text:
Rock Opera
The long, strange story of the Bahia Emerald
From the March 9, 2015 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek
In the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia, not far from the city of Pindobaçu, the land is creased like an accordion. There, the earth's crust has been squished into a series of granite ridges separated by scrub-filled valleys. These folds are rich with the elements beryllium and chromium, which have worked their way into the cracked rock and cooled to form green hexagonal crystals—emeralds. Starting in the 1960s, thousands of prospectors, known in Portuguese as garimpeiros, have flocked here to mine. Descending hundreds of feet down shafts no wider than manholes, they risk their lives to hunt for the gemstones.
One of these shafts sits below a farm owned by an elderly man. One day in early 2001, according to an investigation by Brazil's National Department of Mineral Production, a garimpeiro there emerged from the ground with an emerald formation far larger than anyone had ever seen. It was a dark, tombstone-size hunk of shale, with a dozen greenish columns jutting out like sticks of Kryptonite. Weighing 840 pounds, the rock matrix contained an emerald estimated to be 180,000 carats in size. At the time of its discovery, it was the largest uncut emerald in the world.
Like most of the emeralds from Bahia, it was cloudy and marred by impurities. High-quality stones from the world's top mines, in Colombia and Zambia, can sell for thousands of dollars per carat, but a typical emerald from Bahia is worth less than $10 per carat. Many of its gems are used in costume jewelry. Others are exported to Arab markets, where they're bought to decorate mosques and houses. Still others become collectors' pieces, admired as geological novelties.
The Brazilian TV news program Fantástico reported that a local man bought the Bahia Emerald early on for $5,000 and subsequently sold it for $20,000. Details of the next transactions are sketchy—the emerald appears to have changed hands a few times before two men bought it around June 2001. Elson Ribeiro, a former bookseller and gold miner, and his partner, Ruy Saraiva, crated the stone, placed it on the bed of a pickup truck, and drove it away from Pindobaçu.
"There's an entire subculture of people who will buy anything because of its size," says Ronald Ringsrud, an American emerald expert. "The story is what sells the piece." And a story is what the Bahia Emerald got. Whatever the gemstone is really worth—next to nothing or several hundred million dollars—court records show that it's been traded around the world by a gang of con men, dupes, detectives, and double-crossers worthy of a Coen brothers movie. It might all be farce if not for who entered the dispute last fall: the nation of Brazil, which wants to get its rock back.
In the summer of 2001, Tony Thomas was 37, flush with cash, and trying to get a foothold in the technology industry. He had never been to college, but the construction company he owned, which specialized in laying gas and electric lines underground, was booming. "This was the dot-com era," he says, "when anything anyone did in the Silicon Valley was taking off."
Thomas styled himself an investor. He'd poured more than $200,000 into a high-definition TV company in Los Gatos, Calif., called Digital Reflections Inc. and was encouraging his friends and family to get in on the action. DRI's prototype had a sleek exterior designed by Porsche and a cutting-edge display technology called liquid-crystal-on-silicon. At the company's headquarters, the animated film Antzplayed on a loop on a 50-inch screen with eye-popping colors like nothing Thomas had seen before. In those days, a TV that size would cost tens of thousands of dollars, but Wayne Catlett, DRI's chief executive officer, promised to deliver a model at a fraction of that price.
At 6 foot 7, Catlett was as slender as a fiber-optic cable, with movie-star good looks, dark eyebrows, and silver hair. In July 2001, as the boom was collapsing, he told Thomas they were in danger of losing everything. Venture capital had dried up, he said, and DRI desperately needed some new funding to survive.
Thomas had an idea. He mentioned a mining consultant he'd met at a construction site. The consultant, a salty fellow in his late 60s named Ken Conetto, had wowed Thomas with his knowledge of minerals and intrigued him with tales of Brazilian emeralds. Two of Conetto's longtime contacts were Ribeiro and Saraiva.
It's not clear when Catlett teamed up with Conetto against Thomas, but Catlett proposed that Thomas and Conetto go to Brazil to buy emeralds at cut-rate prices. As Thomas understood the plan, the gemstones would be appraised generously—he hoped for as much as $100 million—placed into safekeeping, and used as collateral for loans. The money from the loans would be deposited in what Catlett described as a high-yield investment program, supposedly facilitated by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). If Thomas had any doubts about the mechanics, they were eclipsed by thoughts of profit. After 47 weeks, the money was supposed to double, and they could pay back the loan and sell off the emeralds. Twenty-seven percent of the gross proceeds were to be invested in humanitarian projects, but the rest could be channeled back into DRI. Thomas would get a 10 percent consulting fee, but in the meantime he'd have to pay for their expenses and provide seed funding for the first emerald purchases.
In reality, the ICC was warning consumers that it did not vet investments and that con men were collecting $1.5 billion per year by promising outrageous returns through mysterious "prime banks." Thomas knew none of this. "I believe in people and take them at their word," he says. Catlett, who stood by the plan in court, didn't respond to requests for interviews. "I had no knowledge of gems," he testified in 2010. "This was completely outside of my area of expertise. But at that stage of the game, we were willing to try most anything."
One steamy São Paulo morning in September 2001, Thomas, Conetto, Ribeiro, and Saraiva climbed into a van at their hotel and drove to a residential neighborhood. They pulled up to a house with a green tarp covering something in the carport; Conetto watched as a white cat peed on it. One of the Brazilians shooed away the cat and whipped off the tarp, revealing the 840-pound Bahia Emerald. Conetto chuckled as Thomas went bananas. Thomas took two dozen photos, then handed the camera to one of the Brazilian owners of the stone. He got down on one knee, reached around the emerald with his right hand, and cracked a big goofy grin.
Soon after, the Brazilians had Dimitri Paraskevopulos, a Turkish-born gemologist in his late 70s, deliver an appraisal. "Such a rare specimen has never been seen before," he wrote, "not even at an international auction house such as Sotheby's." The gemologist mentioned the price of an emerald supposedly at the British Museum in London and said the Brazilian stone was superior. "I estimate is [sic] worth US$925 million," he wrote. "As an expert gemologist, I must emphasize that this stone is a magnificent and rare find, worthy of admiration." (Paraskevopulos did not respond to requests for comment.)
On Oct. 26, Catlett arrived in São Paulo to check on Thomas and Conetto. The atmosphere was festive inside the NH Della Volpe Hotel. Hors d'oeuvres and drinks were being served in the restaurant, where garimpeiros wandered around with folded pieces of paper filled with gemstones. It was the day before Thomas's 38th birthday. A cake with the words Feliz Aniversario was brought on a silver platter over to the table where he sat across from the Brazilian owners of the Bahia Emerald. In photographs from the evening, Catlett, Conetto, and Thomas look like old friends.
Mesmerized by what he saw in Brazil, Thomas wired a total of $180,000 to his business partners by the end of November. He now says he thought he was buying the Bahia Emerald for himself for $60,000, and the Brazilians would ship it to him in California. That never happened, and Thomas has no bill of sale to prove his purchase. Catlett, Conetto, and the Brazilians would later argue in court that Thomas was simply paying their expenses as part of their failed investment scheme.
Over Christmas in 2001, Catlett penned a farewell message to Thomas and other DRI investors before declaring bankruptcy. "There has been a tremendous effort over the past five months to restructure and obtain funding for the company," he wrote. He didn't mention that some of DRI's financial problems resulted from him fraudulently siphoning millions of dollars to a bank account in the Grand Caymans, according to a civil judgment in Santa Clara County Superior Court. Catlett has denied wrongdoing.
For the next three years the Bahia Emerald sat in a vault at the Bank of Brazil. Then, in 2004, Catlett, Conetto, Ribeiro, and Saraiva formed a company in Panama called Gemworks Mining. They shipped the emerald to San Jose, Calif.—declaring it a $100 rock on shipping forms—and recruited an ensemble cast, including convicted fraudsters, to rope in investors across California.
Gemworks made money through a variety of business ventures of varying complexity. In one case, they asked for a short-term loan to complete an emerald purchase and then strung along the lender for months before cutting off all contact, according to a review of their e-mails. Other times, they claimed a loan would be used to create highly lucrative emerald-backed securities. Shell corporations sprouted in Nevada. Jargon-filled contracts were illustrated with flowcharts that looked like blueprints for an integrated circuit. And they erased any doubts by flashing a handful of gemstones or a photo of the Bahia Emerald.
A chiropractor wired $40,000 to buy a promissory note linked to the Bahia Emerald—a judge called the scheme "despicable and reprehensible." A wealthy real estate developer in Sacramento, Mark Downie, gave Conetto and Catlett an $81,000 loan to get another Bahia Emerald-backed investment scheme rolling. (Conetto says he didn't know where the money came from and denies participating in any scam.)
According to Conetto, the Gemworks gang were constantly double-crossing one another and covertly moving the Bahia Emerald to make a quick buck. It bounced between a warehouse Conetto used in San Jose; the Santa Barbara office of Catlett's lawyer, Eric Kitchen, who died in 2013; and a vault Catlett rented in a former federal bank in New Orleans, where it was threatened by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. It became notorious among collectors of rare gems and minerals after Catlett signed ownership over to Larry Biegler. A real estate developer based in Paradise, Calif., Biegler was a big man with thinning dirty-blond hair and a cartoonishly nasal voice who claimed his wife was an heir to the Rockwell tool fortune. (She says she isn't.) "He was a con man's con man," Conetto says. Biegler declined to comment.
Biegler enlisted Gary Weiss, a New York-based diamond dealer, to promote the Bahia Emerald; Weiss posted a listing for the stone on EBay in 2007, inventing an origin myth with riotous detail. According to the listing, the supervisor of the mine where the emerald was discovered needed eight men to heave it out of the ground and onto a jungle trail. They hauled it toward São Paulo until, five months into their journey, a pair of black panthers attacked the team's mules. The men built "a stretcher from wood and vines" and "carried the rock by hand the rest of the way."
With a starting bid of $18.9 million and a "Buy It Now" price of $75 million, the emerald never sold, nor did anyone really expect it to. At a minimum, the goal of the far-fetched tale was simply to pump up the price, according to Weiss. "That stone would be worth nothing if we didn't romance it the way we romanced it," he says.
On the afternoon of May 14, 2008, Emil Ayad stepped out of his office in East Los Angeles and watched a black van pull up to the cargo bay. Ayad managed a private vault for Commonwealth International, a boutique armored-transport company that provides more personalized service than Brink's. The vault itself is a custom-forged steel box, 20 feet by 20 feet, where Commonwealth's clients typically stored cash, artwork, and jewels.
Ayad had gotten a call that morning about a couple of guys who had a "stone" they wanted to deposit, and he imagined a tiny diamond that could be tucked into a safe deposit box. Now, he could see the idling van sagging on its suspension. As Conetto tells it, he sat in the passenger seat, while Biegler sat at the wheel.
Six employees hoisted the crate onto a jack and lowered it to the concrete floor. Ayad watched as an electric drill whirred away at dozens of screws. Finally, the side of the crate came off with a thump. Ayad stepped forward and gazed at the Bahia Emerald in awe. After seeing an appraisal valuing the emerald at $372 million, he increased the vault's insurance coverage with Lloyd's of London.
Ayad didn't like a lot of movement in and out of the vault. Every time a client passes through the front door, he has to stamp his thumbprint next to his signature. But that summer, Biegler and a partner named Jerry Ferrara—who had a hoop earring and ran a Florida real estate company called Honest Father Buys Houses—treated the vault like a showroom, bringing in potential buyers of the Bahia Emerald on a moment's notice.
"These guys could sell a snow cone to an Eskimo"
One day, Ferrara brought by Kit Morrison, a dapper Mormon businessman with a trim goatee who lived in Idaho. According to court documents, Morrison wanted to buy some diamonds, and Biegler told him he had a shipment of them coming from South America. Biegler asked Morrison to wire him $1.3 million; Morrison would get a stake in the Bahia Emerald until the parcel arrived. As Morrison waited for Biegler to deliver the diamonds, Ferrara and Morrison would periodically drive to the Commonwealth vault to check on what Morrison called his pet rock. But as the weeks passed and no diamonds appeared, with excuses adding up, Ferrara says the situation grew heated.
In early July, Biegler called Ferrara to say he'd been kidnapped by the Brazilian mafia for 15 days. After his supposed release, he tried to pacify Morrison with three blue barrels of tiny emeralds, each barrel weighing 100 pounds. But the stones looked like something you might find on the bottom of a fish tank, or polished into beads on a cheap necklace. Morrison sold them all for $20,000 in New York. According to depositions and interviews with his business associates, that was barely enough to cover his expenses for a month of renting hotel rooms. Neither Morrison nor his lawyer responded to requests for an interview.
Morrison knew he'd been duped, and he decided to get even. He persuaded Ferrara to switch teams, and they set up a new corporation together, F & M Holdings. On Sept. 26 they arrived at the Commonwealth vault and, using Ferrara's authorization, loaded the emerald into a black Cadillac Escalade with tinted windows and drove away. Ferrara says they had every right to do so. "I got possession, I got chain-of-title, we paid real money for it," he says. "They've got nothing." After leaving the vault, he e-mailed Biegler: "I guess the saying is true (there is no honor among thieves)."
In early October 2008, Biegler reported the emerald as stolen to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. The case landed on the desk of two roving detectives in the county's Organized Crime division, Scott Miller and Mark Gayman. Meeting at a Denny's to discuss the case with a reporter, they look like they've gone deep undercover in Margaritaville. They wear wraparound sunglasses, baggy shorts, and oversize T-shirts to conceal their Berettas and beer bellies. The lawmen had a certain admiration for the Bahia Emerald crew. "These guys," Gayman says, "could sell a snow cone to an Eskimo."
For three days in December 2008, Miller and Gayman staked out Morrison's home in the small town of Eagle, Idaho. Even though it was a week before Christmas, they weren't prepared for the Idaho streets to be blanketed in snow. They were cold, and Morrison was nowhere to be seen. On the morning of the third day, Gayman knocked on the front door. Morrison's wife, Suzanne, answered, looking flustered. She glanced outside and saw a line of police vehicles stretching down the street. "Do you know why we're here?" Gayman asked.
"No," she said.
"We're here to get the Bahia Emerald." Gayman told Suzanne Morrison that her husband was the prime suspect in the theft of the stone. After Gayman stepped inside, Suzanne got her husband on the speakerphone from Los Angeles. He refused to say where the emerald was, besides not in Idaho.
"If you don't take us to the emerald, we're going to put you in jail," Gayman said.
"Take me to jail," Morrison replied.
Outside, Gayman's partner spotted a man fitting Morrison's description walking around to the back of the house. Several officers tackled him in the snow. It turned out to be the cable guy.
By the afternoon, Morrison had cooled down and agreed to hand over the Bahia Emerald to the authorities, at least until its ownership could be resolved. Two days later, Miller and Gayman were leading a caravan of six vehicles, loaded with M4 and AR-15 assault rifles, from L.A. to Las Vegas, where, with a helicopter escort, they picked up the emerald at a storage facility. Whatever the rock's true worth, the state of California was now a full participant in the legend of the Bahia Emerald. On their way back, Gayman and Miller gave Conetto a call to tell him that all 840 pounds were safely in the hands of the state. "Thank goodness," Conetto said.
In January 2009, Conetto sued Morrison for ownership of the emerald. As the two parties were on the verge of a settlement, in which Conetto would pay Morrison $5 million, news coverage of the case led four other claimants to come out of the woodwork, saying in court they'd been swindled by either Conetto or Morrison.
After Tony Thomas saw the massive emerald on the evening news, he picked up the phone and gave Conetto a piece of his mind. "Ken, you never paid a dime in your life for nothing," he told him in a conversation Thomas recorded in cooperation with the sheriff's detectives. "You haven't worked since I have known you. You haven't worked a job. How did you pay for this stone, Ken?"
"You get your attorney, play your little game, take your best shot," Conetto replied. "You're going to get your d--- smacked in."
Justice has creaked along at a geologic pace. One judge, John Kronstadt, found Conetto a sympathetic, if enigmatic, character. "His demeanor, tone, and pace of responses all led the Court to find his testimony very credible," he wrote in one ruling.
After seeing a second judge reject his claim to the emerald in January 2014, Thomas has declared bankruptcy. Conetto, Catlett, Ribeiro, and Saraiva, working together, settled with Morrison for a percentage of the stone. They defeated in court the last holdout—Downie, the Sacramento developer—and prepared to sell the Bahia Emerald again. Conetto said last year that Morrison had a "sheik" lined up to buy it for millions.
But anyone who knew the history of the Bahia Emerald could have predicted that there would be no denouement. In September, Brazil sued to have the lawsuit in Los Angeles dismissed or halted while it "pursues federal and diplomatic efforts" to repatriate the stone, which it alleges was illegally mined and exported. "Instead of being in a museum in Brazil where it can be admired for its stunning size and other attributes, it is the subject of this action by a number of parties who claim they somehow own it," Brazil's lawyers wrote in a court filing. "They don't. The Bahia Emerald is, and always has been, the property of Brazil."
One afternoon last May, Conetto invited a reporter into his aquamarine trailer home in a pleasant part of South San Jose, where he's lived with his elderly mother for more than 30 years. His TV is tuned to the Gem Shopping Network, and he has six La-Z-Boys lined up to help him develop business strategies. If he's having trouble brainstorming in one chair, Conetto explains, he moves on to the next. "I'm a thinker," he says.
By his estimate, he's already earned more than $300,000 from his involvement with the Bahia Emerald. Now he just wants the whole ordeal to be over. "Everybody is a crook in this thing," he says. The emerald was just "a pimple on a dog's butt." He digs through a stack of papers and pulls out a photograph of another large rock. "Just between you and me," he says, "I have something four times bigger than the Bahia Emerald."


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April 28, 2009 –
Comments (1)
Hmm...Let's see. Why don't we funnel money into the pockets of lenders who did not follow sound lending practice so they don't have to suffer, while at the same time hurt small businesses and make survival more difficult for them. Sounds like a great plan, gov't!!! The latest from Chris Martenson - link and excerpts: [more]
April 26, 2009 –
Comments (0)
It's highly likely in the next 12-24 months that we will begin to see corporate loans default on a level comparable to subprime home mortgages. As this New York Times article examines, many of these junk bonds and loans were issued to companies that have little, if any, hope of paying them back or refinancing in the current environment. If the economy doesn't improve NOW (and it won't), the default rate will surge to levels not seen since the Great Depression (hmm...that's a familiar sounding phrase, isn't it). Here's the link and excerpts (emphasis mine): [more]
April 23, 2009 –
Comments (4)
I've lamented the fact that my two boys (ages 2 & 4) are going to have to carry a huge financial burden that is being heaped upon them by both the Bush and Obama administrations. Nathan Martin makes a great point that I probably don't need to worry about these debts being pushed off on their generation. At the current rate of decline in tax revenues, coupled with the massive amounts of debt that our government is taking on, the bill will come due much, much sooner. Here's the link and an excerpt: [more]
April 22, 2009 –
Comments (20)
With all due respect to the good bankers out there in CAPS land (nuf2bdangerous comes to mind), I've had it up to here with the criminal ways of our nations banks and bankers. HOWEVER, I'm beginning to think our nations leaders are just as bad, if not worse, than the bankers. Here's another article showing how disgusting this is becoming (link and excerpts): [more]
April 21, 2009 –
Comments (3) |
I loved the title of this article...after all, everyone knows that Jack Bauer can do ANYTHING! The author has a point, however. I don't think there's anyone/anything strong enough to break the stranglehold that Wall Street has over Washington. He gives 10 reasons (scenes) why Wall Street has absolute power over our democracy. He mentions and quotes several recent articles that I have linked in previous blogs. Link to article and excerpts (emphasis mine): [more]
April 16, 2009 –
Comments (9)
I did a CAPS search for Rosetta Stone to see if the stock could be rated yet. As far as I can tell, it can't. I did however find a blog in which Devoish mentioned a desire to invest in the company if it ever went public. It soared more than 40% in its first day of trading.
April 16, 2009 –
Comments (3)
It's looking like one of those days that despite lots of rosy, wonderful headlines we will be heading lower. Perhaps this finally marks the end of the bear rally?
April 14, 2009 –
Comments (11)
In case you haven't noticed, there are HUGE conflicts of interest that exist at the top levels of our government. Does it make any sense to put some of the people who are responsible for getting us in this mess in charge of cleaning up the mess? Chris Martenson examines this issue and the dire consequences of continuing on this path in this article. Link and excerpts to follow (most of the emphasis mine):
America is Being Looted [more]
April 13, 2009 –
Comments (3) |
Some of us love you...some of us hate you...but there's no denying that those who have listened to you over the last year+ have learned a lot. Congrats on reaching this impressive milestone!
April 12, 2009 –
Comments (4)
A great blog with can't miss charts comparing the current collapse to the Great Depression. Here's the link and a few excerpts. You'll have to click on the link to see the charts...again, you don't want to miss them! [more]
April 10, 2009 –
Comments (6)
With the stock market rip-roaring upwards, one can only assume that by late Q3-early Q4 the economy will be on the road to recovery (we keep hearing that the market heads higher 3-6 months before the economy turns around, after all). I have a hard time believing this to be true. The good news, for me anyway, is that I'm not alone in this thinking. Nearly all of the top fools - Dwot, SpecBear, GMX, Abitare, Alstry, Deej, StatsGeek, EverydayInvestor, DemonDoug, Dexion (and I could go on and on), all believe that we are in for more pain. Most of these Fools have written exellent blogs with great research and analysis that make for a very convincing case. Chris Martenson, an superb analyst that I agree with most of the time, wrote an article today that provide a lot of support to this thesis as well. As always, here's the link and a few excerpts. You'll have to use the link in order to see the supporting charts: [more]
April 07, 2009 –
Comments (12)
It's becoming more and more obvious, even to those who don't really pay much attention, that throughout this financial crisis the common man has been hung out to dry while the elite are being bailed out right and left. I believe this is what will lead to more and more rioting...even here in the US. Sean Olender wrote a great article in the San Francisco about this very topic. Here's the link and a few excerpts (emphasis mine): [more]
April 05, 2009 –
Comments (6)
It appears the G20 leaders are determined to do EVERYTHING in their power to prevent deflation and reignite rampant inflation. Chris Martenson analyzes the results of the G20 meeting and what it means for the road ahead. Here's the link and a few excerpts (emphasis mine): [more]
April 04, 2009 –
Comments (12) |
And guess who the biggest beneficiary of this whole game is...Merrill Lynch!!! Zero Hedge has a great article uncovering what looks like, smells like, feels like, tastes like, and sounds like FRAUD! Not that anyone would be surprised that this continues to go on!!! Here's the link and a few excerpts: [more]
April 03, 2009 –
Comments (7)
So, it turns out that we actually lost 86,000 more jobs in January than previously reported. That brings the Jan. job losses to 741,000. The government has revised every monthly job loss figure upward in the following months (except for February, so far), resulting in HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of more jobs lost than originally reported!!! What do you want to bet that the Feb. and March numbers get revised up as well? I'd be willing to bet my life savings on it!!! The numbers that the government continues to report - in virtually every area - are becoming more and more of a joke. [more]
April 01, 2009 –
Comments (3)
Chris Martenson takes a look at the latest CBO projections for the annual surplus/deficit of Social Security. Though still overly optimistic, they paint a VERY BLEAK picture for the US, our federal deficit, and ultimately the dollar. Here's the link and excerpts (emphasis mine): [more]
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subset: commoncrawl


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How to Make Peanut Butter
George Washington Carver invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, including peanut butter. Along with being a tasty treat, peanut butter is simple to make, and it's a great way to teach your child all about the inventing process. As she taps into her inner inventor, she'll have lots of fun brainstorming, mixing, and tasting along the way.
What You Need:
- Paper and pencil
- 4 cups roasted and salted peanuts, shelled
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Food processor
- Glass jar with lid
What You Do:
- First, discuss how inventions are created, starting with the idea, process, and conclusion. This is known as the scientific method, and can be applied to all experiments.
- Ask your child how she thinks George Washington Carver came up with the idea of making peanut butter, and brainstorm how she could make some of her own. Offer her a paper and pencil to write out her ideas and encourage her to add some drawings of the peanut butter making process.
- When she's done brainstorming, it's time to start inventing! Have her add the peanuts and 1 tablespoon of oil to the food processor, and help her slowly pulse the processor on low.
- Have her taste the peanut butter. Is it good the way it is or should she make some adjustments? Adding oil will make it smoother, sugar makes it sweeter, and salt makes it saltier. Help her add what she wants and continue to pulse the food processor on low.
- Continue to taste and adjust. Once the peanut butter has reached a taste and consistency your child is happy with, it's all ready to eat!
Spread your homemade peanut butter on toasted bread or crackers for a great snack, then store the leftovers in a glass jar in the refrigerator.


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A funny thing happened on the market's way to Nirvana last week. Stocks were busily ripping off a 45-degree advance on Thursday while traders confidently anticipated a bullish story from the 2-day EU meeting. It was to be either an agreement on a banking supervisor, a mere way station on the way to joint recapitalization, or some type of Spanish rescue. A parlay of both might have finally broken the 1470 ceiling on the S&P 500.
Out of the clear blue Thursday sky, printer RH Donnelly inadvertently filed Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) third-quarter earnings several hours early. Said numbers being well short of consensus, the stock price plummeted. It was a bizarre twist, reminiscent of Google's ten-minute 50-point loss in 2006, when then-CFO George Reyes intemperately remarked that search growth was "over."
Stock prices have been falling almost without let-up ever since. The EU meetings produced practically nothing but ill-concealed grumbling and dissent. The earnings parade has had a steady drumbeat of disappointment, with misses of one sort or another - usually on sales and/or outlook - from the cyclically heavy Dow Jones Industrials: GE, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), United Technologies (NYSE:UTX), McDonald's (NYSE:MCD), Dupont (DD), Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT), AT&T (NYSE:T). Gravity may not be the strongest force, but it does tend to get you in the end.
Consistent with our theme of recent weeks, it will take something from Europe to pull the market out of its slide over the coming days. Not the European economy, heaven knows. The EU PMI (purchasing manager index) slid to a 40-month low at 45.8 (50 is neutral), with manufacturing at a softer 45.3 and France at an even softer 44.8 - and that was an improvement. German manufacturing was at 45.7 and the country's IFO business confidence survey fell for the sixth month in a row, to a 2 1/2 year low. The recession has spread to the core, though it may be the fourth quarter is over before it's official.
What is needed for the stock market right now is a bailout or rescue story that can trump earnings. The trading robots are ready to jump on any story that postpones the threat of catastrophic collapse for another day, which is why the European stock markets are up around 10% in a year in which their corporate earnings and economy are plunging, with no grounds for believing that 2013 is about to get any better.
Once again, the markets have been their own enemy in Europe. After the Spanish IBEX market index soared 6% last week on stories of a non-bailout bailout (see last week's column for details), marking a 35% recovery from the summer low, where was the need for a bailout? Its economy may be getting worse, more revenue shortfalls are on the way and regional credit ratings are getting cut, yet investors piled into Spanish bond auctions last week, particularly hedge funds, emboldened by the ECB's seemingly blanket guarantee and more than a little desperate for yield.
The first catch is that Prime Minister Rajoy has to ask for ECB help first. That in turn depends on conditions which the Prime Minister does not want to agree to, particularly if they appear to violate his election pledge of no bailouts. As I pointed out last week, it has the two sides in a kind of surreal, Beckett-like comedy in which all are trying to figure out how much pretense everyone - the ECB, bond markets, stock markets, German parliament and so on - can swallow. Rajoy doesn't want to appear to be hat in hand, implying only a crisis would change his stance.
The second catch is that the only type of bailout story that might conceivably be agreed to in the near future would mean trading in the quick death for a slow one. Another "rescue" would jolt the equity markets higher, but more austerity isn't going to be what fixes Europe: It needs a balance sheet restructuring. In theory it could get there via years of austerity, but the Union will not be able to hold together in the face of a prolonged, self-inflicted depression.
Earnings are likely to continue to weigh on the market, but there are some rebound possibilities floating around for next month. Greece got a pat on the head from its latest series of meetings, and the rumor now is that the country will be granted until 2016 to get to its goal of a 4.5% primary budget surplus in 2014. If it makes it that far, it will doubtless be given an extension until 2018. Absurd as the agreement may sound, it would be a short-term market benefit. Perhaps Spain will cut its non-bailout bailout deal with the ECB, as it is under considerable pressure to do so.
Before we get to that, however, we have to cross the river Styx on Thursday evening. Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), and above all Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) report earnings after the close, and if Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn't produce the right amount for the boatman, it's going to feel like a long day in hell on Friday. If it's any consolation, the recent steep sell-off in the two stocks might insulate them. Apple is down 12% from its high of a month ago, while Amazon has fallen over 10% just in the last week. Sharp declines like that leading into an earnings report typically lead to relief reversals, rather than more sharp drops. Typically.
Even a blow-out report from Apple might not be enough to keep the S&P from revisiting its 200-day exponential moving average, currently at 1373, in the coming days. Stocks are in oversold territory now, but the week definitely has a May-like feel to it, the last time the S&P came crashing down through the 200-day. It's not a law, but when the S&P makes a genuine breach of its 50-day average, as it seems to have now, more often than not it pays a visit to the 200-day, now little more than a couple percent away. Apple will provide either a respite or a definitive cut in the oxygen line.
In this heightened environment, prices will also be highly sensitive to any surprises in Friday's GDP report, being the first estimate of the third quarter. The first estimate of quarterly GDP tends to be big news anyway, and under the current conditions any surprise rates to generate an even bigger reaction. The domestic US economy doesn't appear to be plunging, but it hasn't been roaring, either.
Earlier data, particularly on trade, along with corporate talk about September business conditions suggest an annual rate close to the last quarter (1.3%) plus or minus a tenth or two, but second-quarter revisions were too large and conflicting for me to want to guess at the initial print. The Bureau of Economic Analysis has a way of occasionally pulling outrageously low price deflators out of the air from time to time anyway, flattering the headline print of "real" GDP.
Those two reports - Apple and GDP - should determine whether or not we are currently undergoing a garden-variety five-percent correction (it currently stands at about four percent) or are still gasping for air when we come to next Friday's jobs report. My base case is that the 200-day comes into play before the end of next week, but it's obviously a volatile situation. The week after that brings the US presidential election and a decision on Greece, either of which could reboot the markets in another direction entirely. It's probably a good time to buckle the seat belts and read the little card about oxygen masks, just in case. In general, earnings are not going to be on your side.
Disclosure: I am short AMZN. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Additional disclosure: I have Apple call positions as of the night of October 24th. I have hedged Amazon positions.


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We are very excited to invite you to an event that we think brings our "Uncondemned" Community to a whole new level: the Women in Wine auction on June 3rd in New York City.
JUST ADDED: View our Auction Catalog online now! More lots are being added, so be sure to check back often.
The auction will feature wines--made by incredibly talented women in Napa, Sonoma and beyond--that are oftenimpossible-to-find collectors' items, and we are honored that they are supporting our film in this way. We are also thrilled about the setting: the auction will take place at the Michelin-starred Le Restaurant/All Good Things in TriBeCa (where, incidentally, the idea for this auction was developed), and the auctioneer is our longtime supporter and licensed sommelier Randall Lane, who you might know as the editor of Forbes Magazine.
Please join us for what will be a rollicking ride through some amazing wines, good stories (we will show a sneak peek of the latest from the shoot--right now, Michele and Nick are finishing principle photography in Rwanda) and more.
View our Auction Catalog online now! More lots are being added, so be sure to check back often.
Space is limited at Le Restaurant, so please reserve your spot by Tuesday, May 27.
For those of you not in the New York area but who want to bid, we've got good news: we will have phone lines available! Please contact firstname.lastname@example.com ASAP if you would like to reserve your line to participate.
Here is a brief message from Event Coordinator Josie Zeiger and Chef Ryan from All Good Things (if the video does not appear below, please click here to view it on Vimeo). We hope you'll invite friends and family to come to the event as well!


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Mark Berry reports on Dr. Gibson's introduction and Dr. Whittemore's keynote speech, at the 11th Invest in ME International ME Conference in London.
Discuss the article on the Forums.
BP and HR monitors
Discussion in 'Lifestyle Management' started by maryb, Jun 4, 2014.
Page 1 of 2
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"Bratchett" Surname
Frequency of "Bratchett" Surname in the US
2000 US Census
The surname "Bratchett" is not included in the US Census Bureau's ranking of surnames with 100 or more people. Since fewer than 100 people with this surname were included in the 2000 Census, it is relatively uncommon.
Source: "Frequently Occurring Surnames from the Census 2000", US Census Bureau.
1990 US Census
Accoring to the US Census Bureau, "Bratchett" ranked #65,386 in frequency out of 88,799 surnames for which statistics were released from the 1990 Census.
Source: "Frequently Occurring Surnames from the 1990 Census", US Census Bureau.
"Bratchett" Graves on Histopolis
Histopolis currently has 0 grave(s) with the surname "Bratchett".
Resource Links for "Bratchett"
Do you know of a web page containing information about this surname that would be useful to genealogy or history researchers? Please add it now! (Free registration required)
Surnames that Sound Like "Bratchett"
The surname "Bratchett" has a Soundex code of B632. The following 591 surname(s) may sound similar to "Bratchett" since they share the same Soundex code.


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The new DLC Pack is available for Dragon Ball: Xenoverse, and with it comes a group of new playable characters among tons of other extras!
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It's part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today's pop culture.


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Well I have had a WHOLE day without touching a single balloon, what I HAVE done instead is to spend some of the day putting this video together. it features a selection of the 365 balloons I made over the last year. Enjoy
Category Archive: Videos
Jan 02
My Daily Balloon – The Video
Dec 30
30th December – Julia's Necklace
I have been making this sculpture for a really really long time, I cant even think when I first started making it or who showed it to me, I recently heard someone say it was called Julia's Necklace so that is what I have called it here. Its been one I have been putting off …
Dec 18
18th December – Christmas Elf
Its getting closer to Christmas and these little chaps must be working hard at the north pole to get all the toys made and ready for delivery next week. This little Elf (whose name happens to be Calvin) is made from 13 balloons, a mixture of 260s and 160s with a 350 for the present. …


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'Starcatcher' answers questions in children's tales
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Have you ever wondered how Peter Pan could fly, or been curious about the origins of Captain Hook and how he lost his hand? Ever pondered how Tinkerbelle and the Lost Boys found their way into the classic J.M. Barrie story about the boy who wouldn't grow up?
Then you will be fascinated by the play "Peter and the Starcatcher." It answers all those questions and more. You might even discover how Mermaids came to be.
The whimsical play, which won several Tony Awards when it played on Broadway in 2012, opens Saturday and plays weekends at Home Made Theatre in Saratoga Springs through October 29.
Directing is Bob Berenis, who calls the work "a play with music." He makes the point that "Peter and the Starcatcher" is theater that can be enjoyed by the entire family, but he is firm in saying "it is not children's theater."
He explains saying, "The youngsters will get the broad physical comedy in the show. (Like a group of men dancing dressed as Mermaids.) He also says the youngsters, as well as the adults, will enjoy the comic exchanges between the pirate Black Stache and Smee. But he adds, "The play has its serious side as well. That's for the adults in the audience."
That the play has appeal for the entire assembly is one of the things that drew Berenis to the material. He recalls what a teacher told him years ago when he studied at the Actors Studio in New York. He said, "People's imagination peak at about the age of five. By the time we are teenagers it has totally disappeared. The beauty of this play is it permits adults and young people to be kids again."
Berenis points out that directing the play requires finding and keeping the balance in performance. "It's really a complicated work to stage. It has so many moving parts. Even when it looks like nothing seems to make sense, it always has to make sense to the actors. A lot of the stuff that happens on stage seems improvised, but it is really structured."
He says, as a director, his goal is "to be sure the presentation has the freedom of spirit that adds joy to the work, without losing the discipline it needs so it doesn't seem indulgent or undisciplined."
The idea of keeping one's imagination alive through theater has been his avocation for about 20 years. This is Berenis' first time directing at Home Made Theater, but he has been an important directorial presence in Saratoga for almost two decades. For the past 18 years Berenis has been the volunteer director for the Saratoga Springs High School Drama Club. He points out that for those 18 years the club has been awarded 14 first or second place finishes at the annual Schenectady Light Opera Company annual high school musicals competitions.
He, of course, takes great pride in that accomplishment. However, he says his goal is not awards. "The talent of the kids is what wins awards. If I have anything to be proud of - it is that I helped create an audience for theater. The students who participate in our
productions learn many invaluable life lessons. But for someone who is passionate about theater, I am proud
that all those kids not only learn to love the process, but become better audiences because of their participation."
That pride and joy of introducing young people to theater found root in his home life. Choreographing "Peter and the Starcatcher"
is his daughter Leigh Berenis. "I trust her work. She has this great ability to choreograph a dance that is specific for the skill of every individual in the number, he says."
His pride for his daughter's skill is obvious. But
it bursts through the telephone as he points out that daughter Leigh is the executive director of Saratoga Children's Theatre. The family legacy of bringing the joy of theater to younger audiences continues.
You can share that childlike
enthusiasm for the next three weekends as "Peter and the Starcatcher" plays at Home Made Theater in Saratoga Springs. For tickets and schedule information, call (518) 587-4427 or go to homemadetheater. org.
Molly and the orphans


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RUPES Keramik Gloss (Fine Gel Compound)
RUPES Keramik Gloss (Fine Gel Compound) is fast becoming one of our favourite finishing polishes. Why? Firstly, because its cut and gloss characteristics make it ideal for removing wash marring and faint swirl marks on all paint types. Secondly, because its filler-free formula also makes it a great choice of finishing polish for refining out holograms after compounding with wool. Thirdly, because it's really easy to use, produces very little dust, and leaves paint feeling incredibly smooth. These latter points should not be overlooked, as they make RUPES Keramik Gloss (Fine Gel Compound) a joy to use.
RUPES Keramik Gloss (Fine Gel Compound) is a mildly abrasive water-based gel that removes minor paint defects such as wash marring and faint swirl marks. It also nips out machine holograms with ease, making it a good choice of finishing polish for use after more serious compounding sessions with wool. It works by using precision-milled aluminium oxide particles to cut away a thin layer of paint and burnish the underlying surface. Long-lasting lubricants maximise its working time, while its filler-free formula ensures that defect removal is permanent rather than temporary.
RUPES Keramik Gloss (Fine Gel Compound) forms part of the RUPES BigFoot Random Orbital Polishing System, and gives best results when used in conjunction with RUPES BigFoot Fine Polishing Pads (Yellow) and RUPES BigFoot Random Orbital Polishers. Only 3-4 pea-sized drops of product are required per 18" x 18" area, and these should be worked in thoroughly at 4000-5000 orbits per minute (speed 5-6 on RUPES BigFoot Random Orbital Polishers) until only a thin film remains. This film should then be buffed off using a PB Super Buffing Towel.
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What is a computer?
The first programmable computer, designed by Charles Babbage in the 1830s, was mechanical rather than electronic. Unfortunately it was never built, and it wasn't until World War II that British code breakers built Colossus, the world's first programmable and fully electronic computer.
However, Colossus still didn't include a number of elements present in modern computers. Finally, after the war, a complete computer was built in Manchester by the great mathematician Alan Turing, who had worked with the code breakers.
From science project to everyday tool
Computers were initially of interest only to scientists and engineers. But from the human–computer interaction theories of mouse inventor Douglas Engelbart in the 1960s to the release of the Apple Macintosh computer in 1984, they became easier to use and more capable of tasks that ordinary people could carry out.
Now, with the spread of personal computers (PCs), mobile phones, notebooks and tablets, computers have become part of our everyday lives. It's almost impossible to imagine modern society without them.
Highlights in the development of the computer
- Computers started out as huge racks of glass valves and wires that occupied multiple rooms and weighed tons. Now they can fit on tiny microchips that are barely larger than an ant and are millions of times more powerful than the first ones.
- Computers have a huge variety of uses. Originally employed to break enemy codes and calculate artillery trajectories, they're now used for everything from word processing and spreadsheets to mobile phones and playing games.
- The number of computers in the world has risen incredibly. Urban myth has it that, in the 1950s, the head of IBM estimated a global market for five – yes, five – computers. But within the next few years, it's expected that there will be 2 billion computers – and that figure doesn't even include computers built into other devices.
- In the late 1960s, the American government created ARPANET, a network that allowed the few university and military computers in the US to talk to each other. This eventually turned into the internet, a global web that connects well over a billion computers – and people – to each other.
Alex Duin is a freelance writer, specialising in technology.


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Facelift, The Best Social Media Management Solution According To The Electronic Business Group!
9. April 2018 News
The Digital Benchmark: New Platform For Benchmarking Digital Solutions Benchmark Created in 1998, the Electronic Business Group has gradually established itself as the reference think-tank on the digital innovation market in France. It has over ... read more


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Seven Nights of Sin by Lacey Alexander
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Tittle totally suits the story, it's unreal.
before you read this book, you should have a tall glass to drink, your BOB or your partner, and later on a very long cold shower. seriously THAT good and smoking hot!
i have this thesis, that character who name is Damon have the sexy as sin characteristics, what do you think?
Heroine is your ordinary colleague at work and the boss decided that she should go chase after her out-of-league crush to take over his job. Crazy right?
well, she undertook a makeover, and it was a cute scene to read actually. he did a double take on her *aww*
Damon is a hottie bad boy with a good aim of life, with an ideal of his job as his passion, which is why he's a notorious figure.
Damon is good for Heroine, as he guide her to the wild side and experience more of life. Damon need her too, she is the second voice to make his career booming.
Does that mean Damon never know about her hidden intention at Vegas?
Will Heroine let go of her emotion to Damon and focus on her career takeover?
you can only know if you read this book.
View all my reviews


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How to Take Epistane
Epistane, produced by IBE Technology, is a legal anabolic "designer steroid" supplement intended to help increase muscle mass and strength gains from weightlifting. The manufacturer specifies that most dosage cycles will last between three and five weeks and involve daily doses of between 20 and 40mg. When taken in a continuous cycle, Epistane is often paired with the type of supplement known as a PCT, or Post Cycle Therapy serum, which helps your body start producing its own testosterone again; however, it is possible to take Epistane in a pulse cycle, which eliminates the need for a PCT serum.
Video of the Day
Step 1
Take one 10mg Epistane pill on the first day. On the second dosage day, take two Epistane pills at once for a total dose of 20mg. On the third dosage day, take three pills for a total dose of 30mg. Ideally, you should be taking Epistane on the same days you lift weights, with a day of rest in between.
Step 2
Take four Epistane pills, for a total dose of 40mg each day, three times during the second week. Again, try to time your Epistane doses to coincide with your lifting days.
Step 3
Take no Epistane pills at all for the next two weeks.
Step 4
Repeat a second cycle of two weeks on, starting over with a 10mg dose on the first day and building to 40mg three times during the second week. Then take another two weeks of rest, with no Epistane pills.


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It appears from the actions of pro-abortion supporters in Texas on Tuesday night, "mob rule" is now the preferred way the left conducts legislative business. Gov. Rick Perry has called a special session of the Texas legislature on July 1st for another vote on a bill that will ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and set higher health standards for abortion clinics to be brought forward.
It seems Obama's Organizing for Action is quickly planning another "unruly mob" for that event.
State Sen. Wendy Davis (D) is being hailed as a new Democrat rock star for filibustering a bill that not only could save thousands of unborn babies' lives but also the lives of their mothers from bacteria-laden Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics, as well as from the misdeeds of abortion facility staff members.
Rather than allow regular procedural rules guide the legislative process, Davis' abortion supporters turned themselves into an "unruly mob," interrupting the voting process after Davis did not meet the requirements of the filibuster, and preventing a vote by Republicans prior to midnight.
Apparently, Davis and her supporters really didn't learn anything from the trial of convicted murderer, abortionist Kermit Gosnell. Nor does it seem they are truly concerned about "women's health," when women are being seriously injured and even dying in abortion clinics, while babies who could survive outside the womb are having their necks twisted off or their spines "snipped"–all for the left's obsession with abortion.
Then again, should we expect them to really care about what actually happens to women and babies in abortion clinics? Abortion industry executives have already admitted to not informing authorities when patients complained to them about Gosnell's clinic. The truth is they don't care what happens inside these facilities; that they exist is good enough for them.
But, this "mob rule" government shouldn't surprise us. Isn't this what the Occupy movement was all about, as protesters prevented shop owners from conducting business, spread filth and disease throughout their compounds, and engaged in rape, drug trafficking, and other crimes?
How about the chaotic, union-led mobs in Wisconsin, destroying taxpayers' property, shouting obscenities, and threatening representatives of the people and their families?
Of course, all of this "mob rule" comes with the White House seal of approval, à la Saul Alinsky–as long as Barack Obama himself does not get blamed for it directly.
The "unruly mob" that prevented the Texas legislature from completing its business was egged on by a tweet of support from the president himself. Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, also gave her approval, and the liberal media just ate the whole scene up.
Richards wrote in a piece in the Huffington Post entitled "A Standoff of Texas Proportion":
Governor Perry and friends are fast tracking a bill that would essentially end access to safe and legal abortion throughout the state — but folks from El Paso to Texarkana are coming right back with their own message: Not without a fight. Folks are packing the Capitol, prepared to carry out a "citizens' filibuster" if that's what it takes to block the bill. They're making such a splash that supporters across the country are sending pizza, coffee, and pillows in solidarity.
It's a standoff of Texas proportion — and it isn't necessarily pretty.
Richards says she is concerned about keeping "safe and legal abortion."
What does she call "safe and legal abortion?"
- Convicted murderer, abortionist Kermit Gosnell, "snipping" the spines of babies born alive during late-term abortions, babies and their parts in jars, and a patient dead from a botched abortion?
- Abortionist Douglas Karpen in Texas, twisting the heads off babies born alive during late-term abortions?
- How about Planned Parenthood's own facility in New Mexico in which an employee was found, in an undercover investigation, to say the facility would "probably not" report statutory rape?
These events, and many more, are far from "safe and legal abortion," and just as Richards–and her friends–euphemistically refer to abortion as "women's reproductive healthcare," chaotic "mob rule" sounds so much more poetic when it's called a "citizens' filibuster."
And, as for things not being "pretty," Richards should be sure to drop in on a late-term abortion some day.
Of course, if conservatives engaged in "mob rule," they would be framed as gun-loving, Bible-thumping, Neanderthal extremists. When the left does it, it's "this is what democracy looks like." (By the way, notice how there is never an "unruly mob" when the Tea Party gets together?)
Fox News reported that in Texas, Davis spent most of her day on Tuesday "staging her filibuster, attracting wide support, including a mention from President Obama's campaign Twitter account. Her Twitter following went from 1,200 in the morning to more than 20,000 by Tuesday night."
During her filibuster, Davis was questioned by Sen. Bob Deuell, who introduced a requirement that abortions take place in surgical centers. Davis' response to Deuell's statement that the bill was about women's health was to ask why vasectomies and colonoscopies aren't also required to take place in such clinics, and questioned the motives of those who would require that abortions take place in surgical centers.
How about because late-term abortions require actually dismembering the body of an unborn baby inside the uterus, an act that not only leads to the death of "the other person in the room," but can also lead to perforation of the uterus and hemorrhaging that could be life-threatening to the woman?
In the end, when Davis violated the filibuster rules, the GOP voted to end the filibuster minutes before midnight, leading to shouts and screams from protesters in the final 15 minutes before the deadline.
According to Fox News, Democrats said they chose Davis to lead their pro-abortion effort because of her background as being a teen mother who went on to graduate from Harvard Law School.
Once again, where's the logic here? Isn't that something to be proud of, that Davis persevered through a life struggle and became successful? That she allowed her child to have life? Where is the abortion-saved-my-life story here? Unless, of course, she actually wishes it had.
The left's increased reliance on "mob rule" only further demonstrates that their issues no longer resonate with real Americans. Without any connection with most Americans, no words to articulate ideas that are meaningful to Americans, they are, more frequently than ever, resorting to chaos to attempt to drown out the other voices in the room.


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adidas and Female Sneaker Fiend recognize that it's not only the men in this world that can form life long friendships, the type that many people live for. They know that the ladies can hold it down just as good as the guys, and they want to hear from you. Send in a photo of your Sisterhood along with a bit about yourself and the ladies you roll with and you won't be disappointed! The prizes are up to 5 All Star Track Jackets (East or West). This contest is for this week only so get your girls together for this great excuse to have your photo taken! All details can be viewed here.
Similar Posts:
- Female Sneaker Fiend November Photo Contest – Get Out The House!
- Free SJP!
- M.I.S.S. in the Mix: Trackademicks The [Re]Mixtape Vol. 3
- SF: 2/26 Step HEAVVY's 1-Year Anniversary & Web Launch Party
- Contest: FemaleSneakerFiend's PINK Sneaker Contest!


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More than 60 works from Hampton University's collection of native African, American Indian and Afro-American art are currently on view at the city's new Charles H. Taylor Arts Center. "World Views" is curated by graduate students of the university's museum studies programs. Featured is Kente Cloth (above), a textile woven from brilliantly colored cotton, linen or silk fibers in Ghana. Contemporary pieces include "Harriet Tubman," a woodcut by Elizabeth Catlett (left). The show is free and runs through May 21. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The center is located at 4205 Victoria Blvd. Call 722-ARTS.
Daily Press
Copyright © 2018, Daily Press


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Carlson® B-1 100 mg
Write a Review
Item # 686286
Size: 100 Tablets
The product quantity for an item in your shopping cart has exceeded our Maximum Purchasing Policy. Please adjust your quantity to (12) and try again.
Your product couldn't be added to the basket because it is out of stock.
Product Information
DescriptionPromotes Energy Production & Nervous System Health*
B-1 (thiamin) is essential for energy production and nerve health and function.*
PRODUCT DIRECTIONS / ADDITIONAl INFOTake one tablet daily.
WarningsStatements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Other IngredientsDicalcium Phosphate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Croscarmellose Sodium, Stearic Acid (Vegetable), magnesium stearate (veg.), Silicon Dioxide, Methylcellulose, Ethylcellulose
StorageKeep tightly closed in a cool, dry place. Best if used by date shown on bottle
J.R. Carlson Laboratories, Inc.
Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Nutrition Facts


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Create a Mobile Website - 1
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NorCal Trout Challenge
Looking for some fishing fun the whole family can enjoy? Then you will want to be part of what has become the most fun and exciting trout fishing series in the west! Designed for both boat and shore anglers, this series allows families to enjoy an inexpensive and fun day on the water!


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The Saint Lawrence River is located in North America and connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. It forms part of the boundary between New York and Canada. It also flows through the cities of Montreal and Quebec.Continue Reading
The Saint Lawrence River's location means that it has played an important role in national security. It was of strategic importance during the Seven Years' War, and German submarines attacked ships in the river during World War II.
Early settlers in the area made their living by fishing in the river. The Saint Lawrence Seaway, which opened in 1959, consists of locks and canals that have improved the ability of ships to travel along the river.Learn more about Bodies of Water


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Saturday, 18 April 2015
In the secret garden
25 comments:
Wow! What a beautiful project! Love to see original crafty makes like this. Have a lovely weekend xxReplyDelete
This is just beautiful.xxxReplyDelete
Fabulous Chris, this is the most beautiful project I have seen for a long while...gorgeous image coloured perfectly too.....Hope you have a lovely weekend.xx{aNNie My Personal Blog}ReplyDelete
Oh my goodness Chris,you are sooooo clever, I just love the idea of the fairy garden, I hope you made one for each of your granddaughters! Hope alls good with you, my shoulder is improving now, thank you for the message, you'll never guess, I've actually been scrapbooking! Miss our classes! XReplyDelete
That is amazing! A really clever project and beautifully made.ReplyDelete
Thanks for joining us at Crafting With an Attitude.
Helen x
Oh My! This is one Stunning creation Chris..It's one of those that you can look and see something diffferet every time.ReplyDelete
I'm sure you will have to keep it out of reach from those little hands that call? Or have they now received it lol..
LOving your design and FAB colours too.
This is so gorgeous Chris! sorry I haven't been around but this old laptop needs winding up!! it works on steam LOL take care Sue xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxReplyDelete
So gorgeous! I love everything you did here! Thanks for joining us @ Red Rubber Inspirationals!ReplyDelete
Drea DT Host Inspirational #216
Woweeee Chris this is one awesome project and it is so beautiful, I love that fairy image also the amazing stamping and wonderful embellishments ACE project.ReplyDelete
lorraine x
What a beautiful fairy garden-how creative! Thanks for joining us at Aloha Friday's Fantasy Challenge!ReplyDelete
Wow Chris what a fabulous project gorgeous design and lovely fairy image.ReplyDelete
Rose x
Glad we never had this challenge at LCI, I am useless at anything else, not that good at cards but even worse at anything else.ReplyDelete
This is so stunning though, looks like a heck of a lot of hard work has gone into it and you must be so proud of it.
Kath x
WOW, that is one fancy box! Simply gorgeous!! Thanks for joining us at Red Rubber Inspirationals!!ReplyDelete
Melissa DT
Chris, this is a creative piece of genius! I love everything about it! :^)ReplyDelete
Hugs, Penny
This is beautiful, love it!!! Thank you for joining us at MAWTT, good luck!!! Amy DTReplyDelete
Awesome project!! Fantastic details! Thank you for joining the Red Rubber Inspirationals this week! Lynda - DT Champion Red Rubber DesignsReplyDelete
O my Chris...This is so beautiful....a work of art.....I looked at it for some time ....great details....JoolsxReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.ReplyDelete
Oooh wow, wow, wow - this is totally stunning! What a beautiful creation, so different and those papers are gorgeous!ReplyDelete
This is just pure delight. Loving the gorgeous fairy in her pretty garden.ReplyDelete
{Doing Life – my personal blog}
Wow! I really love your box! It's just fabulous!! Thank you for playing this week at Red Rubber Inspirationals. Hope to see you again soon. New challenge starts 4/23. Barb DTReplyDelete
This is simply stunning, Chris, I adore it.ReplyDelete
Love and hugs
Such a gorgeous creation Chris. I love the window book effect. Enchanting finish too. Hugs, Wends xReplyDelete
What a fabulous box, brilliant idea. Thanks for joining us at Crafting with an Attitude. Hope to see you again next time.ReplyDelete


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Nutrition cannot be overlooked. It is a deciding factor in what your body will look like. Without the proper nutrition you cannot build muscle, gain any strength, nor burn fat. Your body needs the fuel for the fire. In order to have energy you have to feed the furnace with good sound nutrition. Building and repairing the muscle requires proper protein and carb intake.
Without sufficient nutrition your body will not burn fat. You will go into starvation mode and you will retain more fat in your cells. Definitely not what we are intending. So what the heck do you do? Well its actually rather simple. Let me explain.
Getting the proper nutrition takes work just like your training and cardio. However this is the path you have chosen and these are your dreams you're making a reality. Therefore you have to do what it takes to be a champion in any regard.
Making nutrition fun is the key
First things first, you want to always make sure you have a very healthy diet that consists of whole foods. Not Whole Foods the grocery store. Which I do like by the way, if you have one near you and budget allows, by all means shop away. But what I mean by whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and in their most natural state.
If you're still unclear your best bet is to always avoid any type of a processed food. Instead of frozen chicken strips buy a package of whole chicken breasts, cut them and cook them yourself. Keep it natural. Keep it lean. Keep it healthy. Other examples of whole foods are fresh meat, fish, poultry, eggs, veggies, legumes, fruits, rice, oats, and quinoa.
Meal frequency is king. Eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day actually revs up your metabolism. This is good, you want to get the nutrients into your body so they can feed the muscles and allow for the naturals functions to exist without any interruptions.
Along with food staying hydrated is critical. Get down some water and plenty of it. Drinking water throughout the day is a sure fire way to make sure you get enough. For myself on training days I usually consume about 1.5 to 2 gallons depending on my intensity and how much water I loose working out. I am a big guy weighing in at 255 lbs so that has to be considered.
By eating whole food based diets and getting enough water you prime the engine for hefty horsepower (shameless car analogy). One thing, to consider is you can overfeed yourself and any excess will turn to fat. Keep an eye on your macronutrients and get the right amount of food.
Nutrition is a game of numbers
Basically what you need to do is determine what your daily caloric intake is in order to maintain your weight. What? By figuring out how much fuel your body needs to maintain its current weight will tell you how to gauge how many calories you need to either loose or build.
Building muscle and losing fat are quite simple. Once you know how much energy or your body needs you can then judge how much you either need to cut by creating a deficit or how much you need to add by creating a surplus.
How exactly do you calculate your caloric intake. By using math, our least favorite subject in school. All that stuff we never thought was practical comes in handy now. But incase your not a math wizard thats totally cool. Using a simple formula called the Harris-Benedict principle you can can assess your basal metabolic rate aka BMR.
BMR is the amount of energy your body needs to function. We use about 60% of the calories we consume each day for basic bodily functions such as breathing. Other factors that influence your BMR are height, weight, age and sex.
Step 1: Calculate your BMR with the following formula:
65 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)
Please note that this formula applies only to adults.
Step 2: Incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs, with the following calculation:
- Sedentary : BMR x 20 percent
- Lightly active: BMR x 30 percent
- Moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent
- Very active (exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods.): BMR x 50 percent
- Extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 60 percent
Add this number to your BMR.
The result of this formula will be the number of calories you can eat every day and maintain your current weight.
Protein and carb intake are important also. They will make up a good portion of your daily calories. A rule of thumb for calculating your protein intake is to take your bodyweight and divide it by 2.2 to get weight in kilograms.
Take your weight and multiply it by anywhere between 1.8 to 2.3 grams of protein per kilogram. The same will apply for carbohydrates except multiply anywhere from 3 to 5 grams per body weight which will be determined by your activity level as well as fitness goals.
Supplementation is secondary to sound nutrition
I'm not going to cover a lot about supplements in this section. Just a basic rundown and a few things I suggest looking into for yourself.
Supplementation is just that, an addition to your diet. Not always necessary but a good way to get a little extra pep in your step. Supplementing with sports supplements or vitamins can also fill in some holes that you have in your diet.
If you're not getting enough fish in your weekly meals you may be short on necessary omega 3's which is essential to torching fat. The idea is to get the most you can from foods and then add on any extras.
One of the most common supplements is protein. Protein powders are a great way to make sure you hit your mark each day. They come in a variety of types and flavors. Try some out for yourself and see what you like. Protein powders are best for a quick meal replacement shake a couple times a day. Don't get crazy and think you can just drink your meals.
Creatine is by far one of the most researched sports supplements. And with good reason. Studies have found that creatine does work and helps build muscle and increase strength. Creatine allows you to push your intensity a little bit further and get the most out of your workout. There are a ton of creatine supplements and one better than the other (so the labels claim). I have found that any brand of creatine made with Creapure creatine is great.
Pre-workout supplements are great if you're not a morning person and you have to get up and workout in the morning. They give you a little extra drive and motivation to get out of the sheets and onto the streets heading towards the gym. I find that a lot of pre-workout drinks get me jittery and shaky, usually due to cheap manufacturing products. Best bet is to go to your supplement store and see what kind of samples they have and find one that works for you.
Many bodybuilders and fitness experts recommend getting in your BCAA's (branched chain amino acids) as well as glutamine. They both are excellent in helping with recovery. Most BCAA powders have glutamine in it but you can get it separately.
Like I stated before food is your best source of energy and supplements are not always necessary. You can get everything you need and more by keeping a close eye on what your eating and how your eating. A natural boost in the morning before the gym could be a cup of coffee or an apple. Both excellent sources of caffeine.
Analyze your diet and focus on that first. Then look into further supplement research.


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Sowing the Seeds of Sustainability: Victory Gardens are Back!
During World War II ordinary citizens across the country did their part for the war effort by planting victory gardens to lessen the demand on the food system caused by the war. Some have suggested that sustainability is about returning to the more efficient ways of the past and, until now, the concept of widespread victory gardens had been lost to history.
A Growing TrendWhile they are not called victory gardens, there is a resurgence of growing ones food at home. Driven both both by the economy and environmental concerns, more and more families are turning to their backyards for sustenance. In fact, US seed sales are up 19% this year and the number of homes growing vegetables is up 40%. Backyard chickens also seem to be growing in popularity (you can see a picture of my chicks here), although some disagree.
Community Allotment GardensIn many parts of Europe victory gardens never went away. These "Schreber," or "allotment" gardens can often find a for-rent garden plot, oftentimes on residentially and commercially undesirable land beside railroads. Organizations like FutureFarmers are bringing back this concept here in the US.
Victory Gardens at the White HouseEven the White House has been home to a victory garden. Starting with Elanor Roosevelt during WWII, it is now being continued my Michelle Obama. Thanks to the internet we are now able to make backyard gardening easier than ever, with numerous how-to websites providing information on making gardening easier, even for those without a green thumb.
Don't Forget the Backyard FruitThe internet has even enabled and innovative new community fruit sharing program. Neighborhood Fruit allows people with surplus fruit from their own trees to share them with other people in the community. Unwanted fruit no longer needs to spoil on the ground and those without their own trees no longer need to put up with half-ripe, globe trotting supermarket fruit. My own fruit trees should begin producing soon and I look forward to joining.Pablo writes a weekly column that aims to answer your pressing eco-quandries. Want to ask Pablo a question? Simply email Pablo(at)treehugger(dot)com. Pablo is the Vice President of Greenhouse Gas Management at ClimateCHECK, he helps major corporations measure and manage their greenhouse gas emissions and is the proud father of four backyard chickens.
Image Source: Wikipedia.org
More on organic gardening
How to Raise Chickens
Community Fruit Harvesting
Obama's White House Garden


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SOURCE: The First Marblehead Corporation
November 22, 2010 08:40 ET
BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - November 22, 2010) - The First Marblehead Corporation (NYSE: FMD) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Tuition Management Systems (TMS) from KeyBank, N.A. TMS is one of the nation's largest providers of outsourced tuition planning, billing, counseling, and payment technology services for colleges, universities, and elementary and secondary schools.
Tuition Management Systems operates in 47 states and serves over 1,200 school clients. Last year, TMS processed approximately $3.7 billion in tuition and related payments from over 400,000 families. The business was founded by brothers Steven and Jon Dodd in 1985 and is headquartered in Warwick, Rhode Island.
"Schools are continually searching for ways to make the payment process simpler, more cost effective and more family-friendly. The products and services offered by TMS complement First Marblehead's education finance and loan processing capabilities. Together, the combined organization can help schools and families better access products and handle tasks that enhance educational affordability," said Daniel Meyers, First Marblehead Chairman and CEO. "TMS has an excellent reputation in the marketplace and the entrepreneurial founders of the company have built a stable, fee-based revenue stream that has been incredibly resilient. We look forward to working with the TMS management team to grow the combined organization over the coming years."
Steven Dodd, President of TMS, said "Over the past 25 years we've helped make education more affordable for families across the country and we're excited to continue that tradition as part of First Marblehead. With First Marblehead, we'll be able to invest in our technology to offer schools and families even more flexible products to help them better manage their education finances."
Under the terms of the transaction, TMS will be acquired by a wholly owned subsidiary of The First Marblehead Corporation. TMS, which employs approximately 170 individuals, will retain its separate brand identity, management team and operations. On an annualized basis, TMS is expected to add approximately $31 million of total revenues to FMD's operating results. FMD believes TMS will be cashflow positive during the first year and accretive to earnings in year two. The transaction is expected to close prior to January 1, 2011. First Marblehead was advised by Sandler O'Neill + Partners, L.P. and KeyBank, N.A. was advised by UBS Securities LLC.
About The First Marblehead Corporation - First Marblehead helps meet the need for education financing by offering national and regional financial institutions and educational institutions the Monogram(SM) platform, an integrated suite of design, implementation and credit risk management services for private label, customizable private education loan programs. First Marblehead supports responsible lending and is a strong proponent of the smart borrowing principle, which encourages students to access scholarships, grants and federally-guaranteed loans before considering private education loans; please see www.SmartBorrowing.org. For more information, go to www.firstmarblehead.com.
Statements in this press release regarding First Marblehead's future financial and operating results, including following the acquisition of Tuition Management Systems (TMS), prospects and the closing of the transaction in a timely manner as well as any other statements that are not purely historical, constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based upon our historical performance, the historical performance of TMS and on our plans, estimates and expectations as of November 22, 2010. The inclusion of this forward-looking information should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that the future results, plans, estimates, intentions or expectations expressed or implied by us will be achieved. You are cautioned that matters subject to forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including economic, legislative, regulatory, competitive and other factors, which may cause our actual financial or operational results, including the expected financial performance of TMS and resulting revenues and results of operations, the timing of events and the management of TMS operations, to be materially different than those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include: First Marblehead's and KeyBank's ability to consummate the transaction; satisfaction of conditions to the completion of the transaction, including required third party consents; the possibility that First Marblehead and TMS may be unable to achieve expected synergies and operating efficiencies in the transaction within the expected time-frames or at all; revenues following the transaction may be lower than expected; operating costs, customer loss and business disruption (including, without limitation, difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, customers or clients) may be greater than expected following the transaction; the retention of certain key employees at TMS; other business effects, including the effects of industry, economic or political conditions outside of First Marblehead's or TMS' control, including changes in the financing preferences of educational institutions, students and their families; transaction costs; and the other factors set forth under the caption "Part II - Item 1A. Risk Factors" in First Marblehead's quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 9, 2010. We specifically disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release, even if our estimates change, and you should not rely on those statements as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
© The First Marblehead Corporation
Contact: David D. Hartung Investor Relations First Marblehead 800 Boylston Street, 34th FL Boston, MA 02199 617.638.2011
Contact: David D. Hartung Investor Relations First Marblehead 800 Boylston Street, 34th FL Boston, MA 02199 617.638.2011
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Disclaimer: we advise that you do not attempt to do what our president did, this article is meant for informational purposes only. We are not responsible for anything that may happen to you if you attempt to repeat what has been done in this article. It started off as a great day, Eric was […]Read & Discuss »
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