text:
Kenneth A. Beard, a Lexington resident and 30-year veteran of the North Carolina National Guard, was promoted to the rank of brigadier general.
Kenneth A. Beard, a Lexington resident and 30-year veteran of the North Carolina National Guard, was promoted to the rank of brigadier general Thursday at the North Carolina Guard's Joint Force Headquarters in Raleigh.
Beard will assume the position of assistant adjutant general for sustainment operations for the N.C. National Guard. He will be the primary adviser to the adjutant general on all programs, strategic planning and operations for the movement and maintenance of military equipment and personnel.
In his capacity as adjutant general, Beard will oversee two Guard commands, 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade based in Charlotte and the 113th Sustainment Brigade in Greensboro, as well as 30 armories in the area. He says that there will be a lot of traveling involved with the new position.
"I have willingly accepted the role to wear many hats," Beard said. "I am motivated to see things managed until they are complete. I like to see soldiers trained and performing successfully. As your career progress, you take on bigger responsibilities. The challenge is one that I accept."
Beard attended North Carolina State University where he participated in the Simultaneous Membership Program through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. The Simultaneous Membership Program is a two-year program where cadets serve in the Army National Guard and attend ROTC classes "simultaneously." He was commissioned as an Army National Guard officer one year before graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology in 1984.
Beard is also a graduate of the Field Artillery Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College with a master's in strategic studies.
Beard is originally from Birmingham, Ala., but grew up Whispering Pines and graduated from Union Pines High School. He met his wife, Lori, while they were both attending N.C. State. After marrying in 1984, the couple moved to Lexington, and Beard began working at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in Winston-Salem.
He has been employed at RJR for the past 32 years and works in the research and development department of product services.
"They have been very good to me," Beard said. "They have great military support policies in place and have worked with me when I leave for scheduled and unscheduled events."
Beard said that in his career, he has had to pick up at a moment's notice to respond to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.
"My boss had asked me if I expected to be sent to New Orleans, but I had said I didn't think we would go," Beard said. "Literally 20 minutes later I got the phone call that I needed to be ready to deploy in 24 hours. I was gone for almost a month, and they carried on without me and welcomed me back when I returned."
Outside of his full-time job, Beard has slowly moved through the ranks to obtain the high ranking of brigadier general.
"It is a great accomplishment," he said. "Very few people reach this pinnacle in their career, and I am quite honored."
Beard has commanded soldiers at every level and was deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2006-2007. At the time, his unit was the 113th Military Brigade, which was a combat unit of the field artillery brigade. After returning from Kuwait, he was stationed in various posts, including Suffolk, Va., at the United States Joint Forces Command. His most recent assignment was officer in charge of personnel for the N.C. National Guard at the state's headquarters in Raleigh
During those rare moments when he is not working at his full-time job or traveling through his job with the National Guard, Beard likes to spend time with his family. He has a son, Kyle, who is married to Whitney. He also has a daughter, Casey, who is married to Robbie. He says he enjoys going whitewater rafting with his children, but mostly he likes spending time with his granddaughter, Kori.
"I enjoy playing games, watching movies with her and just being pawpaw," Beard said.
When contemplating his career, Beard is most grateful for having the opportunity to serve the people.
"We have a dual role to serve the people of North Carolina and all the people of the United States," he said. "I have been blessed with the opportunity to do both. I am honored to have been given that chance."
Sharon Myers can be reached at 249-3981, ext, 228 or at email@example.com.


text:
So, this now makes the preceding movie "The Next-to-Last Exorcism"? Ashley Bell is back as the woman who needed the devil driven out of her last time ... and since there's a sequel, you can guess that effort wasn't completely successful.
She's trying to get her emotional traction back at a group home, meaning others also are in easy reach of peril when Satan comes calling again. DVD extras: three "making-of" documentaries; audio commentary by director Ed Gass-Donnelly and producer Eli Roth. ** (Not rated: AS, P, V) (Also on Blu-ray and On Demand)
Buy 'The Last Exorcism Part II' on DVD.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Discipline: Literacy
Copyright: 2008
Grade(s): 1 - 5
Program Type: Core
Delivery Method: Print
Device: Computer
Operating System: Windows
Funding Sources: IDEA, Title I, Title III, 21st Century Community Learning Centers
My Sidewalks on Scott Foresman Reading Street: Intensive Reading Intervention is an intensive reading intervention program that accelerates the reading development of struggling students. It aligns instruction perfectly with Scott Foresman Reading Street, but can be used with any core classroom reading program. My Sidewalks accelerates reading through: 30 weeks of reading intervention, 30-45 minutes every day; emphasis on deep meaning of vocabulary and concepts; and highly specified instruction so you teach less, more thorougly.


text: 4.9 out of 5 (Likelihood to recommend) 84 Patient/Family Ratings About Our Patient Satisfaction ScoresThe Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to care provider related questions on our nationally-recognized Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey.Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score. Make an Appointment Locations Main Hospital Washington, District of Columbia 20010 1-888-884-BEAR (2327) Montgomery County Outpatient Center Rockville, Maryland 20850 301-765-5400 or 800-787-0243 Annapolis Outpatient Center Annapolis, Maryland 21401 410-266-6582 Languages Spoken English Departments Pulmonary Medicine Cystic Fibrosis Center Infant Apnea/ BPD Program Board Certifications American Board of PediatricsNational Provider ID: 1629167515 Disclosure This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has a working relationship (i.e. consulting, research, and/or educational services) with the companies listed below. These relations have been reported to the health system leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts. Outside Interests Advanced Respiratory, Inc. Genetech


text:
Earlier this month, Google researchers released a fascinating paper called "Failure Trends in a Large Disk Drive Population" that examined hard drive failure rates in Google's infrastructure. Two conclusions stood out: self-monitoring data isn't useful for predicting individual drive failures, and temperature and activity levels don't correlate well with drive failure. This throws conventional wisdom about predicting drive failures into question, so we sought out some independent expert analysis to weigh in on the findings. First, we briefly recap last week's Google study.
Which do you believe? * Costly FC and SCSI drives are more reliable than cheap SATA drives. * RAID 5 is safe because the odds of two drives failing in the same RAID set are so low. * After infant mortality, drives are highly reliable until they reach the end of their useful life. * Vendor MTBF are a useful yardstick for comparing drives.According the one of the Best Paper awards at FAST 07, none of these are backed by empirical evidence.
hmm, will I have to rethink my storage needs?
...but then most PC boxes don't provide adequate cooling.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=104525\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
As an ISP I currently run about 50 harddrives, these are SCSI and properly cooled. In ten years I have had exactly two drive failures - both Quantum. I've only got two Quantums and they both failed in less than a year. Needless to say I don't buy Quantums anymore. The rest of the drives are either IBM (now Hitachi) or Fujitsu. I switched to SCSI around 10 years ago because of a couple nightmare situations due to failed IDE drives. Several of the drives I'm running are approaching 10 years and the average age is probably around 5 years.OTOH I've had very bad luck in workstations with ATA drives, particularly Maxtor. Average life seems to be about two years, sometimes much less, occasionally somewhat more, but then most PC boxes don't provide adequate cooling. IMO IDE drives have no place in a critical application although I've heard that some WD drives are built to commercial specs.
Your personal experiences may be due to that earlier, SCSI drives used 10% of their capacity for automatic reallocation of bad blocks. Where an ATA drive would use the full 40 GB capacity, for instance, the corresponding SCSI drive would use only 36. When bit rot set in, the SCSI drive had quite a bit of headroom, while the ATA drives didn't.
I agree that 50 drives plus another 15 or so that have been retired is a small sample but I believe large enough to be statistically significant.
Google apparantly did not have stats for scsi for comparision, but my experience with a couple dozen ATA drives parallels their experience (avg two to three years). There's a reason scsi drives cost up to 5x as much - the controller boards just aren't that much more complex. I'm sure they're made to tighter specs, better bearings etc. I do have some ATA's that have lasted - one is going on 7 years now but I've also had several fail in less than a year.


text:
Shirtless Robert Pattinson Covers 'EW' with Kristen Stewart
A shirtless Robert Pattinson holds on tight to Kristen Stewart on the cover of Entertainment Weekly's newest issue, on newsstands Friday (August 12).
Here's what the Breaking Dawn co-stars had to share:
Kristen, on shooting the wedding scenes: "It's a trip to watch the wedding scenes especially. It was so volatile and emotional – I was being such a crazy person."
Rob, on ripping pillows during the anticipated sex scene: "I wanted to have it as a line so much. [In an American/Edward accent] I bit through all the pillows. Every. Single. One. And then he'd start crying. By the way, that's what he should be ashamed of in the morning. All those beautiful pillows! Egyptian cotton! [Laughs] I ruined this bed!"
For more from Rob and Kristen, visit EW.com!
Bigger cover pic inside…


text:
Need Help? Call us
0333 006 3096
RRP Price £368.75 20% OFF
Add to Basket
£1,123.75 £899.00
£869.00 £695.00
Price Match
Call for our best deals
Free Standard Delivery
On orders over £500
0% APR Finance Available
Pay with interest free credit
A trendy storage system from the NEW UNO S collection. You can also combine this product with additional UNO S storage pieces to create an ideal storage solution. This unit comes with 2 x Blue and 2 x Grey sleek 'Push to Open' doors. You can buy additional doors if desired, available in White, Pink, Blue, Purple and Grey.
* 2 x Multi Cube Units
* 2 x Small Blue and 2 x Small Grey 'Push to Open' doors
* Manufactured in Europe from hard wearing MDF with a White lacquer finish
* Includes 2 x Multi Cube Units each measuring H719xW799xD399mm
* Includes 2 x Small Blue and 2 x Small Grey 'Push to Open' doors
* Additional small doors can be added (sold separately in packs of 2). Colour Door options available; White, Pink, Purple, Blue and Grey.
* Self Assembly
* Supplied with fixings to secure to other units.
* Stackable for optimum storage. If you are stacking units on top of each other it is essential that you secure the units to the wall following Stompa's assembly instructions.
* Matches the Stompa UNO S range
* Stompa standard 2 year product guarantee (extended to 5 years warranty if home assembly taken)
This product is designed for self assembly. Full instructions are provided and no special tools are required.
Home Assembly available with extended Stompa 5 year Warranty.
Estimated delivery & home assembly estimate 10- 15 working days (subject to postcode and holiday closure)Your furniture will be delivered by a 2 man delivery team to a room of your choice. Pre-booked delivery date with 1 hour pre-call.Delivery to mainland UK only. IMPORTANT SCOTLAND DELIVERY INFORMATIONDeliveries to postcodes SA, AB, IV, KW, PH and TR will incur a surcharge of £25 on all orders.
Stompa UNO S
Product code: UNOSE3
RRP Price £368.75 - 20% OFF
Now 295
Home Assembly (with 5 yr Stompa warranty)
£411.25 £329.00
£99.00 £79.00
£43.75 £35.00
Read more on
Get the latest offers & news direct
© 1996–2018 RTG Ilkley LimitedCompany No. 08009537 VAT No. 132555234


text:
Landowners have announced a new "legal blockade" to prevent shale gas and oil exploration under their property in West Sussex.
The nine residents and landowners, who include Sussex Wildlife Trust, have joined forces to stop energy company Celtique from exploring for fossil fuels by denying the firm permission to drill out horizontally under their land from an exploratory vertical well.
Currently shale companies need permission from landowners before drilling under their properties, or get special permission from the courts, but ministers have announced plans to change the law so fracking can go ahead without landowners' approval.
Solicitors acting on behalf of the group have sent an official letter to the company and the Department of Energy and Climate Change stating the landowners' refusal to allow fracking under their land – which covers almost the entire perimeter of the site near Wisborough Green.
The move by residents comes ahead of a meeting by West Sussex County Council planning committee to decide whether to grant Celtique permission to carry out exploratory drilling at the site.
Speaking on behalf of campaign group Keep Kirdford and Wisborough Green, local resident Nathan Stride said their main concern was that the process of extracting of shale gas and oil was not as safe as the industry and the Government claimed.
"This is a true David and Goliath battle. On one side you have a fracking industry that can rely on huge amounts of money and powerful friends in government," he said.
"On the other there's a small group of local residents whose only strength are the legal safeguards enshrined in law. We are now looking to our councillors on Tuesday to stand by the decision of their planning experts."
Campaigners said council planning officials have recommended the committee should turn down the application, amid concerns over road and heavy lorry traffic issues.
Both the Wisborough Green campaign and a similar initiative in nearby Fernhurst are part of a mass legal block against fracking launched by Greenpeace in October last year and backed by more than 48,000 people.


text:
- Your selections:
Database Results for Your Selections
Results 1 - 3 of 3
Hengwrt Chaucer Digital Facsimile
This is the first-ever full color facsimile of the Hengwrt Chaucer manuscript (National Library of Wales Peniarth 392 D), one of the most important of all English literary manuscripts.Expand
The superb digital photography of these images is joined with the transcriptions of the text, collations with the other crucial early manuscript of the Tales(the Ellesmere Chaucer, in the Huntington Library), complete descriptions and analytical discussions to give a full set of materials for studying this important manuscript.
Subjects: English and American Literature, History Middle Ages 400-1450
Henry III Fine Rolls Project
Containing offers of money to the king for a multiplicity of concessions and favors, as well as a great deal of other material, the Fine Rolls are of the first importance for the study of political, governmental, legal, social, and economic history.Expand
Images of the Fine Rolls themselves are available for viewing as well, making them valuable for the study of their paleographic and diplomatic significance. The Fine Rolls have been translated into English and digitized. They are fully searchable and indexed by personal name, geographic place, and subject. Present coverage is 1216 to 1248. Subsequent projects will extend coverage to 1272.
For help using this resource, contact Chris Palazzolo, Political Science and International Documents Librarian.
Subjects: Archives and Primary Sources, Government Information, History Middle Ages 400-1450
Humanities Source Ultimate (Formerly Humanities & Social Sciences Abstracts
Includes three separate HW Wilson databases:
- Humanities Abstracts: a bibliographic database that cites articles from English-language periodicals. Periodical coverage includes some of the best-known scholarly journals and numerous lesser-known but important specialized magazines.
- Humanities & Social Sciences Index Retrospective: Coverage includes a wide range of interdisciplinary fields covered in a broad array of humanities and social sciences journals, 1907 - 1984
- Social Sciences Full Text: A bibliographic database that indexes journals in the social sciences, including anthropology, political science, sociology, economics, and related fields. Coverage includes a wide range of interdisciplinary fields covered in a broad array of social sciences journals.
Subjects: Art and Architecture, Classics, English and American Literature, History Early Modern 1450-1800, History Middle Ages 400-1450, History Modern 1800-, History US, History World, LGBT Studies, Multidisciplinary Databases, Music, Psychology, Sociology


text:
2 U.S. Code § 931 - Purpose
prev | next
§ 931.
The purpose of this chapter is to reestablish a statutory procedure to enforce a rule of budget neutrality on new revenue and direct spending legislation.
(Pub. L. 111–139, title I, § 2, Feb. 12, 2010, 124 Stat. 8.)
References in Text
This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original "this title", meaning title I of Pub. L. 111–139, Feb. 12, 2010, 124 Stat. 8, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of title I to the Code, see Short Title note set out below and Tables.
Short Title
Pub. L. 111–139, title I, § 1, Feb. 12, 2010, 124 Stat. 8, provided that:
"This title [enacting this chapter and amending sections 639, 900, 905, and 906 of this title] may be cited as the 'Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010'."
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


text:
Hey everybody, I'm new to linux and wondered if anyone can tell me some good programs to watch the activity over the network?
if you wanna watch what's coming into your own computer a nice neat lil program is ippl... it's available threw freshmeat..
a good sniffer is Ethereal if you wanna watch you're whole network
there's tons of other programs out there.. freshmeat will give you a ton of them, but those were always the ones I enjoyed.
thanks man, i'll have to check those out, do you know any other good programs for security in general?
I dunno.. personally for me, Security on my homecomputer has never been a problem...
I'd lock down ports, and open what I had too... then i'd run IPPL and snort... and that wasit..
Basically, what a sniffer such as these (tcpdump is another one) does is place your network adapter in "promiscuous" mode to capture all traffic flowing through or to it. The catch is this: if you monitor your machine's adapter, it's only going to catch packets coming directly to it (multicast, unicast, and broadcast). With this in mind, you will not see the traffic from another machine on your network unless you/your machine are specified as one of the recipients. To simplify it (even if you are on the same subnet/network): computer A(your machine) will not see traffic sent from computer B directly to computer C. For anyone that finds error in my explanation or has a better one, feel free to post a correction.
As far as security tools go: ethereal is a great protocol analyzer, snort appears to be a good open source IDS, tcpdump is one of the essentials to help troubleshoot, a trojan scanner might be good (don't know any off the top of my head), a good Antivirus program, a good free personal firewall could be Agnitum Outpost or Tiny Personal Firewall (you could also learn to configure IPChains - there's a good tut posted here on AO - I would try a search and you're bound to turn up some good stuff). That should get you started. Feel free to post a response or PM me if you have questions.
Opinions are like holes - everybody\'s got\'em.
Hi there
Let us start with monitoring tools.
For local activities and anything comming into your computer i use "Xlogmaster"
and ofcourse not to forget :
tail -f /var/log/messages <---- That shows you a few activities on your box locally like who logs on, some firewall logging, changes on interfaces, devices or users (like su)
Also ethereal is nice (packet sniffer) it can monitor anything on your network (except encrypted data), tcpdump is a console sniffer.
Then for IDS (intrusion detection systems) I used to like tripwire UNTIL they went commercial, so now i use AIDE (Advanced Intrusion Detection Enviroment). What it does is actually simple. There are some important system files that never change (size, date, timestamp, attributes etc...) In order to "compromise" a target, the attacker or hostile code sometimes edits these specific files, so what AIDE does is it makes an image of these files and saves them on a diff. location, so later you can compare the active files with the image AIDE has created.
Firewalling in linux is normally using iptables (for kernel 2.4.x) or ipchains (kernel 2.2.x) A firewall is a programm that "filters" packets depending on protocol (tcp, udp, icmp, etc) telling them what todo when it encounters these protocols combined with source ip, destination ip, interface, source ports, destination ports and many more things. Its good to Deny access to ports that you cannot/dont want to close, but also have noone be able to connect to them.
Then antivirus scanners. Not for the sake of infecting you, but your responsibility towards others when sending them files. The virii might not damage your system, but it can still contain virus code that is harmful to others who get files from you (eg. Mail servers, ftp servers, webservers with downloadable stuff)
Make sure that you use strong password policies and high encryption levels.
Avoid using NIS networks, since the idea of sharing passwords over a network is not so cool. Also change your passwords regulary.
Make sure that you have your umasks set tight, so not every user can access any other users directory or files. The folders in /home/* should be changed via the chmod command or use a hardening package (I use suse linux, so i have the harden_suse package that tightens security)
Disable any system accounts that you do NOT need, low uid's etc......
If you use GUI, then deny shell access to users who dont really need them (/etc/passwd) to :
true instead of bash (or any other variety depending on what your needs are).
Disabling inetd is a good idea, if you choose to run servers, then try getting them to run in "standalone" mode, and also if possible, try running services not as ROOT.
Deny any remote root logins, instead login with a normal user and then "su" to root.
Sudo is also a nice tool, it lets a normal users run specific commands with UID 0 (root), for example my policy is that only root can reboot or shutdown the system, but what happens if im not available? I have given a user the chance to be able to reboot or shutdown the system using sudo. Thats all he can do (apart from his normal priveleges).
If you have sensitive data on your computer, then try encrypting it (pgp).
Also a very important issue in security is backups. Make sure you backup things that you dont want to loose. I recomend using AMANDA, dump, or rsync. I know many of you will argure with me on the point of using rsync (i admitt it had major security flaws in the past) but its easy to use over networks, and i can schedule it (using the "at" command or adding it to cronjobs).
Basicly create a security policy, then follow it. Like, who is allowed todo what, which files may travel, and from where to where.
One last thing about firewalling, some people like to set firewalls to react upon certain actions. I highly recomend not to set it to take any automated actions. The reason is if the attacker is spoofing, then action the firewall might take will goto some poor victim, or wherever the spoofed adress is.
I hope i have made sense (forgive my bad english), if you need more help, you are welcome to send me a message. Also remember to "love" google, linux.org, linux.com
Good luck to you.
Ubuntu-: Means in African : "Im too dumb to use Slackware"
Thanks for all the info, I haven't had any real security problems in the past with any of my other systems but i just don't want to be open for everyone to be able to access my computer with ease. And being on a broadband system now, i think about security somewhat more then when i was running off a 56k.
Forum Rules


text:
The emaciated Peacock has finally grown a few new feathers.
A year after NBC plucked scripted fare off its 10 p.m. lineup, last month's decision to restore dramas has already paid off with "Parenthood."
As the network looks toward a complete rebuild after the "Jay Leno Show" disaster, it took another step forward Tuesday by giving "Parenthood" a second-season order.
Greenlight follows renewals of first-year entries "Community" (which has earned solid critical acclaim) and "The Marriage Ref" (which has not).
"Parenthood's" performance at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays — coupled with "Marriage Ref" on Thursdays and "Law and Order: SVU" on Wednesdays — has helped bolster NBC's audience in the hour post-Winter Olympics.
Peacock is up 63% with adults 18-49 on Monday through Friday at 10 p.m. — having averaged a 1.6 rating with "Leno" pre-Olympics, vs. a 2.6 now. The overall audience is up 45%, from 5.3 million to 7.7 million. CBS and ABC, meanwhile, are down in the hour.
Peacock still has a long way to go — and a lot of holes to fill — to recover from several years of ratings woes and corporate neglect. For full primetime, NBC is actually down 19% with adults 18-49 post-Olympics. The nets traditionally drop in the spring because of daylight saving time but CBS, ABC and Fox are posting smaller drops.
But the 10 p.m. boost is a start and has soothed cranky affiliates, which now have a stronger lead-in for their 11 p.m. newscasts on the night.
The "Parenthood" pickup is, at the very least, good news in a year where that's been hard to come by at NBC.
"I had one goal in coming back this season — to get one or two shows that would return," said NBC primetime entertainment prexy Angela Bromstad, who was brought in last year, along with reality topper Paul Telegdy, to revive primetime. "To have 'Community' and 'Parenthood,' and now have Adam Scott and Rob Lowe joining 'Parks and Recreation,' which is getting better and better creatively, it's so important to rebuild and have these returning shows.
"Hopefully these become building blocks and make the entire schedule healthier — and sexier," she said.
NBC also recently gave renewals to "Who Do You Think You Are?" and "Minute to Win It," both of which can be saved as utility players at some point next season.
As Bromstad and company prepare for pilot screenings, the net also appears to have a few real contenders for fall, including David Shore's new take on "The Rockford Files," J.J. Abrams' "Undercovers," David E. Kelley's "Kindreds," Jerry Bruckheimer's "Chase" and David Lyons starrer "The Cape."
As for "Parenthood," the Tuesday night drama has benefited from its "The Biggest Loser" lead-in, as well as NBC's promo blitz during the Winter Olympics.
Show has averaged a solid 3.2 rating/9 share in adults 18-49 and 7.8 million viewers. "When you have auspices like Jason Katims and Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, and their passion, it's much easier to say 'yes'," Bromstad said. "We wanted the show to live up to the NBC legacy of quality programming. And that's where we wound up."
NBC would have picked up the show sooner, but the network and studio had to resolve budget questions. With such a large cast, "Parenthood" isn't cheap.
"We had to make sure we were going forward and producing for the right number," Bromstad said.
But Katims is known for running a tight ship — he produced "Friday Night Lights" for DirecTV and NBC on a small budget. Berkeley-set "Parenthood" saves coin by shooting on Universal's backlot.
Meanwhile, whether "Parenthood" stays at 10 p.m. remains to be seen. As a family-oriented show, "Parenthood" might fit earlier in the evening, allowing NBC to try some grittier new shows later in the evening. But the Peacock also might not want to mess with what's working.
The show was originally slated in the fall for Wednesdays at 8 p.m., until original star Maura Tierney had to drop out due to health issues.
Tierney's departure was one of several challenges that "Parenthood" faced early on. The show, which stars Lauren Graham, Peter Krause, Monica Potter, Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia and Erika Christensen, is based on the 1989 film of the same name.
"My only concern in doing it again was to not tarnish the legacy of a great movie," said Imagine TV topper David Nevins. "This definitely was, in a lot of ways, the seminal movie for the company, and for Brian and Ron. But between Jason and the outstanding cast, the show feels really relevant for the times."
Katims, Grazer, Howard and Nevins exec produce "Parenthood" for Imagine TV and Universal Media Studios.


text:
Samoa Musicians under the Stars
Sat, 02/16/2013 - 2:50pm
Before a packed house, Mary Anderson sings a number with Vaito'a Hans Langkilde, while Mal Lavatai works the drums and Doc Tofaeono plays his horn for an audience that clapped and danced all evening. The local musicians had a blast doing what they do best at Sadie's by the Sea on Valentine's Day playing and singing under the stars. [photo: tlh]


text:
10 Best Women's Watches for Christmas
Christmas is the perfect time to surprise her with a new timepiece. Read our advice on the best women's watches for Christmas.
ITEM#: 19740885A striking Swiss made ladies watch with 51 diamonds on white ceramic with rose gold tone accents. Featuring a Mother of Pearl dial, 50M water resistance, sapphire crystal and uni-directional rotating bezel with 50M water resistance.
|Ceramic, Stainless Steel
|Strap Color
|Rose-Tone, White
|Dial Color
|Mother of Pearl
|Water Resistance Depth
|50 Meters
|Case Shape
|Case Diameter
|Case Thickness
|Caseback Type
|Closure Type
|Deployment, Pushbutton
|Dial Window Material
|Swiss Quartz
|Product Features
|Calendar Date, Diamond, Three Hand, Water Resistant
|Stone Accent
|Strap Length
|7.25 Inch
|Strap Width
|17mm Strap
|See Desscription
|5 year Limited Manufacturer
|Model Number
|Country of Origin
Christmas is the perfect time to surprise her with a new timepiece. Read our advice on the best women's watches for Christmas.
Whether your relationship is new or you've been together for years, nothing beats a thoughtful, romantic Christmas gift. Use our list of top 10 romantic gift ideas to find the perfect thing to place under the tree.
Christmas is the perfect time to give your wife a gift she'll cherish for a lifetime. Check out our top eight jewelry gift ideas for wives will help you navigate any jewelry counter.
From stylish gifts to supplement her wardrobe to new upgrades for your living space, here are some Christmas gift ideas for your wife that are sure to brighten her holiday season.
Find presents that will pamper mom and keep her looking and feeling her best. Here are some Christmas gifts for Mom that will help secure your spot as her favorite child.
If your well of brilliant gift ideas has run dry, run through our list of possible Mother's Day gifts and see if any of them would be a good fit for your better half. Give your wife a gift that she's sure to love this Mother's Day.
In the hurry and flurry of Christmas Day, don't overlook the gifts found in Christmas stockings. Stocking stuffers are usually smaller and less expensive than what you put under the tree, but they're a thoughtful and ideal way to celebrate the personality or interests of those on your list. Peruse our options and you'll be ready to grant the holiday wishes of the special people in your life.
Learn everything you need to know before buying a women's watch. Shop our huge selection of women's watches at Overstock.com.
Keep time with fashion and update your spring look with colorful watches.
A chronograph watch combines a traditional watch face with stopwatch capabilities. Read on for everything you need to know about a Chronograph watch.
Jewelry is a great gift-giving option, and Christmas is the perfect time to make her feel special. Check out our list below of the hottest jewelry gift ideas for girlfriends.
Our standard shipping method is ground shipping. We also offer expedited shipping for most items. Your final
shipping cost and estimated delivery timeframe will be available at checkout.
Standard shipping details
Expedited shipping details
Items must be returned in new or unused condition and contain all original materials included with the shipment.
More Details
For your protection, all orders are screened for security purposes. If your order is selected for review, our Loss Prevention Team may contact you by phone or email. There may be a two business day delay to process your order.
** Most Oversize orders are delivered within 1-4 weeks. Some orders may take 6 weeks to be delivered.
Bulova Accu Swiss Women's Swiss Made White Ceramic Watch with 51 Diamonds
Today: $569.99


text:
NE Ind. woman admits to neglecting grandmother
NE Ind. woman admits to neglecting grandmother
FORT WAYNE, Ind. —
A northeastern Indiana woman has pleaded guilty to neglecting her 78-year-old grandmother, who was found disoriented with bruises and cuts in her home.
Thirty-three-year-old Melanie McKinley of Fort Wayne pleaded guilty Monday in Allen County to felony neglect of a dependent and admitted to neglecting her grandmother, who was in her care.
The Journal Gazette reports that McKinley faces either two years in prison, work release or community corrections when she's sentenced next month.
Prosecutors say McKinley's grandmother was found disoriented and alone at her home in October 2011 with numerous bruises and blood on her nose. Her home also had wires across the floor and an open door to the basement staircase.


text:
Tourette's Disorder: Making Home and School Life EasierSkip to the navigation
Topic Overview
Changes at home
There are many ways you can help your child with Tourette's disorder at home:
- Don't treat tics as willful behavior. Although tics can appear to be "on purpose" and can cause you frustration, do not punish your child for having tics, and try not to show any frustration you may feel. Doing so may increase your child's anxiety and cause more tics. Remember that your child cannot control his or her tics.
- Alternate household tasks with free time.
- Notice when your child's tics get worse. Sometimes you may be able to find triggers and can help your child work through them or avoid them. But tics associated with Tourette's disorder come and go, so it may be difficult to know exactly why they sometimes get worse. You can help reassure your child during these times by staying calm and helping him or her to relax.
- Encourage your child to increase responsibilities at his or her own pace, since stress often makes tics worse or more frequent.
Changes at school
Teachers can help your child with Tourette's disorder if they:
- Provide more time for your child to take written tests.
- Allow your child to use a computer or to recite assignments rather than handwriting them if tics affect writing.
- Provide a seat where there is little distraction and some privacy.
- Allow for frequent rest periods when needed.
- Set a good example for accepting your child. It is important for your child to have teachers who discourage teasing by responding quickly and firmly whenever it occurs.
- Provide tutoring, time in learning labs, or special classes if needed.
Share your child's treatment goals with your child's teacher. And partner with his or her school so there is consistency across home and school in how Tourette's disorder is handled.
Related Information
ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer John Pope, MD - Pediatrics
Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Louis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics
Current as ofMay 3, 2017
- Top of Page
Next Section:Related Information
Previous Section:Topic Overview
- Top of Page
Next Section:Credits
Previous Section:Related Information
- Top of Page
Current as of: May 3, 2017
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.
To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise.org.
© 1995-2018 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


text: Of late your seeing more and more functional and fashionable accessories, in particular signature headphones. Doing the rounds this week are the Parra x The Perfect Unison headphones designed and made using the same techniques as David Burel's skate boards. Made from Finnish birch and only coming out at 1.2mm thick these headphones are flexible and lightweight all without any reduction in sound quality with the outter band of birch adorned in Parra's trademark style.


text:
Battleship Texas State Historic Site
Welcome Aboard!
Battleship Texas took part in some of the most significant naval battles of the 20th century during both world wars. Now docked along the Houston Ship Channel, she serves as a memorial to those turbulent times. Come walk her decks, and imagine life as a sailor!
Things to Do
Explore the battleship on your own or on a guided tour. We offer a variety of tours and programs, as well as student programs.
Picnic nearby at San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. You will find picnic tables, grills and water faucets in the park. Rent the picnic pavilion overlooking Buffalo Bayou for your group gathering. Hold your next meeting in the ship's conference room.
Our park store sells souvenirs and gift items, and a snack bar is open on weekends. The ship is accessible by wheelchair on the Main Deck only.
San Jacinto Battleground: Check out programs and tours of the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. Visit the battleground, Monument Observation Floor and San Jacinto Museum of History.
Volunteer: We need your help! Visit our Volunteer page to learn more.
Several nonprofit organizations support our mission:
- Battleship Texas Foundation
- First Texas Volunteers
- The San Jacinto Museum of History
Ranger Programs
We offer guided and self-guided tours, along with special programs throughout the year. We lead school programs and host a week-long summer day camp for kids entering third through seventh grades.
- Upcoming Events
- Visitor Tours and Programs
- Student Programs
- Activities & Puzzles (PDF)
- Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram!
Area Attractions
Battleship Texas is a short drive from downtown Houston and the Gulf of Mexico.


text:
Give an Hour is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free mental health services to military personnel and their families. Those who receive services and care from Give an Hour will then be given the opportunity to give back to their own communities.
Give an Hour
Users can search a nationwide database to find a counselor in their area. Give an Hour provides two methods to find the help you need. The Basic Search allows you to choose from a short list of fields to find the Providers in your area. The Guided Search asks a series of questions to help find the Provider in your area that best suits your situation.
Give an Hour


text:
well wat i wan to know is how to change to a page setting of a printer like from A4 to A3 or any other using c/c++ code.
smoking is really bad for ur PC....
This site should have what you're looking for...
if you punch in..." changing printer page settings " in the search...it gives you a long ( really long ) list.
Forum Rules


text:
#rental flats
Friendly Rentals destinations
Apartments in Valencia
Valencia a vibrant welcoming city on the coast of the Mediterranean has finally emerged from the shadow of Spain's two biggest cities Madrid and Barcelona. Ambitious city planning has seen an enormous change in the city's skyline the best known example is the City of arts and Science. A lively nightlife, excellent beaches, the explosive Las Fallas festival and world famous paella has made Valencia a popular tourist destination.
Coming to Valencia? Then let us at Friendly Rentals look after your accommodation needs. We have a wide range of apartments in Valencia certain to meet your needs. Coming for business, then one of our studio apartments would be perfect. Fully equipped with all the mod cons, wifi, microwave, washing machine and everything else you need to make it your home away from home. For a longer stay with the family or friends our extensive range of apartments on the beach are just perfect, sea views, swimming pools and large terraces will make your holiday in Valencia a memorable one.
What to eat in Valencia
Since Valencia is the birthplace of what can be considered Spain's national dish, the paella and it really is the only one thing you must eat when you come to Valencia. The good news is, there are lots of different varieties seafood, mixed and vegetable. There are as many variations to paella as there are towns in the region of Valencia. The best place to eat paella in Valencia is down by the waterfront, the smell of the sea on the breeze and the sun on your back.
Another must try in Valencia is Horchata, a refreshing summer drink made from Tiger Nuts, water and sugar, the texture is slightly creamy and both children and adults love it, keep your eyes open as you wander around the city streets and you are sure to find one or more Horchata parlours.
What to see in Valencia
Topping the list of what to see in Valencia is the Calatrava designed City of Arts and Sciences. The space age buildings are devoted to the five main elements and house an aquarium, IMAX cinema, science museum and arts. Providing a nice contrast to the ultra modern City of Arts and sciences is the UNESCO listed Silk Exchange, built during the 15th century it is an excellent example of Gothic architecture. Valencia's cathedral mixes architectural styles of the 13th and 15th centuries and its well known belltower, affectionately known as "Micalet" offers magnificent views of the city and the sea. On the outskirts of Valencia is La Albufera, a wetland which attracts flocks of wading birds and still manages to conserve a lot of Valencian traditions. Another of Valencia's major attractions is the beach so once you've seen all there is to see the only place left to go is the beach.
Shopping in Valencia
The heart of shopping in Valencia is the Mercado Central; here you can buy all kinds of food stuff, rice for paella, vegetables and meat. Even if you aren't hungry it is worth going just to see the way the produce is displayed and how the locals shop. Authentic souvenirs such as ceramics, silver, marquetry and iron work can be found at the Sunday market in Plaza Redonda. The streets around Calle Colon Plaza del Ayuntamiento are where the high street fashion stores Zara, Mango and the like abound the best time to shop here is during the twice yearly sales periods where discounts of up to 70% are available.
The large Mercado de Colon, a Gaudi inspired art nouveau market hall, has many shops and restaurants, a great place to go shopping in Valencia. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the quality and range of goods available in Valencia.
Valencia with Children
Aside from playing on the long sandy beaches under the blazing Mediterranean sun there are lots of other kid friendly activities in Valencia. The children will love the towering figures made of papier-mâché and wood often depicting well known personalities during Las Fallas festival. At the City of Arts & sciences they can delve into the depths with a visit to Europe's largest aquarium where sharks and whales swim freely. Walking through the aquarium feels like walking n te ocean floor.
There are numerous parks and gardens scattered throughout the city with play equipment, ponds, fountains and there is even a small Zoo in one of the gardens. Less than an hour away close to the resort town of Benidorm are numerous theme parks sure to keep the kids amused for hours.
Valencia Nightlife
The nightlife in Valencia is undoubtedly one if the best in Spain. During the late eighties Valencia was famous for la Ruta del Bakalao, a movement based on that of Manchester. Sadly those days have long gone but the nightlife in Valencia is lively and you are assured of a great time. Calle Alta in the city centre is lined with bars and good place to start the night before heading to one of Valencia's nightclubs where you can dance until dawn.
In summer the action switches to the beach where locals and visitors flock to the open air bars and enjoy the cool evening breeze under the stars. In summer an alternative to the beach is the City of Arts & sciences which hosts one of Valencia's biggest outdoor clubs, Mya. You will be spoilt for choice in Valencia.
Why Rent with Friendly Rentals?
If you want flexibility, excellent customer service, more privacy, luxury apartments with ocean views or maybe a swimming pool then the only real option is a Friendly Rentals apartment. We have over ten years experience in the short term holiday rental industry and can offer a guarantee of quality our competitors just can't match. We periodically inspect all of our apartments to ensure they meet our strict criteria and come with everything you need to make your stay as comfortable. Let our apartment in Valencia become your home away from home.
Our apartments in Valencia are rated 9.06 out of 10 based on 956 opinions.
Article written by our travel expert Anna Thomson


text:
Seibertron.com - The Ultimate Transformers Fansite
SKYWARPED_128 wrote:You've convinced me, Kanrabat. I just got flashbacks of being at the toy department with my late parents, salivating over a G1 OP, and knowing we couldn't afford one back then (it was priced at 90.00 local currency, which was A LOT back in the 80's for us).
If I see one at the hobby store going for a decent price, he's coming home with me.
zappatton2 wrote:Random question, but do the commemorative and encore toys have the same die-cast parts as the 80's guys? I ask because someone gave me what I think is G2 Prime and Starscream, and they seem to be all plastic
-Kanrabat- wrote:KUMA-NIN Maximus wrote:There is a reason why I am trying to stick with Takara/Takara Tomy, (...) when they debuted their Encore line, they made it the way it was made... With a few minor improvements. This version has me feel like safety regulations are more important than the adult fanbase it is made for.
So I am passing on both, but recommending Soundwave on grounds that he doesn't have any modifications that would make him look weird (...)
Just pointing out that not only the USA G1 Soundwave have his missile launcher deactivated (dont change the look but it kinda suck) He have that double-chest cassette compartment to accomodate his two cassettes minions at the same time. It dont really look bad, but it's not the same as the original.
Personally, I kinda like that bigger chest. It make Soundwave look less flat and more beefy. Unfortunately, my Laserbeak dont transform completely flat so him and Ravage cannot go inside at the same time.
Oh well, I'm still glad to have got that reissue in that trade. If I count everything, buying the toy he wanted (KO Battle Tanker), plus paying the shipping so I receive the KO, then, paying the shipping so I can send it to him, it ammounted me at around 64$ total. Not too shabby considering that Soundwave reeisue was going for more than 100$ not just a few weeks ago. The inportant thing is, I'm happy I got my Soundwave and my trade partner is very glad of his KO Battle Tanker. So glad, that I may buy one for myself.
The good and bad thing about these reissue, depending on what side of the fence you are on, is that they will become cheaper on Ebay and such. This will give that change to those who still dont have these molds to buy them at prices that will not make their wallets cry for mercy.
KUMA-NIN Maximus wrote:(...)
And with your trade/acquisition, very nice!
Also, I will not buy my Transformers off eBay on account that I plan to submit all of my pieces to AFA.
Silverwing wrote:Also, I feel compelled to give the obligatory:
One for each year of the Movieverse's decade strong tenure. Here's to a few more explosive years!
Return to Transformers Toys Discussion
Registered users: BG the Robit, Bing [Bot], Caelus, Emerje, Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Ironhidensh, Migrainelist, Rogue-Primal, Sabrblade, Servant of Light, Sigma Magnus, sprockitz, william-james88, Wingz, Yahoo [Bot]


text:
Artist description:
From ref photo
Java Draw Created Jan 06, 2009 470 x 338px Unless noted Copyright 2009 Sanskrit.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
hay! check out my album, I drew from the exact same reff!! Une larme pour toi!
perfec realy drawings
amazing ..5/5 and favs :P
never change any drawing u make. there all awsomeness!!!!
love it!! the black and white brings out alot of it
Award: Very realistic. Liked: ...Everything is perfect ! . Tips: I think nothing, it's so real XD
Award: So much effort. Liked: So,so very realistic!!. Tips: NOTHING! PLEASE DON't CHANGE IT!! :)'
WOW. Thats the only word
oh wow 5/5! ^-^


text:
SAN ANDREAS - After getting slapped three months ago by the Calaveras County grand jury for squabbling with each other and delaying development of a plan for handling state prison inmates released to supervision, leaders of the county's criminal justice agencies now appear to be playing nice.
SAN ANDREAS - After getting slapped three months ago by the Calaveras County grand jury for squabbling with each other and delaying development of a plan for handling state prison inmates released to supervision, leaders of the county's criminal justice agencies now appear to be playing nice.
The grand jury report issued in March found that the Community Corrections Partnership made up of law enforcement agencies, the courts, the District Attorneys Office, and other service agencies had bungled key tasks, making the county one of the last in California to come up with a plan.
Under the statewide criminal justice realignment that began in 2011, counties must supervise many criminals who would formerly have been in state prison or monitored by state parole agents.
Among the grand jury's criticisms were the way the county's top leaders treated each other. The jury said "insults, eye rolling and derisive laughter have rendered meetings inefficient and frequently unproductive."
The jury also found that various agencies were failing to share information freely with each other, or to meet as required to discuss the background and needs of specific criminals released to county supervision.
Three months later, the mood of those meetings and the relations between the agencies appear to be markedly different.
In the final report of the 2012-13 county grand jury, which was released Friday morning, representatives of those agencies said they agreed with the jury's criticisms and had already adopted the recommendations or were moving to do so.
Friday afternoon, the Community Corrections Partnership met to discuss how to achieve a major goal: developing measures acceptable to all involved to evaluate whether the county is meeting state requirements to reduce recidivism.
Gone were the raised voices and sarcasm that characterized meetings in 2011 and 2012. Instead, those at the meeting wrestled with how to even measure recidivism.
Mary Rose Rutikanga, an analyst hired by the county specifically for criminal justice realignment, said that most counties in California define recidivism as a new criminal conviction.
"I don't agree with that," said Capt. Ed Ballard, who oversees the Calaveras County Jail.
Ballard and other law enforcement officials, with their focus on protecting the public, believe recidivism includes a variety of harmful or criminal behaviors, whether they result in a new conviction.
For example, a parole or probation violation that results in a person returning to jail would be recidivism in Ballard's view.
The group also pondered whether arrests could be seen as evidence of recidivism.
District Attorney Barbara Yook pointed out that other factors than the behavior of criminals can change the number of arrests and, for that matter, convictions. If fewer sheriff deputies are working then there could be fewer arrests regardless of whether criminals have changed their behavior, she said.
Comparing recidivism rates to what they were before the state's criminal justice realignment is complicated because state parole agents who formerly watched state prison inmates after release and the various county probation departments that watch them now have their own approaches.
Rudy Haapanen, research director for criminal an juvenile justice at the University of California, Davis, Center for Human Services, is proposing a solution. Haapanen said he has been speaking with officials throughout the state about building a system to track the success or failure of criminals as they move through various county-run rehabilitation systems.
"To do that, we need to collect consistent information across the counties," Haapanen said Tuesday during a presentation to the county Community Corrections Partnership.
He said he'd be able to use graduate students at UC Davis to do some of the data collection and input work that overwhelmed county probation departments won't be able to do.
Paying for that might be a stumbling block. Haapanen said he hopes to have many counties pay a small portion of the $200,000 or so a year that he estimates it will take.
The Community Corrections Partnership on Friday tabled the discussion on whether to seek to cooperate with Haapanen.
Contact reporter Dana M. Nichols at (209) 607-1361 or email@example.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/calaverasblog.


text:
Ha! Greedo here surprised me, I figured we would get Boba Fett as #13...
It is a bit puffy/fuzzy. Thinner/flatter material would've been better. It looks like it has a fuzz to it, like suede/leather does, but that's more like a fleece they used on the VTSC figure.
which is handy if I have any accidental spills in the collection room
I customized up my own Greedo vest out of a Shamwow.
Wait - are you saying you customized a Shamwow Greedo vest for your figure or for yourself? Or both?
I'd love to see some pics of you in your Greedo costume with the Shamwow Vest!
You'll be sayin' "Wow" when you see them.
Have you ever wore your Greedo vest out in the rain?
Page created in 0.046 seconds with 18 queries.


text:
Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez has insisted his job is not in jeopardy despite his side slipping to a 3-2 defeat to Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.
Moussa Sissoko capped an incredible home debut for the hosts with a 90th-minute winner, but Benitez felt his side should have been given a penalty when Fabricio Coloccini caught Demba Ba in the face with his boot, leaving the former Toon man with a suspected broken nose.
When asked about his Stamford Bridge future, Benitez told reporters: "If the players show the character that they showed in the second half, it means something is right.
"If we cannot control these games, it is something we have to improve.
"With some players: David Luiz, [Eden] Hazard, [John] Obi Mikel and Victor Moses coming back that gives us more options and maybe we can have fresh legs on the pitch.
"When we are in form and doing well, we can beat anyone.
"We are doing a good job in terms of what you can see on the pitch so we're doing well. The team has great team spirit and I'm confident that the team will finish in the top three.
"I felt the reaction of the team in the second half was fantastic, We scored great goals, we had more chances but we made the mistake to allow them to play on the counterattack.
"We have to improve, but we couldn't change the situation of Demba Ba.
"It was a penalty and a red card for me. In the middle of the park it's just carry on, go back, free kick. In the penalty area it's carry on, go back, penalty and red card.
"It changed the game, we lost a player to a broken nose. It's something to consider. In other circumstances, everyone would be talking about this."


text:
Joan Soriano
Born in the Dominican Republic, this master singer and guitarist offers a performance that draws upon a variety of influences from Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean to blend Afro-Dominican sacred traditions with bachata.
Related Artists
Recent Broadcasts
Zainab Johnson
9/19/2018 at 6:00 PM
Zainab Johnson, a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer, is quickly becoming one of the most unique and engaging performers on stage and screen. Her comedy is shaped by her background growing up in Harlem as one of 13 siblings in a Muslim family. She was recently honored as a New Face of Comedy at the prestigious Montreal Just For Laughs Festival and was one of the breakout new comedians on NBC's Last Comic Standing.
This program contains mature themes and strong language!
Free general admission tickets will be distributed in the States Gallery starting at approximately 5 p.m., up to two tickets per person.
This show is not available for viewingFeatured Artist(s)
Zainab Johnson
Josanne Francis
9/18/2018 at 6:00 PM
Born and raised in the twin-island Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, Josanne Francis is an internationally known steelpan performer and music educator. Her music delivers that special "extra" that separates her from even the greats, and catapults listeners into a unique and exceptional place.
Dina El Wedidi
9/17/2018 at 6:00 PM
A sophisticated musical innovator, Dina El Wedidi weaves together the personal threads of Egyptian heritage and contemporary identity.
Presented in collaboration with Center Stage, a program of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Dina Elwedidi
Youssra El Hawary
9/16/2018 at 6:00 PM
A musical storyteller of everyday life, Youssra El Hawary captures the tales of Cairo and the alchemy of the Mediterranean basin in her indie sound.
Presented in collaboration with Center Stage, a program of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Youssra Hawary's
WET: A DACAmented Journey
9/15/2018 at 6:00 PM
WET: A DACAmented Journey is the story of what it means to be an American in every sense of the word except one: on paper. It chronicles Anner Cividanis's journey living his whole life in the United States as an undocumented American. The play captures the desperation that DREAMers feel when considering their very limited options, forced to navigate a broken U.S. immigration system. The play examines the mental, emotional, and psychological hardship one man has to endure in order to secure his livelihood in the only home he has known: Los Angeles.
This performance will start with a live DJ set from DJ Magic at 5:30 pm.
Presented as a part of the Hip Hop Theater Festival.
DJ Magic
Hip Hop Theater Festival
Alex Alpharaoh
Watch more videos
Millennium Stage Calendar
Perform on Millennium Stage
Are you interested in performing on Millennium Stage, or do you have a program you'd like to recommend? In order to be considered, please submit any recent videos of live performance within the last two years, website, Facebook page, or other pertinent information to email@example.com.


text:
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Police clashed Tuesday with followers of an anti-Taliban cleric critical of Pakistan's government in the eastern city of Lahore, violence that killed at least five people, officials said.
The cleric, Tahir-ul-Qadri, is based in Canada but has a network of mosques and religious centers across Pakistan. Qadri led a rally of tens of thousands of his supporters that shut down the capital last year, calling for a delay in elections to prevent electoral fraud. His plan to return to Pakistan on June 23 and rally against the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has once again put him in the limelight.
There were conflicting accounts of the death toll. Lahore Police Chief Shafiq Gujjar said the violence killed five protesters. The head of Jinnah Hospital, Dr. Abdur Raof, said the hospital had received eight bodies so far, all shot to death. He said the hospital also received 80 wounded.
The clashes started when authorities came to Qadri's house and seminary complex to remove security barriers that they said had turned the entire vicinity into a no-go area.
"The police were heavily fired upon from inside the ... center," said Gujjar, speaking on Pakistani television. Gujjar said that gunfire killed the protesters, not police.
A spokesman for Qadri, Shahid Mursaleem, said the police first shot tear gas to disperse the protesters, then opened fire on them. Mursaleem said police arrested 40 to 50 of the cleric's followers. He said the government is worried about Qadri's return and is trying to quiet him.
Qadri on Twitter accused the government of trying to divert attention away from the army operations in North Waziristan, which Qadri has supported. Pakistan launched a major offensive Sunday against militants there after Sharif's push for peace talks failed to produce results.
Qadri struck a chord with people last year by attacking the state's inability to solve problems such as electricity and unemployment. But his demand that the government be dissolved and replaced by a military-backed caretaker administration raised concerns that he was being used by the nation's powerful army to delay parliamentary elections. Qadri denied having any connection to the army.
Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana in Islamabad contributed to this report.


text:
This Multimedia is about
Roger Vivier Chips metallic leather wedge sandals AotsFW0
You can help us to trace an object and stop child abuse
The most innocent clues can sometimes help crack a case. The objects are all taken from the background of an image with sexually explicit material involving minors. For all images below, every other investigative avenue has already been examined. Therefore we are requesting your assistance in identifying the origin of some of these objects. We are convinced that more eyes will lead to more leads and will ultimately help to save these children.
Can you help us recognise the objects? We specifically want to trace their origin (location/country). You can help by clicking on an object you recognise and providing Europol with the information you have on the object. This can be done anonymously. Once the origin of an object is identified, we will inform the competent law enforcement authority of the involved country to further investigate this lead and hopefully speed up the identification of both the offender and the victim.
Tel.: +31 70 302 5000
Don't wait for the once-a-month sales from those other stores, find your favorite name brand wines on sale, outlet priced, everyday here at Outlet Liquor! Find 19 Crimes, Apothic wines, select Barefoot wines more!
At New York's only Outlet Liquor, you'll find the name brands of the wines and spirits you enjoy to satisfy whatever your outlet is!
Whether it's a great bottle of wine or your favorite spirit, we have what you want at .Don't miss out on our , a feature of our store everyday, year round! We even recently expanded our store to fit even more of your favorites at low prices, like , and of course, our extensive New York State Wine Section!
What is genuine outlet pricing? It means we bring you the best prices every day. No weekly sales on select items like other liquor stores. Our prices are consistently low! Don't wait for other store's weekly sales, take advantage of Outlet Liquor's today. Outlet Liquor is Western New York's destination for everyday low prices on wine and liquor – just a ten minute drive from the Buffalo Airport and less than a half hour from the Peace Bridge. We even carry hard to find ! Don't see what you're looking for? we'll try to order it for you!
Looking for cocktail recipes? Head to Follow the recipes that we post for holiday cocktails, seasonal drink mixes and the newest beverages so that you'll always be the life of the party! While you're there, don't forget to sign up for our newsletter!
So why shop the sales when you can get the in one place every day? Don't wait, head to Buffalo's favorite wine liquor store, Outlet Liquor, at 2152 George Urban Boulevard in Depew!
Where you can buy one bottle get the second for just a Penny! Every day, Mix-n-Match - Only pay the net bottle cost!
Stock up on your favorite wines save every day - no need for weekly sales! Apothic Red, Relax Wine, Kendall Jackson More! Stock Up Now!
Save even more in our Penny Section throughout the store with our coupons! Get Coupons
Sipsmith London Dry Gin Tasting Saturday, May 6th 3 - 6 PM
Penny Section Tasting - Effen Vodka More Saturday, May 20th 3 - 6 PM
Penny Section Tasting - Effen Vodka More Friday, May 26th 4 - 7 PM
2152 George Urban Boulevard Depew, New York 14043 (716) 651-9740
Copyright © 2018 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
Ann Inc.'s Loft has launched its first plus-size line, offering pieces in sizes 16 through 26 in response to consumer feedback across all channels from store managers to corporate employees.
The womenswear retail group announced this Monday that Erin Stern has been promoted to the position of Dressbarn President.
Ascena sales fell in both the fourth quarter and fiscal year due to a decline in store traffic. CEO David Jaffe said he expects the decline to continue "for the foreseeable future."
Pinkie Swear is a new L.A. based makeup "collective" whose e-commerce-only products look like art supplies, from creative directors Brian Wolk and Claude Morais of the Wolk Marais fashion label.
Aurielle Sayeh is the ultimate it-girl. She is the voice, creator and creative vision behind She Is the Light, a visual and written diary of an American in Paris. Now based between Amsterdam Paris, Aurielle is currently working as an International DJ Radio Host along side Rinse FM/Rinse France, Published Writer, Creative Director, Content Creator Influencer. With a penchant for everything from editorial work- behind and in front of the camera, fashion, photography, and music to fitness and beauty - she dabbles in every monde and threads it all together seamlessly.


text:
Griffin:Puromycin Selection
Puromycin dihydrochloride
Puromycin dihydrochloride is a aminonuclease antibiotic that inhibits protein synthesis. Puromycin is used for selection and maintenance of cell lines expressing a transfected pac gene (S. alboniger), whose product, puromycin acetyltransferase, inactivates puromycin via acetylation; recommended concentration in cell culture 1-10µg/ml. Lot-to-lot variations in potency exist for all selection antibiotics, each new lot of puromycin should be titrated. The working puromycin concentration for mammalian cell lines ranges from 1-10 µg/ml. Prior to using the puromycin antibiotic, titrate the selection agent to determine the optimal concentration for target cell line. Use the lowest concentration that kills 100% of non-transfected cells in 3-5 days from the start of puromycin selection.
Depending on individual cell type and doubling rate, selection of stable transfectants will take between 7 and 28 days. Expansion and characterization of single cell clones will take several weeks in addition. Media should be changed out every 2-3 days. This eliminates potentially toxic substances produced by dying cells and secondly, it keeps the concentration of the antibiotic at a constant level.
Puromycin Selection (shRNA protocol) for selection of stably transfected cells
- 48 hours post-shRNA plasmid transfection, aspirate the medium and replace with fresh medium containing puromycin at the appropriate concentration.
- Approximately every 2-3 days, aspirate and replace with freshly prepared selective media.
- Monitor the cells daily. Puromycin selection requires a minimum of 48 hours.
- Optimum effectiveness should be reached within 3-10 days.
- Assay transfected cells.
Suggested working conditions for selection in some mammalian cells:
- Hela human uterus: 3 µg/ml
- HEK293 human embryonic kidney: 3
- B16 mouse melanoma: 1-3
- PC1.0 hamster adenocarcinoma: 10
Titrating puromycin for selecting transfected cell lines
- Plate 2 x 105 cells in each well of a 6-well plate containing 3 ml of the appropriate complete medium plus increasing concentrations of puromycin (i.e., 0, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 µg/ml)
- Replace with fresh selective medium after 2 days to remove dead cells.
- Examine the wells for viable cells every two days.
- Monitor the cells daily and observe the percentage of surviving cells. Optimum effectiveness should be reached in 1-4 days.
- The minimum antibiotic concentration to use is the lowest concentration that kills 100% of the cells in 3-5 days from the start of puromycin selection.
Factors Influencing Successful Transfection
- Concentration and purity of nucleic acids – Determine the concentration of your DNA using 260 nm absorbance. Avoid cytotoxic effects by using pure preparations of nucleic acids.
- Transfection in serum-free media – the highest transfection efficiencies can be obtained if the cells are exposed to the transfection complexes in serum free conditions followed by the addition of medium containing twice the amount of normal serum to the complex medium 3–5 hrs post transfection (leaving the complexes on the cells). However, the transfection medium can be replaced with normal growth medium if high toxicity is observed.
- No antibiotics in transfection medium – The presence of antibiotics can adversely affect the transfection efficiency and lead to increased toxicity levels in some cell types. It is recommended that these additives be initially excluded until optimized conditions are achieved, then these components can be added, and the cells can be monitored for any changes in the transfection results.
- High protein expression levels – Some proteins when expressed at high levels can by cytotoxic; this effect can also be cell line specific.
- Cell history, density, and passage number –It is very important to use healthy cells that are regularly passaged and in growth phase. The highest transfection efficiencies are achieved if cells are plated the day before. However, adequate time should be allowed to allow the cells to recover from the passaging (generally >12 hours). Plate cells at a consistent density to minimize experimental variation. If transfection efficiencies are low or reduction occurs over time, thawing a new batch of cells or using cells with a lower passage number may improve the results.
- Murnane JP, Yezzi MJ, and Young BR. Recombination events during integration of transfected DNA into normal human cells. Nucleic Acids Res. 1990 May 11;18(9):2733-8.
- Haber JE. DNA repair. Gatekeepers of recombination. Nature. 1999 Apr 22;398(6729):665, 667. DOI:10.1038/19423 |
- Glover DJ, Lipps HJ, and Jans DA. Towards safe, non-viral therapeutic gene expression in humans. Nat Rev Genet. 2005 Apr;6(4):299-310. DOI:10.1038/nrg1577 |


text:
Yeah, thanks for the advice, but I am not talking about downtown. I am talking about the Cheesecake Factory in Highlands Ranch or Maggiano's. Just those two places. I love both restaurants, and my wife has never been to Maggiano's before so I am leaning there right now.
I'm from Colorado and go to CU. I would think Colorado is an easy choice over Denver. Boulder is without a doubt the nicest place to live in Colorado, while Denver is very low on the list of places I would live in Colorado.


text:
anyone want to hit next week?
Hi all, i'm looking for someone to rally with in the culver city/palms area. Strokes are pretty reliable, around 3.5, although I'd like more game experience. I'm free Sunday through Thursday after 7pm, and wouldn't mind driving 15 min or so to a court near you.See More


text:
The signature phrase of America's booming good food movement has been expanded from "organic" to "local and sustainable."
Good! The phrase suggests great quality, strong environmental stewardship and a commitment to keeping our food dollars in the local economy. If you support the local-economies movement, as I do, no doubt you'll be thrilled to hear that a new, local food store is coming soon to your neighborhood. In fact, it's even named Neighborhood Market.
Only, it's not. It's a Wal-Mart. Yes, the $400-billion-a-year retail behemoth, with 2 million employees laboring in 8,500 stores spread around the globe, now is putting on a "local" mask. The giant is promising to buy 9 percent of the produce it'll sell from local farmers. Big whoopie. This means that 91 percent of the foodstuffs offered in its "Neighborhood" chain will come from Wayawayland. Wal-Mart is to local what near beer is to beer. Near beer is not beer ... and Wal-Mart is not local.
But even the 9 percent number is a deceit, for Wal-Mart says that it defines "local" as grown in the same state. Excuse me, but in California, Florida, Texas and other such sizable states, that can be a mighty long truck-haul away. Not exactly what us locals would call "local."
As for being sustainable, Wal-Mart is bragging about a billion-dollar investment it'll make to shrink its environmental footprint a bit. That's a nice gesture, but come on, this outfit has humongous feet that bestride the whole world, and even a billion bucks won't shrink that footprint. Also, it's made no commitment to organic production, nor did it rule out peddling genetically engineered Frankenfoods as part of its "sustainability" gimmick.
Who does Wal-Mart think it's fooling? It's not coming to our neighborhoods to be local and sustainable, but to drive out our homegrown enterprises and extract profits from our own communities.
Flimflamming seems to be the favorite corporate sport these days, even by outfits that pose as ethical paragons. For instance, if you Google Google, you might learn that this Internet powerhouse once proudly promised to do no evil.
In CorporateWorld, however, ethics are often discarded like an old suit that no longer fits. Thus, this $24-billion-a-year, do-no-evil corporation is now a voracious tax-dodger.
A Bloomberg News reporter reveals that Google transfers a big chunk of its annual profits to a subsidiary in Ireland. Then, prior to tax time, Google funnels these profits into a shell corporation in the Netherlands, from which they are bounced into yet another shell corporation in Bermuda. It's not natural beauty that draws Google to the islands, but the fact that Bermuda assesses no taxes on corporate profits. Bottom line: Google escapes paying a billion dollars a year that it ethically owes in U.S. taxes.
Meanwhile, such computer powers as Cisco and Oracle are lobbying furiously to reprise a tax flimflam that multinational corporations pulled on us during the George W. Bush regime. They were allowed to pay a mere 5 percent tax rate on profits they had stashed abroad - in exchange for pledging to invest this money in American factories and jobs. They got their tax break, then reneged on their job-creation promise, with many corporations actually grabbing the giveaway while firing employees.
Now, they're demanding another tax holiday in return for bringing home a trillion dollars in profits they've squirreled away in foreign tax havens. Amazingly, like rubes at a medicine show, Republicans in Congress are swallowing this same old snake oil, pushing legislation to let super-rich corporations do it to us again.
Before GOP leaders give in, they should recall the words of George W., the guy who enabled the first scam. "Fool me once, shame on - shame on you," he said. "Fool me - you can't get fooled again."
Of course, it's us taxpayers who'll get shafted by this corporate tomfoolery.


text:
Quarterback Michael Scarnecchia (6-4 192) of Fleming Island, Fla., committed to USC Sunday night becoming the quarterback for the Gamecocks' 2014 class.
Scarnecchia had been committed to UAB and was drawing interest from Syracuse, Arkansas State and some Ivy League schools.
Scarnecchia attended one of Steve Spurrier's camps this past summer, and that's where the interest in him began to grow.
"Coach Spurrier saw me in camp and really liked me," Scarnecchia said. "I was at the Kentucky game and after the game I sat down with him and he said he was thinking about an offer and he liked my film. He came through with the offer the week after the Arkansas game."
Scarnecchia said he wasn't that familiar with USC as a school, but he's liked what he's been told by family and friends. As for the football, he is familiar with what the Gamecocks like to do on offense.
"They run a pro spread, and coach Spurrier is one of the best quarterback coaches you're going to get," he said.
This season Scarnecchia said he's around 1,000 yards passing with 18 touchdowns and 1 interceptions, and he's completing 65 percent of his attempts. As a junior he passed for 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns with 3 interceptions.
"They say I'm coachable and throw the ball well with a strong arm," Scarnecchia said. "Coach Spurrier said I haven't reached my potential and he really wants to work with me."
ESPN considers Scarnecchia a three-star prospect.
Scarnecchia said Spurrier did nearly all of the recruiting with him, though he talked some with area recruiter Steve Spurrier Jr. He is USC's 14th commitment for the 2014 class.


text:
"Identity Thief" — It seems ironic that the title is "Identity Thief" when its co-stars have such a firm grasp on their well-established screen personae. Melissa McCarthy is the brash wild card with an off-kilter sense of humor and an underlying, slightly dangerous streak. Jason Bateman is the initially bemused but increasingly frustrated straight man whose deadpan quips seem to be the only things that keep him sane. These two opposites are stuck on a cross-country road trip together but no one's really going anywhere. Optimally, with a better script, that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Instead, "Identity Thief" strands these two ordinarily enjoyable comics in the middle of nowhere with no help for miles. "Midnight Run," it is not. It's actually not even "Due Date," which felt similarly strained. It's not just that director Seth Gordon ("Horrible Bosses") and screenwriter Craig Mazin (the reheated "Hangover Part II") confuse meanness for hilarity. There's that, including a weirdly uncomfortable thread of homophobia and/or emasculation. More fundamentally, though, the premise is just flawed. Bateman's mild-mannered accounts processor, Sandy Patterson, discovers that a con artist (McCarthy) has stolen his identity and racked up thousands of dollars in charges. They all come from the same place — Winter Park, Fla. — and they started weeks ago. But Sandy lives in Denver. Isn't this suspicious? R for sexual content and language. 107 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
"Side Effects" — If this is indeed Steven Soderbergh's final film, as he's said it will be after toying with the notion of retirement for a couple of years now, then intriguingly it feels like he's coming full circle in some ways to the film that put him on the map: the trailblazing, 1989 indie "sex, lies and videotape." Both are lurid genre exercises, laid bare. Both focus on the intertwined lives of four central figures, including a scene in which one of the men interviews one of the women on video, hoping to unearth a hidden truth. Both movies are about danger, secrets and manipulation, filled with characters who aren't what they initially seem, all of which Soderbergh depicts with his typically cool detachment. Twists and double crosses occur and schemes are revealed as layer upon layer of Scott Z. Burns' clever script gets peeled away. Yet Soderbergh approaches such dramatic events with the same chilly tone that has marked so much of his work, even as the developments grow more than a little implausible. Rooney Mara is chilling as a troubled Manhattan woman who starts taking a new drug at the urging of her psychiatrist (Jude Law). Bad things happen. Channing Tatum and Catherine Zeta-Jones co-star. R for sexuality, nudity, violence and language. 106 minutes. Three stars out of four.
— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic


text:
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday said he would consider visiting former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) if he is sent to a hospital in Taipei for treatment, after Taoyuan General Hospital suggested that Chen should be transferred to a major medical center for further check-ups.
Hau, who has expressed support for granting Chen medical parole, said yesterday that his stance on the issue had not changed, adding that a medical team should assess Chen's condition.
In a question-and-answer session at the Taipei City Council yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors applauded Hau for his support on the issue and called on the mayor to provide security for the former president if he is sent to a medical center in Taipei.
"Of course I will consider [visiting Chen if he is sent to a Taipei medical center]. It's not my authority to decide whether Chen should receive medical treatment in Taipei, but if he is sent to a hospital in this city, I believe related agencies and the hospital would take care of his safety," he said in response to a question from DPP Taipei City Councilor Tung Chung-yen (童仲彥).
DPP Taipei City councilors Wang Shih-chien (王世堅), Chuang Rui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) and Chiang Chih-ming (江志銘), among others, thanked Hau and said his proposal would help improve relations between the pan-blue and pan-green camps.
However, New Party Taipei City Councilor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) questioned Hau's motives, alleging that the mayor had made the proposal for political gain, while acknowledging that Hau's endorsement of Chen's medical parole would boost his support.
"You are one of the Chinese Nationalist Party's [KMT] potential 2016 presidential candidates, and your next step after stepping down in 2014 is under great scrutiny. We all know that the endorsement will certainly make you popular among pan-green supporters," she said.
Hau said his endorsement of Chen's medical parole had nothing to do with the 2016 presidential elections.
Separately yesterday, human rights activists Hans Wahl and Harreld Dinkins visited Minster of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) at the -ministry, accompanied by DPP legislators Mark Chen (陳唐山) and Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財), as well as Taiwan Solidarity Union legislators Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) and Lin Shih-chia (林世嘉).
Jack Healey, director of the Washington-based Human Rights Action Center, who was scheduled to lead the group of visitors, said in a press statement that he was unable to attend the visit because he had the flu.
Wahl and Dinkins, who visited the former president at Taoyuan General Hospital on Monday, held a closed-door meeting with Tseng.
According to the ministry, the two human rights activists met Tseng to learn about the state of Chen Shui-bian's health and the conditions of his imprisonment.
Meanwhile, Taoyuan General Hospital yesterday said it had arranged for Chen Shui-bian to undergo a neck ultrasound test and an eye exam.
On Friday, the hospital had found a 4mm-by-4mm trace of cerebral vascular trauma in his right frontal lobe, possibly indicating the former president had a minor stroke.
DPP Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), who is a former Chang Guan Memorial Hospital doctor and who also visited the former president at the hospital, said during a political talk show on TV on Monday evening that there was not one, but seven or eight instances of cerebral vascular trauma, in Chen Shui-bian's frontal lobe


text:
< Seven Deaths Confirmed in Arkansas
Apr 26, 2011 14:14
Category: General News
Category: General News
Flooding in MidWest
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (AP) - Flooding is the worry today for many living in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys. Relentless, driving rain is pounding southern Missouri. The already swollen Black River continues to rise. It's pouring over more than three dozen spots along a levee that protects the town of Poplar Bluff. Forecasters say the rain isn't likely to stop for days.


text:
November 18. 2013 8:22PM
— A Keene teenager was arrested on charges he sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl.
Caleb Z. Sheldon, 17, of Franklin Street, was arrested Nov. 18 on a warrant issued by the 8th Circuit Keene Court. He is charged with aggravated felonious sexual assault, a Class A felony.
Sheldon, who was already out on bail for many misdemeanor theft charges, resisting arrest, contempt of court, was arraigned before the 8th Circuit Keene Court. Bail was set at $25,000 cash. In lieu of bail, Sheldon was taken to the Cheshire County Jail on Monday.
The case remains under investigation. Anyone who has information is asked to call the Keene Police Department at 357-9820 and to speak to Detective Jennifer Ramey.


text:
A global company – organising tours, bookings and events in over 100 countries
20 years' experience in the music business – connected, established and respected
Diverse – representing international stars and fresh talent across genres
Reliable and meticulous with process and logistics to support excellent service
Latest news
Amsterdam Dance Event's latest edition is fast approaching, with this year's festival...
Following a sold-out tour in 2017, chart-topping vocal group Boney M are...
In our new monthly longform series "Extended Play", we take a closer...
MN2S is an international talent and music services company. We have an established booking agency and a label services division. Operating in over 100 countries, we connect artists, DJs, celebrity talent and record labels to global audiences.
MN2S first launched as a booking agency in 1997 under the brand Milk 'n' 2 Sugars. In 1999 we set up a record label under the same name.
Today our London talent agency represents emerging and established DJs, producers and performers across diverse music genres. Our booking agents co-ordinate bookings for clubs, concerts and corporate events around the world.
In addition, we represent celebrity talent and personalities from the world of sports, media and entertainment. They are sought after as after dinner speakers, and for media appearances and endorsements.
In 2008, we established our label services division. Using our label management experience and music distribution connections, we help independent record labels to succeed in the global music market.
We represent DJs, live performers and celebrities, managing and creating international booking opportunities.VIEW BOOKING ROSTER
We provide independent record labels with a range of services to help them achieve their goals.VIEW LABEL SERVICES


text:
Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas Dorr has announced a $16 million loan guarantee to help finance construction of an electrical generating plant in rural Arizona that will use wildfire-damaged timber along with waste wood and paper fiber from a nearby paper mill as a fuel source.
The announcement marks the first time that USDA has made a loan guarantee through its Rural Development Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency program.
"This project supports President Bush's comprehensive national energy policy," said Dorr. "Renewable energy is a top priority for the nation and for USDA. As we expand generating capacity through projects like this one, we not only convert into electricity a fuel source that would otherwise go to waste, we broaden our energy options and through construction of this plant, provide a source of new jobs to Arizona."
Rural Development funds will guarantee a $16 million loan to Snowflake White Mountain Power, LLC of Snowflake, Ariz. The company will build a 20-megawatt biomass electrical generating plant 17 miles from the community. The $23 million generating plant will use wildfire-damaged timber from the 450,000 acre Rodeo-Chediski fire, along with waste from the nearby Abitibi Paper Mill as a fuel source. The timber that was damaged by wildfire will be sold to the company under contracts with the U.S. Forest Service as part of its Healthy Forest Initiative.
Electricity generated by the plant will be sold to two Arizona utility companies, Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service. Each company will purchase 10 megawatts of power.
USDA Rural Development is providing a $10 million renewable energy systems loan guarantee along with a $6 million business and industry loan guarantee to fund the project. For the last several years, USDA Rural Development has provided renewable energy grants to selected applicants. In fiscal year 2005 alone, 154 grants totaling over $22 million were awarded under the program.
Final regulations establishing a loan guarantee component to the program were published in July 2005.
Renewable energy
"This loan guarantee is significant. Not only is it the first of what we expect will be many loans of its type, but loans made through this program will promote the development of renewable energy sources and provide energy efficiency improvements that contribute to the reduction of our dependence on foreign fuel," said Dorr.
The renewable energy program provides grants and loans to eligible farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses to assist in developing renewable energy systems and making energy improvements. Projects must be located in a rural area (any area other than cities or towns of greater than 50,000 population and the immediate or adjacent urbanized areas of the cities or towns). Eligible businesses include sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and cooperatives organized in accordance with 501c(12) of the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, the applicant must meet the Small Business Administration's small business size standards.
USDA Rural Development's mission is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life in rural communities. As a venture capital entity, Rural Development has invested over $54 billion since the beginning of the Bush administration to provide equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure. Over one million jobs have been created or saved through these investments.
Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA's Web site at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.


text:
DETROIT – When the word reached the Orion Assembly Plant, it spread along the serpentine assembly line like news of a death or natural disaster: General Motors, the biggest automaker in the world, had filed for bankruptcy protection.
On that grim day in 2009, Chevrolet and Pontiac sedans kept rolling down the line. And 1,700 worried workers stayed at their stations even as GM announced it would close the plant in a desperate bid to survive.
"The unknown was the scariest part," recalled Gerald Lang, who had worked at Orion for two years installing dashboards and doors. "We really had no clue what was going to happen."
There was something else that the workers didn't know: They were witnessing the opening act
of one of the greatest recovery stories in American business.
Nearly four years later, Chevrolets are still moving down the assembly line under the plant's 82-acre roof. Lang and his co-workers now build the Sonic, the best-selling subcompact car in the nation. It's a vehicle no one thought could be made profitably in the U.S., by a company that few people thought would last.
But GM has not only survived, it has earned $16 billion in profits in the past three years. And the industry is on track to make this year its best year since 2007.
Detroit's improbable comeback is the work of many: President George W. Bush, who authorized the first bailout loans; President Barack Obama, who made more loans; workers who took
lower wages and focused more on quality to compete with foreign rivals; and executives and designers who developed better cars amid the financial maelstrom happening around them.
To be sure, there were victims: shareholders, auto-parts makers and other suppliers who went out of business, as well as taxpayers who will never get all their money back.
But there is no denying that American carmakers have made a remarkable recovery. Nearly 790,000 people now have jobs building cars, trucks and parts, up 27 percent from the dark days of 2009. The story of the Sonic shows how the industry, along with a community in a downtrodden state, got there.
Detroit has seen many booms and busts in a century of auto making. There were 41 car companies in the city in 1913. Almost all failed or were consolidated into the Big Three. Chrysler nearly went bankrupt in 1980 before being rescued by the government. Sales ebb and flow with the economy, gas prices and even the weather.
But industry experts say things have changed. The reforms Detroit undertook make it less prone to financial disaster. Car companies have closed plants, laid off workers and sold or closed entire brands. GM now has 12 U.S. assembly plants and 101,000 employees in North America. A decade ago, it had 22 plants and 202,000 employees.
"You literally can't do as many bad things because of the smaller workforce and the smaller portfolio of plants," said David Cole, chairman emeritus of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich. "The vulnerability to stupid things is not as great as it used to be."


text:
2009 Big Dog Coyote Review
This Mutt-derived Coyote takes a step south on the price scale and northward on the chrome scale. Big Dog Motorcycles has come into the 2009 model year with a winning combination of style and price.
Big Dog Motorcycles is an American manufacturer based out of Wichita, Kansas. Established in 1994, Big Dog has become the world's largest manufacturer of custom motorcycles. Every Big Dog bike features a V-Twin 117 cubic inch engine, 6-speed transmission, one-piece steel tank and right side drive, but what sets Big Dog apart is customization. Numerous paint and graphic options are available, as are custom seats, exhausts, grips, windshields and more.


text:
Sometimes no matter how hard you try and keep your weight in check during pregnancy, you still wind up putting on a few more pounds than you initially expected and end up tipping the scales well above the recommended 25 to 35 pound weight gain. (Which is a total crock anyway.) And even though they're known for their fabulous figures, celebrities are also susceptible to the battle of the pregnancy bulge. She looks so amazing now, you'd never guess that Vanessa Lachey gained 65 pounds while pregnant with her son Camden.
For real! And can you believe she had no qualms about putting that number out there? Gotta love her for it.
See? Gaining a decent amount of weight really isn't as uncommon as you think. And if celeb moms aren't afraid to spill the beans on how many pounds they added to their fab figures -- none of us should be either.
Check out these photos to see 6 more celebrities who gained over 50 pounds while pregnant.
Image via Pacific Coast News