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Read the full story here Web Link posted Thursday, October 25, 2007, 12:47 PM
Town Square
Porter not fired for testifying, Benest says
Original post made on Oct 25, 2007
Read the full story here Web Link posted Thursday, October 25, 2007, 12:47 PM
a resident of another community
on Oct 25, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Gee, Go figure. There are several reason why you have heard from me also. I too feel that I was wronged. I think wronged is a little bit of a under statement.
If we are all public employees maybe we can tell are stories to the public. Find out what the public thinks about what is going on.
Maybe the public can judge if treatment is fair for all?
Now what about the other court case with the women who was having the pay and classification issue with the City?
a resident of Stanford
on Oct 25, 2007 at 4:42 pm
Let's just call a spade a spade. Here is another prime example of how corrupt people can be. Fortunate for me I know all the aspects in this case because I am aware of all the key players.I am surprised that with all the given information, sworn affidavits and witness testimony coupled with the sympathetic outpouring from Palo Alto residences that this could not be resolved in a more amicable way. My heart goes out to this guy because he actually had worked at Andronico's Market for 10 years when a employee from the City of Palo Alto came and told Brandon about the position. While working TEMP for the City he also continued working for Andronico's Market for 3 YEARS. I don't get it? Why wouldn't you FIRE someone earlier if there was issues? But with in days of testifying in a harrassment case he is terminated? It just doesn't fit. Shame on you Frank Benest. You made a bad call in judgement.
a resident of another community
on Oct 25, 2007 at 4:50 pm
What rock are you living under Frank Benest when you are quoted as saying "The circumstances of this case do not indicate retaliation." Have you read the Sept. 12 article? I understand you support local issues, well this is as close to home as one could get.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 26, 2007 at 8:21 am
Really, could Frank have written otherwise without admitting a legal liability for him and the city? Let a court determine this question.
a resident of Barron Park
on Oct 31, 2007 at 2:42 pm
I'm rooting for Brandon. If the majority of Palo Alto citizens realized that the utility leadership conducted themselves so unethically covering eachother, Brandon would be back at work.
Frank Benest's insult that Brandon wasn't fired for his testimony against a utility manager is beneath the intelligence of the average citizen.

subset: commoncrawl


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General Industrial Alcohol Corp.
List of Deals
- 1929 General Industrial Alcohol Corporation: issue of $2,500,000 convertible 6 1/2% sinking fund debentures and common stock
The General Industrial Alcohol Corporation was incorporated in Delaware in April 1929 to acquire the business and assets of General Industrial Alcohol Company of Marrers, Louisiana, National Industrial Alcohol Company of New Orleans, and the alcohol plants of both the Greendale Company of Bay City, Michigan, and Michigan Chemical Company of Bay City, Michigan. The new company was given permits entitling it to produce approximately five million gallons of alcohol per year.
The new corporation also acquired ownership of the Molasses Distributors Corporation, which had purchased the domestic bulk blackstrap department of American Molasses Company of New York, including a fleet of fifty-seven tank cars and tidewater terminals in Boston, Brooklyn, and New Orleans, providing storage and distribution for over thirty million gallons of blackstrap per year.
Two of the units of this new corporation operated on Cuban blackstrap molasses. The others operated in Indiana, where grain was available, and in Michigan, which provided easy access to the beet-growing regions so they could operate on beet sugar.
This merger was part of a trend towards consolidation in the industrial alcohol industry. After General Industrial Alcohol was formed, the industry was left with nine companies compared to twenty in 1927.


text: I've been looking around for a new stick, and I decided to give racketfinder.com a try. All the results are old sticks that I can't buy or demo. I have some ideas: 1. Update the format of the page. It looks really outdated. 2. Unless you can't buy or demo the stick, don't keep it in the database. That ticked me off; I was looking at sticks that were discontinued. Thanks for reading.


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Bushfire threatens farming communities
An emergency warning has been issued to residents in the path of an out of control bushfire in Victoria's west.
The fire is expected to impact the farming community of Glenisla near the Grampians National Park on Thursday night. About six properties are at risk, but the Country Fire Authority said no damage had been reported about 5pm on Thursday night.
The CFA issued the emergency warning, urging residents to evacuate, just after 3pm on Thursday and it has been extended until 7pm.
The fire was moving in a north westerly direction, according to the warning.
Firefighters are building containment lines across the southern flank of the blaze, which has burnt about 25,000 hectares.
Earlier on Thursday, the CFA said a northerly wind change, coupled with 33 degree heat, was expected to fan the inferno towards the farming communities of Woohlpooer, Glenisla and Mooralla, which are all located along the Henty Highway, south-west of the Grampians.
Incident controller Paul Bates, based in Horsham, said firefighters had to "fallback" over Wednesday night after a south-easterly wind increased to between 20 and 30 km/h.
He said the higher winds pushed the fire across heath and swamp land, across the Henty Highway towards Rocklands Reservoir.
"We had to fall back and do mainly asset protection with a number of vehicles at people's homes," Mr Bates said. "They were all well prepared."
Mr Bates said a wind change was expected to swing the blaze into private property, most of which is open farmland.
A State Bushfire Control Centre spokesman said the blaze was expected to hit Woohlpooer, Glenisla and Mooralla any time on Thursday, but hoped the containment lines would limit its impact.
The Country Fire Authority has advised residents to enact their fire plans or leave their homes if are not comfortable defending them.
The control centre spokesman said about 250 firefighters with 80 tankers, 20 bulldozers and 15 air water bombers were battling the fire. He said erratic winds had been challenging.
"The lower winds have been southerly, while the upper winds have been northerly, so you have this big mixing bowl," the spokesman said.
"What is happening is the fire goes up a ridge line then turns around."
Police and the CFA closed the Henty Highway, a main north-south transport route in Victoria's west, between Horsham and Cavendish on Wednesday afternoon.
The control centre spokesman said traffic management points had been set up at Mooralla and Cherrypool, a small community on the Grampians' north-eastern fringe.
The fire started by lightning last Thursday and has been creating spot fires one kilometre ahead of it.
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Drop your weapons.
You bought a new PSP, brought it home and showed it off to all your envious friends. You've played hours of Lumines, but despite the release hype, there haven't been many other must-haves. So you've waited, figuring that eventually developers would release - I don't know - a first-person shooter for the tiny system and finally show the world what the PSP can really do.
Sadly, you'll have to keep waiting. Konami's Coded Arms is the PSP's first fragfest, but first doesn't mean best. Or decent, even. With wonky controls and a wealth of other problems, this isn't going to be your first first-person PSP purchase.
In the future, a virtual reality military training system goes mental and takes over the Internet. Rather than fix the problem, people decide not to use that mainframe any longer, effectively quarantining it. But then some entrepreneurs hack into the hostile system, fight off the creatures and baddies inside, and return with highly valuable files to sell on the black market. You are one of these entrepreneurs and you're hacking into the system by playing the game.
It sounds like a real premise, but it isn't. There is no currency in the game, no shop, and no valuable files to retrieve. Which means that there remains not a single motive to your actions, except perhaps to try to retrieve the value of the game you just bought, or to write a review of it for malt liquor money.
Coded Arms is a first-person shooter, but whether or not it passes as such depends on which hand you use to hold said malt liquor. The default control has movement assigned to the analog nub and aiming assigned to the facepad buttons as if they were a directional pad; imagine if the PC mouse/keyboard format was flipped and you get the picture. In turn, moving the targeting reticule around with the digital facepad buttons instead of the analog nub is clumsy and inaccurate even with the help of the game's slight auto-aim, especially since pushing more than two buttons at a time, even accidentally, resets the reticule to zero. D'oh? Yes, d'oh.
Theoretically, you can fix this by switching the aim to the analog nub and assigning movement to the face buttons. Unfortunately, most of us are like trained monkeys when it comes to handedness; if you're a lefty, you might be able to do it, but righties will find it hard to aim with their left and move with their right. I suppose with enough time they could learn, but once they get into the rest of this sinker, they'll realize there's no reason to bother.
At least the game allows you to configure the controller in almost any way. I found the best setting substituted the D-pad for the analog nub's movement controls. By tweaking the "sensitivity" and "acceleration" of the aiming controls, I eventually was able to find a playable setting, but the default controls were miles off. Being able to tweak and configure the controls is the one big plus in this swamp of mediocrity.
Once the controls are set and the premise ignored, you get around to shooting things. Incessantly. The monsters vary from flying robots to swarms of bugs to gun-toting soldiers. When you shoot them enough times, they explode and disappear. That, by the way, is the smartest behavior they exhibit. Most bad guys stand out in the open and shoot whatever they have at you. You could be standing a foot away from a guy with grenades, and he would continue to lob them fifty feet behind you.
Not that you'd be in much danger if he lobbed 'em closer, because your arsenal never runs dry. Between the pistol, assault rifle, bolt pistol, shotgun, and numerous "launchers" that hurl everything from plasma to napalm, the armament is thick with death-dealing. Some weapons, like a grenade that distracts opponents, are inventive, and others, like the sniper rifle, don't make sense in such a claustrophobic game. Still, Coded Arms isn't as bad as it is for a lack of firepower.
Which is a lot more than can be said for the environments. Coded Arms is a dungeon crawl through room after room of bad guys, health, and power-ups. The rooms are randomly generated, but this means less than you might expect since each floor comes scripted with a certain amount of bad guys and pick-ups. Everything is square, tight, and pixilated; the dungeons can only be told apart from one another by the designs on the doors and the shapes of their respective obstacles. It's repetitive and boring, a throwback to throwaway shooters from the mid-90's.
To add insult to injury, after you defeat the last boss you're simply shuttled back to the title screen. The lack of any kind of reward or even acknowledgment that you have beaten the game is pretty heartless, even for a game about killer computers.
Perhaps in an effort to camouflage its visually repetitive nature, Coded Arms features a dark, muted color scheme. The lighting effects are definitely a bright point - the glow from oriental lamps and the flickering of torchlight are pretty against the Lego-like rectangular surfaces. For all its faults, Coded Arms still looks pretty good.
Do you ever listen to hyper-arcade techno music in your spare time? Wish you did? Well, Coded Arms will appease your appetite for insane, computerized din. Think of the sounds a Casio might make after eating Extreme-Cheese Doritos chugging a Full Throttle and you're on the right track.
If the game feels crowded, it's sure to feel like a line at a keg party once you hop into the standard array of multiplayer matches. The game has a four-person multiplayer that can be accessed Ad Hoc (not Infrastructure), and the arenas can either be generated randomly, like the single-player areas, or accessed via codes. This was an interesting decision on the part of the developers, and you have to give the game credit for at least having a few different game modes like Deathmatch and Last Man Standing. Still, getting your friends to buy the game might be difficult given that reviews like this one are free to read.
Coded Arms is such a weak rendition of a first-person-shooter, it makes us wonder whether such a thing is even possible on the single-analog PSP. But regardless of what triumphs and failures the future holds for the system, this is one game that should never be held at all.


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Event : Vajrakilaya Drubcho 2012
Date : April 15-22
Venue : Chalet LANA, village of Evolène, Valais, Switzerland
Map : http://maps.google.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (Keyin Chalet near Lana, Evolène, Switzerland)
Website :
http://www.namkha.org/index.php?option= ... :winter-re" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;\
Programme :
The Drubcho of Vajra Kilaya (Putri Rekpung) that we are going to practice during
this retreat week was composed by His Holiness Düdjom Rinpoche and consists in
an intensive recitation of a text including numerous specific visualisations
(meditations) and their respective mantras. The retreat's participants
(experienced or beginner practitioners) will be guided through this complex
practice by Namkha Rinpoche and his assistant Lama Sonam Tashi.
This method allows to deepen and stabilize our capacity to practice in a
coordinated manner with the body, speech and mind, reaching hence a more
positive and beneficial state of mind. Vajra Kilaya is one of the main deities
used in Vajrayana practices in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. It is
said to be particularly effective to dispel obstacles, both in our daily life
and on our path towards enlightenment. The Drubchö consists of two main parts.
Firstly, the Lejang (or activity ritual) aims at cultivating the qualities of
enlightenment in the practitioners' mindstream. The second part, called Mele (or
lower activity) aims at liberating obstacles.
The rarity of the Masters who have the ability to transmit, teach and guide this
kind of practice makes this retreat an extraordinary event. Thus, Namkha
Rinpoche, disciple from Thinle Norbu Rinpoche and Semo Dechen Rinpoche (older
son and daughter of Düdjom Rinpoche) will allow each participant to benefit from
his incredible experience of this Vajra Kilaya Drubcho.
Teachings will be translated simultaneously in English, French and Spanish.
Swiss Vajrakilaya Drubcho 2012 April 15-22
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text:
Number 3 July 5, 1995
Facing Facts Alert 3
FACING FACTS The Truth about Entitlements and the Budget A Fax Alert from The Concord Coalition FAX ALERT ( Number 3 July 5, 1995) DESPERATE DIVERSIONS ON MEDICARE The benefit lobbies are busy mobilizing against the Medicare cuts* in the congressional budget plan. Here are the top five reasons that will be given not to cut Medicare and why they're merely diversionary. Diversion One: Medicare shouldn't be entangled in the budget debate since it's a "self-financing" program. Nonsense. Only Medicare Part A, or Hospital Insurance (HI), is self-financing, even in theory; doctor bills under Medicare Part B are three-quarters paid out of general revenues. HI, moreover, will run an operating deficit of $9 billion in 1995, a shortfall projected to rise to $47 billion by 2002, $352 billion by 2020, and $1.9 trillion by 2040. These sums are the annual HI savings Congress would have to find in each of those years just to keep the federal deficit from growing. Diversion Two: The proposed cuts in Medicare are "extreme." Actually, it's the problem that's extreme. Between now and 2002, annual Medicare outlays are projected to grow from $178 billion to $345 billion, or by 94 percent. Although the congressional budget would limit spending to $274 billion in 2002 (a 54 percent increase), this savings would delay the "bankruptcy" of the Medicare Part A trust fund by at most a decade and would still leave total Medicare outlays on track to double as a share of GDP by 2025 (instead of 2015). Diversion Three: The cuts would have a "devastating impact on the elderly." What the critics really mean is that any cut in senior benefits is unacceptable. But, in truth, there are only three choices. First, we can push the burden of rising Medicare expenditures onto current workers (by raising taxes or by "cost-shifting"). Second, we can borrow and let our kids pay for it, as we're doing now. Third, we can pay for fewer health-care services. This means that beneficiaries would have to consume fewer services or else pay more out of pocket for those services. Greater out-of-pocket spending need not "devastate" the elderly, particularly if the cost-cutting reforms are means-tested. According to the CBO, over one-third of Medicare benefits go to households with incomes above the U.S. median. Diversion Four: Cutting Medicare will simply result in "cost-shifting" which means it's a zero-sum game. Paradoxically, many of the same critics who fault cuts for denying care to the elderly also criticize them for shifting costs to workers and thus for generating no net health-care savings. In fact, most health economists believe that no more than 20 to 30 cents out of every dollar in Medicare savings is shifted to private payers. But even if there were a 100-percent cost shift, the critics miss a fundamental point. Lower Medicare spending will result in lower deficits and thus in higher net national economic savings. Instead of future generations paying for current federal outlays (through more debt), someone would be paying for them today. Diversion Five: We can painlessly control Medicare costs by enacting "system-wide" health-care reform. Although often repeated, this claim defies logic. If, as opponents of Medicare cuts say, reforms that simply result in cost-shifting must be judged a failure, then only those reforms that result in less health-care consumption by Medicare beneficiaries can be judged a success. But why should such cuts be any less painful if exacted under the aegis of system-wide reform? There is no reason unless you believe that simply because reform is comprehensive it would somehow purge the health system of vast amounts of waste, fraud, and abuse that would otherwise be ineradicable. The truth is that eliminating reimbursements for totally unnecessary services cannot alone control costs. To keep costs from exploding, someone will have to give something up. While certain system-wide changes whether in malpractice law or insurance markets may be desirable on their own merits, this does not justify holding Medicare reform hostage to the dream of some global and painless panacea. *All "cuts" mentioned here refer to changes relative to the current baseline for Medicare, not to nominal or real dollars.
FACING FACTS AUTHORS: Neil Howe and Richard Jackson CONCORD COALITION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Martha Phillips


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Field Test: The Profoto Acute2 Ring Flash
Introduction: Ring flashes, in their various forms, are a unique way to illuminate a subject and perhaps none more frequently represents the strange breed than the Profoto Acute 2 Ring Flash. It's a big, sturdy donut of a light, designed to surround a camera lens, throwing intense and even light on a subject, seemingly from the lens itself. Ring lighting creates unique effects with shadows and highlights and has been used to great effect by a range of photographers. ... Read More


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Levolor Blinds & Shades
- Innovative light and privacy control
- Energy saving technology
- Largest exclusive fabric offering
- Original palette of fashionable colors
- Limited lifetime warranty offered on all products
Levolor blinds offers a trusted brand name with 100 years of experience. Levolor focuses on designer quality fabrics and colors with the goal of delivering high-end décor focused blinds and shades. They also provide an exceptional limited lifetime warranty on all of their custom blinds and shades. They offer vertical blinds, wood blinds, roman shades, cellular shades and many other popular styles. Levolor Shades offer some of the most leading-edge materials and lift options in the entire window treatments industry.
Levolor® Roman Shades: Light Filtering Patterns & Textures
retail $225.37 $151.00 + an extra 20% off
- Cordless
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- Beige / Neutral
- Blue
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- Dining Room
- Fabric
customer reviews for levolor
By Kat from Minneapolis, MN
Fabric color/pattern is beautiful, but overall, a little too stiff for my liking. I ordered and received fabric samples, and finished product was a match, but I though edges would be sewn, not just clean cut.View this product


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Transfer from Another College
Students transfer to EvCC for many reasons. Everett Community College takes pride in our growing campus and we are glad that you have decided to join us. EvCC is dedicated to preparing students to explore, create, challenge and lead in their communities and around the world. Our outstanding faculty and staff share in these explorations.
Did you start at a university or other community or technical college and would like to make the switch to EvCC? Have you already earned college credit? Visit our Transfer Credit page for the information you need for a smooth transition. You may also contact Counseling & Student Success located on the 3rd Floor of the Parks Student Union or call that office at 425-388-9263.
On our campus you will find many different education options. No matter where you start, you'll find many people who are here to welcome you and assist you in reaching your educational goals. Thank you for choosing Everett Community College. Stay Close ... Go Far!


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Mobile App Development Industry Archive
Things to Look for in a Mobile Application!
May 11, 2012
The mobile application development market is constantly growing and improving. It seems that with every passing moment, another developer is building some unique and brand new mobile application to be used by millions on the Android, iPhone and complete arsenal of mobile devices. As more companies dip their feet into the water, many are discovering


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Inaugural seeks million-dollar donors
Fundraising for President Barack Obama's second inauguration has kicked into high gear with organizers soliciting contributions up to $1 million.
The three-page packet comes just days after Obama's Presidential Inaugural Committee announced it was reversing course and would accept corporate contributions. It lays out a five-day schedule of festivities, kicking off the Thursday before the inauguration with brunches and receptions for benefactors.
Story Continued Below
The top-tier donor package, dubbed "Washington," which asks for $250,000 from individuals and $1 million from institutions provides numerous tickets for the inauguration, including two tickets to a benefactors reception, an invitation to the finance committee "Road Ahead" meeting, two tickets to the children's concert, two tickets to the co-chairs reception, and four tickets to the candle light celebration. The highest level donors also receive two reserved bleacher sets for the Inaugural Parade and four tickets to the inaugural ball.
The "Adams" package for individual donors contributing $150,000 and institutions giving $500,000 to the effort also two tickets to brunch, an invitation to the finance committee meeting, and two tickets to the children's concert, candle light celebration and inaugural ball.
The "Jefferson" and "Madison" packages are similar, although they do not include tickets to the benefactors brunches and receptions.


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CHICAGO – Prior to today's UFC on FOX 6 fighter weigh-ins, UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones takes the stage for a Q&A session with UFC Fight Club members.
You can watch a live video stream of the proceedings above at 3 p.m. ET (noon ET).
The festivities take place at Chicago Theatre.


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By Rob Mahoney
The Warriors have proved to be a perfectly decent basketball team this season. They've scored and defended at virtually league-average levels, played well enough within individual games to claim a better-than-expected 13-7 record and posted a plus-0.6-point differential over a moderately difficult schedule.
That's not an insult. Golden State has plenty of experience operating on the wrong side of that same baseline, and thanks to a refreshed approach, it now has a legitimate chance of breaking through. Smart personnel decisions help explain some of the Warriors' newfound competence, but there's hardly a straightforward explanation for how their defense improved so dramatically so quickly, all without Andrew Bogut and Brandon Rush -- the top interior and perimeter defenders on the roster, respectively. Bogut was pegged to be the key to the team's defensive reinvention, but the Warriors' progress has refused to stop for his rehabilitation. Without him, Golden State made some strategic tweaks to better tailor its system to its personnel, alterations that have saved what was once one of the worst defenses in the league.
The Warriors' improvement isn't a product of some radical innovation, but simply the result of coach Mark Jackson and his staff embracing more modern defensive principles. Grantland's Zach Lowe dived into some of the specifics of Golden State's revamped pick-and-roll coverage. The gist of that change is this: Whereas in the past the Warriors' big men would hedge so far above the screen that they couldn't possibly recover in time to avoid a defensive breakdown, they now either cut off dribble penetration directly or sag to the free-throw line to corral ball-handlers into a specific "pocket" within the defense. That contains the immediate threat to a very manageable zone on the floor and protects against the kind of deep dribble penetration that would compromise the entire defense.
The resulting shifts on Golden State's back line are unquestionably more reflective of contemporary defensive style, in which zone principles are applied on the weak side of the floor to maximize pressure on the ball. The Warriors haven't really used that basic tenet to force turnovers in the same way that many of the league's best defenses so often do, but that's in part due to personnel limitations. Jackson now has his team managing its defensive weaknesses quite well, largely because players like Stephen Curry and David Lee aren't asked to do any more than they realistically can. Golden State is largely stocked with underwhelming or unproven defenders, but by working on the defense's internal architecture, the coaching staff has made almost all of those players functional on that end of the court. Given Bogut's absence and the team's previous defensive maladies, that's an accomplishment in itself. We shouldn't inflate the reputation of the Warriors' defense too much, but adequacy is certainly to be praised when misery was the standard for so long.
Part of the problem for Golden State in the past was the ability to complete defensive possessions. Even when the Warriors successfully turned away ball handlers from the paint, applied pressure at just the right time or forced contested shots, they practically bowed out of the way on the glass so that their opponents might clean up after their own misses. That has changed in the most radical way possible this season, as the worst defensive rebounding team in the NBA a year ago is now tied for the lead by that same measure. The biggest change has been Jackson's decision to turn away from the super small lineups he often employed in his first year as coach -- a decision that could hardly be faulted at the time given the wing-heavy construction of Golden State's roster. Forward Carl Landry and rookies Festus Ezeli and Draymond Greene have since given Jackson some very different options, and all but erased the three-wing configurations from the rotation.
The more nuanced style of the Warriors' pick-and-roll defense also helped bring the team's big men into better rebounding range than before and shrink the weak side of the floor to help good positional rebounders like rookie forward Harrison Barnes and guard Jarrett Jack compete on the glass in ways they wouldn't have been able to otherwise. That's significant improvement, achieved simply by implementing a more contemporary defensive system. Jackson isn't pushing the envelope -- his team is just better suited to pull off this strategy.
And yet, as much as Jackson would love for his team to develop a defense-first identity, the unraveling of the offense likely isn't a preferred trade-off. Golden State's personnel suggests a much greater capacity for efficient scoring, and one can see a brutally effective four-man chemistry brewing between Curry, Lee, Landry and second-year guard Klay Thompson. Curry is incredibly creative in leveraging his scoring potential to create looks for others, and those three running mates are all quite clever in their work off the ball. A moment's inattention on the part of a defender is all that's needed for a quick Thompson curl or an open dive for either Lee or Landry, and Curry has done a remarkable job of setting up his teammates when they've found a stretch of unattended court space. The problem is that pairing Landry with that group bends the defense to the point of breaking, whereas replacing Landry with the offensively limited Ezeli has a similarly disruptive effect on the offense.
The difference in those lineups boils down to a game-long balance of offense-defense substitutions, though the divide between those extremes can hopefully be bridged by Bogut's eventual return. We don't yet know when Golden State might expect to see its first option at center back in action, but he could theoretically punch up the Warriors' defensive rotations without burdening the offense with dead weight. To some, that might seem a lofty expectation given how much Bogut struggled earlier this season, but it's a fair assumption in the context of his overall career. Even if we take into account some regression due to his rotten injury luck, Bogut is still a balanced, two-way player who -- not unlike Golden State's strategic improvements -- can help to limit the exposure of the Warriors' weaknesses.
That alone won't turn this team into world-beaters, but negativity shouldn't undermine the relative success of a franchise that could so easily have extended the tactical flaws and unbalanced performance of last year's team. The Warriors may not even make the playoffs, but they're building on their lowly standard by improving as the roster allows.
• I keep waiting for O.J. Mayo's three-point shooting to dip back toward more reasonable levels, but he seems rather comfortable making an NBA-leading 52.3 percent on an impressive 5.7 attempts per game. The latter is good for 14th in the league, and yet the more Mayo seems to shoot the more he seems to stave off a regression to the mean. Dallas' pace has done wonders in terms of freeing up Mayo for open attempts in transition, but there's no way to quite explain how a good-not-great long-range shooter is suddenly setting the league on fire as a member of an inefficient offense.
• For the sake of completists, Anderson Varejao has now climbed atop the leaderboards in offensive rebounding percentage, defensive rebounding percentage, offensive rebounds per game, defensive rebounds per game, total offensive rebounds and total defensive rebounds.
• Since catching a wave of increased minutes in Scott Skiles' tidal rotation (has anyone examined how lunar patterns might correlate with the minutes played across the Bucks' roster?), Larry Sanders has averaged a whopping 5.3 blocks per game, despite playing 33 minutes or more just once over that stretch. That surge has earned Sanders a massive lead in block percentage, not to mention earned him a bit more renown for his shot-swatting prowess.
1. Kobe Bryant's cross-court reads
Bryant is so proficient and confident a scorer that he has virtually welcomed all defensive obstruction. A 7-foot center forces Bryant to double-clutch his layup? No problem. A long-armed wing closes off shooting and passing angles? Jab step and pump fake ad nauseum. An extra defender comes shuffling toward Bryant to execute a double team? Rise up and fade away.
It's all very impressive from the perspective of evaluating Bryant's repertoire, but equally annoying in that a heady basketball player has so often succumbed to the limitations created by his self-confidence. In previous seasons, Bryant still passed out of these scenarios just enough to make defenses think twice, but only this year has he really begun to see the entire floor and exploit the added pressure that opponents love to throw his way. The easy pass-out and open lob have long been in Bryant's repertoire, but I've been particularly taken with how accurate his cross-court passes are when dishing over incoming double teams to shooters in the opposite corner. It's a risky play, even under these circumstances. But Bryant's passes are so quick, so preemptive and so on point that even the most instinctive defenders would have trouble picking them off.
2. The sliding pivot foot of Brook Lopez
No center in the NBA is averaging more points per game than Lopez, and much of his offensive work is done on the low block. It's with both of those facts in mind that I'm baffled by how sloppy his footwork can be at times, and at how blatantly he gets away with shuffling his feet. The underlying problem could be a lack of lower-body strength, but whatever the cause, it's remarkable that the Nets' big man is able to get so much mileage with so flawed a base.
3. The funky intermediate game of Greivis Vasquez
The amount to which the Hornets lean on Vasquez to create offense could hardly be considered healthy, but that usage has allowed him to showcase a variety of weird mid-range shots. Vasquez isn't much of a straight pull-up jump shooter, opting instead for odd scoops and shot-put hook shots that round out his in-between game. He's ultimately a well-above-average 45.2 percent from 3-9 feet, per Hoopdata, though no one should champion Vasquez's random sampler of runners as a source of stable offense. Think of them as a last resort -- after attacking the paint in anticipation of getting to the rim or passing off to a cutter, Vasquez has a unique cache of uncommon techniques to fall back on. It's a situation that's all too common in New Orleans these days with both Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis still sidelined, and the entire offense's operation dependent on Vasquez's quirky game.
4. The last champion of the rip-through move
Now that the NBA has a clear officiating mandate with the patented "rip-through" move, we've seen its execution plummet around the league. Kevin Durant and Kevin Martin are still occasional practitioners (old habits and all), but casual use in the NBA has all but disappeared.
That said, Charlotte's Byron Mullens has taken to using the move with incredible enthusiasm, so much so that he may well be the league leader in rip-drawn fouls this season. If you thought there was something ridiculous about players like Durant or Martin using the arms of defenders to create their own fouls, you'll surely be tickled by the vision of Mullens windmilling his shot attempt into free contact.
5. Arron Afflalo as a volume scorer
This season is, by all statistical accounts, Afflalo's most inefficient campaign in recent memory. Yet his 14 field-goal attempts per game (completed at a 45-percent clip) are nonetheless essential for the Magic, in the same way that Danny Granger's volume shooting has proved so valuable to the success of the Pacers. It's strange that Afflalo -- who made his name in the NBA as a lockdown perimeter defender -- has evolved into a buoying scorer, but now that he's had a taste of high-usage basketball, I doubt that there's any way for him to duck back into the more limited role that once defined his game. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but simply an evolution that should be noted.
Afflalo clearly didn't put in the same defensive effort last season as he had in years passed, and his current offensive role in Orlando has only pulled him further away from the role-player mold. At 27, he's not likely to suddenly develop into a top-flight scorer. But Afflalo is somehow growing into the stylistic opposite of what he once was.
6. Derek Fisher's reimagining of floor spacing
For some reason, the Mavericks' Fisher is under the impression that standing farther behind the three-point line -- so far back that he completely erases his utility in a catch-and-shoot scenario -- somehow adds to his team's floor spacing. As much as I'd love to applaud the attempt at creativity, I can't quite commend a limited, 38-year-old point guard for working against his single dimension of NBA appeal.
7. Kemba Walker announces his candidacy for the All-Pull-Up Jumper Team
It's only his sophomore season, but Walker's seamless transition from all-out sprint to perfectly vertical shooting form promises to cement his place among the league's best pull-up jump shooters. Jason Terry, Beno Udrih, Russell Westbrook and Mike Dunleavy are all on the roster, but who else warrants inclusion? Leave your suggestions below.
8. The pick-and-pop geometry of LaMarcus Aldridge
The quick elbow jumper has long been Aldridge's preferred outcome in any pick-and-roll scenario -- a safe, consistent attempt for a player who has traditionally been very accurate from that range. Aldridge hasn't had quite as much success on those jumpers this season, though hardly for lack of trying; Portland's quasi-franchise player is lapping the league in mid-range looks, but isn't making a high enough percentage to justify his persistence.Damian Lillard Raymond Felton


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By Shannon Carlin
Miley Cyrus has never been one to deny her love of Mary Jane, and with her cover of Arctic Monkeys' "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?" she reveals she might like it a little too much.
Related: Style Files: Miley Cyrus Strips Down for W Magazine Cover
For Miley's version, which was recorded for her recent MTV Unplugged special, but didn't make the final cut, she creeps into a deep, southern twang to tell the tale of a rather long night.
Miley keeps things a little seedy with her country drawl, offering up lines like, "Now it's three in the morning and I'm trying to change your mind/Left you multiple missed calls until my message you reply." But, alas, the intended caller is having none of this, not that it stops Miley from just being Miley.
Related: Miley Cyrus Offers Justin Bieber Some Advice: 'Buy a House, Add a Club to It'
On the special, which aired last week, Miley returned to her country roots for a downhome special that had her twerkin' with a horse and teaming up with Madonna for a countrified mash-up of "We Can't Stop" and the Material Girl's "Don't Tell Me."


text:
Hi Gents
I own a 1978 R/80 and have ridden it for 5 seasons now. One nagging issue I have is that under some high power conditions the the engine noise sets up this resonance in my ears that is hard to handle. I have a Bell full face helmet and always use new earplugs. I want to keep the bike but I need to get a handle on this painful noise problem. I'm looking for a new Full face helmet with the best noise reduction out there.Any suggestions? Do riders ever install a BOSE noise canceling headset in there helmets?
Thanks in Advance


text:
Nov 1999Built
7 yrs agoRefurbished
1432Total Passengers
2.33Crew to Passenger Ratio
10Number of Decks
716Total Cabins
62Cabin Categories
Guests who dine at the intimate, reservations-only Pinnacle Grill enjoy a dining experience themed to reflect the Pacific Northwest.
A maritime mural and subdued contrasts in black and rose -- these are the essential ingredients for the understated elegance of the Explorer''s...
The Lido Deck features a swimming pool, several Jacuzzis, a fitness center, and a full-service spa, which includes a sauna, massage services,...
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency, and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners (travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on external web sites.


text:
Pest Control Products Act (S.C. 2002, c. 28)
Full Document:
Act current to 2017-12-11 and last amended on 2017-09-21. Previous Versions
Notes :
- See coming into force provision and notes, where applicable.
- Shaded provisions are not in force. Help
Table of Contents
Related Information
Regulations made under this Act
- List of Pest Control Product Formulants and Contaminants of Health or Environmental Concern
- Pest Control Products Fees and Charges Regulations
- Pest Control Products Incident Reporting Regulations
- Pest Control Products Regulations
- Pest Control Products Sales Information Reporting Regulations
- Review Panel Regulations
Repealed Regulations made under this Act
- Fees to be Paid for a Pest Control Product Application Examination Service Provided by or on behalf of Her Majesty in Right of Canada, for a Right or Privilege to Manufacture or Sell a Pest Control Product in Canada and for Establishing a Maximum Residue Limit in Relation to a Pest Control Product, Regulations Prescribing the [Repealed]
- Pest Control Products Regulations [Repealed]
- Date modified:


text:
Read the full story here Web Link posted Sunday, September 8, 2013, 6:13 PM
Town Square
Morgan fire on eastern slope of Mount Diablo now 45% contained
Original post made on Sep 8, 2013
Read the full story here Web Link posted Sunday, September 8, 2013, 6:13 PM
Comments (5)
a resident of Bordeaux Estates
on Sep 8, 2013 at 6:32 pm
It only takes a flick of a cigarette or a spark from a lighter.
Keep safe by reporting any sign of smoke smell/sight and remove/trim dry brush from residence.
California is running low on water, don't waste it.
a resident of another community
on Sep 9, 2013 at 5:20 pm
Hope nobody is injured.
a resident of Downtown
on Sep 9, 2013 at 8:35 pm
many shooting ranges out there. wonder if one of the shooters lit a cigarette.
a resident of Castlewood Heights
on Sep 10, 2013 at 10:38 am
wow we are going to blame smokers for this without knowing? get off your high horses people... lots of heat and dry brush easily starts a fire...lets get the facts first.
a resident of Vintage Hills
on Sep 11, 2013 at 2:00 am
Couple of years back, I saw a woman in her MB suv pull off the road on Foothill to conduct some self absorbing business. Her cell phones a blazin, paper a flyin, pens a jottin. Looked like a shoe sale at Nordstroms in there. Anywho, after this clown wrapped up the sale of some McMansion in E.Poshville, she pulls away in a hurry. No, she didnt notice that high grass she parked in was a smolder'n. Soon it became a 10X10 fire. I hopped of my bike and hurried to stamp out the small flames. I bet it took me 20 minutes to finally snuff the last of a 20 x 20 fire. i had heard of stories of catalytic converters igniting fires, and i am hear to attest that these rumors may be true
Salami, Salami … Baloney
By Tom Cushing | 29 comments | 842 views
Holiday Fund raises $70,000 for 12 Tri-Valley nonprofits
By Jeb Bing | 0 comments | 146 views


text:
James Loney and the Dodgers will head to an arbitration hearing Feb. 18 if they can't settle their salary disagreement beforehand, reports ESPNLosAngeles.com's Tony Jackson, who also has a feature on Don Mattingly today.
Elsewhere …
- Jayson Stark of ESPN.com mostly approves of the Dodger offseason, at least relative to the rest of the National League West.
- The Dodgers have packed for Camelback Ranch, and Roberto Baly — the Carmen Sandiego of Dodgerdom — is on the scene. Check out his pics and video, including shots of 75-year-old James Hall, who has been driving the truck for 29 years.
- Check out the photo archive of Sports Illustrated vet Hy Peskin, thanks to the link passed along by Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness.
- Loved this video of Landry Fields working at a New York sporting goods store and trying in vain to sell his own jersey.
- Nice story on ex-Chatsworth High ballplayer Matt Cassel by Eric Sondheimer of the Times.
- Tweet of the day:"@jeffthiessen: Went to my local batting cage today and JAY GIBBONS of the #dodgers was hitting in my cage.. He said I have a nice swing!!"


text:
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Dodgers don't like the view from the NL West basement, and Saturday night they did something about it.
Andre Ethier had a pair of doubles among his season-high four hits, Dee Gordon hit a rare home run and Los Angeles snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 7-1 victory over the Miami Marlins.
"It feels great to shake hands after a game," catcher A.J. Ellis said. "Every win is important and every win counts. And when you're in the midst of a losing streak, you definitely want to break it as soon as you can."
"Hopefully it's something we can build on. Having great at-bats, getting guys on and moving guys up and getting guys in has been our struggle this year. So tonight was good for us," he said.
The Dodgers have had four losing streaks longer than eight games since moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. Two of them were nine games (1973 and 1987), the others 10 games each (1961 and 1992). The franchise record is 16, which occurred in 1944.
"It all starts with one win," center fielder Matt Kemp said. "Right now everybody's having fun, and the kids are laughing and running around in the clubhouse. We missed that. I don't think anybody wanted to be around kids until they got home, because of the way the locker room has been the last week."
"We want to see everybody happy. I think a lot of us looked good at the plate tonight and I'm just glad we got a win. We've just got to keep grinding this thing out and take it game by game," he said.
Hyun-Jin Ryu (4-2) allowed one run and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. The left-hander took a three-hit shutout into the seventh before Miguel Olivo homered.
Ethier's four-hit game was his first since last Aug. 24-25, when he had back-to-back four-hit efforts against the Marlins at Dodger Stadium — each of which included a home run. The two-time All-Star is batting .403 against the Marlins in during his eight-year career.
"He's been grinding and working so hard in the cage to get his swing right," Ellis said. "I was with him today down there with (coaches) Mark McGwire and John Valentin, and they really put a good session in. They had a new plan of attack and he was able to execute. Those were four great at-bats and four great swings.
"One of the highlights for me as a player is hitting behind Andre at Dodger Stadium and being in the on-deck circle while he's hitting. It's such a pretty picture for me to see that open side when he's squaring the ball up and doing that. It's fun to watch," Ellis said.
Kevin Slowey (1-3) gave up five runs, 11 hits and three walks in 4 2-3 innings.
"We just went in there against him being ready to hit," said Adrian Gonzalez, who got two hits. "He's got a sneaky fastball, and we knew it going in from the guys that have already faced him. Don't let the radar gun fool you. Even though it's in the 80s to low 90s (mph), it feels harder. It plays harder. He's not the kind of guy you want to let get the ball deep on you because it'll be by you. So you have to treat him like a hard thrower."
Slowey, who pitched seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball against Philadelphia last weekend, hasn't won consecutive starts since Sept. 12-18, 2010 with Minnesota. He acknowledged that it was a battle for him.
"There will be those games over the course of the season, and you hope to survive it probably a little better than I did today," Slowey said. "I made some good pitches that they were able to fight off into the outfield. And when I left the ball over the plate, they hit it pretty well. I had opportunities to get out of some innings, and work around some walks. I just have to execute a little better earlier in counts."
Ethier led off the Dodgers' second with a double, ending a drought of 30 at-bats between extra-base hits. He advanced on Ellis' first sacrifice bunt of the season and scored the game's first run on a broken-bat bloop single by Skip Schumaker.
Gordon led off the third with a drive that just cleared the fence in right-center. It was his second homer in the big leagues and first since May 1, 2012.
"Slowey has been great," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "Today, you could tell he was battling from the start. But he went out there and continued to compete and tried to keep us in the game. That's what he's done. He's done a great job for us. Today was a little bump in the road. Offensively, we didn't really get anything going either."
Schumaker, starting at second base for the sixth time in 13 games while Mark Ellis has been sidelined with a right quad strain, turned in the defensive play of the game in the fifth — robbing Matt Diaz of hit with a diving stop in the hole and throwing him out with runners at first and second to end a Marlins threat.
"(Dodgers third base coach) Tim Wallach moved me the pitch before. He's always looking at charts and he's right on top of everything," Schumaker said.
In the bottom half, Schumaker singled home a run and Juan Uribe hit a sacrifice fly to extend the Dodgers' lead to 5-0. The Dodgers tacked on two more runs in the seventh against A.J. Ramos with Uribe's RBI single and a passed ball by Olivo that let Ethier score.
NOTES: Ethier, a 2011 Gold Glove winner in right field, robbed Diaz of extra bases in the eighth with a diving catch in the alley. ... Olivo has three home runs in his last four games against the Dodgers. ... Kemp is two hits shy of 1,000.


text:
How is this possible? Two so sweet, young and beatiful girls having sex with each other... Are you godesses?
thank you x art. perfection all around
Most videos about young lesbians have quality problems. Not this one. It is pretty good. The #1 metric, of course, is whether there is ample and enthusiastic cunnilingus. Check!
i came and then she looked at me. O_O
second. fine girls. i like to join!
god damn so sexy this is the video that turned me lesbian fuck Id love sucking on their clits yum
ilove 2 eat and suck pussy!!!now i miss my gf and her pussy!!
They are my new GOD
a lot of mens will absolutely love this video:-)
I think it's extremely fitting that Caprice helps herself to an orgasm in the end (she grabs the dildo and rubs her clit), because in the beginning Tiffany is a bit hesitant and not that much into it. Caprice's character is much more aggressive. Nicely done writers!
does someone knows the name of the song ? please !
Mannnnn this is by far one of the sexiest videos I ever watched, love both girls, they are amazing ... The music, the non grotesc sex ,The fact that one looked so sweet and naive but at the same time seemed the more experienced one and the other one also gorgeous but "shy" .. Such a turn on...
So wet. Oh my god.
Wow! This was so hot
Two of the most gorgeous girls in porn, but they didn't deliver here . . . felt forced. Worth the watch, but didn't bring the cum I wanted.
Little Caprice?
nice orgasm at end
They are both so beautiful
love have there pussies as my pillow's...
this is hard to jack off to, the sad music is a mood killer
seemed to be more about the music than the lesbian action
Omg I fucking want someone to eat me out I have never had my pussy eaten before but I want a wet toung all over my fucking pussy
I can't seem to like caprice's nipples :/
x-art pls giv me a job u have to pay me nothing i just wanna fuck these girls
I wish i was a Girl.... :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Tiffany Thompson, I think i'm in love with you.
I juslt love Tiffany
To skinny girls
Name of the song ?
yum yum lickin her some pie
whats the name of the song?
first :DD
Lick me like that someone..
where the fuck they get these girls
passionately hot..
go hard you bitches love you soo mmuch i wanting on my ladies !!!
I'm wet, but I didn't orgasm.
I need the name of this song plz if some one know it please make a comment. Thanks a lot
name of the song? please
Tiffany and Caprice are the two most beautiful women I have seen on any porn site. To see them together is pure perfection. I love them. They are both amazing!
A porn masterpiece
This is one of the best girl on girl porn vids ive seen in years, Im not sure if its because there both stunning or because they both looked like they knew what they were doing and enjoyed it xx
i just love Tiffany Thompson. surf the net regularly to find her vids. great wanking material. and she is bi-sexual so dream on boys AND girls.
Literally amazing so unbelievably hot
So damn hot
Yeah the music makes it difficult to fap to, beautiful scene though.
le leasbiche......che fantastica invenzione
Song is "beneath my skin" by Nancy Micciulla, and it is not depressing at all. Imagine, open fireplace, spread thighs, warm juices, nice and slow...
Awesome! Thank you to everyone involved.
if u needed to decide ...which one would u take?
GOD bless America, lol. That was a true art. Thanks ladies, -ReN-
Best one yet...ive saw my pussy was dripping wet after that yummy wish I could have a threesome with them
I agree that both girls are very beautiful...but the girl that got off first..you can tell she isn't into being with girls so it is a let down for a lesbian like me to watch.
My fantasy became true...
I like trains
Waht's the song in the beginning?
OMG they are beautiful
Why are girls on girls so fucking hot. I came to this twice!
cant understand why this video just has 30 comments :o its one of the best i saw :)) i love the start and ending of the video and tiffany is really sweet, but caprice is the better looking one :p but i like tiffany better because shes got such a hot and cute and idk what smile :>
This made my boyfriend and I cum so hard!! And then we started fucking. Thats how good it was.
OMG yes it is Little Caprice and YES she IS gorgeous *.*
it's so good that we can think they really love each other
Caprice sure knows her way around a woman. That combined with her amazing beauty makes her every lesbian fantasy I've ever had. My husband sends out a huge thanks to her for opening me up to such things. :)
Wow nice
X-art, u have done it again!! Two of the most beautiful girls on the planet together.... I was fantasizing about this video yesterday, as i watched these girls have fun alone.... Brilliant... After a night with tiffany and caprice i would die happy!!
X-Art does their shit right!
thats how my pussy looks when its shaved :P
majorr props to the guy behind the whole x art thing. fukin epic man.
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text:
The number of career poles for both Bobby Isaac and Ryan Newman. The peak of Isaac's career came in 1969, when he won 19 poles and converted 11 of those top starting spots into victories.
Isaac won a career-best 17 races that season and laid the foundation for his championship run the following year. Qualifying was an excellent predictor of finishes for Isaac, who recorded 21 of his 37 career victories from the pole position. The same can't be said for Newman, whose 49 poles rank him fourth among active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers. The 2008 Daytona 500 winner has converted four poles into victories, twice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (2002 and 2011).


text:
Sweater Battle: Cliff "The Cos" Huxtable vs. Sam "Mayday" Malone
The greatest battle may perhaps be a decade fighting itself mercilessly to pure victory, but that holding true, Bill Cosby and Ted Danson each made a statement with woolen wonders of self expression in an epic, ultimate showdown forever unmatched.
[There was a video here]
The 1980s were a time of seminal greed, delicious decadence, and frivolous flagrancy. During this fast-paced era of beautiful nihilism many were either caught unawares or too coked out of their minds to notice that while Olivia Newton John looked smoking hot doing aerobics, regular men, of all cultures and creeds were looking for something; something comfortable, stylish, and something that said, without words, "I am relaxed over here." Enter the madcap 80's sweater, it's power is undeniable. The only question left? Who looked best?


text:
Japan's Earthquake Off the (Seismic Risk) Map
TOKYO—The most surprising thing about the magnitude-8.9 earthquake that hit Japan today is that it was a surprise. Despite what may be the world's most intensive effort to map faults and assess risks by a notoriously earthquake-prone and earthquake-conscious nation, such a strong quake was not anticipated for the region, says University of Tokyo geophysicist Robert Geller.
The earthquake occurred 130 kilometers east of Sendai and 373 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, along or very near the boundary between two tectonic plates, where the Pacific plate is being drawn under the Japanese islands. Movement along plate boundaries is known to be capable of producing major earthquakes. And Japan's latest national seismic risk map gave a 99% chance of a magnitude-7.5 or greater quake occurring in that area in the next 30 years, Geller says.
Although today's quake technically satisfies that prediction, the logarithmic scale used for measuring the power of earthquakes means that a magnitude-8.9 earthquake releases well over 100 times more energy than does a magnitude-7.5 quake. "I don't think those hazard assessments are meaningful," Geller says.
Geller believes the quake is the strongest to hit Japan since the start of reliable observations over a century ago. It is also more than 1000 times the force of the magnitude-6.3 quake that struck Christchurch, New Zealand, on 22 February.
Article continues: http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/03/japans-earthquake-off-the-seismi.html?rss=1


text:
The Federal Government will Become America's Model Employer for the 21st Century.
Recruit, Retain and Honor a World-Class Workforce to Serve the American People.
Find out more about Federal compensation throughout your career and around the world.
Staffing to align with your agency's mission
Review the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Handbook
Answering your questions about Healthcare and Insurance
Manage your retirement online.
"...The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall serve as the Suitability and Credentialing Agent..." ~Executive Order 13467, as amended
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OPM's Human Resources Solutions organization can help your agency answer this critically important question.
Developing senior leaders in the U.S. Government through Leadership for a Democratic Society, Custom Programs and Interagency Courses.
Visit this federal site to search for our regulatory notices, proposed and final rules.
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Enrollees who are terminally ill with a life expectancy of 9 months or less use this form to claim living benefits under the FEGLI program.
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Employees who wish to apply for a Living Benefit must contact OFEGLI by calling 1-800-633-4542. OFEGLI will send you an application form.
Annuitants who wish to apply for a Living Benefit must contact OFEGLI by calling 1-800-633-4542. OFEGLI will send you an application form.
Agencies cannot order the FE-8.


text:
Naples Plans to Tap Mt. Vesuvius as Core of Sustainable Energy Strategy
Dominating vistas around Italy's Bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 24 in the year 79 AD, a cataclysm that brought an end to the Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae and its denizens, preserving their remains in volcanic ash. The looming presence of Vesuvius is a stark reminder of the destructive power of volcanoes for residents of Naples, as well as the vulnerability of populations around the world who reside in their presence. Today, however, the city of Naples is looking to tap into and harness Vesuvius' energy to improve lives, the environment and living conditions.
The largest volcano in Europe, Vesuvius is actually two volcanoes in one – the active Gran Como crater sits within that of inactive Mount Somma. Experts estimate that the energy produced in the Campi Flegrei, or Phlegraen Fields, a 13 kilometer (km) (7.8 mile) wide caldera and geothermal field west of Naples, is equivalent to that of four large nuclear power plants.
For further information see Volcanic Energy.
Mt. Vesuvius via Wikipedia.


text:
Tuesday Notables
NYI Fan Central Comments:
No point to Comeau being here if he is not playing. I disagree with the decision for the same reasons Jeff Tambellini is here but have not seen Comeau play beyond camp video and obviously this coach does not seem him as a player who can help his lineup.
We are going to have to see how it plays out with Rick DiPietro. If he travels to Florida and no one is recalled he will be expected to play, if not, time to recall a goaltender from Bridgeport.
My Point Blank: Mr Botta reports from practice the club announced Radek Martinek is out four-six weeks, Brendan Witt was on the ice Tuesday while Rick DiPietro will be on the ice Wednesday at IceWorks.
NYI Fan Central Comments:
The loss of Martinek is a deal-breaker for any preseason predictions of playoffs and devastating to this club's defense.
I guess someone will be called up to replace Blake Comeau.
Islanders website: Has more on the announcement of a third jersey which will be officially unveiled on October 27 with comments from Terry Goldstein, the Islanders Director of Retail Operations.
NYI Fan Central Comments:
According to this article for the first time since 1996, the Islanders will skate in a game wearing a completely new uniform—including a new jersey, pants, helmet, gloves, and socks so it does not sound like the retro-jersey's they wore against Buffalo two seasons ago that were a re-release of the 1972 version.
Who knows? Far bigger issues for this team right now.
3 comments:
1) When we did our preseason predictions we factored in Martinek missing 20 or so games. Doesn't he always? ; )ReplyDelete
Why is anyone shocked that Martinek is hurt. He misses 30 games or more every year. He is like Felipe Alou. When is this team going to stop counting on him? As for the pregame stuff, also no surprise. I kind of prefer post game, but hey, no sense Cablevision providing anything for Islander fans. Until there is as new building, and the Dolans can't do whatever they can to force the team to move, Islander fans better get ready for it to get worse. That includes Newsday. Mr. Logan actually looked up a stat to back up a point. Of course, he hates being on the Islander beat and is being as negative as he can. I am for the truth, but considering how little work he actually does...it is still shockingReplyDelete
Hi Paul,ReplyDelete
Martinek was very reliable last year and had some great games, this falls in the insurmontable category right next to DiPietro.
The Islander contract for this coverage goes back to the eighties and when Cablevision bought Msg and then Newsday circumstances got worse. I respectfully disagree with Mr Botta this team owes it's carrier anything when there are coverage double-standards that are painfully obvious.
As easy as it is for me to be all negative on Mr Logan all the time that would not be fair on my part, it is fair however to question his lack of blogs and judgements with regard to his content.
All I ask is that the perception of a player from a writer is based on how he performs with both the positive and negative given equal space.
I do not see that but always hope for it.
Also Mr Logan's reporting has to be looked at seperately, just like Mr Herrmann and whoever else reports for the paper.
Thanks again Paul.
No profanity permitted under ANY circumstances. Please agree or disagree respectfully, however make any hockey point (hopefully somewhat related to the entry) you would like. No advertising, link exchanges, or promotion of this site or yours anywhere.
Non-profit/publicity site.
Thank You


text:
Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
The power has gone out three times this evening, so there may not be a The Westerner tomorrow.
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text: Hey guys, I would like to pop my head in here and introduce myself and my company. My name is Andy and I work for BITwave USA. We are launching the UCLEAR HBC100 Bluetooth Helmet Communicator. This is the industry's first Boomless microphone helmet communicator. This is a Bluetooth Helmet Communication system that cancels environment noise while picking up on your voice. We are diligently working to build our brand and create some buzz around our HBC100 Helmet Communicator. We are a small company (but growing quickly) and we are going to rely on sites like the ADVrider forum for product feedback and reviews. You can check out our website at: www.uclear-digital.com or find us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/UClear/196177683740467 or on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/UClear-HBC100...0XZW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300830080&sr=8-1 If any one has any questions, feel free to contact my at firstname.lastname@example.com Thanks AndyUCLEAR


text:
What is Open Enrollment?
Open Enrollment is the annual designated period when employees can make changes to their benefit elections. These benefits include health, vision, dental, flexible spending accounts, and short- and long-term disability insurance.
When is Open Enrollment?
Open Enrollment is November 11, 2013 through December 13, 2013.
When do changes made during Open Enrollment go into effect?
For employees that are paid bi-weekly, the changes made during open enrollment will be effective January 12, 2014. For employees that are paid semi-monthly (some DCPS, some UDC) the changes made during Open Enrollment will be effective January 1, 2014.
Are there any new plan offerings during Open Enrollment for 2014?
There are no additional plans for 2014; however, there are still many options available to meet your needs. As with Open Enrollment period, you should attend at least one Open Enrollment fair, so you can ask questions and get the information you need to CHOOSEWELL. You also should take this opportunity to review your current benefits election and update beneficiaries.
Will my health and dental insurance premiums change?
Yes, the rates for benefits typically change. The rates are available online at http://dchr.dc.gov. If you do not make any changes during Open Enrollment, your premium will be adjusted according to your current plan election.
How can I make changes to my benefit elections?
Open Enrollment changes are made through Employee Self Service (ESS). You can access ESS through PeopleSoft on your work computer or via any computer at https://ess.dc.gov.
Can I make changes from my computer at home?
Yes, visit https://ess.dc.gov to make benefit elections from the comfort of home.
What if I need assistance with ESS or do not have access to a computer?
Employees that need assistance with ESS or need to access to a computer may come to the DCHR Customer Service Center located in the lobby of 441 4th Street, NW (accessible via Metro's Red Line at Judiciary Square). The hours of the Customer Service Center are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Do I have to make changes during Open Enrollment?
No, you do not have to make changes to your benefit elections during Open Enrollment. If you choose to not make any changes, the current plan(s) that you have will remain in place. However, with Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Commuter Benefits Account, you must make the election each year in order to keep the pre-tax benefits. You are highly encouraged to review your current benefit elections during Open Enrollment. You also should review the summary plan descriptions for selected carriers. It also is important to review new premium rate information.
What is the difference between DCEHB and FEHB enrollees?
District of Columbia Employee Health Benefit (DCEHB) enrollees are employees of D.C. Government that were first hired on or after October 1, 1987.
Federal Employee Health Benefit (FEHB) enrollees are employees of D.C. Government that were first hired on or prior to September 30, 1987.
Will I have an opportunity to meet with the providers to discuss different insurance options?
There are several Open Enrollment Fairs that are being held throughout the city, both during the week and on
weekends. The schedule of fairs is available online 2014 Open Enrollment Benefit Health Fairs
Where can I get information on the current plan offerings?
You can get information by attending one of the Open Enrollment Fairs, visiting or Employee Benefits, or calling DCHR at (202) 442-7627.


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Courier sports
DOVER - The Lady Pirates remained unbeaten in league action Friday with a 10-point win over the visiting Lady Bulldogs. Dover (12-2, 4-0 4A-4 Conference) led 19-9 after the first period, 37-25 at halftime and 45-38 after the third quarter.
Four Lady Pirates scored in double figures -Kali Scott (15 points), Whitney Worsham (14), Kinsey Tarkington and Lena Little (each had 11). Jordan Ivy scored six, Victoria Wilbanks and Kate Meador each netted three, and Carlee Williams finished with one point. Scott also grabbed 14 rebounds, followed by 10 from Little and five each from Tarkington and Worsham. Little and Scott each had four steals. Ivy had six assists, followed by Little and Worsham, who each had five.
Dover coach Irvin Fairfield said Friday night's game was a "great conference and team win."
Waldron JG 34, Dover 20
DOVER -Laken Beavers led Dover (8-6) with eight points in Friday's conference game. Brandie Little and Kaytlyn Rye each netted four, while Chesney Myers and Hailey Southerland netted two points apiece.
"We played a good first half but a bad fourth quarter," Dover coach Mike Heath said. "We ran out of gas. We are going to have to find a way to put four quarters together, or we will have a tough time winning some (4A-4) conference games. At least we competed and know we can compete with this caliber of team, but I am ready for some winning."
Pottsville SG 36, Dardanelle 23
OLA - The Dardanelle Lady Sand Lizards couldn't rebound Thursday night after a sluggish start resulted in a 36-23 loss to the Pottsville Lady Apaches in the semifinals of the Bi-County Tournament at Two Rivers High School.
The Lady Sand Lizards (8-6) scored just four points in the first quarter, two in the second and trailed 16-6 at halftime. Pottsville extended its lead to 25-11 in the third before Dardanelle's offense woke up in the fourth.
"I was disappointed with our focus and intensity, especially from our upperclassman," Lady Sand Lizards head coach Carin McNabb said. "We missed several easy opportunities early, and I thought that set the tone for the entire night. We have to do a much better job of taking care of the ball and then finishing plays inside. Hopefully tonight we can rectify that and come to play against Booneville in an important conference game. I thought Mallory Brown, Hope Huffman and Rusti Tharp did a good job of playing hard and staying focused."
Pottsville SB 58, Atkins 47
OLA -Junior Trey Bennett's 27 points wasn't enough as the Atkins Red Devils lost 58-47 to the Pottsville Apaches in the Bi-County Tournament semifinals Thursday.
The Red Devils looked tentative in the first half as Pottsville ran out to a 20-9 first-quarter lead and extended it to 36-18 at halftime. But Atkins outscored the Apaches 12-6 to close the lead to 52-40 after the third period.
"Pottsville played with a great deal of confidence in the first quarter and we simply didn't," Red Devils head coach Craig Pinion said. "They were very aggressive and shot the ball extremely well to start the game and we were just too passive. You have to give them credit. They did what they needed to do early and we didn't. I thought we did a much better job of attacking them both offensively and defensively in the second half, but it was just too little, too late. I was proud of our effort in the second stanza, but I have to do a better job of getting us ready to play from the opening tip."
Tyler Weaver led the Apaches with 13 points, Michael Perry added 12 and Wade Ivy had 10.
Clinton JG 37, Dover 27
DOVER -The Junior Lady Pirates kept the game close through three quarters, but Clinton pulled away in the fourth.
Dover (8-5) trailed 8-4 after the first quarter, 17-13 at halftime and 22-18 before the Lady Yellowjackets took control in the fourth period.
"We didn't play terrible coming off the break, but we didn't play as good as we could have," Dover coach Mike Heath said. "We didn't stop their big girl, and we tried everything we could to do it. We doubled her, we full court pressured to prevent it getting down the floor to her but we didn't get it done. She had 25 of their 37, and we just can't let that happen"
Chesney Myers led the way with nine points for the Lady Pirates. Laken Beavers finished with eight, Brandie Little added seven and Terri Singleton and Alivia Eckart each chipped in two.
West Gales split, Lady Gales beat Morrilton
The Russellville Middle School West Gales split a pair of games Thursday with the Morrilton Devil Pups at RMS Gym.
The seventh-grade B squad fell 12-11 and was led by Deion Wilson's six points. The A team notched a 33-28 win on a season-high 20 points by Tanner Sims. Conlee Hale, Jake Vickers, Brock Mathis and Matt Laws each had two.
The West Lady Gales overpowered the Lady Devil Pups in their games. The B team won 15-6 on strong ball handling. Alli Preston was the leading scorer, while Bailey Green led in rebounds.
"Preston and Leah Biggers did a great job handling the ball, and led in steals with 4 each," head coach Valerie Fetters said.
The A squad won 25-18 on balanced scoring. Shameka Ealy had six points and seven rebounds, Ashton Sitkowski added six points and Kyrston Rice had five points and six steals.
"The girls did a really great job tonight coming together offensively," Fetters said. "They handled the press well, and played as a team. Defensively, we were aggressive and that helped us a great deal in rebounding and steals."
Mary Hardin-Baylor 73, Ozarks Lady Eagles 66
BELTON, Texas -The University of the Ozarks couldn't hold on to a 29-25 halftime lead as Mary Hardin-Baylor slipped past the Lady Eagles 73-66 Thursday in American Southwest Conference play.
Ally Goddard hit a jumper to put Ozarks (7-5, 3-5 ASC) ahead by nine with 8:30 left, but the Crusaders (8-3, 5-2) trimmed it to 21-20 at the 6:53 mark. April Young hit a long shot for Ozarks, and Chelsea Glasscock hit one of her three 3-pointers (11 points) to give Ozarks a four-point halftime margin.
Sabrina Goddard's traditional 3-point play made it 46-36 with 13:43 left. Ally Goddard's 3-pointer made it 57-48 with 8:47 to go, but the Crusaders held Ozarks scoreless during the next five minutes to gain a 64-57 advantage. Ozarks closed the gap to three points twice.
Young hit four three-pointers to lead Ozarks with 14 points. Glasscock finished with 13 points, while Sabrina Goddard added 12 points. Ozarks will travel to Austin, Texas, today to face Concordia University Texas.
Crusaders 68, Ozarks Eagles 57
BELTON, Texas -Mary Hardin-Baylor pulled away from the Eagles in the second half Thursday night. Marcus Bobb and Andre Williams each had 16 points for Ozarks (4-9, 1-7 ASC). Bobb posted a double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds to go along with his double-digit scoring effort. Williams was particularly strong in the first half with 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
The Crusaders (9-2, 5-2 ASC) held a 24-14 lead with 7:22 remaining in the first half, but the Eagles reeled off a 13-2 run to take a 27-26 lead with 3:23 left. Williams scored seven points during that stretch and Ozarks went into halftime tied, 31-31.
The Crusaders hit Ozarks with a 11-0 run to open the second half before Jermery Victor finally got the Eagles' first points of the half.
Mary Hardin-Baylor led by 14 points at the midway point of the second half, and later held a 58-43 advantage with 7:43 remaining in the game.
Ozarks made a run of their own to cut it to 60-53 with 5:26 left. However, the Crusaders allowed just one field goal the rest of the way. The Eagles hit just 8-of-29 (27 percent) from the field in the second half, with Bobb making half of the team's field goals during that stretch.
Ozarks will travel to Austin, Texas, today to face Concordia University Texas.


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Clearview Electric powers up SAS® Energy Forecasting
SAS® draws on big data to improve demand forecasts, support expansion
Today's volatile electricity market puts added pressure on energy forecasters. Both underestimating and overestimating electricity demand can significantly affect a utility's bottom line. As deregulated markets opened up in the US, Clearview Electric experienced rapid growth in residential customer base and revenue. With its expansion across 10 states, Excel®-based forecasting collapsed under the strain of big data. The company selected SAS® Energy Forecasting to predict demand and costs. It helps the utility buy the right amount of electricity and price it competitively.
"Forecasting was a time-consuming, manual process that involved downloading large amounts of data from various sites and applying industry trends," said Derek Campbell, Clearview Electric CFO. "But trends generalize one usage volume for every residential customer, and actual energy usage varies from home to home. Forecast inaccuracy exposed us to significant financial risk during energy procurement. We've seen the results of such financial risk force other companies to exit the market. We began our search for analytics that are powerful enough to manage large volumes of complex data."
Improved load forecasting reduces uncertainties and generates value
"We chose SAS Energy Forecasting to help us predict our load more accurately. Now we procure just the right volume of wholesale electricity," Campbell continues. "SAS integrates and analyzes individual customer-consumption data, weather data and other data sources. We know we're getting highly accurate forecasts because SAS compares our specific energy use to our historical forecasts. That's invaluable information because it drives our cash flow and, ultimately, how we run our business."
"Better, faster forecasts power all levels of decision making including CFOs, risk managers, wholesale procurement, marketing, sales and business development teams," said Alyssa Farrell, Energy Product Marketing Manager at SAS. "Good forecasts result in more confident decision making throughout the enterprise. Using SAS, companies like Clearview have become more agile, operating more efficiently and effectively in very fluid energy markets."
SAS Energy Forecasting improves overall process performance through the inclusion of data management, forecasting and reporting. It handles multiple planning horizons – from days to years – to help suppliers, utilities and co-ops operate more efficiently without hiring additional planning or forecasting staff.
To learn about opportunities for harnessing smart grid data to get the most out of energy forecasting, read the free white paper, How Does Forecasting Enhance Smart Grid Benefits ?
Acerca de SAS
SAS es líder en Analytics. A través de innovadoras soluciones de Analytics, Gestión de Datos y Business Intelligence, SAS ayuda a clientes en más de 80.000 instalaciones a tomar mejores decisiones más rápidamente. Desde 1976, SAS proporciona a sus clientes en todo el mundo THE POWER TO KNOW®


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Russian Adoptions
Introduction to Adopt Abroad, Inc. and our Russian Adoption Program
I. International Adoption Agency - Adopt Abroad's Background in Russia
Russia has been open for international adoption for since the breakup of the Soviet Union. It has been one of the most popular countries to adopt from. In 2011 U. S. citizens adopted 962 children from Russia. The waiting Russian children are living in orphanages throughout the country.
Our Russian facilitator has been providing adoption services in Russia for many years. She has assisted families from the USA, France, Italy, Spain and Canada with their Russian adoptions. While in Russia, our clients are provided all support services for the Russian adoption proceedings, including assistance with living arrangements, help with the children if needed and referrals for tour guides and translators.
- Adopt Abroad's Background in Russia
- Available Russian children for Adoption
- Eligible Adoptive Parent(s)
- The Adoption Process
- Travel for your Russian Adoption
- Post Placement Reports and Russia
- FAQ's about Russia
- Russia: The Country
II. Available Russian children for Adoption
There are many waiting children in Russia hoping for a permanent, loving family to adopt them. The children are available from the ages of 8 months to 16 years of age. There are sibling groups available for adoption as well. Only children that have been officially deemed orphaned are eligible for adoption in Russia. Every waiting Russian child must be on the National Russian Federation Data Bank for a minimum of six months before they are eligible for international adoption. The courts require a six month waiting period to determine that there is no Russian family claiming that child for adoption; once this six month period is over the child becomes available for adoption by international families seeking to adopt from Russia.
Families who are seeking to adopt a young child must submit paperwork stating that they are willing to adopt a child between the ages of 0-4 years of age. Families seeking to adopt a sibling group must state that they are open to siblings between the ages of 0-6 years old, at a minimum. back to listing >>
Contact us to start your Russian adoption.
III. Russian Adoption & Eligible Adoptive Parent(s)
Married couples or single women may adopt from Russia. There is no limit to the number of children that can currently be in the home. While there is no formal limits on age restrictions, some regions will insist that applicants 45 years and older, should be prepared to adopt a toddler or older child from Russia. Russia does have requirements regarding the health of the adoptive parents. If you are currently taking and prescription medications or have any medical conditions, this must be discussed with our Russian coordinator prior to entering into the Russian adoption program. Any history of prior arrests or criminal charges also must be discussed prior to entering into the Russian adoption program. All medical and criminal issues must be addressed in the adoption home study and/or other documentation included in your Russian dossier. back to listing >>
IV. The Russian Adoption Process
Adopt Abroad will perform the home study services. If the prospective adoptive parents live outside our home study area, we will refer you to another home study agency. Adopt Abroad partners with several agencies who can provide home study services for the adoption of a child from Russia. One of the family requirements to adopt a child from Russia is that you take some additional coursework beyond the home study, in subjects relating to international adoption. Our adoption agency as with most international adoption agencies, requires a minimum of 10 hours of adoption education. We have several partners who offer online education courses such as Adoption Learning Partners. www.adoptionlearningpartners.org
The adoptive family must complete a home study and compile an official collection of paperwork to be submitted to the Russian adoption authorities. This official paperwork is called a dossier. For Russian adoptions we will require 2 dossier sets; an initial application dossier and then a second dossier once you have chosen your Russian adoptive child. Our Russian adoption coordinator will advise you regarding your dossier paperwork.
Upon submission of your official Russian dossier, you will be registered as an adoptive applicant. Waiting times will vary depending upon the child you are seeking to adopt. If you are applying to adopt an older child from Russia (ages 6 and older) the referral time will be quite fast. At this point in time we estimate the referral time for a young male child from Russia to be 3-5 month and the waiting time for a young female child from Russia will be approximately 6-14 months.
Families will be notified when a child referral that matches their child sought parameters comes in. Families will receive general information on the child and a photo or in some cases, a video clip. Upon receipt of a child referral from Russia, the family will schedule their first trip to Russia. back to listing >>
Contact us to start your Russian adoption.
V. Travel for your Russian Adoption
Adoption Travel: The first trip for Russia is approximately one week in duration. During this trip the family will visit their child and determine if they want to accept the referral. Independent medical evaluations can be made. The family may also opt to use the services of a U.S. based international adoption specialist who is accustomed to reviewing information on adoptive children in Russia. Adopt Abroad will provide families with a list of adoption physicians specializing in international adoption evaluations.
After returning home, the family will compile the second (referral) adoption dossier. This adoption dossier will be sent to our Russian partner who will apply for the adoption court date. The second adoption trip will be approximately 2-4 months later, depending upon the region.
Both parents must travel and appear for the court hearing for the Russian adoption. After the court hearing one parent may return home while the other adoptive parent remains in Russia to complete the remaining legal work and process for the Russian adoption. Some regions will require that both parents remain in country for the entire adoption process and parents must be prepared to comply with the Russian court rulings. The second trip, the Russian adoption trip, will be between 10-21 days in duration. There is a 10 day waiting period after the court hearing; most regions will not waive this waiting period and families may have the option to return home and come back to Russia after the 10 day period to complete their Russian adoption.
Some regions will require three trips. In this case the trips are 1st adoption trip approximately 5 days, 2nd adoption trip- the court hearing, estimate 5-7 days in country, 3rd adoption trip- pick up trip 7-10 days in country.
Some regions of Russia will require that the adoptive parents undergo an extensive medical exam in Moscow, prior to the court hearing. There is an American clinic and a Russian clinic in Moscow that can provide this service. Our Russian facilitator will inform you if this is required for your region and if so, they will assist in arranging the appointment for the exam.
When our adoptive families arrive in Russia, they will be met at the airport by our Russian based facilitator. Accommodations will have already been arranged and you will be escorted to all the official appointments by an English speaking translator. Our Russian facilitator will manage all your accommodations, translations, transportation needs, guidance and arranging for any other services you may need while in Russia for your adoption.
After your Russian adoption is complete you will be escorted to the MOFA Consular Division in Moscow to register your Russian adopted child. back to listing >>
Contact us to start your Russian adoption.
VI. Post Placement Reports and Russia
Russia requires post adoption reports. Compliance with these reports is critical to keeping Russia open for adoption and we advise all families to take this commitment seriously, for the sake of other waiting Russian children.
Reports are due at 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months post adoption. Our adoption agency also requires a 30 day self-report sent to adoption agency only. Your adoption coordinator will advise you as to when the reports are due at Adopt Abroad's office. back to listing >>
Do I require a visa to visit Russia? U.S. citizens are required to obtain a visa when traveling to Russia.
For more information about travel to Russia, visit the U.S. State Departments website on international travel: travel.state.gov/travel
Can I adopt more than one child in a single Russian adoption process? Families may adopt sibling groups in Russia. Referrals of Russian children for adoption are based upon availability as well as the information regarding the Russian child sought that adoptive parents have noted in their home study.
Who can adopt from Russia? Russian adoptions are open to single women and married couples. Families may have children already in the home.
Must an adoption agency be Hague accredited to perform adoptions from Russia? Russia is a non-Hague country. Adopt Abroad has been Hague accreditated since the U.S.A enacted the Hague treaty and while it is not required in Russia, it helps us serve all of our clients with the high ethical standards that are required by Hague accredidation for international adoption agencies.
Does Adopt Abroad perform home study services for Russian adoptions as well as child placement services? Adopt Abroad will provide home study services for families in our catchment area who are seeking to adopt a child from Russia. If you are living outside this area we will refer you to an agency that we can work with in a partnership to help you with your Russian adoption. It is important that you discuss the home study agency with Adopt Abroad prior to starting the home study process. We look forward to helping you make your dream of adopting a child from Russia a reality.
What city would I fly into for my Russian adoption? Most families will fly into Moscow to begin their adoption process. Depending upon the region where your Russian adoptive child referral resides, you may be required to take a connecting flight or train, if the distance is not too great you will be driven to the region.
Will I need to make hotel reservations for my Russian adoption? Adopt Abroad's Russian facilitators will make recommendations for hotels in Russia. The family will have several hotels to choose from.
I already have children in my home. Can I adopt from Russia? Yes, Russia will accept families with children into their adoption program.
Will the Russian children speak English? How will I communicate with my Russian child? The Russian children will speak their native language, Russian. Our experience with placing children over the past several years has shown us that parents need not fear having a language barrier with their child. Most internationally adopted children learn English fairly quickly. Our adoptive parents have reported that their internationally adopted children were able to make their needs known and communicate at a basic level within a few weeks. Some adoptive parents have learned basic sign language as a means of communication. Other adoptive parents have told us they learned a few basic, necessary words in the child's native language and then use this word along with its English correlation to help build language skills.
I'm ready to begin my Russian adoption. How do I get started? Please click here and fill in our online contact formula. A representative from our adoption agency-Adopt Abroad, Inc. will contact you shortly. back to listing >>
Russia has a long and rich history. For information regarding the Russian revolution click this link:
For photos and information on the Russian Orthodox religion click here:
For photos on images relating to Russian Christmas:
Current news in Russia. The English newspaper in Russia is the Moscow times to keep up with news in Russia
Other links to Russian News and Current Events in Russia
Weather in Russia Now
Lonely Planet Travel to Russia
*Due to the nature of international adoption, all information contained on this webpage concerning Russian adoption is subject to change without notice. back to listing >>


text: Hello All I bought a wii couple of days ago...as mentioned I am from India...can I download games from online and play ? If so what format should I download ? I am downloaded mario kart from this link <link removed> and burned the DVD...but its not recognizing. can some one help Regards Siva


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Summaries of EU Legislation
Summaries of EU legislation: direct access to the main summaries page.
- Archived: true
To promote equality of opportunity in vocational training, raise the profile of training for women, expand such training and establish and strengthen links throughout Europe.
IRIS II Programme (1994-1998)
The members of IRIS are vocational training organisations for women, employers' or trade union organisations and companies which are organising continual vocational training with a focus on equality or which have undertaken positive action schemes which include training.
IRIS II focuses on five priorities:
- identifying and disseminating expertise in training for women;
- including within the IRIS network (as membersassociates) the social partners and training organisations;
- establishing a national organisation in each Member State to stimulate vocational training for women;
- encouraging intra-Community exchanges of information about good practice;
- establishing synergy with schemes carried out by the ESF and the European Commission Task Force on Human Resources.
IRIS II activities in 1994
- establishing closer links with the employers and trade unions in both the public and private sectors;
- opening up Community training programmes to all IRIS members;
- wider scope for putting forward projects;
- organisation of awareness-enhancement sessions on training for women, aimed at Community decision-makers;
- creation of a "target group" of important journalists in each Member State with an eye to special media campaigns and specific action at Community level;
- organisation of a competition open to people who have found work after having completed a training course organised by a member of IRIS;
- organisation of European, national and regional IRIS seminars;
- IRIS reference projects can apply for a publicity grant to organise an exhibition or to produce publicity material;
- research on the priority topic for the year to strengthen initiatives undertaken by the network on teaching methodologies and the development of qualifications;
- organisation of a summer school for training staff;
- production of a basic information package on the various aspects of teaching to be used in the training of training staff;
- establishment of an information service for projects wishing to improve their evaluation techniques;
- planned exchanges for training staff, group and company visits, and publication of an information brochure about such visits;
- organisation of a contact seminar for IRIS members, visits to determine the feasibility of partnerships and a partnership information exchange;
- development of sub-networks covering specific topics at the request of IRIS members;
- presentation of an IRIS diploma to trainees having undergone training as part of a reference project;
- aid and assistance, provided by an IRIS member in each country, in the use of electronic mail.
European coordination of IRIS II has been entrusted to
the CETEC Consortium. This joint venture is coordinated by CREW (Centre for Research on European Women) in Brussels and comprises ACEREP (France), DIMITRA (Greece), CREW (Belgium), DONNALAVORODONNA (Italy), VIA (Belgium) and WETT (United Kingdom). These organisations have been selected because of their specific skills and in order to form a transnational structure which is capable of managing the future development of the network and to respond even better to the new needs of its members.
IRIS II covers a period of four years (1994-1998).
The annual budget of IRIS is ECU 1 million.
Communications support
The IRIS Bulletin (twice a year) will publish analytical articles dealing with topical aspects of training for women, case studies and interviews.
The current series of "IRIS special dossiers" will continue to be published.
4) deadline for implementation of the legislation in the member states
Not applicable.
5) date of entry into force (if different from the above)
6) references
7) follow-up work
8) commission implementing measures