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Posted at 6:39 AM
In the last decade, Brazil has been one of the fastest growing emerging markets. It is currently the largest economy in Latin America, and seventh largest in the world. This week's trade spotlight highlights the importance of U.S.-Brazil trade relations and how the relationship benefits American farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs, and workers.
As one of the fastest growing emerging markets, and a country that the International Monetary Fund projects is poised for continued growth, Brazil is an important trading partner for the United States. In 2010, U.S. goods and services trade with Brazil was $81 billion, with exports accounting for $52 billion and imports accounting for $29 billion. This resulted in a goods and services trade surplus of nearly $23 billion for 2010, a 61 percent increase from 2009.
Brazil is the 10th largest goods trading partner with the U.S., with goods trade surplus of more than $11 billion in 2010. Trade in services between the U.S. and Brazil totaled more than $21 billion in 2010. Additionally, the services surplus for the United States was more than $11 billion.
In 2010, Brazil was the United States' 8th largest goods export market. U.S. goods exports to Brazil were more than $35 billion, a near 36 percent increase from 2009. Overall, U.S. exports to Brazil accounted for nearly 3 percent of total U.S. exports in 2010. The top U.S. exports to Brazil were machinery, aircraft, and electric machinery. Additionally, the U.S. exported $578 million worth of agricultural products to Brazil in 2010. The leading categories of agricultural exports were wheat, cotton, dairy products and sugars and sweeteners.
Because of this important trade relationship, American workers across the country are benefiting. For example in March 2011, WindStream Technologies, a New Albany, Indiana based alternative energy company, agreed to a $10 million deal with a Brazilian clean tech company to produce 30,000 wind turbines. These turbines will be distributed and used in Brazil. This agreement will help to create more than 100 new jobs in Indiana.
Additionally, Rhino Assembly Corporation, a small business in Charlotte, North Carolina, has developed a relationship with ASA Brazil, a tool and equipment distributor. This relationship has resulted in robust sales and the hiring of new employees in North Carolina.
The continued growth of the Brazilian economy provides an opportunity for increased consumption of American-made goods and services by Brazilian consumers.
Embassy of the United States in Brazil
Embassy of Brazil in the United States
Export.gov Doing Business in Brazil
US Commercial Service in Brazil promotes the export of goods and services of American companies, develop and protect US business interests in Brazil.
Export-Import Bank Support for U.S. Exports to Brazil
The U.S. Export Import Bank (Ex-Im) provides both export insurance and working capital for U.S. exporters and guaranteed loans for Brazilian importers.
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative - Brazil
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. international trade, commodity, and direct investment policy, and overseeing negotiations with other countries.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Among the services that are available for free through USDA's offices in Brazil are commodity reports, sector reports, product briefs, promotional opportunities, fairs in the U.S. and technical visits and training.
U.S. State Department Background Notes
Background Notes include facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations of independent states, some dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty.
U.S. Trade and Development Agency - Latin America & The Caribbean Region
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds technical assistance, early investment analysis, training, reverse trade missions, and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment.


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Stars original owner Norman Green takes pride in hockey's growth across region
Norman Green changed a lot of things the day he decided to move the Minnesota North Stars to Dallas in 1993.
On Monday, as the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame held its 2012 induction ceremony at the Plaza of the Americas in Dallas, the 76-year-old former owner said he had a warm feeling.
"Well, it's great actually," Green said as he shook hands with former employees and friends from the past. "There are so many people here who have been so important to this team dating back to the days in Minnesota, and to have them all in Dallas and to be a part of a day like this, it's just really nice."
Green, who still lives in Dallas, joked that even people in Minnesota don't deride him much anymore but added that the decision looks good almost 20 years after the fact. It wasn't easy to leave a hockey-loving state for one that had little knowledge of the sport, he said, but it proved to be important to the growth of the game.
"It was the frontier, and it proved too rich for me to carry through all of the challenges, but I do think it turned out pretty good," said Green, who sold the team to Tom Hicks in 1995. "I look around at how much hockey has developed and how much we have taught a new generation the game, and there's a lot of pride in that."
Olcyzk's ultimate goal: Ed Olcyzk grew up in the Chicago area and said his dreams all came true — playing for the Blackhawks, playing for Team USA and working as a television analyst.
"I've been really lucky," said Olcyzk, 46. "I was a fan; I was a player; I was a coach, broadcaster and a dad. So on any given night, I can have one of those hats on. I love the game, and hockey has been my and my family's life. The game has given me so much. I've always wanted to give back to it."
Lamoriello's contribution: New Jersey GM and president Lou Lamoriello was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Monday as a builder. He has won three Stanley Cups with the Devils and was the GM of the 1996 USA team that won the World Cup of Hockey.
Two no-shows: There were many NHL dignitaries in the crowd, including Toronto GM Brian Burke, but two people who couldn't make it were NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association executive director Donald Fehr.
Dave Ogrean, the executive director of USA Hockey explained that both were scheduled to be in attendance but that a meeting has been scheduled Tuesday in Toronto to discuss a potential solution to the ongoing NHL lockout.

subset: commoncrawl


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Early industries largely supplied the region's agricultural economy. Erie's first iron foundries used bog ore from the bay swamps. Economic development increased and diversified with the opening (1844) of the Erie and Pittsburgh Extension (or Beaver-Erie) Canal and with railway construction in the 1850s. Manufactures are now well diversified and include locomotives, plastics, electrical equipment, metalworking and machinery, hospital equipment, paper, chemicals, and rubber products. Erie is Pennsylvania's only port on the St. Lawrence Seaway and is a strategic shipping point for industrial coke, iron ore, steel, salt, stone, and scrap metal. It is the seat of Gannon University (1925), Mercyhurst College (1926), and the Behrend College campus of Pennsylvania State University (Penn State Erie). Presque Isle State Park on the peninsula is a popular recreation area. The city has an art museum, a historical museum and planetarium, and a zoo.
The Perry Memorial House and Dickson Tavern (c. 1815) was a station on the Underground Railroad for runaway slaves; it was restored in 1963. The Wayne Memorial Blockhouse on the grounds of the Pennsylvania Soldiers' and Sailors' Home is a replica of the one in which General Anthony ("Mad Anthony") Wayne died on December 15, 1796; a flagpole marks the spot where he was buried (his remains were later removed to Radnor, near Philadelphia). Fort Le-Boeuf, the last French outpost in the French and Indian War, is 16 miles south. Inc. borough, 1805; city, 1851. Pop. (19902000) city, 108103,718717; Erie MSA, 275280,572843; (20002008 est.) city, 103,717817; Erie MSA, 280279,843175.


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OCEAN CITY – Estate planning allows couples to protect themselves from the unexpected and ensure their legacy wishes are met. An effective estate planning strategy can help you and your partner work towards the tax-efficient transfer of assets and provide the surviving partner with the liquid assets necessary to cover immediate expenses such as estate taxes. It can also allow you the legal access to handle your partner's financial and healthcare affairs in the event one of you becomes incapacitated.
The groundwork for your estate plan will be established by legal documents that describe how you want your finances and health care decisions to be handled. While Merrill Lynch does not provide legal, accounting or tax advice, our financial advisors will work with your outside professionals, including your attorney, to facilitate your estate planning strategy. Documents that will need attention include a will, revocable living trust, living will, durable power of attorney, advanced health care directive or proxy, and a HIPPA release.
You may be able to lessen the impact of estate taxes by using a variety of trust-related and wealth transfer tactics to reduce the size of your taxable estate. Due to the complex issues and potential tax implications involved, you'll want to consult your financial advisor, attorney and tax professional and ask how to use various types of trusts to reduce tax liabilities, protect assets and create cash flow.
These strategies potentially reduce your tax obligation, and certain charitable trusts can generate a cash flow to you or your loved ones and help you achieve your charitable intentions.
Investigate creating charitable gift annuities, pooled income funds or other strategies offered directly by certain nonprofit organizations.
Give directly to your loved ones while you are still alive. Removes the asset, its future appreciation, and its income from your estate and, thus, your potential estate tax obligation.
Explore other sophisticated estate planning strategies that will "discount" your estate valuation for tax purposes.
For tax management and estate distribution you should consider the following:
Designate beneficiaries for your workplace retirement plan and IRAs. May allow your partner to roll the funds over into an inherited IRA and defer income tax liabilities while growing the assets in a tax-exempt environment.
Consider a Trusteed IRA. Talk to your financial advisor about the benefits of a Merrill Lynch Trusteed IRA.
When appropriate, designate co-owners or beneficiaries of your bank accounts, investments, real estate, corporate and personal life insurance policies and other assets. While this may be convenient, please note the assets are still part of your taxable estate and generally will not be governed by the terms of your will or trust. While it removes the asset from probate proceedings, it also eliminates certain estate planning options available only through wills and trusts.
Properly title all other investments and real estate holdings. Affects how much of your property is considered part of the taxable and/or probate estate. Your attorney can help you maintain the necessary documentation regardless of which option you choose. Be aware that re-titling could have significant gift, income and estate tax ramifications.
Since estate planning is complex, we encourage you to contact your Merrill Lynch financial advisor, attorney and accountant to discuss your particular situation.
(A Merrill Lynch Senior Financial Advisor. She can be reached at 410-213-8520.)


text: it promises to surpass Christmas, and if so, that is more than alright we me as I quite dislike (hate is such a strong word and does put too much emphasis on the energy involved feeding that emotion) that now consumerist holiday (not as bad as that Black Friday stuff and better than that Bloody Sunday). Anyway, via stumbling I found this interesting, but short article, and while I am only an observer and not that very well versed in all things "Singularity", I am still learning, as those ideas fascinate me, but I am also often unable to communicate those via spoken words around gatherings of people. I hate small talk though. Hmm. Here it is: AI Day Will Replace Christmas as the Most Important Holiday in Less Than 25 Years


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SNOW HILL — After years of being in the works, Mystic Harbour will soon be getting a much needed new Wastewater Treatment Plant.
According to Public Works Director John Tustin, replacing the Mystic Harbour plant has been the "number one priority project" for several years. The plant was first built in 1975 and became a full county entity in 2004. Since then, many issues have arisen to the point where the plant is considered a risk to both public health and the environment.
Originally slated to cost about $8.8 million, estimates for the replacement plant have risen nearly 50 percent, with the current appraisal at $12.5 million. Financing for the project will come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and consist of $4.7 million in grants and about $7.9 million in low-interest loans payable over 40 years. The project itself is expected to take 18 months.
Commissioner Merrill Lockfaw questioned the large difference between the original estimated price and what the plant will actually cost.
"This cost is way in line if not better [than similar projects]," said Tustin, who explained that prices had simply risen naturally.
Getting the ball rolling on the new plant has taken several years and assistance from many areas of government.
"I am proud to work in the U.S. Senate to build communities and create jobs. This federal investment to improve Mystic Harbour's sewer system will do just that," said Senator Barbara Mikulski. "Maryland cities and towns need to upgrade their water and sewer infrastructure but they can't do it on their own, and rate payers shouldn't have to bear the full burden. This grant is a double value for the taxpayer dollar, creating jobs while improving health and safety and helping this community grow."
Mikulski's fellow Senator Ben Cardin, chairman of the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, agreed with her assessment of the need to replace the old plant.
"Mystic Harbour's aging water infrastructure system is part of a nationwide problem in which many communities have deteriorating water and sewer systems that require greater investment," said Cardin. "This funding will help safeguard the health of Marylanders and our fragile coastal areas."
During a hearing held Tuesday, members of the public were given the opportunity to come before the County Commissioners and express their opinions on the final cost of the plant. Only one person in the audience decided to speak up.
"I'm here to say thank you to everybody for all of the work you've done," said Frank Foley.
Foley, a longtime resident of Mystic Harbour, has been crusading for years to have the county address a permanent odor that hangs around his neighborhood. He went so far as to put together a petition demanding action in 2007. Since then, he has regularly attended Water Advisory Board meetings and kept in contact with the government about fixing the situation.
He added that he was "quite impressed with the quality of [county] employees, top to bottom," stating that they were always polite and concerned with the problems in his neighborhood.
Because the odor was caused by old sludge beds and sand filters located at the current plant, the new facility should mean a permanent end to the smell.
Foley was glad to hear it.
"This is one example of how the county government works with the people," he said.


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Best Of :: People & Places
Because its benefactor is George Argyros, its president is James Doti and its location is smack-dab in the middle of Orange County, Chapman University has a reputation for being a bastion of conservatism. That rep extends to the law school, where dean John C. Eastman has previously argued that illegal aliens are foreign nationals who are not protected by U.S. law (except if it is used to deport them), their children born on American soil should not automatically be considered U.S. citizens, and the Boy Scouts of America can justifiably bar gay members. Why? Forward thinker Eastman cited the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, which found that a homosexual, by definition, is someone lacking in "piety, religion and morality." Eastman's greatest coup was getting John Yoo to spend his sabbatical from UC Berkeley last semester as a visiting law-school professor at Chapman, where he and Eastman vigorously defended Yoo's authorship of torture memos for the Bush White House. However, before writing Chapman off as Liberty University without the Southern drawl, know that the same faculty includes former federal prosecutors such as Katherine Darmer and Lawrence Rosenthal, who are tenacious, intelligent and, compared to Eastman, sane. Oh, to be a fly in the soup at the school's faculty lunch room. Anyone remember the commissary food fight in Blazing Saddles?
The Halos' front office gets scads of credit for its player development and acquisition strategies, and with some exceptions ([cough] Gary Matthews Jr. [cough]), such credit is deserved. But at the first-base position in 2009, they just plain got lucky. Yeah, give them their due for signing Morales in the first place after his much-ballyhooed defection from the Island of Dr. Castreau, but come on: If they really thought Morales was ready to bust out this year, would they have offered Mark Teixeira a $160 flippin' million contract? No, they would not have. But the Angels' plan B—a guy who hadn't played more than 57 games or hit more than five home runs in the bigs—has indeed busted out, smashing more than 30 homers, driving in more than 100 runs, with a slugging percentage lately in the .560s. In fact, he's having a season roughly equivalent offensively to Teixeira. (To be fair, Tex is more patient, drawing more walks; and while Morales' defense has improved this year, he's not making anyone forget Teixeira's two Gold Gloves.) But here's the thing: Tex is earning $20 million from the Yankees this year. Morales' salary? A mere $600,000. ¡Ño! ¡Que barato! And Morales has not only filled Tex's shoes at first, but he has also helped keep thump in a lineup that remained potent, even with Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter hurt for chunks of the year. With the Angels' starting pitching and middle relief in constant chaos, the team has needed that thump to achieve yet another AL West title. So, the only problem we see? Dude needs a nickname. For your consideration: The Cuban Missile. You're welcome.
Maybe it's the beach's relative seclusion, and maybe it's the fact that a cave sounds like a really sweet place to get wasted. Whatever the reason, this small patch of rocks, sand and cavern seems to attract the crowd for whom getting sun-baked goes along with getting sloshed and, well, baked. Keep in mind that if you partake, you tempt the wrath of lifeguards, police and the unforgiving ocean. Our advice: Enjoy the spectacle, but stick to being a designated diver.
According to a recent study by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Orange County has some of the cleanest beaches in the country, and none is cleaner than those in Newport Beach, all of which received five-star rankings. Hygiene counts, and it helps to explain why this year's winning stretch of sand is neither in Huntington Beach, the self-declared "Surf City," or Laguna Beach, which certainly would win the award if a dramatic, cliffy coastline was the only measure of worthiness. Located on the west side of Balboa Boulevard between 61st Street and Island Avenue and encompassing the Newport Beach Pier, this beach offers plenty of metered parking; endless sand, complete with showers, picnic tables and fire pits; and unbeatable waves. The beach closes at 10 p.m., but you can walk or fish on the nearby pier until midnight. If sack lunches aren't your style, there's a ton of nearby stores, bars and food joints, including the legendary Blue Beet and 21 Oceanfront, a swanky, elegant restaurant with ocean views.
Carrie Prejean's tits have nothing on Frida Marin's or the dozen or so other OC beauties who strut their stuff every year for the coveted title of Miss Hermosa y Protegida (Miss Beautiful and Protected). The backstage drama and prep time at the Center OC's Miss Hermosa pageant is enough to put even the sassiest Miss USA contestant in her place. The boys who would be girls competing in Miss Hermosa spend hours building eye-popping curves into their angular bodies before hitting the catwalk. They guard their secrets (such as how to hide it under a bathing suit). No materials are off-limits: Styrofoam, silicone, cotton, netting—they're all in there, and all make for a surprisingly busty and remarkably feminine set of contestants. The transformed girls trot out their new bodies in heels and bathing suits (yes, it's well-hidden), evening gowns and dizzying, elaborate homemade costumes for the recycled-materials competition. As if the great faux-tits-and-ass at this show weren't enough, all contestants also spend part of the night giving impassioned speeches about various sexual-health issues—from domestic violence to hate crimes to STDs. If only Miss USA were this smart a pageant.
Everyone generally agrees that the students in Capistrano Unified School District are good kids; it's the parents and politicians who shoot spitballs. The South County school district has spent half of this decade immersed in "adult-centered" turmoil, stirred up by the alleged misdeeds of superintendent James Fleming (who should be heading to trial any day now) and only made more frothy last year by the election of a board of trustees proclaiming "reform." Personality conflicts, misused funds, statewide budget panic and lingering suspicions that the district's new regime consists of evangelical anti-public-school saboteurs—all these things make the Capistrano Dispatch's Beyond the Blackboard blog reading material that calls for popcorn. Dispatch editor Jonathan Volzke serves up a near-daily dose of gossipy tidbits, connect-the-dots ruminations, unearthed public documents and live updates from the district's marathon board meetings. Extra credit goes to anyone who can identify the trustees, PTA moms and teachers of the year who bicker anonymously in the comments and turn each blog item into a sandbox for grown-ups acting like bullies.
Those associated with this nationwide movement are secular saints, and not just because they share cramped living quarters in a giant Victorian located in a sketchy Santa Ana neighborhood with anyone who needs a roof over their head. Whether advocating for the county's homeless, organizing prayers and food drives, or all the other mandates that Christ demanded of his disciples, the small group (headed by Dwight and Leia Smith) are a breath of fresh air and one of the few truly holy parts of the Diocese of Orange. They're on solid footing now after a long battle with city bureaucrats but are always looking for assistance—and you don't have to be a Papist to help or volunteer.
Okay, so Nadya Suleman only became an OC resident after she—or, rather, her uterus—became famous, but she did graduate from Cal State Fullerton, and more important, she embodies everything that makes OC so uniquely self-centered and craven. Through her bold dedication to plastic surgery, unmatched accumulation of embryos and resource-draining production of future citizens, Octomom is a gloriously vapid example of the greedy, self-centered lifestyle that has made Orange County synonymous with everything wrong with America.
After you've been laid off, you're cash-strapped, so it's great that Working Wardrobes is there to take your old work clothes in exchange for a tax write-off. The clothes then get donated to women, men and youths in need of their first suits for job interviews. Many of the recipients are domestic-abuse victims or have suffered some other kind of trauma. In a recession, when jobs are harder to get than ever, Working Wardrobes' cycle of good essentially does double-duty.
Bowling is the definition of a recreational sport. It consists entirely of hanging out with friends, sitting around in sweet clown shoes, often drinking, and occasionally throwing a ball and sitting back down. It's perfect. But with times being financially tight, it is key to find a good deal for such a timeless pastime. The AMF Forest Lanes offers "quarter mania" every Tuesday from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. The cover charge is only $7, with 50-cent shoe rentals and 75-cent games all night. Yes, the other part of bowling: Behold, cheap food and drinks, including $1.50 nachos, 75-cent pizza slices and $2 draft beer. It fills up fast every week with the high-school and twentysomething crowds, so be sure to get there early and claim a lane.
Orange County loves its pets; the tiny-sweater shops and artisanal treat bakeries prove it. But no one said you have to have pets to love them. Bored? Out of work? Alone? We recommend a trip to your nearest dog park, dog beach or pet shop to play with and ogle the unleashed doggies (with their owners' permission, of course). It's a perfect recession diversion: You can't afford your own waggy-tailed, Frisbee-fetching friend, but a dog park gives you the chance to interact with one for a few hours—and not even have to clean up its not-so-adorable mess.
Sand, pier, surf, waves, breeze . . . Yeah, yeah, coastal OC is pretty great. But any inlander can list some downsides: It's pricey, packed and, often, pretentious. Not so much in San Clemente, though. Laid-back and relatively uncrowded, the town in some ways feels more Baja California than Southern California. There's an art scene, a surf scene and a dining scene, but San Clemente is best-suited for anyone who's post-scene. Another perk: If all that beachy prettiness gets tiresome, there's plenty of freeway access. It's not hard to get away from San Clemente, though it is hard to understand why you'd want to.


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Meet Chris. Chris just made his video go viral. Chris has been a friend of the family since our daughters brought him home to meet us when they were in high school. As a matter of fact, he is such a good friend of ours that we have our own special name for him:… Read more »
Going Viral
Filed under: Carolina Bed and Breakfast, History


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Everyone who's ever gone to school should know how to spell "school," right?
But someone who plastered a school crossing sign on the street in front of a New York City high school got it wrong.
The New York Post reported the big white letters in front of Marta Valle High School on the Lower East Side say "SHCOOL X-NG."
A spokesman for the city Department of Transportation said the error was made by a utility provider, not by the city.
The Post said workers apparently cut into the street several months ago to get to underground utility lines. When utilities or contractors perform work on a city street, they are responsible for restoring it correctly.
The Department of Transportation spokesman said the error will be corrected.
• You can take one look at my "personal bass drum," i.e. big gut, and it doesn't take Dr. Oz to realize I drink too many sodas. But I've never purchased $64 worth. That's a lot of burps, friends.
Massachusetts authorities said a woman bought $64 worth of soda using a stolen welfare benefits card, then immediately fed the full cans into the supermarket's automated redemption machine for the nickel deposit.
Tina Cafarelli, 36, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges including larceny, property destruction and receiving stolen property. She was ordered held on $250 bail.
Police told The Daily Item the electronic benefits card Cafarelli used to buy the 18 12-packs of soda had another person's name on it. The supermarket manager said the full cans caused extensive damage to the redemption machine.
She couldn't be reached for comment — probably because she was trying to run down a Pepsi truck going down the street.
• We've all come across turkeys in the library who just can't be quiet. But police in Deadwood, S.D., are investigating an apparent break-in at a public library where the culprit was an actual turkey that weighed 20-plus-pounds.
Library director Jeanette Chaney-Moodie told the Black Hills Pioneer she headed into work Sunday morning after authorities called her about the apparent break-in.
Deadwood Police Sgt. Ken Mertens said a close inspection revealed the wing-flapping culprit. And, he said, "that turkey wanted back out that hole."
Mertens and the director's husband eventually rounded up the intruder before placing a blanket over its head and escorting it outside.
The bird fled on foot.


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In Beyoncé's Life Is A Dream documentary she touched on her relationship with her rap star husband, her daughter and her one-time manager who happens to be her father. While the husband has remained quiet on the doc, and the daughter is too young to speak, the singer's father, Mathew Knowles, offered some insight into his daughter's new motherly role.
"I'm proud to see her as a mother," Mathew Knowle's told HLN. "I know this was something very important to her. To see her just hold [her daughter] Blue Ivy, that is something very special. I have a picture that nobody else would ever get to see of her holding Blue Ivy and you can see the joy in her face."
While Mr. Knowles was tight with other details about his relationship with Beyoncé and his granddaughter, he did offer a few words on the lip-sync controversy that dogged his daughter when she sang to a backing track at the Presidential inauguration.
"When I see her perform I am so proud, it reminds me of when she was a kid and I know all of her dreams come true," he said. "I can tell the special thing when Beyoncé is really happy, there is a certain way she dances a certain smile she has. I saw that. It brought tears to my eyes. It's a dad thing."
But was the criticism fair?
"Beyoncé is a performer and she gave an awesome performance. I'm proud of her," he said. "I've been in entertainment for twenty years, there is no such thing as fair."
–E. Parker, Radio.com


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"If Congress were to stop with enactment of the spending reconciliation bill, they could take credit for a modest deficit reduction package. Unfortunately, Congressional leaders have made it clear that when Congress returns next year the first item on the legislative agenda will be tax cuts that are more than twice the size of the spending cuts now being considered. The only way for Congress to make the title of the "Deficit Reduction Act" a reality is if they quit while they are ahead on the deficit and re-establish pay-as-you-go rules requiring offsets for all tax cuts and entitlement spending increases," said Robert L. Bixby, Executive Director of The Concord Coalition.
Bixby made his comments while releasing The Concord Coalition's "Seven Signs of Fiscal Sense" for evaluating budget plans and an accompanying analysis of current Congressional budget actions under those criteria. Concord's Seven Signs of Fiscal Sense are:
1. Does the plan achieve actual deficit reduction?
2. Does the budget plan build on realistic assumptions?
3. Does the budget plan contain offsets for new initiatives?
4. Does the budget plan achieve a path of sustainable deficit reduction beyond the forecast year window?
5. Does the budget plan share the burden of deficit reduction across generations and income levels?
6. Does the plan establish credible enforcement mechanisms?
7. Is the plan politically viable over the long-term?
"A serious deficit reduction effort will require difficult choices and tradeoffs. The arithmetic is simple: our nation cannot afford to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, increase funding for homeland security, rebuild the Gulf Coast, adequately prepare for the retirement of the baby boom generation and meet other national needs while simultaneously cutting taxes and maintaining current spending levels for all other programs," said Bixby.
The Concord Coalition's "Seven Signs of Fiscal Sense" (PDF format; Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
The accompanying Analysis of Current Congressional Budget Actions (PDF format; Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
The Concord Coalition is a nonpartisan, grass roots organization dedicated to balanced federal budgets and generationally responsible fiscal policy. Former U.S. Senators Warren Rudman (R-NH) and Bob Kerrey (D-NE) serve as Concord's co-chairs and former Secretary of Commerce Peter Peterson serves as president.
CONTACT: Harry Zeeve (703) 894-6222 [email protected]


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The bride-elect is the daughter of Bonnie King of Mountain Home and Allen Ricci of Gosnell. Her grandparents are Mary Hughes of Mountain Home, Joseph Chambers of Kentucky and Norman Ricci and the late Debbie Ricci of Cumberland, Wis. She is a graduate of Mountain Home High School and Marsha Kay Beauty College of Mountain Home. She is a hairstylist at JCPenney Salon in Russellville.
The prospective groom is the son of Carol Findley-Chilcoat and Todd Chilcoat of Russellville. His grandparents are the Rev. Gene Findley-Jones and the late Rev. L.B. Findley and Floyd and Rose Chilcoat, all of Russellville. He is a graduate of Pottsville High School, attended Arkansas Tech University and is employed at Cogswell Motors.
The couple will exchange vows at 1 p.m. Feb. 18, 2012 at Restoration Church. Invitations are being sent and friends and relatives are invited. A reception will follow after the ceremony at Restoration Church.


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Recipes for Change: Will Allen
Date: 6:30pm EDT April 17, 2014
The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities
Will Allen, Founder and CEO, Growing Power Inc. Will Allen, son of a sharecropper, former professional basketball player, ex-corporate sales leader and now farmer, has become recognized as among the preeminent thinkers of our time on agriculture and food policy. The founder and CEO of Growing Power Inc., a farm and community food center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Will is widely considered the leading authority in the expanding field of urban agriculture. At Growing Power and in community food projects across the nation and around the world, Will promotes the belief that all people, regardless of their economic circumstances, should have access to fresh, safe, affordable and nutritious foods at all times. Using methods he has developed over a lifetime, Will trains community members to become community farmers, assuring them a secure source of good food without regard to political or economic forces. In 2008, Will was named a John D. and Katherine T. McArthur Foundation Fellow and was awarded a prestigious foundation "genius grant" for his work – only the second farmer ever to be so honored. He is also a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, and in February 2010, he was invited to the White House to join First Lady Michelle Obama in launching "Let's Move!" her signature leadership program to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity in America. In May 2010, Time magazine named Will to the Time 100 World's Most Influential People. http://www.growingpower.org/about_us.htm
This lecture is the last of four lectures in the Recipes for Change series. This series is sponsored by the C.V Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, the Center for Environment & Society, and the Anthropology Department.


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Say this for USD's football team: the Toreros beat the stuffing out of schools starting from scratch.
Last week in Leland, Fla., it was the Stetson Hatters, strapping on helmets for the first time since 1956. Final score: USD 59, the Not So Mad Hatters 0.
Saturday at sun-splashed Torero Stadium, in front of 1,515, it was Mercer. The team from Macon, Ga., last lined up 11-on-11 in 1941. Final score: USD 45, Mercer 13.
USD head coach Dale Lindsey offered no apologies for the blowouts.
"I didn't ask 'em to start (football)," said Lindsey.
USD improved to 3-2, 2-0 in the Pioneer Football League. Mercer dropped to 4-1 and 1-1.
USD running back Kenn James lined up in front of the sparsely attended student end zone section, fielded the opening kickoff on the five, burst up the middle, spotted an opening at about the 25, veered left and the next time he was touched was in the end zone, teammates leaping into his arms.
It was his first kickoff return of the season.
"When I see a hole, my eyes get real big," said James, a 5-foot-7, 175-pound Mt. Carmel High product. "Then I just burst and a few seconds later I was in the end zone celebrating with all my teammates. Best feeling in the world."
Fifth-year senior quarterback Mason Mills continued rewriting the Toreros record book. Mills played a near flawless game, completing 23 of 27 passes for 413 yards and 3 TDs. Three of his incompletions were throwaways, the fourth a drop.
"He knew where the ball was supposed to go," Lindsey said. "When you've been around four, five years, that's what you're expected to do. He does a real good job of that."
Mills has now erased Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback Josh Johnson's name from the record book for career attempts (1,105 to 1,065) and completions (744 to 724). Next, barring injury, will be Johnson's career passing yardage mark of 9,699. Mills sits at 9,170.
USD led 28-13 at the half, but Lindsey was not pleased with his defense.
"The first half we were not tackling, we were soft as hell," said the 70-year-old first-year head coach. "Mercer just knocked us all over the place."
The Toreros limited the Bears to 68 yards in the second half. The visitors went three-and-out on three consecutive series.
"It was boring," said safety Matt Miller. "But a good kind of boring."
Asked the gist of his halftime defensive message, Lindsey said, "It's not printable."
The Toreros were big-play opportunists, scoring on James' 95-yard kickoff return, a 50-yard James run, a 40-yard Mills to Brandon White pass and a 46-yard Mills to Sam Hoekstra strike.
The Charmin-soft section of the schedule is history for the Toreros. Next up is a Saturday home game vs. Marist, from Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Like USD, the Red Foxes are 2-0 in the PFL.
"The rest of the teams we play," Lindsey said, "they're not going to be shaking in their boots."


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(SportsNetwork.com) - The hobbled Carolina Hurricanes will try to put the brakes on a three-game losing streak when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning in Friday's clash at PNC Arena.
The Hurricanes have lost three straight games -- all in regulation -- to match an 0-1-2 stretch from Oct. 11-15 for their longest win drought of the young season.
Carolina is playing without its top two goaltenders, as both starter Cam Ward and backup Anton Khudobin are currently sidelined with lower-body injuries. That has left Justin Peters as the de facto No. 1 and he is 0-3-0 with a 3.13 goals against average and .893 save percentage this season.
With Ward and Khudobin still weeks away from returning, Peters expects to see his third straight start in net on Friday.
Carolina's Jeff Skinner also is sidelined with an upper-body injury and the speedy winger will miss a third straight game on Friday. Skinner, who has three goals and six assists this season, will sit out Saturday's road tilt against the New York Rangers as well.
The 'Canes could get forward Radek Dvorak back Friday after he sat out Monday's loss to Pittsburgh with a lower-body injury.
Carolina lost a 3-1 decision Monday against the visiting Penguins. Nathan Gerbe had a power-play goal to account for all of the Hurricanes' offense, while Peters surrendered all three goals on 29 shots.
"We're not giving up much, but when we do, like tonight, the good players capitalize on us," Carolina head coach Kirk Muller remarked. "We need more from other people as well."
The setback dropped Carolina's home record to 1-2-3 this season.
Tampa Bay will try to get back in the win column Friday after losing a 2-1 regulation decision Tuesday night in New Jersey. Jaromir Jagr and Adam Henrique scored one goal apiece for the Devils, while New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur only needed to make 16 saves for the win.
Steven Stamkos scored his ninth goal of the season for Tampa Bay, but Ben Bishop allowed both goals on 22 shots in the setback.
"We have a game plan in place and it gets a little frustrating when we don't execute our plan," Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. "If you're going to get less than 20 shots in a hockey game, that's not very hard to play against."
Tampa Bay had won three straight prior to Tuesday's loss and has taken four of five and nine of the last 13 meetings with the Hurricanes. Carolina and the Lightning used to play in the same division -- the now-defunct Southeast -- before this season's realignment placed Tampa in the Atlantic and moved the 'Canes to the Metropolitan Division.
Carolina halted a four-game series losing streak against the Bolts with a 3-2 win in Tampa win the clubs last met on April 21 of last season. The Lightning have claimed four straight and seven of the past eight encounters in Raleigh.


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Craig Gillespie
Jon Hamm
Bill Paxton
Lake Bell
Suraj Sharma
Aasif Mandvi
Madhur Mittal
Alan Arkin
Just months before, these young men had never held a baseball. Neither speaks English, both are achingly homesick, and they're drilling each day for an upcoming MLB tryout. But the movie sidelines all this real-life drama to shove Hamm into the oldest of plots: The Businessman Who Stops Putting Business First But Is Rewarded in the End with a Great Success in Business Anyway.
Still, much of Million Dollar Arm is pretty good for a movie committed to the wrong character's story. The much stronger first half covers JB's tour of India with his Million Dollar Arm pitching contest. He sees this cricket-obsessed nation as an unexploited resource: Surely someone there has MLB-level "juice." This plays as a bustling travelogue, a splendidly shot comedy that tickles at a self-involved American's frustrations at the differences between here and there.
If the filmmakers had later afforded their Indian characters the screentime and agency JB enjoyed on his adventure, Million Dollar Arm might have distinguished itself. Instead, its only suspense comes from wondering how far the story will go before departing this world for the land of sports-movie magic.
Craig Gillespie Jon Hamm, Bill Paxton, Lake Bell, Suraj Sharma, Aasif Mandvi, Madhur Mittal, Pitobash, Alan Arkin Tom McCarthy Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray Walt Disney Pictures


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hey guys!
I dont have much to say about myself here except that i am a Harry Potter FREAK!!!!! I love reading Harry/Ginny as well asDraco/Ginny fics.
please read Mountains To Climb, my first fic which is a romantic story between Draco, Ginny and the most painful as well as beautiful thing in the world-LOVE


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Man killed in unusual traffic accident on North Loop
Updated 10:26 am, Saturday, November 2, 2013
Houston police are investigating a unusual traffic fatality involving a 26-year-old man, who witnesses say was waving and laughing Friday night as he stood in the middle of swerving traffic on the North Loop before being struck by a passing vehicle.
The man, whose name was not released, died instantly about 9:30 p.m. after the driver of a gray Jeep Cherokee plowed into him in the east-bound 6100 block of the North Loop. An autopsy has been ordered to determine if the victim had drugs or alcohol in his system.
The driver of the Jeep showed no sign of being impaired and was released at the scene while the investigation continues, said Jodi Silva, Houston police spokeswoman.
Witnesses described the victim as deliberately moving in front of fast-traveling vehicles that dodged to avoid him until he was struck by the Jeep.


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Thanks for helping us sort this video!
Thanks for helping us associate the correct Pornstars to this video!
Помогите нам: эти порнозвезды присутствуют в этом видео?
Pornstar Name:
she is superbeautiful
meine güte hat sie schöne füße- total süß und hübsch lackiert
wow this bitch its pretty tight
"you don't have anything, right?" LOL... she was good among the best this clown has had, hope she got some real work... Me thinks Rick has been thrown out of several office parks..
Hahahaha he straight left her there hahaha
I know this dude doesn't get girls jobs, but I DEFINITELY wanna see more of this girl.
this girl is very beautiful there should not go by these paths
dats sum gud shit..
She's awesome..... hey Dude.... go down this path....
that dude is on lucky mother fucker
think she had fun :-)
what a hoe
DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a beautiful woman. I would take my time with her. make hot intimate love with her. I would fuck her real slow and close savoring each moment with her. shes too pretty for porn. Where the fuck does Rick find these women? This woman. Shes a woman alright and shes definitely a sex freak/nympho. NOW TIME FOR ME TO JACK OFF. L8rz
awww man
Lol so sexy
Esta mas o menos guapa
She looks like Snooky
Fuck that dude...I could get mor ass than him...
she looks like sonny moore....
in Austria sagt MANN !!ablöde KUAH.
This girl really needs a baby.
He needs to pimp them out
Her voice changed to Britney Spears during sex...
Why can't you see his face
That cock is the biggest cock I ever seen in my while life.I want to fuck him.He looks like Kane on the WWE
If that's the biggest cock you've ever seen you haven't seen many, that's like the smallest dick in porn. Still love his vids
im jelous of this guy i know what he does is kinda fucked up but he gets to fuck all these hot chicks for free i envy him
she doesn't need to get a job. I'll support her
so great ass
Nicolletta. Nikola
My favorite part of these vids is. This is going to producers nobody else will see this Ya fucking right more like 4 million random ppl
she is very sexy....i want 2 fuck hr 500 times
I liked her just fine.........
conmited with porn small and cute,sexy young teen.
omg she is so sexy,her moans made me jizz all over myself
i love and i also want to try
daaammnnnn so hot so pretty so hardddd, WTF! lucky man who fuck her! :)
does that turn you on? - it turns lot of people on... fucking idiot...
Buddy how do I become u
name ?
"No Job"? Only a blowjob.
Tight basted! Taking her clothes was fuckin bang outa order!
she is hot! im going russia if thats how girls there do
Does he run off with somethin of hers?
she reminds me of Natasha Nice but smaller tits
I love the fact this girl has a boyfriend who approves of her being here knowing this guy is gonna fuck her.I'm beginning to frequently fantasize that my wife is onthis site for an audition. Then he has her strip suck his cock and eat her pussy. Then fucks her cunt or ass on the couch or bent over the desk.
haha... he knows we need the money. thats why we're doing it. Nice boyfriend!
I like how she asks if he has anything AFTER.
im sure if these girls didnt get paid or wot ever, im 100% the guy would have his head kicked in after all the girls you find one that will find out these are on the net. and who he is or where he is.. girls arent this easy at all.
she has beauty body fuck that ass
Hot damn!
She wants to get her GED. "You dont have anything right" and what if he did? you say something like that before you fuck someone
Rickrolled yes she did..
That pussy has been with a lot of cock! And she asks about HIM having something?
I wish he gave her a job, damn she's beautiful (:
wat a slag trying to do this when she has a boyfriend... i hope he dos the smart thing and gives that girl the boot
I love him, I have seen him do this so many times and it's still funny
did she said "Oh Rick, fuck that pussy? @09:20...
she looks like a student in my art class
have a nice pussy
oh god she is freaking awsome
i wanna fuck her!
shes so hot bro
suck on your towzz hehehe dirty girl
I know her !
To be asking if he has anything.
10:49 "...and you dont have anything right?" hahaha nice thing to ask AFTER you got fucked with no condom
Damn I like her. :D
the sounds she makes when she's getting assfucked made me jizz soo hard.
Clearly not the brightest girl out there. Just the way she speaks. She obviously dropped out of school saying like " FUCK THIS, I'm becoming a stripper.
Dang!! Hate birth control girls. Just wanna cum without them on it
lol, 'is he like the jealous type' he's afraid hes gonna get his ass kicked :P
A-1 good photography.She was really good ,they really got me off.
Rick.s the man....awesome job .
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text:
Josh Dirksen getting deep in Japan. PHOTO: Ashley Barker
Early in March Ashley Barker and the Salomon team made a last minute trip to Japan. Along for the journey were Josh Dirksen, Bode Merrill, Java, Nobu (our guide and friend) Chris Grenier, LNP, and Louif Paradis. Check out some photos of the pow, the food, and all good times while traveling…….
Photos by Ashley Barker


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Skip to comments.Blackwater license being pulled in Iraq
Posted on 09/17/2007 4:34:26 AM PDT by decimon
BAGHDAD - The Interior Ministry said Monday that it was pulling the license of an American security firm allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of civilians during an attack on a U.S. State Department motorcade in Baghdad.
The ministry said it would prosecute any foreign contractors found to have used excessive force in the Sunday incident.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalaf said eight people were killed and 13 were wounded when security contractors working for Blackwater USA opened fire in a predominantly Sunni neighborhood of western Baghdad.
"We have canceled the license of Blackwater and prevented them from working all over Iraqi territory. We will also refer those involved to Iraqi judicial authorities," Khalaf said.
Blackwater, based in North Carolina, provides security for many U.S. civilian operations in the country. Phone messages left early Monday at Blackwater's office in North Carolina and with a company spokeswoman were not immediately returned.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman said witness reports pointed to Blackwater involvement but said the incident was still under investigation. It was not immediately clear if the measure against Blackwater was intended to be temporary or permanent.
U.S. troops are immune from prosecution in Iraq under the U.N. resolution that authorizes their presence, but Khalaf said the exemption does not apply to private security companies.
The U.S. Embassy said a State Department motorcade came under small-arms fire that disabled one of the vehicles, which had to be towed from the scene near Nisoor Square in the Mansour district.
An embassy official provided no information about Iraqi casualties but said no State Department personnel were wounded or killed. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.
He said the shooting was being investigated by the State Department's diplomatic security service, and law enforcement officials working with the Iraqi government and the U.S. military.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki late Sunday condemned the shooting by a "foreign security company" and called it a "crime."
Tens of thousands of private security contractors operate in Iraq some with automatic weapons, body armor, helicopters and bulletproof vehicles.
The contractors, including many Americans and Britons, provide protection for Westerners and dignitaries in Iraq as the country has plummeted toward anarchy and civil war.
Many have been accused of indiscriminately firing at American and Iraqi troops, and of shooting to death an unknown number of Iraqi citizens who got too close to their heavily armed convoys, but none has faced charges or prosecution.
Iraqi police said the contractors were in a convoy of six sport utility vehicles and left the scene after the shooting. A witness said the gunfire broke out following an explosion.
"We saw a convoy of SUVs passing in the street nearby. One minute later, we heard the sound of a bomb explosion followed by gunfire that lasted for 20 minutes between gunmen and the convoy people who were foreigners and dressed in civilian clothes. Everybody in the street started to flee immediately," said Hussein Abdul-Abbas, who owns a mobile phone store in the area.
The wartime numbers of private guards are unprecedented as are their duties, many of which have traditionally been done by soldiers. They protect U.S. military operations and have guarded high-ranking officials including Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Baghdad.
They also protect journalists, visiting foreign officials and thousands of construction projects.
Thousands of Iraqi citizens are being murdered every year by terrorists, many of them from Iran and Syria, and the Iraqi Government is getting its panties in a wad over the actions of a few Blackwater contractors?
Blackwater contractors dress like Security Contractors, not like the military. They do not wear US military uniforms or anything remotly like them.
I wouldn't suggest that at all. Blackwater can provide security services to the Iraqis, the State dept or even our military forces. I just don't think we need to set a precedent of using mercenaries to do our fighting. So, I'd say they shouldn't be used as snipers or in any offensive operations. Defensive is OK.
Do you have a problem with a private firm cleaning portajohns and showers so that the troops have clean facilities?
Heck the troops could do this themselves, right?
There's also a lot of security needed for non military projects over there.
Nothing wrong with civilians doing this kind of work.
Thanks, was gonna adress that but you beat me to it.
Sniping isn't security work.
Sometimes defensive operations become a bit agressive, but that's the way it is.
"Phone messages left early Monday at Blackwater's office in North Carolina and with a company spokeswoman were not immediately returned."
Story filed at 6:40 am Monday?
I have no problem with Black Water, they provide a needed service over there that frees up out troops to go out and kick some ass in planned offensives.
If anyone has links to "planned ops" by Black Water, I would love to read them.
I sent this story to my brother, who works for the competition. Here's his response....
Bro.... Triple Canopy classifies it's guys working in Iraq as Employees and we have to pay the extra money that goes with that classification. We figure we have lost several VERY high dollar contracts (Millions of dollars of lost contracts) because of this Contractor vs.. Employee tap-dance. Blackwater, as an example, classifies its workers as Independent Contractors and we classify the same job requirement as Independent Employees. This costs TC around 8 million a year in taxes to hire the same guys BW hires. You can't be very project cost completive when the competition has an 8 million a year advantage over you.
That said, we have brought this tactic to the attention of the IRS and the US State Department and they both just look the other way. What many of these Contract Officers that award these big contracts are saying is, "Ya can't compete unless you cheat," and TC won't succumb to the bottom feeder attitude!
Pass this along to your IRS friends!!
Senators Seek to Curtail Tax Avoidance
By Misclassifying Workers as Contractors
Four Democratic senators Sept. 13 unveiled legislation (S. 2044) aimed at closing a "loophole" in federal law allowing businesses to classify workers as independent contractors, rather than employees, because of concerns that firms are using it to avoid payment of payroll taxes.
Critics of a safe harbor provision in Section 530 of the Revenue Act of 1978 say that it prohibits the Internal Revenue Service from collecting employment taxes from employers who "reasonably" misclassify their workers.
Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) see that provision as a tool allowing some firms to "cheat" workers and taxpayers out of money, benefits, and worker protections.
"Most employers treat their workers fairly, paying them a decent wage and providing the benefits they deserve. But we must fix the system to stop those few employers from breaking the rules and exploiting this tax loophole at the expense of taxpayers and our workers' safety and security," Obama said in a joint statement with the other senators.
Meanwhile, the senators said firms following the rules as intended by Congress are at a competitive disadvantage because of their higher employment costs.
In unveiling the "Independent Contractor Proper Classification Act of 2007," the senators said the federal government needs more tools to collect the taxes employers owe and provide more enforcement for firms wrongly classifying their workers as independent contractors.
The bill also will strengthen employment laws to identify employers in major industries who wrongly classify their workers as independent contractors and will require greater cooperation between the IRS and the Department of Labor in enforcing the law.
'Cheating of the Worst Kind.'
"Improperly labeling workers as independent contractors is cheating of the worst kind," Kennedy said in a statement. "Companies resorting to this dishonest practice avoid paying the taxes they owe and deny their employees their legal rights, including the right to a safe workplace, the right to the minimum wage, and the right to overtime pay. I'm proud to be a sponsor of this legislation to crack down on these unscrupulous employers."
House lawmakers have also been looking at a change in the provision and the House Ways and Means Select Revenue Measures and Income Security and Family Support subcommittees held a hearing on the topic in May (89 DTR G-1, 5/9/07 ).
Select Revenue Subcommittee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said the Government Accountability Office has estimated that misclassification of workers can reduce federal revenues by up to $4.7 billion annually.
"It seems clear we must do something to reverse the trend," Neal said. GAO, however, said no definitive test exists yet to distinguish whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor.
Document Date: September 13, 2007
To provide procedures for the proper classification of employees and independent contractors, and for other purposes.
Mr. OBAMA (for himself, Mr. DURBIN, and Mr. KENNEDY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
To provide procedures for the proper classification of employees and independent contractors, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the "Independent Contractor Proper Classification Act of 2007".
(a) ALLOWANCE OF PROSPECTIVE RECLASSIFICATIONS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 530(a) of the Revenue Act of 1978, as amended by section 269(c)(1) of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
"(5) ALLOWANCE OF RECLASSIFICATIONS.—Paragraph (1) shall not apply with respect to the treatment by a taxpayer of any individual for employment tax purposes for any period beginning after a determination by the Secretary of the Treasury that the individual should be treated as an employee of the taxpayer.".
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by this subsection shall apply to determinations made after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(b) ELIMINATION OF BAN ON IRS ISSUING REGULATIONS OR REVENUE RULINGS ON EMPLOYEE/INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR STATUS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 530 of the Revenue Act of 1978, as amended by section 269(c)(2) of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982, section 1706(a) of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, section 1122(a) of the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996, and section 864(a) of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, is amended by striking subsection (b) and by redesignating subsections (c), (d), (e), and (f) as subsections (b), (c), (d), and (e), respectively.
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this subsection shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.
(c) ELIMINATION OF ABILITY OF EMPLOYERS TO RELY ON INDUSTRY PRACTICE AS A BASIS FOR CLAIMING SAFE HARBOR.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 530(a)(2) of the Revenue Act of 1978 is amended—
(A) by striking the semicolon at the end of subparagraph (A) and inserting "; or",
(B) by striking the semicolon at the end of subparagraph (B) and inserting a period, and
(C) by striking subparagraph (C).
(A) Section 530(d)(2) of the Revenue Act of 1978, as redesignated by subsection (b)(1), is amended
(i) by striking the comma at the end of subparagraph (A) and inserting a period,
(ii) by striking subparagraphs (B) and (C), and
(iii) by striking "subsection (a)(2)" in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) and all that follows through "a taxpayer" and inserting "subsection (a)(2), a taxpayer".
(B) Section 530(d)(4)(B) of such Act (as so redesignated) is amended by striking "subparagraph (A), (B), or (C)" and inserting "subparagraph (A) or (B)".
(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this subsection shall apply to periods beginning after the date which is 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 530 of the Revenue Act of 1978, as amended by section 2(b)(1), is amended by adding at the end the following new subsections: "(f) PETITIONS FOR REVIEW OF STATUS.—
"(1) IN GENERAL.—Under procedures established by the Secretary of the Treasury not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this subsection, any individual who performs services for a taxpayer may petition (either personally or through a designated representative or attorney) for a determination of the individual's status for employment tax purposes.
"(2) ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES.—The procedures established under paragraph (1) shall provide for—
"(A) a determination of status not later than 90 days after the filing of the petition with respect to employment in any industry (such as the construction industry) in which employment is transient, casual, or seasonal,
"(B) an administrative appeal of any determination that an individual is not an employee of the taxpayer,
"(C) the award of expenses, including expert witness fees and reasonable attorneys' fees for the individual against the taxpayer in any case in which the individual achieves reclassification, and
"(D) the assessment of such expenses against the taxpayer by the Secretary of the Treasury on behalf of such individual. "(3) PROHIBITION AGAINST RETALIATION.—"(A) IN GENERAL.—No taxpayer may discharge an individual, refuse to contract with an individual, or otherwise discriminate against an individual with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of the services provided by the individual because the individual (or any designated representative or attorney on behalf of such individual) filed a petition under paragraph (1).
"(B) ENFORCEMENT ACTION.—An individual who alleges discharge or other discrimination by any taxpayer in violation of subparagraph (A) may seek relief under the procedures and remedies established under section 42121 of title 49, United States Code.
"(C) RIGHTS RETAINED BY INDIVIDUAL.—Nothing in this paragraph shall be deemed to diminish the rights, privileges, or remedies of any individual under any Federal or State law, or under any collective bargaining agreement.
"(g) RESULTS OF MISCLASSIFICATION DETERMINATIONS.—In any case in which the Secretary of the Treasury determines that a taxpayer has misclassified an individual as not an employee for employment tax purposes, the Secretary of the Treasury shall—
"(1) if necessary, perform an employment tax audit of such taxpayer,
"(2) inform the Department of Labor about such misclassification,
"(3) notify the individual of any eligibility for the refund of self-employment taxes under chapter 2 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and
"(4) apply the provisions of section 3509 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and direct the taxpayer to take affirmative action to abate the violation.".
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by this section shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.
(a) ANNUAL REPORTS.—The Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor shall each issue annual reports on worker misclassification, including—
(1) information on the number and type of enforcement actions against, and audits of, employers who have misclassified workers,
(2) relief obtained as a result of such actions against, and audits of, employers who have misclassified workers,
(3) an overall estimate of the number of employers misclassifying workers, the number of workers affected, and the industries involved,
(4) the impact of such misclassification on the Federal tax system, and
(5) the aggregate number of worker misclassification cases with respect to which each Secretary has provided information to the other Secretary and the outcome of actions taken, if any, by each Secretary in each worker misclassification case with respect to which the Secretary has received such information.
As part of the annual report, the Secretary of the Treasury shall include information on the outcomes of the petitions filed under section 530(f) of the Revenue Act of 1978 and the Secretary of Labor shall include information on the outcomes of the complaints and actions described in subsection (b)(1)(A) and the investigations required in subsection (b)(1)(B).
(b) ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES.—
(A) WAGE AND HOUR ENFORCEMENT.—The Secretary of Labor shall identify and track complaints and enforcement actions involving misclassification of independent contractors for the purposes of the laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor.
(B) INVESTIGATIONS OF INDUSTRIES WITH WORKER MISCLASSIFICATIONS.—The Secretary of Labor shall conduct investigations of industries in which worker misclassification is present as determined by information (other than return information (as defined in section 6103(b)(2)) received from the Secretary of the Treasury and any other relevant information, including reports from other Federal agencies and State workforce, labor, and revenue agencies.
(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized such sums as are necessary for the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Labor to carry out the purposes of the provisions of, and amendments made by, this Act.
(3) INFORMATION SHARING.—The Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor shall exchange information on worker misclassification cases and shall provide such information with relevant State agencies. Upon receipt of such information, the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of
Labor shall determine whether further investigation is warranted in each case.
(a) NOTICE OF RIGHT TO CHALLENGE CLASSIFICATION.—The Secretary of Labor shall provide for the placement of information on any poster required under the Fair Labor Standards Act informing workers of their right to seek a status determination from the Internal Revenue Service.
(b) EMPLOYER NOTICES TO INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS.—Each employer shall notify any individual who is hired by the employer as an independent contractor within the scope of the employer's trade or business, at the time of hire, of the Federal tax obligations of an independent contractor, the labor and employment law protections that do not apply to independent contractors, and the right of such independent contractor to seek a status determination from the Internal Revenue Service. The Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor shall develop model materials for providing such notice.
(c) MAINTENANCE OF INFORMATION REGARDING INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS.—Each employer shall maintain for 3 years a list of the independent contractors retained by the employer, including name, address, Social Security number and Federal tax identification number, and shall make the records available for inspection during investigations.
roger - roger.
I'm off to the store, but I'll be back to read all the flames I get, due to the fact that Dems suggested the rule change...
Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be one. We're stuck with analyzing the crap and reading between the lines, supplementing it with firsthand accounts that relate to the poorly-reported stories, that sort of thing.
Right, I guess the company spokesman they refer to was the night watchman.
Employees have sponsored transportation in and out of theater as well as company provided equipment, tools, supplies, etc.
IC's don't, have to supply their own and can be "on their own" at critical times.
The game isn't for the squeamish, that's for sure.
My wife's cousin works for Blackwater and has for about 10 years now. He was in Kosovo prior to Iraq. The State Department and the military use Blackwater for a variety of things. Personal body guards for high level officials, training of Iraqi security and police forces, etc. My wife's cousin was Paul Bremmer's personal body guard.
LOL....then I literally bumped into him in the Green Zone once!
I wasn't aware that AP or vanities were the only choices.
BTW I wasn't being critical of your posting an AP story. We need to know what's being reported, accurately or otherwise. AP usually includes facts but often obscures or tempers them with crAP and sometimes just plain false reports by phony sources. They've been caught too many times to pretend otherwise.
Of which news services do you approve?
I approve of news services who have never been caught outright lying. Mistakes are another thing. If immediately corrected (and in the same prominence as the original inaccurate report), honest mistakes aren't the same as lying.
Honest being key here: not bothering to verify a questionable source and going with the story as fact is NOT honest and I never again trust anyone or any paper, magazine or TV/radio report who does so and I think anyone who does is stoooopid. That doesn't mean we shouldn't post it here to pick out any facts and pick apart the rest.
Maybe 'cause the military doesn't want protect the whiny stripped pants pukes from the State Department?
ooops, sorry. I meant to include a ping to you in #37.
Thanks for the reasoned reply but I must persist. I'd like for someone to name a trustworthy news source.
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text:
© 2011 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Game can play small role as we grieve, unite
By Dinn Mann / MLB.com
This story was originally published on MLB.com in 2001.
NEW YORK -- Our otherwise gorgeous view has been violated by a haunting off-white cloud.The offices of MLB.com sit on Manhattan's lower west side, about two miles from the World Trade Center and mere blocks from an area littered with ashes and debris. It is a neighborhood shaken by terrorism. Across one street is St. Vincent's Hospital, ready but quiet in light of ugliness too severe for survival. Across another street, an upscale rec facility fills the need for a rescue staging area, donation center and morgue. This way for injuries; that way for death. From here, the aftermath of Tuesday's hijackings, crashes and the collapse of two globally recognized towers is eerie beyond explanation. Yet, something significant was clear on three subsequent days of walks from Midtown toward Chelsea and a forever-changed workplace. New York is responding to this brush with hell in a remarkable display of order, resolve and heroism. What any of this has to do with Major League Baseball is a fair question. The answer? Nothing. And everything. Make no mistake, where the world goes now has little to do with trivial ballgames or entertainment options. In reality, the connection of our nation's healing process with baseball is no different than its connection with major sports in general, or with films, concerts, parades and Broadway shows -- any events where people gather and enjoy the very gift of life. Symbolically, though, as we hit the pause button on our digital cable, e-mails and bumper-to-bumper SUVs, live sporting events do tend to beckon like shaded porch swings, as a break from unwelcome stress and a place for families and friends to chat away the hours. And the game of Ruth and Gehrig, of Musial and Robinson, of Koufax, Clemente and Aaron, has been there for generations, swaying back and forth. Beginning Monday, baseball is in position to play a meaningful role as citizens congregate, vent and reflect while next steps unfold. But it would not be sufficient to proceed with ballgames as mere vehicles of escape from this utterly offensive news. As America's pastime, and as a game with growing international reach, baseball has the responsibility to carry an honorable torch and to effectively communicate defining messages. Like America itself, baseball is resilient and empowered to inspire. It is U.S. history, in many ways, with every season a patch on our country's for-better-or-worse quilt. And so at these crossroads, Major League ballparks sit, waiting, ultimately prepared for goosebumps -- the kind brought by this global game's decisive moments and exceptional players, yes; but more important, for the goosebumps that cover the skin when total strangers hold hands, when candles are lit, songs are sung and flags are waved, when expressions of solidarity and strength are captured for the world to see.
This resumption of games is not about attendance. It is not about fresh network programming. It is not about preventing a postseason that creeps toward Thanksgiving. Nobody could care less about those things under these circumstances.Our worlds have been inundated and dazed by unmeasurable misery and everlasting loops of footage, scenes that horrify from every televised angle. Miles of Manhattan walls, lampposts and windows are papered with handbills about the unaccounted for, their photos borrowed from everyday frames and albums, each human face grabbing our hearts far more than any crumbled buildings ever will. The time for a public postcard and an honest display of patriotism is here. Living goes on. No spin, no rehearsals necessary, just the gathering places. The rest takes care of itself. Today's New Yorkers are Exhibit A of that. From the medical community, firefighters, the mayor and police, to the street vendors, volunteers, people of all sexes, faiths and races, New York is showing the calm kindness and community of a gigantic small town. And this, in the shadow of unprecedented shock. It seems improper to try putting Tuesday's events in the context of anything that preceded them. We've heard mention of Pearl Harbor, the assassinations of President Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Oklahoma City bombing, on and on, as if a scorecard ranking past ordeals is necessary. Let's be honest. Every last recollection of disturbing, frozen infamy on our planet need not be reduced to comparative reference material. Still more out of place is any serious mention of action films or spy novels as similar to the hideous mass murder that has occurred. To the larger point, our world is looking forward already, with little ones and their humbled role models praying for answers, learning from trauma and angry at the capabilities of evil. That anger is unmistakable here in New York, yet under control. People appear grim-faced but kind-hearted at once as they make their way along sidewalks. Eye contact is a good deal more frequent than before, less awkward, not accidental. Tuesday, to be sure, a bond was reborn, America the beautiful. It is easy to spot in a crowd, in the flood of funerals to come, in houses of worship, vigils, at the shopping malls and stadiums, in every eye. Tears, silence and determined stares speak volumes. The cloud outside our office windows kept shifting slowly all week, growing at its base in a gray fog. It behaved as if obligated to remain, concealing this frightful raw gash in our skyline. It is not necessary. New York has gotten on with the process of recovery, of focus on the souls and not the rubble. But what will people see when this unnatural, smoky haze is gone? A reminder of hatred, enemies and emptiness? Once-magnificent towers, hard-working people and a hopeful tomorrow? Count on our memories to paint it both ways, depending on the day. Any view toward Wall Street aside, people from coast to coast have something profound to share right now. And that is, an honest portrait of our free and brave public, of Old Glory and new momentum. With every necessary precaution taken, each ballpark has the chance to accompany many of us on a portion of the journey from mourning to rejuvenation. The power and sounds of people by the thousands singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" and about beautiful, spacious skies can only help.
Dinn Mann, senior vice president and editor-in-chief of MLB.com, is based in New York. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text: I'll start... I'm curious to see are your expectations different in gender versus mixed. I'm especially curious to hear what women expect playing women's doubles. In men's doubles. 1. I expect guys to come to the net first and foremost. I hate playing with a guy that thinks he can hit his way through two guys coming into the net from two feet behind the baseline. 2. Another pet peave is get your damn serve in. I don't want hear that you have to hit it 120 to get it in(One guy told me that). 3. The last thing is move with me if the ball is hit to me. The court basically moves with the ball. If they run me wide...bring yourself to the middle at the very least. In mixed doubles the things I expect most are 1. Get your serve in deep as possible. It doesn't need to be 120. Most men don't serve that hard. I just needs to be placed well. 2. Follow the ball. If I hit a serve wide in the deuce court...please don't come to the middle and open the alley up. 3...This is my biggest thing in mixed. Please please do not switch on balls that are lobbed over your head and fall 6 to 8 inches behind your service box. It's one thing to not be able to step back and crank and overhead. I can live with that, but please don't make me play balls behind you that far in the court. One other thing I forgot..4. If I have to go back and get a lob...don't just switch...get back as chances are I'm sending a lob back. The last thing I wanna see after getting my foot disloged from the fence(it happens a lot as I track them down all the way to the fence if needed...lol) is the guy on the other side of the net putting a ball away behind you as you are bent over at the net watching me....lol


text:
Contact us
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Posted on July 14, 2007 by Ken Posted in Concert Photos | Leave a comment
Loved Us First
Posted on July 1, 2007 by Ken Posted in Newsletters | Leave a comment
By the time you read this letter we will have broadcast the messages found in Contemporary Christian Music for 17 years, 181 days and a few hours. As you have listened, I trust your confidence and understanding of the Love of God has increased over that period of time. If you have listened to us for very long, you know that's our ultimate goal at the station. Our message has not changed over the years, nor have we wavered from the original 'vision' for this radio station. We just feel that discovering God's amazing Grace is enough to set men and women free from just a simple religious experience. We know it can encourage them on to an intimate daily experience with God. Over the years, we have come to know that the Gospel of Christ is more than an ethic or moral system. It is more that just spending a couple days a week in a formal ceremony to honor some long ago philosopher type that dispensed good ideas. More than just a wise man passing out his hope designed to make the world a better place. No. It's more than all those things.
On January 8th, 1990, we broadcast for the first time. Our broadcasts have turned into 'singing' the message of Christ for just over 9 million minutes. We are here to encourage believers that this can be a 7-day a week, 24-hour a day relationship with God. While most of us waver in and out of that intimacy, we never really lose the relationship He has freely given to us.
If you've listened for very long, you know we have broadcast a program called Grace Walk twice each weekday for almost 10 years. Steve McVey is the program's host. Even though it has been broadcast over and over again, and in spite of having been out of production for almost 8 years now, it is still a refreshing look at the Gospel of Grace taught by the apostle Paul. Each month we receive Steve's newsletter. This month I wanted to share with you the 'gracevine' note Steve sent.
His teachings are generally pretty close to our expression and vision for WBVN. His June newsletter is an expression of what we feel it will take for any of us to go further into the intimacy that God has 'cheered' us on to. I hope Steve's simple message is an encouragement for you to consider.
How To Love Jesus More?
For years I prayed, asking the Lord to help me love Him more. Have you ever prayed something like that? As I grew in my own grace walk, I began to understand the key to loving Him more. The answer is so different from what I used to believe.
In the past I would have said that to love Him more we needed to spend more time with the Lord in prayer and in the Bible. I would have said that we needed to spend time with other people who love Him to increase our love for Him. (I even used the illustration of how one piece of charcoal will grow cold if it is set off by itself, but in a pile it will stay red hot.) I spoke of how our love for Jesus grows through serving Him. I argued that the 'service approach' to loving Jesus wasn't a fake-it-'til-you-make-it approach, but instead was a faith-it-'til-you-make-it approach.
It all sounded so good, so right, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Of course, we can experience a sense of intimacy as we pray and read the Bible. We are able to be encouraged by the company of other Christians and we may find fulfillment as we serve Jesus. However, these things aren't the key to experiencing intimacy with God. In fact, you can do all of these things with great commitment and still be spiritually cold. I'm not minimizing the value of the actions mentioned above, but I'm simply pointing out that 'doing all the right things' won't necessarily generate intimacy. What then, is the key to loving our Father more? It is so simple that it's hard to believe that I missed it for so long. What is the key to loving God more? It is to grow in our understanding of how much He loves us. That's it – growing in our understanding of how much He loves us will cause us to love Him more. 1 John 4:19 says that 'we love Him because He first loved us.' Do you want to grow in your love for Christ? Then grow in accepting His love for you. Nurture yourself in the realization of His passionate and lavish grace. See Him holding you, hugging you, kissing you. Accept the reality that He is proud of you, that He adores you.
"But it isn't about me!" one person recently protested when he heard me share this truth. "No", I answered, "it isn't about you and to think that the key to your relationship to God is for you to love Him more puts the burden of intimacy on you, not Him. You're right. It's about Him." The essence of the gospel is that God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son. That's the gospel. He loves you. Stop trying to love Him more and simply accept His acceptance of you and watch what happens. You'll be amazed at how much your love for Him will increase.
Steve McVey, PO Box 3669, Riverview, Fl 33568, (800-472-2311)
I remember a story Steve tells about a little boy, who was asked if he had found God. The boy's reply was 'I didn't know He was lost.' It's so important that we realize that we do not seek God, but that God came looking for us! That's one of the real differences between our Faith and all the other religious groups worldwide. In our Faith, God is seeking us out, seeking us for the object of His amazing Grace. That's part of what makes it amazing. We've learned over the years that the thing that brings us nearer to God, the thing that draws us closer to the heart of God, is not a revelation of the 'sorry' condition we find ourselves in, rather it's in the revelation of Him. Who He is, what He has done about us, that's the thing that causes us to be changed from 'glory to glory'. We can 'work on us' from now through all eternity and still not get to the place that we are justified or feel we are good enough to stand before God. However, understanding we can stand before God 'just as we are' is the thing that originally made us new Creatures. A revelation of His acceptance is the thing that refreshes us each day.
Ephesians 3: 17-18; '…that you, being rooted and grounded in His love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and the length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge that you might be filled up to all the fullness of God.' To understand all the dimensions of God, to know the fullness of Him, to know Him in all the ways possible, we will have to be rooted and stabilized in His love. We might understand some things about Him but we will never understand the fullness of Him without a foundation of the Love of God for us. It must be our first and foremost understanding or we will never understand the completeness of God. Jesus wisely warned us that if we did not come to understand the depth of his forgiveness for the whole world we could never understand the fullness of his passion for us. If we get that wrong, we will become insecure and double-minded in the very relationship He has paid such a high price for. The Father's cry is not so much 'stop your trespassing' as much as it is 'come unto Me'. God's passion for us is as Rich Mullins described a 'reckless raging fury that they call the love of God.'


text:
Gary Marcus predicts that in a few decades, we may all not only have the option of traveling in driverless cars, we may even be obligated to do so.
Within two or three decades the difference between automated driving and human driving will be so great you may not be legally allowed to drive your own car, and even if you are allowed, it would be immoral of you to drive, because the risk of you hurting yourself or another person will be far greater than if you allowed a machine to do the work.
Of course, that raises the interesting question of who is responsible and liable if there is an accident.
But an even more difficult problem that will need to be addressed is that automated cars bring with them the need for ethical decision-making systems that can be programmed.
Your car is speeding along a bridge at fifty miles per hour when errant school bus carrying forty innocent children crosses its path. Should your car swerve, possibly risking the life of its owner (you), in order to save the children, or keep going, putting all forty kids at risk? If the decision must be made in milliseconds, the computer will have to make the call.
Moral and ethical decision-making is already fraught with seemingly insurmountable hurdles even for humans. Recall the experiments with runaway trolleys and the like where people are confronted with choices where each option is hard to justify rationally. How much harder will it be to write computer programs to automate them?
As Marcus points out, Isaac Asimov took a shot at making a set of rules for robots but any set of rules, however good they may look on paper, has the potential to turn into a disaster if unthinkingly applied in all situations.


text:
By Shannon Carlin
Indiana Pacers' Lance Stephenson may be known as the guy who not-so-sweetly blew in LeBron James' ear during the Eastern Conference finals, but now we might want to remember him as the guy who earned a tribute from Boyz II Men.
The Philly group dedicated their song "End of The Road" to Stephenson, whose team recently lost its bid for the NBA finals to LeBron's Miami Heat, on ESPN's Sportsnation.
Related: Watch Katy Perry & Robert Pattinson's Drunken Karaoke 'Boyz II Men' Duet
The guys sang their 1991 hit with clips of Stephenson's kooky on court behavior, which included flagrant fouls, falling on purpose and tongue wagging that would surely make Miley Cyrus proud.
Boyz II Men brought it all for the loving a cappella tribute, having a little fun as they said their heartfelt goodbyes to the shooting guard. "When I can't sleep at night, without being alright, Lance, each time I try, I just break down and cry," they sang.


text:
A lawyer for David Letterman's accused blackmailer will ask that Robert J. "Joe" Halderman's case be dropped when he appears in court today for the first time since posting bail last month, The Associated Press reports.
Defense lawyer Gerald Shargel told the AP he plans to challenge grand jury evidence against his client and ask the judge to dismiss the attempted first-degree larceny charge against Halderman.
The move is a common first defense step in New York criminal cases, according to the AP. Shargel would not elaborate on the details of his argument.
Halderman, a TV news producer for CBS' "48 Hours Mystery," is accused of having left a threatening package in Letterman's car on Sept. 9 and demanding $2 million in hush money to keep secret evidence of the CBS "Late Show" host's office hook-ups.
Halderman was arrested after attempting to deposit a fake $2 million check after Feds taped conversations between him and the late night comic's lawyer , the Manhattan DA's office said.
The night before prosecutors detailed the arrest, Letterman revealed the alleged shakedown plot on his show. He also copped to sex with staffers.
If convicted of blackmail, Halderman could face five to 15 years, the AP reported.


text:
Parking Area at Santa Fe Peak
|[ Sizes: Orig | Large | Med | Small | Thumb ]
This is a view from just a few yards along the way to Sullivan Mountain, Geneva Peak, and Landslide Peak. It is here to give a depiction of the setting to help someone find the best place to park up here. Note: 4WD will be necessary to get here!
The peak in the background is Santa Fe Peak, its southern side.
Front Range, CO-- September 1, 2007
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Santa Fe Peak (Mountain/Rock)
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Geneva Peak (Mountain/Rock)
Landslide Peak (Mountain/Rock)
Sullivan Mountain (Mountain/Rock)
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Object Title: Parking Area at Santa Fe Peak
Image Type(s): Scenery


text:
Southern Sixers > Richland Balsam > Climber's Log
Richland Balsam Climber's Log
[ Sign the Climber's Log ]
|Brian Kalet
|5 Peaks
Date Climbed: Nov 6, 2016
|With Mount Pisgah, Little Bald Mountain, Stony Bald & Grassy Knob.
|Posted Jan 15, 2018 7:38 pm
|Early morning stroll
Date Climbed: Apr 19, 2016
|A casual stroll through the woods to the ridge top. The return leg of the loop has some pretty great views. Celebrated by stopping at a Waffle House for the first time ever
|Posted Apr 22, 2016 10:33 pm
|Fast bounce
Date Climbed: Aug 7, 2014
|Quick jaunt up the slope from the overlook which has the high point of the BRP. Easier from the actual trail which is how I descended.
|Posted Aug 27, 2014 7:00 am
|Blue Ridge PW pullout
Date Climbed: May 2, 2014
|A couple of trees down on the trail. One was rotted and I cleared it away but the other will have to wait for someone with a saw.
|Posted May 4, 2014 7:41 pm
|From Blue Ridge Parkway
Date Climbed: Sep 5, 2009
|I was a little bit tired after my hike up Mt Guyot the day before, so this was a welcome relief as far as distance goes. My wife and I found a bucketfull of blackberries while enroute. We were the only ones on the summit and only saw one other couple while on the trail. Surprising!
|Posted Sep 11, 2009 10:40 am
|Fun loop to summit
Date Climbed: Aug 8, 2009
|Found the trailhead after searching near the high point of the BRP. The trail was a bit rugged, a bit steep at times and full of roots, but not too challenging. I met a couple in their late 60's who were hiking up for their third time and they were quite an inspiration to me for when I reach their age. I hope to be in half the shape they are when I turn 65.
|Posted Aug 10, 2009 1:42 am
|Haywood-Jackson Overlook
Date Climbed: May 16, 2009
|After climbing Reinhart Knob, I followed the parkway to the Haywood-Jackson Overlook and took the loop trail around the top and back down.
|Posted May 19, 2009 8:44 am
|Found it!
Date Climbed: Aug 22, 2008
|made the trip up after stopping at the BRP highpoint. Would not have found it if not for summitpost! Not bad of a hike/climb. Bugs were kind of bad and it was a little hot.
|Posted Sep 1, 2008 6:40 am
|Quick stop while driving through
Date Climbed: May 27, 2003
|We were collecting state highpoints and this peak was on the way when we needed a break.
|Posted Sep 27, 2007 12:20 am
|Blue Ridge Pkwy hiking tour
Date Climbed: May 20, 2000
|The last of about 4-5 hikes I did in one day along the BRP. Mainly did it late in the day, very tired, scratched up from a previous hike. Conditions were pretty good, compared to what others have reported. I hate to say, but I was there for the credit only... I just tagged the sign and turned right around.
|Posted Sep 25, 2007 10:17 am
|High Speed Drive and Hike
Date Climbed: Sep 9, 2007
|My best friend Gareth and I hiked this VIEWLESS, bee infested, stinky, 6,000 foot hill. Less than 30 min round trip.
|Posted Sep 9, 2007 7:15 pm
|Route Climbed: Richand Balsam Nature Trail
Date Climbed: Apr 28, 2007
|A little rain here and there made for slippery conditions on the rocks. The temperature wasn't bad and the hike was short. It was enjoyable and an easy 6'er for the bag.
|Posted Apr 29, 2007 10:41 pm
|Nature Trail
Date Climbed: Aug 12, 2006
|OK. Jackson county high point.
|Posted Aug 16, 2006 2:15 pm
|Finally got it on 3rd try
Date Climbed: Apr 30, 2005
|And what a disappointment
|Posted Jul 26, 2006 11:34 pm
|Nice Easy Hike
Date Climbed: Jun 6, 2006
|Nice easy hike. No much in the way of views, but it's a wonderful, cool forest setting. From the parking area, you can view the entire ridge line from Black Balsam to Cold Mountain, including Shining Rock.
|Posted Jun 15, 2006 1:32 am
|CMC Hike 98
Date Climbed: Jun 3, 2006
|Following the chute and deer trail from the parkway over Reinhart Knob down to the MST, we averaged 1/2 mph (and it was mostly downhill). And that was a lot easier than plowing throught the cane on Reinhart's NE ridge. We followed the MST to the Natureland Conservancy area and then headed up to the parkway and Richland Balsam. There's a great view of the western Balsams from the parking lot where the tourist trail begins.
|Posted Jun 5, 2006 12:13 pm
|Richland Balsam Loop
|I've been up to Richland Balsam a number of times. A great time to go is in the fall when the blueberry's are ripe. Great for the family!
|Posted Apr 28, 2006 1:40 pm
|Richland Balsam Nature Tral
Date Climbed: Oct 29, 2005
|Easy hike with some decent views from the summit.
|Posted Mar 2, 2006 9:44 pm
|Route Climbed: Richland Balsam Nature Trail Date Climbed: August 28, 2004
|This summit doesn't provide many views, but it does provide an eye-opening experience. While there are many dead fir trees around, this trail, at times, walks through tunnels of moist, mossy, (and very much alive) spruce that can get downright dark and cool on a sunny day. It makes you wonder how spectacular these mountain forests could be if they were all healthy.
|Posted Jun 19, 2005 10:59 pm