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10th > February > 2009 Archive
Kaspersky: no personal information lifted during web hack
Anti-virus provider Kaspersky Lab on Monday moved to reassure customers that none of their personal information was accessed during a 10-day security lapse that exposed a database used to run a support site for its US users.
Delayed Debian plans Valentine's weekend arrival
The next version of Debian - the basis of Ubuntu - could arrive this weekend, five months late and just as it's been hacked into phones running Google's Android.
Ex-eBay CEO to bid for Schwarzenegger's California job
Former eBay boss Meg Whitman plans on running for governor of California when Arnold Schwarzenegger leaves the high-profile executive gig in 2010.
Deconstructing and rebuilding IBM's server sales
It's that time, once again, to play Guess How Much Server Revenues Big Blue Had. Get out your stack of quarterly reports from IBM, your thinking cap, your fuzzy dice, and your spreadsheet program of choice, and let's see if you can come up with better numbers than I did.
Red Hat updates real-time Linux
Red Hat has announced that it has begun shipping the second rev and the first fully functional version of its Enterprise MRG real-time Linux. The Fedora Project, which is sponsored by Red Hat, has also put the alpha of its Fedora 11 development release in the field on time.
XSS bug crawls all over PayPal page
Online payments site PayPal has been bitten by yet another cross-site scripting (XSS) bug that could be exploited by black hats to phish user passwords or possibly steal authentication cookies.
Google beds Microsoft for mobile sync service
Microsoft has - once again - leveraged its muscle in collaboration and email for mobile services to bring one of its biggest rivals to heel.
Intel releases eight-headed* beast
ISSCCIntel offered only a few new details about its latest processor offerings at the International Solid-State Circuit Conference (ISSCC) today, even though it essentially had the stage to itself.
Big Blue boasts cloud drag-and-drop
In IBM's world, some clouds are public, and others are private. There's blue sky between them, but high-flying IBM engineers believe they can bring the two together.
Europe gets first petaflops super
The Germans will have bragging rights to the floppiest supercomputer in Europe today as the Forschungszentrum Juelich (FZJ) is upgrading its Power-based massively parallel supercomputers to break through the petaflops barrier.
New-age cyber-attack inflicts major damage with modest means
A sustained cyber-attack against a handful of niche pornography sites has demonstrated a novel way to inflict major damage on hardened targets using a modest amount of data, a security researcher has warned.
Nokia N85 smartphone
ReviewWhile there's been much talk of touchscreen operation coming to its N series, Nokia continues to roll out conventional additions to its high-end smartphone range that don't demand the spotlight but which still put in a big-stage feature performance.
No Intel mobile price cuts coming until June, say moles
Intel has told notebook makers it won't be reducing what it charges for mobile processors and chipsets until well into Q2, at the earliest.
MPs confirm new information commissioner
A House of Commons Committee has given its seal of approval to the Ministry of Justice's choice to be the new Information Commissioner, clearing the way for the appointment of Christopher Graham to the post.
Tories search Google for economic policy
The Conservative Party is getting Google boss Eric Schmidt to fill a seat on its Economic Recovery Committee.
AMD 'confirms' unannounced mobile, desktop GPUs
AMD hasn't announced the 'RV740' desktop graphics chip and M97 mobile GPU but it has revealed their existence in its driver release notes.
3G BlackBerry Curve said to be in the works
Word's broken through that RIM has designed a new 3G BlackBerry, to be called the Gemini.
Amazon: Kindle 2 to sell internationally
Amazon has confirmed that the Kindle 2 will be launched internationally - at some, unannounced point.
US Navy SEALs buy twin-screen laptops, refuse Vista
You know how it is. You're a power user, an alpha nerd. You just aren't happy without multiple screens - a puny one-screen desktop isn't enough for the multiple video feeds, apps and so forth that are essential to your working life.
Scotland to battle grey squirrel invaders
Scotland's native red squirrel population is to benefit from a £1.3m investment aimed at preventing it falling to the invading forces of its North American grey cousin.
Intel advances 32nm mobile CPU+GPU rollout to Q1 2010
Expect a big shift away from today's Core 2 architecture when Intel finally released mobile processors based on its 'Nehalem' chip design - particularly come Q1 2010 and the debut of 32nm mobile CPUs.
DSA looks at 3D animated driving tests
The Driving Standards Agency is considering the use of three-dimensional animation in the driving theory test's hazard perception section.
Sony Ericsson unwraps entertainment duo
Sony Ericsson has unveiled two phones at different ends of the entertainment spectrum. One's a relatively high-end cameraphone and the other's a music-oriented device with lower quality snapper.
Canadian boffins develop mindreader headband
Canadian boffins say they have developed a headset which can read the wearer's mind by shining infrared light into the brain.
IBM's winter storage blast
As part of its Dynamic Infrastructure announcement IBM has announced a deduplication appliance, encrypting high-end DS8000 arrays and low-end XIV storage products.
Which wireless technologies will get credit crunched?
The last few years have seen an explosion in ways of going wireless - in everything from light switches to battery chargers, wires are starting to look distinctly 20th century. But leaner times will force wireless technologies to prove their value, and not all of them are going to make it.
UK cybercrime unit to meet IT leaders
The newly-established Police Central e-crime unit (PCeU) has scheduled a meeting with UK business later this month.
Wacky Jacqui Smith says whole country crusading against CCTV
Home Secretary Wacky Jacqui Smith has conceded that there is zero support for CCTV cameras in UK communities. In a shock letter to the Guardian, she claims massed phalanxes of irate burghers are poised to join a Tory march on Whitehall to overthrow the hated devices.
Morse sells loss-making consultancy
Morse Plc has agreed to sell its UK and Jersey investment management consultancy business after it notched up an operating loss of £44,000 in the six months ended 31 December 2008.
Rogue admin faces court delay
Terry Childs, the rogue San Francisco administrator, must wait until Friday for his day in court.
Dell streamlines channel biz exec team
Dell has insisted it is committed to its British channel policy amidst confusion as to whether it will replace its just departed UK channel director Andy Dow.
Joker must retire, insist Heath Ledger fans
Fans of the late Heath Ledger have launched a net campaign aimed at ensuring that his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight remains the ultimate and definitive outing for the character.
New ISS piss-extractor drinks unit to go up on Discovery
Contrary to earlier reports, it now appears that troublesome equipment recently installed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to reprocess astronaut urine into drinkable water is still not working. Worried NASA chiefs intend to rush replacement golden-beverage equipment into space on the next shuttle flight.
Large Hadron Timewaster
The CERNocrats have decided it will be another few months before they can restart the world's biggest scientific money-smashing machine, the Large Hadron Collider.
Archos announces Android web tablet
Archos has jumped onto the Android OS bandwagon and announced a slimline internet tablet that also functions as a phone.
Retailer posts unannounced Nokia phone's spec
Online retailer Expansys has published the specifications of Nokia's upcoming E75 handset.
Anonymous digs ahead of more assaults on Scientology
The Anonymous collective is moving on from the first anniversary of its protests against the Church of Scientology with a round of further demonstrations.
Brum laid bare on OpenStreetMap
Birmingham has joined Berlin, Canberra, Paris and Vienna in falling in its entirety to the cartographical skills of locals who've "completely digitally remapped" the city - in the process elevating it to the first British location to enjoy full-fat coverage on OpenStreetMap.
Police bail sysadmin in animal rights extremism probe
A Sheffield man has been released on police bail after being questioned in connection with comments posted to the activist news website Indymedia, which included the personal details of a prominent High Court judge.
O2 saunters into laptop market
Telefonica-owned brand O2 has launched into the subsidised-laptop market, and is giving away a couple of models of Samsung netbook mini-laptop with £30 and £40 contracts.
Mexican phone firms to fingerprint new customers
Buying a mobile phone in Mexico will soon be a biometric affair. The country's set to introduce a law requiring all new phone buyers to be fingerprinted.
Freeway-averse Peapod runabout to go on sale in April
'Leccy TechBack in September we reported the development of Chrysler's Peapod neighbourhood electric vehicle-cum-self propelled iPhone dock.
Norfolk town's schools first to be heated by burning cattle
A "trailblazing" Norfolk town has begun heating many of its buildings - including the schools - by burning oil made from melted-down cow and pig carcasses. The strategy is described as "equal or lower in carbon footprint than natural gas".
Ticketmaster and Live Nation forge unholy alliance
Concert scalper Ticketmaster and concert promoter Live Nation have agreed to merge.
Phorm: BT system 'most definitely' online by end of 2009
Phorm CEO Kent Ertugrul has announced his firm's ISP-level adware system will "most definitely" be live across the BT broadband network by the end of 2009. BT seems less sure.
You did what? The trials of supporting remote users
Reg Reader WorkshopIT support, as we know, is that job function in the technical ecosystem that takes the flack for any problem affecting a user. These can range from the straightforward if annoying forgotten password requests and slightly cryptic 'my-laptop-isn't-working-anymore' complaints, through to the more serious 'accidentally deleted' mission-critical spreadsheet containing the lottery syndicate's surefire numbers for the week's rollover jackpot.
Intel to spend $7bn to upgrade US factories
Intel's president and chief executive officer, Paul Otellini, was at the Economic Club in Washington DC this morning as the Senate, the House, and the White House are arguing about what kinds of investments to make in the US economy.
UFO ruled out of wind farm prang
An examination of the turbine at Conisholme wind farm in Lincolnshire which last month shed one of its blades has disappointingly revealed no extraterrestrial involvement in the incident.
Flash mem maker Spansion Japan files for bankruptcy
Spansion Inc. - one of the world's largest flash memory makers - says its Japanese unit has filed for bankruptcy protection.
BitDefender distances self from gaping BitDefender.pt breach
CommentThis piece was updated to reflect information released by BitDefendor after publication.
Symantec takes on Mozy with cloud backup
Symantec is to offer a cloud backup storage service for consumers, similar to the Mozy, Carbonite, and Spare Backup services
Microsoft promises to slash cost of 'high-end' search
Microsoft has promised to make enterprise search cost effective under a roadmap outlined today, having splashed out $1.3bn on FAST Search and Transfer a year ago.
Intel confirms Nehalem Xeons imminent
Reeling from revenue declines and even steeper drops in profits in the fourth quarter, Intel confirmed today that it will ship its "Nehalem" Xeon EP processors for two-socket servers before the end of this quarter.
Intel 'accelerates' 32nm chip launch
Intel is feeling pretty confident about the ramp of its 32nm processors, set for production in late 2009. In fact, the company says it's "accelerating" the process shrink by skipping 45nm chips that were going to arrive later this year.
Hackintosh maker lands Apple punch
In its on-going legal battle with Apple, upstart clonemaker Psystar has won its first victory in many a month.
Unisys tastes recession red ink
Mainframe and x64 server maker Unisys is struggling, as it does from time to time. In the fourth quarter of 2008, slackening server sales and some tapering off in services revenues moved the company into the red.
Fraudsters cream opposition in cybercrime wars
The celebration of Safer Internet Day on Tuesday was marked by warnings that cybercriminals are staying ahead of defenders in their attempts to defraud or otherwise abuse internet users.
Windows Vista man channels Neil Diamond with debut album
Where do you go after you've given the world Windows Vista? Music, apparently.


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Fresh off the boat -again- looking for JOB (London)
G'day InterNations London community!
Just arrived from Sydney, so I am using the Aussie greeting for now :)
My name is Diana, I was born in Romania however having spent half my life in different countries (Brazil, Colombia, France, UK, Spain and Australia) - I am more of an expat/globetrotter than anything else - happy to have found this group!
I studied at the University of Technology Sydney BA in Public Communication and BA in International Studies, but - life being life - I ended up living in France for almost 3 years, than studying a MSc Corporate Communication in UK and then moving to Spain for a job.
I have worked mostly as communication officer for international organisations - always using my language skills.
I am now looking for the opportunity to get my foot in the door here, in London. I am well aware and using the multiple jobsites and recruitment agencies, however there is nothing like word-of-mouth!
So, PLEASE please - if you happen to hear anyone looking for someone with my profile do NOT HESITATE to contact me.
Looking forward to the InterNations events in London and the Jubilee!!!
Thanks so much!!

subset: commoncrawl


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Our Mission
- Las Aventras de Misteriosa y Rápido
On Arts: Miranda July
(General Event)
Each Fall, City Arts & Lectures presents "On Arts," a series benefiting 826 Valencia College Scholarships. The events feature conversations with writers, artists, comedians, actors, and other cultural figures. Proceeds help six deserving students attend college. Tuesday, January 20, 2014 7:30pm Nourse Theater, 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA Miranda July, in conversation with Adam Savage Filmmaker, artist, and author Miranda July, is known for her off-beat and independent short films and performance art. Her videos, performances, and web-based projects have been presented at the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum, and in two Whitney Biennials. In 2005, July starred in and directed her first feature-length film, Me and You and Everyone We Know, and in 2001, she wrote and starred in The Future.July's fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, Harper's, and The New Yorker. She published her first collection of stories, No One Belongs Here More Than You in 2007. The First Bad Man is her debut novel.
Nourse Theater 275 Hayes Street (between Van Ness and Franklin) San Francisco, CA 94102


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Return to Canada
Every year, millions of Canadian citizens return to Canada from abroad. Make your re-entry safe and easy - here is all you need to know about going through customs, the process for re-entering Canada, what to do if you are sick, and information on U.S. border wait times.
Overview of everything you need to know when you and your goods arrive at customs on returning from travelling abroad.
U.S. to Canada border wait times
Regularly updated list of wait times at border crossing points for drivers coming to Canada from the U.S.
If you get sick after travelling
Health information for Canadians who are ill when they come back to Canada or once they have returned.
Moving back to Canada
Links to the provincial and territorial government resources you need to move back to Canada.
Immigration (non-Canadian citizens)
Information for prospective Canadian citizens.
Travelling to Canada
Are you interested in travelling to Canada to visit, or to live, work or study? Here is the information you need to know before you arrive.
What we are doing
Policies, acts and regulations
US to Canada border wait times
A regularly updated list of wait times at border ports of entry for drivers coming to Canada from the U.S.
Dual Canadian citizens: Fly to Canada with a valid CDN passport
Starting November 10, 2016, you will need a valid Canadian passport to board a flight to Canada.
What you can bring back to Canada
General guidelines on what you can and cannot bring into Canada when you return from abroad.
- Date modified:


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Disney's Contemporary Resort: On the Loop to Convenience!
By: Kelly Rodriguez May 23, 2017 Why stay at Disney's Contemporary Resort? The view and the convenience of being so close to Magic Kingdom is everything! You can either take the monorail or walk to Magic Kingdom in just a few short minutes. The Contemporary is on the monorail loop along with two other resorts, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. The Ticket and Transportation Center is also on the loop...Read More


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Sapt Koti Mahamani Kaun Banega Crorepati
The 360 degree , all new set of the KBC 7, first ten KBC Contestant from all around India, and the Jackpot Prize of 7 crore with 15 new KBC Question.
The Whole Set and its colours are Just Joyful with the songs of Sonu Nigam and Dance performed by actors. Came to know about different Contestant and the meaning of KBC in their life. Donot Miss the opening ceremony of KBC. It was a just blissful moment for me to host Kaun Banega Crorepati, as it was said by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. we are posting some of the exclusive pictures from that moment on the kbcofficial for website users.
Experience their joy, by these pictures and by the broadcast of the programme on the Sony TV. The Show will run from friday at the prime time of 08:30 PM. During the Show, A Ghar Baithe Jeeto Jackpot Question will also be asked for the Home users .
If you want to Play Kaun Banega Crorepati from your home to win the Jackpot Prize of Rs. one lakh. The Watch the today's programme or, visit kbcofficial.in @ 08:30. All the process and procedure of Answering the GBJJ Questions are provided on the Website. Please donot rely on other website. Thanks for your Love. All KBC Questions and GBJJ Questions will be updated on time.
Here are Pictures of First day Episode : Mega Launch
Connect with KBC : Join Here Connect with KBC Feeds


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Nick Offerman, Maude Apatow, and Asa Butterfield sign on to the cast of The House of Tomorrow. The three actors are part of a slate of actors attached to the historical fiction film.
Also joining the film are Patriot's Day's Alex Wolff, Wet Hot American Summer's Michaela Watkins, and Emmy Award-nominee Ellen Burstyn, who previously appeared in Interstellar, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, and The Exorcist.
Based on the life of revolutionary architect R. Buckminster Fuller, The House of Tomorrow will be adapted from the novel of the same name by Peter Bognanni. In addition to their acting duties, both Offerman and Burstyn will serve as executive producers on the film alongside Tom Dolby:
Based on the award-winning novel by Peter Bognanni, The House of Tomorrow tells futurist, architect, and inventor R. Buckminster Fuller's incredible story through two teens hoping to get laid, become punk gods, and survive high school. Writer/director Peter Livolsi participated in the 2016 Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the project was a recipient of the Tribeca Film Institute Sloan Grant.
Director Peter Livolsi commented, "Peter Bognanni's book is full of great characters, not the least of which is Buckminster Fuller, a man whose ideas are so spectacular they seem like fiction. He did things his own way just like the punk heroes the boys in our story aspire to become."
Leave your thoughts on Nick Offerman, Maude Apatow, Asa Butterfield and others being added to the cast of The House of Tomorrow (via Comingsoon.net) in the comments section below. For more The House of Tomorrow photos, videos, and information, visit our The House of Tomorrow Page, and consider subscribing to us by Email, "following" us on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, or "liking" us on Facebook for quick updates. No official release date has been offered for The House of Tomorrow yet.


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Strongylodon macrobotrys
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Artemis Music Crash Course on Guitar Effects (Book/CD)
Sku #942093000000000
Artemis Music
Individual Artist Piano/Vocal/Guitar
- Write a Review
45 day price guarantee, 45 day return policy, 100% secure shopping
Get the most out of your effects with this ultimate beginner's guide! Jargon-free and packed with professional hints and tips, it covers: how effects pedals work; how to use distortion, chorus, compression, delay, reverb, wah-wah and other effects; how to combine effects; multi-effects units and how to use them; getting the most out of your gear; and more. The CD features over 50 demo tracks, sample settings and FX do's and don'ts and the book has tons of photos and diagrams.
- 32 pages
- Size: 12" x 9"
- Author: Joe Bennett


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New American Home: 1940
Submitted by Jiggsy on Thu, 2010-09-23 16:00
Tags: Jiggsy Gallery | At Home | John Vachon | Great Depression | Guys
Shack on the edge of the city dump, Dubuque, Iowa. Sign reads "New American Home, Open to the Public...". 1940 Depression era poverty photo by John Vachon. Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph. Historical photos provided by LOC. Original Medium: nitrate negative.
- 2854 reads
- View Detailed Image


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I'm excited that The Wolf of Descarta, the first novel in my new series, has earned some accolades from reviewers:
"A remarkably descriptive dystopian sci-fi adventure."
"A backdrop of psychic/machine-world-melded/phantasmagoria impels the coolest of stories with ease."
"Pike shows an ability to blend good solid science fiction with today's RPG craze."
"A rollercoaster ride, filled with hard turns and twists, unpredictable and thrilling."
"Wonderful and terrifying."
"It wasn't what I expected and I found it uniquely interesting."
"The pace is moderate with good grounding and the world building is amazing."
"Each chapter, like a game level, reveals surprising new information about the world and character abilities, creating greater engagement for the reader."
"So if you are a sci-fi aficionado, and love original concepts mixed with ax-wielding badassery and sexy vixens, this book is for you!"
I've also learned some things about my readers' expectations that I'm incorporating into the sequel to TWoD, which is scheduled for release during the fourth quarter of 2014.
Take, for instance, which characters are currently considered popular and which ones readers are curious to learn more about. My universe is much larger than I could hope to introduce in a single book, and receiving feedback about which aspects of it should be brought into the foreground is helping to guide my hand as well.
So, what can readers expect from a sequel to TWoD?
Jaren Reese (and Balmus) will obviously return, as will the love triangle between Kara Faldern (Petra) and Brea Morgen. Readers can expect to see a lot more of Renton Hayes and Isaac Zephyr, as both of these characters have their own arcs in the expanding universe that will become just as important as Reese's story. Victoria will struggle with becoming "human" in a universe where biological beings are breaking down yet machines have no personal rights. Miyoko Hirigashi will struggle with a decision she and her comrades could regret for the foreseeable future. Janus Almani's backstory and the Asenti Convention will be further explained through neurological meddling (that I don't intend to spoil at this juncture). How the Ravers, as an organization, fit into the Shadow Government's post-postmodern model of society will become clearer, and, of course, a new enemy will emerge that will make the showdown at the end of TWoD look like the video game equivalent of a turn-based battle with a mid-boss.
As for fully explaining what the aliens are up to and why the Dream Box exists? Leave me something for the third installment. I can promise to tease you a little, at least.
Betrayal at Phobos will probably fit more easily into the genre of Science Fiction than the first book, which has caused some reviewers to refer to me as a "Fantasy author". Because much of the action of the book takes place in our solar system, I've had to do some research into things like the moons of Mars and speculate quite a bit about how the human race would logically expand throughout space. (As a small spoiler, the blue collars and red collars that signify castes within The Dream Box series originally designated residents of Earth and Mars respectfully.) There will be space combat this time around, more political intrigue, more plot twists, more mind hacking, more simulation, more wild Fantasy battles in Cyberspace, and, as the title implies, no small amount of betrayal.
Yes, chivalry will still be a theme despite the futuristic setting. Balmus's characterization demands it, and I wouldn't dream of writing a story without some representation of knighthood. I'm pretty sure it would unmake me to do so.
If you haven't gotten your hands on The Wolf of Descarta and are interested, click on "Order My Books" for more information. Please feel free to leave me a review on Amazon. I believe that storytelling should be a dialogue between the writer and his or her readers, not a lecture.


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Operating and financial data
On 31st December 2016 the book value of the net assets of the Foundations of banking origin amounted to €39.7 billion accounting for 86% of total assets which added up to €46.3 billion. In this financial year, the book value showed a decrease of 2.7% with a net decrease of almost €1,091 million, also due to write-downs of holdings in their spun off banks. From 2000 – the year in which Ciampi's law became active – to 2016 there has been an annual average growth rate of 0.7%. In the same period 2000-2016 the Foundations were able to allocate resources to a value of €20.3 billion and to set aside further funds – to a value of about €1.7 billion – for future philanthropic activities, reaching a total of €22 billion.
Grouping the Foundations by geographic area reveals that those located in Northern Italy (47) hold capital to the value of more than €30 billion, 74.2% of total gross capital. In the North-Western part of the country in particular, where 5 of the 18 largest Foundations are located, the average net assets have a value about two and a half times the general average (€1,069 million versus €451 million) . However in Southern Italy and the islands where, for historic reasons there are only 11 Foundations, the average asset holding is recorded as €180 million, less than half of the general average. The 5 largest Foundations (accounting for 47.4% of total assets) are: Fondazione Cariplo, Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Verona Vicenza Belluno e Ancona, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo. The net assets of the 18 largest Foundations1 represent 76.9% of the overall system, while the 18 smallest Foundations weigh in at little more than 1.2%.
About 95% of the total assets of the Foundations of banking origin (€46.3 billion) consists of financial activities, while tangible and intangible fixed assets represent only 4.7%.
Fixed financial assets amounted to €28.5 billion (€27 in 2015). Adding to this, fixed assets in operating companies amounted to €1 billion (951 million in 2015), the total financial assets accounted for 63.7% of assets against 57.8% in 2015.
The investment in not immobilized financial assets decreased by €3.5 billion and amounted to €12.1 billion. In this context, asset management grew by €4.4 billion to €6.6 billion, while investments in spun off bank and fund investments are shrinking. Total investment in spun off banks (either immobilized or not) amounted to €13.5 billion, with a decrease of €2.3 billion compared to 2015. This reduction is the result of the choices made by 24 Foundations that have reduced to the lower value of the amount of the investment of approximately €1.9 billion total, and the total sale of shares of €443 million made by 9 Foundations.
By 31st December 2016 of 88 Foundations, 34 no longer held shares in their original spun off banks, 46 had a shareholding of less than 50% shares in their original spun off banks that are part of banking groups, while 8 of the smaller Foundations – in line with existing legislation2 – continued to have a major shareholding in their spun off banks. Furthermore, 85 of the 86 Foundations associated with Acri, approving of the Memorandum of Understanding - signed 22nd April 2015 by the Association and the Ministry of Economy and Finance - which aims to optimise the combination of profitability and possible risks when utilising their capital, have accepted the principle of an appropriate change. It particularises that a Foundation should not utilise more than a third of its total assets, either directly or indirectly, on an individual subject, using "fair value" to evaluate the exposure and composition of the said assets. In such an operation, all the financial instruments will be included in the evaluation. The Foundations have three years from the date of the signing of the MoU in which to reduce the amount of excess risk exposure where trading of financial instruments on the financial markets is involved and five years where the financial markets are not involved. In both cases the necessity of safeguarding the capital value will be taken into account as will market conditions and any effects from the transfers that take place.
The total proceeds for the financial year 2016 were €1,357.2 million showing a decrease of 3.8% compared to the previous fiscal period (€1,410.4 million). It has certainly affected the unsatisfactory trend in financial investment (the yield fell from 2.6% in 2015 to 2%), which was affected by the drop in interest rates resulting from the ECB's expanding monetary policy. In fact, the total interest is reduced by some €47 million, and the margin resulting from the management of the financial instruments also undergoes a significant contraction, ranging from + €61.6 to - €51.7 million, due to the write-downs worked. The result of asset management, on the other hand, marks an improvement (+ €9 million) and dividends also grow, totaling €168 million, where the profits distributed by the spun off banks go from €395 million in 2015 to €630 million (+ €235 million), while those from other equity investments decreased by €67 million. Other income from non-financial resources, at €81.5 million (€37.8 million in 2015), and extraordinary incomes, €33.3 million (€147.8 million in 2015), declined by 38%, down from €185, 5 million to €114.8 million euros.
The average net return on the total assets3 of the Foundations in 2016 was 3.4%, unchanged from the previous year: a positive result in both absolute and relative terms, considering that the profit is net of the high direct and indirect tax burden, which in 2016 grew by about 16%. By contrast, for the fourth consecutive year, a decrease in operational costs has been achieved.
Operational costs for all the Foundations fell in 2016 by 5.7%, passing from €253.7 million to €239.2 million. This variation is mainly due to the considerable reduction, in order of importance, of fees paid to organs, overheads, passive interest, external consultants fees.
The fiscal charges – for direct taxes on income received and indirect taxes such as Irap and Imu paid throughout the year – came to over €354.6 million (€305.8 million in 2015) of which: €119 million for withholding taxes on investment income; €203 million for Ires; €4 million for Imu and €3 million for Irap. This significant increase in the last years is due to a number of factors: the growth in taxation on income from financial investments - from 20% to 26% as from July 2014; an addition of 20 percentage points on taxation on dividends as a result of the increase from 5% to 77.74% on taxable income, effective on all dividends distributed since the beginning of 2014;
Operating surplus on total revenues reached 61.8% (68.8% in 2015) amounting to €838.3 million against €967.4 million in 2015. The decrease is 13.3% and is higher than that recorded by total income due to the higher tax burden borne.
With regard to the reserve funds set aside from the capital, for 2016 the Supervising Authorities confirmed a rate of provision for the "Reserve Requirements" at 20% of the operating surplus and fixed a top rate of 15% for provision to the "Reserve for Asset Integrity". The Foundations, therefore, were able to allocate resources to their capital, to a variable degree – from a minimum of 20% to a maximum of 35% of the operating surplus. This margin of flexibility made it possible to gradually increase the extent of the total provision in relation to the operational result and to the necessity to safeguard the funds destined for philanthropic activities. For all the Foundations combined, the data shows a sum of €244.5 million set aside for the capital reserve (€300.2 million in 2015).
Resources for institutional activity, including funds destined for future activities, accounted for 76.5% of total operating surplus and amounted to €641.4 million, against €800.8 million in 2015.
In 2016 the institutional activities of the Foundations of banking origin recorded a 10% increase in volume compared with 2015, the year in which there was a trend reversal after six years, from 2008 to 2013, of unbroken contraction. In absolute terms, the disbursements of 2016, including provisions for special funds for voluntary ex art. 15 L. 266/91, amounted to €1,030.7 million (€936,7 million in 2015), for 20,286 interventions (21,564 in 2015; -5.9%). The average amount per project rose to €50,806 (€43,437 in 2015), while slightly decreases the average number of projects achieved per Foundation: in 2016 was about 231 against 251 in 2015.
Sectors of Activity
From the 21 "eligible sectors" (by law4), the Foundations focus on 7 sectors for the major part of their grant-bestowing activities. Based on the amount of the funds allocated, the sector for Art, cultural activities and heritage came first, receiving €260.9 million, 25.3% of the total (29.9% in 2015). Within this sector, funding was provided mainly to the sub-sector labelled Conservation and enhancement of historic buildings and archaeological sites (35.8% of the sum allocated to the sector). In second place was the sub-sector Initiatives to support artistic and literary productions (accounting for 29.3% of the funds allocated to the sector). Next came Museum activities (12.9%) followed by the sub-sectors Promotion and Enhancement of Visual arts (7.9%); Publishing and other communication media (6.5%); Library and archives (2.8%).
The second sector was that of Social assistance with €127.4 million, 12.4% of the total (14.8% in 2015). The greater part (93.5%) went to the sub-sector Social services, followed by Services providing aid in the event of natural disasters, Civil protection and Refugee assistance (5%). Recipients included firstly the disabled (70.3%), then the elderly (14.7%), next children (12.9%) and those with drug/alcohol dependencies (1.9%). Other beneficiaries (families at risk, people with no fixed abode, prisoners, etc.) received less than 1%.
The third sector was Voluntary activities, philanthropy and charity receiving a total of €124.9 million, 12.1% of total funding (13.6% in 2015). Of this amount, the largest share went to the subsector Contributions to grant-providing foundations and other philanthropic charities (47.1%) i.e. funds allocated to such entities as community foundations, and other non-profit entities that channel resources to third sector organizations; followed by Promotion and support for voluntary organisations (20.9%); next came Special reserve funds for voluntary organisations (19%, over €23.7 million); Humanitarian and philanthropic initiatives (7%); Support for the development and living standards of poor countries (4%).
In fourth place was the sector Research and Development with €124.2 million, 12.1% of total funding (12.6% in 2015). The sub-sector Research and experimental development in the medical field received 27.8%. To Dissemination and expansion of Technological knowledge went 21.3% followed by Research and development in the field of human and social science with 18.4%; then Research and development in the field of mathematical, physical and natural sciences with 12.3% followed by and Research and development in the Engineering field with 10.5%.
In fifth place was the sector Local development with €101.4 million, 9.8% of the funds allocated (6.1% in 2015). This sector includes projects for the Promotion of economic development in local communities (80.5% of the total allocated to the sector); Social housing construction projects (9.5%); Accomplishment of public works or utilities (8.7%); Public popular housing (1.3%), Microcredit projects.
The sixth sector selected was the sector Education, learning and training with €97.2 million, with 9.4% of the total allocated (12.1% in 2015). The main sub-sectors were: Primary and secondary education (31.1%); Higher education, i.e. university or equivalent education (29.6%); Professional instruction and Adult training (19.2%) and Youth development and training (17.7%).
In seventh position was the sector Public health, receiving €40.7 million, 4% of the total (6.7% in 2015). In this field we find sub-sectors including: Hospital services (53.6%), which range from the provision of medical equipment to the implementation of specific projects and the construction and restructuring of essential facilities; Other health services (29.1%), ranging from home assistance for the ill, to support for the treatment of the terminally ill and the disabled; Psychological and mental pathologies and disorders (1.9%).
Significantly, 28.5% of funding equal to €293 million was awarded to Welfare under which umbrella we find the sectors Social assistance, Public health and Volunteering, for projects not covered by public services. To these resources we have to add the €120 million specifically addressed in 2016 from 72 Foundations associated with Acri to the Fondo per il Contrasto della Povertà Educativa Minorile, this leads to €413 million the resources allocated to Welfare: more than 40% of total grants.
Concluding the classification we have Environmental protection and quality, with funding of €14.3 million (1.4% against 2% in 2015); Sport and recreation with €10.8 million (1.1% against 1.2% in 2015), Family and related values with €6.5 million (0.6% against 1.1% in 2015), and lastly, Civil rights; Religion and spiritual development; Crime prevention and public safety altogether received €2 million for a total of 48 projects.
Regarding the choice of sectors for their allocations, more than half of the Foundations operates with a medium-sized of sector specialization, while the remaining part stands at an high degree. However, this does not change the predominant characterization: the Foundations choose to concentrate on just two sector a sum between 40% and 60% of total funding. These percentages document the full alignment of erogative policies of the Foundations to the already mentioned laws which impose to allocate at least 50% of funds available to no more than five "eligible sectors".
The average number of sectors of each Foundation is 6.4 (in 2015 the average was 6.8). 85 Foundations polled operate in the sector Art, Cultural activities and Heritage. Regarding the other sectors, those with the highest presence of the Foundations are Voluntary activities, philanthropy and charity (where 84 Foundations operate); Education, Learning and Training (79 Foundations), Public health (60 Foundations), Research and Development (58 Foundations), Local development (55 Foundations).
The percentage of grants allocated that are higher than €100,000 was 73.1% (69.5% in 2015) with the number of corresponding projects standing at 6.7% (6.8% in 2015). The percentage of those higher than €500,000 was 50.4%. The allocation of sums of €5,000 or lower decreased slightly from the preceding year both in the amount (2.2% against 2.6% in 2015) and in the number of projects (44.9% against 46.9% in 2015). The long-term grants5 decreased in the amounts (7,5%), while increased in the number of projects (2.9%).
The recipients of the grants provided by the Foundations are always private non-profit organisations – accounting for 77% of total funding (68.4% in 2015) and 72.2% of all projects (70.6% in 2015) – or public institutions. The principal private recipients include: foundations (naturally not the Foundations of banking origin) who, with 31.8% of total funding, confirmed their first position among all the beneficiaries, both public and private. The foundations are followed by Other private organisations (22.5%), which includes Committees, private IPAB, ONG, private schools and health facilities; Associations (13.3%, of which 1.3% was devoted to socially-oriented Associations); Voluntary organisations (3.6%); Religious Institutions (2.9%); Social cooperatives (2.6%); Social enterprises (0.2%). Among the public institutions, who received in total 23% of the total funding, were: Local authorities (11.7%); Public schools and Universities (7.1%); Public Health authorities and businesses (2.2%); Other public authorities (1.1%) and Local governments (0.8%).
Territorial Distribution
The Foundations continued to focus strongly on their local communities in 2016: grants provided to the Foundations' own regions accounted for the great majority of the total (85.1% of total funding and 93.3% of total projects). As to geographic distribution Northern Italy received 71.5% of total funding of which 47% went to the North-West and 24.5% to the North-East; Central Italy received 22.6%, while Southern Italy and the Islands received 5.9%. In the Southern territories and islands the Foundations also operate through the Fondazione Con il Sud, which in 2016 carried out activities to the value of €23 million.
Among the projects that the Foundations share with other financial organisations a particular emphasis has been laid, during the last few years, on those realized in conjunction with other Foundations of banking origin, within a vista of a system of operations that are co-ordinated and developed with a long-term view. It is possible that this concept has come directly from the Foundations, deciding among themselves to "form a consortium" or else it has matured in the ambience of Acri. These are projects needing a deep breath, of great national impact, regarding which the "communal" approach is seen as an essential factor for success. On the one hand it allows the use of a common professional factor developed by the individual Foundations within their own local territories, while on the other it encourages an increase in project efficiency and rationalisation. When the same projects are carried out separately by a number of different organisations there could be a risk of fragmentation or duplication and the loss of useful information, while shared planning allows the synchronised direction of strengths which therefore must have a greater impact.
(1) Foundations are grouped by net assets in five quintiles: large Foundations (net assets from €462 million and up); medium-large Foundations (net assets between €204 million and €462 million); medium Foundations (net assets from €103 million to €204 million); medium-small Foundations (net assets between €55 million and €103 million); small Foundations (net assets up to €55 million).
(2) A waiver introduced in 2003 (art.4 Law no.143/2003 converted into Law no.212/2003 which substituted para.3 of art.25 of legislative law no.153/99
(3) This report is based on a numerator of the total revenues, and a denominator of the average asset value, at the book value shown at the beginning and at the end of the financial year.
(4) Legislative Decree no. 153 of 17/5/1999, article 1, paragraph 1c: Family and related values; Education, learning and training, including the purchase of publishing products for schools; Voluntary activities, philanthropy and charity; Religion and spiritual development; Assistance to the elderly; Civil rights; Crime prevention and public safety; Food safety and quality agriculture; Local development and low income housing; Consumer protection; Civil protection, Public health; Preventive and rehabilitative medicine; Sports activities; Addiction prevention and recovery; Psychological and mental pathologies and disorders; Scientific and technological research; Environmental protection and quality; Art, cultural activities and heritage. To this we add public utility works and infrastructure growth following Legislative Decree no. 163 of 12/4/2006, article 153, paragraph 2 and article 172, paragraph 6.
(5) For multi-year projects, reference was made to the amounts attributable to the fiscal year.


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Kennewick officials should oust all illegal aliens and turn the city into an English-only language community, said Loren Nichols, a 55-year-old candidate for city council.
"I'm a hawk on this, but that's how much I value America," Nichols told the Herald on Tuesday after being contacted about his comments during a recent radio interview calling for capital punishment for illegal aliens.
The candidate, who is running against mayor Steve Young, also said illegal aliens should "be shot at the border."
Nichols revealed his hard-line views about illegal immigration during a 15-minute interview Friday morning with KONA radio's Jeff Phillips.
If elected, Nichols said he would push the city council to ban illegal immigrants and order them to leave town in 30 days.
He told Phillips: "If they value their lives, they would leave."
"I told him that sounded like a threat against individuals who come into this country illegally," Phillips told the Herald.
"I'm not promoting killing anyone," Nichols replied during the interview, explaining that anyone who enters the U.S. illegally shows they don't respect "our values."
"I know that is a very drastic stand, but let me put it this way: I expect illegal invasion of our country by foreign entities to be met with deadly force. That's how I expect to see my country protected, and I feel the same way about our city," Nichols explained to the Herald.
The audio recording played for the Herald confirmed Nichols' hard-line attitude, which has him describing illegal immigration as rape.
"Rape of our city and rape of our country is something that should be dealt with by the highest penalty," he added.
"(Illegal aliens) should be shot at the border. That's how much I value America," Nichols said.
A Navy veteran who served in the mid-'80s in the Mediterranean and said he had top security clearance in connection with his work involving the Russian language, Nichols said illegal immigration is a high offense.
"We sent troops to Kuwait because Iraqis were invading their borders. It doesn't show much value for our country to let (illegal aliens) cross our borders," he said.
Nichols told the Herald that allowing one month for illegal aliens to clear out of Kennewick was generous.
"They would be lucky to have that," he said.
Nichols also believes there should be only one language in Kennewick -- English.
He said language is the glue that binds a community, regardless of what language it is. But in the U.S., that language should be English.
Nichols said he bears no personal animosity toward non-English speakers, and in particular toward people from Mexico. He said his concern is about illegal immigration into the U.S. from any country.
"I know I'm putting this on the line, but it is important," he said.
Phillips said he gave Nichols several opportunities to "clarify or change course."
"I asked him if he was saying we should have capital punishment for people who come into this country illegally. He said that was what he was saying. He just affirmed it," Phillips said.


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You can support CFA, please read below.
VFBV Message to all Members - Urgent Call for Submissions/Comments to Senate Inquiry
The proposed Federal legislation to protect the volunteer based CFA and other volunteer based emergency services from industrial interference is now being examined by a Senate Committee.
Submissions can be a simple email to show your support, or a detailed submission on what's at stake and why the legislation is so important.
The Senate Committee will recommend whether Parliament should support the legislation or not.
There is more information below, or see the VFBV website item on the Federal Government's Volunteer Protection Amendments to the Fair Work Act.
See below for the Senate Committee's invitation to volunteers.
Click here for our 22 August Update to Members, which explains the volunteers' concerns and the need for the Federal legislation.
The proposed Federal legislation would make a simple change to the Fair Work Act, making it objectionable for workplace agreements to restrict or limit the emergency service organisation's (in our case CFA) ability to:
• engage or deploy its volunteers;
• provide support or equipment to those volunteers;
• manage its relationship with, or work with, any recognised emergency management body in relation to those volunteers;
• otherwise manage its operations in relation to those volunteers;
The legislation will also provide an ability for volunteers, through bodies such as VFBV, to make submissions to Fair Work Australia in respect of these issues if we have any concerns.
The Enterprise Bargaining Agreement – Key matters of concern
Current Commonwealth industrial law means that if the CFA/United Firefighters Union Enterprise Bargaining Agreement is registered:
• The powers of the Chief Officer will be overridden;
• The union will be given power of veto on issues affecting volunteer based and fully integrated organisation, operations and support;
• Volunteer consultation rights under the CFA Volunteer Charter will be restricted;
• Other clauses in the EBA that are contrary to the CFA Act will apply; and
• Volunteers will be treated as second class just because they are not paid.
MESSAGE FROM SENATE COMMITTEE CHAIR, SENATOR BRIDGET MCKENZIE sent to CFA Volunteers.
Dear CFA Volunteers,
Just last week, the Federal Government introduced legislation to protect CFA volunteers from a proposal put forward by the Victorian Government together with the United Firefighters Union.
It is apparent that many CFA members think this proposal discriminates against their rights and role as a volunteer. The former Board of the CFA agreed and were subsequently sacked by the Victorian Government for raising their concerns. The Minister responsible for the CFA, Jane Garrett, was also forced to resign because she could not support the proposal.
Given the seriousness of this issue, the Federal Government has acted quickly to introduce legislation that seeks to protect volunteers and bring this dispute to an end. This legislation - the Fair Work Amendment (Respect for Emergency Services Volunteers) Bill 2016 has been referred to the Senate Employment Committee for an inquiry. This inquiry will take submissions from people who have been impacted by the proposal.
After considering the submissions, the Committee will then make a recommendation on whether the Parliament should support the legislation.
As Chair of this Senate Committee I am inviting you, and other CFA volunteers, to make a submission.
The deadline for submission is 12 September 2016. This is your chance to have your say, in your own words. The committee and I look forward to hearing from you.
Bridget McKenzie
Senator for Victoria
Chair, Education and Employment Legislation Committee
If the Click Here links above do not work, you can find more information here:
and here:


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CIT can broadcast your seminar, conference or meeting live to a world-wide audience over the Internet as a real-time streaming video. The event can be recorded and made available for viewers to watch at their convenience as an on-demand video or a downloadable podcast. CIT can also broadcast NIH-only or HHS-only content.
NIH Workshop on Ensuring the Continued Responsible Oversight of Research with Non-Human Primates


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Aqua Signal LED portable bow bi-color nav light and all around white stern light with inflatable boat mounts.
Great for kayaks too!
Comes with a tube of PVC glue making installation a snap for most inflatable boat makes and types.
For use on craft less than 22' (7m) and speed less than 8mph.
(requires 8 AA batteries for the set)
Mounting Instructions Located Here
Hypalon Fabric requires scuffing for glue to work.
- Item #: AQSLITSETWGKIT
- Manufacturer: Aqua Signal
Inflatable Boat Navigation Light Set Removable Type AQS
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Dolphin Villa - Reader Reports & Opinion
These reports are a combination of questions and comment posted in our Dolphin Villa forum and visitor reports added via the 'Add Report' tab above. The votes awarded are weighted by volume and date to give a truer representation of reader satisfaction [more details].
Reader Satisfaction Ranking: Weighted ranking based on 3 votes = 1.7 (max 5)
Guest Report
Donna Bhola from Trinidad visited in August 2014 and awarded
My group booked Dolphin Villa in April 2014 for a six night stay in August 2014. When we first arrived the place was disappointing. There was no sea view as advertised. There was no flat screen T.V. as advertised. There were dead flies on the dining table and bedrooms. Kelvin the owner/house manager was at pains to show us the bedrooms and kitchen but told us nothing about the water tanks. Four hours after our arrival there was no water. We tried several times overnight and by the following morning to contact Kelvin concerning the lack of water without any success. After so many hours without water and being unable to reach anyone to assist us, we vacated the villa. We had to find alternative accommodation and requested a refund because we were not provided with a basic requirement that any guest would expect even though we did try contacting the owners to remedy the situation. When we were able to contact one of the owners the hospitality expected in this situation was not extended. We were promised a refund of five nights stay plus our damage deposit however that figure was drastically reduced to less than half the amount promised. We were also not aware that Kelvin actually stayed on the same compound although he was not present on the night we stayed. The children suffered as well because at 10 a.m. they had not had breakfast or showered as yet. No one had showered since the day before and yet those people seemed to think nothing of all of that. As a matter of fact they tried to blame us for the whole catastrophe. All in all it was the worst vacation and treatment ever meted out to us ever. I would not recommend anyone stay in that place.
Guest Report
Nicole Williams from U.S.A. visited in July 2014 and awarded
few months of planning and saving for a vacation with my family the dolphin villa turned out to be a total desasta . my kids was so devastate we ended up having to leave two days early .maralyn was a total pig and made the stay there horrible .it was so uncomfortable .my kids was locked out a room for a whole day ,she was there the the whole time and never came to unlocked the door until 10pm when her and kelvin both was called at 9:30 am it got to a point we were so terrified to leave the house,thinking they would have messed with our things I would not recommend this villa to any one .their was no privacy her husband stated in a room right next to the kids room she failed to inform us of that when we first checked in the kids saw a man moving in a room besides their room it was so horrifying .....
Guest Report
Claire Mitchell from Trinidad visited in April 2012 and awarded
I took my family to this villa for our 1st Easter vacation. Everything was exactly as we saw it on the advertisement. The villa is spacious, clean and pretty. The owners were very attentive, accommodating and helpful. I would recommend this villa for people who have both children and seniors in their party. Thank you Marilyn and Steve.-


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By Gerda MenzelOn Dec 13, 2017 Celebrity Hairstyles
When we want to see the newest hair trends and the most beautiful 'dos, we commonly look through the recent reviews with celeb hair. All the showiest looks are always found on the red carpet. Some of them amaze us in a good way, while others are rather amusing and maybe even shocking, but we do want to know how our superstars wear their locks! Celebrity hairstyles are a source of inspiration for many girls. These 'dos are actively copied by everyone who is not lazy, and it's a good thing – you'll never achieve the exact copy of a celeb hairstyle, but a try will help you to define your personal style. Celebrity long hairstyles is a kaleidoscope of styling ideas – gorgeous braids, exquisite twists, fabulous curls and dreamy waves make you fall in love at first sight! As for celebrity short hairstyles, these are always the sharpest looks which temp you to chop off your tresses and rock those cool effortless styles with ease and carelessness. Remember that a nice quality haircut in any length is a necessary base for a whole range of versatile hairstyles. View the following celebrity haircuts and hairstyles for inspiration!
We love everything about supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, including her hair. The Victoria Secret model-turned-Transformers-actress is known not only for her incredible bone structure and luscious pout but also for her gorgeous caramel-colored hair. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley appears on the red carpet time and again looking perfectly poised with just the right hairstyle to fit every occasion. Her enviable style also serves as inspiration for those looking to make a classic statement. Here are the top model's best and most inspiring looks!
In the height of '90s style, women watching the hit TV series Friends longed for hair like actress Jennifer Aniston. Over ten years after the show ended, Jennifer is still considered a style icon. Jennifer has never been afraid of changing her look while maintaining a sense of timelessness. No matter the style, she always looks put-together and confident. If you're looking to channel some of Jennifer's style with your next haircut, take a look at her hairstyle evolution throughout the years.
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Urban PressCamp, part 2
It was surprising, and very cool, to see two purveyors of bike share programs exhibiting at Urban PressCamp. Bike shares are a way for urban spaces – cities, or even college and corporate campuses – to offer sturdy city bikes for short-term rental, thus easing congestion and offering independent mobility. (See the Wheel News story in Bicycle Times #7, "Bicycle Sharing Grows in the U.S.," on page 22 for a brief history.)
Our host city of Washington, D.C., boasts one such program, Capital Bikeshare. Stations of red bikes were prominent throughout the city; the program boasts 500 bikes scattered through 110 stations, available 24/7/365. The District was in fact the first U.S. city to offer bike sharing, in the form of a limited program called SmartBike. Arlington County, Virginia, then combined forces with the city in May of 2010, and selected Public Bike System to implement the more permanent Capital Bikeshare. A "Winter Weather Warrior" contest in February helped boost trip numbers to record levels.
Public Bike System is a nonprofit that has experience with successful bike sharing in cities around the globe. The brainchild of former public parking administrator, the concept began as BIXI in Montreal, and has since spread to London (Barclays Cycle Hire), Melbourne (Melbourne Bike Share), and Minneapolis (Nice Ride Minnesota). CEO Alain Ayotte's refreshing philosophy is that a Public Bike system should be more than a mere municipal service – it should be something that the citizens adopt as their own.
There was a Capital Bikeshare kiosk just outside our host building, the House of Sweden. I went outside with Public Bike Share's communications director, Bérengère Thériault, to see how the system works: a friendly self-serve kiosk lets you swipe a credit card to check out a bike, or program members can just insert their keys at any bike dock to unlock the ride. The first half-hour is free, and hourly rates are low after that. You can return the bike to any station when you're done.
The bikes themselves, made by Cycle Devinci, are overbuilt versions of Dutch-style bikes with substantial step-through frames, 3-speed internal gearing, thick, 26" puncture-resistant tires, and thief- and vandal-proof fittings. A unique front rack gives some carrying capacity. These forty-pounders are not meant to go fast or far, but they're quite comfortable for the short trips the program intends to serve, and they sure do look bomb-proof. If something does go awry, the user can just re-dock the bike and push a button to alert the centralized computer that it's out of commission, then grab another. The central system also tracks how many bikes are at each station to alert staff when reshuffling is necessary.
Speaking of staff, there are around 20 people who work maintaining and administering the D.C. fleet. Public Bike System has also implemented programs to help at-risk youth stay in school, involving the students in bike maintenance, with great success.
Another major player in bike sharing at Urban PressCamp was the homegrown B-Cycle, an offshoot of Trek Bicycle Corp. It first started as a cooperative project between Trek and the Humana health insurance company, which sought to encourage employees to exercise, then evolved into a bike sharing program offered nationwide. The first city to adopt B-Cycle was Denver (launched, appropriately enough, on Earth Day in 2010), followed by Chicago, Des Moines, San Antonio, and others. Many other cities are investigating the prospect of using B-Cycle's services.
Jason McDowell, Projects and Logistics Manager, said that by waiting to enter the market with their bike sharing solution, B-Cycle has been able to see what works and what doesn't, and to tailor their system for American cities. Among their innovations are modular, customizable bike stations, a fail-safe bike locking system, and GPS tracking ability that allows a high level of bike tracking and data collection. Tracking is important in changing or adding stations, and in studying the usage of bike shares in general, something that could yield interesting results in the future and probably help persuade more towns to try it.
The B-Cycle bikes, made by Trek, are similar to Public Bike System's in looks and functionality. They feature a larger front basket with a cool integrated cable lock that, when coiled, can double as a cupholder. That's engineers having some fun for you.
McDowell made the excellent point that bike sharing is very cost-effective, something that cash-strapped municipal governments should like. A bike sharing system that consists of 500 bikes distributed through 50 stations sounds like a lot at first, at $3,500 to $5,000 per bike, typically equals the cost of just one city bus. The system can also run without further investment, paying for itself with member fees or with corporate sponsorship. There's also the enticing fact that from B-Cycle's studies, they've found that 43% of bike share trips actually replaced trips via car—great news for easing gridlock
Continue reading part 3
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Extended breastfeeding: perverted or praiseworthy?
Earlier this year, Time magazine put on its cover a young, attractive woman with a three-year-old boy sucking at her nipple. She is breastfeeding him, but the image is still...
Earlier this year, Time magazine put on its cover a young, attractive woman with a three-year-old boy sucking at her nipple. She is breastfeeding him, but the image is still a startling one.
Alongside the photo of 26-year-old Jamie Lynne Grumet and her son, the cover line challenges: "Are you mom enough?" Inside the magazine, Kate Pickert writes about the attachment parenting that apparently "drives some mothers to extremes".
Predictably, this created a giant media freak out. While many have been supportive of Grumet's unconventional methods of child rearing, she has also been the target of an enormous amount of vitriol. The main objections seem to be either that the picture is sick, pornographic and paedophilic, or her son will be traumatised, bullied at school and grow up into a weirdo.
Fortunately, you don't have to wait 20 years or depend on self-styled psychology experts to find out what attachment parenting does for you. As luck would have it, I am one of those freaks who were breastfed for years, not months. So far (aged 31) the results seem to be relatively normal. I am childfree, so many will instantly dismiss my arguments, but every child is a social experiment of sorts; I have the benefit of hindsight in saying that I respect the decisions my parents made regarding the way they raised me. I'm also extremely thankful that they had the courage to stick to their guns while all around them tutted and disapproved.
This sounds extreme to the UK's adult-centred culture, but it's just averagely boring in a large proportion of the rest of the world
The attachment parenting method is taught by Dr William Sears, a pediatrician who serves as associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, and often contributes to parenting magazines and talk shows. His approach encompasses feeding on demand, allowing the child to decide when to wean, co-sleeping and baby-wearing (carrying your child in a sling so that they are attached to you at all times).
This sounds extreme to the UK's adult-centred culture, but it's just averagely boring in a large proportion of the rest of the world. Women in many countries do this, although this may be out of necessity rather than choice. Babies are wrapped in slings and carried on the back for convenience, and breast milk is a necessity when formula costs money and requires clean water. Sending babies to sleep separately from their mothers is a practice largely limited to first world countries during the last 200 years.
So is public revulsion at nursing three-year-olds purely a result of culture? It seems so. Anthropologist Katherine Dettwyler studied non-human primates to find out the 'natural' age at which humans might expect to be weaned; the results ranged from two and a half to seven years. Mothers in many cultures routinely breastfeed toddlers, so why did so many Time readers still considered it abnormal?
The general consensus was still "ew" and "creepy" and "gross"
Most people can handle seeing a newborn feeding, although mothers may still be forced to do it sitting on a public toilet or while sporting a supersized poncho, just in case someone takes offence. Expressing milk to avoid embarrassment is often helpfully recommended, forgetting that pumping and then feeding will take twice as long. Presumably if it's mothers and not random passersby who are inconvenienced, that's just fine. But people who recoil in horror and reach for the smelling salts are in a vocal minority.
However, add several months to the picture and the public reaction goes from quiet embarrassment to full-blown disgust. Add a year or two and the reaction is overwhelming and negative, regardless of the fact that the World Health Organization famously recommends "infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life" and "infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond."
Given the average attitude to non-infant suckling, the Time cover is deliberately emotive. "This isn't how we breastfeed at home," said Grumet unnecessarily, explaining to viewers of The Today Show that breastfeeding her son was usually "more of a cradling, nurturing situation".
Photographer Martin Schoeller justified the unusual pose: "When you think of breast-feeding, you think of mothers holding their children, which was impossible with some of these older kids. I liked the idea of having the kids standing up to underline the point that this was an uncommon situation."
But the mothers featured inside do indeed cuddle their small children close to them as they fed, sometimes two at a time.
The media response was swift and brutal. Some were irked by the confrontational question on the cover, "Are you mom enough?", pointing out that parents are under enough pressure to raise half-decent children without worrying that they're not dedicating every waking minute to them. Mostly though, people intimated that breastfeeding carried onto toddlerhood became a sexual act between mother and son.
Comments on the many news stories and blogs on the subject ranged from articulate to ridiculous, but the general consensus was still "ew" and "creepy" and "gross". We cannot get it out of our heads that nipple sucking is an erotic act, so when children – not babies, but children who have teeth, wear shoes and could happily gnaw on a steak – pull mummy's top down for a snack, we find it somehow suspect. This is unfortunate, because once you have realised that it isn't sexual, all the problems with feeding a small child float merrily away.
The trouble with the media's take on breastfeeding is that they tend to distort the reality or find particularly unusual cases to illustrate the point. The 2006 Channel 4 documentary Extraordinary Breastfeeding featured Veronika Robinson, a mother whose daughters both nursed until the age of seven. (This is the age at which children lose the ability to suckle, providing a natural cut off unlike the arbitrary "not past the first haircut" points suggested by commentators.)
How much can you remember of your sippy cup?
Robinson has written about her misrepresentation in the media, but what struck me as odd was that her daughters seemed unusually fixated on breast milk. One asked to feed as a ninth birthday present; they were both fascinated by their mother's bras and the taste of her milk, and their drawings always featured large droopy "boobies". I thought this atypical because in my experience, we don't often become obsessed with anything to which we have unlimited access. At the many La Leche League meetings I attended as a child, it would have been more likely that a five-year-old might come to mummy for a quick feed before running off to play again – it was basically an extended version of a reassuring hug.
Does it feel weird to be breastfed well past the forgotten baby years? Although my memories are hazy (how much can you remember of your sippy cup?) to be honest, yes, it is kind of strange to think about. But then again, it's also kind of strange to think about the fact that I started life by squeezing face first through my mother's vagina. Life is bizarre and we all have to deal with it.
Thousands of hostile comments have centred on the possible future of Grumet's son Aram. When internet wags weren't making jokes about him being the luckiest kid in school, they insisted that he would be forever ridiculed at best, mentally damaged at worst.
But Dr Sears claimed on The Today Show, "I've never yet seen an attachment parented baby who's become a school bully." If all the children who were breastfed beyond toddler age developed severe psychological problems, wouldn't we have heard of just one or two major criminals having been victims of attachment parenting? Yet if you're on the search for children who weaned when they wanted to and grew up to be peacefully well-adjusted, there are plenty of us about. My peers from the La Leche League meetings of the early 1980s are now in their 20s and 30s, living perfectly functioning lives and in some cases raising happily attached babies of their own.
Clearly, the naysayers are comically misinformed. This is what happens when you base your objections on squeamishness rather than scientific reason, evidence or personal experience.
As for bullying or a stigma, you'd be astonished at how infrequently people ask: "So, how long were you breastfed?" It's one of those things like toilet training and first steps, which seem monumentally important at the time, and have absolutely no significance six months later. Of course, my mother didn't pose with me on the cover of a magazine, but there is no reason for other kids in Aram's class to know about it unless parents gleefully point out who their classmate is. With any luck it will have been edged out of search results by the time his friends discover Google. If not, perhaps Aram can take comfort in being a small change in the world; as his mother pointed out, "The more people see it, the more it'll become normal in our culture."
People are enraged at a woman daring to use her body in a non-sexual way
But is Grumet merely the victim of a patriarchal society, doomed to slave selflessly for her children under the mistaken belief that it's her own foolish idea? After all, making mothers feel guilty is like shooting fish in a barrel; if the dread of formula feeding doesn't do it, perhaps convincing them that children need their constant, undivided attention will do the trick.
Grumet herself acknowledges that the attachment method isn't for everyone, pointing out: "You need to do what's best for your baby and for your own family." Don't we all know mothers who have balanced career with childcare and raised bottle-fed children who have turned out to be bright, healthy and secure? Certain elements of attachment parenting could be near-impossible to combine with work and some see it as a way to keep mothers encumbered by a never-ending round of breastfeeding and menial tasks.
However, we live in a society which values outside employment and sees childcare as something best left to the day nursery or teenage nanny. Mothers are encouraged to separate from their offspring early on, with the sale of baby beds and monitors, and advised that their own milk supply is inadequate and their children would be better off if they "topped up" and "moved on" with formula. Babies are a profitable business – who will gain and who will lose if everyone switches to Dr Sears' methods?
There is another fascinating aspect to the backlash: the consternation caused by Grumet's looks.
Slate's Hanna Rosin summed it up with the headline "Why is this attractive woman breast-feeding this giant child?" and went on to describe the cover's "genius". She said: "The mom and son's twin impassive expressions, with just the teeniest hint of So What? Fuck You. The mom's blond highlights and skinny jeans, an urban packaging meant to prove once and for all that home schooling and breast-feeding a kid even though he's old enough to make his own breakfast is not just for the yahoos who can't afford milk."
Shannon Bradley-Colleary wrote in the Huffington Post to defend her friend. One reader commented: "Your BFF's decision to take that photo was reckless. It hurts and distorts other moms who are breastfeeding in a normal way. Instead they got represented by some hot young sexy blond with a defiant stance."
It seems that people are offended by the cover photo partly because Grumet is young, fashionably dressed and attractive. If nothing else, she has once and for all dispelled the myth that it's breastfeeding which causes sagging. She doesn't fit the stereotype of a sexless, shapeless earth mother in 1970s overalls, and this makes people angry.
If we take away the reasoning that it's because she is adding to the celebrity culture of unattainably radiant motherhood ideals, we are left with this: people are enraged at a woman daring to use her body in a non-sexual way. It completely screws up the value system that's been created for us. Pose topless by all means. Have sex on camera, talk about your empowering career as a lapdancer. But this? Nobody gave you permission to do this! Men who happily watch porn are aghast at the idea of breasts being used for something that doesn't benefit them.
Keeping our hyper-sexualised culture in mind, it's suddenly easy to see why the public can look at a picture of a nursing mother and refuse to believe that her breasts could serve any purpose other than sexual titillation.
I have sometimes idly wondered if my own years of being breastfed are the reason I don't have the same raging insecurities as most of my peers. My first experience of the female body was that it was more than just decorative – it had a life-giving function. Growing up with this knowledge goes some way to putting the media's image obsession into clear perspective.
In The Politics of Breastfeeding, Gabrielle Palmer writes: "In the 20th century, women were presented with an illusion of liberation through the artificial feeding of babies, only to find their breasts appropriated by men and popular culture." Forget the night, Jamie Lynne Grumet is taking back the breasts.
Picture of the Time Magazine cover sourced from the Time Magazine website. Painting of a mother breastfeeding her child, painted by Lajos Tihanyi, obtained from Wikimedia Commons. Photograph of a milk splash uploaded by Flickr user Robbie's Photo Art.
Comments From You
Amanda McIndoe // Posted 1 August 2012 at 7:29 pm
"People are enraged at a woman daring to use her body in a non-sexual way". It really does horrify some people to see breasts getting used for their actual purpose, words can't describe how much that pisses me off. Jamie Lynne Grumet "taking back the breasts", good on her.
Clodia // Posted 1 August 2012 at 8:23 pm
Very interesting post. I'm ambivalent; I detest the prudes and bigots who criticise a woman for breastfeeding in public. When my daughter was about 4 months old I was feeding her in the Metro Centre in Gateshead (because she woke up hungry) and was told off by a "security guard" alias misogynist w*****) because I was sitting on a bench rather than hiding away in a toilet. I asked him when was the last time he ate his lunch in a toilet, and when he looked nonplussed, replied, "Well why should she?" I would have breastfed partially for as long as my daughter wanted it. I went back to work early, but expressed milk for her and fed her morning and evening, leaving work early for the first 2 months.
By 5 months she was eating solids with great enjoyment and still being breastfed, but by 7 months she wanted her 3 meals a day and her milk in a baby cup. I continued to breastfeed until she stopped, and believe me I cried bitterly when SHE decided at nearly 8 months that enough was enough. So I felt a curious mixture of guilt and approbation on seeing the picture commented on. I've no quarrel at all with women breastfeeding as long as they and the child are happy, and it makes me furious when women are criticised for public feeding; after all breasts are there to feed children not as sexual characteristics, but most babies end the procedure earlier especially if their mothers work, which for me was a necessity not only financially (as the main breadwinner) but also emotionally as being a full time mum was not for me, though it's fine if that's your choice.
KatherineK // Posted 6 August 2012 at 12:58 pm
Well, hell, I breasfed by daughter until she was three and a half, and feminism is an extremely important part of my life and my identity. As far as I was concerned, breastfeeding was biologically appropriate, and no under-educated doctor, health visitor, formula marketer or Jeremy Bloody Clarkson was going to stop me using my breasts as I saw fit. I did however stop doing that in public beyond about 18 months, since by then her need was much reduced and hardly ever urgent, unlike that of a newborn. This was certainly because I didn't want to deal with looks and remarks.
I also went back to work when she was a year old, much earlier than some formula-feeding mothers I knew who settled into a stay-at-home mum model. I am also thoroughly in favour of shared maternity/paternity provision, since one of the most obvious causes of parents (assuming they are female and male) falling into gendered parenting roles is that fathers are forced to sod off back to the workplace extremely quickly. This is true whether or not the mother is breastfeeding or the baby is fed by both parents with formula.
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February 19, 2013
11:00 am
Tech companies are saying it loud and clear: "We want developers." In response, they hear a muffled murmuring from the market: "The good ones are all taken."
Developers-in-training could turn to universities to get their education, but the choice isn't ideal. It takes four years, and you get a heavy dose of theory with less of the gritty, real-world challenges that prepare you for a programming job.
"We're not sure why we, as a society, spend four years learning skills in an environment that's disconnected from their application. We don't know when listening became the default, rather than doing," says Hack Reactor.
Hack Reactor is offering another option, following in the footsteps of hacker schools like Dev Bootcamp, Hackbright Academy, and App Academy. It's one of about 25 programming schools that are now in operation. In three months – 1/16 of the time it takes to get a degree in computer science – students can learn Javascript, HTML, and CSS.
"This is a very pragmatic choice for most of our students – they're looking for a new career," says cofounder Shawn Drost.
The three-month timeline is possible because the schedule is so intense. Even during the interview process, which takes up to three weeks, Hack Reactor asks potential students to start learning and doing assignments. When they're accepted, they get 60 hours of curriculum to get through before classes start, which can take up to one month.
Then the program actually begins, with around 16 students learning from 9 am to 8 pm in San Francisco. They learn concepts and hack projects like this addictive "guess the country" game, under the guidance of mentors from OkCupidLabs, Twitter, Google, and Mozilla. They build up their GitHub profile, do mock interviews, and contribute to open source – all things that progressive employers look for. Hack Reactor ends with a hiring day where they meet employers like Heroku, Weebly, and Zendesk.
Hack Reactor doesn't disclose the tuition fee, but Dost assures me that financial aid is available. Apply for the next class, which starts March 8.
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If companies can profitably outsource their work to employees in other countries, can enterprising employees do the same thing?
Anchorage, AK (PRWEB) February 13, 2013
Lynne Curry, Ph.D. (CEO of The Growth Company, Inc.) has over 30 years of HR management experience and has witnessed plenty of horrific scams in companies. Today she reacts to the recent case regarding a man that outsourced his work to China for a small fee while collecting his rather large salary.
Lynne asks, "If companies can profitably outsource their work to employees in other countries, can enterprising employees do the same thing?"
Apparently yes – at least until they're caught.
Last month, Verizon published a 2012 case study describing how an employee (Dr. Curry calls him "Sam"), while working for a U.S.-based infrastructure company, outsourced his responsibilities to a Chinese firm, giving them less than one-fifth of his six-figure salary for their efforts. He was finally discovered and was let go. (As reported by Alana Semuels in her article, "Man reportedly outsources his own job to China, watches cat videos" on the "Los Angeles Times" website, on January 17, 2013).
Dr. Curry asks, "Was firing the best answer?" "While this employee was paid his full salary to perform work, he wasn't," notes Deloitte's Senior Manager of Employee Relations Michele Sommer. "He simply forwarded his job to a contractor, essentially eliminating his position. After learning this, his employer needs to decide if they can trust this employee and if he can still add value to their operation. If his employer has a policy against being accessed from outside the U.S., they need to address his policy breach."
Further -- and despite Sam's amazing delegation skills -- lawyer Brit Weimer views Sam's actions as fraud. According to Weimer, "Employee dishonesty is a form of insubordination. Employers cannot and should not tolerate unauthorized delegation concealed from one's employer by a smokescreen of lies."
Additionally, Weimer notes, Sam exposed his company to risk. "By not running his work through regular channels, Sam deprived his supervisors of the ability to negotiate confidentiality agreements with their 'hidden' vendors, and thus to protect the company's intellectual property and trade secrets."
What should Sam have done? Dr. Curry says, "As a highly compensated professional employee, Sam was expected to be innovative in delivering benefits to his employer. Sam could have presented his actions to his managers as an ingenious way to save the company money – and probably netted a promotion for his efforts. He would have had the additional reward of knowing he conducted himself in a clean, above-board manner."
Dr. Curry continues, saying, "Alternatively, Sam could have left his company and started his own – and potentially turned it into a Fortune 500 success story."
"Meanwhile," adds Dr. Curry, "we're left wondering – where was Sam's supervisor and how is his company handling his lack of true oversight? And who are these Chinese contractors and are they available?"
Dr. Lynne Curry is a management/employee trainer and owner of the consulting firm The Growth Company Inc. Send your questions to her at lynne(at)thegrowthcompany(dot)com You can follow Lynne on Twitter @lynnecurry10 or through http://www.workplacecoachblog.com
© Lynne Curry, January 2013, http://www.thegrowthcompany.com


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Detectives find fresh leads in grandmother's 2009 slaying [Update]
Samantha Sovanasy's last memory of her mother is of the 76-year old Buddhist kneeling in prayer and meditation on the morning of Jan. 31, 2009, in the Long Beach home they shared for more than a decade.
Sovanasy left for work that morning, and hours later, just after 11 a.m., her brother, who lives in a unit behind the home, made a grim discovery.
He found his mother, Leam Sovanasy, stabbed to death in what police called a "crime of opportunity," a robbery-turned-homicide.
For four years, investigators didn't have much to go on. Family members wondered if the case would go cold, if detectives would forget about the Cambodian woman, a die-hard Lakers fan and a single mother who prized family over all else.
But last week, investigators received a lead about a vehicle – a four-door, early '90s model white Chevrolet Caprice Classic – seen in the neighborhood on the day of the crime.
Police canvassed the neighborhood, off North Peterson Avenue and East 14th Street. Volunteers with Long Beach Search and Rescue walked door-to-door in the dense area, filled with fenced duplexes and single-family homes with front porches.
"It's been four years," Long Beach police Lt. Lloyd Cox said. "We hope someone might recall the car."
The canvassing revealed numerous tips from the community, the department said Thursday.
Detectives are now one step closer in the case: They have a sketch of a "person of interest" who was seen driving the car.
Leam Sovanasy raised seven children and left behind 20 grandchildren. She came to the United States from Cambodia in 1979, looking to escape the Khmer Rouge, her daughter Samantha said.
She always stressed the importance of family and would tell her children "to love each other and take care of each other," Samantha Sovanasy said. Holidays were a big deal, and Christmas was her favorite. She loved to cook her own version of Vietnamese pho.
Samantha, Chad, Valerie and James Sovanasy are left puzzled and traumatized by their mother's slaying.
"It's affected us tremendously," Valerie Sovanasy, said. "There's not a day that goes by that we don't think about Mom."
Chad Sovanasy, who discovered his mother's body, said it is now difficult to watch Lakers basketball. He remembered her enthusiasm for the team – the way she would set an alarm for the games and dress up in a jersey. No one could block the television when the players were on, he said.
"I just don't understand," he said. "I just wish I could ask the person, why did you do that to my mom? Why?"
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Long Beach homicide Dets. Teryl Hubert or Mark Bigel at (562) 570-7244.
-- Nicole Santa Cruz
Photo, above: Search and Rescue volunteer Mitchell Armstrong, 16, passes out a flier to Alex Aguilar in a Long Beach neighborhood. The volunteers handed out fliers in an attempt to spark tips about the stabbing of 76-year-old Leam Sovanasy in 2009. Credit: Cheryl A. Guerrero, Los Angeles Times
Sketch, below: A composite of a man seen driving a car seen on or around the day of the murder. Credit: Long Beach Police Department
[Update, Sept. 13, 2013: Freddie Battle, 25, was arrested Sept. 5, and Dontae Davis, 24, was arrested Sept. 6 on suspicion of murder and robbery. They are due in court Sept. 23.


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The Hubby and I got a chance to explore some food the other day! We took a drive down to Sunset Beach and then walked around the local shopping area. There is a very large department-grocery store there called Jusco and right next to that is Depot Island and America Town. We went in to just look around. It is stimulation central! There are clothes, food, people, language you don't understand! It was awesome! We decided to just pick out a few treats at the grocery's bakery section. We got 4 different things:
This was a sweetbread with a green tint to it. It might have been green tea, not quite sure. It was only a little sweet, not too powerful in the sweet department.
This sweet bread was the same as the one above only it was not green.
This doughnut-like pastry was dense and it had a strawberry yogurt-like frosting on top. Again, it was not overly sweet. Not what we thought it was going to be, but happy we tried it!
This guy was the best! Happy Halloween! I believe it was a sweetbread with some sort of a sweetened yam spread on the inside and used to glue on the almond eyes. I liked it, Hubby, not so much! Tehehe!
After eating our goodies, we stopped by a beach shack and got an Orion beer.
This morning we went and had brunch at Camp Cortney with Hubby's XO and his wife. It was wonderful and the view was spectacular! (cant upload right now....) I look forward to meeting new people and starting to explore this island some more!
Coming up: We get our house tomorrow and I will get pics up ASAP. I also have some recipes to share from our time home in MN. Yes, I did do a little cooking, and my mother did some baking!
Keep checking in!


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