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As the country slowly recovers from the economic collapse of 2008 and 2009, more business owners are thinking again about selling their businesses. In many instances, counsel is not hired until after a confidentiality agreement or subsequent letter of intent has been executed. Business owners may view these agreements as "boilerplate" or non-binding. However, the failure to adequately protect in these agreements the potential seller from the loss of employees may be extremely harmful to the business. Before making a definitive decision on whether to make an offer for a business, a buyer needs to obtain certain confidential information about the company. This information is not limited to financial information, but includes information regarding the operations of the company and its personnel. In the scope of its investigation, key employees, whether they are engineers, salespeople or programmers, may be identified by the potential buyer. Unless the initial confidentiality agreement or letter of intent contains a prohibition that precludes the potential bidder from soliciting the employment of such personnel, the bidder may be free to hire such individuals should the bidder elect not to pursue the acquisition. Most confidentiality agreements do not address the issue of employees. By hiring key employees, a potential buyer may achieve some of the goals of an acquisition without making any payment to seller. In one instance, I am aware of a competitor, contemplating an acquisition, that hired the key engineers of the potential seller when the parties could not agree on price. In this case, the company had neither non-competes with such employees nor an agreement with the potential acquirer against hiring or soliciting the hire of such employees. The loss of its employees significantly affected the potential seller's business, and it took years to recover. A second employment concern for a business owner in a sale setting is ensuring that the non-compete agreements it has in effect with its employees are transferrable to a buyer. Buyers recognize the value of employees and may condition their offers on obtaining non-competes from certain key employees. If employees are aware that their non-competes are crucial elements to the sale, they may demand additional compensation or a separate payment from the buyer before executing a non-compete. Buyers are likely to subtract the cost of these payments from the payment due the seller. Accordingly, it is important that the non-compete agreements a business owner utilizes include a clause that allows these agreements to be assigned, without the need for an employee's consent, to any purchaser of all or substantially all of the assets of the company. In the absence of such a provision, the agreements can't be assigned by the employer without the employee's consent. As noted above, obtaining such consent could be costly. Including these assignment clauses from the beginning will save the employer from paying for them at the time of a sale.
Guest Blogger
Considering a sale? Take early steps to protect your talent


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jpg [27.9 kB, 350 x 600]
This is the population pyramid for Kazakhstan. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.
For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page.
Factbook images and photos — obtained from a variety of sources — are in the public domain and are copyright free.

subset: commoncrawl


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I have a recurring nightmare where I am performing CPR on a patient who turns out to be my husband.
Last Monday, my nightmare nearly came true.
It was 2:50 p.m., and the Massachusetts General Hospital ER was filled to capacity.
In the section where I was working, my patients were critically ill, with strokes, heart attacks and overwhelming infections. Even the hallways were packed with patients receiving emergency treatments.
A call over the loudspeakers announced that there had been two explosions. Many people were injured. That's all we knew.
Doctors, nurses and transporters disconnected monitors and rushed to send every patient to other areas of the hospital.
As we cleared the emergency room, there was a second call. These were bombings. There were fatalities and dozens, maybe hundreds, of injured. How many were coming to Mass General? Nobody knew.
Three minutes later, the doors flew open. Stretchers came, one after the other. Some victims had no pulse and weren't breathing. Others had legs blown to shreds. All were covered with blood and soot.
The ER smelled of burnt flesh, and each stretcher left behind a fresh trail of blood.
My first patient was unconscious and bleeding profusely. I knew what to do. Within minutes, he was on a respirator to help him breathe and had two tourniquets to stop bleeding.
My second patient, a young woman my age, was screaming and crying. One of her feet was gone and she had severe burns. She was wailing for her family. Where was her husband? Where were her children? For her, I had no answers.
Screams mixed with ambulance sirens. The loudspeaker sounded again and again, announcing that more patients were on their way.
Amid the chaos, I asked a paramedic where they were coming from. Copley Square, at the marathon's finish line, he said.
My heart stopped. My husband had texted me to say that he was leaving work for an hour to watch the marathon. We live just a block away from Copley Square, and he was headed there.
Where was he? I frantically dialed his cellphone, only to hear a busy signal. I couldn't keep calling. I had to focus on the next patient in front of me, an unconscious man who was probably going to lose his legs and needed my help.
In the middle of his resuscitation, a terrible thought occurred to me: Could this patient be my husband?
I looked at the pile of shredded clothing heaped in the corner, half-burned and soaked with blood. I didn't recognize the brown belt or the tan slacks.
As more patients came in with shattered bones, bloody stumps and bodies riddled with nails and pellets, I sighed with relief when I didn't recognize their clothing.
I hated myself. What kind of person was I to wish this horrible suffering on someone else's family instead of mine?
An hour passed. Friends called me to say they were OK, but nothing from my husband. I kept texting: Where are you? I love you.
Two hours later, a cellphone rang. A nurse, a surgeon and I all reached for our pockets, but it wasn't ours.
The phone was in a pile of clothes in the corner, in the tan slacks of my patient who had gone to the operating room to complete his amputations. I picked it up and saw the messages that had come through: "Where are you? I love you."
That long day eventually came to an end.
My husband was unharmed. He had misplaced his cellphone, it turned out.
The suspects were identified and one was captured. And Copley Square has mostly reopened.
Life seems back to normal — except it's not. In the ER, I shudder every time I hear the loudspeaker. Each sound of sirens makes me wonder if it's my husband in the ambulance.
At work, I feel numb to my patients' suffering. At home, I break down and cry. Then I feel guilty. Who am I to have these emotions, when so many others suffered so much?
A week after the bombings, I'm not sure what lessons I learned.
I do know that as much anger and sorrow as many may harbor, we need thoughtful reflection to prevent the wrong ideas from taking hold.
The suspects are immigrants, but so are many of the first responders and emergency care providers — like me, an immigrant who came here on political asylum from China.
The suspects were armed and dangerous. But even if every spectator were armed, could guns protect against bombs? The bombings brought on a week of terror, but we cannot live our lives in paranoia and isolation.
For all of us involved, there will be two lives — one before and one after the bombing. I hope that this new life is one that fosters kindness and inclusion, and encourages the collaboration and togetherness that the medical community and all of Boston exemplified last week.
Let these tragic events be a call to action to treat each other as we would our own families.
Leana Wen is an emergency physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, and author of . Follow @DrLeanaWen
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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WASHINGTON— U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) and Co-Chairman Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) announced today the launch of "Diversity Dialogues" – a discussion series focused on issues of tolerance and anti-discrimination in the OSCE region. Join us for the first conversation:
"Beyond the Burqa: The Politics of Islam in France"
Tuesday, February 9
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
2456 Rayburn House Office Building
France's 5 million Muslims are increasingly on the national agenda. Ahead of regional elections in March, members of France's ruling party have called for banning burqas and preventing veiled Muslim women from becoming citizens. A national dialogue on identity has raised questions of whether Muslims and other minorities are "French." Speakers will discuss the impact such efforts have on French anti-terrorism and integration initiatives.
Panelists include:
Mr. Mohamed-Ali Adraoui, Lecturer, Institute of Political Studies of Paris, France
Mr. Nabil Hajlaoui, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Middle East and North Africa, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Dr. Justin Vaïsse, Senior Fellow, Director of Research Center on the US and Europe, Brookings Institution
Mr. Adraoui's and Mr. Hajlaoui's visit to the United States is sponsored by the International Visitor Leadership Program of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Full biographies are below.
Mr. Mohamed-Ali Adraoui is a lecturer and researcher at the Institute of Political Studies. A specialist on Islam, and more specifically of Salafism in France and Europe, he recently published a study entitled Global Salafism, Islam's New Religious Movement and has conducted research on the impact of Salafism on the French suburbs for the Research and Forecast Center of the French Ministry of Interior. Mr. Adraoui is active in the field of interfaith dialogue as a member of Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow, an international program managed by the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA). He was also recently elected as Town Adviser for the city of Vernon.
Mr. Nabil Hajlaoui currently works within the French Foreign Ministry in the position of Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for the Middle East and North Africa branch. In this capacity, Mr. Hajlaoui has been responsible for developing and executing French media strategy in the Middle East. His duties involve constant monitoring of Arab and Israeli media and proposing new and creative means to communicate the French perspective to outside audiences.
Dr. Justin Vaïsse is an accomplished French expert on American foreign policy, France and Europe, Vaïsse has held several positions in government and academia. Currently a Senior Fellow and Director of Research of the Center on the US and Europe at Brookings, he served as a special adviser on the United States and transatlantic relations at the Centre d'Analyse et de Prévision (the Policy Planning Staff) of the French Foreign Ministry. He was an adjunct professor at Sciences-Po in Paris from 2003 to 2007, and is currently an adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Vaïsse is the author or co-author of several books, including "Integrating Islam: Political and Religious Challenges in Contemporary France."


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Fatal Security Lapse? Our Legal Take: Teen Killed in Houston Parking Lot Stabbing
Did negligent security contribute to the fatal stabbing of this teenage boy? Read Our Legal Take to find out if the victim's family may have a claim for compensation.
Local News
14-year-old Joseph 'Jose' Aguirre-Flores was reportedly stabbed in the parking lot of a check cashing store store Monday night, June 20, 2016.
According to ABC 13 News, the young victim "was stabbed multiple times late Monday night in front of a check cashing store and dentist office off Beechnut near the West Beltway." Two men were reportedly seen fleeing the scene on foot.
Our Legal Take
Store and parking lot patrons have a right to feel safe and secure while on premises. The Murray Law Firm questions the level of security provided in the shopping center parking lot and whether this tragedy may have been prevented.
- What security measures, such as bright lighting, security patrols, and surveillance cameras, were in place to protect patrons at the time of the shooting?
- Were the store or parking lot owners aware of any prior incidents of violence on or near the property? If so, were additional security precautions implemented by the property owners or management to deter crime?
Generally, property owners are required to protect all patrons legally on the premises from any foreseeable harm. Should the facts of this matter reveal that the parking lot owner or management failed to provide adequate security to protect those on its premises, the family of Joseph Aguirre-Flores may seek justice and elect to pursue a legal claim for his wrongful death.
Based upon its prior successful experience in handling security negligence claims on behalf of victims and their families, The Murray Law Firm suggests that photographs and a thorough, unbiased inspection of the property will need to be performed immediately, before any evidence may be repaired, damaged or destroyed. Given the complexities of pursuing a negligent security case, it is imperative that the victim's family retain an experienced attorney who can ensure the preservation of any and all evidence that may support such a claim.
We've Recovered Millions for Victims of Property Security Negligence…Contact us Now for a Free Consultation.
The Murray Law Firm has an extensive and successful record representing victims of violence and security negligence. We have recovered millions of dollars for our Clients, and recently obtained a $29.25 million dollar verdict for a victim of an unsafe property. We offer our legal assistance, if desired.
We represent our Clients on a contingency agreement, which generally means that no fees or payments are owed until and unless we recover. Anyone seeking further information or legal representation is encouraged to contact us via e-mail (click here) or by telephone at 888.842.1616. Consultations are free and confidential.
Hablamos Español
La Firma del Abogado Murray, extensiva y exitosamente ha representado familias que han perdido seres queridos como consecuencia de ataques violentos en apartamentos y propiedades negligentes, si lo desea, le ofrecemos nuestros servicios y experiencia. A quien busque ayuda o representación legal, le alentamos que se contacte con nosotros (haga clic aquí) al 888.842.1616. La consulta no cuesta nada y es confidencial.
Choosing the Right Attorney
Selecting the right attorney for you or your family is highly important. You must feel confident that the attorney you hire has a complete understanding of the law applicable to your particular case, and has successful experience in handling such cases.
Important: Do not hire a lawyer who has violated the Rules of Professional Conduct!!!
You should not hire an attorney who calls you or visits you unsolicited, or anyone that contacts you directly to offer legal services. This activity is strictly prohibited by Rule 7.3 of the American Bar Association (ABA) Model Rules of Professional Conduct, which states as follows:
If an attorney, or someone acting on behalf of an attorney, contacts you in this manner, that attorney is in violation of this Rule. This unethical and unprofessional activity on the part of the lawyer is good sign that you should stay away. It is imperative that you are represented by an attorney who is capable of advocating for you within the confines of the law, and an attorney who fails to abide by the Rules of Professional Conduct is probably not the best fit. In fact, any such attorney should be immediately reported to the local State Bar Association. If you have been contacted in such an unsolicited manner, contact us and we'll assist you in filing a report.
Contingency Fees Disclaimer: "Contingent attorneys' fees refers only to those fees charged by attorneys for their legal services. Such fees are not permitted in all types of cases. Court costs and other additional expenses of legal action usually must be paid by the client."


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Phillies - 000 100 100 - 2 10 0Lackey had a very strong start (7-6-2-0-3, 86), but his performance was overshadowed by the laser show in the first three innings.
Red Sox - 543 000 00x - 12 17 0
With one out and one on in the first against Moyer, Martinez doubled, Ortiz doubled, Beltre doubled, and Lowell homered. Scutaro started the second with a single, then Pedroia doubled, Martinez doubled, and Ortiz doubled. And Moyer was changing into street clothes: 1-9-9-1-1, 61.
Scutaro and Ortiz each had three hits and Flo knocked in four runs.Jamie Moyer / John Lackey
How old is Jamie Moyer? Nine days after his major league debut, the Bard family celebrated Daniel's first birthday.Scutaro, SS
Pedroia, 2B
Martinez, C
Ortiz, DH
Beltre, 3B
Lowell, 1B
Hall, LF
Cameron, CF
McDonald, RF
Moyer (rookie card, at left) has pitched against 20 players who are already in the Hall of Fame, including Steve Carlton, who was the opposing pitcher in his debut, and Mike Schmidt, who was inducted 15 years ago! Moyer had six seasons under his belt when Tim Wakefield made his debut with the Pirates. Terry Francona was Moyer's teammate on the 1986 Cubs.
When Moyer pitched for the Red Sox, they were still a year away from trading Heathcliff Slocumb to Seattle. Moyer has faced batters born in six different decades.
About a month ago, on May 7, Moyer became the oldest pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout. He has pitched shutouts 24 years apart and he may be the only pitcher to throw shutouts in four different decades.
He has allowed 501 home runs, five away from breaking the all-time mark set by Robin Roberts.
Beginning with Daisuke Matsuzaka's no-hit bid on May 22, the Phillies are 5-12 and have averaged only 2.3 runs a game. In 9 of those 17 games, they have scored 0 or 1 run.
More Stupid Interleague:
Astros/Yankees, 7 PM
Marlins/Rays, 7 PM
Blue Jays/Rockies, 9 PM


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The other night, when I took one bite of Pralus Équateur...I was instantly transported. To the point where I stopped dead in my tracks and had to sit down, figuratively speaking.
It was Pralus' rainbow colors that first attracted me, but I'd never tasted it before...
Many fine chocolates are wrapped in black or brown paper, sophisticated but not so friendly as these brilliantly colored bars.
This is from Pralus's website. The complexity and layering of textures here is much like what you'll experience when you taste this knock-out chocolate.
When I'm in awe, my camera shakes... At the Paris Salon du Chocolat opening, François Pralus was celebrating with champagne. I want to toast him after finally tasting his chocolate. He learned his skills early, working with his father, Auguste Pralus, a master pastry chef. Now he has his own cacao plantation in Madacascar and travels the world seeking the best of cacao beans. Many of his bars contain 80% chocolate. These are Pralus' Napolitains - a mini version of the big square stack. I've tasted lots of chocolate, but never like this...I'm in awe. Thank you Pralus for the experience!!
I'd like to share my thrilling news about being on Blogs of Note, thank you for the link! Also, I'll be hanging my watercolors at the New York Chocolate show.
*Please, if you happen to be in New York come by and say hello at stand #39. I'd love to meet you.


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Welcome to Dragon Cave! Dragon Cave is an online adoptables game. Collect eggs, raise them to adulthood, and then breed them to create interesting lineages. New dragons are added regularly!
Originating from a single species that thrived in ancient times, Xenowyrms have become an incredibly diverse breed whose appearances vary depending on their habitats. Each Xenowyrm subspecies is heavily reliant on the power of different types of mana, making them powerful magic users. Astrapi are easily the most temperamental of all Xenowyrm subspecies. Their unpredictable behavior—coupled with their masterful control of lightning magic—has the potential for devastating results. Most of their time is spent airborne, flying through the skies or circling mountainsides for prey.
Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of dragon exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in dragons is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling's wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. In Galsreim, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.


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2014 NFL Draft Recap: Winners, Losers, Steals & Reaches
After three days and 256 selections, NFL teams stocked their rosters with talented college football players via the 2014 NFL Draft.
From first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney (above) to "Mr. Irrelevant," Lonnie Ballentine, here's our recap of which teams and players fared well — and those who didn't.
Best Draft: St. Louis Rams
From choosing Auburn guard Greg Robinson with the second overall pick to taking his college teammate — and Heisman Trophy finalist — RB Tre Mason in round 3 to scooping up Missouri defensive end Michael Sam — the first openly gay player ever selected — with pick 249, the Rams came away with several players who'll add talent, depth and character to their team.
To compete in a division which includes the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks and the perennially successful 49ers, St. Louis had to add impact players this off-season, and they accomplished that this weekend.
Also joining Jeff Fisher's squad via the 2014 NFL Draft: defensive tackle Aaron Donald from Pitt, safety Lamarcus Joyner of Florida State and Missouri cornerback E.J. Gaines, all of whom were part of an 11-player haul. Count on other NFL teams to squat on the Rams' waiver wire throughout training camp.
Other teams who did well: 49ers, Browns, Texans, Raiders
Worst Draft: Indianapolis Colts
Thanks to their trade for running back Trent Richardson early last season, the Colts were without a first round pick in one of the deepest NFL drafts in memory. With only five total picks, general manager Ryan Grigson was at a disadvantage, and he did little to save the team's haul.
Only wide receiver Donte Moncrief out of Ole Miss is likely to be an impact player for Indianapolis in 2014. Second rounder Jack Mewhort is a skilled offensive lineman out of Ohio State, but he may need seasoning before he can help keep the pass rush off QB Andrew Luck.
Other teams who fared poorly: Redskins, Dolphins, Bills, Bengals
Biggest Steal: Kony Ealy, Carolina
Missouri defensive end Kony Ealy was considered a potential first-rounder, but he fell all the way down to the end of the third. The first-team all-SEC lineman had 43 tackles and 9.5 sacks in his final campaign at Mizzou. His quickness and length will allow him to become an asset to the Panthers already formidable young defense which includes Luke Kuechly and Star Lotulelei.
Biggest Reach: Marcus Smith, Philadelphia
Projected as a third round talent — or lower — by many analysts, Louisville defensive end Marcus Smith went 26th overall to the Eagles. While Philadelphia needed a pass-rush specialist, Smith wasn't close to the best player available at that stage of the draft.
Eagles coach Chip Kelly salvaged his team's draft haul with skilled WR Jordan Matthews and underrated DB Jaylen Watkins, but allowing other NFC teams like the Saints and Packers to take Brandin Cooks and Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix respectively ahead of them left Philly reaching down to fill the void.
Player Whose Stock Rose: Brandin Cooks, New Orleans
Oregon State wide receiver Brandin Cooks rocketed into the middle of the first round like he blew past Pac-12 defensive backs in 2013. The pass-happy Saints dealt a third-round pick to trade up to nab Cooks, who figures to become a favorite target of Drew Brees — and the bane of NFC secondaries.
With Darren Sproles and Devery Henderson gone from New Orleans, head coach Sean Payton needed a playmaker to keep his offense dangerous, and Cooks was his guy.
Players Whose Stock Fell: Johnny Manziel, Cleveland / Louis Nix, Houston
Cameras were going to be trained on "Johnny Football" even if the exciting Texas A&M quarterback and 2012 Heisman Trophy winner didn't start free falling nearly out of the first round. Questions about Manziel's height (5'11 and 3/4") and his sometimes silly off-field antics caused the Jaguars, Browns, Raiders, Cardinals and Vikings — all teams in need of a QB — to pass over the dynamic former Aggie. Cleveland eventually traded into the 22nd overall spot to select the charismatic passer, and energize one of the longest-suffering fan bases in professional sports.
Notre Dame nose tackle Louis Nix was considered a first-round talent, but the bulky defender had to wait until midway through the third round before he was chosen by the Houston Texans at No. 83 overall. With J.J. Watt and 2014 first-overall pick Jadeveon Clowney on either side of him on the Houston D-line, Nix could become one of the best value picks of the 2014 NFL Draft.


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California farmers hire dowsers to find water
Witching hour: Growers turn to mysterious practice, hire dowsers, to locate underground water
ST. HELENA, Calif. (AP) -- With California in the grips of drought, farmers throughout the state are using a mysterious and some say foolhardy tool for locating underground water: dowsers, or water witches.
Practitioners of dowsing use rudimentary tools — usually copper sticks or wooden "divining rods" that resemble large wishbones — and what they describe as a natural energy to find water or minerals hidden deep underground.
While both state and federal water scientists disapprove of dowsing, California "witchers" are busy as farmers seek to drill more groundwater wells due to the state's record drought that persists despite recent rain.
The nation's fourth-largest wine maker, Bronco Wine Co., says it uses dowsers on its 40,000 acres of California vineyards, and dozens of smaller farmers and homeowners looking for wells on their property also pay for dowsers. Nationwide, the American Society of Dowsers, Inc. boasts dozens of local chapters, which meet annually at a conference.
"It's kind of bizarre. Scientists don't believe in it, but I do and most of the farmers in the Valley do," said Marc Mondavi, a vineyard owner whose family has been growing grapes and making wine since the mid-20th century in the Napa Valley.
Mondavi doesn't just believe in dowsing, he practices it.
On a recent afternoon, standing in this family's Charles Krug vineyard holding two copper divining rods, Mondavi walked slowly forward through the dormant vines.
After about 40 feet, the rods quickly crossed and Mondavi — a popular dowser in the world famous wine region— stopped. "This is the edge of our underground stream," he said during the demonstration. Mondavi said he was introduced to "witching" by the father of an old girlfriend, and realized he had a proclivity for the practice.
After the valley's most popular dowser died in recent years, Mondavi has become the go-to water witch in Napa Valley. He charges about $500 per site visit, and more, if a well he discovers ends up pumping more than 50 gallons per minute.
With more farmers relying on groundwater to irrigate crops, Mondavi's phone has been ringing often as growers worry about extended years of dryness.
He had six witching jobs lined up over a recent weekend, three homes whose springs were running dry and three vineyards. It's so popular that he's even created a line of wines called "The Divining Rod" that will be sold nationwide this year.
While popular, scientists say dowsers are often just lucky, looking for water in places where it's already known to likely exist.
"There's no scientific basis to dowsing. If you want to go to a palm reader or a mentalist, then you're the same person who's going to go out and hire a dowser," said Tom Ballard, a hydrogeologist with Taber Consultants, a geological engineering firm based in West Sacramento.
"The success is really an illusion. In most places you're going to be able to drill and find some water," he said.
Still, the consistent interest in water witches nationwide even spurred The U.S. Geological Survey to officially weigh in on the fairly harmless practice.
Dowsing has not held up well under scientific scrutiny, the USGS said, adding that dowsers are often successful in areas where groundwater is abundant.
"The natural explanation of 'successful' water dowsing is that in many areas water would be hard to miss. The dowser commonly implies that the spot indicated by the rod is the only one where water could be found, but this is not necessarily true," the survey said in its report.
Christopher Bonds, senior engineering geologist for the state Department of Water Resources, said his agency does not advocate using witchers.
"DWR is an advocate for having qualified and licensed water professionals locate groundwater resources using established scientific methods," Bonds said in an email.
Don't tell that to John Franzia, co-owner of Bronco Wine Co., the nation's fourth-largest wine producer based on sales. It makes wine under hundreds of labels, including the famous "Two Buck Chuck."
Bronco also owns more vineyard land in California than anyone else, and when it needs a new well there's a good chance a dowser will be employed.
Franzia said the company uses many technologies to find water on its 40,000-acres, but turns to dowsers often and with great success.
"I've used witchers for probably the last 15-to-20 years," Franzia said. "Seems like the witchers do the better job than the guys with all the electrical equipment. I believe in them."
Associated Press reporter Terence Chea contributed to this report.
Reach Jason Dearen at http://www.twitter.com/JHDearen


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DHAKA, Bangladesh — The death toll from a garment factory building that collapsed more than two weeks ago outside the Bangladeshi capital soared past 1,000 on Friday, while the list of the dead from a fresh fire at a sweater manufacturer showed the entanglement of the industry and top Bangladeshi officials.
Officials said 1,021 bodies have been recovered from the rubble of the fallen factory building as of Friday morning. There was no sign of where the toll might finally settle as more bodies were being found, but it is already the world's deadliest garment industry disaster and one of the worst industrial accidents.
The disaster has raised alarm about the often deadly working conditions in Bangladesh's $20 billion garment industry, which provides clothing for major retailers around the globe.
Unlike the collapse at the Rana Plaza building, which was blamed on shoddy construction and disregard for safety regulations, the fire at the Tung Hai sweater factory appeared to have conformed to building codes. A top fire official said the deaths in Wednesday night's fire—including a senior police officer, a Bangladeshi politician and a top clothing industry official—were caused by panic and bad luck.
"They are really unfortunate," Mamun Mahmud, deputy director of the fire service, said on Thursday.
The fire engulfed the lower floors of the 11-story factory, which had closed for the day. The smoldering acrylic products produced immense amounts of smoke and poison gas and the victims suffocated as they ran down the stairs, Mahmud said.
The building appeared on first inspection to have been properly built, though fire inspectors would conduct further checks, he said. It had two stairwells in the front and an emergency exit in the back, he said. Those inside probably panicked when they saw smoke and ran into one of the front stairwells, he said. Had they used the emergency stairwell, they would have survived, he said.
"Apparently they tried to flee the building through the stairwell in fear that the fire had engulfed the whole building," he said.
They also would have likely survived the slow-spreading fire had they stayed on the upper floors, he said.
"We found the roof open, but we did not find there anybody after the fire broke out. We recovered all of them on the stairwell on the ninth floor," he said.
The dead included the factory's managing director, Mahbubur Rahman, who was also on the board of directors of the powerful Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. Along with him was senior police official Z.A. Morshed and Sohel Mostafa Swapan, head of a local branch of the ruling party's youth league.
Independent TV, a local station, reported that Rahman had plans to contest next year's parliamentary elections as a candidate for the ruling party and had been meeting friends to discuss his future when the fire broke out.
It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, which began soon after the factory workers went home for the day and took three hours to bring under control. Mahmud speculated it might have originated in the factory's ironing section. Officials originally said the building also housed several floors of apartments, but later said it was just a factory.
The Facebook page of the Tung Hai Group claimed it was a sprawling enterprise with a total of 7,000 employees at its two factories and the capacity to produce well over 6 million sweaters, shirts, pants and pajamas every month. The group claimed it did business with major retailers in Europe and North America.
The country's powerful garment industry has been plagued by a series of disasters in recent months, including a November fire at the Tazreen factory that killed 112 and the building collapse.
More than two weeks after the building in the suburb of Savar collapsed, workers with cranes and other heavy equipment were still pulling apart the rubble and finding more bodies. On Friday, authorities said the death toll had risen to 1,021 and it was unclear how many more people remained missing. More than 2,500 people were rescued alive after the April 24 accident.
Maj. Ohiduzzaman, an army official who uses only one name, said 100 decomposing bodies have been kept at a makeshift morgue at a school and were to be sent to hospitals in Dhaka for DNA testing to identify them.
A total of 648 bodies have so far been handed over to the families, he said. Some of those who authorities have been unable to identify have been buried by the government.
Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus said in an article published in Bangladeshi newspapers Thursday that the tragedy was a "symbol of our failure as a nation."
"The crack in Rana Plaza that caused the collapse of the building has only shown us that if we don't face up to the cracks in our state systems, we as a nation will get lost in the debris of the collapse," he said, urging the government and citizens to work together for reforms.
He also urged global brands not to abandon the country, saying that the workers in the factories—which often subcontract from the well-known brands—should be seen as de facto employees of those companies.
The European Union's delegation to Bangladesh urged the government Wednesday to "act immediately" to improve working conditions in the country's garment industry.
Abdul Latif Siddiqui, head of special Cabinet committee to inspect garment factories that was formed days after the Rana Plaza collapse, said the government has closed 18 garment factories in recent days for failing to meet work and safety standards. He did not say whether the closures were temporary or permanent.
Officials say the owner of Rana Plaza illegally added three floors and allowed the garment factories to install heavy machines and generators, even though the structure was not designed to support such equipment.
The owner and eight other people, including the owners of the garment factories, have been detained.


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Smoky Amaranth Corn Chowder
What do you do when the city you love is rocked by its second 100 year storm in a handful of years? If you're lucky like R and I were, you're thankful to be a bit of a square who lives uptown, and you end up staying inside and watching the hurricane on tv like the rest of the country. You start riding your bike to work more and discover that you love it. And you adopt a friend-cum-orphan for a week, who's building's entire electrical system was fried due to waist-deep water on the ground floor.
At least, that's what we did because, as I said, we were some of the lucky ones. I was even rewarded for my continued consumption of water and electricity by a week of slumber parties with one of my best friends from college. Now it's possible that, with her building being uninhabitable for the foreseeable future, my friend wasn't as much in the party mood as I was, although my definition of slumber partying pretty much consists of cooking, eating, hanging out and then slumbering. Not exactly a party.
(View of Manhattan from Randall's Island after the storm)
And what we discovered is that warm, delicious, vegetable and nutrient rich food in a bowl is incredibly nourishing when your apartment building is under water and you've been relegated to a blow-up mattress on a strange floor. So that's part of the background. The other part is that I think I was a hemp-wearing hippie in another life because if there's anything to do with real food, whole grains, or pure vegetables, I'm all over it. So this gorgeous new book from Liana Krissoff was right up my alley and I accepted it from the publisher without a moment's hesitation. Whole Grains for a New Generation is the kind of cookbook I fall asleep with at night. Replete with color photographs, it's also full of all of the things I like to eat. Creative and ingredient-driven, you'll find recipes for using whole grains for every single meal, including dessert, snacks and condiments. Perhaps my very favorite part is from the breakfast and brunch section: a four-page spread full of ideas for your morning bowl of steel-cut oats (I mean, who doesn't want to wake up to a bowl of slow-cooked porridge spiked with sugar, butter and a splash of Johnny Walker Red? Don't worry, Krissoff isn't going to judge you if you go for the tamer suggestion of dried figs, honey and toasted pine nuts.)
The book begins, as you might expect if you're familiar with Krissoff's first book Canning for a New Generation, will a chapter on the basics. If you're new to using whole grains, Krissoff has you covered, as she explains all the different kinds you're going to find in the book, along with pictures of each, how to cook them, from where they originated, and all the different types you're likely to ever come upon. If one of those types is amaranth, I'm going to insist that you try this chowder. Like I said, it was soul-soothing for us just after a hurricane, so imagine what it can do for you on any old winter night. It's thick and becomes quite stew-like by the next day, as the amaranth swells and soaks up the broth, making it creamy and textured all at the same time. R said he even preferred the left-overs, but I thought it was pretty special right from the start. I doubled the recipe because, though we had power and electricity, I was afraid of starving anyway. We finished it in a matter of days.
Smoky Amaranth Corn Chowder
Excerpted from Liana Krissoff's Whole Grains for a New Generation (Abrams, 2012).
Serves 4 - vegan, gluten free
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 rib celery, diced
2 tablespons chopped celery leaves
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile flakes or 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle
2 1/2 cups (600 ml) vegetable stock or water
2/3 cup (130g) raw amaranth
2 cups (340g) sweet corn kernels (from 2 or 3 large cobs, or frozen)
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
Salt and cracked black peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh basil
In a 3-quart (2.8-L) saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and diced celery and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the celery leaves, chipotle chile flakes, stock, amaranth, corn, and sweet potato. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the amaranth grains are translucent and the sweet potato is very soft and falling apart, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Serve with a sprig of basil topping each bowlful.


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Theatre on San Pedro Square provides an intimate, up-close and personal theatre experience for all patrons. Individual seats are reserved based on availability at the time of order. Because seating is limited, advance reservations are strongly recommended. Tickets for any remaining seats may also be purchased at the door, beginning 30 minutes before curtain.
No Fees: The ticket price listed is the amount that will be charged to your credit card. Tabard pays all the associated transaction processing fees. Click the "Begin Order" button for each event to preview pricing.
Day of Show: Tickets are available for purchase online or at up to three hours prior to performance time. When online sales are closed, please call our Audience Services at 408.679.2330.
Exchanges: Tickets may be exchanged for another performance of the same production through Tabard's Audience Services at 408.679.2330 with 24-hour advance notice, subject to availability. A $5.00 per order fee will be charged to exchange tickets to another performance. All sales are final.
Subscriber Benefits: As season subscribers you will be treated to a number of additional benefits to enhance your season enjoyment.
Questions? Please call Tabard's Audience Services at 408.679.2330.


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The Notice by Design program applies human‐computer interaction research and experimentation to consumer problems such as online privacy. This widely-discussed research leverages legal expertise in privacy with post-graduate research in user interface design.
The Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School is a leader in the study of the law and policy around the Internet and other emerging technologies.


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Redbox - Tequesta
Hours Today:
Tequesta, Florida 33469, United States View Map
(866) 733-2693 (Tell them, you found them on WebPageDepot)
Contact Redbox - Tequesta
Florida,33469 US
This site for Redbox - Tequesta was set up to enhance this client's Internet presence and grow the WebPage Depot online business directory. WebPage Depot is designed for local directories and a full business directory. This free business listing site provides a fully functional website. The WebPage Depot site couples seven social media accounts (if available), google maps, large pictures, a contact us page (protecting the client's email address), a link to the client's original website and relevant Youtube videos. Additionally, we write an original text Welcome Message.
WebPage Depot does make some assumptions, sanguinely, for the benefit of the client. We write everything from a positive aspect. Our goal is to boost the visibility/ranking on this site to the highest level possible. Improvements to ranking come with additional relevant content. To continue this effort, we will need guidance from the client, i.e., menus/list of services, specials, current pictures and videos and additional text for the Welcome Message.


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There are 4 modules in this course
This course will provide back test results for all the strategies in developed and emerging markets. The learner will also be taught scientific ways of back testing without succumbing to either look ahead (or) survival bias.
You will learn various methods of building a robust back testing system for the strategies discussed in the previous course. You will be taught how to differentiate between mere data mining and results based on solid empirical or theoretical foundation. Next, you will learn the ways and means of back testing the results and subjecting the back test results to stress tests. After which, you will learn the various ways in which transaction costs and other frictions could be incorporated in the back testing algorithm. Finally, you will learn techniques for measuring a strategies' performance and the concept of risk adjusted return. You will use some of the famous measures for risk adjusted returns such as Sharpe ratio, Treynor's Ratio and Jenson's Alpha. You will see how to pick an appropriate benchmark for a proposed fund.


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Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package that Northeastern governors and lawmakers hope to push through the House this coming week.
Their complaint is that lots of the money that lawmakers are considering will actually go toward recovery efforts for past disasters and other projects unrelated to the late-October storm.
A Senate-passed version from the end of the last Congress included $150 million for what the Commerce Department described as fisheries disasters in Alaska, Mississippi and the Northeast, and $50 million in subsidies for replanting trees on private land damaged by wildfires.
The objections have led senior House Republicans to assemble their own $17 billion proposal, that when combined with already approved money for flood insurance claims, is less than half what President Barack Obama sought and the Senate passed in December
That $17 billion package will be brought to the floor by the House Appropriations Committee, and Northeast lawmakers will have a chance to add $33.7 billion more.
House Speaker John Boehner intends to let the House vote on both measures. He's responding both to conservatives who are opposed to more deficit spending, and to Govs. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., and Chris Christie, R-N.J., who are irate that the House hasn't acted sooner.
Critics are taking the sharpest aim at $12.1 billion in the amendment for Department of Housing and Urban Development emergency block grants. Any state struck by a federally declared major disaster in 2011, 2012 or this year would qualify for the grants, and that's just about all the states, said Stephen Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a budget watchdog group. Only South Carolina, Arizona and Michigan would not qualify, he said.
"That's not a bad chunk of change, particularly if you are trying to get other lawmakers to vote for the bill," Ellis said.
State and local governments like block grants because they provide more flexibility in how the money is spent. The money can go toward a variety of needs, including hospitals, utilities, roads, small businesses and rent subsidies.
The Northeast lawmakers' $33.7 billion amendment also includes more than $135 million to help the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration improve weather forecasting.
"A lot of the money goes to government agencies to rebuild rather than helping people actually afflicted by Sandy," Ellis said.
Before getting to the aid measures, the House on Monday planned to consider legislation intended to streamline Federal Emergency Management Agency regulations that critics blame for slowing down recovery efforts. That bill would let FEMA make limited repairs instead of lease payments to provide housing that might be less expensive than traditional agency trailers.
A $60.4 billion storm aid package passed by the Senate in December included $188 million for an Amtrak expansion project with an indirect link to Sandy: Officials say that new, long-planned tunnels from New Jersey to Penn Station in Manhattan would be better protected against future flooding.
The Club for Growth, a conservative group, complained the Senate bill was overpriced, full of pork and would swell the federal deficit because other government programs weren't being cut to cover the costs of the legislation. That bill expired with the old Congress on Jan. 3. So whatever additional aid package the House passes would have to go back to the Senate for its approval.
Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, two frequent critics of government spending, tried unsuccessfully to strip the Senate version of $125 million for an Agriculture Department program to restore watersheds damaged by wildfires and drought, $2 million for roof repairs at Smithsonian Institution museums in the Washington area and the $50 million in tree planting subsidies.
McCain also targeted $15 million to repair storm-damaged NASA facilities, saying the agency had called its Sandy damage "minimal."
"An emergency funding bill should focus on the emergency needs of the victims, not the needs of politicians," said Indiana Sen. Dan Coats, the senior Republican on Senate Appropriations subcommittee on homeland security. "Loading up a massive $60.4 billion package with unrelated projects and earmarks for other states is not the way we should use taxpayer dollars."
Coats' scaled-back $23.8 billion Sandy aid bill was rejected by the Senate.
Republicans also criticized $13 billion in the Senate bill for projects to protect against future storms, including fortification of mass transit systems in the Northeast and building new jetties in vulnerable seaside areas. While maybe worthwhile, those projects don't represent emergencies and shouldn't be exempt from federal spending caps, GOP lawmakers said.
The basic $17 billion before the House on Tuesday is aimed at immediate Sandy recovery needs, including $5.4 billion for New York and New Jersey transit systems and $5.4 billion for FEMA's disaster aid fund. The $33.7 billion amendment would bring the total up to the more than $60 billion sought by Obama and passed by Senate Democrats.
It includes the block grants for previous disasters, weather forecasting improvements and measures to minimize damage from future storms, but not the $188 million for the Amtrak expansion project.
"We know it's going to be a heavy lift for the $33 billion, but we'll find the votes," said Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., whose Staten Island district was heavily damaged by Sandy.
But conservatives clearly prefer the smaller, $17 billion version. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., a frequent critic of Boehner after losing his seat on the House Budget Committee, said the Sandy aid legislation should be focused on storm-related recovery.
"Conservatives want to see a real plan that addresses real needs for Sandy," he said.
Obama has signed a $9.7 billion replenishment of the national flood insurance fund to help pay claims from 115,000 homeowners, businesses and renters.
FEMA has spent more than $2 billion in disaster relief money for shelter, restoring power and other immediate needs arising from Sandy. The Oct. 29 storm that pounded the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to Maine with hurricane-force winds and coastal flooding. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were the hardest hit.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Copyright © 2013 Capitol Hill Blue


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Of course, some Santa cakes can be quite entertaining - in an adult, full-of-hot-air, dolled-up kind of way. (Putting the "b" in "subtle," that's me!)
(That was rhetorical. I really, really don't want to know.)
No, sorry, I can't do it. Provide your own commentary, you filthy, filthy readers, you.
Well, fortunately, I think that was the worst of the...
Nope, I give up. Ready?
Not to blow things out of proportion, but let's face it: this head cake really sucks!
Alisa K., Kierstyn S., Miki C., Sarah H., and Chelsea & Claire, be sure to bookmark this post for Christmas day. After all, it's nice to liven up the usual awkward silences with family with a few extremely awkward stifled screams of laughter. [nodding seriously]
- Related Wreckage: Santa Gets the Shaft
Click here to donate your dollar through our First Giving campaign page.


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Dylan's Newport guitar to be auctioned in NYC
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By ULA ILNYTZKY, Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) -- The sunburst Fender Stratocaster that a young Bob Dylan played at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival when he famously went electric, perhaps the most historic instrument in rock 'n' roll, is coming up for auction, where it could bring as much as half a million dollars.
Though now viewed as changing American music forever, Dylan's three-song electric set at the Rhode Island festival that marked his move from acoustic folk to electric rock 'n' roll was met by boos from folk purists in the crowd who viewed him as a traitor. He returned for an acoustic encore with "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue."
Rolling Stone has called it one of the most notable events in music history.
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The guitar is being offered for sale Dec. 6, Christie's told The Associated Press. Five lots of hand- and typewritten lyric fragments found inside the guitar case -- early versions of some of Dylan's legendary songs -- also are being sold. The lyrics have a pre-sale estimate ranging from $3,000 to $30,000.
With a classic sunburst finish and original flat-wound strings, the guitar has been in the possession of a New Jersey family for nearly 50 years. Dylan left it on a private plane piloted by the owner's late father, Vic Quinto, who worked for Dylan's manager.
His daughter, Dawn Paterson, of Morris County, N.J., has said her father asked the management company what to do with the guitar but nobody ever got back to him.
Last year, she took it to the PBS show "History Detectives" to try to have it authenticated. The program enlisted the expertise of Andy Babiuk, a consultant to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and owner of an upstate New York vintage instrument shop, and Jeff Gold, a Dylan memorabilia expert. Both men, who appeared on the episode, unequivocally declared the artifacts belonged to Dylan.
Babiuk took the instrument apart and also compared it to close-up color photos of the guitar taken at the 1965 festival.
"I was able to match the wood grain on the body of the guitar ... and the unique grain of the rosewood fingerboard. Wood grains are like fingerprints, no two are exactly alike," Babiuk said in an interview. "Based on the sum of the evidence, I was able to identify that this guitar was the one that Bob Dylan had played in Newport."
Dylan's attorney and his publicist did not respond to email and phone requests for comment. Dylan and Paterson, who declined to be interviewed, recently settled a legal dispute over the items.
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed but allowed Paterson to sell the guitar and lyrics, according to Rolling Stone, which wrote in July about Paterson's quest to authenticate the guitar.
"Representatives for Bob Dylan do not contest the sale of the guitar, and are aware of Christie's plan to bring it to auction," a statement issued through Christie's said.
Dylan has generally looked upon his instruments to convey his art, akin to a carpenter's hammer, Howard Kramer, curatorial director of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said last year. "I don't think he's dwelled on a guitar he hasn't played for 47 years," he said. "If he cared about it, he would have done something about it."
The lyrics for sale include "In the Darkness of Your Room," an early draft of "Absolutely Sweet Marie" from Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde" album, and three songs from the record's 1965 recording session that were not released until the 1980s: "Medicine Sunday" (the draft is titled "Midnight Train"), "Jet Pilot" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover."


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Ralph Moody Hall on Foreign PolicyRepublican Representative (TX-4) | |
Proponent's argument to vote Yes:Rep. IKE SKELTON (D, MO-4): Pakistan is important to the Middle East and our intentions there. Their cooperation, of course, is so very, very important. This legislation gives economic and democratic development assistance to that country.
Rep. HOWARD BERMAN (D, CA-28): We can't allow al Qaeda or any other terrorist group that threatens our national security to operate with impunity in the tribal regions or any other part of Pakistan. Nor can we permit the Pakistani state and its nuclear arsenal to be taken over by the Taliban. To help prevent this nightmare scenario, we need to forge a true strategic partnership with Pakistan and its people, strengthen Pakistan's democrat government, and work to make Pakistan a source of stability in a volatile region.
Opponent's argument to vote No:Rep. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN (R, FL-18): This bill focuses on past actions and failures attributed to the Pakistani Government, punishing the new leadership for the sins of its predecessors. While the authors of H.R. 1886 may have sought to empower our Pakistani partners to undertake the formidable task of fighting and winning against violent extremists, it does the opposite. We have gone down this road before. I recall during the Iraq debate, Members sought to prejudge the surge strategy before it could even be implemented. Let us hope that this will not be repeated with respect to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Proponent's argument to vote Yes:Rep. HOWARD BERMAN (D, CA-28): Integrating India into a global nonproliferation regime is a positive step. Before anyone gets too sanctimonious about India's nuclear weapons program, we should acknowledge that the five recognized nuclear weapons states have not done nearly enough to fulfill their commitments under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, including making serious reductions in their own arsenals, nor in the case of the US in ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
Opponent's argument to vote No:Rep. BARBARA LEE (D, CA-9): In withholding my approval, I seek not to penalize the people of India but, rather, to affirm the principle of nuclear nonproliferation. Jettisoning adherence to the international nuclear nonproliferation framework that has served the world so well for more than 30 years, as approval of the agreement before us would do, is just simply unwise. It is also reckless.
Approval of this agreement undermines our efforts to dissuade countries like Iran and North Korea from developing nuclear weapons. By approving this agreement, all we are doing is creating incentives for other countries to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
The Congressional Human Rights Caucus (CHRC) is a bipartisan group of Members of Congress in the United States House of Representatives that works to raise awareness about and combat human rights abuses throughout the world.
The caucus keeps members and their staff informed of opportunities to help through briefings on human rights topics and letter initiatives.
The Arab American Institute has compiled a Scorecard to catalogue the voting record of the 112th Congress on issues of importance to the Arab American community. For the House, we included 15 items: two bills on the Arab Spring, five bills and one letter on Palestine, two bills on Lebanon, three bills and a letter regarding civil liberties, and two bills on immigration.
RESOLUTION expressing concern over persistent and credible reports of systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience, in the People's Republic of China, including from large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners imprisoned for their religious beliefs, and members of other religious and ethnic minority groups.
Dear Secretary Clinton:
We are writing to reaffirm our commitment to the unbreakable bond that exists between our country and the State of Israel and to express to you our deep concern over recent tension. In every important relationship, there will be occasional misunderstandings and conflicts.
Our valuable bilateral relationship with Israel needs and deserves constant reinforcement. As the Vice-President said during his recent visit to Israel: "Progress occurs in the Middle East when everyone knows there is simply no space between the U.S. and Israel when it comes to security, none. No space." Steadfast American backing has helped lead to Israeli peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. And American involvement continues to be critical to the effort to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
We recognize that, despite the extraordinary closeness between our country and Israel, there will be differences over issues both large and small. Our view is that such differences are best resolved quietly, in trust and confidence, as befits longstanding strategic allies. We hope and expect that, with mutual effort and good faith, the United States and Israel will move beyond this disruption quickly, to the lasting benefit of both nations.


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Pinball Collection of doctor.damma
1 pinball machine
last updated: 02/28/2014
From: lombardia, Italy
Specialty': Dot-Matrix Solid-State
Member since: 10/12/2008
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Mr. Game (Italy)
Set up, plays!
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on 07-30-2012 01:11:
quando si dice pochi ma buoni..... complimenti, invidia a pacchi!
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If you need a corporation immediately, we have many Mississippi corporations, both current year and aged, which are ready for delivery. This is the best option for clients who need a corporation within 1 business days. For more information and a complete list of all our Reddi or Shelf corporations CLICK HERE or call our office at (888) 520-7800 for details.
We offer two levels of rush service. When you opt for one of our rush services, we guarantee to promptly deliver your Corporation to the State for processing, however, if the State is backlogged, you may experience a delay in receiving your documents. We strive to have all rush orders ready as soon as humanly possible, however if time is of the essence you may opt for one of our Reddi Corps which are ready for immediate delivery.
Beyond the initial corporation or LLC setup there are additional legal services that you should expect, without additional charge, from whomever you choose to form your Corporation or LLC. Each order placed with Spiegel & Utrera, P.A. includes one on one personalized service from one of our associates. We believe our clients should expect superior customer service, from our law firm. That means explaining the different issues relevant to incorporating or organizing a LLC in a manner that is easy for the client to understand. That way you as a business person can make informed choices when you set up your corporation or LLC.
There are many relevant issues you need to take into consideration but which you may not be aware of when starting a new business: different tax advantages available to you; indemnification and covenant not to sue; federal, state and local filing requirements; name protection; choices of entity structure set up; available agreements and the importance of maintaining corporate and LLC company formalities and complete records; lease reviews; and contracts.
When you use our firm to incorporate or organize your LLC, we will continue to provide you with a toll free number for a 30-day period after incorporating or organizing your LLC so that you may contact our firm whenever you need legal assistance. You can even become a member of our General Counsel Club at a discount, when you incorporate or organize your LLC, and get unlimited legal advice by phone for the entire year.
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We are the low cost providers of incorporation and LLC formation services. This year we will form over 10,000 corporations and LLC's.
Need help Incorporating or Forming your Limited Liability Company? Give us a Call Today! | Frequently Asked Questions
SPIEGEL & UTRERA, P.A. is your one source for business legal services.1840 Coral Way
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noun af·fec·ta·tion \ˌa-ˌfek-ˈtā-shən\
: an unnatural form of behavior that is meant to impress others
Full Definition of AFFECTATION
a : the act of taking on or displaying an attitude or mode of behavior not natural to oneself or not genuinely felt b : speech or conduct not natural to oneself : artificiality
obsolete : a striving after
See affectation defined for English-language learners
See affectation defined for kids
First Known Use of AFFECTATION
Related to AFFECTATION
- Synonyms
- pretense, affectedness, grandiosity, inflation, pretension, pretentiousness
Synonym Discussion of AFFECTATION
pose, air, airs, affectation, mannerism mean an adopted way of speaking or behaving. pose implies an attitude deliberately assumed in order to impress others <her shyness was just a pose>. air may suggest natural acquirement through environment or way of life <a traveler's sophisticated air>. airs always implies artificiality and pretentiousness <snobbish airs>. affectation applies to a trick of speech or behavior that strikes the observer as insincere <the posh accent is an affectation>. mannerism applies to an acquired eccentricity that has become a habit <gesturing with a cigarette was her most noticeable mannerism>.
Rhymes with AFFECTATION
abdication, aberration, abjuration, abnegation, abrogation, acceptation, acclamation, accusation, activation, adaptation, adjuration, admiration, adoration, adulation, adumbration, affirmation, aggravation, aggregation, agitation, allegation, allocation, amputation, alteration, altercation, animation, annexation, annotation, appellation, application, approbation, arbitration, arrogation, aspiration, assignation, attestation, augmentation, automation, aviation, avocation, blaxploitation, botheration, calculation, calibration, cancellation, carbonation, castigation, celebration, cerebration, chlorination, circulation, cogitation, collocation, coloration, combination, comfort station, commendation, commutation, compensation, complication, computation, concentration, condemnation, condensation, confirmation, confiscation, conflagration, conformation, confrontation, congregation, conjugation, connotation, consecration, conservation, consolation, constellation, consternation, constipation, consultation, consummation, contemplation, conurbation, conversation, convocation, copulation, coronation, corporation, correlation, corrugation, crenellation, crop rotation, culmination, cultivation, cumulation, cybernation, decimation, declamation, declaration, declination, decoration, dedication, defamation, defecation, deformation, degradation, dehydration, delectation, delegation, demarcation, demonstration, denigration, denotation, depilation, deportation, depravation, depredation, deputation, derivation, derogation, desecration, designation, desolation, desperation, destination, detestation, detonation, devastation, deviation, dislocation, dispensation, disputation, dissertation, dissipation, distillation, divination, domination, education, elevation, elongation, emanation, embarkation, embrocation, emendation, emigration, emulation, enervation, escalation, estimation, evocation, exaltation, excavation, excitation, exclamation, exculpation, execration, exhalation, exhortation, exhumation, expectation, expiation, expiration, explanation, explication, exploitation, exploration, exportation, expurgation, extirpation, exultation, fabrication, fascination, federation, fenestration, fermentation, fibrillation, figuration, filling station, fire station, flagellation, fluoridation, fluctuation, forestation, formulation, fornication, fragmentation, fulmination, fumigation, gene mutation, generation, germination, glaciation, graduation, granulation, gravitation, habitation, hesitation, hibernation, hyphenation, ideation, imitation, immigration, immolation, implantation, implication, importation, imprecation, imputation, incantation, incarnation, inclination, incrustation, incubation, indentation, indication, indignation, infestation, infiltration, inflammation, information, inhalation, innovation, inspiration, installation, instigation, insulation, integration, intimation, intonation, inundation, invitation, invocation, irrigation, irritation, iteration, jubilation, laceration, lamentation, lamination, legislation, levitation, liberation, limitation, lineation, liquidation, litigation, lubrication, lucubration, maceration, machination, malformation, masturbation, maturation, mediation, medication, meditation, melioration, menstruation, ministration, mitigation, moderation, modulation, molestation, motivation, mutilation, navigation, nomination, obfuscation, objurgation, obligation, observation, occupation, operation, orchestration, ordination, oscillation, osculation, ostentation, ovulation, oxidation, pagination, palpitation, penetration, percolation, perforation, permeation, permutation, perpetration, perspiration, perturbation, pigmentation, pixilation, police station, pollination, population, postulation, power station, predication, preparation, presentation, preservation, proclamation, procreation, profanation, prolongation, promulgation, propagation, prorogation, protestation, provocation, publication, punctuation, radiation, recantation, recitation, reclamation, re-creation, recreation, reformation, refutation, registration, regulation, rehydration, relaxation, relocation, renovation, reparation, replication, reprobation, reputation, reservation, resignation, respiration, restoration, retardation, revelation, revocation, ruination, rumination, rustication, salutation, sanitation, saturation, segmentation, segregation, separation, sequestration, service station, sexploitation, simulation, situation, speciation, speculation, spoliation, stimulation, stipulation, strangulation, structuration, stylization, subjugation, sublimation, suffocation, syncopation, syndication, tabulation, termination, T formation, titillation, toleration, transfer station, transformation, translocation, transmigration, transmutation, transpiration, transplantation, transportation, trepidation, tribulation, ulceration, ululation, undulation, urination, vaccination, vacillation, validation, valuation, variation, vegetation, veneration, ventilation, vindication, violation, visitation, weather station
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Back long before I could drive, a guy by the name of Ralph Nader delivered a damning review on an innovative car from the most powerful car company in the world. The car was the Chevrolet Corvair, which was GM's answer to sporty rear-engine cars from both Porsche and VW. The review, which took the form of a book titled "Unsafe at Any Speed," was scientifically debunked in 1972, about three years after GM was forced to cancel production of the Corvair. Researchers concluded that while the Corvair had issues, it was no more or less safe than other vehicles of its time period. Most of the cars made in the 1960s weren't exactly known for great handling.
Nader may have overblown the problem, but it was GM's misguided response that killed the car. Rather than fixing the problems and giving Nader some credit, the corporate giant decided to go to war with him. The result was a dead car and the birth of one of the most powerful consumer advocates in history.
Tesla is experiencing what seems to be a similar problem. A New York Times reviewer named John Broder panned the car for running out of juice on a test drive, and Tesla attacked him personally. The attention is causing the review to circulate more widely, and may make the guy famous much like GM did for Nader. And it could kill Tesla.
The review heard 'round the world
Unlike the Corvair, the Tesla S isn't being presented as unsafe, but as using an unreliable technology (lithium-ion batteries) that could leave the driver stranded, much like what happened to the reviewer. In regular weather, this could be problematic, but in the kind of weather they've been having on the east coast lately, this could be life threatening and a serious problem.
To be fair, the author of the article isn't a typical car reviewer. He appears to cover mostly the oil market. As such, he may well lack the expertise and experience to properly review an EV or compare it to comparable gas-powered cars.
In other words, Tesla should have either passed on giving him a review vehicle, or insisted that one of their folks ride along. After all, Apple doesn't send review products to Microsoft fans, and Microsoft doesn't send Windows 8 PCs to Apple sites (they did that during the Vista launch and it didn't go well).
The problem with electrics
For a time, I was a battery analyst covering the US market. There was no one putting any real money into this market and, for some reason, after everyone else left, the job landed on my desk. My firm actually ran the largest battery show in the nation. There are a number of problems with battery technology that need to be overcome. They are created through a relatively toxic process, they don't like extreme cold or high heat, they have a quarter the energy density of dynamite, quality control has had historic problems, and when they do fail, they burn really hot. I can speak to this last point because a failed lithium-ion battery pack almost burned my house down.
Electric vehicles are almost the polar opposite of gas vehicles. Gas cars are most efficient at moderate highway speeds over long distances, torque develops at speed, and they can operate over a wide temperature spectrum. Electric vehicles are most efficient in stop-and-go or slow speeds, they have most of their torque available at start (making them wicked fast off the line), and are best over a much narrower temperature range. If a gas car is as silent as an electric car, you are likely coasting; if an electric is as noisy as gas car, it is probably in the process of blowing up. Finally there are lots of gas stations and very few charging stations (and you'd better bring a novel to read while you fill up).
So a review scenario that would favor an electric car would have the driver hopping around the city and in traffic, with a total drive distance under 100 miles. One that would favor a gas car would be a long drive over a distance greater than 100 miles. For competition, an electric will typically win in the sprint to 30 mph, a gas car would be favored at top speed and above posted speed limits.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk accused the author of creating a test that made the Tesla S look bad. He's right, in that New York Time's Tesla test would favor a gas car over an electric and expose the range, charging station, and weather problems associated with an electric. But he didn't do anything you or I might not do with our own cars, or hope to do with a new Tesla.
Tesla's problem
Tesla's mistake was giving the car unchaperoned to a reporter who is tied to the hip to gas. An EV would be a hard sell for a guy who makes his living in oil, even if it behaved more like a gas car than it does. Tesla is defending the car's range by claiming the distance driven is inaccurate, he didn't charge the car properly, and that he drove over the speed limit rather than under it, as he claimed. But by making these challenges, the company is just making the author of the review more visible. Ultimately, a $52,000 car shouldn't need excuses, it should be able to compete head to head with a gas car in a test that favors gas cars. Just as GM validated Ralph Nader and eventually had to kill the Corvair, Tesla is unintentionally focusing everyone on the shortcomings of electrics and making it harder to see through them to the advantages. Put differently, a bad car review isn't news, but a car company going after a reviewer in the media definitely is.
There is an old saying: You don't go to war with people that buy ink by the barrel. Tesla should likely revisit that advice, or it may find itself as a footnote in history as a peer to the Corvair.
Editors' Recommendations
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Turns out they're super easy to make! You've got to try these... no excuses not to! Everything you need is right in your house. Milk cartons work so well for cookie transport because they're sturdy and grease proof. I originally was going to make some little baskets by just cutting off the tops and punching holes for handles, but the natural shape of each carton screams house, and then last week I saw these. I had no choice... houses it was. Covering them with brown Kraft paper transforms them into gingerbread houses waiting to be frosted- with white acrylic paint. Great project to set out for children. Cover a bunch of carton houses and set out some paints for them to add windows, doors, etc.
So here's how to make your own. The first one will take a little longer as you figure it out, but the following ones will fly together in no time.
clean & dry milk carton
hole punch
brown paper or wrapping paper
white paint
label or sticker
1. Open carton.
2. Cut all four sides down to the folds and remove.
3. Snip directly down all four corners and fold two opposite sides together to form a roof.
4. Place the carton on a flat surface and hold the roof pieces together to form the template for cutting the A-framed sides. Trace the triangle with a pencil and cut.
It should look like this:
Once you've made this shape, you'll see that you can adjust them to any height you desire. If you choose to adorn them in paper proceed to the next step.
5. Place your carton corner on the corner of your paper. Trace the shape of the carton as you carefully roll it over for all four sides. Add an inch in height to all of the flat edges to ensure extra for folding over. See below.
It should look like this:
6. Cut out paper and adhere with glue or paste. I ended up using a combination. Fold over flat top edges and secure with clothespins until dry.
7. When dry, paint and decorate. Whether you make gingerbread houses or keep it a simple carton... you'll need a handle. Punch holes into the A-frame and tie on a ribbon.
8. Fill with cookies! You can make little wax bags to separate the cookies by folding over a length of wax paper and zigzaging the sides shut with peppermint thread (red thread and a white bobbin). Seal each house's roof with a little label or sticker. Have fun!


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"I am here in Kandahar on a short vacation," says the young man, about 27, who we will call Mullah Kalam. His beard is trimmed neat; he is wearing a black leather jacket and a striped beige turban. Kalam has been a student for five years at a religious seminary across the border in Chaman, in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan. Two years into his studies, as U.S. President Barack Obama ordered a surge of 33,000 troops in Afghanistan, much of it focused in the south, Kalam's family of 11 left their home in Panjwai district, about 40km from the city of Kandahar, to settle in Chaman.
(MORE: The Pied Piper of the Insurgency)
But Kalam's "short vacations" home, at least twice every year, are no innocent excursions. Panjwai is considered one of the most heavily mined areas in the country. The Taliban have been known to place homemade bombs and booby-traps everywhere—on dirt roads, pomegranate trees, and vegetable fields—and have forced a curfew on locals between 8pm and 8am. Besides Kalam's religious studies, he has been spending time with "Pakistani explosive experts," he says. Putting that training to work, he has helped orchestrate about 20 Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks.
The U.S. troop surge and the increasing reach of the Afghan security forces have weakened the Taliban as a fighting force in recent years. But the Taliban, known for their tactical flexibility, has turned more and more to IEDs. These are easy to make, largely from fertilizer and simple materials that are easy to transport across the porous border with Pakistan.
The U.S, government has spent more than $21 billion since 2006 in tackling the IEDs, which it considers a strategic weapon that will remain "an enduring threat." Marred with questions of inefficiency and mismanagement, the effort is led by JIEDDO, Joint IED Defeat Organization. The group has focused heavily on fielding technologies to address the problem in a three-prongedstrategy: "attack the network, defeat the device, train the force." But the numbers on the ground suggest it has been a difficult, largely losing fight—and one that is increasingly asymmetric in terms of economic cost.
While in Iraq, use of IEDs plummeted after reaching a peak of 23,000 attacks in 2007, the trend in Afghanistan seems to be only heading upwards. The Pentagon is reporting an 80% increase in IED incidents over the past two years here. In 2012 alone, there have been nearly 15,000 IED incidents, causing about 1,900 U.S. casualties. Overall, more than 60% of U.S. casualties in Afghanistan are caused by IEDs. While the weapon will continue to take a heavy toll on the U.S. troops until their planned withdrawal in 2014, the larger victim will remain Afghan forces, who are ill-equipped and more prone to fall victim in mined areas. IEDs are responsible for about 85% of casualties in Afghan army and police forces.
(MORE: The Loneliness of the Afghan President: Karzai on His Own)
Fighting the phenomenon through detective technology is unsustainable, analysts and officials say. The lethality of the weapon lies in its flexibility. The technology, developed through large defense contracts,simply cannot keep up. "The enemy is actually better equipped than my soldiers—they have night goggles, to see how they can cross the border at night," says Brigadier General Abdul Raziq, the 33-year-old police commander of Kandaharprovince who has survived about 40 attempts on his life, several of them by way of IEDs. "The enemy has been given the kind of explosives, triggers and remote controls that our equipment—not the new jammers and such, but equipment from 2010—cannot detect."
The Afghan police have 97 mine clearance teams across the country with very basic training and equipment designed for Soviet-era bombs. The force largely relies on human intelligence, which has been undermined by significant budget cuts over the past three years.
"The enemy has ISI money, narcotics money, and other sources," says Sediq Sediqqi, the spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Interior, referring to Pakistan's intelligence service. "We need to be able to counter their investments."
More than 70% of the IEDs in Afghanistan are made withCalcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) produced in two factories in Pakistan. Urging regulation on the factories, dismantling the smuggling supply chain on the Pakistani side of the border, and disrupting the networks inside is really the only way. "While CAN is produced in other regional countries, I have seen no evidence to indicate the CAN used for IEDs in Afghanistan comes from any other country besides Pakistan," says Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Barbero, director of JIEDDO.
The Pakistani military has taken measures to curb the problem, but only domestically, which has been spreading like the larger militancy. At least 900 IED attacks causing 3,700 casualties have been reported inside Pakistan. The U.S. government tried to reach out directly with the two factories in Pakistan, which has only resulted in "minor packaging, tracking, and marketing changes," according to Barbareo. But direct communication was halted by the Pakistani government. With the producing source and the supply chain intact, the Afghan and coalition forces have increased their crack down on IED material—particularly CAN—on the Afghan side of the border. In 2012 alone, 444 tons of IED material was seized in Afghanistan, but a large amount still continues to be smuggled in.
"The enemy mixes ammonium nitrate in flour, in cement, in powder detergent, in passengers' luggage to carry it across the border," says General Raziq. "We can't always just knife people's goods." And Raziq's men do not even have control over all of Kandahar's 44-kilometer border with Pakistan, which is a small share of the vast 2,400km border.
"If I have 300 soldiers in Shorawak, there are 500 terrorists training in the open directly on the other side of the border inPanjpai," Raziq says. "Across the border, they have open headquarters, training grounds, and they bring their injured for treatment to hospitals there."
Once the material is in the country, there is a vast network of trained, active agents, disarmed former members of the movement, and ideological sympathizers that play a role along the way as the material is turned into explosives, and then planted. TIME spoke to some of these agents. A 35-year old, beefy commander, his beard trimmed short and his head half bald under his massive white turban, is in charge of a 10-member team just 70km outside Kandahar city. With training in Chaman twoyears ago, he leads the ten men in assembling the explosives—in oil cans, pressure cookers, and, most recently, in 1.5liter soda bottles, which are easier to transport. A Kandahar intelligence official swore he had even seen IEDs carved into large copies of the Quran.
Then there are the facilitators, like the 38-year-old former member of the Taliban who helps by hiding IEDs at his home in Daman, and transports them on the back of his motorcycle. And, finally, there are people like themustachioed 33-year-old from the lush Arghandab valley who has brought eight IEDs to the city in his truck, which he usually uses to deliver commercial fruits.
"For transporting the explosives, we use cars, animals, and even some government officials," the bald commander says, lowering his voice into a whisper during the last part, stretching his words with satisfaction. The use of vehicles for transporting explosives, and even carrying out attacks, is not unusual. The police chief of Nimroz province was reportedly killed last month by explosives placed in the door of his own official vehicle.
Locals in Panjwai claim the Taliban have also turned to subcontracting, so far a trademark of the coalition side of the war. The insurgents supply the explosives, they say, but unemployed youth plant them for cash. If they blow up an Afghan police vehicle, they get anything between 10,000 and 20,000 Pakistani rupees ($100-$200). If they blow up a coalitionvehicle, the reward is as high as 100,000 Pakistani rupees. The claim is difficult to prove. But there does exist an internal Taliban bonus structure for operatives carrying out IEDs successfully. Mullah Kalam said he has gotten up to 20,000 PKR for blowing up U.S. vehicles, and 10,000 PKR for Afghan police vehicles. "We definitely have a bonus, a sweetener," Kalam says.
So the incentive means that not a day goes by in Afghanistan without reports of IEDs across the country. As in all wars, civilians bear the heavy brunt: the United Nations reports at least 967 civilians killed and 1,590 injured during the past four months, 56% caused by IEDs.
—with reporting from a Special Correspondent / Kandahar


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Vendor: IBM
Exam Code: 000-253
Exam Name: IBM WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment V6.1, Core Administration
Certification: IBM certifications II
Total Questions: 108 Q&A
Updated on: Jun 15, 2024
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text:
Carlos Monasterios (3-5, 4.02) vs. Nelson Figueroa (3-1, 2.75).
COMMENTS: OMG OMG, Monasteriosmania is back! Ha ha, just kidding. That'll show me to look for any positives in this season. Apparently Vicente Padilla has turned back into a pumpkin, so Monasterios gets anudder spot start. And you get some breakfast baseball. Okay, brunch. Whaddaya gonna have? Because that's about all the suspense that's left in this season.