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Monaco Residency
Why Consider Monaco?
Contrary to perceptions that Monaco is an expensive destination, it is actually on a par with many other European destinations including London.
It does however offer many more advantages over and above other destinations which is why it is still a very popular jurisdiction, particularly because English is widely spoken and understood.
The government is actively encouraging individuals and their families and corporations to relocate to Monaco. It remains secure and politically stable and holds a strong and well supported banking and financial services community.
10 Reasons why you should consider Monaco
1. For resident individuals Monaco has a number of advantages over other jurisdictions. For example, there is no income tax and no requirement to prepare and submit tax returns or disclose worldwide income or assets.
2. For companies, although the corporate tax rate is 33.33%, after various allowable deductions, this results in an effective corporate tax rate of under 6%. Directors fees if taken by resident directors are free of income tax to the recipient.
3. For most individuals there are lower compliance costs as there is no requirement to prepare and submit yearly tax returns.
4. As there is no income, capital gains or wealth tax there is a greater ability to preserve and accumulate one's wealth.
5. There is increased confidentiality of one's wealth as there is no reporting of worldwide income or assets to outside agencies.
6. There is no capital gains tax, or wealth tax for non-French resident individuals.
7. There are no inheritance taxes on Monaco based assets between husband and wife or children. A sliding scale of rates applies between 8% and 16% for more distant inheritors.
8. The residency application procedures for most individuals and their families is relatively straightforward.
9. There is no requirement to purchase a property in Monaco nor is there a minimum property rental charge payable.
10. There is no dependants tax charge levied.
Monaco attracts many different people such as:
- Individuals retiring from business
- Individuals who want Monaco based offices
- Entrepreneurs who are still actively growing their businesses
- Individuals who want to operate private equity and hedge fund management in Monaco
- Families wanting to take advantage of the excellent facilities (including education) in Monaco
- Companies looking to relocate and reward their senior management teams without the effects of personal income tax
The Application process (Overview)
There are various rules regarding Monaco Residency and EBC can help with your application.
Anyone, over the age of 16, has the opportunity to stay in Monaco for a period not exceeding three months without going through any formalities other than those necessary to travel to France. However, anyone (other than Monegasesque nationals) wishing to gain residency in Monaco and wanting to make Monaco their primary residence, must obtain a Monegasque Residency Card ("Monaco Residency Card" or "Carte de sejour") from the Monegasque Authorities. European nationals, EU/EEA, (see list of countries) just need to hold a valid national identity card showing their name, date and place of birth and nationality.
Non EU/EEA individuals will need to obtain a long term French visa from the nearest French consulate to where they reside. Once this is obtained they can proceed with their residency application on the same basis as an EU/EEA individual.
On the basis that you hold an EU country passport you can apply directly for residency without the need to obtain a long term French visa. An outline of the requirements that you will need to follow to obtain residency in Monaco is as follows:
1. Obtain a lease or own an apartment in Monaco and
2. Obtain one of the following:
a) open a bank account and obtain from a Monaco bank a letter confirming you have sufficient funds to live here or;
b) show you are employed by a Monaco company or;
c) a document from the government authorising the creation of a business activity by you in Monaco and
3. Supply the additional information to support your application is as follows:
a valid passport, a current identity card (if applicable), 2 photos, CV, birth certificate, marriage certificate (if applicable), divorce record (if applicable), names of your brothers and sisters (if any) together with their dates of birth and where they live, details of any children, your current address and over the past 5 years, your academic record from school with dates any certificates and professional qualifications or awards, names and address of all your employers, what you intend to do in Monaco, any property you own in Monaco or elsewhere and your police record.
The Application Process (In Detail)
Applications for a Monaco Residency Card are split into four categories:
- Non-EU Nationals who Reside outside of France – Must first obtain a visa as indicated below in Steps 1 and 2
- Non-EU Nationals Residing in France for less than a year – Must return to their home countries to apply for a visa as in Steps 1 and 2
- Non-EU Nationals Residing in France for over a year – Must apply for a transfer of residency to the French Embassy in Monaco and then apply for a Monaco residency card as in Step 2
- European Nationals – Can proceed directly to Step 2 to obtain their Monaco residency card.
For Nationals of the following Countries or if you hold a French Carte de Sejour,
then you can apply directly via Step 2 and ignore Step 1:
Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, United Kingdom, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and Andorra.
The Monaco Residency application process
Step 1:
Request for a Long-Term Visa for the Principality
By virtue of the Franco-Monegasque Convention of 1963, France administers visa applications on behalf of Monaco. A Monaco residency application is submitted during an appointment at the French Consulate in the country where the applicant has been resident during the preceding six months.
The following documents are required when applying for Monaco Residency:
- Six recent photographs in colour (size 35×45).
- A photocopy of a valid passport (minimum 6 months validity).
- The application form for a long stay visa, duly completed in French and filed in person together with 4 photocopies of each of the document listed below and Euro 99 for the visa fee.
- A certificate from the police authorities in the country of their nationality stating "no police record" and if applicable, a certificate from the police authorities from the country where the applicant is currently residing. A translation in French must also be prepared by a qualified translator.
- An affidavit sworn by the applicant in the presence of a Solicitor/Commissioner for Oaths, stating that the applicant has never been convicted of a criminal offence of any kind or disqualified to trade in any jurisdiction and that they have no pending affairs with any court of law or the Police in any jurisdiction.
- A sworn statement by the applicant that they have never been convicted.
- Proof of sufficient means to live in Monaco. This can be provided by (i) submitting an "Engagement de Travail" to work in Monaco, or (ii) a request for authorisation to set up a business or a company, or (iii) a bank reference attesting to sufficient means to live without taking up employment in Monaco.
- Proof of accommodation. This can be done by providing (i) a lease, or (ii) a certificate of free accommodation or (iii) a deed of Monaco property ownership.
- The "Engagement de Travail" is an undertaking of employment from an authorised Monaco employer, duly stamped by the Employment Department of the Principality. The bank reference is a letter in French from a bank affirming the applicant has sufficient means, and would preferably come from a Monaco-based bank. An accompanying letter from a solicitor, accountant or bank in the last country of residence naming the source of income should be provided. If the applicant intends to set up a business in Monaco, a formal application must be completed in French (refer to the Business in Monaco section).
- Proof of marriage for spouses of French nationals, Monegasque or foreign residents living in Monaco.
Proof of accommodation includes (i) a rental contract, or a promise of rental, or (ii) a certificate of free lodging or (iii) a deed of property ownership, or (iv) a written undertaking by the applicant to produce one of these documents within the three months following their arrival in the Principality.
In the case of a certificate of free lodging ("Certificat d'Herbergement Gratuit") this is an official form that must be signed by the person undertaking to provide free lodging for the applicant and further signed by the owner of the property or their representative.
The applicant must also countersign the document. A copy of the registered lease or title of property must also be provided.
For children their parents they will need to complete an application form, pay a fee of Euro 99, and provide 6 photographs, a photocopy of their passport, a school certificate, and birth certificate.
Once the visa has been approved by the French authorities (this can take between three and six months), the applicant is informed by letter and must go to the Consulate to have the visa stamped in their passport (in some cases it is possible to have the authorisation sent to the French Consulate in Monaco where the passport may be stamped). The applicant must then apply to the Monegasque authorities for a Monaco Residency card ("Carte de Sejour"). This application must be made to the Residents Section of the Directorate of Public Security within three months of arrival in the Principality.
N.B. Residents of France holding a French Carte de Sejour do not need a visa and may therefore make an application for a Monaco Residency Card as explained in Step 2 below without going through the above procedure. However, it can in certain cases take several months to obtain a French "Carte de Sejour" and the temporary "Recipisse" issued upon application is not valid when applying for Monaco residency.
Step 2:
Carte de Sejour Application
EU nationals (see list of countries) can apply directly to the Residents Section of the Directorate of Public Security for a Monaco residency card ("Carte de Sejour").
After obtaining the visa in Step 1 above, any person over the age of sixteen years can apply for the Monaco residency card ("Carte de Sejour"). The applicant will have to go the Residents Section of the Directorate of Public Security and ask for an application form. This will be provided if the applicant can present a valid passport (if necessary with a visa) together with a letter from a Monaco estate agent confirming they are engaged to find a property for the applicant.
An appointment for an interview will be fixed within three to five weeks of applying. A response for the issue or otherwise of the Monaco residency card will be sent to the applicant within 7 to 8 weeks following the interview.
The following documentation must be submitted at the interview. They must be all in French or translated into French by certified translator :
- The completed application form
- One recent photograph. A second photo identification will be made at the interview
- A valid passport stamped with the visa (if applicable)
- A birth certificate
- A marriage certificate (if applicable)
- An extract of the applicant's criminal record, or an equivalent legal document from the country of residency of the applicant from the last 5 years
- Proof of sufficient income to live in Monaco. This can be provided in several ways by submitting:
i. An "Engagement de Travail". This must come from a company that has obtained the permission of the Department of Employment in Monaco to offer the applicant employment, or
ii. A document authorizing the creation of a company. If the applicant intends to set up a business in Monaco, a formal application must be completed in French (refer to the Business in Monaco section), or
iii. A bank reference attesting to sufficient income from a Monaco based bank. The letter issued by the bank must be written in French, it must certify that the applicant has sufficient income without engaging in gainful employment. The applicant will need to open two accounts with their chosen Monaco bank: a current account and an escrow account. This letter must be accompanied by a document indicating the source of income.
Proof of accommodation
This can be done by providing:
i.a lease, or
ii. a certificate of free accommodation or
iii.a deed of Monaco property ownership
In the case of a certificate of free lodging, (only reserved for close family or household employees), an official form must be signed by the landlord and the property owner or his representative. A copy of the lease or property title must also be provided.
For European residents, they must also include a valid National Identity Card, where available.
At the interview the applicant will be asked questions about their education, qualifications, work experience, details of their children, their ages and schooling, their parents, and other family members.
Renewal of the Carte de Sejour
There are 4 types of Cards:
- Temporary residence card valid for 1 year for a duration of stay in Monaco of three months minimum. This must be renewed annually for the first 3 years of residency.
- Ordinary residence card valid for 3 years for a duration of stay in Monaco of three months minimum. This card can be applied for in the 4th year of residency.
- Privileged residence card valid for 10 years for a duration of stay in Monaco of six months plus 1 day minimum. This card can be applied for in the 10th year of residency.
- Joint Monaco residency cards can be applied for where the spouse is not Monegasque, but is married to a Monegasque citizen.
For the renewal of a Monaco Residency Card, the following documents are required:
- A copy of the lease or property deed
- A certificate of employment (if employed) or;
- A letter from the bank showing sufficient income or;
- an extract from the Register of Commerce RCI (if the owner of a company)
- A completed form (available from the Directorate of Public Security, Residents Section)
- A copy of the last two electricity bills (or the last four electricity bills if it is the renewal of 10 year card)
How EBC can help you:
- Assist with the preparation of the visa dossier
- Attend the meetings in Monaco with the client when applying for the visa
- Introduce local estate agents to help find a property to buy or rent
- Introduce local banks in order to open an account and obtain the necessary bank letter if required
- Assist with the application to form a business entity in Monaco.


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TICK, TOCK! There's less than a month of summer left. But a few more trips to the park is definitely not the answer. Why not get your kids involved in something a little more, well, adventurous?Here, five activities that fit the bill -without a lot of traveling.
(1) Mmmmm, Rubber Donut
Phoenicia, NY
Best for: Ages 12+
There's an inner tube with your name on it just waiting to be taken out for a spin down the 5-mile stretch of current that is the Esopus Creek (it cuts right through the heart of the Catskills).
The rapids aren't exactly level IV (kids just need to know how to swim), but even so, there are two courses to choose from, one for first-timers, the other for more experienced tubers, each taking about two hours to negotiate.
INFO: towntinker.com
(2) Find porpoise
Baltimore, MD
Best for: Ages 8+
In the mood for dolphins?You don't have to go to Florida (or the tuna aisle at your local supermarket, for that matter).
Our National Aquarium (yes, it's in Baltimore), also known as the home of an awesome indoor rainforest – has launched a Sea World-esque dolphin encounter program, running on multiple dates this month.
For $195, you'll enjoy priority seating through "Play!The Dolphin Show,"followed by two hours of one-on-one time with the friendly bottlenosers under close supervision of a special dolphin trainer.
If you'd rather watch and not touch, a $69 observer fare is available, too.
INFO: aqua.org
(3) On the hunt
Alexandria, VA
Best for: Ages 8-11
Trick your kids into learning something as they scour colonial Alexandria, just across the Potomac River from our nation's capital.
Thrill to the search of the city's many historic sites!
Feel the excitement of treading where dead prezes once trod! (You get the picture.)
Each hunt is a self-guided tour that lasts just short of an hour and costs $12 a pop.
A slightly more interesting pirate-themed hunt is also available, but then again, they're here to learn, aren't they?
INFO: alexcolonialtours.com
(4) Fast times among the ruins
Woodstock, NY
Best for: Ages 5+
Jimi won't be back for an encore any time soon, but there's plenty of other reasons to get high in Woodstock.
Climbing mountains is one of them. (What did you think we were going to say?)
Located just outside of town, Overlook Mountain is a steep but easy ascent along an old carriage road, which leads to the abandoned mountain house hotel you see near the top.
Now only a concrete shell of its former self, the ruins are a hit with kids, though we certainly wouldn't encourage actually letting them inside (ahem!).
Also a good incentive to complete the hike (5 miles roundtrip)is the chance to climb the lookout tower at the summit.
A scramble up this old thing is sure to please the little thrillseeker in your life.
INFO: The trailhead is located at the top of Meads Mountain Road outside of Woodstock, across from the Buddhist monastery.
(5) Unplugged (well, sort of)
Mount Joy, PA
Best for: Ages 5+
Give the Nintendo Wii a few days off, kids – it's Amish country time!
Good news, though, the Green Acres Farm B&B has plenty of electricity flowing through its 150 acres.
Children are welcome to dress up in Amish garb, ride the haywagons, gather eggs, feed the donkeys and sheep, jump on the trampoline, or just gain a few pounds eating those country breakfasts.
Parents are encouraged to bring a book and just relax underneath a tree. Rooms are $110/night.

subset: commoncrawl


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The 4th annual "Celebrity/Sorta Celebrity Softball Game" to benefit Louisiana military will be played two weeks from tonight at Cypress Mounds Baseball Complex, in Baton Rouge.
All proceeds will go to The Blue Star Mothers of Louisiana and Support Our War Heroes, two non-profit, 501-c charities.
Advanced, discounted tickets are available now at redrockandblue.com, while all softball, kickball and youth baseball teams that enter the "Red, Rock and Blue" tournaments get in FREE.
The "Celebrity/Sorta Celebrity Softball Game" has become a quick hit, drawing big crowds and providing clean, family entertainment for a great cause.
Copyright 2013 WAFB. All rights reserved.
844 Government Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
(225) 383-9999
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2018 Raycom Media. All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service, and Ad Choices.


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Bodog has now made yet another change that will protect players and level the playing field by adding in the Quick Seat feature to cash games.
The Quick Seat" feature will allow players to join cash games more quickly. Players can use the feature to join a table immediately based on set parameters. With this addition, players will lose access to table data, which will be beneficial to the recreational player as info cannot be used against them by the more advanced players.
Most individuals do not realize the lengths that sharks can go to in order to take advantage of the average player. There are individuals who will buy hand-data by using a player's screen name and then use the information in order to make a quick buck. This is essentially stealing and is not something that you want to happen to you.
The aim of the Quick Seating at Bodog, along with the anonymous tables and other changes, are to level the playing field, so everyone has the same advantage. With this new change, Bodog is offering a safety net of sorts to all players as they enjoy online poker gaming without being threatened by players who use nefarious means to get ahead.
Short Link:


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Philippines Wet Market! | Rule of Yum Food Vlog
RuleofYumPublished: October 11, 2016Updated: October 17, 20162 views
Published: October 11, 2016Updated: October 17, 2016
Thank you so much for your support!- http://www.patreon.com/RuleOfYum
More Philippines food vlogs here! - http://dft.ba/-PhilippinesFoodVlogs
Check out the full Philippines vlogs here! - http://dft.ba/-DITLOPhilippines2014
Today we're visiting a wet market in Iloilo City, Philippines! Hope you enjo


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Crown Silk Emulsion Paint Smoked Glass 2.5L0434553
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Not many bounces have gone the Wolves' way this season. But after Sunday's 6-3 victory over Oklahoma City they are hoping that is about to change.
Four of the Wolves goals came via some "puck luck," including both by defenseman Derek Joslin, who entered the game without a goal this season.


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Subjected to magnetic levitation that generated an effect similar to microgravity experienced by astronauts orbiting Earth, fruit flies experienced changes in crucial genes.
Humans won't necessarily respond like fruit flies, but the system is considered an useful model for probing the effects of permanent free-fall on biology. However, it's also possible that the gene disruption was caused by magnetism, not low gravity.
"We have tried to separate the effects of microgravity and magnetism, but we've learned it's not so easy," said molecular biologist Raul Herranz of Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas in Spain, leader of the upcoming study in BMC Genomics. "We don't know yet what is causing what — the magnetism or the microgravity?"
Sending anything into space is expensive. The cost to launch an experiment into low-Earth orbit can exceed as $10,000 per pound. Yet as the United States, Russia, China and other nations eye a human future off-Earth, understanding what will happen to our bodies is crucial.
NASA already knows that astronauts in space lose as much bone each month as they would in a year on Earth, where resisting gravity keeps muscles strong. But rigorously studying the molecular mechanisms behind those changes in humans — a large, highly complex creature — isn't easy or ethical. As a result, researchers look to animal models in an Earth-based weightless environment.
Machines called clinostats can simulate the effects of zero-gravity over time in plants by constantly and randomly turning them over days and weeks. But animals usually can't survive such conditions.
Magnetic levitation of animals, discovered in the late 1990s, uses magnetic fields that are up to 350,000 stronger than Earth's natural magnetism. The fields push on water molecules in an animal and lift it off the ground. Animals readily survive the intense magnetic fields and even display behaviors seen in space-based experiments.
"The quality you get is not same as it is in orbit, but it's a hell of a lot cheaper and more convenient," said physicist and study co-author Richard Hill of the University of Nottingham. "You can use [magnetic] levitation to try out experiments before you launch them."
To preview what happens in space at the molecular level, Herranz and his team followed the development of fruit flies over 22-day periods in a variety of magnetically tweaked gravitational experiments.
As a rule, flies raised in low gravity developed slowly and had difficulty reproducing. When the researchers examined the flies' genetic expression, they discovered significant increases and decreases in the activities of some 500 genes. Many regulated immune response, temperature and even stress response.
"Magnetic fields can cause things like proteins in the cell to align with the field lines, so these fields could be triggering responses we don't yet understand," Hill said.
However, flies exposed to powerful but non-levitating magnetism also displayed similar changes, albeit not so powerfully.
Herranz said it's too soon to precisely separate the effects of magnetism from weightless on genetics, but that weightlessness seems to be having at least a "small effect" on gene expression. (Correcting for magnetism, weightlessness alone seemed to modulate nearly 200 genes.)
In the context of an astronaut on a multiple-year mission in zero gravity to Mars, such small effects could build up to significant risks over time.
"Everything works differently in space, including genetics," Herranz said. "Because of this, you may need to do something to adjust, for example, things like food and nutrients and oxygen to make sure everything lasts and works for astronauts."
Video: RJA Hill, OJ Larkin et al./CSIC


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Madison News
Local news for Madison, FL continually updated from thousands of sources on the web.
Madison news is powered by NewsRank ®
29 Hilariously Lame Pseudo Stars That Millennials Worship For Some Reason
Then And Now: How Hard Did These Gen X Stars Age?
Then And Now: How Did These 19 Miss America Winners Hold Up?
We Found Them: 21 Stars Who Look Hotter Now Than They Did When They Were Younger
17 Celebrities Who Once Worked At Disney Parks
26 Actors Who Played Prostitutes - And Nabbed An Oscar Nom
27 Once-Fading Stars Who Made Big Comebacks
Which 29 Stars Don't Drink? The Answer May Surprise You
25 Celebrity Guys Who Prove Glasses Are Hot
How Did These 1960s Stars Look In Their Prime Vs. Decades Later?
Your Favorite Artists Sued For Copyright Infringement
Updated: Thu Aug 09, 2018 02:07 pm
Copyright © 2018 Topix LLC


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Leesburg, VAHome Menu
About the Commission
The Technology and Communications Commission advises the Town Council on the efficient, economical and productive use of technology and telecommunications for the Town's residents. businesses and visitors. In addition, the Commission maintains oversight and review and the cable television operations, advises the Council on the compliance of cable service providers with their franchise agreements, and makes recommendations for improvements to the Town's public communications channels and websites.
Commission Members
|Term Ends
|Adam Bingaman
|John Binkley, Chair
|Ian Coleman
|Peter Hill, Vice Chair
|Shama Hussain
|Mark Kolas
|Ryan Washington
Group Email Address: firstname.lastname@example.com
Staff Liaison: Annie Carlson, Information Technology Manager, accepts correspondence on behalf of the Commission.
Meeting Agendas
Additional Technology and Communications Commission documents, including approved meeting minutes, are available for download here. For previous years' meeting packets and minutes, contact the Staff Liaison.


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Well into the 1800s, homes in both Europe and North America had a "still room" where the woman of the house used a pot still to transform herbs and flowers into medicines and perfumes. Farms also had equipment for distilling fermented grain into liquor, or fruit wine into eau de vie.
Even today, it is impossible to travel in much of the European countryside without being welcomed with shots of home-distilled spirits, including plum brandy or eau de vie, called slivovitz in Eastern Europe and mirabelle in France.
"Strictly speaking, any distilled spirit is an eau de vie," said the late food authority R.W. Apple in The New York Times in 1998. "Cognac is an eau de vie made from [grape] wine; Calvados is an eau de vie made from [apple] cider. Scotch whisky is an eau de vie made from malted barley, and its name comes from the Gaelic word uisge beatha, meaning — you guessed it — 'water of life.' But in practice the name eau de vie is usually confined to the clear fruit brandies that the French also call alcools blancs, or 'white alcohols.' "
Unlike other distilled beverages, eau de vie preserves the flavor of what was distilled. A whiff of plum eau de vie and you are right there in summer with a hot, ripe plum in your hand. Eau de vie is the only way to capture the aroma of ripe fruit. Jam doesn't do it, and neither do fruit wines. Homemade eau de vie is summer memories in a bottle.
I got my start in DIY distilling thanks to the mirabelle plum tree that rains fruit in my backyard in June. I eat plums every day for weeks — I make tarts, I make plum jam, I make wine — yet from this single tree the plums keep falling. So I started making wine that I could distill into plum eau de vie. Plums are the fruit of choice throughout Europe for home distillation. They are easy to ferment into wine and to make into an evocatively perfumed alcohol. I suggest you start with them.
Home distilling is a safe hobby that enables you to interact with your fruit harvests in new ways. Distilling produces a beverage that is warming and adds a wonderful dimension to socializing. For step-by-step instructions, visit the article Step-by-Step Home Distilling.
These days, there's a revival of the distilling traditions that Prohibition suppressed. This revival includes a burgeoning world of small, licensed distillers; farm-based distillers rounding out the economics of farming by making fruit- or grain-based alcohols; and avid hobbyists who regularly share their experiences and help each other out with technical information on online home-distilling boards (see "Additional Resources," at the end of this article for more information).
In the United States, the growth of the Temperance movement in the 19th century culminated in Prohibition in 1919, which criminalized alcoholic beverage production. Distilling went underground, and poor quality and poisonous distillations of wood alcohol (methanol) severely damaged the reputation of home-distilled alcohols. Even today, online home-distilling sites frequently warn of the dangers of distilling. In fact, in making fruit brandies, there are no risks. You can drink the wine that goes into the pot still without danger. Distillation doesn't add compounds; it removes them.
Because the distilling tradition was so badly interrupted in the United States, and what survived remained such a secretive affair, it can be helpful to look to Europe, where long-standing distilling traditions remain strong. Villagers throughout Europe routinely produce eau de vie for personal consumption.
In European countries, orchardists distill fruit that is otherwise unsalable, producing revenue from what would have become compost. Mobile distillers travel from farm to farm.
French eau de vie is world-renowned because French distillers don't add sugar to the fruit when they make wine that will be distilled. You'll find that most recipes for fruit wines (including all fruits except grapes) call for sugar. Adding sugar increases the alcohol content of the wine. Most recipes add enough sugar to boost fruit wine to the alcohol content of grape wine, which is between 11 and 14 percent.
Plums will naturally make a wine in the range of 5 to 6 percent alcohol. If you add sugar to double that alcohol percentage, you'll get twice the volume of alcohol out of your still, but with a diluted flavor. Your eau de vie will still be aromatic if distilled from higher-alcohol wines, but not as aromatic as from a wine lower in alcohol.
Plums, apples and pears are classified as "high-sugar" fruits that ferment to the alcohol content of beer, which is enough for a good eau de vie. If you want to make an eau de vie from low-sugar fruits — such as blackberries or raspberries — on a home scale, the most practical way to do so is to add sugar when you make the wine, aiming for 5 to 6 percent alcohol. If you are working from a published recipe, this probably means cutting the sugar in half.
Not to paint too rosy a picture: Home distilling is illegal in most parts of the world (including the United States and Canada) but is also generally tolerated (including in the United States and Canada) if the distilling is only for personal consumption.
In the United States, laws that have discouraged commercial distilling since the repeal of Prohibition are easing, and obtaining a state-issued permit for small-scale distilleries is getting easier.
Some U.S. states and Canadian provinces now make it easier for farmers to produce and sell alcohol at their farms. For example, Washington state now licenses craft distillers for $100 per year, and allows them to produce up to 20,000 gallons of alcohol a year and to offer tastings and sales on premises.
This takes place within the context of the general revival of interest in craft-food production and sale of local products. It is increasingly true that if a local farm produces an item, we'll buy it.
Even if you have never seen a still — much less used one — you know the most important principle, because the underlying concept is in our language: "To distill" is to find the essence. The essence of an eau de vie is not the alcohol. When you distill fruit wine into brandy, you look past the wine to the flavors and aromas found in the ripe fruit itself.
To distill, you use the simplest of all stills — the pot still — to clarify and amplify the plumminess of plum or the peariness of pear. The alembic style, an ancient type of pot still, is the still of choice for all distillers where taste matters.
Pot stills contain five parts: the pot, the lid, and the tube that carries the steam from the pot into the coil in the condenser.
Pot stills work with just the right amount of inefficiency. Super-efficient stills, such as the reflux and condenser stills, can strip out all impurities to isolate the ethanol — which is the tasteless, odorless psychoactive alcohol whose percentage is listed on beer, wine, and spirit bottles. Tasteless and odorless is what vodka distillers are after. But the essence of a ripe piece of fruit is its taste and odor, so you don't want to strip those compounds through over-efficiency.
There are three secrets to success: start with a low-alcohol fruit wine (about 5 percent), run your still as slowly as possible, and let your senses be your guide.
Home distilling requires no technical equipment besides the still — not even a thermometer. All you need are your senses and the concept that an eau de vie is like a poem written to honor the summer fruit.
If you boil water when it's cold outside, the kitchen window steams up. If you boil lots of water, droplets run down the window pane. Those droplets are distilled water. If you direct the steam from the kettle spout into a tube rather than letting it flow freely into the room, and if you coil that tube through a bucket of cold water, then what comes out of the tube will be distilled water. Fill the kettle with wine rather than water and you produce eau de vie.
The distilling run is divided into three groups: heads, hearts and tails. The heads is measured in tablespoons from a small still. The first compounds to vaporize from the wine are acetone (yes, nail polish remover), methyl alcohol and other compounds with lower boiling points than water.
There isn't a clear dividing line, but as soon as you stop smelling acetone, you are into the hearts. (Some people save the heads and tails to re-distill with the next batch.) Start collecting the hearts in a clean container. The hearts run goes on for a long time. At some point the smell and taste begin to change for the worse. Also, what comes out may no longer be clear. I collect my still runs in a series of jars to minimize the risk of contaminating a big jar of lovely hearts with the tails. To monitor what's coming out of the still, periodically smell and taste. Stop the run as soon as you're no longer happy with the taste — that's when you've entered the tails. Keep what you like, toss the rest.
I recommend stills of two sizes. Use a small still first because it lets you work out your technique. Buy a bottle of wine, pour it into the still along with freshly grated orange peel, seal the seams with a paste made of flour and water, put water into the condenser, turn on the heat under the pot — and you'll be up and running.
I'd buy a 2-liter still, at about $170 with shipping. A 2-liter still is also the size you'd want to distill herbs and flowers (although you can't use the same still for both).
If making 5 gallons of a fruit wine seems doable to you, then you'll need a 25-liter copper alembic pot still. The cost, including shipping, will be about $500. You can also find instructions on how to make your own sun-powered still in How to Make a Solar Still.
The fresh fruit brandy will be clear and "hot," with some harshness. It will soften with age as some compounds vaporize.
Offering visitors a small glass of homemade fruit brandy is an old custom that many people are reviving. Let's hope home-distilled eau de vie will once again be the way to welcome guests.
Read more: Learn the ancient craft of home distilling and make eau de vie with these easy and safe directions in Step-by-Step Home Distilling.
Interested in trying your hand at this ancient art? Learn more about home distilling with these resources.
Online forums
The Home Distiller Forums
A lively electronic forum with a good mix of beginner's information and advanced knowledge.
Artisan Distiller
With some areas for beginners, this board also attracts more experienced and skilled home distillers.
The Home Distiller's Workbook: Your Guide to Making Moonshine, Whisky, Vodka, Rum and So Much More! by Jeff King
Traditional Distillation Art & Passion by Hubert Germain-Robin
Distilling Fruit Brandy by Josef Pischl
Copper Alembic Stills
Reflux Stills
Food writer William Rubel lives in Santa Cruz, Calif. He is co-founder of Stone Soup, the magazine by children, and the author of The Magic of Fire and Bread: A Global History.
Legalizing Home Distilling in the US - One Year Later. Posted on behalf of the Hobby Distilling Association with their permission. On March 19, 2014 I posted an introduction to the Hobby Distillers Association that thus far has had 19042 Views. I hoped to accomplish several things at that time: 1) make all the HD fans aware of HDA, 2) explain that our only goal was to legalize hobby distilling in the US– we have not sold the first Tee-shirt, and 3) ask everyone who is interested in our cause to join the HDA. 549 of you have replied to the posts and quite frankly, the initial replies were not very positive since many did not know or trust me. One year later, we are still alive and working to get our hobby legalized with approximately 1300 members. As posted previously, membership only costs $30.00 a year and can be anonymous if you chose. For lots of information and membership options go to http://www.hobbydistillersassociation.org. The HDA is set up as a non-profit organization and all of the funds collected are being used to pay our lobbyist in DC. Everyone on the leadership committee is a volunteer and no expenses are ever reimbursed. One thing we have learned is that in DC, timing is everything. It was practically impossible to talk or meet with any representatives last fall because they were all out politicking for the mid-term elections. Senator Rand Paul showed some initial interest and then backed off. The encounter with his office allowed us to get a professionally written draft bill that we hope is close to what will be introduced. Senator Cornyn of Texas has also shown interest in sponsoring our bill – if you live in Texas or know someone who does, send him a note that you support the efforts of the HDA. We met with the top Administrator of the TTB, John Manfreda, and 3 of his administrative staff. Their job is to protect the revenue but with the Sequester cutting staff in all government agencies, they have to pick their investigations carefully. Mr. Manfreda was given a copy of our draft bill and we all felt that our proposal was well received. We asked about the raids in Florida last March and while we did not get a direct answer, it was my feeling that the ones who were arrested had been selling illegal moonshine and the TTB added 40 some hobbyist to the raid to see what kind of reaction they would get. The hobbyist's names and addresses were obviously taken from the list of customer's names sent in by still suppliers. I believe all of the raids were in the Jacksonville area. We also met with the Asst. Secy. of Tax Policy at the Department of the Treasury. Again the intent was to clear our proposal with the policy makers to get ahead of the curve if and when members of Congress have questions. As with the TTB, our proposal was not met with any objections. There seem to be two primary concerns about home distilling from congressional members and government staffers/employees. These are methanol poisoning and house fires resulting in injury or death. We found two studies concerning residential fires done in New Zealand where home distilling has been legal for 19 years. The result was a very insignificant 0.14% of all house fires were caused by home distilling. We all know that our booze is safer than what you buy at the local liquor store; however the stories about methanol poisoning got their roots during prohibition. In the 1920s, bootleggers added methanol, antifreeze, and all sorts of poisons to their products to increase profits. Another source of methanol poisoning was the federal government itself. In a sick effort to stop people from drinking any alcohol they could find, the feds required the manufacturers of denatured commercial alcohol to add huge amounts of methanol to their products – the idea was if they put poison in the commercial alcohol, nobody would drink it – Wrong. During Christmas season of 1926 (I think), over 800 people died in New York City alone from drinking commercial alcohol that had been methanol poisoned by their government. The purpose of this long post is to ask one more time for your help. Contact your Senators and district Congressmen/Women. Tell them that you support our legislative efforts to legalize home distilling for personal consumption. There is plenty of information on our website to use as lead-ins when discussing this topic. Believe it or not, time is of the essence. Hobby distilling is not a hot button issue for Congress and our small bill will most likely have to ride on another bill's coattails. We need a sponsor in the Senate and the House and you can help. In 17 or 18 weeks Congress will leave DC for their summer recess and will be out of their offices for about 6 weeks after which the only thing they will care about is the 2016 elections (or re-elections as the case may be). Someone on this forum has an idea we can use to get Congressional attention. Someone out there knows someone who knows someone who can help. Our lobbyist, Keith Nelson, is contacting congressional offices on a regular basis so if you know a legislator he should call, let us know. Questions can be addressed to our website. You are welcome to email or call me. The HDA is the real deal – no other group has come as far or made as much of an effort as we have. Your support is welcome. Thanks for reading. Tom Cowdrey email@example.com 804-296-6194
I just got a still from http://www.copper-still.net and definitely not to make whiskey strong enough to take the hair off a mule's ass...Nope only essential oils for me ;) I agree with Earthbaby 10 honestly. The feds are always tryin to keep the people under its thumb, its up to us to remind them who really has the pwer around here and that we elect them!
@Rcockran and THoffman...U can take your little un-intimidating jackboot fascist "Fed above all" attitude and shove it right up your ***. STATE LAW TRUMPS FED and my state allows personal production and use of a LEGAL substance...guess what? Thats right...I think your collars have some brown stuff on em...JACK!
Wow. Scared little sheep both of you. We are supposed to be breaking away from daddy government, not living in fear of it. I was under the assumption that the people who read this periodical are the types who are self suffiecent and live by thier own rules. Either you guys are Fed's yourselves, or you are part of the problem on why we let a bunch of psychopaths in suits, who are in breach of Trust, run our lives from cushy offices in the District of Criminals. Laws should be made only to protect one's life, liberty, and property. Everything else is nothing more than a control apparatus and you should be ashamed of yourselves for talking this type of fear based garbage. If distilling is done in the privacy of your own home for their PRIVATE consumption then it should and will happen. Please, stand aside while a free people express themselves and show some courage by doing what is best for them, not what they are TOLD to do. Wake up cowards!
I too am surprised by this article. It is illegal in the United States to make your own liquor without a license. PERIOD. This type of article is going to get a lot of people in trouble and should be removed. I am shocked that this magazine didn't do any research on the matter before putting this online. You may not produce spirits for beverage purposes without paying taxes and without prior approval of paperwork to operate a distilled spirits plant. [See 26 U.S.C. 5601 & 5602 for some of the criminal penalties.] There are numerous requirements that must be met that also make it impractical to produce spirits for personal or beverage use. Some of these requirements are paying special tax, filing an extensive application, filing a bond, providing adequate equipment to measure spirits, providing suitable tanks and pipelines, providing a separate building (other than a dwelling) and maintaining detailed records, and filing reports. All of these requirements are listed in 27 CFR Part 19. Spirits may be produced for non-beverage purposes for fuel use only without payment of tax, but you also must file an application, receive TTB's approval, and follow requirements, such as construction, use, records and reports. "You may not produce alcohol with these stills unless you qualify as a distilled spirits plant". Try it go to jail its your choice.
Distilling of spirits is against federal laws. While there may be individual state laws that allow for this type of activity it is still against the federal laws. You are not allowed to distill spirits for fuel without a permit. You are not allowed to distill spirits for consumption (personal or otherwise) without much more paperwork and money given to the feds. You can be put in jail for this type of activity. You can be fined several thousand dollars per offense. You may end up a convicted felon for following the advise of this article. While the writer may be getting away with it for now, he has admitted to committing this crime and may be eventually prosecuted. Do your research before engaging in this activity. If you go about it without federal authorization you will be committing a federal offense. Visit www.ttb.gov for details on how to obtain federal permission to distill alcohol for fuel, and you can also research the legal route to becoming a distiller of alcohol.
Whether you want to learn how to grow and raise your own food, build your own root cellar, or create a green dream home, come out and learn everything you need to know — and then some!LEARN MORE
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Hi there today I'm guest posting over at Whatever Dee Dee Want's. Go there to see my post about the Fall advent calendar I made.
Original contemporary paintings including landscapes, portraits, and interiors by artist Trent Gudmundsen.
such great inspiration! Love ya girl!
such great inspiration! Love ya girl!
Love the calender idea with candies and boxes. Very creative.


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Tuesday, April 26, 2011
NYC Trip. Part Two.
10 comments:
I love these pictures and the desserts look fabulous!ReplyDelete
Oh this is so pretty!ReplyDelete
xo $ARMIN
I'm SO jealous of your New York getaway! It looks like you had an absolutely blast. I'd love to visit Beauty and Essex sometime, and those gingerbread spoons are too cute.ReplyDelete
xo Josie
i never visited new york would love to get a chance sometimes soon :)ReplyDelete
love your photos!
Jealous ! Jealous ! Jealous. I adore New York. Great postReplyDelete
the antique garage is 1 block from my house... i love that place too for itsd ambiance..the food is ok though...ReplyDelete
Fabulous photos, I adore your post :DReplyDelete
I just found your blog! Gorgeous, girl! My favorite restaurant in NYC is Del Posto..check it out!ReplyDelete
If you are interested in a funny post on overall health, follow me too! http://healthnationally.blogspot.com/
glad you liked my city! as a girl who used to live in nashville, i can also say that i love yours, too. next time try the pizza at motorino, the scrambled eggs at maialino and an escape to the south seas at the hurricane club. and i don't think i need to tell you where to shop ;)ReplyDelete
Thanks for those amazing suggestions, Colleen!! Will definitely go there on my next trip :)ReplyDelete


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Last Updated: May 29th, 2012 - 03:07:02
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The luxury model Radio Flyer red wagon, for kids and their parents. Extra-large wagon body crafted of natural-finished American hardwood, topped with bright red removable select wood sides. The model #24 red wagon features steel wheels with semi-pneumatic rubber tires and an extra long handle that folds under the wagon. Dimensions: Wagon Body (Outside Dimensions): 36 x 16 1/2 x 9 1/2 Wagon Body (Inside Dimension): 33 x 13 1/5 x 7 1/4 Wheels: 10 x 1 1/2 Carton: 36 3/4 x 15 1/2 x 5 3/4 Weight: 30.7 lbs. Weight Capacity: 180 lbs. Color: Radio Flyer Red
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The Ultimate Wealth Package
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Today there are many easy and more advanced ways to make money on the internet. The amount of the population that has access to the internet is expanding faster than ever and as a result there is an enormous profit potential online. This is still an early stage to get into online business. There is literally an unlimited supply of untapped markets online with little or no competition that you can profit from.
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When the scandalous news first broke regarding the lead-tainted drinking water of Flint, Michigan, presumptive Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton swiftly jumped upon the outrage bandwagon.
She of course blamed the entire issue on Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, and demanded he step down from his elected office.
However, it has now been revealed that a top public relations executive representing an engineering firm being sued over the Flint water crisis is also head of a PR firm that provides free services to Hillary's Clinton Global Initiative, a sort of subsidiary of the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Family Foundation, according to The Daily Caller.
Advertisement - story continues below
That man is named Pete Wentz, and he is the executive director of the Chicago office of PR firm APCO Worldwide, which has worked with Hillary's CGI for at least the past eight years providing pro bono services for the foundation.
APCO is proud to provide media support to the Clinton Global Initiative this week in Chicago http://ow.ly/i/dFcc #CGIAmerica
— APCO Worldwide (@apcoworldwide) June 29, 2011
TRENDING: Hate: CNN Commentator Explodes Over Trump Supporter's Minority Son
Wentz is also serving as a spokesman for the Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. engineering firm that is named in several lawsuits "alleging gross negligence, professional negligence and battery for alleged lead poisoning of about 50 children in Flint over the past two years."
While the link between APCO, LAN, and Hillary Clinton might appear somewhat murky on surface examination, it's… https://t.co/tEnib3lqgl
— Dave Fillippo (@okdave) April 17, 2016
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The LAN firm has been named in nine such lawsuits because it was hired to oversee the retrofitting of Flint's water treatment plant in 2014.
Wentz has defended the firm by largely casting the blame on the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the city of Flint itself, saying the firm did what it was hired to do and no more.
Though APCO doesn't publicly list LAN as one of its clients, preferring instead to keep the client lists largely confidential, Wentz has been quite public about his work with Hillary, CGI and the Clinton foundation.
In fact, aside from the free PR provided by APCO, the firm has also donated between $25,000 and $50,000 to the foundation. Furthermore, other top executives at the firm have donated to Hillary's presidential campaign, and a number of employees used to work in President Bill Clinton's administration.
Muddying the waters even further is a recent attempt by APCO to merge with another PR consulting firm known as Teneo. If that name sounds familiar, it is because it was the firm that Hillary's right-hand Huma Abedin was somehow allowed to work for while simultaneously serving as Hillary's top aide in the State Department.
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Of course, none of this definitively proves anything, other than providing more evidence that a probably crooked Hillary has surrounded herself by similarly corrupt individuals who would do literally anything to make a buck, such as defending an engineering firm that possibly allowed innocent children to drink and bathe in lead-tainted water.
Please share this on Facebook and Twitter to help expose this connection between Hillary Clinton and the Flint water crisis she has railed against so much.
What do you think of this connection between Hillary Clinton and the Flint water crisis? Scroll down to comment below.


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Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first NJ.com user to add photos or videos of Canada Dry
Canada Dry is located at 88 Polifly Rd, Hackensack, NJ. This business specializes in Food & Agriculture.
Canada Dry can be found at Polifly Rd 88. The following is offered: B2B Food Wholesalers. The entry is present with us since Sep 9, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Hackensack there are 10 other B2B Food Wholesalers. An overview can be found here.


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Super Talent 200x USB drive Review
Posted by Philipp Esselbach on: 05/15/2007 10:51 AM [ Print | 0 comment(s) ]
DV Hardware has a new review online of a new flash drive from Super Talent
Flash drives designed/marketed with Windows Vista's new ReadyBoost feature in mind are flooding the market. In this review I'm taking a look at a new ReadyBoost ready flash drive from Super Talent. Super Talent is a Californian company that makes memory modules, flash drives, SSD flash drives and a couple of other products like MP3 players and SD memory cards. They have been in the memory industry for over 20 years and hold over 100 patents in memory technology. The DH series 200x flash drives from Super Talent are available in capacities from 512MB to 8GB.
Super Talent 200x USB drive Review


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Quick Reference
(1797–1886), Rhode Island agriculturist generally called "Shepherd Tom" because of his sheep-raising. This and his textile manufacturing were so successful that at 43 he retired from business, moved to an estate near Newport, and devoted the remainder of his life to spiritualism, to a variety of reforms that included better asylums for the poor and insane, abolition of capital punishment, antislavery, pacifism, and feminism, and to antiquarianism. His writings include Recollections of Olden Times (1879) and The Jonny-Cake Letters (1882). This collection, enlarged as The Jonny-Cake Papers of "Shepherd Tom" (1915), recounts Yankee folklore of Rhode Island in a whimsical fashion.
From The Oxford Companion to American Literature in Oxford Reference.
Subjects: Literature.
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Build Guide by Gibraltra
Not Updated For Current Season
This guide has not yet been updated for the current season. Please keep this in mind while reading. You can see the most recently updated guides on the browse guides page.
Thank You!
Your votes and comments encourage our guide authors to continue
creating helpful guides for the League of Legends community.
Amumu Build
Ability Sequence
Not Updated For Current Season
The masteries shown here are not yet updated for the current season, the guide author needs to set up the new masteries. As such, they will be different than the masteries you see in-game.
this is how i build my amumu..
first i'll get tears of the goddess for mana cap
then the boots
rod of ages for mana/hp/AP
rylai for hp/ap/slow
frozen heart for armor/mana/cooldown reduction/slowing atkspd could help a little as well
deathfire grasp for AP/cooldown reduction
then build archangel's staff from tears for AP/mana cap/magic def
you could jungle early with this build as well
ghost and flash is for running and jumping in/out.. in case you missed your bandage..
40% cd reduction is very helpful for your ulti.. you can have it down to about 70-80 sec i guess.. i forgot.. lol! then try to get the blue buff for more reduction and mana regen.. with this, you can cry all you want.. with some good damage and tanking ability..
or if you want to stack your despair with sunfire capes then you could remove the tear of goddes in the late game as you already have a lot of mana.. with that you'll have more life and passive damage per sec.


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Research Topics
Transportation research at the U of M encompasses many disciplines and subjects. You can view our research within the broad topic areas below.
You can also find research by keyword.
Effective planning of transportation networks and the relationships between transportation and land use.
The impacts of transportation on the natural environment and human health.
Traffic Operations
Efficient real-time management of complex transportation systems.
Preventing vehicle crashes and other traffic-related incidents that claim thousands of lives every year.
Traffic Modeling and Data
Advanced simulation technologies that let researchers and professionals develop better solutions to traffic-related problems.
Protecting the transportation system and its users from crime, terrorist activity, natural disasters, and other threats and disruptions and developing transportation strategies for evacuation and mitigation.
Intelligent Vehicles
Systems and technologies that help drivers operate their vehicles safely and efficiently under a variety of conditions, ranging from normal driving to hazardous situations.
Economic impacts of transportation systems and projects, pricing of transportation facilities, and transportation financing strategies.
The movement of goods via all modes of transportation.
Materials and techniques to produce safe, economical roadways and airport runways.
Bridges & Structures
The use of steel, concrete, and other building materials for bridges and other transportation structures.
Repair and upkeep of roads and other transportation facilities.
Effective management of complex construction projects and development of innovative construction technologies.
Research spanning the spectrum of transportation modes, including:
Research Implementation
Activities that help transfer research results to practice.


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#GetOutTheVote week is NOW
Points to make with friends:
- Half of evangelicals didn't vote in the 2012 election. Really.
- All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
- What will I say to my family when it all caves in and I haven't done enough?
- Which one is working for you?
- Other ideas?


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Create lyrics explanationSelect some words and click "Explain" button. Then type your knowledge, add image or YouTube video till "Good-o-meter" shows "Cool" or "Awesome!". Publish your explanation with "Explain" button. Get karma points!
Judds – Auld Lang Syne lyrics
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We'll take a cup of kindness, yet
For auld lang syne
Lyrics taken from http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/judds/auld_lang_syne.html


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The word is that CBS White House ace Lesley Stahl will replace maternity-bound correspondent Meredith Vieira on CBS's "60 Minutes." And Linda Ellerbee, for one, couldn't be happier.
"Sounds like a perfect fit," says Ellerbee, the gutsy NBC Newsie-turned-independent producer. "She's a first-class reporter who has more than earned her stripes. She's got class. She's as tough as Mike Wallace and as hard a worker. It's a wonderful idea."
Vieira, one of five "60 Minutes" correspondents, was dropped by exec producer Don Hewitt two weeks ago because she said she couldn't commit to a full-time schedule in the fall. (Her second child is due in August.) She will remain with the network.


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Kids have some far-fetched dreams. Long before I wanted to be a writer, an astronaut, a medieval knight, or even a paleontologist, my original ambition was to actually be a dinosaur. A Tyrannosaurus Rex, to be specific. I remember running around the playground at recess pantomiming what I thought must be appropriate T-Rex behavior, my little arms clutched close to my body, two fingers on either hand grasping at nothing, while I chased and tried to bite the other kids.
Yeah, in retrospect, I probably looked like a special needs student.
My mother enabled me by sewing a T-Rex costume for me when I was in the first grade. I pretty much lived in that thing. I still have it, in fact. I'd probably be wearing it right now if I could still fit it.
Around that time, I had to do my first research project on something for school. The assignment required us to use a book from the library (this was the prehistoric age back when libraries still had books), and it was then, digging through the Dewey Decimal System, that I discovered something even better than my current T-Rex hero, Grimlock.
Grimlock, if you're not familiar, was a Transformer T-Rex that both had a sword (in robot form) AND breathed fire. These things are important when you're eight (or thirty-two). It always bothered me that he could only express himself monosyllabically and in the third person with the exception of his own name, but he was just too damn cool to care that much.
On a side note, here's Grimlock in Transformers: Age of Extinction.
'Bout time, Michael Bay. Try not to crap on my childhood anymore, please?
Well, they didn't have a book on Transformers in the school library, but strangely enough, they had one on Godzilla.
I had discovered the King of Monsters, who was essentially a 100 meter tall, nuclear fire breathing, T-Rex-Stegosaurus hybrid that could stomp the s— out of anything on this planet, and others. I learned a lot of interesting facts about the films as well, like the original Godzilla being named Gojira (and female) and the Japanese version of King Kong Vs. Godzilla ending differently from the piece of crap we got where the chest thumping monkey wins.
After giving my report, I smoozed my parents into renting every Godzilla movie they carried at the local Blockbuster, another relic of a prehistoric age. I watched my favorite monster transition from a metaphor for nuclear war to a savior figure that then beat the tar out of other monsters–most ridiculously, his own robotic double constructed by alien apes.
Being the guy in the Godzilla suit pre-CGI had to be a blast. "Okay, Hideki. We need you to put on this rubber monster costume and trash this cardboard model of Tokyo. When you're done with that, you get to smack around and bite people in other suits while you pretend you can breathe fire."
Where the heck was that job on the interest inventory exam we all had to take?
Around high school (1995), the good movies stopped. My building stomping was relegated to replaying Rampage: World Tour.
So I was initially excited when Sony got their hands on the rights to my favorite monster until I heard they had to "change him by 80%". I figured there was no way that could be true–he still had to be Godzilla, or there was no way they could call the movie Godzilla, right?
Quite unfortunately, I took a date to this movie. It was our first date. It was our last date. This was probably because I stood up in the movie theater at the end and raged, "You can't kill Godzilla with missiles, you stupid bastards! Godzilla eats missiles! That's like lobbing a bunch of cheeseburgers at me and saying, 'Die, fat boy, die!'"
I mean, every part of the movie was offensive–especially the part where the Americans get saved by the French. I also rather enjoyed the random Godzilla babies running around Madison Square Garden like it was Jurassic Park. What were they thinking?
Apparently, they were thinking they needed to change it by 80%. Mission accomplished.
The new Godzilla is more of a throwback to the older flicks. We don't see the monster until about an hour in. There are monsters (MUTOs) that are metaphors for the destructive power of nuclear energy. At the same time, Godzilla is the hero of the movie and is able to battle the MUTOs to protect mankind. It's a blend of everything that was good about the Toho films with the addition of performances by The Last Samurai (Ken Watanabe) and Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Without spoiling anything more, I dug it and was able to leave the theater without embarrassing myself–this time.
The one thing I will say is that the new Godzilla looks like he's put on a little weight. In this way only, he remains Americanized.


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text: The race was on last week for internet archivists to save locally the millions of web pages created using Yahoo's free website hosting service GeoCities, which shut its doors after 15 years on 26th October. According to Wired archivists estimate they salvaged at least a million sites and a few people have set up "digital museums" including geocities.ws and reocities.com. Wired says: "Before iPods and Y2K, GeoCities was a quantum leap: The average person could create a web site for free, no questions asked. People took the opportunity and ran with it, building millions of pages –- 38 million at last count, according to Yahoo. They helped make the web a more vibrant territory, no longer the citadel of nerds in the know."


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Public reaction to the plans for Sunoco Logistics to build a pumping station for a natural gas pipeline in a residential neighborhood of West Goshen, among the county's most densely populated municipalities, has been swift and strong.
Residents are almost universally against it, citing safety fears and loss of local control that would come should the company's proposal to reinvent itself as a public utility be approved.
At the township government level, reaction has been no less unanimous, but is somewhat more nuanced. At a meeting last week, the West Goshen Board of Supervisors voted to become parties to both the application to build the pumping station that is currently with the township Zoning Hearing Board and the application for utility status that is with the stat Public Utility Commission. But although the board's action was without opposition, its position was not made clear at the meeting. We understand the need for caution at this point, but encourage the board to look hard at what its constituents are saying.
Sunoco currently is asking for two special exceptions in front of the zoning board regarding a pump station it seeks to locate at the intersection of Boot Road and Route 202, one of the township's busiest intersections, as any morning drive time commuter will attest.
Township Solicitor Kristen Camp and township attorney Margaret Morris addressed the board with options. The supervisors quickly agreed to become parties to both actions, with Chairwoman Patricia McIlvanie noting that the board will have its "plate pretty full with this issue. Hopefully this will come to a very happy resolution.
The legal representatives said they would begin to gather evidence and testimony to present in front of the zoners, and in front of the Public Utility Commission. Morris noted that it would likely be a "very long process" in front of the commission. But although residents at the meeting asked what the township's formal position regarding the pipeline would be in the proceedings, for or against, Camp and Morris said evidence first needs to be gathered before officially announcing the township's position. Camp said, however, that by getting involved, the board showed its interest in both matters. "The action to intervene is because they're concerned about it and they want to spend the money and time on it," said Camp. "That sends the message they're looking at it."
We encourage the township to do its due diligence to determine to what extent the pump station would be a safety hazard to the greater community, and anticipate that it will eventually come to the same conclusion that residents in the area have: that Sunoco chose the wrong location for such a facility.
We also encourage the community to get involved in the process, first by attending a forum at West Chester East High School on April 22 at which Sunoco representatives have said they meet with residents and answer questions. Participation, as the supervisor have shown, is the best option.


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Derry bomb alert: Crude but viable device discovered
A bomb has been found during a security alert in Londonderry.
The device, which police have described as "crude but viable" was discovered by a member of the public at Talbot Park earlier on Thursday.
A number of homes were evacuated and Army bomb disposal officers were called to examine the object.
The Army carried out a controlled explosion at the scene and have taken the bomb away for further examination. The security alert has now ended.
All affected roads have reopened and residents have been allowed to return to their homes.
Police have appealed to anyone who noticed any suspicious activity in the Talbot Park area recently to contact them.


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Surprisingly, of the 10 biggest arenas in the NHL, only three share it with an NBA team from the same city. Four of the arenas are in Canada (Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Senators, Flames) and three others are in Northern US states (Blackhawks, Wild, Red Wings). St. Paul in Minnesota is the most Western city in the top 10 from South of the border. More
It's spring, which means College Football season is slowly starting to raise it's beautiful head. This usually means packed venues at the annual spring game, although it seems no one can come close to the enthusiasm among Big Ten fans, especially at Ohio State, Nebraska and Penn State. More
While the FA asks Premier League teams to release official attendance numbers which include all the people who purchased tickets for a certain home match, police records, counting only those actually passing through the turnstiles, tell a very different story to what Manchester United would have you believe about the amount of fans who watch matches at Old Trafford during the weekend. More
The 2012 stadium is soon to arrive, with spring training in full swing mode. From Dodger stadium, the oldest among the ten biggest baseball stadiums in America, to the recently opened Yankee Stadium (2009), here are the top 10 biggest MLB Stadiums. More
The 10 biggest arenas in the NBA. More
NFL Stadiums don't produce eye popping numbers like some of College Football 100,000+ venues, but there aren't any with less than 60,000. Cowboys Stadium can pack 110,000 when Jerry Jones feels like it, while FedEx stadium keeps getting smaller, but remains high on the list. More
With the 2011 College Football season already on its way, it's time to refresh this list. It's been two years since we put this list out, and its still the same ten stadiums that have the largest capacity in College Football, with a few shifts. Most importantly, especially for Michigan fans – Michigan Stadium is back on top, as the top 3 spots are owned by Big Ten teams. The SEC has four venues, The Pac-12 with two and one from the Big 12. Those numbers, the conference names, are likely to change pretty soon.
The smallest stadiums in the English Premiership, German Bundesliga, French Ligue 1, Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A. More


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Ten Arab Israelis held over Lebanon arms smuggling
An Israeli court on Wednesday extended the remand of 10 Arab Israelis for allegedly smuggling explosives from Lebanon into Israel at the request of the Shiite Hezbollah militia, officials said.
The court in the northern city of Nazareth charged the 10 with a slew of smuggling offences involving both drugs and weapons, as well as "aiding the enemy in time of war," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
They will be tried on August 29.
Police had initially arrested 14 suspects, but later released four of them, one of whom was a minor.
Rosenfeld did not say when they were arrested, but according to the Shin Bet internal security service, the network, which was largely made up of known drug dealers, was exposed last month.
According to Rosenfeld, the suspects were acting under the orders of Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, which advocates armed struggle against the Jewish state and controls much of southern Lebanon.
Israel and Lebanon are officially in a state of war, and the Jewish state fought a devastating war with Hezbollah in the summer of 2006.
Public radio said police and the Shin Bet found 20 kilogrammes (44 pounds) of explosives and weapons hidden in Nazareth.
Last month, Israel accused Iran and Hezbollah of planning attacks in "over 20 countries" in remarks just days after a deadly attack in Bulgaria that killed five Israeli tourists and their local bus driver.
Iran denied the charges but Hezbollah refused to comment.
Arab Israelis make up more than a fifth of the Israeli population, numbering around 1.3 million people. They are the descendants of Palestinians who remained in the Jewish state after the 1948 war that followed its creation.
They say they suffer from discrimination, particularly in employment, education and public funding.


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I've got a dark confession to make:
I'm almost never rushing around for Christmas because I loooooove getting all my stuff done early.
But for the rest of the world… let the frenzy begin!
Because when your schedule is packed and work won't quit, sometimes Christmas just doesn't come together "on schedule." If I weren't ready to go, here's where I would look for last-minute yet practical and beautiful (and cheap, if you want) Christmas gifts:
1. Inspirational Etsy Prints
Etsy is a wonderful world of handwritten calligraphy and word art. In particular, I fell in love with Joyful Papery when I saw her stuff at a craft fair last year. Her shop is closed for the rest of the year, but you can still get print-your-own and print-at-home options.
All you need is some classy paper from Target or Walmart and a decent printer. Pick up a beautiful frame from Goodwill, Salvation Army, or the sale rack at Home Goods, TJ Maxx, or Target or Walmart and you've got yourself a reasonably-priced inspirational gift for a loved one. Pair with ribbon and a heartfelt card.
2. Homemade Natural Beauty Products
Some natural beauty products require crazy wax pellets, cooking, and dangerous temperatures. But those products only give the others a bad name. For many homemade beauty products, it's not as complicated as you think!
Here's my new favorite: room sprays. Gather a few essential oils and a classy glass vial with water and a touch of oil (though the oil is optional) and you've got yourself a fancy, thoughtful, and non-hormone-disrupting gift for friends.
Combinations I love for perfume or room spray:
Bergamot + Lavender + Sweet Orange = Perfumey like marshmallows and baby powder
Sweet Orange + Lime + Lemon = Super fresh and citrusy
Frankincense + Myrrh = Expensive, but it smells like church!
If you want to get super complicated, you can make this Pumpkin Spice one from Wellness Mama, or click around her site for awesome ideas like natural lipstick, body butter, or hair oils.
3. Unique or Thoughtful Magazine Subscription
Give year-round for about $15-20! You can find some great stuff at your local book store, but you can also look online for magazines that suit a special interest or unique group of people.
I'm always eyeing Paleo Magazine, and I've seen magazines for literature, poetry, knitting… you name it. You can also get kid's subscriptions for kids or adults, because who wouldn't love a magazine about nature, animals, or coloring?
4. Tube of Cuteness (AKA Mini Gift Basket)
You don't have to go big to show your thoughtfulness for Christmas. I came across $2.50 simple clear vases at a thrift store and bought several in case I needed last-minute hostess gifts. Fill with holly or leftover tree trimmings and red and white tissue paper, then mix with mini ornaments, candy (candy canes and peppermints, perhaps), and other thoughtful niceties (notebooks, pens, gift card).
All of these things can be found free or cheap around the house or at Target (or you can scale it up to be more expensive), but when you put it together it has a great "Wow!" factor.
5. Delayed Gratification in the Form of Coupons
If you're truly stumped for a gift idea and it's a close friend you want to spend time with, make one or a batch of cute coupons. A batch might be tons of small things like the following:
- Text you an anagram poem of how awesome you are
- DD for a night out
- Errand favor any time, any place
Or they can be more significant one-time things like:
- Dinner out, just you and me
- I/You come over and cook you/I an amazing dinner
- An afternoon of [my skill] (personal shopping, babysitting, decorating, organizing, cleaning, whatever you do well)
This has the added benefit of 1) being really thoughtful and personalized, and 2) not being an expense now so you can save up and pay for it later if it's out of your Christmas budget. Make sure the coupons are artsy and on nice paper to avoid the whole obvious last-minute cheapskate thing.
More on Our Kind of Christmas
How do we avoid the frenzy? By being cheap and being planners.
Since we started Dave Ramsey's plan, we get our Christmas budget together in November and our $50 Christmas Draw name (for one side of the family) around Thanksgiving. Then we identify the theme for the year for the rest of our list and make it happen in the first few weeks of December (last year it was gift cards, this year is Christmas ornaments). Around this time I also get the Christmas cards out (purchased the year before 1/2 off during after-Christmas sales) and review our address list, design the note, and purchase stamps.
We err on the side of cheaper gifts so that we can stay on track with our debt-free goals and get to the point where we can be generous gift-givers faster. We typically give $5-10 gifts (or lower) and rarely go above $20 unless it's a particularly special event or a very close friend (give or take the occasional meal-buying).
How about you?
Are you done with your shopping, or do you shop til the last minute? Do you blow out your budget every year, or stay on track to the dime every time?


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Dutch central bank President Nout Wellink accused Iceland's government of lying about the health of the country's banks before their collapse in October 2008.
Wellink, in televised testimony before a Dutch commission investigating the credit crisis, said he had spoken to the head of Iceland's central bank in early September 2008.
At that time, Wellink said, he was told that the Icelandic central bank had warned its government about six months previously about potential dangers for the banks.
"I've been hoping for a long time that they just didn't see it, but to be honest after the words of my colleague that it was several months before that he had warned them, I thought they have lied to us," Wellink said.
The effects of the collapse of Iceland's banking system in October 2008 rippled round the world. One bank, Landsbanki, had an online arm, Icesave, that attracted hundreds of thousands of customers in Britain and the Netherlands by offering rates of more than 5% on deposits.
The two countries lent Iceland $5 billion to compensate customers who lost their savings when Icesave collapsed, but the terms for repayment of that loan have caused a big political dispute.
Iceland's parliament passed a repayment law last August, but the British and Dutch governments rejected it because of its restrictions. Iceland's parliament passed a new law in December but the president refused to sign it, triggering a national referendum on the law, set for March 6. (Reuters)