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By Bob Hand
CSCE Staff Advisor
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe organized a two-day Annual Security Review Conference (ASRC) on June 25 and 26, 2003, in Vienna, Austria.
The U.S. proposal to hold this conference was approved in December 2002 by the OSCE's Foreign Ministers' meeting in Porto, Portugal. The conference's goal was to provide increased emphasis and profile to hard security questions from agreements in conventional arms control and Confidence- and Security-Building Measures (CSBMs) to police-related activities and combating terrorism. In this sense, the ASRC differs from OSCE's Annual Implementation Assessment Meeting held under the auspices of the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation, which more narrowly focuses on CSBM implementation.
The meeting consisted of opening and closing plenary sessions, and four working groups devoted to a) preventing and combating terrorism; b) comprehensive security; c) security risks and challenges across the OSCE region; and d) conflict prevention and crisis management.
U.S. Priorities for the Implementation Review
Leading up to the conference, Helsinki Commission Co-Chairs Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) and Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) urged the U.S. Department of State to conduct a thorough implementation review which focused on the need for the participating States to comply with their security-related OSCE commitments. Russian military operations in Chechnya and the Caucasus, democratic political control over the military, security forces and intelligence services, so-called "frozen conflicts" like those in Moldova and the Caucasus, combating terrorism, money laundering and non-proliferation were subjects of particular concern noted by the co-chairs.
Conference keynote speaker Adam Rotfeld, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister, stressed that the biggest threat to the OSCE was the support by criminal and dictatorial regimes for terrorists. The organization needed to give particular focus on the Caucasus and Central Asian countries in an effort to meet this threat by building institutions and establishing the rule of law. It was also suggested that OSCE look beyond its traditional areas and include the partners countries in its activities, wherever possible. Greece, speaking for the EU, noted the OSCE's value to provide early warning, post-conflict rehabilitation, and conflict management. The EU urged that very high priority be given to human trafficking, termed "the piracy of today." Germany stressed the need to strengthen the police and border management in troubled regions.
Ambassador Cofer Black, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell's Senior Advisor for Counter Terrorism, urged the OSCE to focus on concrete and achievable steps to fight the financing of terrorism and press all 55 participating States to become parties to the 12 UN Conventions on Terrorism. Black recommended that the OSCE be used to strengthen travel and document security with a goal of including bio-metric data (based on the physical composure of an individual's hand or retina) in the travel documents of individuals from all participating States and sharing information on lost and stolen passports.
Several delegations cited the need to do more to restrict illicit weapons trade and cited the Bishkek and Bucharest documents as blueprints for practical action. The need to limit the availability of man portable air defense systems (MANPADS) was cited by several delegations. The United States noted that, in preparing for the December OSCE Maastricht Ministerial, particular focus should be given to the priorities cited in the 2003 G-8 Action Plan which includes steps to control proliferation of MANPADS, increased security of sea transport and more effective travel documentation. These priorities were stressed by the new OSCE Special Representative for Counter Terrorism, Brian Wu, who suggested that the area of biological weaponry might need particular attention and asked if more emphasis might be placed on non-banking sources when looking into the financing of terrorism.
In the working session on conflict prevention and crisis management, delegations acknowledged OSCE's lack of a "big stick" and the need to work closely with organizations and governments who had such instruments. Nevertheless, the OSCE has a good "tool box" for a variety of actions and is using it for actions such as the destruction of arms stockpiles in Georgia, police training in Kosovo, and facilitating the withdrawal of Russian troops and arms from Moldova. The Representative on Freedom of the Media noted the importance of monitoring hate speech, creating public awareness of arms trafficking and protecting journalists in conflict areas. Most delegations agreed that the OSCE had neither the mandate nor the resources to be a peacekeeping organization, but Russia emphasized it did not share this view and recommended that possibilities for joint action be discussed by OSCE with NATO and the EU. Macedonia hailed the success of the OSCE Mission in helping to manage its internal conflict.
The Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security and the work of the Forum on Security Cooperation on small arms and light weapons are positively assessed as a contribution to the larger effort of arms control and conflict risk reduction in Europe. Limits on how much further some of these efforts could be developed, however, were questioned, and there was resistance to actual revision of some of the agreements already reached. In the past year, the OSCE has begun to look at new security risks and challenges across the region. Organized crime, including arms trafficking, was frequently highlighted as something which needed additional cooperative efforts to combat. Among the most important developments are OSCE efforts to assist countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus to improve their police services, drawing on experience gained in southeastern Europe.
Throughout the meeting there was a pronounced tendency to be long on generalities and short on specifics. For example, it was noted that only 38 percent of the 55 participating States have become parties to all 12 United Nations conventions and protocols on combating terrorism, a clear OSCE commitment, yet the countries which have not were never named nor asked to explain their implementation records. Indeed, one OSCE insider concluded that the discussion on implementation of commitments to combat terrorism was not much advanced from the discussion which surrounded the earlier negotiation of those commitments. An Ambassador went as far as to remark during a plenary session that some previous statements were little more than "preemptive self-justification."
Critics of the ASRC, however, should keep in mind this was the first review conference of its kind. Certainly the implementation review meetings for the human and economic dimensions of the OSCE have had to evolve and adapt over the years. For the security dimension though, calling participating States to account for instances of non-compliance has not similarly developed. As U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE Stephan M. Minikes asserted in his closing statement, "This first Annual Security Review Conference has accomplished what we realistically expected it would. We must recognize that this is the first time that this conference has been held. There will be matters to work out over time. But the fact that we have made a start is very significant and together with our partners from other European and Euro-Atlantic security organizations there is much to do to follow up."
Looking Ahead
There are several ways in which the ASRC could be improved next year. The Annual Security Review Conference could go beyond its sole focus on OSCE tools and issues and devote specific time to actions taken by the participating States themselves. The benefit of such a review would justify the conference being lengthened by at least one day. As Under Secretary of State John R. Bolton testified at a Helsinki Commission hearing in May, "Heretofore, we have not seen the OSCE as being as much a possible vehicle to help get the kind of [non-proliferation] compliance we want. And that's why I think it's worth exploring."
Perhaps more critical to the dialogue would be the opening of the ASRC to a wider audience. The OSCE's other review meetings are already open, not just to observation by those outside government but to participation by NGOs as well. In a letter to the State Department, Helsinki Commission Co-Chairmen Rep. Smith and Senator Campbell urged greater openness and transparency. They were told, however, that for the first ASRC non-inclusion of non-governmental organizations was intended to promote greater dialogue and a more critical review. Only national delegations, OSCE institutions and other European-based international organizations were invited to participate in the inaugural conference. The modalities for the conference did state that "security-related scientific institutes or 'think tanks' of international standing would be considered to be invited as keynote speakers or otherwise be represented as members of national delegations." However, the effort to do so seemed fairly limited and the "greater dialogue" and "more critical review" was not fully realized.
The OSCE could do much more to draw on the wealth of expertise among security-related institutions in the United States and elsewhere. If some view the kind of NGO participation seen at other implementation meetings as not conducive to a productive meeting on security issues, at least greater use of public members on national delegations and greater use of expert analysis and insight could be pursued. Short of participation, allowing public observation would permit others a chance to see more clearly how the OSCE and its participating States address security in Europe, and opportunities to engage one-on-one with government officials in the corridors and side events. The State Department has indicated a willingness to look at possible NGO inclusion for future ASRC meetings.
Finally, the development of the ASRC should be considered in the broader context of maintaining the balance among the dimensions of the OSCE which has been one of its traditional strengths. Giving balancing to the OSCE's activities was the primary justification for the ASRC. But the level of activity ultimately needs to be based on the need to promote balanced progress in the actual implementation of OSCE commitments.
One very positive aspect of the review conference was the deferral of other OSCE activity in Vienna during the meeting which permitted delegates to focus their attention exclusively toward the ASRC. In the past, this has not been the case for human dimension and economic review meetings, which have had to compete with a plethora of meetings, diminishing the focus and participation of some delegations.
The United States Helsinki Commission, an independent federal agency, by law monitors and encourages progress in implementing provisions of the Helsinki Accords. The Commission, created in 1976, is composed of nine Senators, nine Representatives and one official each from the Departments of State, Defense and Commerce.


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The Krew Long Sleeve T-Shirts
Search Results
Long Sleeve T-Shirt FAQ
What material is this item made of?
100% cotton (Heather is a Cotton/ Poly blend). Pre-shrunk. Slightly heavier than our t-shirts but ideal for a long sleeve tee. Sized for men but can look great on women!
What USA ship methods are available?
UPS MI Domestic (6-8 Business Days)
FedEx 2-Day (4-6 Business Days)
Estimates include printing and processing time.More Shipping Info
What is the Return/Exchange policy?
We want you to love your order! If for any reason you don't, let us know and we'll make things right.Learn More

subset: commoncrawl


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Plan on your own schedule
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Unfortunately once your order is PRINTED in the warehouse, we cannot add to the existing order. You can however place a NEW order for any additional items you may need. All orders placed before our 11:00 AM ET cut off will be processed on the same business day.
Your shipping costs will automatically be calculated during the process of your order. All shipping is calculated by the size & weight of your order as well as your location (postal code / zipcode).
In order to receive a proper shipping calculation, please be sure to provide us with a complete shipping address when you register for your account.
For your convenience we offer multiple ways for you to receive your order - Flat Rate, Standard, Ground and Express. Flour Confections will choose the best method for your shipping quote from the following carriers: Canada Post, FedEx, Purolator & DHL (for International Customers). In-store Pick-up is available for those local to our Pickering store.
Flour Confections reserves the right to change courier, carriers or service.
Large orders (typically over 300lbs) to commercial business addresses may be delivered palletized by common carrier. If delivered by common carrier on a pallet, a loading dock is typically required to prevent additional off-loading charges by the carrier. These off-loading charges are the responsibility of the customer.
Free Shipping - Flour Confections offers free shipping on orders over $100 anywhere in Canada*. This offer is only applies to orders where free shipping has been selected as a shipping method. Free shipping cannot be combined with any discount code. Flour Confections reserves the right to choose the shipping carrier and type of service. Overnight, Priority and sameday shipping services never qualify for free shipping. Depending on your location, delivery can take between 3 to 10 business days, possibly longer for remote destinations.
Product exclusions: Somerset Sheeters.
Delivery location exclusions: Certain local delivery commercial customers who qualify for Weekly Delivery Service.
Some postal codes within Canada are considered remote and will therefore be subject to a flat rate shipping fee of $12.95 CAD (plus applicable taxes). The below table represents remote locations subject to this flat rate fee by province and postal code.
Newfoundland & Labrador A0A - A0O Quebec G0G |
Nova Scotia B0A - B0E New Brunswick E5E - E5G Ontario P0A - P0K |
Saskatchewan S0A - S3M British Columbia V0A - V0B |
Alberta T0A - T0I Manitoba R0B |
*Free Shipping delivery location exclusions continued; Canadian Teritories - NWT, Yukon & Nunavut and are subject to an Flat Rate shipping of $150.00 plus tax.
Note; In some circumstances where the shipping charges are extremely high, we may ask the customer to pay for more than the flat rate. In these cases, you be contact prior to shipping your order.
Due to extremely high shipping costs, residents that fall under the P0L postal code are required to pay full shipping fees.
All orders placed before order cut off (11:00 am EST) will be processed SAME BUSINESS DAY* (*EXCLUDING Free Shipping orders).
We offer various methods of shipping to suit your needs. Your order will be shipped out according to the method of shipping you have chosen during the time of ordering. We offer everything from same day courier* to overnight to standard shipping. Please see our shipping methods for more details.
Flour Confections offer flat rate shipping anywhere in Canada and the continental USA. Canadian orders cost $7.95 CAD to a maximum weight of 1.3KG. US orders cost $10.95 USD to a maximum weight of 2.2 lbs.
Yes, Flour Confections will ship to a P.O. Box if Flat Rate or Standard is selected as your shipping method. FedEx and DHL will not deliver to a P.O. Box.
Yes, Flour Confections will ship to all Canadian and US Military bases via Canada and US Postal Service, Purolator and FedEx. Although DHL does not deliver to PO, APO, or FPO box address you may request the shipment to be held for pickup. The receiver will then be able to pickup the shipment at the local DHL Express station.
Flour Confections offers competitive pricing on all the products we carry. We offer bulk pricing on many products such as boards, boxes, fondant, cupcake liners, etc which can be found on the website under each individual product when available. Commercial accounts are available to those businesses which have a commercial business address. Please Contact Us. for more information should you wish to open a commercial account.
Once your order has shipped, you will receive an email notification providing you with the tracking information (if available) for your order. Please note that it can take up to 24 hours for the tracking information to update within the carriers' system. With this number you can track your package & know when it will arrive.
Absolutely! Our website is secured with a SSL encryption and we never receive your credit card information directly. We also offer the security of paying via PayPal should you wish.
Shipping Cut-off: orders received after 11:00 AM EST will be processed on the next business day and may not be reflected in estimated delivery date.
An order placed on Monday AFTER 11:00 AM EST will typically will ship on Tuesday.
If your shipping quote suggests "1 Day" your order would typically arrive on Wednesday.
If your shipping quote suggests "2 Days" your order would typically arrive on Thursday (NOT on Wednesday).
Free shipping orders are EXCLUDED - and take 3 to 10 business days.
There are no deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays or Holidays.
We strive to ship all orders within 24 business hours from the time of payment. For orders placed on a weekend or holiday, they will be shipped on the next business day. Please allow a minimum of 4 business days after your order is scheduled to arrive before notifying Flour Confections - please Contact Us.
Please note: It is the responsibility of the customer to ensure that all address and contact information is correct prior to completing their order. Incorrect addresses and or contact information can lead to processing and shipping delay and possible surcharges.
Shipping insurance is included to a maximum of $100.00 CAD with your order. Additional shipping insurance can be purchased, at the customers expense. Please inform the sales staff in the comments area of your order to be sure a shipping insurance quotation is provided for your approval prior to your order being shipped.
Shipments to US addresses under $200.00 for personal use may or may not be subject to duties, taxes and brokerage fees. These fees are the sole responsibility of the receiver/addressee.
Shipments to international addresses may be subject to duties taxes and other importing, customs or brokerage fees. These fees are the sole responsibility of the receiver/addressee.
Flour Confections Inc. ships WORLDWIDE. We offer competitive shipping rates on all shipments.
All US and international shipments maybe subject to customs and border security inspections.
All US and international shipments will include a commercial invoice, including contents and value of the shipment.
Some items cannot be exported due to manufacture or government restrictions. You will receive an email notice if your order contains items which cannot be sent.
Flour Confections recognizes the following not for profit associations and educational institutions for discounts:
We also offer specials & discounts which can be found on the main page of the website. These discounts will change seasonally. Check our main page here for details.
Note: you cannot combine discount codes with any other offer or sale.
If you would like to find out if your not for profit associations or educational institutions qualifies for a discount please Contact Us here.
All orders are processed within 24hrs of being received. If you wish to cancel your order, please contact us either via phone 888-243-CAKE (2253), reply to the automated order processing email you receive when you placed your order or Contact Us as soon as possible in order to stop the order from being shipped. Although we will do our best to ensure your cancellation request is processed, we cannot guarantee that we will catch them in time prior to your order being shipped.
Our website will indicate whether or not an item is in stock. If items are out of stock, we will contact you regarding the status of your order.
Unfortunately Flour Confections does not hold backorders.
Any items which are out of stock at the time of ordering will be refunded and the balance of the order will be shipped.
Backordered/out of stock items must be reordered when available.
If an item is out of stock, you can subscribe online for Product Notification Updates which will notify you via email once the item is available again for purchase.
If an item has become discontinued or permanently out of stock, you will be notified via email and the appropriate fees will be refunded to your account.
We want you to be happy with your purchases from Flour Confections – if you have changed your mind about your purchase and wish to return it, we have a 30 day return policy. Flour Confections will process a refund or exchange (for both in-store & on-line purchases) provided that:
Please note that all returns, refunds or exchanges must be done within 30 days & with the original purchase receipt. If you do not have the receipt or if the return is outside of 30 days, Flour Confections may, in its discretion, provide you only with the current value of the item on a Gift Card. The original payment method must be present to receive a refund, otherwise a gift card will be issued. Cash refunds will NOT be issued. All product is subject to an inspection.
The following items CANNOT be returned for refund or exchange:
There are 2 ways to return your item(s):
If you have received an item in error, or and incorrect item, please:
Flour Confections prides itself in packaging your orders with great care. However, sometimes damage occurs and we need to be notified promptly in order to serve you better. If you do receive a damaged/defective item, we will replace the damaged/defective item(s) at no additional charge or refund your money upon receipt of the damaged/defective item(s).
If you received damaged items: Save your shipping box! It may need to be inspected by the carrier. Claims cannot be made for damaged goods if the box is discarded.
Any order sent to a customer that is refused will be charged the shipping costs plus a restocking fee of 15%.
It is the responsibility of the customer to ensure that all address and contact information is correct prior to completing their order. Incorrect addresses and or contact information can lead to processing and shipping delay and possible surcharges.
If your order is returned to us due to an incorrect address given by you (the customer) at the time of ordering, we will re-ship the order at your own expense. If you (the customer) choose not to have the order re-shipped, you will be charged a 15% restocking fee plus the original shipping charges.
Yes, Flour Confections does ship chocolate and other temperature sensitive products all year round.
On each temperature sensitive product you will have to select if you would like to include "cold packs" and if so, how many. The cost of each cold pack is minimal.
Temperature sensitive products are shipped with the following Warm Weather Shipping Warning.
Flour Confections does NOT recommend shipping chocolate products during the months of June, July, August & September. If you must have chocolate shipped Flour Confections recommends purchasing COLD PACKS for your order - and also choosing the fastest method of shipping possible.
Flour Confections CANNOT guarantee the prevention of melting chocolate products, no matter the month or current temperature, even though you may follow our recommendations of COLD PACKS and CHOOSE the fastest shipping method melting still may occur. Purchase at your own risk.
Should your chocolate arrive melted, often times they can still be used.
Yes, Flour Confections does take special orders on some products.
Special order products are clearly indicated with an attribute indicating approximately how many days the special order item will take before shipping. Delivery time is NOT included in this estimate.
*While most orders ship in a few days, exceptions do occur such as exotic colored products, or orders requiring proof approval - but we'll keep you posted!
Some products ship from the factory based on your order alone and delivery times can vary from a few days to a few weeks depending on inventory levels. Shipping times vary by greatly by brand.
Product availability is subject to change between the time that an online order is placed and the time of fulfillment. Customers will be contacted should there be any difficulty in completing their order. Funds are collected at checkout and will be refunded to your credit card in the event we cannot complete your order.
Yes, due to unusually high demands and on going supply chain shortages, Flour Confections reserves the right to limit ordered quantities for both online and instore purchases.
For online orders you will be notified via email if your order is being limited.
Yes, Flour Confections does offer in store pickup as a shipping option.
Customers with an Ontario shipping address will be presented with In Store Pick-up Tomorrow (after 2:00 PM) as a shipping option at zero cost during checkout.
This option will ONLY be presented to customers with an Ontario shipping address. If you are located outside Ontario and need access to the in store pickup, please Contact Us.
You will be contacted via email the next business day when your order is ready for pickup - after 2:00 PM.


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By JOAN LOWY
FILE – Transportation Secretary Raymond LaHood, left, listens as Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta, right, speaks during a news conference in this Jan. 11, 2013 file photo taken in Washington. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a joint statement Thursday that the FAA is conducting "a robust safety review and monitoring process to identify any hazards, and develop appropriate risk mitigations" associated with the tower closures. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Starting this weekend, control towers at scores of small airports are to begin shutting down because of government-wide automatic spending cuts. But federal officials insist the closures won't compromise safety, and there's evidence that some of the closures may even make economic sense.
It turns out that the Federal Aviation Administration has been using 30-year-old data on aircraft collisions to justify the cost of operating many of the control towers, even though accident rates have improved significantly over that time.
Had the FAA used more current data, it's probable that some low-traffic airport towers operated by private contractors would no longer have met the agency's criteria for funding, say industry officials. But the FAA has long been under pressure from members of Congress to open new towers at airports in their states, not to close them.
The FAA began paying contractors to staff and operate towers at a handful of small airports after President Ronald Reagan fired striking air traffic controllers in 1981. Today, there are 251 towers operated by private contractors at airports across the country at an average annual cost of more than $500,000 each.
On Sunday, 24 of the towers are to be shut down, the first of 149 tower closures over the next several weeks that the Obama administration says are needed to accomplish government-wide automatic spending cuts required by Congress. The shutdown decision is unrelated to the FAA's use of obsolete safety data to justify the contract tower program.
In 1990, the FAA developed a complicated cost-benefit methodology for the tower program that relies on accident data from 1983 to 1986 to determine how many accidents would be averted and lives saved if an airport had controllers working onsite. The safety data have never been updated, despite marked improvements in accident rates.
In 1983, there were 10.7 accidents for every 100,000 departures involving small planes, business jets and other non-airline flights in the U.S., according to the National Transportation Safety Board. By 2011, the latest year for which figures are available, that rate had dropped to 6.5 accidents per 100,000 departures. The commercial airline accident rate dropped from 0.42 per 100,000 departures to 0.34 per 100,000 over the same period. And fatalities have declined even more. There have been no passenger airline fatalities in the U.S. in more than four years, the longest period without fatalities since the dawn of the jet age half a century ago.
"None of the formulas have been updated since 1990, despite a very significant change in the aviation operating environment and the general aviation and commercial accident rates," the FAA said in a statement Thursday in response to questions from The Associated Press. "The FAA is in the process of updating this policy."
Agency officials offered no explanation for the oversight.
"The FAA methodology likely overestimates present-day collisions," the Congressional Research Service said in a recent report.
Initially the cost-benefit ratios were to be recalculated every two years, but that didn't happen, said David A. Byers, an aviation professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a consultant to the companies that operate the towers. If they were recalculated now, some airports would certainly fall below the FAA threshold for funding, he said.
Of the nation's 5,000 public airports, only about 10 percent have control towers. Those without towers generally have relatively few flights, and pilots coordinate takeoffs and landings among themselves.
Airport towers are prized by local communities as economic boosters, particularly in rural areas. Airlines are sometimes reluctant to schedule flights to airports where there are no on-site air traffic controllers.
Former Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., a critic of the contract tower program, said he refused to allow lawmakers to insert provisions into bills requiring the FAA to pay for new control towers at airports in their districts when he was chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
"We couldn't always stop it in all instances in the appropriations process, particularly when a bill comes from the Senate and it has a designation of funding for a particular tower," Oberstar said.
Next week, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., plan to introduce a bill to require the FAA to resume operations at the 24 towers scheduled for closure on Sunday and to prohibit the agency from shutting down any more towers after that.
The U.S. Contract Tower Association, which represents the companies that operate contract towers, has challenged the closures in federal court. "The administration has decided to make tower closures the poster child of sequestration (automatic spending cuts)," said the group's director, J. Spencer Dickerson. "We believe there are other ways they could have skinned this cat."


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GMA Network Releases Most Comprehensive Statement on Issues Raised by Sarah Lahbati
The Network maintains its stand that Sarah Lahbati violated her contract, as follows:
"Sarah Lahbati's Artist Management Contract with GMA Network is effective until February 21, 2015. There is no provision for leave of absence in said contract. Any leave is subject to prior agreement between the Network and Sarah. Therefore, Sarah's unilateral decision to go on leave, despite its earlier disapproval by the Network, is a violation of her contract with the Network. Further, her declared trip to Switzerland for an indefinite period, without the prior consent and approval of the Network, will be an additional violation of her contract."
"Despite the rejection of her leave, she ceased to honor her commitments with the Network including her being part of the Network's Sunday variety show Party Pilipinas. Under the provisions of her contract with the Network, specifically Paragraphs 1.3 and 1.4, it is clearly stated that the 'artist shall perform the role and appear in the television programs, projects and events assigned to her, and conscientiously fulfill faithfully and promptly any and all engagements/booking contracted to her by GMA.'"
Sarah asked to be released from her contract with GMA Artist Center (GMAAC).
It must be clarified that GMAAC has no legal personality apart from the Network, and that Sarah's contract is with GMA Network and not with GMAAC. In the same way that a contract requires the mutual consent of the two parties, there cannot also be a unilateral cancellation of the contract by Sarah alone.
For any violation of her contract with GMA, Paragraph 5.2 states that "In the event of violation by artist… GMA may, in addition to and without prejudice to any other remedy, recover liquidated damages from artist in the amount equivalent to double artist's minimum guarantee."
Regarding the issue of the supposed referral by some Network executives to ICONS Management, the Network reiterates its earlier statement that it did not authorize the co-management contract with ICONS Management. Concrete actions have been taken and penalties have been imposed on the executives who were found liable.
The Network found no proof of her allegation that there was an "under the table" deal between GMAAC and ICONS Management. The Network has a policy of prohibiting and penalizing any such "under the table" deal between any of its executives and employees and others dealing with the Network. This policy is strictly enforced and implemented.
If Sarah can prove later her accusation against ICONS and GMAAC, the Network will not only stop dealing with ICONS but will also penalize those who are guilty of such anomaly.
Sarah also mentioned that non-ICONS talents like her are treated unfairly. The Network's substantial investment in her easily belies this. On top of her being a home-grown exclusive talent of GMA, whom the Network developed, trained and promoted, she is also one of the Network's priority stars.
GMA artists like Marian Rivera, Dingdong Dantes, Heart Evangelista, Jennylyn Mercado, and other bigger stars than Sarah who are also non-ICONS talents are not complaining about the treatment they are getting from the Network.
Interestingly, it was after the Network required Sarah to cancel her illegal co-management contract with Royal Era Entertainment & Artist Management of Annabelle Rama, the mother of Sarah's current boyfriend, Richard Gutierrez, that she unilaterally declared her going on a one-month leave of absence and started to complain about GMAAC. The co-management contract violated the exclusive terms of Sarah's contract with the Network. GMA Network would have had no choice but to sue Sarah and Royal Era Entertainment for the said breach had they refused to rescind said co-management contract.
Sarah also tweeted that GMA has yet to pay her for the movie "Basement." "I don't owe GMA any money, in fact they still owe me. I finished filming a movie called Basement under GMA films, we started around August-early sept… until now I still haven't been paid not even a down payment. My mother asked my handler many times regarding the payment and until now there is no reply," tweets Sarah.
It was made clear to Sarah at the onset that her talent fee will be disbursed after she completes filming. The contract was sent to her in mid-October but she was on vacation and the signed contract was returned to GMA Films only on December 14, 2012. But given the Network's year-end cut-off for payment processing, requests received after December 10 will only be paid on January 11, 2013. As a special concession, however, the check was made available on January 4, 2013. The delay in the processing of her payment can only be attributed to Sarah because she did not immediately return the signed contract to GMA Films.
Sarah also accused GMA of making a one sided story about what's happening.
There is absolutely no truth to this. HOT TV, thru its researcher Malou Santiago, contacted Sarah's handler, Monica Carla Sevillano, who, in turn, coordinated with Sarah to get her side before the story was aired. Unfortunately, HOT TV did not receive any response from Sarah.
GMA Network has concluded its investigation on Sarah's walk-out incident in the taping of the Network's new primetime program "Indio."
Based on the said investigation, Sarah, without any justifiable reason and following only the instructions of Annabelle Rama – whom she had illegally signed up then as her co-manager – walked out of the November 9 taping of "Indio" in Morong Park, Subic, Olongapo City.
In her earlier tweets, Sarah mentioned that "GMA Artist Center decided to book me for opening of EAT BULAGA the following day which required me to be in the studio at 8am to do hair, make-up and rehearse the production number. I never walked out, I told the producers and p.a that I need to go because I still had to travel back to Manila from Subic and be at Eat Bulaga studio by 8AM… I did not leave the set, I waited for the producers to say that I can leave… I had permission to leave. This is the complete truth."
Upon investigation, however, it was found that GMAAC was not aware of any early morning booking on November 10. As confirmed by its records, the only schedule GMAAC had for Sarah on that day was a technical rehearsal for Party Pilipinas set at 4pm. Further, it was on November 24 – two weeks after the walk-out incident – when she finally appeared in "Eat Bulaga."
Also based on the Network's investigation, the production team of "Indio" did not give Sarah the permission to leave early. Contrary to what she mentioned in her tweets, they persuaded her to stay and finish her scenes but to no avail. As a result, the production team was forced to pack up the taping and incur substantial, additional and unnecessary costs.
The Network has endorsed the matter to Belo, Gozon, Elma, Parel, Asuncion and Lucila (BGE Law) for the filing of a complaint against Sarah so that the court may determine who between the parties is correct, telling the truth or lying.
After the complaint is filed in court, the Network will no longer publicly comment on the case except through pleadings filed in court, in compliance with the rule on "sub-judice", to avoid influencing the decision the court may render on the case.


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Welcome to Dragon Cave! Dragon Cave is an online adoptables game. Collect eggs, raise them to adulthood, and then breed them to create interesting lineages. New dragons are added regularly!
Sunstone Dragons are named after the orb on their tails, which resembles the gem of the same name. Their social structure resembles a lion pride, with one dominant male and several females banded together with their young. They prefer arid climates where they can blend in and dig for minerals and gemstones that they not only collect, but eat. The more gems they consume, the larger their tail stone grows. They are an aggressive breed; it is not uncommon to see two males battling for mates and territory.
Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of dragon exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in dragons is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling's wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. In Galsreim, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.


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How to Pick a Great Book
Article Translations: (Spanish)
Reading is a good way to discover the next big thing and to learn a little more about yourself while you're at it. But while you may know how to find the best app for your phone, do you know how to pick a book you'll really like? Here are some tips.
Start With Your Interests
Reading on your own isn't like reading for school (even though you'll probably end up loving some of the books you read for school and want to read more by those authors). You can pick something that's all about your interests, whether it's ancient martial arts, computers, or fashion design. You name it, there are bound to be books about it.
What's Your "Type"?
Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction (or both)?
Fiction books like novels or short-story collections can transport you to another world or help you imagine something beyond your own experience. Not all fiction is the same — maybe you like the classics, fantasy or sci-fi, mystery novels, or ghost stories. Maybe historical fiction is more your thing. Try a range of types of fiction and see what you prefer.
Nonfiction books give you the who, what, when, and why of something. They tell stories using facts —but that doesn't mean they're dull. Nonfiction books can bring to life the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington or help you see inside a Chinese dynasty. Many of them read like novels from start to finish.
Take a Hybrid out for a Spin
Maybe you want to try a "graphic book," which can be either fact or fiction, and is written with text and images, similar to a comic. There are a lot of great graphic novels, from Maus to Persepolis.
Read the "Blurbs"
The reviews and quotes on the back and inside covers of many books are called "blurbs." They give you an idea of what the book is about, but can also help you pick future books. If you find a book you really like, take a minute to read the quotes (if there are any) and see which authors praised the book. Often, they'll have similar styles and you might find you like books by those authors too.
Do you have an ereader? You can download free samples (usually the first chapter) of ebooks that look interesting before you buy or borrow one.
Find a Family Favorite
What was your mother's favorite book when she was your age or your dad's? How about a sibling's? Find out and give it a read — then you can share your thoughts about the book. After all, what better way to connect with that cousin you only see in the summer than trading reading recommendations and discussing your reactions?
Join the Club — Online or In Person
Get your friends together and swap recommendations of authors, prose styles, and story types. Most social networking sites also have book-club sections. Join a group with your friends and people you trust (avoiding sharing personal information with people you don't know, of course).
Ask an Expert
Your local library can hook you up with a whole lot of great book ideas. Explain your interests — rock stars, sports teams, historical events, humor, whatever you're into — and any writers you like, and your librarian can point you toward books that you'll love.
Finally, you'll probably enjoy what you're reading a lot more if you find a quiet place and make time for the book. We all multitask, but most reading is best enjoyed when you can concentrate and focus on it. You can put on some good music (ideally without lyrics), get yourself some tea and a comfy spot, and let yourself be carried away by the book.
You'll see that time does fly when you're reading something you love!
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
© 1995-2024 KidsHealth ® All rights reserved. Images provided by iStock, Getty Images, Corbis, Veer, Science Photo Library, Science Source Images, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com


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Once you have chosen all of your wedding ceremony and reception décor, found your gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, dream gown, and booked the perfect honeymoon, don't forget to thank your guests for spending your special day with you and your honey. Sending them home with wedding favors is a thoughtful way to express your true appreciation for their attendance, and it will provide them with fond memories of your long awaited, big day. Not only are wedding favors a great way to liven up your place settings but they are the perfect way to say thank you to your family and friends and warm their hearts at your once-in-a-lifetime wedding celebration.
Wedding favors have many purposes at your wedding. If your looking for favors that have a use at your wedding reception place card holders are a great choice! They guide your guests to their tables and their correct seats so there is no un-needed hustle and bustle around the hall. Besides leading your guests to their tables, wedding favors also help decorate your tables. Wedding favors come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and themes. Summer, spring, winter fall or beach, flowers, travel, fairy tale, las vegas. Whatever the season or theme there is a wedding favor to fit your special day.
There are also many practical wedding favors for your guests to take home and use. If your looking for these kind of favors which your guests can take home and get use out of instead of throwing them on a shelf to collect dust the options are endless. You can choose from compact mirrors, lip balms, refrigerator magnets, and candles to whisks, cookie cutters, cheese graters, and timers. You are sure to find exactly what you are looking for when there is a favor for pretty much anything imaginable.
There are many unique wedding favors as well. Give your guests bubbles, confetti, or luggage tags. Another possibility is to make your favors even more unique by personalizing them! Add wedding tags to your favors and customize them with color, text, design, and shape. Your guests will forever remember the date of your big day when you give them this kind of wedding favor.


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Nowadays, everything is going online. Between social media, online stores and reviews, you can find practically anything on the Internet. The question, then, is: Can you find your business online? Not only should a company have a website, but with modern demands, that website should be well-functioning and easy to use.
In fact, a business's website can have a major impact on their overall bottom line. But how do you know where to start? If you're a marketing professional, here are some key components to keep in mind that every business website needs.
Make it responsive.
In 2016, OuterBox reported that more than 62% of shoppers made purchases using their cell phones, and more than 90% of shoppers use their smartphones to compare prices and reviews. Even more significant: 40% of consumers will go to a competitor if they have a bad experience with a mobile website. We cannot stress this enough: Your company's website should be mobile and tablet responsive, so it can work anytime, anywhere for anyone.
Keep it easy to navigate.
With today's short attention spans, if a consumer can't quickly and easily navigate your website, chances are they'll give up and go somewhere else. Be sure to test your website and make sure it's simple and clear to navigate. Use a top-level navigation menu with clearly-labeled tabs for related pages. Include an obvious way to get back to your home page, no matter where readers are on the website. And of course, incorporate a search bar.
Have clear contact.
Many small businesses will list their address, phone number and email on their websites. While these matter, they're not particularly easy ways for customers to get in contact. According to BankMyCell, 75% of millennials surveyed said they avoid phone calls because they're time-consuming. Instead, include a contact form on your website where visitors can conveniently contact you with any thoughts or questions they have.
Add social proof.
The term "social proof" was coined by Robert Cialdini in his book Influence in 1984. It refers to a "psychological and social phenomenon wherein people copy the actions of others in an attempt to undertake behavior in a given situation." In other words, if visitors know other people support your business, then they are more likely to support your business, too. Include social proof on the website through case studies, testimonials, client logo displays and user-generated content.
Start a blog.
A blog is a simple, yet effective, way to consistently have new content on the website. Not only is it great for SEO purposes, but it can also help increase your bottom line. Blogs attract more visitors to the website, then encourage them to become a customer once they're there. Incorporate content that educates the public on your area of expertise, promotes the business as an industry leader and shares relevant company updates.
Include a call to action.
Finally, your website should have a purpose. Many companies make the mistake of not including a strong call to action on their website. This leaves customers hanging. Instead, tell customers what you want them to do. A CTA specifies an expectation and prompts an immediate response. Without a visible CTA—preferably on the home page—visitors will come, browse around and leave without you ever knowing they were there.
If you want to grow your bottom line, then a website is where to start. With today's modern technology, a website is a company's outward face to the world. Keep these components in mind as you develop your website and grow the business.


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The storm that is threatening 60 million Americans in the eastern third of the nation in just a couple of days with high winds, drenching rains, extreme tides, flooding and probably snow is much more than just an ordinary weather system. It's a freakish and unprecedented monster.
How did it get that way?
Start with Sandy, an ordinary late summer hurricane from the tropics, moving north up the East Coast. Bring in a high pressure ridge of air centered around Greenland that blocks the hurricane's normal out-to-sea path and steers it west toward land.
Add a wintry cold front moving in from the west that helps pull Sandy inland and mix in a blast of Arctic air from the north for one big collision. Add a full moon and its usual effect, driving high tides. Factor in immense waves commonly thrashed up by a huge hurricane plus massive gale-force winds.
Do all that and you get a stitched-together weather monster expected to unleash its power over 800 miles, with predictions in some areas of 12 inches of rain, 2 feet of snow and sustained 40- to 50 mph winds.
"The total is greater than the sum of the individual parts" said Louis Uccellini, the environmental prediction chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologists. "That is exactly what's going on here."
This storm is so dangerous and so unusual because it is coming at the tail end of hurricane season and beginning of winter storm season, "so it's kind of taking something from both — part hurricane, part nor'easter, all trouble," Jeff Masters, director of the private service Weather Underground, said Saturday.
With Sandy expected to lose tropical characteristics, NOAA is putting up high wind watches and warnings that aren't hurricane or tropical for coastal areas north of North Carolina, causing some television meteorologists to complain that it is all too confusing. Nor is it merely a coastal issue anyway. Craig Fugate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told reporters Saturday: "This is not a coastal threat alone. This is a very large area. This is going to be well inland."
Uccellini, who estimated that 60 million people will feel the storm's wrath somehow, said: "This storm as it grows and moves back to the coast on Monday and Tuesday, the circulation of this storm will extend all the way from the Midwest, the Ohio Valley, toward the Carolinas up into New England and southern Canada. It's really going to be an expansive storm system."
It's a topsy-turvy storm, too. The far northern areas of the East, around Maine, should get much warmer weather as the storm hits, practically shirt-sleeve weather for early November, Masters and Uccellini said. Around the Mason-Dixon line, look for much cooler temperatures. West Virginia and even as far south as North Carolina could see snow. Lots of it.
It is what NOAA forecaster Jim Cisco meant Thursday when he called it "Frankenstorm" in a forecast, an allusion to Mary Shelley's gothic creature of synthesized elements.
Cisco and others have called this storm unprecedented. Uccellini, who has written histories about winter storms, said the closest analogs are the 1991 Perfect Storm that struck northern New England and a November 1950 storm. But this is likely to be stronger and bigger than the Perfect Storm; it will strike farther south, and affect far more people.
In fact, the location among those with the highest odds for gale-force winds in the country's most populous place: New York City. New York has nearly a 2-in-3 chance of gale force winds by Tuesday afternoon.
One of the major components in the ferocity of the storm is that it is swinging inland — anywhere from Delaware to New York, but most likely southern New Jersey — almost a due west turn, which is unusual, Uccellini said. So the worst of the storm surge could be north, not south, of landfall. And that gets right to New York City and its vulnerable subways, which are under increasing risk of flooding, he said.
"There is a potential for a huge mess in New York if this storm surge forecast is right," Masters said.
Add to that the hundreds of miles of waves and the overall intensity of this storm, Uccellini said in an interview, and "we are in the middle of a very serious situation."
Forecasters are far more worried about inland flooding from storm surge than they are about winds.
There are several measures for hurricanes. And one NOAA research tool that measures the intensity of hurricane overall kinetic energy forecasts a 5.2 for Sandy's waves and storm surge damage potential. That's on a scale of 0 to 6, putting it up with historic storms, such as Katrina. It rates a much smaller number for wind.
Because of the mix with the winter storm, the wind won't be as intense as it is near the center of a hurricane. But it will reach for hundreds of miles, spreading the energy further, albeit weaker, meteorologists said.
Uccellini and Masters said they expect the central pressure of the storm to drop to a near record low for the Mid-Atlantic or Northeast for any time of year. That is a big indication of energy and helps power the wind. This puts it on par with the 1938 storm that hit Long Island and New England, killing 800 people, or the equivalent of a category 4 hurricane.


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This is just regular kesari which I made little healthy by adding carrot to it. I made this for my daughter's 10th birthday, which she recently celebrated. It came out so delicious and perfect.
- 2 cups of grated Carrots
- 1 cup Semolina (Upma Rava, Sooji)
- 1 cup Sugar
- A few Almonds (chopped), Cardamom Seeds and Raisins
- 2 or 3 strands of Saffron
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tsp Ghee (clarified butter)
Dry roast semolina until golden brown in color and keep aside.
Heat ghee and add cardamom seeds + almonds. Stir well. Add grated carrot and water. Cover and let the carrots get cooked and become soft.
Then add semolina along with sugar and milk and mix well. Add saffron too! Finally add raisins and mix well.
Cover and leave the pan on low flame for some time. When the mixture becomes thick, switch off the flame and transfer the contents to a greased plate.
Spread the kesari on the plate and let it cool for some time. Cut into to desired shapes and enjoy the yummy kesari any time of the day! This is very good as Neivedyam during festivals.
This is my contribution to Srivalli's "Mithai Mela" event.
On a Different Note:
Have you heard of "Head Lice"? Of course, you might have! Almost every one of us might have been the victims of these lice during our school days, don't we? I know how irritation these could cause! Check out my new post on "Head Lice and Prevention/Cure" in my other blog, where I discussed about this topic. Hope you like it! :)


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Asparagus season is in full swing and I have really been enjoying it. Every week I pick up a lot of the asparagus at the local farmers market. Mostly I have just been enjoying it steamed as a side dish but I wanted to try something new. I remembered having seen several asparagus gratins in the past and I could not pass up on the chance of smothering some asparagus with cheese. After a little searching I came across this recipe for asparagus in a gorgonzola sauce . Gorgonzola is one of my favorite cheeses and I was immediatly sold on the concept. Another thing that I liked about this recipe is that the sauce includes leeks as I have been wanting to use leeks more often. This dish takes a bit more time to make than many side dishes but it was well worth the effort. The asparagus in gorgonzola sauce was amazing! The creamy and tangy blue cheese sauce was perfectly balanced by the juicy and slightly sweet asparagus. Each bite was like a melody in your mouth. The topping of bread crumbs and parmigiano reggiano was nice and crispy adding another layer of texture in addition to flavour. I think that this asparagus side dish will become a staple on my table during asparagus season.
Asparagus in Gorgonzola Sauce
- 1 pound asparagus (trimmed)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 leek (sliced)
- 2 sage leaves (chopped)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 ounce gorgonzola dolce (crumbled)
- 2 tablespoons parmigiano reggiano (grated)
- 2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
- Blanch the asparagus in boiling water, rinse in cold water and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the leek and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the sage, heavy cream and gorgonzola and cook until it begins to thicken, about 2-3 minutes.
- Place the asparagus in a baking dish in a single layer.
- Pour the gorgonzola sauce over the asparagus and sprinkle with the parmesan and the bread crumbs.
- Place under a broiler and broil until golden brown on top, about 3-5 minutes.
Pistachio and Gorgonzola Risotto
Asparagus Souffle
Roasted Squash with Gorgonzola and Maple Syrup
Asparagus with Garam Masala, Butter and Toasted Hazelnuts
Parmigiano Reggiano Crusted Oven Roasted Asparagus
Penne with Asparagus and Mushrooms in a Gorgonzola Sauce
Maple Dijon Roasted Asparagus
Asparagus Gratin
Balsamic Parmesan Roasted Asparagus and Tomatoes
Tuscan Roast Asparagus
Orange Sesame Roast Asparagus


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The clock is ticking for hundreds of thousands of people who have unresolved issues affecting their coverage under the new health care law. Florida has the most cases at 93,800.
The Obama administration said Tuesday that letters are going out to about 310,000 people whose citizenship or immigration details don't match what the government has on file.
These consumers need to send in their documentation by Sept. 5. Otherwise their coverage will end Sept. 30.
Of the 8 million people who signed up for private coverage through President Barack Obama's law, more than 2 million at one point had discrepancies of some sort that affected their eligibility. That number has been greatly reduced — but the remaining cases are proving difficult to resolve.
People living in the country illegally are not allowed to get coverage. Officials at the Health and Human Services Department said the letters will notify consumers with unresolved citizenship and immigration issues that they can upload their documents to the HealthCare.gov website, or mail them in.
Most haven't responded to repeated outreach efforts, officials said. Hispanics, who historically have lagged in health insurance coverage, may account for a big share of the group.
Indeed, two states with large Latino populations top the list of unresolved cases. Florida has 93,800 cases, while Texas has 52,700. Georgia, Virginia and Pennsylvania round out the top five. The letters are being sent in English and Spanish.
The next five states are North Carolina, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey and Louisiana.
The new policy affects the 36 states where the federal government has taken the lead in running online insurance markets created by the law. It's unclear how it will apply in places like California and New York, which are running their own insurance exchanges.
Some supporters of the law worried that eligible consumers might lose coverage due to record-keeping problems on the government's part, or because of something as mundane as letters getting lost in the mail.
"Many of these people have issues because government files are incomplete," said Ron Pollack, executive director of the advocacy group Families USA. "Many may feel that they have fully complied with what is necessary to get health coverage."
The number of problem cases was a lot larger only a few months ago, prompting criticism from congressional Republicans that the administration was signing up people ineligible under the law.
In May, there were nearly 970,000 people with citizenship or immigration problems. About half those cases have now been closed, officials said, and another 20 percent are being worked on actively. Officials have previously said that the overwhelming majority of cases are resolved in favor of the enrollee.
Consumers who have unresolved discrepancies over their incomes will get notices at a later date.
The new health law provides subsidized coverage to people with no access to health insurance on the job. More than 80 percent of those signed up are getting subsidies to help with their premiums and, in some cases, their copays and deductibles as well.
But those taxpayer subsidies are contingent on meeting a host of requirements. The amount of a consumer's premium tax credit can vary by income, family size, hometown and other factors. That can make getting covered through the law feel somewhat like doing your taxes.
The letters that started going out Tuesday won't be the final attempt to reach those with unresolved issues. HHS will try to contact each consumer two more times by phone and once via email. The administration is also working with local organizations to try to reach people directly in their homes.
Consumers can also contact HealthCare.gov's call center at 800-318-2596 to see what documents they need to submit and see whether their information has been received.
The notices affect this year's coverage only.
The open enrollment period for this year is over. Open enrollment season for 2015 coverage doesn't start until Nov. 15. At that point, consumers will be able to renew or make changes in their coverage, and new customers can find out whether there's a plan that's right for them.
Under the law, most Americans are required to have health insurance or risk fines.


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Made for the minimalist in custom-woven signature jacquard with refined leather trim, this compact design combines a slim profile with superb interior organization, fashion leather linings add luxurious texture to its hand-finished interior. However, these authentic, designer Coach bag come in a variety of stunning designs with dazzling fabric creations.
Signature jacquard fabric with leather trim Fabric liningTop handles;top zip closureCinched topLogo plate in frontStud detailInside zip, cell phone and multifunction pockets


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I recently came across a post about chicken papaya wraps that looked really good. I liked the sound of the papaya and avocado salsa which sounded a lot like guacamole with papaya to me. Avocados are something that I had been wanting to try using more often and this was the perfect chance. I had some mangoes on hand and I though that a mango guacamole would be tasty. I seasoned the chicken with some freshly ground chipotle chili powder to give it some heat and flavour. The wraps were as easy to put together as blending the guacamole and grilling the chicken. The mango guacamole was a nice combination of cool and creamy with a touch of heat. I really enjoyed it. I also tried the grilled chicken and mango guacamole in sandwich form and it was just as tasty though a bit messier. I look forward to trying the papaya guacamole version.
Chicken and Mango Guacamole Wrap
- 1 chipotle grilled chicken breast (see below)
- 2 tablespoons mango guacamole (see below)
- 1 tortilla (gluten free for gluten free)
- Assemble and enjoy!
Mango Guacamole
- 1 mango (peeled and stoned)
- 1 avocado (peeled and stoned)
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 lime (juice)
- 1 handful cilantro (chopped)
- salt to taste
- Mix everything in a food processor.
Chipotle Grilled Chicken
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 chicken breast
- chipotle powder to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- Heat the grill or heat the oil in a pan.
- Season the chicken with the chipotle powder, salt and pepper.
- Grill the chicken or saute it in the pan until golden brown.


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Pet Ownership: Pee on the Floor and Gouged Front Doors
As a homeowner and lifelong pet owner, I know all too well how the cute antics of a new puppy or kitten can turn into extensive pet damage. I've also been a remodeler for many, many years, so lucky you. You're about to get some great advice.
At the top of the list, it's difficult to reverse a ruined floor. A puddle of pet urine allowed to remain on the floor will seep between seams and eventually be absorbed by subflooring and the flooring itself, causing warping and mold growth. Residual odors remain and an animal will go back to the same place and instinctively deem it a bathroom area. Wipe up "accidents" immediately and monitor wandering puppies. Use odor-neutralizing products to clean up and discourage repeat behavior. Ideally, limit where an untrained puppy can play to areas where cleanup is easier, such as tiled kitchen floors.
Crating an animal is a popular training method, but galvanized metal crates are not waterproof. Water bowls in crates get jarred by the animal, spill over and leak onto the floor, creating the perfect scenario for a chemical reaction to take place between the wood floor and metal. Two months later, after Fido is housetrained, the crate is removed and you'll be surprised to find blackened floor boards! If crate training, place a slightly larger protective mat underneath.
Food and water bowls can also damage wood and tile flooring. Water spills out of bowls, and small spills disturb the finish on a wood floor, cause stains or degrade grout between tiles. A mat under pet food and water bowls will also prevent minor damage.
Large dogs have large nails. They jump hard and play hard – even indoors. Keep nails trimmed regularly to prevent small scrapes in the surface coating of wood flooring. Damage is not immediate, but over time, the constant scraping of nails as they run back and forth between rooms will dull and wear away the finish, especially in some pre-manufactured floors with thinner coatings.
Rugs wick liquids such as pet urine down into the matting, eventualy soaking through to the plywood subfloor. It takes a long time to dry and will cause constant urine odor. Timing is of the essence when it comes to animal urine on a rug. Clean up as quickly as possible by blotting with a paper towel and use spot cleaner to treat and block odors. If you have not been able to get to it in time, it's best to have the rug professionally cleaned as soon as possible.
Window sills are favorite spot for cats to sit and watch the world. They also like to lean against the screens, loosening them. Screens or window frames are irresistible scratching posts. Cats can scratch away the better part of a ¾ inch thick board, while the homeowner remains completely unaware because a curtain is hiding the damage! Regularly check screens for holes and frames for scratches. Provide plenty of opportunity for your cat to scratch in other places — cat condos, scratching posts, etc. Dull the ends of claws by trimming and filing.
Dogs love doors as much as cats love windows. Puppies use corners of open doors as teethers and will gnaw away as long as they're allowed. Discourage chewing by purchasing products with a bitter taste, available at most pet supply centers. From the beginning, train dogs not to claw when they need to be let out; otherwise, you are inviting disaster! Nothing looks worse than a gouged-out door! For stubborn dogs, install a protective metal plate during the training process.
Appliances & Baseboard Heaters
Animal hair is a major contributor to reduced energy efficiency. Hairballs clog up the fan that blows over refrigerator coils. Air movement draws hair up and in, causing a strain on the compressor and decreasing the life of the appliance. Animal owners should move refrigerators out every few months to thoroughly vacuum behind and underneath.
Vacuums should be well maintained. Hair will jam up rug-beater attachments. Clean the filter and empty the system or change bags often to minimize risk of blockages. Remove hair from around wheels to keep them moving freely.
Heating coils in baseboard heaters are hair magnets. Annually remove baseboard covers, and with a small air compressor, blow hair and dirt out between elements. Using specialized nozzle attachments designed for small spaces, vacuum appliances and baseboards weekly.
Pets chew and claw in surprising places – wires, furniture and even water lines -- particularly if they are bored and under-exercised. Offer your pets plenty of toys. Create opportunities for structured play time in safe spots where they can romp freely. For animals resistant to training, take advantage of products to help you gain control. For example, cats can be discouraged from scratching by using wide double-stick tape. They don't like the way it feels on their pads, and will avoid scratching your lovely new sofa, especially if you've placed a scratching post nearby as an attractive alternative! Note: Do not place tape on leather sofas as it will damage the surface and always do a test strip in an inconspicuous area.
Laura Foster-Bobroff writes for networx.com.
Updated June 26, 2018.
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Topless women activists pounded a huge church bell in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to "celebrate" the pope's resignation.
The nine women from Ukrainian feminist group Femen had their chests and backs emblazoned with the words "Pope No More." They didn't explain their action except to say they are "provocateurs" celebrating Pope Benedict XVI's decision to step down later this month.
At one point some of the women rang an enormous bell on display in the hall of the landmark cathedral, part of a set of new bronze bells cast for Notre Dame's 850th anniversary this year. Cathedral staff turned off the church lights and pulled the women away.
The women say they're also protesting in support of gay marriage. France's lower house of parliament approved a bill Tuesday to legalize such unions.
Via: edgeonthenet.com
Short link: Copy - http://whoel.se/~SW54j$2H8


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From A Distance
We're leaving soon. The car is packed, almost. The maps have been consulted, the route plotted, the schedule worked and reworked and reworked again (do we have time to detour to Frankenmuth? To stop at Target? To visit Joy?). We're ready. We're excited. Everything is perfect.
Except for this one small thing, this very small thing, this very small girl, to whom I have already said goodbye, whose cheeks I have already kissed and kissed and kissed and dampened with my tears (Mommy sad?).
I've said many goodbyes in my life. To family, to friends, to lovers; some tearful, some not. I still cry every time that I say goodbye to my own mother. I certainly cry when I say goodbye to my husband. But nothing quite prepares you for the tug-of-heart that is saying goodbye to your child, that is waving them off and knowing that you won't remain right around the corner, that you won't be there when they get home, that you won't be there to tuck them into bed. Knowing that you are putting an impossible distance between the two of you, knowing that you are losing time that you can never get back.
My heart aches and yearns to stretch, to fling itself into her pocket and go with her wherever she goes, stay with her no matter how far I go, to stretch and stretch and stretch across the distance, across whatever distance, for however long, until I am pulled back and clutching her, my heart-wrapped her, to my breast again.
Future album cover.
She'll be fine, I know. More than fine. She'll be with her Da, revelling in summer. And I'll be fine, too. More than fine.
But I'll still feel, keenly, the stretching of my heart.


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This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon.
An illegal Jewish outpost in the occupied West Bank is at the center of a battle over settlements. The collection of trailers and makeshift buildings is called Migron, and the Israeli Supreme Court has said it must be dismantled by the end of March. The Israeli government has tried to come up with a compromise which the settlers have rejected. And the issue even threatens to bring down the government of Prime Minister Netanyahu.
NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro visited Migron, and she filed this report.
LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO, BYLINE: Migron might be categorized as an illegal outpost slated for evacuation by the Israeli government, but there is a unpaved road that leads right to it, with helpful signs in English and Hebrew to show you the way.
So we're coming up to Migron now and the large yellow gate is opening. It's topped by barbed wire and it's being protected by Israeli soldiers.
(Foreign language spoken)
UNIDENTIFIED ISRAELI SOLDIER: (Foreign language spoken)
GARCIA-NAVARRO: It's an indication of the complicated - and some would argue hypocritical relationship - successive Israeli governments have had with outposts like Migron. On the one hand, Israel is tasked with getting rid of them under international agreements and Israeli court decrees, but practically speaking outposts - and there are dozens of them - are often given the infrastructure and support to, if not thrive, then at least survive.
AVIELA DEITCH: And here there are two kindergartens. They have 60 kids between them - three years old, five years old. In a community of 49 families, I think it's pretty decent.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Aviela Deitch just moved here with her six children and her husband last august. Since it was founded a decade ago, Migron has been expanding. Many recognized settlements in the West Bank actually started this way, and in fact several similar outposts in other parts of the occupied territories were legalized this past year by the Israeli government. Deitch says Migron should be next.
DEITCH: I hope it's legalized and we can build homes. There are families living here with six children in tiny mobile homes.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: The international community sees all Jewish settlements in the West Bank as illegal, Israel though rejects that. But the Israeli Supreme Court has ruled that Migron is built on private Palestinian land, rendering it illegal even by Israeli standards.
YARIV OPPENHEIMER: Just imagine if Migron will stay there, the message to the settlers will be very clear: you can grab land, no matter what, and no matter who the land belongs to. I think Migron is a huge test case for Israeli democracy.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: That's Yariv Oppenheimer from Peace Now, the anti-settlement group. They brought the case against Migron to the Israeli courts. He says the settlers cannot be allowed to flout Israeli law. But that's exactly what's happening he says. The current administration of Benjamin Netanyahu is negotiating with the residents of Migron. They have offered to build them a new settlement a mile away on what they say is state land.
OPPENHEIMER: This is outrageous, of course. It's a game of words. And this is, of course, the symbol that the government is pushing forward the Israeli people to get inside the West Bank and not to think about moving out of the West Bank.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: But so far the settlers have refused even that compromise, and that is tipping Netanyahu's government into a crisis. His coalition is made up of many pro-settlement groups which have threatened to quit over the issue. And even members of his own right-wing Likud Party say they won't accept Migron's evacuation.
TZIPI HOTOVELY: I think that it's about time for the state of Israeli settle it down, and to make sure that all this land will be called the state of Israel's land and this government thinks that no Jewish settlement should be removed. And it's about time for us to recognize those areas as part of the real settlements.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: That's Likud's Tzipi Hotovely. She agrees Migron is a test case. She says it's time to settle the settlement issue once and for all. She says she doesn't recognize any Palestinian claim to land ownership in the West Bank, which she calls the Biblical land of Judea and Sumaria, which she says was given to the Jews.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Back in the West Bank, it's Friday prayer time in the Palestinian villages that abut Migron. Last month, in a so called price tag attack, the mosque in the village of Burqa was burned. Settlers often vandalize Palestinian property in retaliation for Israeli attempts to restrict settlement building. And because Migron actually sits on land deemed to belong to the village of Burqa, it's frequently targeted, say residents.
Diab Yassin is a village elder. He says Palestinians in the area hold out little hope that that land will be returned to them.
DIAB YASSIN: Most of that land belongs to Burqa's people. They have deeds and abstracts and everything. But from the experience we had before, I don't think they're going to remove anything.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: He says the Israeli government is not even trying to get the land back to its rightful owners.
Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Commission Finds 'No Compelling Medical Reason' To Exclude Transgender Americans From Military
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) — An independent commission led by a former U.S. surgeon general has concluded there "is no compelling medical reason" for the U.S. armed forces to prohibit transgender Americans from serving and that President Barack Obama could lift the decades-old ban without approval from Congress, according to a report being released Thursday.
The report said Department of Defense regulations designed to keep transgender people from joining or remaining in the military on the grounds of psychological and physical unfitness are based on outdated beliefs that require thousands of current service members either to leave the service or to forego the medical procedures and other changes that could align their bodies and gender identities.
"We determined not only that there is no compelling medical reason for the ban, but also that the ban itself is an expensive, damaging and unfair barrier to health care access for the approximately 15,450 transgender personnel who serve currently in the active, Guard and reserve components," said the commission led by Dr. Joycelyn Elders, who served as surgeon general during Bill Clinton's first term as president, and Rear Adm. Alan Steinman, a former chief health and safety director for the Coast Guard.
The panel, convened by a think tank at San Francisco State University, said the ban has existed for several decades and apparently was derived in part from the psychiatric establishment's consensus, since revised, that gender identity issues amounted to a mental disorder.
The ban also appears based on the assumption that providing hormone treatment and sex reassignment surgeries would be too difficult, disruptive and expensive. But the commission rejected those notions as inconsistent with modern medical practice and the scope of health care services routinely provided to non-transgender military personnel.
"I hope their takeaway will be we should evaluate every one of our people on the basis of their ability and what they can do, and if they have a condition we can treat we would treat it like we would treat anyone else," Elders said in an interview with The Associated Press, which was provided along with the report ahead of official release.
At least a dozen nations, including Australia, Canada, England and Israel, allow military service by transgender individuals. Transgender rights advocates have been lobbying the Pentagon to revisit the blanket ban in the U.S. since Congress in 2010 repealed the law that barred gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals from openly serving in the military
"At this time there are no plans to change the department's policy and regulations which do not allow transgender individuals to serve in the U.S. military," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a defense department spokesman.
The commission argued that facilitating gender transitions "would place almost no burden on the military," adding that a relatively small number of active and reserve service members would elect to undergo transition-related surgeries and that only a fraction might suffer complications that would prevent them from serving. It estimated that 230 transgender people a year would seek such surgery at an average cost of about $30,000.
Retired Brigadier General Thomas Kolditz, a former Army commander and West Point professor on the commission, said he thinks allowing transgender people to serve openly would reduce gender-based harassment, assaults and suicides while enhancing national security.
"When you closet someone, you create a security risk, and we don't need another Chelsea Manning," Kolditz said, referring to the soldier formerly known as Bradley Manning who came out as transgender after being sentenced for leaking classified documents to the website WikiLeaks.
But Center for Military Readiness President Elaine Donnelly, whose group opposed the repeal of the ban on openly gay troops, predicted that putting transgender people in barracks, showers and other sex-segregated could cause sexual assaults to increase and infringe on the privacy of non-transgender personnel.
"This is putting an extra burden on men and women in the military that they certainly don't need and they don't deserve," Donnelly said.
The commission recommends the president issue an executive order instructing the Department of Defense to amend its regulations so transgender people are no longer automatically barred. The Pentagon then would need to develop rules for assigning service members who are transitioning, said Palm Center Executive Director Aaron Belkin, whose San Francisco State-based think tank commissioned the report.
The Palm Center, which previously researched "don't ask, don't tell," is funded in part by a $1.3 million grant from Jennifer Pritzker, a billionaire former Army lieutenant colonel who came out as transgender last year.
The Williams Institute, a think-tank based at UCLA, estimates about 15,500 transgender personnel are currently serving, nearly all under their birth genders and not transitioning in an appearance-altering way.
Army Reserve Capt. Sage Fox, 41, was one until recently. Following a deployment to Kuwait, Fox started taking female hormones last year. In November, with her hair getting long and her voice higher, she notified her battalion commander, whom she says expressed support. At drill time, an announcement was made to 400 colleagues at the B.T. Collins Reserve Center in Sacramento.
For a few days, Fox thought she might escape the ban. But then she was informed she had been placed on inactive status.
"When I transitioned, I wasn't just a good officer, I became a better officer because I didn't have to deal with that conflict anymore," she said.
© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Wiki Team
From Linux-VServer
Because anybody with a user account can edit the wiki, the wiki team is quite a loose group of individuals. There are however a few core members that help to contribute and maintain the wiki on a near daily basis.
If you are interested in regular contribution to the wiki, you should consider signing up for the mailing list or join our IRC channel (see Communicate).
Start Here
The first thing is to learn some basics on how to edit a page. Once you have figured out the basics, you can look at the Maintenance Tasks below as they include lots of pages that need attention, every little bit helps.
To just play with editing a page, use your own user page or the Sandbox.
We currently migrate to MediaWiki from our old installation, but not all content has been migrated yet.
See Wiki Relocation to learn which pages still need attention.
Your are welcome to help the Wiki Team migrating old pages or create new pages with similar content.
Generic wiki maintenance tasks:
- Wanted Pages — These are pages that don't exist, but there are two or more links to them.
- Double Redirects — Redirects that redirect to a redirect
- Broken Redirects — Redirects that redirect to a non-existing page
- Unused Categories — categories with no pages in it
- Uncategorized Pages — pages that are not in any category


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Returns & Exchanges
Full Priced Retail Products
You may return your full priced retail item for a refund/exchange within 30 days. Returns attempted after 30 days are not eligible for refund/exchange.To receive a refund or exchange the following conditions must be met:
- All items must be returned new, unworn, unwashed, unaltered and in original packaging.
- Apothecary must be in original packaging and unopened and unused.
Custom Items (Leather Goods/Boots/Apparel)
If you design something custom online or purchase in-store, these will not be eligible for return or exchange.
Sale Items
Sale-priced items will not be eligible for return or exchange.
Steps to Return or Exchange Item
To initiate a return or exchange simply email email@example.com
In the case you do have to return or exchange an item, we want to make sure that it gets resolved in a timely manor to ensure customer satisfaction.
Disclaimer - Wilkinson's Fine Goods is not responsible for lost or damaged items in transit.


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Tag: Needle Cast Disease
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Conan ... has really been a more popular fictional universe, more akin to characters like Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Batman or Superman.Charles's point is interesting on several levels. I actually agree that a great many people, perhaps even the vast majority of them, don't know the real Conan. They've never read a word of REH and probably never will. To them, "Conan the Barbarian" -- a moniker I have come to dislike rather strongly -- is, effectively (or literally, in some cases), a comic book character brought to life by a succession of bodybuilders-turned-actors.
Many authors and artists have interpreted the character, and many of those interpretations have taken root in the general consciousness.
When printing Howard's stories, I think all that stuff (de Camp, Lin Carter, Frazetta, Roy Thomas) should be kept at bay.
When making a movie, I think it needs to be considered, because a certain percentage of the audience will only know Conan from those other sources. [Italics mine - JDM]
What's ironic is that, whenever an author's work is popularized by Hollywood, criticisms of the liberties taken with the source material are often dismissed by claiming that "by getting X out into public consciousness, it'll draw people back to the original," the implication seemingly that the original material is incapable of succeeding on its own merits or, less strongly, that it's somehow unsuitable to popular tastes. If this line of thinking ever actually bore fruit -- and I welcome examples to the contrary -- I might be willing to stomach it. But, from where I'm sitting, every time Howard (or any other author) gets bastardized under cover of "this will draw people back to the Real Thing," it only reinforces popular misconceptions and makes it that much more difficult for the genuine article ever to enter the popular imagination. Conan is Exhibit A in just the kind of miscommunication I was talking about last week. Who is Conan? I'd wager that a large percentage of the English-speaking world "knows" Conan, who, as Charles rightly notes is now a pop-cultural icon like Sherlock Holmes or Dracula, but is that really Conan? Or is it, as I would contend, a caricature of Howard's creation, a mere shade of a far more complex literary creation that deserves to be better known and appreciated in its own right?
What's so frustrating about this new Conan movie is that it's being made after a generation-long critical re-evaluation of Robert E. Howard as a writer, culminating in his short stories being canonized by Penguin Classics and included in a collection of fantastic tales published by the prestigious Library of America. Freed from the shackles of pastiche (thanks in no small part to the pioneering work of none other than Karl Edward Wagner), Conan -- and his creator -- have finally come into their own, being judged for what they truly are rather than for what others claimed that they are. Conan is not so strange a character nor his adventures so esoteric that they could not be faithfully adapted to film -- or at least more faithfully than we've seen to date. Why, in this day and age, when Howard's writings are more well regarded and critically appraised than ever, must the shadow of L. Sprague de Camp still fall over the Cimmerian?
If asking for a film in which Conan is recognizably the character created by Robert E. Howard and whose plot is drawn substantially from an actual story in which the character appears is "way too high a bar," as Charles suggests, is it any wonder that I'm so down on Hollywood these days?


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There's not much in the way of substantive commentary I can offer just yet, but I will say three things that come immediately to mind:
- I'm glad this movie has a very different visual look than the 1982 movie, since it -- foolishly in my opinion -- shares the same title with it.
- Jason Momoa doesn't look too bad as the Cimmerian. He's still not quite right (no blue eyes that I could see), but he's closer to Howard's character in my mind than Schwarzenegger.
- At least they're pronouncing his name properly.


text: We no longer provide links to root instructions for specific devices. Our always up-to-date guide became too unwieldy to keep up, so instead we now provide a beginner's resource for Android rooting. Once you've read through that, head over to the XDA Developers forums on the Razr, which should have some useful tools and guides for rooting your phone.