trend in eyeglasses according to sales figures.
Why Polarized Lenses?
Simply put, the lenses in polarized sunglasses are treated with a special film that blocks reflected light, reducing glare to a minimum, and making it easier and safer to engage in certain sports and other activities. But even for those who aren't driving, golfing, biking, or skiing, polarized lenses are still a great choice because everything the wearer sees stays true to life on even the sunniest days.
When you put on a pair of some of the best made polarized sunglasses such as the Maui Jim polarized sunglasses or any other sport or designer sunglasses such as the Ray Ban sunglasses for example, that nebulous, washed-out look the world gets when the sun is shining brightly is immediately replaced by beautiful, saturated colors and crisp edges. You're suddenly seeing the world as it really is, which can add a whole new dimension to any outdoor experience.
Not all polarized lenses are created equal
The cheap polarized sunglasses won't block nearly as much glare as manufacturers would like people to believe, and the worst lenses will actually distort your picture of the world. That's why, when it comes to sunglasses with polarized lenses, we always recommend designer brands that have proven their ability to block glare without sacrificing style or elegance.


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Preserving the Plants: Ramblings & Rants on Storage, Processing & Expiration Dates
You know those hard and fast timelines for storage of tinctures and dried plants included in most herbal books? Well, they suck. Or rather, many of them are terribly inaccurate. But wait, that doesn't mean your dried herbs are immortal, or that the stuff in the shiny foil bags from herb stores is even worth opening. Here's a few guidelines and tips for processing and storing your precious medicinals.
I just stuck my face in a bag full of White Sage wildcrafted about seven years ago, and wow, it smells nearly just like the other bag I have that was harvested six months ago. I've also got some Wild Mugwort from about four years ago. Made into a tea, it's still tongue twistingly bitter and pretty damn aromatic too. I even have Rose buds and petals purchased from a high quality grower about two and a half years ago that still make fabulous tea, tincture and vinegar.
But then, I also have a bag of Motherwort bought from a large but respected herbal wholesaler only four months ago that has completely lost it's kick. I mean, I could be drinking musty grass for all the effect and taste its got. We won't even talk about that bag of Yarrow flowers from a similar wholesaler that arrived no less than yellow and while it still had some smell, the smell was ALL wrong and weird. I couldn't even use it, but I did give it a proper composting burial and then go pick some wild Winter Yarrow leaves that were far better despite being harvested during an off-season. Nor should I mention commercial Raspberry leaves. Poor things, I'm not even sure they grow on Raspberry plants.
So what gives? Well, one of the main points here is that hand picked plants have some amazing advantages over industrially harvested or even "organic" herb crops. On a purely practical note, the more you crush the plant the quicker it fades into colorless plant matter anonymity. So avoid "cut and sifted" herbs whenever possible. Go for whole leaf, whole root, whole plant. Some roots, like Redroot, can turn to a impenetrable rock if not broken down at least a little bit, but get to know your plants and go for the least processes form that's still usable.
If you have to buy your herbs, it's really nice to go with a place small enough that they can tell you when and where and how that plant was harvested. Even better, they can tell you how this batch tastes, what its growing conditions were like during the growing season and how cute its seedlings were. Generally, if the growers have this kind of relationship with their plants, the herbs you purchase will be vibrant, fresh and still retain a great deal of the essential spirit energy of the living being. With some practice you'll be able to nearly immediately tell how strong the plant is, if its essential energy is still intact and a very good idea of what its medicine is all about.
You might initially think that buying directly from a small grower would be super pricey. Certainly it can be, but 1) the quality of the herb often outweighs the cost difference, especially when you might have had to use three times as much of the cheaper stuff to match the effect of the high quality herbs and 2) you'll be amazed that quite often there's really NOT that much of a price difference. Not to mention the degree to which you can often trade and barter with mom and pop suppliers when you get to know them. These places can be hard to find, but luck for us, jim has a whole list of them (organized by region, no less) right here
If you harvest the plants yourself be sure to process them as quickly as possible. So don't leave that plastic bag of fresh Birch leaves or Dandelion roots sitting in your car for two weeks, eh? In fact, don't put the herbs in the plastic bag to begin with, it'll hold heat and initiate fermentation and cellular breakdown way quicker than a nice open weave basket or even a decent paper bag. When you get back from the garden or field, take care of the plants right away. Bundle them up, tincture them, or spread them out to dry. The longer fresh green things sit all squished together the quicker they turn black and rot. I know because I've done this far too many times. Nice compost, lousy medicine.
If you dry them, try to dry them quickly, especially if you live in a humid climate. I'm very blessed to be in the hot and dry SW where even the slimiest, wettest herbs dry to a nice crisp in a few days. For those of you who have wet, heavy summers you might want to invest a sturdy drying rack and a fan with a low setting. Keeping the air moving can help prevent molding and chronically damp plants.
Now that they're dried, don't let them hang from the rafters for months. Yes, they look lovely there, but they'll likely turn brown if you leave them for very long. This is the bad herbal habit I'm most likely to be guilty of. I gather, process and dry in a very timely manner and then they sit there, gathering dust and waiting for me to find time to break them down and store them. If you suspect you'll have a hard time with this, prioritize your drying racks. Certain plants will need much more immediate attention. The Bee Balm somehow survives being left in the sun, hanging out in the corner for three months or being crowded into a small paper bag with surprising panache and fragrance — but try doing the same thing to fresh Grindelia buds or Elder flowers, NOT a pretty picture. If you triage your drying plants you'll most likely end up with a much higher survival rate. Flowers and really wet plants need the most attention and quickest storage as a rule, and super fragrant herbs tend to do good outside of their containers, though mineral heavy plants like Nettles and Horsetail also fare quite well.
In order to expediate the process from drying to storing, try to keep processing tools nearby. Clippers, gloves, one big bowl, glass containers, a sharpie and some labels are a nice start. Otherwise you'll just have a million excuses of why you just can't process plants right now whenever you seen the mountain of Globemallow in the middle of your bedroom. Or at least, that's what happens to me.
Storage containers are another concern. Yeah, you may get your plants shipped to you sealed in foil or ziplock bags but that doesn't mean they should live there forever. Large glass containers stored in a dark place are ideal, so keep a lookout for abandoned pickle containers at your local yard sales. You can also sometimes get a bargain on gallon canning jars at dollar stores and other such unsavory places. If however, you can't manage to obtain or afford enough glass then food grade plastic buckets are another feasible, if not aesthetically pleasing, choice. Though paper bags a traditional way of storing herbs, I do think that many plants will lose their power more quickly if not stored in a fairly airtight container. Whatever you do, keep them out of the sun and keep them cool, even a paper bag in the closet is far better then being left exposed to sun through a window or heat from a nearby stove. There was a good discussion about all this over at the Herbwifery forum that's worth checking out.
So how long do the plants last if you do all this right? We'll here's a nice quote from Henriette that I think sums it up quite nicely:
Flowers'n'leaf, herb and suchlike usually keep for at least 3 years, possibly more. Roots keep for at least 5 years, possibly more. Lichens keep forever. I don't have that much bark, but what I have has kept nicely.
I store all my herbs in tight glass jars in a dark cupboard, in room temperature (which doesn't change much).
The "1 year max" rule for flowers and leaf: pffft. Those authors don't have a clue. Or perhaps they kept their stuff in plastic bags on an open shelf or something. Or possibly they didn't pick their own herbs.
This seems correct from my experience thus far but as always, it all depends on varying factors such as climate, plant and individual process. But whatever you do, don't just toss out a perfectly fragrant bag of Catnip just 'cuz some book says you should. Have a sniff or a nibble and see what you think.
Sames goes for tinctures, I don't know how many times I've been told, taught or read that tinctures only last a year, or two years, or whatever. Now of course it all depends (again) on the stability of the plant, and percentage of alcohol used and just what you've done to that tincture bottle (leaving it on the dashboard while you were in the store, opening the bottle ten times every day etc). I have met plenty of five year old tinctures that are still perfect in every discernible respect, even those made with fresh plants and brandy. In fact, I have yet to have a tincture go off or lose its potency. When I've been doing this for thirty years, I'll probably have a better statistic for you.
What does happen occasionally is that certain tinctures (like Rose) will eat your canning jar lids and turn the tincture black. Gross looking but you can usually save the tincture by using a plastic lid or even putting a layer of plastic wrap between the lid and the jar. Some tinctures regularly eat rubber dropper bottle tops too. I tend to keep those tinctures in small plastic capped bottles and use a separate dropper to dispense them. And as pretty as tinctures are stored in wide mouthed jelly jars, I tend to believe that keeping your tinctures in very small necked containers will extend their lives. Ya'll got any input on that?
So while it's ideal on many levels to gather each of your herbs seasonally it's also good to know that it's possible to store and preserve your medicines for a good long time. This is especially nice when you can only gather or obtain certain special herbs once in a great while.
6 Responses to "Preserving the Plants: Ramblings & Rants on Storage, Processing & Expiration Dates"
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this all out, for sharing so generously. Such good advice. My wildcrafting and herbal practise is such a small, neglected component of my hectic, child focused life but your, and a few other blogs keep me inspired, so thank you!
i have very similar findings Kiva, with the herbs I've collected over the years and the ones I've bought. Hand picked raspberry leaf is so much more than that cut sifted crap on the market. I've seen brown nettles from well respected herb suppliers, and vibrant green whole leaf nettles from a family herb farm.
Really quite amazing. I've had some herbs for a very long time, and they are still quite potent. ( you just inherited some!) i think it definatley has to do with storage conditions, but also what the medicinal properties of a plant are. Mineral or mucilage rich plants, will hold their properties, probably indefinately, but dont quote me on that. volatile oil rich leaves and flowers only until their oils run out.
storing is always harder than setting them out to dry. straining tincures is my biggest weakness…jars and jars of macerating herbs lined up waiting for my attention!
Great post! It is so true that you can't go by the books, I have some slippery elm sitting right here that I just used the other day, good as new and it was harvested 5 years ago. I do the same thing with tinctures LOL!
Your writing is beautiful and inspiring and so thank you for passing on your knowledge.
I prefer to drink the infusions cold in the summer and would like to make larger batches of it to store. Is it possible to use an airtight sealing system such as canning or bottling, so that you aren't making them everyday? If so how long do you think they would hold their potency?
Very best,


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After Neda: "Now I Have Left Iran, I Can Cry Out To Break The Silence"
It's been five months since Neda Soltan was gunned down in the streets of Tehran. In that time, Capsian Makan, Neda's boyfriend, has faced prison, torture, and exile. But he is finally able to speak freely.


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Protest Song – a play about the Occupy Movement
Date(s) - 01/01/2014
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
by Tim Price
16 December – 11 January
Danny sleeps rough on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral. Has done for years. Then one morning he wakes to see a canvas city being erected in front of him. And Danny finds himself swept up in the last occupation of London.
Tim Price's funny and savage monologue explores the reality of the Occupy movement.
Inspired by a true story, this account of an unlikely hero allows us inside a remarkable political moment.
Rhys Ifans plays Danny.
Tickets: £12/£20
Website: www.theshedtheatre.co.uk.
Check website for specific timings.
Audio Described performance at 9pm on Tuesday 7 January, preceded by a Touch Tour at 7.45pm
Captioned performance at 9pm on Thursday 9 January


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James Gurney wrote on his blog:
Less than a month from now, the largest-ever Dinotopia art exhibition will appear at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington. The show will be on view from February 6 – May 16, 2010.
Dinotopia: The Fantastical Art of James Gurney includes 60 of the major works from Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time (1992); Dinotopia: The World Beneath (1995); and Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara (2007), along with a some sketches and maquettes.
Saturday, February 6 will be Dinotopia Family Day with lots of hands-on and family friendly tours. I'll give a digital lecture called "Fact and Fantasy: The Making of Dinotopia" at 1:00, with a booksigning afterward.
On Sunday, February 7, from 11:00-4:00, I'll be offering a workshop on water-soluble colored pencils for teens and adults.
There will also be teachers' workshops, homeschool programs, Saturday craft projects, a spring break art camp, a "Dino Design-O" poster project, and a press preview on February 4. I'll also be visiting the Delaware College of Art and Design and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia during that second week of February.
The Delaware Art Museum is also the home of the largest display of originals by Howard Pyle, the dean of author/illustrators, and a formidable collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings.
More on the exhibition and programming at the museum's official page.
All images and text are copyright 2010 James Gurney


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PARIS (AP) — French diplomats are meeting with a secular rebel group vying for control of northern Mali, and pressing the group to reconcile with the West African country's government.
The meeting in Paris on Thursday is with the NMLA, or National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad. The NMLA, seeking an independent state for the Tuareg people, has been sidelined by two radical Islamist groups that have the upper hand in northern Mali.
African nations and the U.N. are preparing for a possible military intervention amid fears the region will become a terrorist breeding ground. Efforts are also under way to reconcile Mali's conflicting groups.
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot told an online briefing that the French diplomats are urging the rebels to renounce their bid for independence.


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Raven Industries announces the release of their newest assisted steering system, the QuickTrax system.
This system offers all the same great features as the standard SmarTrax steering system, such as hands-free steering, quick line acquisition, and sub-meter and decimeter modes, but with a much improved and simpler installation than the standard hydraulic valve system.
Electric motor drive
Utilizing an electric motor drive and attached directly to the steering wheel, the QuickTrax system provides an easy solution for almost all steering applications.
Standard hand tools are all that is needed to complete an installation and mobility from one machine to another is now easy to achieve.
QuickTrax can be used as a sub-meter system when coupled with a 10 Hz (or faster) sub-meter receiver, such as the Raven Phoenix 200 GPS receiver. It can also operate in decimetric mode when coupled with a high accuracy receiver like the Raven Phoenix 300 DGPS receiver and a Raven DGPS Enhancer.
Easy to operate
According to Marlin Melander, marketing manager for Raven Flow Controls, "The addition of QuickTrax to our line-up will provide the producer with an easy-to-install and operate assisted steering system. It will also allow the user to move the kit from machine to machine, thus reducing the need to purchase additional systems for other vehicles."
QuickTrax is now available from authorized Raven distributors and dealers. For a directory of Raven distributors, please visit the Raven Precision Solutions Web site at www.ravenprecision.com <http://www.ravenprecision.com/>.


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Hi Folks,
I am composing a four-part polyphonic work for choir. I wish to use Latin text.
I want to say the following:
"The past provides, the present lives, the future has hope.
We give thanks"
At present I am working with a google translation that reads
"In praeteritis cavetur, In vitae nunc, Spes in futuro.
Gratias agimus"
Will this translation suffice, or is it totally erroneous.
Robert B


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