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In 92 days, we will either re-elect President Obama or replace him with his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney. On paper, at least, voters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia will make that decision.
But if you look at the travel schedules and campaign budgets of Obama and Romney, it's clear that the 2012 election will be decided in only ten or fewer states.
I'm not arguing for eliminating the electoral college and calling for the president to be elected by popular vote. But until that happens, and as long as states are considered solidly Democratic (such as California and New York) or solidly Republican (such as Texas), the presidential election is going to be decided by a small number of battleground states where the votes are truly up for grabs.
Obama's 2008 victory was made possible by his picking up a bunch of states that hadn't gone Democratic in years (and in some cases, decades) or states that narrowly went to George W. Bush in 2000 and/or 2004: Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, Iowa and New Mexico. All nine went for Bush in 2004. Virginia and Indiana hadn't voted for a Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. For North Carolina, it was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Most of these are considered "swing states" this year, with some exceptions. Indiana and, to a lesser extent, North Carolina seem inclined to go back to their Republican ways. At this point, Nevada and New Mexico appear likely to stay with the Democrats. Add New Hampshire to the list; the Live Free or Die State seems to still be making up its mind (as should all of us, but that's another story). Polls show Obama with a comfortable lead in Pennsylvania, but both sides are still looking at the Keystone State as a battleground, so I'll keep it there for now. Should we add Michigan or Wisconsin? I don't think so, at least not at this point.
For Romney to win the election, he is going to have to pick off some big states from Obama's 2008 tally.
My list of states to watch on Election Night is down to ten: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. (See July 9 Political Junkie column for my latest Electoral College predictions.) And in those ten, the chart below shows the current polls, how they voted in the past six elections (starting with 1988), and whether or not they will also be holding key Senate races this fall.
Latest polls: Obama +1
2008 results: Obama +9 (54-45)
Prez vote, 1988-2008: R-D-R-R-R-D
Key 2012 Senate race?: No
Latest polls: Obama +6
2008 results: Obama +3 (51-48)
Prez vote, 1988-2008: R-R-D-R-R-D
Key 2012 Senate race?: Yes
Latest polls: Obama +5 (D)
2008 results: Obama +9 (54-45)
Prez vote, 1988-2008: D-D-D-D-R-D
Key 2012 Senate race?: No
Latest polls: Obama +5
2008 results: Obama +12 (55-43)
Prez vote, 1988-2008: R-D-D-R-R-D
Key 2012 Senate race?: Yes
New Hampshire
Latest polls: Obama +4
2008 results: Obama +9 (54-45)
Prez vote, 1988-2008: R-D-D-R-D-D
Key 2012 Senate race?: No
New Mexico
Latest polls: Obama +5
2008 results: Obama +15 (57-42)
Prez vote, 1988-2008: R-D-D-D-R-D
Key 2012 Senate race?: Yes
North Carolina
Latest polls: Romney +5
2008 results: Obama +1 (50-49)
Prez vote, 1988-2008: R-R-R-R-R-D
Key 2012 Senate race?: No
Latest polls: Obama +6
2008 results: Obama +5 (52-47)
Prez vote, 1988-2008: R-D-D-R-R-D
Key 2012 Senate race?: Not presently
Latest polls: Obama +11
2008 results: Obama +11 (55-44)
Prez vote, 1988-2008: R-D-D-D-D-D
Key 2012 Senate race?: No
Latest polls: Even
2008 results: Obama +7 (53-46)
Prez vote, 1988-2008: R-R-R-R-R-D
Key 2012 Senate race?: Yes
Note: Latest polls courtesy of Real Clear Politics.
This week. Primaries on Tuesday in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington. The big one is the GOP contest in Missouri to find an opponent to Sen. Claire McCaskill.
All three leading Republicans are conservative and all are trying to win the "Tea Party vote." And according to a recent Mason-Dixon poll conducted for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, all three — businessman John Brunner, former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman and Rep. Todd Akin — would beat McCaskill if the election were held today, with Brunner faring the best against the one-term Democrat (up by 11) and Akin the worst (up by five).
Brunner has spent, um, liberally from his own personal fortune and is thought to be slightly ahead. But others say Steelman — backed by the Tea Party Express and brandishing an endorsement from Sarah Palin — may be the candidate to watch. She has run statewide twice before: in 2004, getting elected treasurer, and in 2008, when she gave up her job to run for governor; she finished second in the GOP primary. Her gov. bid put her on the outs with many Republicans as she challenged the party's choice, then-Rep. Kenny Hulshof, and may have softened him up for his drubbing in the general election. She has far less money than Brunner or Akin. But the Palin endorsement has taken on a life of its own, and local sources say that if Steelman pulls it out a good deal of the credit will go to the former Alaska governor. Palin's entrance into the Show Me State's primary follows the backing she's given to other successful Senate candidates this year, such as Richard Mourdock in Indiana, Deb Fischer in Nebraska, Orrin Hatch in Utah and, most recently, Ted Cruz in Texas.
Also: Tuesday's Republican primary in Michigan to take on Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) features ex-Rep. Pete Hoekstra and former Reagan administration official Clark Durant. Unlike Missouri's McCaskill, Stabenow seems to be in good shape for November. Another Democratic incumbent likely to win another term is Maria Cantwell of Washington. Her GOP opponent, who first has to win Tuesday's primary, is likely to be state Sen. Michael Baumgartner. But most Republican money is expected to be focused on the gubernatorial contest, which is open due to Christine Gregoire's (D) retirement. The GOP nominee will be state Attorney General Rob McKenna; the Democrats are putting up Rep. Jay Inslee. Republicans last won the governorship here in 1980.
The return of Steve Stockman. The headlines following last week's Texas primary runoff were deservedly about Ted Cruz and his rout of establishment favorite David Dewhurst in the GOP Senate contest for the seat of retiring incumbent Kay Bailey Hutchison. But there was one House runoff that didn't get much notice but is clearly worth mentioning. In the newly-created 36th CD, Steve Stockman won a nasty Republican contest against wealthy political newcomer Stephen Takach. Stockman, as you may remember, won one of the biggest upsets in 1994, defeating House Judiciary Committee chair Jack Brooks (D), who had been in Congress some 42 years. Here's what Houston Chronicle's Joe Holley had to say about Stockman's one term in the House:
"He quickly became well known in Texas and beyond after he suggested President Bill Clinton had orchestrated the 1993 Branch Davidian siege to build support for gun control and claimed to have received a fax from a militia supporter that foretold the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The fax actually was mailed after the bombing."
John Gizzi of the conservative Human Events described his term quite differently, calling Stockman "one of the genuine 'stars' of the Gingrich revolution:
"During his single stint in the House, Stockman embraced social issues with vigor. Staunchly pro-life, he also championed the right to keep and bear arms and early in his term, called for repeal of the Brady Bill. Much like the young Republican Jesse Helms (N.C.) and William L. Armstrong (Colo.) in the Senate in the 1970s, Stockman became a vigorous supporter of national conservative organizations outside Congress."
Stockman was defeated after one term to Democrat Nick Lampson in 1996. But it looks like he'll be back in Congress come next January.
Also: State Rep. Randy Weber won the GOP runoff in the 14th CD and is favored to replace the retiring Ron Paul (R) in Congress. But his Democratic opponent is the same Nick Lampson, who has had an uneven tenure since defeating Stockman; he lost his seat in 2004, came back to win Tom DeLay's former seat in 2006, but then was defeated by Pete Olson (R) in 2008. Former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams (R) is the almost-certain next congressman in the new 25th CD. For the Democrats, state Rep. Pete Gallego defeated ex-Rep. Ciro Rodriguez in the 23rd CD runoff and will challenge freshman GOP Rep. Francisco "Quico" Canseco in November; Canseco ousted Rodriguez two years ago. And in the new 33rd and 34th CDs, the respective Democratic runoff winners were state Rep. Mark Veasey and attorney Filmon Vela, and both are likely to win in November.
Gore Vidal. He was best known for his novels "Myra Breckinridge" and "Lincoln," and his screenplay, "The Best Man." But Gore Vidal, who died last week at age 86, deserves mention here for his two bids for elective office.
In 1960, at the age of 35, he ran as a liberal Democrat in what was then New York's 29th District, around Poughkeepsie, taking on five-term GOP Rep. J. Ernest Wharton. It was an energetic campaign, pushing Wharton more than most observers expected. But some of Vidal's positions — such as recognition of Red China (as it was called back then) — didn't go over quite well. Vidal lost, getting 43 percent of the vote. For the record, John F. Kennedy took just 38 percent in that district.
Twenty-two years later, Vidal, by then a Californian, ran for an open Senate seat in California, taking on Gov. Jerry Brown in the Democratic primary. Brown was at a low point in popularity, but Vidal ran less a serious campaign against him and more of a sarcastic one, hitting Brown from the left. Vidal only received about 15 percent of the vote, but Brown, the clear Democratic favorite, only finished with 51 percent in a field of mostly nuisance rivals.
Vidal also often appeared on television talk shows. One memorable controversy came in the summer of 1968. During its coverage of the Democratic convention that year, ABC News had Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. on board as analysts. As the Chicago police were battling protesters out in the streets, Buckley defended the cops, which led Vidal to call him a "pro-crypto Nazi." Buckley responded, "Now listen, you queer! Stop calling me a pro-crypto Nazi or I'll sock you in your goddamn face and you'll stay plastered."
You can see it all here, thanks to the miracle of YouTube.
Political Updates. I post periodic political updates during the week on Twitter. You can follow me at @kenrudin.
Palintology. In my July 23 Junkie column rating the best as worst VP picks, I ended up giving Sarah Palin a negative rating. I wrote that yes, she brought down the house with her speech at the convention in St. Paul, and yes, the initial excitement of her selection gave the GOP ticket a polling bump against the Obama-Biden ticket. And no, I don't blame Palin for the McCain defeat that year; between the unpopularity of President Bush and his war and economic policies, the sudden near-collapse of the nation's financial stability, and McCain's failure to explain what he would do to stabilize the markets, it's hard to make the case that any Republican could have won in 2008. But the focus on Palin's own embarrassments, especially regarding but hardly limited to the Katie Couric interview, made the choice, in my mind, a poor one. Even other leftwingers, such as Dick Cheney, has called the Palin pick a "mistake." Not everyone agreed, of course. Here are three dissenting views:
Frank Donatelli, Washington, D.C.: Post election voter surveys indicated that for that small subsection of voters that thought the VP was "very important," a small majority favored McCain. Add to that the money and enthusiasm that Sarah Palin generated for the ticket and you would conclude that she was a plus in the election.
Debbie Cohen, Anaheim, Calif.: I'm a Democrat, but I loved Sarah Palin's take-no-prisoners attitude. She was the only interesting thing in the entire election.
Calvin Dodge (via Twitter): McCain's polling was better than Obama's until he rushed back to DC. It's silly to say Palin was a minus.
Political Junkie segment on Talk of the Nation. Each Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET, the Political Junkie segment appears on Talk of the Nation (NPR's call-in program), hosted by Neal Conan with me adding color commentary, where you can, sometimes, hear interesting conversation, useless trivia questions and sparkling jokes. Last week's segment focused on great, or not so great, VP picks of the past. Click here to listen.
Podcast. There's also a new episode of our weekly podcast, "It's All Politics," up every Thursday. It's hosted by my partner in crime, Ron Elving, and me.
And Don't Forget ScuttleButton. ScuttleButton, America's favorite waste-of-time button puzzle, can usually be found in this spot every Monday or Tuesday. A randomly selected winner will be announced every Wednesday during the Political Junkie segment on NPR's Talk of the Nation. You still have time to submit your answer to last week's contest, which you can see here. Not only is there incredible joy in deciphering the answer, but the winner gets a TOTN T-shirt! (Truth be told: We actually held a Political Junkie t-shirt meeting at NPR last week. Progress!)
Most recent winner: Kurt Metzmeier of Louisville, Ky.
Aug. 7 -- Primaries in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington.
Aug. 11 -- Hawaii primary.
Aug. 14 -- Primaries in Connecticut, Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Aug. 21 -- Wyoming primary; Georgia runoff.
Aug. 27-30 — Republican National Convention, Tampa, Fla.
Aug. 28 — Primaries in Alaska, Arizona and Vermont.
Sept. 4-6 — Democratic National Convention, Charlotte, N.C.
Sept. 6 — Massachusetts primary.
Sept. 11 — Primaries in Delaware, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
Oct. 3 — First presidential debate, University of Denver. Also: TOTN's Political Junkie segment from St. Louis.
Oct. 10 — TOTN's Political Junkie segment from Columbus, Ohio.
Oct. 11 -- Vice Presidential debate, Centre College in Danville, Ky.
Oct. 16 — Second presidential debate, Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.
Oct. 17 -- TOTN's Political Junkie segment from Las Vegas.
Oct. 22 — Third presidential debate, Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.
Nov. 6 — ELECTION DAY. Also: Louisiana primary.
Mailing list. To receive a weekly email alert about the new column and ScuttleButton puzzle, contact me at email@example.com.
******* Don't Forget: If you are sending in a question to be used in this column, please include your city and state. *********
This day in campaign history: Rep. Billy Tauzin of Louisiana announces his switch to the Republican Party, becoming the fifth congressional Democrat to do so since the GOP sweep in the 1994 midterm elections. In the House since winning a 1980 special election, Tauzin says he switched because "there is no real role for conservatives within the Democratic Party;" another reason is thought to be his growing rift with President Clinton (Aug. 6, 1995). The other Dems who switched: Reps. Nathan Deal of Ga. and Greg Laughlin of Texas, and Sens. Richard Shelby of Ala. and Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colo.
Got a question? Ask Ken Rudin: firstname.lastname@example.com
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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subset: commoncrawl


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The ATV that gets the job done.
You probably have a go-to person in your life—someone that you can count on in a pinch, the one you can count on when you need something done, done right, done now, and done without excuses. On the jobsite or the shop floor, it's probably the shop foreman. And in the world of all-terrain vehicles that's the Honda Foreman.
The Honda FourTrax® Foreman® has long been the workhorse of the ATV world, the machine smart riders look to when big jobs or big adventures call. Strong, rugged, famously reliable and able to do it all, the Foreman is the boss of both ranch and trail.
Its proven fuel injected 500-class engine offers excellent power and fuel efficiency. The strong chassis offers a long suspension stroke for better handling and a smoother ride, perfect for rough terrain. Find yourself in a less than ideal situation? The front differential lock will help maximize front-end power. And finally, all of these features are wrapped up in some tough, aggressively styled bodywork and some new color choices for 2016 that further set Foreman apart from the competition.
Recommended for riders 16 years of age and older. Honda recommends that all ATV riders take a training course and read their owner's manual thoroughly.
This is not an offer for credit and should be used for estimation purposes only based on the information you provided. You should not base your decision on this estimate alone. Title, registration, tax and other fees, and personal circumstances such as employment status and personal credit history, were not considered in the calculations.
Front - Dual hydraulic 190mm disc
Rear - Sealed 160mm mechanical drum
Front - 25 x 8-12
Rear - 25 x 10-12
Front - Independent double-wishbone; 7.28 inches travel
Rear - Swingarm with single shock; 7.28 inches travel


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It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.
Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, wrapped up a week-long foreign trip today, with a speech in Warsaw, Poland. His trip overseas, which began in London and then on to Jerusalem, was designed to bolster Romney's foreign policy credentials, but instead it's been riddled with gaffs and controversy.
Joining us now from Warsaw, is NPR's Eric Westervelt. Good morning.
ERIC WESTERVELT, BYLINE: Good morning, Renee.
MONTAGNE: So, Mitt Romney delivered a final speech, today, there in that city before heading back to the U.S. And what were his main points?
WESTERVELT: Well, the main focus of the speech, really, wasn't a foreign policy speech - he was praise for Poland. He called the country an economic and political success story. He said he and all Americans are inspired by the path of freedom tread by the people of Poland and that the country, in his words, is an example and defender of freedom. He mentioned Solidarity leader, Lech Walesa and the work of the late pope, John Paul II. His advisors had warned, you know, not to expect new foreign policy positions, Renee, during this trip, or today, and Romney did not lay out any new ideas today. In a speech earlier this year, he drew criticism - even from some fellow Republicans - when he said Russia is America's quote, "number one geopolitical foe."
Today, Renee, he didn't elaborate or expand on the U.S.-Russia relationship, other than saying that, in Russia, quote, "one's promising advances toward a free and open society have now faltered."
MONTAGNE: Well, during this trip, as I just mentioned, the media has paid a lot of attention to diplomatic missteps - first in London, and then comments Romney made in Israel that angered Palestinians. Today it was a Romney aid who had to apologize to reporters because he lost his temper. Tell us about that.
WESTERVELT: Well, that's right. Tempers, sort of, rising between the traveling press corps and the Romney campaign. Governor Romney has done some TV interviews, Renee, but he has not held any media availability for the traveling American press corps since taking a few questions in London at the beginning of this trip. And today, when some reporters who've been traveling with him shouted questions his way, after a wreath laying ceremony, a Romney press aid told one reporter to, quote, "shove it" - among other things. The aid later apologized and said he lost his temper and that it was inappropriate.
But this comes after the flap over comments Romney made at a fundraiser just before leaving Israel, in which he suggested cultural differences between Israelis and Palestinians were important factors as to why Israel is as to why Israel is so much more economically successful than the Palestinians. Palestinian officials called that simplistic and racist. The Romney camp said the comments were taken a bit out of context.
And then there was the stumble in London where Romney questioned the U.K.'s readiness to host the Games on the eve of the Olympics - that drew criticism the British media, London's mayor, and others.
MONTAGNE: Well, yesterday, in the city of Gdansk, there in Poland, Romney picked up the support of someone who might seem very important - quite a famous person: former President Lech Walesa, but that also turned out not to be without controversy.
WESTERVELT: Well, that's right, I mean, Walesa is icon here. He praised Romney in remarks after a closed door meeting. The Solidarity leader - former leader - basically endorsed Romney. He said Romney's leadership is needed, now, for the U.S., for Europe and the world. But the trade union organization, Solidarity, here, quickly issued a fairly strong statement, criticizing Romney, saying he's been hostile to workers rights and unions during his business career. Solidarity said it had no role in Romney's visit, and distanced itself from Walesa's comments and the candidate's visit.
MONTAGNE: Why was Poland part of this three country trip?
WESTERVELT: Well, in Romney's speech, today, he mentioned Poland as an important U.S. ally and he praised Poland as a free market, economic success story. And the country is doing better, Renee, than the rest of Europe - which is still mired in the euro debt crisis. Poland is not part of the eurozone, and last year, the country registered solid growth above four percent. The speech today was, you know, warmly received here, by Poles, and the visit may help him shore up support among American Catholics and Polish American voters. It was interesting to note that both in Gdansk and in Warsaw, Polish citizens I spoke with, so far, have said, you know, they were a bit surprised Romney was here for two days.
One man in Gdansk said, impossible, we're such a small country. Why is such an important person coming here?
MONTAGNE: NPR's Eric Westervelt speaking to us from Warsaw, Poland. Thanks very much.
WESTERVELT: You're welcome, Renee. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Taco Wrap Deluxe
I went to Taco Bell for the first time in about 10 years last week. You see, here in Buffalo we have an awesome and wildly popular local taco chain called Mighty Taco, so no one here ever really goes to Taco Bell. The last time I'd been to one was when I went to college in Ohio. We still get the commercials though, and every time I'd see one for Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme I'd think "That looks good – I could make that!" I decided to get one so that I could deconstruct it and make sure I got it right when I made my own. The Taco Bell version was tasty, but it was uneven and there was way too much sour cream for my tastes. I took a lot of bites that were all tortilla and sour cream without any meat or cheese. Not to "toot my own horn," but the one I made myself tasted so much better than theirs! I think the ratio of spicy meat and gooey cheese sauce to sour cream and tortilla was way better (more meaty and cheesy…yum).
I found this wrap to be really filling, and the recipe is so quick and easy to make. You could very easily half it or make one at a time. I posted it as 8 servings because that's how many a pound of ground beef makes, but once you cook the beef you could certainly assemble one or two at a time. Fast, easy, delicious, and half the points of the original? Sold. To view your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
Taco Wrap Deluxe
- 1 lb raw 95% lean ground beef
- 1 packet reduced sodium taco seasoning
- 8 low carb high fiber large tortillas, (I used La Tortilla Factory Low Carb, High Fiber Whole Wheat Tortilla)
- 1 cup queso dip or salsa con queso, warmed
- 24 Baked Tostitos Scoops tortilla chips
- Shredded lettuce
- 1 medium tomato
- ½ cup fat free plain Greek Yogurt, (or sour cream if you prefer)
- Bring a large skillet over medium heat and cook the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon until browned. Add the taco seasoning and stir until combined. Continue to cook for another couple minutes to coat the beef in seasoning.
- Place a tortilla on a microwave-safe plate and spoon 2 tablespoons of queso dip in the center. Smooth the queso out in a circle, covering only the center of the tortilla (leaving 1-2 inches dry around the edges. Microwave the tortilla for 15-30 seconds to make it more pliable. Remove the tortilla from the microwave and add around ¼ cup of the seasoned beef and spread over the top of the queso. Break apart 3 tortilla chips and place those in a layer over the beef. On top of the chips, layer the lettuce, tomatoes and yogurt in whatever order you choose. I did yogurt last but I think it should probably be first after the chips, with the lettuce and tomatoes on top of it. Fold the edges of the tortilla up around the filling. There will most likely be a small gap in the center – that's okay!
- Lightly mist a skillet with cooking spray and bring over medium heat. Place the taco wrap folded side up on the skillet and mist the top of the wrap with cooking spray as well. You can hold the folded flaps of tortilla down while it cooks if you want, but after a minute I just placed a smaller skillet bottom side down directly on top of the taco wrap to free up my hands and that held it together just fine. When the bottom of your wrap is browned (this should only take a few minutes), flip the wrap over, making sure all the tortilla flaps stay tucked underneath (this was actually easier than it sounds) and continue to cook for a few additional minutes until that side is browned too.
- Repeat with remaining ingredients (though if you have a large skillet or griddle pan you can likely cook more than one at once) and serve.
7 per serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)


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In 2011, I crossed the border with other journalists into a country that had been cut off from the world for 42 years. We had no idea what to expect as we entered what the rebels were calling "Free Libya."
Where before there had been oppressive security, instead what greeted us was a motley group of ecstatic young men with guns who welcomed journalists to the land they'd liberated. There was no passport control, no rules and a sense of relief that the world would finally hear their stories.
They showed videos of atrocities committed by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's men. They told stories of rape, pillaging and burned bodies at the hands of Gadhafi's forces. They begged journalists to get the word out about their struggle and their need for help from the international community.
It was a country in tumult, and few of us reporters had any idea who the players were, what they really wanted or where the struggle here was going. Two young men with AK-47s offered to drive us from the border with Egypt to Tobruk, nearly 800 miles east of the capital.
At the time, we were under the impression that everyone in eastern Libya was against Gadhafi. But not long into the drive, the two men showed us their phone screen savers, pictures of Gadhafi. They explained they supported the dictator and they wanted him to stay in power.
It was a reminder of the dangers that still lurked, a glimpse into the deep divisions that remained in Libya, and a preview of the civil war that would come.
On a piece of notebook paper, I wrote three words down and showed it to my colleague: "I am scared." We feared we would be killed for crossing into Libya against the Gadhafi regime's wishes, but the men took us to the hotel in Tobruk and left.
Libya's Messy War
The battle to come was indeed bloody. An estimated 5,000 to 8,000 people were killed in the civil war.
Reporting during that time was a treasure trove for journalists. Libyans were excited to see us after years of isolation from the outside world. They told us their stories: the doctor who lost all his children during the siege of the port city of Misrata; the young medical student who put his engagement and education on hold to treat wounded fighters; the accountant who blew himself up in eastern Libya to breach the base of Gadhafi forces in Benghazi. They were stories of hope and sacrifice for a better future.
On the front lines, secular fighters united with hardcore Islamists. During the very first airstrike by Gadhafi forces in 2011, I fled the scene with one fighter. He drove me back from the oil-refinery town of Brega, toward Benghazi.
As we chatted, he revealed that he'd fought in Iraq against the American army. "They were occupiers, they were killing Muslims," he told me. He claimed his brother had been a suicide bomber in Fallujah.
These were also the first glimpses of the number of jihadists that had returned to Libya from Iraq and Afghanistan to participate in the battle, many driven by a thirst for justice and ultimately a want for Islamic law.
In Misrata, a western port city, the battles were among the bloodiest. Under siege, doctors, economists, accountants and merchants took up arms for the first time. They launched rocket-propelled grenades at tanks and picked off Gadhafi snipers on Misrata's main drag, Tripoli Street. They were fighting for survival with no where to run, locked between the sea and land controlled by Gadhafi.
I was struck by their bravery, their willingness to give up their lives for this cause. Everyone here was in danger; women and children were not spared.
But how quickly many of them turned from hero to villain. When Misrata was liberated, the militiamen cleared the neighboring town of Tawargha. They accused them of allying with Gadhafi and participating in atrocities. The city is still empty. Many from the town have been killed, and the others fled. The Misratans vow they will never allow them to return.
A Wild New Libya
Today, those first fissures we witnessed in 2011 have blown wide open; battles are tribal, regional, ethnic and at times just personal feuds. The stockpiles of weapons — surface-to-air missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, land mines and other heavy artillery abandoned during the war — were never secured and now they have spread all over Libya and the region.
The country has now morphed into the Wild West. The NATO bombing campaign — billed as an urgent human rights intervention — quickly revealed itself to be a campaign aimed at regime change that has had far-reaching consequences.
Militias — many former fighters against Gadhafi — act with impunity. The borders are open, and the weapons have made it into the hands of militants in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and into Mali.
It is, in the words of many analysts, Libyans and Western observers, "a colossal mess." A state still hasn't emerged, and the only true power is with men with guns.
One militia leader is holding hostage much of Libya's lifeblood, its oil, in the East. And the government is unable to wrest back control. And there is still no law and no state institutions. The unity among Libyans, created by the abuse of a dictator, is gone.
As one young musician in the capital recently told me, "We had no freedom, and now we have too much freedom." Kidnappings, assassinations, gun battles and bombings are a near daily occurrence.
'We Underestimated The Challenges'
Huda Abuzeid returned to Libya in 2011. I first met her in a Tripoli hotel when she was volunteering with the interim leadership. She'd come back for the first time in decades at the start of the uprising. Her father, a Libyan dissident, was murdered in his London grocery store in 1995; it is believed he was stabbed to death by Gadhafi's men.
At that time she was filled with hope. Finally, the Libya her father died for would come to fruition. She relocated to Tripoli as a journalist and activist.
But the hope she had then is almost gone as Libyans prepare to vote for a constituent assembly this week.
She voted for the General National Congress in 2012 in a festive atmosphere. An atmosphere of excitement, that democracy was coming to Libya. "We were naive," she said last week in the same Tripoli hotel where we first met. "We underestimated the challenges."
She is nostalgic for that time of unity. Worried that the sacrifices so many people made will go unrewarded.
"The people we saw in that period were so inspiring," she said. "And the people who sacrificed themselves, genuinely for nothing more than to bring
something back to Libya and get rid of Gadhafi — they were desperately looking for freedom, dignity, all those words we talked about."
Abuzeid said those people died for a specific reason, which she thinks may get lost in the current climate. "People get so caught up in the politics and the ideologies that they've forgotten the original reasons," she said.
The pictures of those martyrs are on billboards across the country, all the people who died for a new Libya.
As the danger grows, Abuzeid said, she often thinks about leaving. She has a British passport, too, and can easily return to the United Kingdom.
"But that feels like a betrayal, really, to the original ..." she trailed off and held back tears, "... to the original purpose of what these people did. We can't leave it to those groups who want to destroy it. We all have a dream of a Libya that we talked about ad nauseam during the revolution."
That's why she'll stay put, for now.
"We dreamt about a new Libya, we want to see that happen, and I think the more people who give up on that idea, the less likely it is to happen," she said. "It means that sacrifice would have been a waste."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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The scary situation remains unchanged in southeast Alabama, where authorities say a man shot and killed a school bus driver on Tuesday and then took a 5-year-old boy to an underground bunker.
Dan Carsen of NPR member station WBHM tells our Newscast Desk that police are communicating with the kidnapper through a PVC pipe that connects to the bunker. Identified as 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes, the suspect is "described by neighbors as a paranoid and combative" man, Dan adds, with "extreme anti-government views." He also reports that "neighbors told media Dykes had threatened them, regularly patrolled his yard with a gun, and killed pets. His bunker has electricity: the boy has reportedly been coloring and watching TV."
AL.com reports that this morning that "Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson said ... there is no change in Midland City. ... An army of officers from local, state, and federal agencies is on the scene, where negotiations have entered their 40th hour." And the news outlet adds that:
"The 5-year-old child, whose name is not being released, is autistic, according to law enforcement sources. He requires medication, which Dykes has allowed to be delivered through a PVC pipe."
The man Dykes allegedly killed was 66-year-old bus driver Charles Albert Poland Jr., who AL.com writes "is said to have refused Dykes' request for two children before Dykes shot him up to four times.
Update at 8:15 a.m. ET, Feb. 1: The standoff continues.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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so I knew that I couldn't pass it up.
This is the before picture...
Yucky right? Well, I did some painting & creating and this is the shabby outcome of my efforts!
Now, it's just a sweet bedside lamp table. After a new top, I painted black and white check on the inside only of the legs and added swirls to the bottom.
Sweet, shabby, simple!
A cute hat lamp shade from Hobby Lobby and I added the teacups since this is the room with the teacup chandelier that I made last year. You can read more on that HERE.
Before & After |
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Party Time @ It's So Very Cheri
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage
Creative Blogger's Party @ Homemaker On A Dime
Making The World Cuter @ Making The World Cuter
Cowgirl Up Link Party @ The Farmhouse Porch
Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home
Knick of Time Tuesday @ Knick of Time
The Inspiration Board Link Party @ Homework
Turning the Daunting Into Doable Tuesday @ Project Queen
Just a party for my Peeps @ How To Nest for Less
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Time to Shine Tuesday @ A Diamond in the Stuff
Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Trash 2 Treasure @ Sassy Sites
Northern Cottage Party Tuesday @ Northern Cottage
Be Inspired Party @ Elizabeth & Co.
Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
Cottage Garden Party @ Fishtail Cottage
Swing Into Spring Wednesday @ DIY by Design
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Rock N Share Wednesday @ The Shady Porch
Wildly Original Wednesday @ I Gotta Create!
Show and Share @ Lil Pink Pocket
Link Up Wednesday @ Junk in their Trunk
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @ Primitive & Proper
What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants
Show & Share @ Southern Lovely
Show Me Extraordinary Thursday Party @ The 36th Avenue
Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here
Creative Things Thursday @ The Vintage Farmhouse
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Blog Stalking Thursday @ The Crafty Blog Stalker
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground
American Pickers @ Savvy City Farmer
Inspiration Friday @ At The Picket Fence
Free For All Party @ Five Days, Five Ways
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Any Link Goes Party @ Bacon Time With The Hungry Hungry Hypo
Weekend WrapUp Party @ Tatertots and Jello
Serenity Saturday @ Serenity You
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal
Overflowing with Creativity @ It's Overflowing
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn
Sundae Scoop Weekend Wrap Up Party @ I love Nap Time
Sunday Blog Love @ Cherished Treasures
So Darn Crafty Party @ Sew Many Ways
Sunday's Best Wrap Up Party @ My 1929 Charmer


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Data collection software for serial devices, including meters, balances, scales or any RS232 instrument. WinWedge captures data directly to Excel, Access or any Windows application or web page. It can even send commands out a COM port so you can control your device through hot keys, buttons, or DDE.
WinWedge easily collects data from balances, gages, meters, sensors, micrometers, barcode scanners, GPS, PLCs, analyzers and other measuring devices and laboratory instruments. It can send the data directly into any Windows program, including Excel spreadsheets, Access databases, LIMS and MMIs, or medical databases!
WinWedge is designed to be highly flexible and can easily parse, filter and format your device data to fit your project's requirements. It can also transmit prompts or commands through the serial port to control your instruments. Think of WinWedge as an easily customizable serial I/O device driver.
Winwedge comes in both Professional and Standard versions. Visit our feature comparison page for details or contact us to ask which version will work best for your needs.
Data is automatically transferred to your Windows application with complete accuracy. Eliminate mistypes and manual data entry errors!
WinWedge includes powerful data parsing capabilities so you only collect the data that you need. Format and filter the data to tailer it for your application.
Works across all industries with thousands of devices including serial, TCP/IP*, and USB & Bluetooth virtual COM port devices. *TCPWedge only
Take control of your device by sending it serial commands either automatically on a timed interval or by pressing a hotkey or button.
WinWedge is compatible with a wide range of devices, including
Learn how WinWedge can help you capture data from your RS232 serial, TCP/IP, USB and Bluetooth (Virtual COM) devices! For a more detailed video demonstration on configuring and using WinWedge, watch our
Connect your device to your PC's serial or USB port (installing any necessary drivers) and use the WinWedge interface to select your device's communications settings, such as the COM port, baud rate, parity, data bits, and stop bits.
Intuitive, walk-through menus allow you to tailor the data to your needs by splitting the record into multiple fields, filter out certain characters, or format the data to meet your requirements. You can also easily define hot keys and buttons to send serial commands to your device or perform other tasks.
Select from either Keystrokes Mode, DDE Server Mode, or Log to Disk, specify the target application or file, and activate WinWedge! Watch as the data from your device "pops" into the Windows application you selected. You can even input the device data directly to a chart or use Excel's built-in functions to peform real-time analysis.
Average Star Rating: 0.0 out of 5 (0 vote)
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Download was added 1 year ago in the Movies download category.
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User talk:ArcboundMyr
Welcome to the RollerCoaster Tycoon Wiki, and thank you for your contributions! There's a lot to do around here, so I hope you'll stay with us and make many more improvements.
- Recent changes is a great first stop, because you can see what other people are editing right this minute, and where you can help.
- Please sign in, if you haven't already, and create a user name! It's free, and it'll help you keep track of all your edits.
- Questions? You can ask at the Help desk or on the "discussion" page associated with each article, or post a message on my talk page!
- Need help? The Community Portal has an outline of the site, and pages to help you learn how to edit.
I'm really happy to have you here, and look forward to working with you!
- I Ross I 21:58, 22 April 2009 (UTC)


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A Moveable Museum: Works from the UIMA School Programs Collections
A Moveable Museum: Works from the UIMA School Programs Collections
The Figge Art Museum is partnering with the University of Iowa Museum of Art (UIMA) to bring this exciting, interactive exhibition to the Mary Waterman Gildehaus Community Gallery. Since the Iowa flood of 2008, the UIMA has been unable to serve audiences in traditional ways and has used the UIMA School Programs in order to continue education about art. This outreach program impacts thousands of K-12 Art, social studies and language arts students across the state of Iowa each year.
UIMA Education Partners, made up of private foundations, corporate and individual sponsors, fund the purchase of artworks (acquired specifically for this purpose) and travel to schools, libraries and other educations settings. Each year teacher input is collected in regards to curricular objectives, which informs what type of new thematic collection will be added next.
Works from five continents, as well as works demonstrating a wide range of media, are incorporated into the classroom experience, and for the first time will be on view as the comprehensive exhibition. This is a wonderful opportunity for Quad Cities residents to participate in a hands-on experience with these superb collections, usually reserved for classrooms throughout the state.
This exhibition will be on view through August 3, 2014


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The United Nations' special rapporteur for human rights and counterterrorism launched an investigation Thursday into the United States' targeted killing program.
Ben Emmerson, from Britain, will lead the inquiry, which will focus on the civilian effect of the program as well, as the legal framework governing drone attacks.
"The inquiry, announced in London, will investigate 25 drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories.
"Most attacks with unmanned aerial vehicles have been by the United States. Britain and Israel have also used them, and dozens more states are believed to possess the technology."
The U.K. will cooperate with the investigation but there is no word on whether the United States will follow suit.
As we've reported, the Obama administration has vigorously defended the secrecy of the targeted killing program. Earlier this month, a federal judge agreed with the administration that they have no legal duty to "disclose legal opinions justifying the use of drones to kill suspected terrorist operatives abroad."
That was a loss for the American Civil Liberties Union, which has challenged both the secrecy and the legality of the program.
In a statement, today, the ACLU praised the inquiry.
"We welcome this investigation in the hopes that global pressure will bring the U.S. back into line with international law requirements that strictly limit the use of lethal force," Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's National Security Project, said in the statement. "Virtually no other country agrees with the U.S.'s claimed authority to secretly declare people enemies of the state and kill them and civilian bystanders far from any recognized battlefield. To date, there has been an abysmal lack of transparency and no accountability for the U.S. government's ever-expanding targeted killing program."
Emmerson, the U.N. investigator, told Reuters that this investigation is important because these tactics and technology are "here to stay."
The BBC for example cites the Bureau of Investigative Journalism as saying that between 2004 and 2013, "CIA drone attacks in Pakistan killed up to 3,461 people — up to 891 of them civilians."
"It is therefore imperative that appropriate legal and operational structures are urgently put in place to regulate its use in a manner that complies with the requirements of international law," Emmerson said.
If you remember, this is not the first time the U.N. has delved into the issue of America's targeted killing program.As we reported last year, Christof Heyns, a U.N. investigator on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, hinted that the U.S. program may skirt international law.
"Killings may be lawful in an armed conflict but many targeted killings take place far from areas where it's recognized as being an armed conflict," Heyns said.
Attorney General Eric Holder has publicly defended the program.
Emmerson will present a report and recommendations to the General Assembly in October.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Autentico® Versante Matt is a high quality water-based paint designed to provide a long lasting, elegant finish with superior coverage and beautiful depth of colour. This ultra matt finish tones down surface imperfections due to its low reflection. Autentico® Versante Matt is UV resistant and low in VOC. Its built-in moisture control features make it perfect for exterior surfaces and interior areas with increased humidity such as kitchens, bathroom walls and furniture.
When using Versante Matt keep in mind that this paint needs no sealer and cannot be distressed, perfect for a clean fresh finish!
The Nocturnal, Versante was created with people like you in mind. Something to keep you happy. Every. Single. Day.


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The winner is Lil' Ms. P from A Mommy Talks.
Thanks to all who entered!
Thank you to everyone who entered. There was so much interest in this giveaway, My Busy Kits has decided to offer a second person a busy kit of her choice. Therefore, we are extending the giveaway for another week. The second winner will be randomly selected on Monday, October 19.
Good Luck!
When my children were younger we did not take many long road trips. However, now that they are a bit older, we have been traveling more. We try to visit family (11 hour trip) twice a year and take several shorter trips throughout the year, as well.
To keep my kids busy on long trips, I have always packed bags of things for them to do. This usually works well. However, it is one more thing to plan, pack, and unpack. The bags also take up a lot of room in the car, which is a problem when we have already had to pack luggage, toiletries, and food. This is where My Busy Kits come in handy.
If you are not familiar with them, My Busy Kits are compact activity kits for kids. They are filled with all sorts of small toys, games, projects, and activities to keep kids busy on road trips and airplanes, during church services, waiting at restaurants and doctor's offices, etc.
I was recently sent the following Busy Kits to review with my children.
I was so excited when these arrived to my house. Not only are they totally fun (and I knew my kids were going to love them), but also because we were about to go on a trip to DC. Now, I wouldn't have to pack any travel bags!
Here's what my kids thought of My Busy Kits...
As you can see, they loved them. And I loved them, too. The Busy Kits kept the kids entertained the entire 3 hour ride to DC, while we waited at restaurants, and on the ride home!
When we returned home, I packed all of the supplies back into the bags neatly and put them away. We will definitely be using them again for our fall trip to the Poconos. Now we are spoiled, we will never want to travel with our Busy Kits.
The founders of My Busy Kits are offering one of my lucky readers her/his choice of one Busy Kit. To enter this giveaway, visit the My Busy Kits website and choose the kit that you would like if you win. Then come back here and tell me about it in a comment. Be sure to leave a valid email address.
For extra entries:
- Follow Keepsmesmiling on Twitter.
- Subscribe to Keeps Me Smiling Blog.
- Follow my blog.
- Subscribe to my blog.
- Tweet about this giveaway and leave your Twitter name in the comment. You may do this once a day.
The winner will be randomly chosen on Monday, October 12 and contacted by email.
Thanks for entering and Good Luck!


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WASHINGTON — Welcoming Mongolia's successful application to join the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as a participating State, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation (U.S. Helsinki Commission), said, "Mongolia has been an active partner with the OSCE as an Asian Partner for Cooperation since 2004 and by establishing a framework for cooperation with like-minded countries such as Mongolia, the OSCE is able to further its mandate particularly in addressing security threats and conflict prevention. We congratulate Mongolia for not only its accomplishments to date, including joining the OSCE, but also for its aspirations of strengthening its democratic development."
Mongolia became the OSCE's 57th participating State on November 21. The OSCE is the world's largest regional security organization, working to ensure peace, democracy and stability for more than a billion people in Europe, Asia and North America. The decision to welcome Mongolia into the Organization was taken by consensus among the other participating States.


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I thought this was my first visit to Kansas, but my father has since corrected me. Turns out that in 1974 we drove through on our way to a new assignment at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. We stopped at a rest area and had barely unfurled our picnic blanket when a sharp gust of wind carried it away. I weighed about as much as the blanket and was convinced I'd be next. I didn't stop screaming until we were back in the car heading for Oklahoma.
Now, Rodgers and Hammerstein said Oklahoma is where the wind comes sweeping down the plain, but they were native New Yorkers and knew bugger all about the Midwest. On this visit, Kansas gave Oklahoma a run for the money–there was one superfestive night when both states broke out in tornadoes–and if I hadn't been so busy I might have worried once again about blowing away.
However, I was too preoccupied with yarn-related joy inside the hotel to bother with what was happening outside. The Sunflower Knitters Guild (an amazingly good group of people, even by knitting standards) puts on their festival–Knitting in the Heartlands–biennially. This was a growth year for the event, and I was honored to be the featured teacher at the moment when they expanded to include a keynote address, more classes, and a marketplace that spilled out of one ballroom and into a second.
I love snooping around the vendors at regional events because you so often run into good stuff you haven't seen before. Here's some of what followed me home.
From top to bottom:
- Tencel/Merino blend freshly hand-spun by Yarn Geek Fibers,
- Oh Snap! sock yarn (Blue Faced Leicester/Nylon) in "Tenth Doctor" colorway from Nerd Girl Yarns,
- Two skeins of corn (yes, corn) yarn from Corny Goodness, and
- Alpaca/silk/cashmere lace weight by Treasure Goddess.
Not shown, but much coveted: Paco-Vicuñas yarns from Hickory Ridge Farms. Not for the budget-conscious, perhaps, but dammit that vicuña fiber makes cashmere feel like asphalt.
While I was in Kansas City I did very little knitting. I don't mean I didn't knit much, I mean my knitting was very small. I finished the "Double Rose Leaf" lace insertion for Ethel's petticoat.
That's all the lace I need for now, but I find myself feeling at a loss without something new on the US 00000 (1mm) needles. I may have to knit edges for a christening outfit just for the ducks of it, even though there's not an unchurched baby anywhere in the vicinity. Or maybe Ethel would like a fichu?
Meanwhile, the handkerchief linen is awaits cutting.
I'll also mention–in case you missed my jubilant screams on Twitter and Facebook–that while in Kansas City, I launched the pattern for the Anna Shawl.
And that meant I was able to send Iceland Sky to the tech editor. He's making quick work of it, so if all goes well it will launch before I leave for my next trip–the Downtown Knit Collective Knitter's Frolic in Toronto, Canada.
A Floundering Minstrel I
One more thing. I spend so much time using the visual part of my brain–what with the knitting and the drawing and the photography and so forth–that a wise person of my acquaintance suggested I give my brain a rest and a stretch by taking up a creative endeavor that puts a different clutch of cells to work.
Which is why I now own a ukulele, upon which at present I can play three shaky chords.
Life is full of interesting things to do. If you're bored, it's your own fault.


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Episode 30
Myra's Graphic Design Portfolio - (check this out!)
NeverNotKnitting Ravelry Group
Get free shipping through The Backwards Loop until Jan 15th by entering code: "freeship" in the checkout process. Also be sure to listen to episode 30 to get an alternate discount code for selected Madelinetosh yarns. The special podcast code applies to all yarns with an *.
Episode 29 drawing winners: Michelle is the winner of the signed copy of Made In Brooklyn, and Donita won the skein of Classic Elite Princess from Dancing Ewe Yarns! Congratulations!
This is the last episode for season 3. Please join me back for Episode 31 on March 1, 2010.
Thanks for listening!


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"An Ushering In: The Final Outpouring"
This text will be replaced
Pastor Danny Kirby
- Sunday, April 12, 2015 am
Audio Links
About Acts America
There is a voice of Truth which can be heard crying out! Whether lost or saved, we believe you will meet the living Christ through this ministry.
In the midst of the darkness of this nation, you can still find a house where the Truth is preached with Clarity and Passion!
Acts America Ministries
- Acts America School of Pentecost
- Jacob House Men's Discipleship
- New Covenant Fellowship Church
- New Covenant Guest House
- World Missions Reaching Europe
Acts America Resources
More Resources
- BH Clendennen Trubute
- Christian Biographies
- Recommended Reading
- Recommended Links
- Acts America Sitemap
- Search ActsAmerica.org
- Watch ActsAmerica.Tv
If this website has blessed you please consider supporting this ministry.
©2011 ActsAmerica.org : A ministry of New Covenant Outreach, Inc.
P.O. Box 333 Goldsboro, NC 27533-0333 - Phone: (919)735-8094


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If you have just upgraded your wiki you are not in the wrong place. |
This page describes customizing MoinMoin's language support. New visitors to your wiki can be presented with a front page in their preferred language, or they can be forced to use the page you specify. You can also lock down the language used for translated pages and phrases within your wiki.
First go to SystemPagesSetup and unpack the system and help page packages for any language you want to support.
After that, just read the text below, decide which way you want to go and change your configuration.
For the impatient (you must set page_front_page to get rid of this page being the front page):
# choose this, if most wiki content is in a single language page_front_page = u"MyStartingPage"
# choose this, if wiki content is maintained in multiple languages page_front_page = u"FrontPage"
If you go the single language way, you can copy some of the content of FrontPage to the page you choose as your page_front_page. Alternatively, if you have the rename action turned on in your wiki, you can rename your FrontPage to another name, then assign that name (for example, Welcome) to your 'page_front_page' variable.
If you go the multiple language way, don't forget to edit all translations of FrontPage.
If you go the multiple languages way, people reaching your wiki will be directed to the front page corresponding to their browser language setting. If you did not prepare that page, they will see the default page for their language and have the impression the wiki is empty or badly maintained.
User interface texts and language_default
MoinMoin tries to adapt the user interface to the language the user prefers.
If the user puts a specific language preference into his user preferences, that language will be used for the user interface. But the user doesn't even need to do that if he already has configured his browser with his language preferences.
If there is no specific user preferences language setting, moin tries to adapt to the languages the user configured in his browser. So if the browser tells moin that its preference is Canadian English, then German, then English in general and moin has German and English available (but not a specific configuration for Canadian English), then the user will get a German user interface.
If there is no common language in the user's browser configuration and in moin or if you have set language_ignore_browser = True, moin will fall back to using what is configured as language_default. This is also the case if the user's browser does not specify any language.
The usual case when you want to set language_ignore_browser = True is when running a local wiki with no international audience and you maintain the wiki in only one (your local) language. Don't forget to specify your one-and-only language using language_default when doing this.
System pages, including FrontPage
The MoinMoin distribution archive contains the system pages (like RecentChanges) in different languages (see SystemPagesGroup), selecting the correct language in the same way as for the user interface.
For example, if the navi_bar contains a link to FrontPage, moin will first look for a translation of FrontPage into the user's language. So if the user's language is German (de), we obtain the German translation of FrontPage, which is StartSeite. (Internally, moin uses MoinMoin/i18n/de.py for that, which is automatically generated out of de.po,) Moin will use StartSeite if that page actually exists; otherwise, it will fall back to using FrontPage.
This is fine if you want to have a FrontPage and translations of it. But what to do if you don't want that?
Either delete any translated page of FrontPage - they will only be used if they exist. Or simply use the page_front_page configuration variable to choose something different from FrontPage as your front page, e.g. MyProject. Moin will then try to look up a translation for MyProject, but usually won't find any - and thus simply use MyProject no matter what language the user prefers.
Built-in vs. user-specified translations
MoinMoin normally uses built-in translation (see MoinMoin/i18n/*) for translating user interface text and system page names in navi_bar.
But there is the possibility to customize navi_bar with your own stuff. Moin has no built-in translation for that usually, so what to do if you want to have them translated the same way as FrontPage usually is?
Simply create some pages like GermanDict, FrenchDict, Simplified_ChineseDict etc. (use the english name of the language) and put a definition list on them which defines the translations for the English terms, e.g. on page GermanDict:
MyProject:: MeinProjekt LatestNews:: NeuesteNachrichten
Note the space before the lines. If you do not put that space, Moin will not consider the entries as dictionnary entries. See WikiDict for details.
Moin then will use those dict pages if it can't find the text in its built-in translation dictionaries.
How to specify the page language
It is highly recommended to specify the page language in the page header like this:
#language he
The language name is the iso-639-1 name of the language. Languages that moin does not support are ignored.
This is critical if the wiki contains content in different directions, like Hebrew pages, which should display in right to left direction, and English pages, which should display in left to right direction.
In the past, system pages had a language comment: ##language:en. This comment has no effect, and should be changed to the new #language en format. To repair old pages in your wiki, run scripts.repair_language.py in your wiki data directory. Back up your wiki data directory before doing this!


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Bill Blumenreich Presents
Select Page
Jo Koy has come a long way from his modest beginnings at a Las Vegas coffee house. He is now selling out clubs across the nation and has ap
Jo Koy has come a long way from his modest beginnings at a Las Vegas coffee house. He is now selling out clubs across the nation and has appeared on over 100 episodes of "Chelsea Lately." His infectious, explosive energy onstage, insightful jokes, and family‐inspired humor cross all boundaries. Jo, who was raised in Tacoma, WA, credits his mother for his comedic and acting talents. She encouraged him to participate in school talent shows and to hold impromptu performances for his family and friends.
This loving support led to performances at a Las Vegas coffee house, and inspired a move to Los Angeles. In 2005, Jo had the "opportunity of a lifetime" with a performance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He became one of a select few ever to receive a standing ovation.
Jo Koy pulls inspiration from his family and specifically his son. He has had two Comedy Central specials "Don't Make Him Angry" and "Lights Out." Jo has appeared on VH1, World's Funniest Fails, The Joy Behar Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daly and Jamie Foxx: Laffapalooza.
Jo is a firm believer in service and giving back to the community and is currently working with The Lupus Foundation to bring awareness to this cause. Jo currently resides in Los Angeles, California.


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Save 15% Off Your First Order! Read More >
Every batch of oil is personally evaluated by our Certified Clinical Aromatherapist using optical, touch, taste, organoleptic, and GC/MS lab analysis. Our Certified Aromatherapist has been trained to evaluate and select only the highest quality, purest, potent, and most effective essential oils Mother Earth has to offer.
This is our quality promise to you: Purify Skin Therapy's essential oils are the highest quality, suitable for clinical use, ideal for recreational use, potent, powerful, and completely free of any adulterants, toxins, heavy metals, fillers, extenders, or enhancers.
These are not the lower grade non-organic cheap oils you use to clean your house. These are the pristine, food grade, certified organic, and wildcrafted essential oils you want to use in and on your body, for your children, your pets, and in your home.
Purify Skin Therapy is your source for superior quality certified organic and wildcrafted essential oils.
This is a proprietary blend of 100% pure, certified organic and wildcrafted, premium grade essential oils: wildcrafted Frankincense, and organic Neroli, wildcrafted Jasmine, and organic Marjoram.
This 15 ml Bottle of Essential Oil Contains Roughly 300 Drops, which means when you use only 1 to 5 drops per application, you get 60 to 300 applications. You can see this little bottle of essential oil goes a long way!
It also comes in a Cobalt Blue Glass Bottle. Cobalt blue bottles cost more, but your pristine essential oils are better protected against UV light rays and will stay fresher and last longer.
Most Essential Oils Do Expire. So the best way to keep your pristine essential oils fresh is to keep them away from: LIGHT, HEAT, and OXYGEN. The best way to do this is to use cobalt blue bottles with a label (not clear) that covers the bottle all the way around, always keep the lid firmly closed (never leave the lids off), and don't expose your oils to extreme heat (like don't leave your oils in a hot car in the summer). Doing these things will keep and preserve your essential oils fresher for a longer period of time.
All information, content and product descriptions contained within this site are for informational, educational, and reference purposes only and are not intended to substitute advice given by a pharmacist, physician, or other licensed health-care professional. Information and statements regarding Purify Skin Therapy products have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health condition or disease. Anyone considering alternative therapies should consult with their medical professional before using an alternative method of healing. You should not use this information for treating a health problem or disease or to make a self-diagnosis. We do not give nor is any opinion on our website to be construed as medical advice. Contact your Health Care provider immediately if you suspect that you have a medical problem.
If you are allergic or sensitive to a plant, fruit, or herb you may be allergic or sensitive to the essential oil of that plant. Please be responsible for not using essential oils that you are allergic or sensitive to. If you suspect an allergy or sensitivity please patch test the oil before use. Please dilute essential oils properly. Never use an essential oil undiluted unless advised by your health care professional or Certified Clinical Aromatherapist. Keep all essential oils away from the eyes and the ear canals. Pregnant women, infants, and children should not use essential oils without first consulting a healthcare professional.
While Purify Skin Therapy's essential oils are food grade, there are some essential oils that are not safe to be ingested at all. We do not advise the use of essential oils for internal use unless they are recommended by your health care professional or recommended safe to ingest by a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist. Only your health care professional or Certified Clinical Aromatherapist can recommend the proper dosage and safe use of essential oils. Please check with your health care professional and Certified Clinical Aromatherapist before ingesting any essential oils.


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This week we tackled the book storage project.
When it came to storing books in our playroom, I just had a few simple requirements... The books had to be easy to reach, easy to put away and in a safe location.
Awhile back I found a few unfinished and affordable wooden storage crates.
We planned on using them on the floor of the pantry... but as I was trying to dream up some DIY book storage for the playroom... I kept finding myself coming back to the crate.
I had painted each crate white...
To create book storage for the playroom, all we would have to do is cut the crate right down the middle. To do this, the hubs just used a table saw:
He cut the two handled sides first, then went right down the middle of the bottom second.
And we instantly had two pieces. We could have used painters tape to ensure the wood wouldn't fray, but we didn't have any issues at all.
Then, my Mr. just installed some simple wall hanging brackets to the edges of the crate.
I really really wanted to use the empty wall space next to the window, but I knew that would mean kids standing on the bench and pulling on the new book shelves. So instead, I decided to balance out the entertainment center and put them right on the wall at kid level.
Because the bottom of the crates had slats, I just improvised and cut an extra school folder we had, to fit the bottom of the crate.
Anything could have worked, poster board, a placemat... whatever is clever!
We used drywall anchors to attached the shelves to ensure they are nice and strong and safe!
Super inexpensive and super sweet!
Still a few more items to finish up before I can call this room update complete:
Paint entertainment centerUpdate light fixture- Window treatment
- Additional seating
Additional toy storageA fun wall treatment- Photographs/Artwork
Book storageBasket Labels
I have absolutely zero ideas for artwork and how to best fill that giant wall of trees on the opposite side of the room.... So time to start scouring the www for inspiration. I have a feeling that the wall art is the piece of the playroom puzzle that will pull the whole room together!


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Introducing the Bronco Family
Preproduction CGI image shown.
Meet the Broncos
The Bronco Family is vast, with a reach as far as you're willing to take it and a legacy that spans generations. The entire Bronco family is designed, engineered and built for adventure. So get ready to mount up and get dirty because the one and only legend is making its long-awaited return.
2022 Ford Bronco
There's a whole world out there just waiting to be discovered. To find it you have to break rules, push boundaries and climb over the barriers in your way. With its relentless toughness and durability, the all-new Bronco was built to carry outdoor enthusiasts to wherever the wilderness calls. Available in two- or four-door models.
Preproduction CGI image shown.
2022 Ford Bronco Sport
Meet the latest in the family. The all-new Bronco Sport is your wilderness guide with four unique series engineered to match the way you experience the outdoors. Each, expertly equipped to get you out there — To the mountain ranges, the woodland trails, and the scenic shores. Your adventure begins in a Bronco Sport, and it never ends.
Preproduction CGI image shown.
What Does a Reservation Do for You?
Your deposit saves your model selection and reserves you a spot when your all-new Bronco or Bronco Sport becomes available to order. You will be able to complete your vehicle configuration before you order.
Select your model and put down your refundable $100 deposit.
Your dealer will reach out to place the order, verify pricing and configure the rest of your Bronco or Bronco Sport. Once you verify all the information and pricing from your dealer, your order will be confirmed.
Bronco Sport production and initial deliveries are scheduled to begin late 2020. Bronco is scheduled to begin spring 2021.
Online Reservation FAQs
A reservation lets you select your vehicle and be among the first to order a new Bronco or Bronco Sport from Ford with a refundable reservation deposit. It is not an actual order and does not guarantee delivery.
Go online and select your preferred configuration, create a Ford Account, select your preferred dealer and enter your credit/debit card details and address. A confirmation receipt will be sent to the email address you provide.*
A Ford Account lets you sign into the Ford website to save and manage your personal and reservation information. You need to create a Ford Account to reserve your Bronco or Bronco Sport. Reservations can also be tracked in your Ford Account at owner.ford.com/.*
Only Ford Dealers who are eligible and have activated online reservations can be selected. The eligible dealers will be provided based on your ZIP code, or you can enter the name of your favorite Ford Dealer and will be matched to them.
You will be able to make changes and complete your vehicle selection at the time you place your order.*
Yes. You can cancel your reservation at any time and receive a full refund.* You can do this in your account at ford.com. If for some reason you can't process the cancellation online, you can contact a Ford Customer Experience Representative at 800-392-3673 (Ford U.S.). After canceling, allow seven to 10 business days for the reservation deposit to be credited to your original form of payment. Once you progress from a reservation to an order with a dealer, however, cancellation requests would be at that dealer's discretion.
You will be notified prior to when the Bronco or Bronco Sport ordering windows open to finalize and confirm your selection and agree on pricing with your dealer.
The reservation deposit will be handled by your dealer along with the other details of your vehicle purchase.*
You will be able to order your Bronco in late 2020. Production and deliveries will begin spring 2021. Bronco Sport will be available to order in summer 2020. Production and deliveries will begin late 2020. Once actual delivery times may vary based on vehicle model and configuration selected, residency and demand. Once your vehicle is scheduled, you will receive further notification.
No. The purchase agreement will be between you and the dealer, not you and Ford.
Up to two reservations per account. Your reservation number is assigned to you and cannot be transferred.*
Your reservation information will be shared with the dealer you select at the time of reservation. Please see our privacy policy at ford.com/help/privacy for additional information.*
*By completing the Reservation Process, you are not ordering or purchasing a vehicle. Participation in the Program does not guarantee you vehicle delivery. Your Reservation does not guarantee a set price for the Vehicle.


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The Osage County Assessor Office works at the county or local level to determine the value of taxable property in Osage County, Kansas. As part of this job, Assessors conduct property appraisals and may assess Osage County property taxes for every parcel. Assessor Offices maintain information on these parcels, including Osage County parcel maps, boundary lines, and parcel divisions. These Osage County parcel viewers may also provide information on appraisal values, zoning, and property tax assessments. Parcel viewers can also be used to locate local unclaimed parcels, public property, and look up property owner information. The Osage County Assessor Office may provide an online parcel viewer to look up parcel information.
Osage County Assessor Lyndon KS 717 Topeka Avenue 66451 785-828-3124
The Osage County Clerk Office maintains public records for a county or local government, including vital documents and property-related records in Osage County, Kansas. Clerks keep documents on every parcel in Osage County, which can include parcel viewers that show parcel maps, boundary lines, and divisions between parcels. These Osage County parcel viewers may also provide information on property appraisal values, zoning boundaries, and property tax assessments, and they can be used to locate unclaimed parcels, public property, and look up property owner information. Parcel viewer information may be available through the Osage County Clerk Office website.
Burlingame City Clerk Burlingame KS 101 E Santa Fe Ave 66413 785-654-2414
Osage City Clerk Osage KS 201 South 5th Street 66523 785-528-3714
Osage County Clerk Lyndon KS PO Box 226 66451 785-828-4812
Quenemo City Clerk Quenemo KS 109 West Maple Street 66528 785-759-3315
The Osage County Town or City Hall provides municipal services for their town or city, including maintaining property-related documents in Osage County, Kansas. These records can include parcel viewers, which contain information on every parcel in the town or city. These Osage County parcel maps can include information on parcel boundaries, unclaimed parcels, public property, and parcel divisions. Town and City Halls may also have records on property appraisals, zoning boundaries, current and former property owners, and property taxes, which may be presented in the Osage County parcel viewer. This information is often available to the public on the Town or City Hall website.
Melvern City Hall Melvern KS 141 South Main Street 66510 785-549-3447
Overbrook City Hall Overbrook KS 401 Maple Street 66524 785-665-7328
The Osage County Recorder of Deeds keeps real estate ownership documents in order to ensure the accuracy of property, land, and parcel records in Osage County, Kansas. Recorders of Deeds have records on every parcel under their authority, and they may provide a parcel viewer to look up this information. Osage County parcel viewers provide information on parcel boundaries, property owners, unclaimed parcels, and parcel divisions, and this information may be presented in a parcel map. Osage County Recorders of Deeds may also have information on property appraisals, property taxes, and zoning boundaries. They may provide online access to parcel information on the Recorder of Deeds website.
Osage County Recorder of Deeds Lyndon KS PO Box 265 66451 785-828-4523


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Haley |
I'm on work experience buy bisoprolol Merced Sun-Star is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts. |


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Special Feature
"At the end of the day, I'm going to be me no matter what, and I only know one way how to fight." - Joey Beltran
Fans know that when Joey Beltran's name is on the fight card, they're going to get at least one knock down, drag out, back-and-forth battle. It shouldn't be any different when he returns to the Octagon this Friday (Saturday in Australia) – a week after his 31st birthday – to take on Igor Pokrajac as part of the UFC on FX event from Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.
Originally scheduled to face Aussie MMA pioneer Anthony Perosh on the event that will also serve as the finale for "The Smashes," a change of plans occurred when Perosh was felled by something that sounded totally harmless, but turned out to be one of the most gnarly injuries of the year.
"I got the text message early in the day, and my first response was, 'what the hell? You can't deal with a toe injury?'" laughed Beltran, recalling his reaction to Perosh's injury withdrawal. But this was no ordinary toe injury.
Perosh broke the big toe on his left foot, a photo of which quickly made its way around the Internet, showing the post-injury digit bent at a 45-degree angle, bone exposed. "Shortly thereafter the picture got leaked, and then it was, "That's okay. You get a pass." That was pretty brutal."
Opponent changes can often produce a letdown, but in Beltran's case, the shift from Perosh to Pokrajac has him even more excited about making the trip to Australia.
"It's going to be real fun, and I couldn't pick a better opponent," said Beltran, who lost his UFC light heavyweight debut to surging New Zealander James Te Huna back in July. "When I found out that Anthony Perosh got hurt, I texted my manager and said, "Let's get Igor!" I know that he's a tough Croatian. It's going to be a war, it's something that the fans are going to like, and it's also somebody that I can work with, and can have some success against."
After beginning his UFC career with consecutive wins in the heavyweight division, success has eluded Beltran in all but one of his last six trips into the Octagon. Consecutive losses to heavy hitters Stipe Miocic and Lavar Johnson brought his first run with the promotion to an end last January. He contemplated retirement, but instead decided to drop to light heavyweight and continue pursuing his passion. When teammate Brandon Vera was selected to square off with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, "The Truth" suggested the UFC called Beltran to fill his place opposite James Te Huna.
The duo threw down as the co-main event of July's UFC on FUEL TV event headlined by Chris Weidman's win over Mark Munoz, and while Beltran came out on the losing end of the decision yet again, the optimistic light heavyweight competitor sees far more positives than negatives in his performance.
"The thing about me is that I'm realistic and I know myself. I'm a little hard-headed – it takes me a while to learn, and I often have to learn stuff the hard way. In my profession, that can be a little painful, but I feel like I learned a lot from that Te Huna fight. I see that I had decent success in that fight, did some good things, but just made a lot of stupid decisions.
"I have 15 minutes of film to go off of to critique myself, and I really feel that mentally I've come to a point in my career where it's starting to make sense. I know that I have these skills, and I know that I have these tools, and it's just about when do I want to pull it out, so I'm excited for this fight.
"I've had a long time between fights, which is what I wanted after that Te Huna fight; I didn't want to rush back in. Now I'm really hungry; I really want to fight. I physically want to fight someone, and it's been a long time since I've felt that."
Though his return to the cage produced another entertaining performance, it also produced another loss, and as much as putting forth exciting efforts that fans walk away talking about is important, wins and losses are what ultimately determine how long you remain a part of the UFC roster.
Few people escape extended losing streaks, and there is even less wiggle room for a fighter embarking on their second tour of duty with the company. That leaves Beltran in a precarious position where his fighting style and future employment could potentially be in opposition of each other.
An admitted brawler with a desire to please the fans and send them home talking about his fight whether he wins or loses, Beltran has never once asked for a lesser opponent or turned down a tough fight. While his struggle to find the win column of late certainly turns up the pressure heading into his bout with Pokrajac, a leopard can't change its spots.
"I'm not going to lie and say there isn't a little bit of nervousness and a sense of pressure heading into this fight, especially coming off of a loss, but at the end of the day, I'm going to be me no matter what, and I only know one way how to fight.
"That being said, my team and I have been working on a lot of things where I can still produce those entertaining fights, but do it in a more intelligent way that produces more wins and saves my brain. I'm going to keep my same aggressive style, and push the pace, but be a little bit more intelligent about it. At least I hope so. You never know with me. As soon as we get in the cage, the game plan kind of goes out the window when we start scrapping.
"I've been really, really working hard on listening to my corner to the point that if they say, `Throw a right hand,' it's a right hand right away, so that I can develop a synergy going into the fight. They can be my eyes so that if they say, `Reset Joey, push for the takedown,' whatever it is they see, then they can navigate me through my craziness. That's all part of the mental part of the game, and I'm ready for that. I'm excited. This guy is coming for a war, and I'm ready for that. I know it's going to hurt, but I know it's going to be fun."
While fans and critics may question Beltran for continuing to employ the same style that has left him battered, bruised, and bloodied coming out of each of his previous UFC appearances, the man known as "The Mexicutioner" believes his consistent approach in the cage and the resulting savagery that ensues are a big part of the reason the UFC was ready to bring him back in the first place.
"I think the reason why I'm here in this company and the reason why Joe Silva and Dana like me – I think Dana likes me; I don't know though – is because they know we're going to deliver," offered Beltran, cackling at his uncertainty about the UFC President's personal feelings for him.
"I guarantee now that it's Igor Pokrajac and myself fighting, you have to think if not Fight of the Night, at the very least it's going to be crazy and everybody is going to leave at the end of the night talking about it.
"Even the fights that I lose are pretty crazy," continued Beltran. "Even me getting knocked out that one time was so gnarly because people were like, "Oh my god!" I'm not going to lie – it was bad for obvious reasons, but still, people left talking about that more than anything else that card.
"I look at it like it's my job, it's how I make money, how I support my family, and if I'm breathing while I'm in the Octagon, I'm swinging. And Joe Silva knows that about me, so it's all good. I'll fight whomever he asks me to fight because I believe in the vision that he has. I just feel that Joe Silva knows what I bring to the table, how I bring it, and he just matches me up with people where we'll produce exciting fights.
"He envisions this is going to be a great fight, and I think it's going to be."
Power Slap


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It's easy to think of "organic" and "non-GMO" as the best buddies of food. They sit comfortably beside each other in the same grocery stores — most prominently, in Whole Foods Market. Culturally, they also seem to occupy the same space. Both reject aspects of mainstream industrial agriculture.
In fact, the movement to eliminate genetically modified crops — GMOs — from food is turning out to be organic's false friend. The non-GMO label has become a cheaper alternative to organic.
"More and more, there's concern [among organic food companies] that they created a monster," says Mark Kastel, a pro-organic activist who's co-founder of the .
The conflict between organic and non-GMO food became clear to me while reporting two stories in recent weeks, one about non-GMO grain and another about organic eggs. I visited Allen Williams, a farmer near Cerro Gordo, Ill., who straddles this divide. He grows everything: lots of organic crops; non-GMO corn and soybeans; and some genetically modified crops.
His nonorganic fields are treated essentially the same, whether the crops are non-GMO or genetically modified. Williams keeps those fields weed-free with chemical herbicides, although he has to use different chemicals on the non-GMO fields. He adds standard commercial fertilizer to keep the soil fertile. Basically, it's just conventional farming. Williams will get a higher price for his non-GMO soybeans and corn, but it's not a huge premium over the standard commodity price — about 15 percent for soybeans, 10 percent for corn.
Organic production is a whole different ballgame. For fertilizer, Williams uses tons of chicken litter that he buys from a big chicken producer miles away. To control pests, he grows a variety of crops: soybeans one year, then corn, then wheat, and sometimes sunflowers, too. During the growing season, he hires people to walk through soybean fields and cut down weeds. He always plants a "cover crop" after the main crop is harvested, to capture nutrients — mainly nitrogen — and keep them from washing away.
That all takes time and money, which is why most farmers won't do it unless they get paid more. The gap, in fact, is astonishing: Organic soybeans currently cost twice the price of standard conventional beans. This means, in turn, that any food made from those soybeans — think organic chickens, which eat a soy-rich diet — will be more more expensive than food that's simply "non-GMO."
No food retailer likes high costs. If it can offer a cheaper product that attracts the same consumers, it will do it. According to Kastel, that's how Whole Foods and others are using non-GMO labels.
"This is a potent marketing vehicle designed to blur the line between organic and nonorganic," he says.
Murray's Chicken, a company based in New York, recentlyannounced that it was now "offering 'better-for-you' non-GMO chicken without the organic price tag." In a Whole Foods Market that I recently visited, the store had posted a sign explaining that organic eggs were out of stock, but that "during this shortage, we have expanded our selection of Non-GMO Project Certified eggs to provide you with high-quality alternatives."
David Bruce, director of eggs, meat, produce and soy for , a major organic food company, says the non-GMO labels "definitely" are diverting some consumers away from organic food. "We call it trading down," he says.
Bruce says organic companies need to draw a clear line that sets organics apart from any alternatives.
"The goal is to educate consumers that 'non-GMO' or 'natural' products are not 100 percent the same as an organic product," he says.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Special Feature
Michael DiSanto breaks down Saturday's UFC 157 main event between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche...
Say hello to the ladies.
On Saturday night, female athletes will compete in the UFC for the first time in history. That is reason enough to tune in, though it is far from the sole reason.
UFC 157 is full of great fights. The main card features "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler's return to the UFC after nearly a decade fighting elsewhere. It also marks his return to the welterweight division – the same division he competed in during his last UFC stint. His opponent, Josh Koscheck, is one of the best the division has to offer. A win by Lawler makes him instantly relevant in the division. A win by Kos reminds the world that he isn't going anywhere any time soon.
Former TUF winner Court McGee faces Josh Neer. Anyone who loves a knock down, drag out war should tune into this one. These guys don't know how to do anything other than go to war. That is why this fight is my early pick for Fight of the Night.
Urijah Faber and Ivan Menjivar will clean up some unfinished business. The pair first fought back in January 2006. Menjivar was disqualified for an illegal kick. He was performing extremely well up to that point, seemingly on his way to handing Faber a loss. Seven years later, both are desperate for an A-list win. It seems likely that they will go all out in a fast-paced, action-packed scrap, since that is how these guys normally compete.
Dan Henderson faces off against Lyoto Machinda in a bout to decide who should stand next in line behind Chael Sonnen in the Jon Jones challenger queue. Both men are former champions. Machida wore the UFC 205-pound strap before losing it to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua one fight before Jones bludgeoned the title away from Shogun. Henderson remains the only man in history to simultaneously hold championships in two weight classes in a major promotion. He did that a few years ago in PRIDE's 185- and 205-pound divisions.
Then, topping it all off, former two-time US Olympian and 2008 bronze medalist Ronda Rousey will rewrite the record books as she becomes the first woman, along with her opponent, Liz Carmouche, to compete inside the Octagon. She is also the first woman to hold a UFC title. Her Strikeforce 135-pound championship was converted into the UFC title when Strikeforce, which is owned by the UFC's parent company, folded up shop a few months ago. We will find out on Saturday if she will be the first woman to successfully defend a UFC title.
Add all those fights together and UFC 157 is one of the better cards in recent memory. It is must-see TV in my book.
So, what will happen when Rousey and Carmouche get down to business on Saturday night?
If history is any indicator, Rousey will win by first-round armbar. The Olympic Judoka has been unstoppable so far in her MMA career. Six fights. Six wins. Each of those wins occurred by armbar in the first round.
Those stats are crazy. All of Rousey's opponents know that she is showing up to win by armbar. She makes no bones about the fact that she is going to win by armbar. And when the bell rings, she closes the distance with decent striking, uses her amazing judo skills to throw her opponent, and then she transitions to an armbar, whether in the midst of a ground-and-pound attack or during the transition.
Everyone knows that is her game plan. Yet, nobody has been able to stop it.
Carmouche hopes she will be the first. The US Marine Corps veteran is a well-rounded fighter, though she definitely prefers to stand and bang with an opponent. She will want to do just that against Rousey.
Carmouche will come out looking to get Rousey's respect early by landing a big punch right off the bat. Maybe she will throw a couple jabs. Or maybe she will just come out swinging for the fence. Whatever the case, she is going to come out swinging.
She will do that because she knows that she has the better standup technique. She also likely has the better chin, though we don't know that for sure because Rousey has yet to eat a truly clean power punch from a devastating puncher.
Carmouche isn't a devastating puncher in terms of one-punch knockout power. She is, however, an aggressive, confident striker who possesses enough power to score a knockout win when she puts a couple shots together. She will want to touch the champion over and over in search of wobbly knees. Once that happens, she will sell out like there is no tomorrow in search of the win.
Why? Because she needs to do whatever it takes to keep from getting thrown to the ground. If that happens, she will lose. Period. End of sentence.
She may lose by submission, like each of Rousey's previous opponents. Or she may lose by ground and pound, since I know Rousey has been working hard on her top striking game. Either way, she will lose.
With that said, nobody can be certain whether Carmouche can handle Rousey, if she is able to put the champion on her back. The challenger has a very effective top game. That bodes well for her. Still, nobody has really seen Rousey's offensive and defensive guard put to a true test.
Nonetheless, if I'm in Carmouche's corner, I wouldn't want to be the first fighter to take that test. Rousey has been ground fighting, albeit as a Judoka, since she was a young child. She evolved into one of the best on the planet. That suggests to me that, if she has spent significant time honing her guard, that it will be extremely dangerous. She is that good of an athlete.
In fact, I don't think it will be long before Rousey's standup will be good enough to allow her to stand and bang with all but the very best female strikers. She isn't there yet. But I don't think it will take her much longer to get to that point.
Rousey should avoid trying to make some sort of standup statement on Saturday night. She has largely been a one-trick pony so far in her career, but that one trick is amazingly effective. She needs to stick to what she knows in the UFC's inaugural female fight. If she does, my gut is telling me that she will also leave the Octagon as the first woman to successfully defend a UFC title.
Ronda Rousey
• 6-0
• 5'7, 135 lbs
• 26 years old
• Each win by first-round armbar
• 2x US Olympian in Judo
• First UFC fight
• 1-0 as champion
• Current layoff of 189 days is the longest of her career
Liz Carmouche
• 7-2
• 5'6, 135 lbs
• 29 years old
• 3-2 in last 5
• 57% of wins by KO/TKO
• 29% of wins by submission
• 14% of wins by judges' decision
• 1 loss by submission, 1 by judges' decision
• 0-1 in major championship fights
• Current layoff is 210 days
• Longest layoff of career is 281 days
Power Slap