text:
Top Agents Announced
BERLIN – Sonia Zaffiris has been named top listing agent and Sharon Curtiss top sales agent for Hileman Real Estate for the month of December 2009.
Company Promotion
BERLIN – Carl M. Freeman Companies announces the promotion of Doug Brown to Vice President, Community Development, responsible for the development of the Company's residential land assets.
Most recently a Director of Development with Carl M. Freeman Companies, Brown has been a key contributor to the company's success of the Bayside resort community near Fenwick Island, Del. since its launch in 2004. He has a strong reputation in the industry for understanding regulatory and infrastructure requirements.
"Doug's personal leadership style and his ability to execute in a challenging and competitive environment make him a leader in the industry," commented Tom Aiello, President of the Carl M. Freeman Companies. "We believe this promotion will present great opportunities for Doug as well as the Company while we grow into new communities in the region."
Town Creates New Position
OCEAN CITY – Donna Abbott has been promoted to the newly created position of Communications Manager for the Town of Ocean City.
Abbott, who joined the town in April 1997 as media services manager at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center and has served as the town's public relations director for the past several years, has relocated from the convention center to the city manager's office at City Hall.
"I am extremely excited to have Donna on board," said City Manager Dennis Dare. "She brings a wealth of experience to this position that I have long believed was needed to enhance and improve communications with our citizens and visitors."
Abbott will oversee and coordinate the town's various communications efforts. She will work closely with all of the town's departments to promote town programs and services. She will also continue her responsibilities promoting Ocean City as a vacation destination, working closely with the Tourism Department and the town's advertising agency, MGH, in all public relations and social media campaigns.
"I look forward to working with Dennis and all the departments to help keep citizens and visitors informed," Abbott said.
Prior to joining the town, Abbott was employed in corporate communications at Perdue Farms corporate headquarters in Salisbury. She also served as public information officer for the Ocean Pines Association. She was a news reporter and editor for local newspapers earlier in her career. Abbott holds a bachelor's degree in mass communications from Towson University.
Top Producer Named
WILLARDS – Laura Deeley Bren, president of Atlantic/Smith, Cropper & Deeley, presented Gary Waldych with the 2009 Top Producer Award at the company's annual meeting at the Princess Royale in Ocean City. He was also the recipient of the 2008 Top Producer Award.
New Director Announced
SALISBURY – Regina Kundell, MSN, CRNP, director of Women's and Children's Services at Peninsula Regional Medical Center, announced this week that Kimberly Iafolla, MD, has been named medical director of Peninsula Regional's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Iafolla has provided care in the Medical Center's NICU on a rotating basis for over nine years and has served as the senior administrator for its neonatal practice. She has also served as the medical director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville for the past nine years.
In turn, James Rost, MD, who has served as medical director of Peninsula Regional's NICU since 2001, will take Iafolla's position of medical director of the NICU at Shady Grove. Rost will continue to rotate through Peninsula Regional's NICU and continue to be a patient safety resource and advocate.
Peninsula Regional Medical Center has the only locally staffed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on the Delmarva Peninsula.


text: "The myths and traditions of a people, whether Chippewa or German, inform the rich cadences of her storytelling. Short stories also enable her to concentrate on individuals and the singular pain that comes from poverty or alcoholism or sexual despair.... Erdrich is one of our major writers: She illuminates large swaths of U.S. history and culture, and this volume is a good demonstration of her compelling stylistic innovations, not to mention her literary cunning."Washington Post

subset: commoncrawl


text: Oh, come on. The villain called her that. Loki was trying to diminish and degrade her -- and he failed. She maintained total control of the situation, and by playing on his sexist assumptions and getting him to underestimate her, she manipulated him into giving away his plan. She out-tricked a trickster god. And that's why it was thrilling for the crowd -- not because the villain tried to demean Black Widow, but because she totally kicked his ass. We were supposed to hate him for the "mewling quim" line (which isn't "Whedon-speak" but an archaic British idiom in keeping with the way Asgardians normally speak in the Marvel Universe) and cheer when Natasha made him eat those words.


text:
On the last day, Pedroia rests
By Ian Browne / MLB.com
BALTIMORE -- For one of the only times in Dustin Pedroia's career, he didn't protest a day off when his manager suggested one.
The All-Star second baseman played in a career-high 160 games this season, all but one of which were starts. He finished the regular season with a .301 average, 91 runs, 193 hits, 42 doubles, nine homers, 84 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.
He did it while playing the entire season with a UCL tear in his left thumb, sustained on Opening Day.
"That's my job -- be out there and try to impact the game every night," Pedroia said.
With four off-days looming before Game 1 of the American League Division Series, several regulars did start, including Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz, Mike Napoli, Will Middlebrooks and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Quintin Berry, vying for a bench role in October, helped his cause with a two-run home run in the second inning.
Lackey rests after solid season; Webster starts finale
BALTIMORE -- Rather than giving John Lackey one last tune-up before the postseason, the Red Sox decided to skip the right-hander on Sunday, the final day of the regular season.
Once his team clinched home-field advantage throughout the postseason on Saturday, manager John Farrell huddled with Lackey and they made the decision together that this was the way to go.
No. 3 prospect Allen Webster instead drew the start on a day Farrell was expected to get a lot of relievers some work.
The season has already been a success for Lackey, considering how well he has pitched coming off Tommy John surgery.
"The fact that he's north of 100 innings this year coming off a year in which he didn't pitch, we felt like the extended rest right now would be beneficial for him," said Farrell.
Lackey's 10-13 record was not indicative of the way he pitched. He had a 3.52 ERA while pitching 189 1/3 innings and holding opponents to a .247 average.
"It goes back to the work he did in the offseason," said Farrell. "He set the foundation then with the way he reshaped his body, the way he got himself into condition and the work he's done between starts throughout the year. I don't know that we always look at years of pitchers returning from Tommy John, but this might be one of the more strong ones when you consider all the pitchers that have come back from the surgery.
"He's done a great job. The numbers, the win-loss is not indicative of the way he's pitched. We all recognize that, but I think right now, a well-deserved couple of extra days of rest."
Farrell will announce his American League Division Series rotation in the coming days. There's been considerable speculation that Lackey could start Game 2 at Fenway because of the drastic difference between his numbers at home (6-3, 2.47 ERA) and the road (4-10, 4.48 ERA).
Auditioning for 'pen role, Doubront roughed up
BALTIMORE -- From a pure talent standpoint, Felix Doubront probably has the best stuff of any of the lefties who are vying for a spot on the Red Sox's postseason roster.
However, Doubront admittedly thinks that going to the bullpen after pitching in the rotation would be a challenge. At this point, there's no certainty -- let alone a likelihood -- that Doubront will be on Boston's 25-man roster for the American League Division Series.
In Sunday afternoon's 7-6 loss to the Orioles, the lefty didn't make a convincing case, giving up five hits, five runs and three walks over just 1 1/3 innings.
Doubront was asked point-blank after the game if he felt he could help the team in the postseason.
"As a starter," Doubront said. "As a reliever, I have to be more prepared for that, for those situations. As a starter, I can do everything there and help the team. I think I can do that."
There's no starting openings for the Red Sox, as Jon Lester, John Lackey, Clay Buchholz and Jake Peavy are likely to pitch in the ALDS. Doubront and Ryan Dempster are the odd men out after pitching in the rotation all year.
However, Dempster has been receptive to the switch and has turned in three scoreless outings over the last week.
Doubront almost sounds like a fish out of water when talking about life as a reliever. The southpaw said he will try to gain more comfort during team workouts on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Red Sox open the postseason on Friday at Fenway Park.
"It's not the same, man. It's not the same," Doubront said of relief. "You have to warm up, you have to stretch, you have to warm up quicker, you have to be ready in 10-20 pitches. As a starter, you stretch, run a little bit, long toss. I can do it. I can do it. But today was my first time, you know? I have to practice that more on Tuesday, be more quick and get my arm ready."
Manager John Farrell said he needs to make sure Doubront is mentally ready for the transition of moving from the rotation to the bullpen if he's going to be part of the team's plans in October.
"Felix believes in himself. He only feels like he's worthy of being a starter, which you want out of an individual," Farrell said. "He's had a solid year for us. We want to be sure if he is in the bullpen in the postseason, not only is he buying into the role, but this is about the team at this point, which we try to stress all year long.
"Even more importantly, in the postseason, hey, whatever role you're in, you've got to buy in and contribute however we can to win 11 more games starting Friday."
If Doubront had kept pitching the way he was earlier in the season, he might have had a better shot at landing a spot in the postseason rotation. But for the second year in a row, he was fatigued in the final weeks of the season.
"Well this is his second time, so we've got to look at other things to adjust," said Farrell. "And, to me, that is clearly in the offseason. As much as we talked about what John Lackey did, Felix has got to go through something similar. Not to say a reshaping of the body, but there's got to be a greater foundation laid before Spring Training starts."
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brownie Points, and follow him on Twitter @IanMBrowne. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
How can i find out if a socket if writable?
I am programming for windows.
I would like the easiest solution(Dont need to be portable, i love windows )
If you plan to reffer to the select() function, i have looked it up on MSDN , and
1. I did not understand it
2. It looks like a overkill for this little task


text:
Operation Migration is ON! Whooping Cranes WILL migrate!
A flock of rare whooping cranes has been given the go-ahead to complete its inaugural winter migration after a U.S. agency lifted restrictions on the pilots, who will guide them wearing bird costumes.
The whooping cranes, part of North America's tallest flying bird species, have been in pens since last month while the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigated whether the 1,285-mile flight violates regulations.
The FAA said on Monday it would grant a "one-time exemption" to the pilots flying ultralight aircraft leading the whooping cranes, who were stalled in Alabama on their journey from Wisconsin to two Florida refuges.
The issue arose because the pilots are being paid by the conservation group Operation Migration, violating FAA regulations that a pilot must hold a commercial rating to fly for hire. The Operation Migration pilots are licensed to fly lightweight sport aircraft.
"The FAA has granted an exemption to Operation Migration that will allow pilots to continue to aid the whooping crane migration," the agency said in a statement.
"Normally, the FAA limits light sport aircraft and pilots to personal flights without compensation. Because the operation is in 'mid-migration,' the FAA is granting a one-time exemption so the migration can be completed," it said.
Operation Migration could not immediately be reached for comment, but a message on its Facebook page read: "YAHOO! Thank you to EVERYONE for your support! You signed petitions and posted comments and the FAA listened. We are thrilled beyond belief!"
Operation Migration is part of a public-private U.S.-Canadian partnership aimed at re-establishing migrating flocks of whooping cranes. The birds were nearly wiped out, falling to only 15 in 1941, David Sakrison, an Operation Migration director, said in an earlier interview.
The FAA said it would work with Operation Migration to develop a long-term solution.
FAA rules forbid sport aircraft from being flown to benefit a charity or business, a regulation aimed at barring the charities or businesses from giving rides in the light craft.
Photo shows a flock of whooping cranes being guided by an ultra-light operated by an Operation Migration pilot as they make their way across Kentucky, on their way from Wisconsin to Florida, in this handout picture taken in 2008 and released to Reuters January 7, 2012. A flock of rare whooping cranes on its inaugural winter migration to Florida are grounded in Alabama while a U.S. government agency decides whether a plane guiding them will be allowed to proceed. Credit: Reuters/Joseph Duff/Operation Migration/Handout
Article continues: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/09/us-cranes-whooping-idUSTRE80820T20120109


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Nothing really news-worthy here. Just displaying how the Raptors compare to the rest of the league from a financial viewpoint.
Nothing really news-worthy here. Just displaying how the Raptors compare to the rest of the league from a financial viewpoint.
Actually, I would say this IS news worthy considering just last year the Raps were ranked #10 in the league by Forbes, with a value of $399M. While their value has actually increased to $405M, they managed to drop over 10 spots in the list. Thats pretty wild.
I guess with the $500M sale of the Kings, things got a little out of whack?
It would be interesting to see how/what Forbes split out for the Raptors, from all the resources & assets that are owned by MLSE and shared with the Leafs and every other event at the ACC. How could they value the Raptors alone, considering they are just a piece of the pie owned and operated by MLSE (especially with involvement by Rogers and Bell, Canada's media giants)?
Not sure how to interpret this since im not a numbers guy
So, am i correct with this:
Raps are making money, but not as much compared to 20 (majority) as other teams in the league
Do these numbers reflect attendance meaning higher on the list, higher attendance
It seems 20-30, only one team has a winning franchise, is that bad?
weren't raps in 10-15 range last few seasons?
This ranking is totally inconsistent with their rankings last year, which would be fine if there had been some major change to the relative value of the Raptors. However, I don't know of anything that would have done so. I don't see how the Kings potential sale could come into play, as they'd either treat it as an outlier due to the intense demand in Seattle, or use it as a guideline when valuing the rest of the teams (which would include the Raptors).
TL;DR -> I don't understand market valuations.
This means that the $399M by Forbes last year was pretty much bang on.
Interestingly, if you rank by Operating Revenue, Raps are 7th overall. So, the Raps make good money annually. And, based on what I have been told by some, that number is low. I have been told that the Raps have typically made somewhere between $20-$30 million in profit annually.
So according to this the valuation of a whole pile of franchises that make less money than the Raptors, are in smaller markets than the Raptors, and are less stable than the Raptors are somehow valued higher. Is this based on wins somehow? Cause I don't get how a team that lost money last year (phili) is worth more than the Raptors, who are one of the only teams in the league that consistently make money. Is it because we have a lot of debt? Or does it have to do with Canada's tax policies.
Edit: Never mind, I read the intro, apparently it's related to national TV deals in the states, which the Raptors are not getting as much of a slice of, and winning, which keeps a team like Memphis up in value despite losing money every year. I stil don't get why every team but us increased by so much and we basically stood pat. Maybe it's because we have new owners?
Edit Edit: Apparently our attendance is also way down and we've reduced ticket prices.
Last edited by hateslosing; Wed Jan 23rd, 2013 at 03:22 PM.
"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival."
Then ticket prices go through the roof as do ticket sales.
Playoffs is the cash cow of sports.
But an aside from that. Toronto is a large and wealthy market and has no problems making money in sports (except apparently the CFL). Even Toronto FC, with a history of losing, is one of the most profitable teams in the MLS.
Yeah, this shouldn't be confused with Toronto not being profitable, or being a small market. In fact, a great many things about it have to do with things that happen beyond the market you're in. That's part of the reason the big market teams do well. Even NYK, they mention how they got a big boost in merchandise sales because of Linsanity.
Toronto's value has stayed pretty stagnant, I imagine because they haven't really made any progress anywhere. The arena is not exactly state of the art. Merchandise sales must be pretty damn low compared to a lot of teams in the league. We haven't been winning, so that doesn't help ticket sales, we don't get playoff revenue, and it doesn't help TV deals either (though I have no clue what to make of that with Toronto being in the Canadian market). Again, the team still makes money...which makes sense in a city that is big and wealthy, where they kill you with prices...I mean seriously, this is also part of the problem with Toronto. Too many corporates...Too many yuppies....My least favorite thing to see when watching a Raptors game is see courtside or platinum seatholders, like a couple lets say, and they're like just on their Blackberries or something. Clearly not interested in the game at all. Sometimes some of them almost look annoyed when the action is happening right in front of them (for courtside seats).
40% Debt that's a pretty high number don't you think? Anybody what that might mean in detail though?
In the grand scheme of things there is many sound financial reasons to have debt on the books, and for a teams as proftitable as Toronto its not likely a concern.
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text:
Final Fantasy Free For All
If you think about it, Squaresoft wields quite a hefty load of power. Not the power of some dark and sinister evil force… nor the power to hurl comets and time paradoxes at the world. No. Their power can be summed up in two words: Final Fantasy. I'm not talking about the games -- I'm talking about the lunatic merchandising. Action figures are understandable, but did you know in Japan you can actually buy Squall's full costume, complete with short leather jacket, pants, and belt? Griever necklace sold separately. What was Final Fantasy like before all this? Answer: Final Fantasy Anthology - a collection of Final Fantasy 5 and 6.
With Anthology, what you're essentially given is an emulator -- an interpreter that takes the original Final Fantasy code and allows it to be understood by the Playstation. Just so the game isn't exactly the same this time, Squaresoft tacked on some of their trademark video at the beginning and ends of the two games.
Final Fantasy 5 (never released in the US before now) tells the story of four adventurers on a quest to bring tranquility back to the land. The elemental crystals of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water granted peace and prosperity to the people of the world. These crystals have mysteriously shattered, and chaos ensued shortly thereafer. And wouldn't you know it... a meteor fall out of the sky as well. Crazy, crazy meteors. Why are they always causing trouble?
Final Fantasy 5 concentrates more on the gameplay, rather than a driving story. To increase the ability of your characters, a "jobs" system is used. Once you get it down, you'll be able to thoroughly customize your characters by setting jobs and combining abilities. It's a pretty deep system that plays well. While the story seems simple by today's standards, the battle and development keep it fun.
Final Fantasy 6 actually came out as Final Fantasy 3 in the US (darned international conversions... even NASA can't get them right). During a time between the end of magic and the advent of technology, great beasts known as Espers held the secret to the mystic arts. Long thought to be extinct, these Espers are being sought out for their magic powers... powers that could lead to war. Terra, a girl with no memory of her past, could be the key to unlocking those powers.
What Final Fantasy 6 does really well is tell a story with an incredibly large cast, and involve you deeply in all the characters. This is the RPG by which the RPG's of today are still derived, in terms of story development and gameplay. There is a dual system in the game. Each character can equip "relics" that give them special abilities (i.e. run faster or guard your teammates). In addition, your characters can get the aid of those mighty Espers to help them learn and hone their magic.
Before Final Fantasy took on a lean anime look, it had the beautiful character designs of Yoshitaka Amano. His art can be seen in the menu character screen shots and the instruction manuals. Personally, I felt the best aspect of the new videos was how well Amano's flowing style was translated. I just don't understand why they changed Terra's hair from green to yellow. All in all, watching a three dimensional interpretation of a two dimensional scene is neat, but the videos feel more tacked-on then part of the game. Merely justification for purchasing an old game. If Squaresoft makes another repackaged old title, they really should make the videos intermittent throughout the game.
Still, there are some problems. Sometimes, there were noticeable drops in the frame rates. While we all know 2D bitmaps aren't the Playstation's thang, these games predate the PSX by several years.They could have at least made sure everything ran perfectly smooth. On the other hand, the problem does add to the "nostalgic" feeling.
In addition to 5 and 6, Anthology comes with a compilation CD of music. I'm not exactly sure how the tracks were selected, but among some beautiful tunes there are a few duds that made it in. More bonuses would have been nice ( The PSX release of Lunar came with the fancy packaging and other little extras). Then again, Anthology is priced lower, making it a more affordable option.
My big question is: Where is Final Fantasy 4? Final Fantasy 4 (Final Fantasy 2 in the US) was included in the Japanese packaging of Final Fantasy Anthology. It seems like Square is holding out on us, allowing them the possibility of releasing a second anthology volume if this one does well. But I'll forgive them if they ever release the original Crono Trigger for Playstation stateside.
Anthology is basically a chance for those who have never played a true old school RPG to see where it all started, as well as how things have evolved. The two games still hold up remarkably well, serving up a steaming plate of nostalgia. As an entry for the Playstation though, I would've liked to see some more updates. Then again, there's the argument that updating it would take away from the original experience of the game. Any way you look at it, these two games are still a worthy trip down an old fond fantasy.


text: After reading some recent updates on HoopsHype, it appears there is almost zero interest for FA Leandro Barbosa. I remember much discussion when he was traded as to whether BC got "enough" for him, and could he have done better. At this point in time, it seems that perhaps getting a second round pick was in fact fair value and/or the best that was available - knowing that part of the value was also in the cap room that was cleared. Thoughts?


text:
Im interested in the Koufax. How much for it?
Im intetrsted in working out something for the Koufax. It would be great to add to my Dodger PC
Whats the lowest u woukd go for koufax
Just wanted to let u know I have a game used auto rg3 football I'm about to post up forsale wanted to give u first options thx
What kind of price you have in NBT?
All depends on what you'd need from me for it
Still interested in the Cobb?
Send an Instant Message to nskrbec Using...


text:
Scioscia comfortable with familiar order
Few deviations from normal Halos lineup in crucial Game 5
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com
Third baseman Chone Figgins, right fielder Bobby Abreu and center fielder Torii Hunter form the top third of the order against right-hander A.J. Burnett, who engages John Lackey.
The middle third features designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero, first baseman Kendry Morales and second baseman Maicer Izturis, with left fielder Juan Rivera, catcher Jeff Mathis and shortstop Erick Aybar rounding out the lineup.
Izturis, a switch-hitter, doubled and scored the first Angels run in the fifth inning against Burnett in Game 2. He came off the bench to drive a 380-foot sacrifice fly in the seventh inning of Game 3, giving the Angels a one-run lead that Jorge Posada erased with one swing in the eighth.
"Juan's been struggling just a little bit," Scisocia said of Rivera, who is 2-for-17 (.118) in the series, both hits singles, and is batting .179 in starting all seven postseason games. "To get a left-handed bat behind Morales might help."
Scioscia and his staff discussed the idea of hitting Izturis in the No. 2 spot, where he flourished during the regular season, and dropping Abreu in his more familiar No. 3 spot.
"We talked about a lot of things, and that was one of them," Scioscia said. "Whether Abreu's hitting second or third, he's still got to get in his game and hit."
Abreu is 2-for-16 (.125) in the series, the same numbers produced by leadoff catalyst Figgins.
During the regular season, the Angels were 26-24 with Abreu batting second and 34-21 when Izturis hit between Figgins and Abreu.
With Abreu batting third, the Angels were 60-35.
Scioscia and Co. also considered giving Gary Matthews Jr. a start in left for Rivera, but opted to go with the big Venezuelan.
Rivera delivered one of the biggest hits of the AL Division Series sweep of Boston, an eighth-inning, two-run single against Jonathan Papelbon in Game 3 preceding the stunning, three-run ninth-inning rally with two out.
Against Burnett in Game 2 in New York, Figgins reached base twice in three at-bats with a walk and getting hit by a pitch, striking out in his third plate appearance. Abreu flied out in all three at-bats.
Hunter doubled, was robbed of a hit by Alex Rodriguez and walked, getting the best at-bats of anyone in the lineup against Burnett.
Aybar drove in one of the two runs Burnett yielded with a single, stealing second and scoring on a wild pitch.
"You go into every game with a sense of urgency," Scioscia said, maintaining that he would manage this game essentially no differently than others. "John's got to get to a certain point in the game for us to win.
"Pitching-wise, outside of Game 4, we've pitched very well. We need to get into our game offensively."
The Yankees have held the Angels -- who hit a club-record .285 for the season with a .350 on-base percentage, scoring more runs (883) than any team in franchise history -- to a .201 team batting average and .273 on-base percentage in the ALCS.
With 12 extra-base hits, including three homers compared to eight by the Bronx Bombers, the Angels have a .329 slugging percentage. They slugged .441 for 162 games from April into October.
The Yanks are slugging .481 with a .278 batting average and .375 on-base percentage.
New York also has controlled the Angels' running game, holding them to two steals in three attempts. Neither Figgins nor Abreu, who combined for 72 regular-season thefts, has a steal in the series.
Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Puppy: Buster
Friends: 0
Member Since: July 9, 2008Add to Friends
Found on petfinders.com, Buster's mom knew that it was meant to be. He was just the puppy she had been looking for - and he was going to be at an adoption event around the corner from her house the very next day. We aren't sure what is in his mix, but we just took a Canine Breed Heritage Test, so hopefully we will know something soon. Buster lives happily with his cat and his kitten - and four cockaties. He has lots of fun playing with his kitten Bindi all day long - especially at Bedtime. Buster loves meeting new people and he thinks that all the Vet Techs in his doctors office are his girlfriends. He also loves his dog-walker and is so happy that she visits him every day. He's very fussy about his dog friends. His favorite dogs are Shitzus.View Profile


text:
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has fired a shot across the bow of employers hoping to remain free of ObamaCare's employer mandate by adhering to the letter, but not the spirit, of the law. The agency's message: Don't even think about it.
The IRS recently issued a 144-page notice of "proposed regulations providing guidance under section 4980H of the Internal Revenue Code ... with respect to the shared responsibility for employers regarding employee health coverage." That is, the agency is notifying the public that it will be promulgating rules as to how it interprets the employer mandate and how it intends to enforce it.
And as Merrill Matthews observes at Forbes: "Don't you love that 'shared responsibility' reference? It's as if President Obama's campaign speeches have morphed into IRS reg[ulation]s."
The employer mandate requires employers with 50 or more full-time employees to offer "affordable" health insurance coverage to those employees, with "affordable" defined as costing an employee no more than 9.5 percent of his total household income. For every full-time employee who opts out of "unaffordable" employer-sponsored coverage and obtains insurance on a state exchange, often with a taxpayer subsidy, the employer will be fined up to $2,000.
"The Treasury Department and the IRS are aware of various structures being considered under which employers might use temporary staffing agencies (or other staffing agencies) purporting to be the common law employer to evade application of section 4980H," the IRS notice states.
The IRS anticipates two ways in which employers might try to circumvent the mandate through temporary agencies. First, an employer might hire an employee directly for, say, 20 hours a week, then hire the same person through a temporary agency for another 20 hours per week, thereby getting 40 hours' worth of work out of that individual without either the employer or the agency having to classify him as a full-time employee. Second, an employer might not hire the individual directly at all but might hire him through more than one temporary agency, again obtaining 40 hours' worth of work a week but keeping the individual from being considered a full-time employee of either the employer or any of the temporary agencies.
"The Treasury Department and the IRS anticipate that only in rare circumstances, if ever, would the 'client' under these fact patterns not employ the individual under the standard as a full-time employee," says the IRS. "Rather, the Treasury Department and the IRS believe that the primary purpose of using such an arrangement would be to avoid the application of section 4980H."
Fortunately for Uncle Sam, the IRS is on top of the situation: "It is anticipated that the final regulations will contain an anti-abuse rule to address the situations described" above. Essentially, if an employer tries to skirt the law's intent by using one or more temporary agencies to get a full-time employee without having to classify him as such, the IRS will simply declare that the individual is indeed a full-time employee and add him to the employer's count of said employees.
In addition, notes CNSNews.com:
The agency specified that employers could still fall under the mandate if they employ enough part-time workers to equal 50 full-time workers. For example, if an employer has 40 full-time workers and 20 part-time workers, that employer would be considered by the government to have 50 full-time workers and would be subject to the mandate because the 20 part-time workers average to 10 full-time workers — meeting the 50 full-time-worker threshold.
"So Obama rams through a costly, onerous, time-consuming and job-killing health insurance bill, and employers will look for ways to limit or minimize its impact — just as rich liberals do with taxes," Matthews remarks. "And the IRS expects it, which is why it's putting employers on notice."
In short, there is no escaping the long arm of what purports to be the law. Never mind that both ObamaCare and the IRS are affronts to liberty and that the former is plainly unconstitutional, no matter what the Supreme Court — which couldn't even decide whether the $2,000-per-employee punishment is a tax or a penalty — may have declared.
Given that the notice of proposed regulations runs to a gross of pages — and gross they are — one can only imagine how immense the final rules will actually be. And that will be on top of regulations that, as of October, were already "well over twice as long as the Guinness World Record for the longest novel," according to Americans for Limited Government.
Naturally, enforcing all these new rules will require more bureaucrats. The Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration says "the IRS will need more than 2,000 employees to monitor compliance with Obama's health care law," writes Matthews. "And that's just for 2013."
"Well, Nancy Pelosi claimed when ObamaCare passed that it would create 400,000 new jobs almost immediately," he adds. "The public probably didn't understand she was talking about IRS agents looking to make sure you accept your shared responsibility."


text: I have a WPF ListView that is not data bound, and it makes no sense to do data binding in my situation. Is there a way to get the data from each column, which, in my case, include two check boxes, a text box, and a combo box, without resorting to data binding? I have searched for information on this extensively now, and have found nothing. In fact, it seems like Microsoft has conveniently omitted this functionality from WPF altogether. The items are displayed, so there must be some way to access them. I just can't find any documentation of how to do it.


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Fourteen years ago, Joey Florence was hired to turn around Ryan's struggling football team, and he built one of the state's most respected programs.
Florence traded in his coaching polo and khakis for a black suit Tuesday night as the Denton school board approved Florence as the district's new athletic director.
The 47-year-old takes the position following 20 years as a head football coach, including the last 14 years at Ryan. Florence said he's excited to contribute to the district and the community.
"They've been so good to me and my family, and it just gives us an opportunity to give back to the whole district and the whole community," Florence said. "I am looking forward to that, but at the same time, I've been coaching for 25 years. To say it's not difficult to walk away from coaching, I wouldn't be honest."
The Rockwall native takes over for Ken Purcell, who retired as district athletic director at the end of 2013 after holding the position for 16 years.
Florence was the head coach at Cooper for six years before he was hired as Ryan's head coach in February 2000. Florence led the Raiders to the Class 4A Division I state title in 2001 and the 4A Division II championship in 2002.
He joined an elite category in 2013 when the Raiders defeated Flower Mound Marcus for Florence's 200th career victory. He capped his 20 years as a head coach with a record of 205-53, two state championships and five state final appearances.
When Florence took over the program, the Raiders were coming off a 1-9 season in 1999. In Florence's inaugural year, the Raiders reached 4A Division I title game in 2000 and lost to Bay City. It marked a stretch of four straight championship game appearances.
In 14 seasons under Florence, Ryan never missed the playoffs.
At Ryan, Florence went 152-37, including a 39-12 playoff record. During Florence's tenure as head coach, 33 players have received scholarships to play at Football Bowl Subdivision programs, including two NFL draft picks.
Coppell head coach Joe McBride described Florence as professional, very straight-forward and highly respected among his peers for his accomplishments.
"He's done one of the most unbelievable jobs of turning a program into a juggernaut," McBride said. "Very few people have done what he's done in this business. He's as good as there is in the coaching profession."
Ryan principal Vernon Reeves said the Ryan mainstay built the program in a classy way, and the impact of his success spilled over into the community.
"It's been amazing from the time that coach Florence came in and built his program," Reeves said. "It allowed our school community to pull together and have a common purpose and to set high expectations across the board for success. His program has been a key component for pushing people to be successful."
The success Florence experienced at Ryan spilled across town to Guyer, which just finished repeating as Class 4A Division I state champion. Guyer coach John Walsh said the biggest thing Florence did for the Wildcats was set a standard of winning championships.
Walsh said he was excited for Florence to take charge of the district.
"He's the right guy for the job," Walsh said. "He's been mentoring for me on the ins and outs since I got here. No one knows Denton athletics better than he does right now. He needs to be the guy."
Florence has served on the Texas High School Coaches Association Board of Directors and has been awarded the University Interscholastic League Excellence Award.
Once Purcell announced his retirement date, Florence became the frontrunner for the position as he led his team to the Class 5A Division II regional final, matching the team's deepest 5A playoff run.
"I was not sure that I'd do this thing," Florence said. "I would not allow myself, during the season, to even think about it or even ponder it or so much prepare for it. I think my career has prepared me for this job, but I think I've been an athletic director in some form or fashion for the past 20 years."
One of the biggest challenges Florence faces as he takes over is the planning of the district's fourth high school, which is expected to be opened in the fall of 2016.
Florence laughed when asked about cleaning out the office he's held for so long and moving into a new office overlooking the north end zone of C.H. Collins Athletic Complex.
It's where he'll transfer all the items he's collected at Ryan.
"It's the right time for me to leave," Florence said. "The program's in good shape. It's difficult, but at the same time, every coach goes through this. But, yeah, it'll be a little bit of a difficult situation, but I've done it before."
BEN BABY can be reached at 940-566-6869 and via Twitter at @Ben_Baby.


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History in Seaside Heights NJ
History Attractions in New Jersey
Seaside Heights
The boardwalk here is one of the busiest at the Shore, thanks to two amusement piers, a water park, wall-to-wall arcades, souvenir shops, informal dining like the Sawmill – think pizza, sausage sandwiches, clams on the half shell – and lively evening entertainment.
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Historic Sites & Memorials
Shore Region
Seaside Heights
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City: Seaside Heights
800 Ocean Ter. Seaside Heights, NJ 08751
One of two American-crafted, hand-carved, antique carousels in New Jersey; 1923 Wurlizer Military Band Organ; the only continously operating carousel band organ in New Jersey.
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Frank Ocean's coming-out announcement hit the mark with fans. But his team missed the point with a message to Target, the retail giant that refused to stock the singer's debut album, Channel Orange.
On July 11, Ocean's manager Christian Clancy tweeted that the label's decision to release Channel Orange one week earlier figured into Target's decision to keep it out of the store. But he didn't stop there. He suggested that Ocean's recent announcement, that he once had a love affair with a man, affected the store's decision.
"Target has refused to carry Frank's album because of iTunes exclusive," Clancy wrote, in a tweet that has since been removed. "Interesting since they also donate to non-equal rights organizations."
When Ocean's manager accused the retail chain of harboring an anti-gay agenda, Target fired back, citing a dedication to diversity.
"The claims made about Target's decision to not carry the Frank Ocean album are absolutely false," a Target representative said in an statement to CBS Local. "Target supports inclusivity and diversity in every aspect of our business. Our assortment decisions are based on a number of factors, including guest demand."
To be sure, Target did carry Jay-Z and Kanye West's Watch The Throne despite the album's early digital release. While the company did not answer questions regarding Throne's rollout, it is not an uncommon practice to bargain for exclusives.
"I think this policy Target has now came into existence this year," said Keith Caulfield, Billboard's Associate Director of Charts. "But because Frank is so newsworthy, this became a much larger sexy story."
Clancy is not the first to accuse a retail store for selectively blackballing an album. In 2009 Chris Brown went on a tear against Walmart, claiming the mega store did not stock shelves with his Graffiti album. But this accusation against Target dug up the 2010 controversy, in which gay rights groups protested Target and Best Buy for making donations to a Political Action Committee that supported Tom Emmer, a conservative Minnesota gubernatorial candidate that had reported ties to a controversial anti-gay Christian rock band called You Can Run But You Can't Hide.
Bradlee Dean, the band's leader, who was at he heart of the 2010 Target boycott, described the original targeting of Target as misguided.
"[The 2010 controversy] all started because Someone saw me shake hands with Tom Emmer at a fair," he told CBS Local. "The next thing I knew, the homosexual community had me as someone going door to door on his campaign. That wasn't the case. Then the homosexual groups went to Target and boycotted, saying I supported Emmer and he supported me."
While the details are murky about the Emmer debacle, a spokesperson for Target says they've learned from the past experience and have since revamped their donation process.
"We have apologized for the effects of our 2010 donation and we established a Policy Committee to review future corporate political donations." Target maintains that their support of Emmer was strictly on the basis of his pro-business policies.
This is a point upon which Bradlee Dean agrees.
"For them to not sell Frank Ocean's album because he's gay doesn't sound like it's something they would do," said Dean, who believes homosexuals need to repent and wants to protect kids from pro gay-rights messages. He cited Target's latest promotion where the company is selling "Pride" T-shits and donating the proceeds to Family Equality Council, a nonprofit that supports the LBGT communities. While Target rankled gay-rights groups in 2012, they are now receiving complaints from the oposite side.
Despite the handwringing on behalf of Ocean's camp, Channel Orange, which was released exclusivel on iTunes July 10, is on track to sell up to 120K in its first week, which puts it on par with Usher's Looking 4 Myself (128K) and Chris Brown's Fortune (135K).
"They weren't really going to ship that many physical copies," said Billboard's Caulfield. "There wasn't that much of a demand [early on]. Even if Target had sold it, there wouldn't have been that much to sell. In the short term, it won't affect the sales much either way." —Erik Parker, CBS Local


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Important Miocene deposits occur in North and South America, southern Europe, India, Mongolia, East Africa, and Pakistan. Marine Both marine and terrestrial environments are represented in the Miocene stratigraphic record. The record of terrestrial life is extensive and varied, providing a rather complete view of the development of vertebrates, especially mammals.
Miocene mammalian faunas are During the Miocene, land-dwelling mammals were essentially modern; many archaic groups were extinct by the end of the preceding Oligocene, and fully half of the known modern families of mammals mammalian families known today are present in the Miocene record. Some In the Northern Hemisphere, some interchange of faunas occurred between the Northern Hemispheres of the Old and New Worlds. Free communication Interchange was also possible between Africa and Eurasia, but South America and Australia remained isolated. The very fossiliferous Harrison Formation of Nebraska has produced an abundance of mammalian remains, including large, slender camels; strange deerlike creatures; bear dogs; foxes; peccaries; a small, archaic beaver that apparently had the habits of a ground squirrel; and the Miocene horse. During the Miocene, horse evolution occurred mainly in North America; forms such as Parahippus, Miohippus (a form carried over from the preceding Oligocene epochEpoch), Anchitherium, Hypohippus, Pliohippus, and Merychippus are genera that represent great diversification and development. The Also, the first dogs and bears appeared; the timing of the first emergence of the bear-dog Hemicyon is occurs close to the origin of the bears. The first hyenas, springing from primitive civets, appeared in the Miocene, as did the early sabre-toothed cats. Primitive antelope, deer, and the earliest giraffids giraffes appeared in Eurasia during the Miocene of Eurasia. The early elephantlike forms, previously known only from the Oligocene of Africa, . Ancestors of the modern elephants, which during the preceding Oligocene seem to have been limited to Africa, appear to have spread to the Eurasian continent in during the Miocene and became more diverse.
In Argentina the Santa Cruz Formation of Middle Miocene time provides an excellent record of the unusual Miocene fauna of South America. Marsupial carnivores, aberrant endentates (mammals resembling anteaters, armadillos, and sloths), litopterns (hoofed mammals similar to horses and camels), and toxodonts (mammals with long, curved incisors) are among the odd groups represented. These forms were able to evolve because of South America's isolation from other regions. The evolution of the South American monkeys , the platyrrhines, was also under way during the Miocene.
By the end of the Miocene epoch Epoch almost all the modern groups of whales had appeared, as had the early seals and walruses. Birds such as herons, rails, ducks, eagles, hawks, crows, sparrows, pheasants, owls, and partridges were present in the Miocene of Europe, where the uplifting of the Alps continued through Miocene time.
The Miocene epoch Epoch is also of great importance in to primate evolution. The last primate to occur in the fossil record of North America, a tarsier-like creature, is known in the United States. Elsewhere, the higher primates, especially the apes, underwent a great deal of evolution. The fossil evidence seems to indicate that advanced primates, including apes, were present in southern Europe. An early gibbon, Pliopithecus, as well as the dryopithecines, a group of advanced manlike humanlike apes that probably represent the stock from which modern apes and man humans originated, are found in Miocene rocks of Europe. The dryopithecines also are present in the Miocene of Africa, the region where manlike forms and the direct ancestors of man humanlike forms as well as modern humans probably originated. Ramapithecus, a form known from the latest Miocene or, perhaps, the earliest Pliocene, represents an advancement over dryopithecines toward the human condition
In the oceans, the Miocene was a time of changing circulation patterns, probably due to global cooling. Patterns of oceanic nutrient distribution changed, leading to increased productivity in some regions and decreased productivity in others. The Miocene was a time of accelerated evolution among marine plankton and mollusks, with many groups showing increases in diversity.


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Cher Rocked It on 'The Voice' – But What the Hell Was That Thing On Her Head? [VIDEO]
Cher made her triumphant return to the stage last night on 'The Voice,' performing live for the first time in a decade, but while her new single 'Woman's World' was an upbeat girl-power anthem, we were a more than a little distracted by what the legend had on her head.
We'd say she was upstaged by her wig, which looked like a cross between a Smurf's hat and an ice cream sundae full of secrets, but that would be an understatement. More distracting than those roses printed on her behind in 'If I Could Turn Back Time'? Possibly. We'll let you be the judge.
Bizarre headgear aside, Cher rocked the stage in a mirror-encrusted leather jacket and mesh body contraption, kick-ass boots and some sort of MC Hammer-type pants, looking great for anyone, much less someone who's 67 freaking years old.
Now if only Adam Levine would have deigned to crack a smile.
You can check out the full performance above — just cover the very top of your screen first. That wig is kind of like the Ark of the Covenant.


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Stayed the Glenview - pretty nice place, located between Wicklow and Dublin. See: http://www.glenviewhotel.com/
Good restaurant with a great view from the dining room...
...and they had Guinness
Stayed the Glenview - pretty nice place, located between Wicklow and Dublin. See: http://www.glenviewhotel.com/
Good restaurant with a great view from the dining room...
...and they had Guinness
Temple Bar area of Dublin. Doesn't get more touristy than this, but still a good time for a night out...
Hope you like to drink beer...and lots of it...
I've been to Ireland 3 times, twice to the Republic and last year to N Ireland. Last two trips on golfing vacations. Never ridden there. People are superb. Friendly, hospitable and a bit off the wall. But always great fun. Roads are not great, but fairly consistent in a car. Eat in pubs. Restaurants are better than Scotland, but expensive for what you get.
I would ride there in a heartbeat, but my dance card is full this year. Enjoy!!!
Vancouver, BC
BMW R1200 GS, BMW S1000RR, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Porsche Boxster S
Been there, done that-I agree on the head S from Dublin through Wicklows(look for Tom Selick's place) then circle the south with Cork then Kerry route and back up to Galway & back across to Dublin. For 3-4 days it will be a riding tour only but give you enough to want to go back for more. We did an 18 day circum tour on our own & that onlt hits the high spots. Expect roads with a rock wall/dense hedge on each side a very limited vision. These rural roads get kinda hairy @ rush home time as the Irish drivers don't mess around on the way to the house! The weather in May can get past 55 F but not much. Dress for rain everyday & enjoy the sun when you get it. Some really nice gardens if your into that thing. As for castles, after a few I have seen my last one up close & personal & our upcoming trip to UK will NOT! include castle stops. Really, how many does one need in a lifetime? I am one of those people that will & can eat ANYTHING!, for the most part but was not overly impressed with the food anywhere there exception being a large micro brewery in Dublin. Also had a few good pub meals but the menus have a tendency to seem very repetitious. Whereas I like to try new stuff most places(I eat street food all the time in Mexico) there it was sameo. N. Ireland is more English menu but you don't have time to go there? or are you saying the bike part only is 3-4 days?
The bike deposit has been paid. We are booked and excitedly getting ready to go.
It will be a 3-4 day ride from Dublin.
We can't wait...
my concerns are:
- being too cold (we are going to bring some ski-gear 1st layers), or possibly getting wet.
- having enough room for my camera gear and warm clothes. (2 people, 1 bike. I'm a photographer for a living)
- riding on the opposite side of the road.
Other then that... Guinness here we come!
Good Luck and post your experience when you come back. Ireland is on my bucket list, too.
take a copy of "The Gaelic Letters" with you. A novel but lottsa info on Ireland as well. Great read. Ireland is a great tour. Hit the B and B's. Very nice, clean and chaheep. TR
Here is the report.
Cheers and thanks to those who responded to this topic.
My wife and I toured Ireland and did the circunavigation thing. We headed south and worked our way around. Celtic Rider did a fabulous job on our rental. Bike was in great condition and ran perfect. We had very few reservations and just picked up the B&Bs as we went along. Discovered some real charmers along the way. Stay off of the motorways and you will love it!! Doesn't take long to get comfortable with riding on the left. Tape a sign onto your windshield....Look Right Stay Left!!
Thanks for all the pics and advice. My wife and I are heading there for about a month in mid September and also renting from Celtic rider. Scotland first, then Ireland. We are very excided about the trip.
Greg and Melanie


text: Just discovered this thread. I have been seeing Old School Houses for a while and jsut in the last few weeks started taking pics of them. (I have them o nfacebook as it's so easy to take the picture from my Blackberry and then post it. I also have been creating a map of old school houses I have seen or know about. The map is on Google Maps: http://tinyurl.com/oldschools It's a work in progress and as i find more I'll put them on the map. ..Tom


text:
Did you follow the instructions in the link? Here they are so that way you don't have to search again:
Code: Select all
sudo xhost +SI:localuser:lightdm
sudo su lightdm -s /bin/bash
gsettings set com.canonical.unity-greeter draw-grid false
The first line is extremely important. So is the second line. Those prepare the entire process. The third line can be changed to whatever you want. I set my background to black by doing:
Code: Select all
gsettings set com.canonical.unity-greeter background-color '#000000'
if you just give gsettings the -h option, it will give you a list of commands. I'd also reccommend reading the man page for it.
It isn't purple for me. If ubuntu tweak now supports linux mint and changes all the stuff with a GUI, that's the easiest way to do it. In fact I will try that now and see if it works for me.
EDIT: It does almost everything but change the background color. So the only way I know of to fix it is the above steps. I do have a SSD, so there is only about a half second of the color before the background comes up. That brings up another point. Did you change the background from the purple ubuntu one? I remember that was an issue the first time I installed it.


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This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.
ABC News Jury Charge Poll, September 1995 (ICPSR 6674)
Principal Investigator(s): ABC News
This special topic poll sought respondents' views on the O.J. Simpson murder trial and on the treatment of minorities in the criminal justice system. Those queried were asked for their opinions on the fairness of the Simpson trial, the innocence or guilt of Simpson, media coverage of the Simpson case, and whether there was a police conspiracy to frame Simpson. Respondents were asked whether they believed that Detective Mark Furhman found the bloody glove as he testified. Demographic variables include sex and race.
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Study Description
ABC News. ABC News Jury Charge Poll, September 1995. ICPSR06674-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2006-11-14. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06674.v1
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06674.v1
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Scope of Study
Subject Terms: celebrities, criminal justice system, criminial investigations, juries, media coverage, minorities, murder, police misconduct, racial discrimination, Simpson, O. J., trials
Geographic Coverage: United States
- 1995-09
- 1995-09
Universe: Adults 18 years old and older in the United States.
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Sample: Households were selected by random-digit dialing. Within households, the respondent selected was the adult living in the household who last had a birthday and who was at home at the time of the interview.
telephone interviews
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