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As the US Slowly Loses Its Sense of Self to Fear
Occupy Oakland & Mercenaries of the Oligarchy:
The 99% vs. The Iron Heel
By Nima Shirazi / October 26, 2011
"We are in power. Nobody will deny it. By virtue of that power we shall remain in power...We have no words to waste on you. When you reach out your vaunted strong hands for our palaces and purpled ease, we will show you what strength is. In roar of shell and shrapnel and in whine of machine-guns will our answer be couched. We will grind you revolutionists down under our heel, and we shall walk upon your faces. The world is ours, we are its lords, and ours it shall remain. As for the host of labor, it has been in the dirt since history began, and I read history aright. And in the dirt it shall remain so long as I and mine and those that come after us have the power. There is the word. It is the king of words--Power. Not God, not Mammon, but Power. Pour it over your tongue till it tingles with it. Power." -- Mr. Wickson, The Iron Heel by Jack London (1908), chapter 4
Jack London didn't just write tales of the Klondike Gold Rush and canine adventure stories. Sometimes he foretold the future. The above quote, written over a century ago and spoken by an aristocratic one-percenter in response to the rising tide of anti-plutocratic sentiment among the working class, is taken from London's dystopic novel, The Iron Heel.
The novel depicts a society of unregulated and unrestrained capitalism; a society of the impoverished and disenfranchised, the unemployed and the unrepresented, at the mercy of a tiny but ruthlessly aggressive corporate elite that controls the government. London describes the perception of "the great mass of the people [who] still persisted in the belief that they ruled the country by virtue of their ballots," when "[i]n reality, the country was ruled by what were called political machines. At first the machine bosses charged the master capitalists extortionate tolls for legislation; but in a short time the master capitalists found it cheaper to own the political machines themselves and to hire the machine bosses."
Furthermore, London delves into the deluded arrogance of the wealthy, stock-holding plutocrats, explaining, "They believed absolutely that their conduct was right. There was no question about it, no discussion. They were convinced that they were the saviours of society, and that it was they who made happiness for the many. And they drew pathetic pictures of what would be the sufferings of the working class were it not for the employment that they, and they alone, by their wisdom, provided for it." Journalists are excoriated for their willingness, for fear of losing their jobs, "to twist truth at the command of [their] employers, who, in turn, obey the behests of the corporations."
The revolutionary hero of the book, Ernest Everhard, at one point addresses an exclusive gathering of the local aristocracy known as The Philomath Club, consisting of "the wealthiest in the community, and the strongest-minded of the wealthy, with, of course, a sprinkling of scholars to give it intellectual tone." Everhard tells the crowd,
"No other conclusion is possible than that the capitalist class has mismanaged, that you have mismanaged, my masters, that you have criminally and selfishly mismanaged...You have failed in your management. You have made a shambles of civilization. You have been blind and greedy."
The Iron Heel preceded Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here by about two and a half decades and George Orwell's 1984 by over 40 years. It anticipated the rise of totalitarianism in Europe over a decade before Mussolini's Blackshirts marched on Rome. In his Introduction to the 1980 edition of the book, Rutgers professor H. Bruce Franklin explains that London essentially defined Fascism before it even officially existed as "the form that the capitalist state assumes when the oligarchy feels that its economic and political power is seriously threatened by working class revolution."
Franklin proceeds to catalogue the brutal and authoritarian actions and abuses of The Iron Heel's ruling elite as envisioned by its prophetic author:
London foresees: the creation of attractive suburbs for the relatively privileged strata of the working class while the central cities are turned into what he calls "ghettoes" for the masses of unemployed and menial laborers, shoved into the darkest depths of human misery; the deliberate economic subversion of public education in order to spread illiteracy and ignorance; adequate food, health care, and housing priced above the reach of more and more people; the ubiquitous secret police infiltrating all organizations opposing the government; the establishment of a permanent mercenary army; the government conspiring in real and phony bomb plots, in the suppression of books and the destruction of printing presses, in witch hunts aimed at dissident labor leaders, professors, and authors, in destroying the reputations of some of its opponents, imprisoning many others and murdering the few it finds too formidable; spontaneous mass rebellions of the downtrodden people of the central cities; urban guerrillas battling the government's army of mercenaries and police in the canyons of the cities.
Clearly, from historic income inequality and over 15% of Americans living in poverty (that's 46.2 million people) to massive budget cuts for public education to FBI infiltration of peace groups to the ever-expanding surveillance state to the stifling of free speech to spooky terrorist plots allegedly thwarted by the very agencies that planned and funded them in the first place, Jack London was on to something. To say the least. The Occupy Wall Street movement around the globe is a testament to our new reality, as presaged by one of our renowned writers.
The Iron Heel is set primarily in California's Bay Area, London's home turf. Yesterday morning, Tuesday October 25, 2012, the non-violent, anti-corporatist protesters occupying two parks in Oakland met their own city's iron heel, jackboots in full riot-gear.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, "Under cover of darkness early Tuesday, hundreds of police swept into Oakland's Occupy Wall Street protest, firing tear gas and beanbag rounds before clearing out an encampment that demonstrators had hoped would stir a revolution," continuing, "Officers and sheriff's deputies from across the San Francisco Bay area surrounded the plaza in front of City Hall at around 5 a.m. and closed in. Eighty-five people were arrested, mostly on suspicion of misdemeanor unlawful assembly and illegal camping, police said." Reflecting on the raid and arrests which were carried out at the behest Oakland mayor Jean Quan, interim Police Chief Howard Jordan said, "I'm very pleased with the way things went."
In response, thousands of protesters gathered later that same day and faced down a phalanx of Oakland's
Despite protester's solidarity appeals advancing riot police that "You are the 99%," Oakland forces carried out the bidding of the government on behalf of its Wall Street donors. Just as the NYPD, which last year accepted a massive $4.6 million donation from J.P. Morgan Chase via the New York City Police Foundation, the OPD has demonstrated its willingness to become the private army of the wealthy, abrogating free speech, freedom of assembly, and civil rights in order to crack down on peaceful protests against an unfair system. As London wrote, "hired fighting men of the capitalists...ultimately developed into the Mercenaries of the Oligarchy."
Meanwhile, as gas clouds wafted through the Oakland air, just across the bay in San Francisco, President Barack Obama was at a reelection fundraiser at the W Hotel for which guests shelled out at least $5,000 to attend. It was the latest stop on one of the president's "busiest donor outreach trips of the season." Last week, the Washington Post reported that "despite frosty relations with the titans of Wall Street, President Obama has still managed to raise far more money this year from the financial and banking sector than Mitt Romney or any other Republican presidential candidate."
It remains to be seen whether Obama addresses the police brutality and stifling of dissent that occurred just a few miles from where he dined with his donors, especially in light of what he had to say about the post-election protests and police response in Iran in mid-2009: "We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people." Earlier this year, Obama recalled what he termed the "peaceful protests...in the streets of Tehran, where the government brutalized women and men, and threw innocent people into jail."
In the speech he delivered upon accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Obama noted his apparent belief that "peace is unstable where citizens are denied the right to speak freely" or "assemble without fear." He affirmed his support of "the hundreds of thousands who have marched silently through the streets of Iran," continuing, "It is telling that the leaders of these governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation. And it is the responsibility of all free people and free nations to make clear to these movements that hope and history are on their side."
Just last month, in front of the United Nations General Assembly, the president stated, "The Syrian people have shown dignity and courage in their pursuit of justice — protesting peacefully, standing silently in the streets, dying for the same values that this institution is supposed to stand for. And the question for us is clear: Will we stand with the Syrian people, or with their oppressors?"
One can only wonder if Obama will heed the words he spoke at the UN in September 2009, when he told world leaders, "The test of our leadership will not be the degree to which we feed the fears and old hatreds of our people. True leadership will not be measured by the ability to muzzle dissent, or to intimidate and harass political opponents at home. The people of the world want change. They will not long tolerate those who are on the wrong side of history."
Will the president remember what he said at the same podium a year later? "The arc of human progress has been shaped by individuals with the freedom to assemble and by organizations outside of government that insisted upon democratic change and by free media that held the powerful accountable," he declared.
Replying to Mr. Wickson's threats of violence and repression in order to maintain the Oligarchy's stranglehold on society, Ernest Everhard, noble protagonist of The Iron Heel, declares:
"We know, and well we know by bitter experience, that no appeal for the right, for justice, for humanity, can ever touch you. Your hearts are hard as your heels with which you tread upon the faces of the poor. So we have preached power. By the power of our ballots on election day will we take your government away from you."
With the Occupy movement growing stronger, more determined, fearless and united with every tear gas canister launched and each protester beaten, pepper sprayed, and arrested, it is surely a movement that can no longer be silenced or suppressed.
As Ernest's wife, fellow revolutionary, and narrator of The Iron Heel, Avis Cunningham Everhard asserts:
"The solidarity of labor is assured, and for the first time will there be an international revolution wide as the world is wide."
[Nima Shirazi is a political commentator from New York City.]
Source / Wide Asleep in America
Fluxed Up World


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Oculus Touch Teardown
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These are some common tools used to work on this device. You might not need every tool for every procedure.
Background Information ¶
The Oculus Touch released in December 2016. The Touch controllers track motion in order to enhance the VR experience when coupled with the Oculus Rift.
Technical Specifications ¶
- Orientation Sensors
- Gyroscope
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- Battery: AA
- Input (Per Controller):
- index trigger
- grip trigger
- action button (x2)
- menu button
- clickable thumbstick
- finger tracking via capacitive surface
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subset: commoncrawl


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General Information
The Public Works Department provides water treatment and distribution, sanitary sewer collection and treatment, Parks Supervision and maintenance, storm water collection and conveyance, street maintenance and repair, engineering, project management, construction inspection, environmental management, solid waste and recycling program management, geographic information services, issuance of erosion control permits, and issuance/administration of public works permits. The Department also repairs public works vehicles and mechanical/electrical equipment. The Public Works Department includes the Public Works Management Division, the Water, Parks, and Streets Division and Wastewater and Storm Sewer Services Division.
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A nonlinear fiber with a gain that has symmetric lateral frequency bands is found to generate a stable train of bright or dark pulses with a well-defined repetition rate. The pulse train is generated from noise; the pulses are unchirped, and their amplitude and repetition rate are determined by the parameters of the system. The underlying mechanism for this pulse formation is recognized as dissipative four-wave mixing in which only two frequencies are nonnegligible; one near the maximum gain transmits energy by wave mixing to its third harmonic, which is in the region of negative gain. An implicit analytical expression for the pulse train solution is derived. It is demonstrated that dissipative four-wave mixing can be employed to yield passive mode locking in a fiber ring laser consisting of only a filter and an active fiber. The resulting train of pulses is shown to have a high soliton content.
© 1998 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article
OSA Recommended Articles
Shi-Ke Wang, Qiu-Yi Ning, Ai-Ping Luo, Zhen-Bin Lin, Zhi-Chao Luo, and Wen-Cheng Xu
Opt. Express 21(2) 2402-2407 (2013)
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Opt. Express 23(11) 14860-14875 (2015)
Jochen Schröder, Dario Alasia, Thibaut Sylvestre, and Stéphane Coen
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 25(7) 1178-1186 (2008)


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As I head to my next assignment in Washington, D.C., the last three years have been an experience unlike any other in my 30 years of naval service. I'd like to share my observations from the helm to highlight a few things you may not know about your Navy base.
As our commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command, Vice Admiral Willy Hilarides, told community leaders during his recent visit to the Inland Empire, warfare centers are the "crown jewels of the Navy." Your warfare center in Norco is having a global impact helping to secure maritime trade and protect freedom throughout the world, playing a unique, behind-the-scenes role in many events you read about in the news.
At my Norco headquarters, some 1,400 highly-educated and talented military, civilian, and contractor personnel, including Navy scientists, engineers, analysts, programmers, and technicians use cutting-edge technology, world-class laboratories and unique expertise every day to keep America's Navy the best in the world. Completing our team and amplifying our national impact is another nearly 700 personnel located at Navy and Marine Corps bases throughout the country. While we are "Navy," our business model is different than the most Navy commands. We are a "working capital fund" federal laboratory that only receives money from military programs that need and pay for our expertise.
Our "customers" are largely Navy and Marine Corps programs but also include Army, Air Force, Air National Guard, Coast Guard, the Department of Defense and other agency programs. By law, we're required to operate essentially like a business that can't make a profit, meaning we focus hard on delivering a quality product, on time and on budget, at minimal cost to taxpayers. We keep our overhead expenses low and consider return on investment as we invest in our workforce and laboratories. Despite the fiscal challenges our nation is facing, we work hard to be good stewards of our assigned technical capabilities to support the war-fighters who depend on us for mission success.
A recent, independent economic study revealed the Navy in Norco's annual economic impact to be well over $300 million. While significant, it's our social and intellectual capital contribution that may matter more.
Our career workforce is rooted in this community and the high-caliber citizens that communities strive to attract. Twenty-five percent are veterans and bring a wealth of military experience and leadership to the table. They serve on community boards, parent-teacher associations and community service organizations. They act as coaches, referees and adjunct faculty members. Some create jobs with their own companies, while others serve throughout the region as elected or appointed officials. They could make more money elsewhere, but they choose to serve their nation as public servants in a community they know and love.
During his meeting with community leaders from Riverside, Corona, Norco and Riverside County, Vice Admiral Hilarides noted the partnership between the base and the community was the, "best he's ever seen." I couldn't agree more. The growing partnerships between NSWC Corona and our universities, governments, community organizations and businesses are substantial game-changers as we work to attract and retain the best and brightest, support our small businesses, grow our local economy, and develop the next generation of scientist and engineers.
These partnerships are required to move our nation forward. We are definitely better together and we've clearly got something special going on here in the Inland Empire. Commanding this warfare center has been my best job I've ever had. It's been an honor to get to know many of you. I'm lucky to have represented the U.S. Navy in this superb community.
Please welcome and support my relief, Capt. Steve Murray, with the enthusiasm and hospitality you've given me. Steve's talent and resume will bring much to the base and community. I wish you all fair winds and following seas; as they say in my host city of Norco, happy trails!
Captain Eric H. Ver Hage, is the former Commanding Officer at Naval Surface Warfare Center Corona Division.


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I believe that at any given time in a person's life, they have no idea for certain of what they truly want, and that is ok. Just take a minute to think about this, and ponder about such things as re-thinking, re-evaluating, or second thoughts. There is nothing wrong with these types of actions, but I have yet to come across a person who has never had second thoughts or wondered if things would be different now had they done something different in the past.
People area always changing, whether it is their hair color, their clothes, their living arrangement, who they want to be acquainted with, or where they want to work. This gives me all the reason in the world to believe that no one has a clear idea of how they want to live their life.
Now, I know that there are people out there who believe that they have a plan that is exactly set to how they are going to live out their life; they believe that they know exactly what they want to do and where they want to go. But if you fine one of these people, and question their true intentions, I doubt that everything has worked out the way that they thought it would, I doubt they would tell you they always knew what they wanted and have it now. Even if you could find someone who told you this, I would never fully believe them. Perhaps they have met the goals they always expected themselves to reach, but what they don't realize is that after they got everything they ever wanted they didn't just settle with that. They found something new to strive for and achieve, making them subject to the idea that they have no true idea of what they want, for they now have to find something else to make their goal.
I believe that at any given time in a person's life, they have no idea for certain of what they truly want, and that is ok. Even if a person has had a set plan for themselves, which they were not going to stop until they achieved it, and then one day decided that their goal was no longer what they wanted and changed their mind, it is ok. That is what life is for, for re-thinking, re-evaluating, and second thoughts. Otherwise, why would we have been given such a long amount of time to live upon this earth?
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Lynnwood, Co-Moderator: Lupus Forum
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How Will Smith's 'Men in Black 3' Almost Became a Disaster Movie
On the surface, at least, it seemed like the formula for a box-office grand slam. Take the biggest star on the planet—Will Smith—stick him in a third installment of a blockbuster sci-fi comedy franchise, and release the movie on Memorial Day weekend. Cha-ching!
Instead, Men in Black 3 stands as one of the most difficult movie productions inrecent Hollywood history, a massively expensive exercise in inefficiency and infighting that compelled the heads of Sony Pictures, the studio releasing the film, to consider taking a huge loss rather than continuing to throw good money after bad.
The star vehicle with a budget north of $215 million—Smith's first film in four years—was hustled into production by Sony to nab the actor before he signed on to a competing blockbuster (and to take advantage of a $38 million New York state tax incentive that was expected to expire). So anxious was Sony to get the cameras rolling that MIB3 began shooting without a completed script—the Hollywood equivalent of erecting a skyscraper without a finished blueprint.
Director Barry Sonnenfeld shepherded all the Men in Black movies to completion and acknowledges the third film's unorthodox production process while standing up for the studio's shoot-first-ask-questions-later methodology. "Starting the movie without an absolutely finished script is not normally the right way to do movies," the director says. "But I feel the decision Sony made was the right decision. On this one, we might still be waiting for the script. Sometimes, if you just dip your toe in, you'll never dive in because it's too stupidly cold."
To accomplish this crazy feat, the producers built a hiatus into the schedule so that an elite tag team of screenwriters could help draft the movie's second and third acts. But when the hiatus dragged on for three months, speculation ran wild that Smith's grandiosity had bogged down the production.
Sony is at pains to disavow that perception now that prerelease intel all but dictates MIB3 will be the summer's next global blockbuster. But multiple sources close to the film maintain that Smith's insistence on splitting hairs resulted in cost overruns and production chaos. According to a source close to the production, who requested not to be identified, Smith's notoriously exacting method of working through a screenplay—breaking down a script scene by scene with a laptop computer on set and demanding "last say" on every key decision—handed the production its most serious delays. "Will is known to get in there and control things," the source says. "He likes to go in and understand everything. There's a deconstruction and reconstruction in each scene that's part of his process." Smith declined to comment for this article.
Operating as a unified front, Sonnenfeld effectively held up production with their demands for rewrites and continuing rehearsals, while producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald pressed the studio to support their own vision of the movie, according to several people who worked on MIB3. Meanwhile, New York tabloids had a field day covering the "starship-sized" trailer Smith occupied during filming in New York's SoHo. Reportedly nicknamed "the Heat," the 53-foot behemoth boasted such amenities as a screening room, offices for assistants, and an all-granite bathroom. Neighbors grumbled about the enormous vehicle's gaseous fumes, and retail tenants groused that it was damaging their businesses.
By spring 2011, according to another source close to the production, the film ran the risk of not being completed by its May 25, 2012, release date, setting off alarms inside the Sony exec suite. Already having poured untold tens of millions of dollars into the production, studio co-chairs Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal were forced to openly consider a doomsday scenario: "Should we just take a write-down?" the source recalls Lynton asking Pascal.
In other words, should Sony swallow the losses and pull the plug on a movie featuring Hollywood's top box-office draw?
When Smith made the first Men in Black, he was still something of an untested Hollywood commodity with only one hit film, the ensemble thriller Independence Day. The rapper turned actor had lucked into Men in Black when Sonnenfeld's wife, a fan of Smith's sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, suggested him for the part. Men in Black wound up raking in $589 million worldwide, stunning the industry and establishing Smith's box-office bona fides.
Based on an out-of-print -comic-book series that producers Parkes and MacDonald had brought to Sony, Men in Black is the story of undercover agents J and K (Smith and Tommy Lee Jones) who work for a secret nongovernmental organization that helps maintain Earth's uneasy peace with space-alien refugees, who pose as humans and live in New York City. A dismally reviewed 2002 sequel still managed to haul in a whopping $441 million in grosses, firmly establishing MIB as a lucrative franchise. During a break in filming on that movie, Smith pitched Sonnenfeld the time--traveling premise for MIB3.
In Men in Black 3, Smith's Agent J travels back to 1969 to thwart alien supercriminal Boris the Animal (Kiwi comedian Jemaine Clement) from assassinating Jones's character. The rub? J must team up with a younger version of his curmudgeonly partner in order to save him. But living up to the time--traveling standards set by Back to the -Future and The Terminator—MIB3's cinematic lodestars—posed certain conundrums of continuity that required a revolving door of writers to fix.
"The joke on the movie became that it would probably be easier to build an actual time machine and go to the future to see what the script ended up being, because it was so complicated," says Etan Cohen, one of six screenwriters who worked on the film, and the only one to receive a credit. Cohen, the hot young comedy scribe behind Tropic Thunder and the animated smash Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, had been enlisted in 2009 to write MIB3's shooting script, but after months of rewrites, other work called him off the project and the film moved on to the physical production phase without him.
"Given that we had an excellent first act and a new ending, we knew we had a movie. But there were debates about how young and similar young Agent K should be, how the villain should appear in the second act," says Sonnenfeld, who repeatedly butted heads with the film's producers. "We only had Tommy Lee [on set] for five weeks before we went on hiatus. We knew the second and third act didn't have enough locomotive."
During the hiatus, Sony brought in screenwriter David Koepp (Spider-Man) for five weeks, and later hired Jeff Nathanson (Catch Me If You Can) as well as Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) for further script revisions. Another writer, Mike Soccio (described as Smith's personal dialogue doctor on all the MIB movies), was hauled in to do on-set punch-up work. "Several of the writers were dealing with plot issues. Others came in to deal with tone and comedy," says Doug Belgrad, president of Sony's Columbia Pictures division. "A lot of really smart people were putting their finger on things, saying, 'Hey, this might be a problem for the audience,' or 'What kind of sleight of hand can we use here?' That was hard."
As the rewrites dragged on, Sony execs raised the possibility of terminating the production, and the creative quorum behind MIB3 set their differences aside to finish the job. "Men in Black is a strange combination of talents. With the exception of Etan, the core creative elements—down to the props—are the same in all three. When you have a group of people that have done three movies in 15 years, we have a right to treat each other like a family," says producer Parkes.
Cohen, who was brought back in for late--inning rewrites, maintains that Smith did not throw his weight around on set so much as live up to his well--documented commitment to excellence. "There's no doubt it was challenging and maybe not the easiest," Cohen says. "But we followed Will's lead, in the sense that he was like, 'If we're not going to do the perfect version, it's not worth doing.' That's the kind of work ethic it's hard to argue with."
Luckily for all involved, Men in Black 3 reaches American multiplexes riding a wave of strong prerelease buzz. And to judge by what's on screen, the filmmakers not only managed to overcome their strife, they have created one of the most satisfying summer popcorn movies in recent memory. It's a fizzy, funny, intelligent film shot through with strong performances by Smith and Josh Brolin (who channels a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones's granite-faced Agent K), and an emotional finale that even managed to make some preview audiences misty-eyed. "We were on a tightrope, but we weren't working without a net," Sony's Belgrad says. "Yeah, there were some issues. And you've seen some media reports about overages and runaway production and no script. That was all true. Ultimately, the movie delivers. And the audience isn't going to care."


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Recommended Read – Things Your Dog Doesn't Want You To Know
01/29/2014 Leave a comment
Title: Things Your Dog Doesn't Want You To Know
Author: Hy Conrad and Jeff Johnson
Overview: (taken from www.chapters.indigo.ca) "Dear Human: Your dog probably puzzles you. Most of us do that. And most of us would like to keep things as they are: humans in the dark, dogs with the upper hand. But we dogs are about to let you in a little secret. Okay, a lot of secrets. – We graduated first in our obedience class three times. This should tell you something. – Puppies know that they're being cute. They're using you. – We don't sound anything like those silly voices you use to imitate us. – We hate those ridiculous names you give some of us. Moonbeam is not a dignified name for a mutt. – You might want to check your herb garden for fertilizer. – We are only wearing this stupid birthday hat so we can get some cake. No self-respecting dog cares about his birthday. – We are not spoiled, certainly not in comparison to teenage girls. – We are in charge of the house. We let you pretend that you are. – We'd be lost without you. We love you. It's all in our new book, Things Your Dog Doesn't Want You To Know, as told to humans Hy Conrad and Jeff Johnson. Even Steve Martin (yes, THAT Steve Martin) raves about us! Inside you'll find revelations such as the reason we at the sofa (leather tastes very similar to rawhide), and what we really think of the costumes you dress us up in. I'm not alone. Ten other courageous canines have stepped forward to tell you what your dog won't – every last dirty, hairy bit of it. If you have dogs, love dogs, or have ever been baffled by a dog, this book is a must-have."
Thoughts/Comments: As a dog lover myself, this book made me laugh and smile. I like to give my own dogs personalities and voices so this was pretty much a big collection of similar cases. It is a easy book to pick up and read, even if only for a few pages, due to its journal style writing. It features 11 dogs whose names are Sophie, Gabby, Tinkerbell, Moonbeam, Rufus, Axelrod, Dimples, Orson, Sarge, Bandana, and Charlie. If you have ever owned a dog, this book will make you laugh and I am sure you will be able to relate to some of it too.


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Checking on 13 of Trump's biggest campaign promises, one year later
Provided by EUPB - Read the full story at the source site.
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"If the Soviets landed on Hokkaido tomorrow, we would quickly be reduced to the same kind of octopus-hole suicide tactics we used in World War II," the Japanese general said.
(An octopus hole is a hole dug by an infantryman lying in wait for an oncoming tank. He crouches within it, octopus-like, and explodes his charge at the moment the tank's vulnerable underbelly passes over him. The tank may be blown up, but so will the attacker.)
"It's such a pity," the general continued. "Toward the end of World War II, we had no choice. We were poor, our technology was outdated, we were running out of supplies.
"But today we are rich, and our technology is superb. We don't need to make a vast outlay in order to have a pretty good defense force. Some of our equipment today compares favorably with that of other advanced states. But we don't have enough of it. And some of our guns, like the 105-mm cannon we trundle around by truck, go back to the Korean war."
Japanese generals do not like to talk on the record. Defense is a sensitive political subject in Japan, where Article 9 of the postwar Constitution bans "war potential" and the right of belligerency.
Japan's armed forces are therefore called self-defense forces and their annual budget, as a proportion of gross national product, is the lowest among the world's advanced industrialized democracies -- .91 percent in 1981, compared with 6 percent for the United States.
In any all-out war Japan would have to rely on the American nuclear umbrella provided under its security treaty with the U.S. But Washington has long felt (and many Japanese agree) that even in terms of conventional weaponry Japan's defense forces are far from adequate.
On a recent visit to Japan's Maine-sized northern island of Hokkaido, adjoining Soviet Sakhalin and the Kuriles, this correspondent was able to interview self-defense force personnel only on the understanding that no names would be used.
Four of the ground self-defense forces' 13 divisions are stationed on Hokkaido, and they have the best equipment available. Of the 400 tanks on Hokkaido, 300 are the new variable-profile type 74 developed by Mitsubishi and particularly suited for the country's hilly terrain. Self-propelled 105-mm and 155-mm cannons are being introduced, and the truck-trundled relics the general complained of will be retired by next spring.
Nevertheless, if war were to break out tomorrow, Japanese defense sources are quick to admit that both in ammunition and in equipment they would be ill-prepared to last more than a short while. Whether this would be a matter of hours, or of days, or of weeks, the officers in Hokkaido did not want to say.
This point has also been repeatedly stressed to the Japanese by Washington, both by former Defense Secretary Harold Brown and by the present Secretary Caspar Weinberger. Mr. Weinberger is sending his deputy, Frank Carlucci, to Tokyo this fall to continue the steady pressure the Reagan administration has been applying to get the Japanese government to increase its defence spending.
"There really isn't any disagreement between us and the Americans over what the Soviet threat is or over how it has increased in recent years," said one defense official in Tokyo. "Nor is there any disagreement over what our government needs to do to improve our own defenses.
"The whole controversy boils down to a question of amounts of money, of how much we can afford to spend, given all the other competing claims on our overall budget and the priority our prime minister has given to bringing deficit financing under control." (The government depends on borrowing to cover a third of its annual spending.)
"Our government does not feel it can increase defense spending by more than 7 .5 percent in the coming year, given the fact that every other item of expenditure except economic aid is being held down to zero or close to zero increases. The Americans say that what we do with our budget is our business, but that the kind of defense spending we are projecting is not going to be adequate to meet the things we need to do in our own defense, given the increased Soviet threat. We agree with them.
"But our government has to think of other things, such as the degree of popular support a particular level of defense spending will have, given the fact that we are holding down or cutting health, welfare and other vote-winning spending."
Within this framework, however, the defense agency has put forward its budget request for the coming fiscal year (April 1982 to March 1983) in a way designed not only to obtain the full 7.5 percent increase authorized by the government as a ceiling, but to incur rising spending obligations in future years. The defense budget itself will rise to 2,580 billion yen ($11.2 billion) next year ( 7.5 percent more than this year's budget). But more important, future year spending obligations will increase by 67 percent over last year to a total of 2, 260 billion yen ($9.8 billion).
Future year spending obligations arise because, for instance, while the agency wants to order 80 tanks, 40 self-propelled 155-mm cannons, 22 antitank helicopters, 43 F-15 Eagle fighters, 17 antisubmarine P3C patrol planes next year, most of the actual spending will take place in future years as the orders are completed.
The most expensive and important items on the order list are the F-15s, the P 3Cs, the antitank helicopters, and an assortment of frigates and other naval craft. If these orders are approved, Japan's defense budget is certain to top 1 percent of gross national product in another year or so. Thus, although the increase in defense spending this year is being held to 7.5 percent, the kind of procurement being asked for within this framework makes it certain that future year increases will be in double digit percentages.
A major political battle will be fought over this issue during this fall's Diet (parliament) session. If Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki upholds the defense agency's proposals, the day when front-line generals do not have to think in terms of desperate octopus-hole tactics is likely to be hastened.


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NEW COLLEGES FORMED A plan to reorganize the College of Integrated Science and Technology into two colleges took effect July 1, 2012. The new colleges are the College of Health and Behavioral Studies and the College of Integrated Science and Engineering.
Faculty Member Creates Physical Activity Program for Special Needs Children
By: Amanda Rivera
Posted: October 6, 2008
Wide-eyed children of all ages begin to straggle in, each one led by a JMU student to a corner of the W.H. Keister Elementary Gymnasium where various centers are assembled. Suddenly, Kinesiology professor Dr. Thomas Moran comes to the center of the room and yells, "Freeze…You have five seconds to come to the middle circle only using big steps." As eleven children anxiously bombard the center of the gymnasium, Dr. Moran counts off the allotted time. On September 24, the second session of Dr. Moran's Outreach Physical Activity Program for special needs children was held. As a part of his Adapted Physical Education class, the Kinesiology professor was able to use this program to pair his students with special needs children in the area. "When I was in their shoes, training to be a physical education teacher, I had the opportunity to get hands-on experience and I quickly realized that I, as the instructor, can stand up there and talk about all these disabilities and try to show them video clips, but until they actually get a chance to engage with the children and learn to plan for students with certain disabilities, it really doesn't sink in," he says.
Scheduled weekly from 4:30-5:30 up until November 19, Dr. Moran poses different themes for his students to focus on each session with the children. Challenged to create a circus for this week, the students-turned-teachers created a world appreciated by any imaginative mind. The circus even included a "Rings of Fire" station fashioned out of hula hoops and foam. Outside the circus arena, parents expressed enthusiasm for the program. "We're really excited about extracurricular activities for children with special needs. Oftentimes, it's hard to find a place that will be accepting of a child with special needs," says Marlena Jarboe. A reality reciprocated by Dr. Moran: "I think it's vital that children in the community have opportunities to be active and so many of these kids, their parents don't get to see them achieve their potential." Offering a setting where the Kinesiology professor says teachers are "ready and willing," the children are afforded one-on-one attention to reach certain goals. "We're very thankful to JMU and everything that they offer. We don't know what we would do without them. We feel very blessed to have them so close," says Marlena.
Working with children spanning a range of needs, including Autism, Down's syndrome and Cerebral Palsy, the JMU students are able to set goals for themselves as well. Dr. Moran says, "It's a nice way for them to say, 'Ok, we learned about this disability in class, now I'm getting a chance to work with a student with that given disability and here are some of the issues they face, here are some strategies that I need to work on.'" Suggestive of the overall perception of the program, the JMU students appeared equally engaged by the experience. While it may appear all fun and games, Dr. Moran explains that it fulfills a practical purpose: "In a year they'll be out there in the real world faced with these issues. As we give them experience now, they're better prepared later on."
Offering new and challenging opportunities for the JMU students, their younger cohorts are also able to learn and grow from these experiences. "Unfortunately, children with disabilities or special needs don't have programs. While all the other kids are going to little league practice or soccer practice or some kind of after-school activity, a lot of these kids just go home," says Dr. Moran. A whirlwind of laughter and energy, it hardly looked as if any of these children were ready to return home. However, they all eagerly returned to their awaiting parents as Dr. Moran closed the hour the same way it had opened yelling "Freeze," for the last time that day.


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Performance by Laurie Anderson (Sold out)
Laurie Anderson will present a new musical performance based on Edvard Munch's pictures. Anderson will reflect upon and visualize the themes of the exhibition in her characteristically playful and generous manner.
Laurie Anderson is an American avant-garde artist whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Last year she was in Oslo presenting her film Heart of a Dog.
Ticket: 350.- NOK (Sold out)


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The Reality of "I Just Don't Have the Time to Blog"
Before initiating today's post, I'd like to dedicate this photo (taken during a training seminar I gave in Michigan last week and maybe the coolest ever in the history of TSL I might add :-)) to all my rockin friends (Howie, Gini, John F, Eugene, Ameena, and Bran)that like to make Dirty Dancing jokes whenever I'm in the room. Laugh away ya'll! 🙂
Now back to the business at hand…
"Marcus, I simply don't have the time to blog."
"Marcus, my company is already stretched too thin. We just don't have the time to write blog posts."
Such are easily the most common words I've received from business owners again and again and again over these past couple of years as I've been preaching from the rooftops the benefits inbound marketing. Simply put, we're all too busy to produce content. There just isn't enough time to write blog posts. There aren't enough minutes in the day to shoot educational videos. There's….just….no….TIME.
If you've told yourself any of these statements before, you may just want to stop reading now, because I'm likely going to offend you.
Still reading? OK, well then here goes:
You're lying to yourself. Yes, lying, with a capital 'L'.
Here's an interesting fact to consider—In all of my conversations with successful entrepreneurs and businesses that understand content/inbound marketing, I've never had a single one tell me they didn't have time for blogging.
On the other hand, those companies seemingly struggling the most in this economy are also the ones that infer, constantly I might add, that there's just no time to produce content.
Your Turn:
Why is it that we're so quick to talk about the lack of 'time' for blogging and content production as individuals and companies? And what can a company do to change this culture and make content production as natural and consistent as something like payroll?
As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, if only to tell me you think I've gone off the deep end. 😉
Latest posts by Marcus Sheridan (see all)
- Using Video to Improve SEO and Inbound Marketing in 2017 - August 23, 2017


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Currently 2.14/512345 Rating: 2.1/5 (Total votes: 7)
Rating: 2.1/5 (Total votes: 7)
Latitude isn't enabled in the UK, and some other countries, on the T-Mobile G1, however it is enabled on many other phones e.g. Nokia N95. This is frustrating, a Google phone without Google Latitude.
Latitude Launcher can enable Latitude for you if you have 'Rooted' your phone. It checks for a row in the Gservices table, if it doesn't exist it adds it and launches the Maps application.
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By Nadeska Alexis
During a visit to Los Angeles on Monday (October 31) Drake premiered a new single from his sophomore album Take Care. "The Motto" includes a feature from his Young Money boss Lil Wayne and one of the track's highlights finds Drake sticking up for Weezy with a fiery line directed at Miami's former mayoral candidate Uncle Luke. A few weeks ago the former 2 Live Crew member issued a public warning for Lil Wayne and "his Cash Money Brothers," which rubbed the New Orleans native the wrong way. No sweat though Weezy, cause Drake's got your back.
"Tell Uncle Luke I'm out in Miami too/ Clubbin' hard, f---in' women, there ain't much to do/ Wrist bling, got a condo up on Biscayne ... ain't sh—change," Drake raps in the song's opening verse. The line make more sense with a little recap of Uncle Luke's threat to have Lil Wayne and Cash Money's "Miami cards revoked."
"I've got a message for Lil Wayne, his Cash Money Brothers, DJ Khaled, Puff Daddy and all the rappers from other parts of the country who now live in Miami," Luke told the Miami New Times in October. "I'm tired of seeing these cats using up our beaches, soaking up our sunshine, taking over the nightclubs, and sleeping with our women without investing anything into the community."
"I'm giving them a deadline" Luke warned. "They got until January 1. If I don't see them giving back to the Magic City, I'm gonna have their Miami cards revoked. They won't be getting into any more nightclubs. They won't be able to go near our women. And Lil Wayne is gonna have to find floor seats for New Orleans Hornets home games because he won't be allowed inside the Triple A."
Lil Wayne addressed Luke's "warning" via Twitter, simply writing, ""This N***a Luke trippin!!!!" But clearly Drake had more to say about the issue.
You're up, Uncle Luke!


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Edgewater Consulting blends advisory expertise withtechnical services to create new digital business models
Spartan Chemical, an international manufacturer of chemical specialty maintenance products, provides a host of value add services for it's clients, including site inspections of cleaned spaces. CompuClean®, Spartan's Custodial Maintenance Management Software, offers workloading, staffing estimation, process documentation and standardization, quality assurance monitoring, inventory management, capital equipment tracking, and more, to support it's inspection services. However, internet access is not always available on-site, particularly in basements and other regularly inspected areas, making gathering, submitting and managing inspection assets challenging. Spartan wanted to allow users to make use of their tools from any web enabled device – even when out of range of wireless signals.
The solution had to work flawlessly whether connected or not, keeping information secure and up to date as possible, and it had to reflect the clean, cutting edge and strong brand of Spartan.
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Hitting The High Seas With Blake Shelton And Friends
Concerts are great in any venue. Indoor if the weather is cold or hot, and out door if the weather is perfect. But how about a venue where all you see is water? If that idea strikes a cord with you, check out the "Entertainment Cruise" that is going to take place one year from now (October 14 - 21, 2012). Blake Shelton want all fans to join him on a Caribbean Cruise out of Miami.
You will get in on one of his performances and the other nights there will be performances form his buddies that are coming along as well. They include, Trace Adkins, Easton Corbin, and Neal McCoy.
The cruise will have all of the normal activities that go with being on a ship, but included will be songwriting workshops, a Q & A with some artists and a small version of the talent show "The Voice."
Grab your life jacket and motion sickness pills and get ready to set sail.


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With Mitt Romney traveling around Pennsylvania ahead of this month's primary, state voters are not only getting their first up-close inpsection of the somewhat presumed GOP nominee. They're also getting a preview of the attack lines the Democrats are likely to use against him.
There was little subtlety to the Democratic message today, when DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz stood beneath the Love statue in Love Park and asked Romney where was the love for women in his agenda.
Behind her, 13 supporters stood with signs reading, "Keep Your Mitts(s) Off Birth Control."
During the primary season, Schultz said Romney has tracked right to satisfy the conservative base, taking positions that are "callous and dismissive of what matters to women." She said Romney has promised to defund Planned Parenthood, overturn Roe v. Wade and repeal the Obama health plan -- all positions, she said, antithetical to most women voters.
Schultz said Romney won't be able shake the Etch-a-Sketch and emerge with more moderate views in the general election.
"Women aren't interested in being pawns as he panders his way to the GOP nomination," Schultz said. "No amount of shaking can get rid of Mitt Romney's dismissive and out of touch positions when it comes to women's health."
Schultz was joined by U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, the only female in Pennsylvania's 19-member Congressional delegation (21, including the two male senators).
Schwartz said there's a growing "gender gap," and women are "are walking away from the Republican party."
Click herefor Philly.com's politics page.


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Intergraph Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) Intergraph Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) is the leading global provider of engineering software for the design, construction, and operation of plants, ships, and offshore facilities. Intergraph PP&M is one of two divisions of Intergraph Corporation. Intergraph is part of Hexagon. Learn more by downloading our divisional overview.
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Charges were dismissed Wednesday against a man who had pleaded not guilty to two indecent acts involving a 12-year-old girl.
Dwight Richard Barnes was scheduled to stand trial that day, but prosecutor Candia James advised the court that the Crown was offering no evidence because the young complainant indicated that she did not wish to go through the trial process.
Magistrate Kirsty-Ann Gunn inquired as to whether the complainant had been made aware of the consequences of her decision and Ms. James indicated that she had.
The magistrate then entered verdicts of not guilty on both counts. She told the defendant that the charges were dismissed and he was free to go.
Barnes, 48, first appeared in court on Sept. 22, 2016. The allegations arose after he had gone to fix a refrigerator at the premises where the girl lived with her family.
He was initially remanded in custody, where he spent some time before a Grand Court judge granted bail with conditions. He pleaded not guilty in October and trial was set for December.
On that date, Crown counsel explained why the trial could not go ahead at that time and the matter was set for case management in January. The Feb. 1 date was then set and the matter concluded.
Barnes was represented by attorney Jonathon Hughes.


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Trump gives China "great credit" for "taking advantage" of U.S. on trade
From the day Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the presidency up until election day, he railed against China for taking advantage of the United States economically. His push for "fair trade" even changed the long-standing Republican paradigm of free trade.
As President on his first trip to China, his tune has changed. He still believes that China takes advantage of the United States on trade, but he doesn't blame them. In fact, he gave China and President Xi Jinping great praise.
"I don't blame China. After all, who can blame a country for being able to take advantage of another country for the sake of its citizens?" he said shortly after signing non-binding business deals worth $250 billion. "I give China great credit."
It has been a common aspect of the President's modus operandi when dealing with U.S. and world leaders to be cordial and complimentary towards them when with them or talking to them directly, then returning to negative rhetoric later. This was most clear in his dealings with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.
While the business deals were positive notes for these initial meetings, the topic of North Korea was more severe. Trump called on China to cut economic ties in an effort to make them halt their nuclear weapons program. He said the Chinese President could "easily and quickly" resolve the situation through pressure as the biggest ally to North Korea.
"I know one thing about your president, if he works on it hard, it will happen," Trump said while addressing the crowd at the signing ceremony. Following light chuckles from the crowd, he added, "They know."
Further Reading
Trump does not blame China for 'unfair' trade
The total trade relationship between the pair was worth $648bn last year, but trade was heavily skewed in China's favour with the US amassing a deficit of $310bn.
While still characterising the relationship as "very unfair" and "one-sided", Trump said on Thursday that China was not at fault, instead blaming previous US administrations.
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Reminder: Tech Giants are not monopolies
There is a lot of disgust aimed towards tech giants such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter. And why not? These companies are large, incredibly biased, and quite powerful. Their reach is everywhere, striving towards omnipresence. Their influence can sway public opinion, as evident on issues such as Net Neutrality and to reach back for a more benign issue, SOPA 2014. Another concern is the pubic safety of personal information. Data breaches, hacks, and leaks are all significant risks. In China, Google has assisted the government with the surveillance of their people. And while public safety is an issue, the solution of regulating these large companies as monopolies is fraudulent in its premise. The enact anti-trust laws would ignore the simple fact: neither Google, Facebook, or Twitter are monopolies.
But denotation doesn't stop individuals from advocating action. Kurt Schlicter of Townhall wrote a fiery piece advocating for serious regulation.
And what's also scary is their willful manipulation of the algorithms that determine what can and cannot be said and read. If you don't exist on Google, in many ways, you really don't exist at all. Well, that's intolerable. Our free society conducts its business on the Internet, and if one unaccountable, partisan group can decide what topics can and cannot be discussed, we no longer have a free society. We'd have a fascist one, and fascists are bad even if those fascists swill kombucha tea, bike to work at a Mountain View campus, and spew ridiculous mottos like "Don't be evil."
By definition, a monopoly is when a single firm has absolute market share. Yet the federal government has its own definition. And that definition is comprised in the form of antitrust laws. Ryan Cooper of The Week proposed:
It could be that careful anti-trust action could build a market with several search competitors, and thereby create some competition. But certainly all search platforms should be forced to follow something like a railroad's common carriage rules, where websites are not allowed to be ranked according to how much they might profit the platform itself, and get fair access to search traffic.
This action would break Google apart into several companies and only enrich Google shareholders. The Google splinters would crush the actual competitors of Google rendering making this polygopoly a more clear monopoly for the shareholders than it was already before. Historically speaking, the Rockefellers gained an immense amount of wealth after Standard Oil broke apart. Again it must be said about how Coopers supposition is a flagrant misuse of antitrust law.
Microsoft's battle in the 1990s is a crowning misuse of antitrust law. Microsoft was found to be a monopoly because they put their own software, internet explorer, on their own operating system, Windows. What Microsoft did was clear business instinct. Yet the feds and several states wanted to split them up. Their plan ultimately failed but the precedent remains. In 1999, Milton Friedman referred to companies seeking to break up Microsoft as suicidal, seeking action that would one day be used against them.
"Under the circumstances, given that we do have antitrust laws, is it really in the self-interest of Silicon Valley to set the government on Microsoft? Your industry, the computer industry, moves so much more rapidly than the legal process, that by the time this suit is over, who knows what the shape of the industry will be. Never mind the fact that the human energy and the money that will be spent in hiring my fellow economists, as well as in other ways, would be much more productively employed in improving your products. It's a waste! But beyond that, you will rue the day when you called in the government. From now on the computer industry, which has been very fortunate in that it has been relatively free of government intrusion, will experience a continuous increase in government regulation. Antitrust very quickly becomes regulation. Here again is a case that seems to me to illustrate the suicidal impulse of the business community."
The USFL is another clear example where using antitrust was literally business suicide. The United States Football League launched in 1983 as a spring alternative to the NFL. Yet in their poor management, they moved to fall where the NFL had all of the TV contracts and sued the NFL for antitrust. In truth, their very existence disproved the notion that the NFL was a monopoly, also the existence of college football. The USFL invested everything into the antitrust suit and won $3 dollars($1 tripled).
Google/ Alphabet –
Search Engine, adsales, appstore, Youtube, email, consumer electronics, operating systems, big data, web browser, programs, social network etc.
- Verizon (Yahoo, AOL) – failed internet giant, search engine, adsales, email
- Apple – fellow tech giant, consumer electronics, app store, operating system
- Microsoft – operating systems, direct competitor to Google's word processing platform, web browser(sort of), app store, search engine
- DuckDuckGo – private search engine
- Opera – web browser, free VPN/ adblock
- Brave – web browser with adblock
- Netflix – content streaming platform
- Hulu – Content streaming platform
- TV – not a company but a replacement for Youtube
- Yelp – review website
Social networks, text app for europeans,
- Twitter – microblogging platform
- Minds – social network
- Snapchat – picture messaging, social network
- Craigslist – localized ad sales
- Reddit – online community based on interest
- Myspace – Technically still a thing, rebranded as a music page
- Codias – political social network
Microblogging platform
- WordPress – webhosting, blogging platform
- Gab – Turkish microblogging platform
- Steemit – cryptocurrency social network for original content creators
- Kialo – social media platform for civil debate
- Micgoat – video/blogging platform for debate
As you can see, Google is so large and expansive, they cannot be considered a monopoly, for their is competition every industry they are in. Their most serious competitors are other tech giants, like Microsoft and Apple. Facebook has numerous competitors as does Twitter. Just because their competition lacks prominence, doesn't mean there is a monopoly.
The titans of tech are not monopolies, nor should we want them treated as such. Treating Facebook as a monopoly would create at least three large companies. And these newly divided large companies would eventually merge together and crush the alternative social platforms that currently exist. Rather these platforms would benefit from these companies remaining large and having bad PR. These companies will create innovations and capitalize on their fall should they end up like Yahoo or Kodak.
Mimi Walters says CA rail is the epitome of taxpayer waste
The idea was doomed from the start, at least to those who understood the magnitude of the project California Democrats were pushing. A nice-to-have it like California's high-speed rail is only nice to have when it doesn't cost billions of dollars in a state that has trouble keeping to its budget.
Representative Mimi Walters (D-CA) from Orange County understands this all too well. As one of the few Republican representatives in the leftist state, it's up to her and other fiscally responsible representatives to make Sacramento listen to reason.
In the quote, she was referencing a LA Times article that further criticized the project. When the LA Times points outs waste coming from Sacramento, you know it must be bad.
There are more questions than answers regarding the skyrocketing costs & transparency of a high-speed rail in CA. This project is the epitome of taxpayer waste. It's time to end this train to nowhere & use CA's hard-earned taxpayer dollars responsibly! https://t.co/2jQEQzgE5r
— Mimi Walters (@RepMimiWalters) October 2, 2018
GE Appliances CEO Kevin Nolan credits tax cuts for more investments, jobs
GE Appliances is poised to invest another $200 million into domestic manufacturing, creating hundreds of jobs and helping to boost Kentucky's economy. This is the latest in a string of expansion investments that the company needs in order to meet increased demand.
CEO Kevin Nolan credits tax cuts for the recent major investments. It isn't just that demand is higher because more people are working and keeping what they bring home. The corporate tax cuts that Democrats have been trying to paint as cronyism for the greedy business elite are playing a big role in U.S. companies expanding their operations and increasing the workforce.
The changes in rates and favorable tax treatment of investments in machinery and equipment play a big role in our expansion plans.
Citing Tax Reform, GE Appliances Launches $200M Investment in U.S. Manufacturing, Adding 400 Jobs
"GE Appliances has long been an exemplary corporate partner for Louisville and the Commonwealth," Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin said. "This iconic company has employed many thousands of Kentuckians for generations, and we are grateful for their most recent investment in the Bluegrass State. As GE Appliances continues to adapt to a changing marketplace, we are confident that they will remain a perfect fit right here in Kentucky—America's center for engineering and manufacturing excellence."
Appliance Park, GE Appliance's headquarters, is a 900-acre facility that's home to five manufacturing plants, a technology and engineering center, industrial design and the largest warehouse in its distribution network. The company started manufacturing operations there in 1953. The complex generates an annual Kentucky economic impact of $4.6 billion annually and employs more than 6,000 workers.
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In an insightful talk about persuasion and marketing, Terry O'Reilly discusses what he believes to be an important, but seldom talked about aspect of human nature, and that is our need for friction.
It is O'Reilly's contention that in certain instances, people not only want, but need friction as it relates to the process of buying a product or idea. O'Reilly uses several different examples in order to make his point. One of them looked at an on ointment that healed without pain, and though sales spiked initially, they soon dropped off. The reason for the drop off was that people didn't believed it worked, because it didn't hurt. In other words, they needed friction.
Friction can be a powerful tool in persuasion, it can be used to establish credibility and also as a way to guide customers. Terry O'Reilly's many examples helped to underscore the central tenant of his talk about persuasion, "that the study of human nature is the business of marketers."
Importance of Friction in Persuasion
More Stats +/-
The Problem With Rewards
The Structure of Conversation
Persuasion by Fascination
Persuasion Through Narrative
Positive Means of Persuasion
Need Inspiration?
Get inspired by 3,000+ keynote speaker videos & our founder, a top keynote speaker on innovation.
Terry O'reilly Gives a Great Talk About Persuasion
- By: Mesel IsaacFeb 21, 2014
References: terryoreilly & youtube
References: terryoreilly & youtube


text:
Three Cleveland Cinemas theaters will show all three Batman movies on July 19, and frankly we shrieked like excited little J-Pop fans when we heard the news.
Of course we're talking about Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, not the increasingly shitty franchise that started with the blah 1989 Tim Burton movie.
The Capitol Theatre, Chagrin Cinemas, and Shaker Square Cinemas will show 2005's Batman Begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by 2008's The Dark Knight (also known as the Best Comic Book Movie Ever Made) at 9 p.m., leading up to the midnight unveiling of The Dark Knight Rises.
Tickets go on sale at noon on Monday. If you buy the Dark Knight Marathon package at the box office, you get all three movies for $20.
Or if you want to be all high-techy about it, you can buy them online separately — $6 for the older movies, $9 for the new one — or at the theaters.
Yeah, yeah, we know you're only saving a dollar the other way, but we're pretty sure Bruce Wayne would approve. —Michael Gallucci
Showing 1-2 of 2


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Closing on Nov. 3: Investor Calendar + Company Spotlight
Roubaix, NP, FR
Acteos SA engages in the provision of supply chain management and mobile solutions. It offers various supply chain management software...
Paris, IF, FR
Keyrus SA provides consulting and integration of business intelligence and e-business solutions for Large accounts and ERP/CRM solutions. Its services...
Nanterre, IF, FR
Neurones SA provides management consulting and information technology services. Its services include infrastructure, application and management consultations. The company operates...
Cologne, NW, DE
OnVista AG operates as an Internet company with focus on financial markets. It provides one-stop financial information and professional trading....
Villers-lès-Nancy, LO, FR
Pharmagest Interactive SA engages in the development of innovative solutions for pharmacies and pharmaceutical industry. Its services include; Training of...
Swindon, WI, GB
Stilo International specializes in helping organizations automate the conversion of their content into different XML formats. Our solutions are used...
Darmstadt, HE, DE
Tokyo, TY, JP
Tokyo, TY, JP
South Melbourne, VI, AU
Taipei, TP, TW
San Francisco, CA, US
Paris, IF, FR
Tokyo, TY, JP
Hong Kong, WA, HK
Cambridge, MA, US
Filderstadt, Baden W, BW, DE
All for One Midmarket AG is a full-service IT provider for the mid-size business market. The firm's services portfolio includes...
Farmingdale, NJ, US
Marousi, GR
Boulogne-Billancourt, IF, FR
Corunna, GA, ES
Madrid, MA, ES
Chesterfield, MO, US
Minneapolis, MN, US
Lyon, RA, FR
London, GL, GB
Hamburg, HA, DE
Sydney, NS, AU
Mountain View, CA, US
Nagoya, AI, JP


text:
Accelerated BSN Extended To Phoenix
Building on more than 40 years of the well-respected 12-month program, classes will start in Phoenix in 2018.
Read More
DNP Track
Become a nurse practitioner by completing your DNP. Focus your study in one of several specialty areas, such as the new Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner track.
Read More
Innovative Programs
Creighton nursing programs are known for being cutting-edge. Our College of Nursing was the first school in the state of Nebraska to offer CNL and DNP programs and our accelerated BSN program can be completed in just one year.
Read More


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Sunday, 4 March 2012
Angostura WIP and Smoothie Hats
7 comments:
Your sweater looks fabulous! I agree about the cabling too. I'm a fan of cabling and keep meaning to learn how to do it without a cable needle. One of these days........!!ReplyDeleteReplies
Non-cable needle cabling frightens the life out of me! I'd been too scared that I'd drop lots of stitches. I'm going to stick to my safe cable needle, even if it is a bit of a faff. :)Delete
Beautiful ....!ReplyDelete
oooohhh. That cable is stunning *heads off to look at the pattern!* SxReplyDelete
That's looking great. Look forward to seeing the finished project. Hope you have a good week. RosReplyDelete
I am marvelling at your knitting skills. So clever! I also like the wonderful green lace you posted about earlier - it is beautiful....I'm feeling very knit-inspired by you - it all helps :-)ReplyDeleteReplies
Thank you! I feel sewing inspired with your blog, sadly I'm not that good at it!Delete
Thank you for reading my blog! I love reading your comments, so please feel free to leave a comment if you have the time :) Lynne.


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Can we get away from this name (Warning to hospitals over 'do not resuscitate' orders, 6 December; Corrections and clarifications, 7 December)? They are not "do not resuscitate" orders. Most attempts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation do not lead to an individual who survives. Usually they die, having undergone a very painful, frightening and undignified procedure, or set of procedures, over a prolonged period of, often, over half an hour.
In common with many other hospitals, when I was medical director in East Lancashire, I ensured that our orders were "do not attempt resuscitation" orders. This was a step in the right direction. With hindsight, "allow natural death" might well be a better name.
What is not happening is that a decision is being made that individuals will be deprived of a straightforward procedure which will keep them alive. Rather, they are being spared a most unpleasant ordeal, on the basis that the small chance of a good outcome from CPR is outweighed by other factors – such as that they will die shortly in any case, due to their underlying condition.
Peter Ehrhardt
Todmorden, West Yorkshire
• The instruction "do not resuscitate" may sound brutal. But it can be exactly the opposite. When my husband died in our local hospice last year, all those who cared for him so tenderly were aware he had signed a living will. When my sister died at our home 10 years ago, our GP knew she had done the same and, with our agreement, did not treat it when she developed an acute infection. Living wills, obtained from the Natural Death Centre, Dignity in Dying and elsewhere, are of great help to doctors treating terminally ill patients and give peace of mind to people like me who have signed them.
Jane Wynne Willson


text: Matt from Twinfinite writes: "Ireland. A country full of history, dark and mythical. Where under the shadow of imperialism lies one of the more ancient surviving cultures to this day. It's here where Montague's Mount takes place and though the location is stunning and unique, the game however, lacks in many things that its granular film filter cannot simply hide."


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Gossip about the superhyped Apple iPhone is like the latest Lindsay Lohan tidbit. You may not know that it's true, but it's worth repeating just the same. Such was the case for the Crave blog I posted two days ago that predicted a possible iPhone release date of June 15. At the time, we warned you that Apple's "leaked" FCC letter could be a hoax, and yesterday our Phonescoop friends discovered indeed it was. As Engadget says, the document in question was actually a Photoshopped filing for Apple's
The moral of the story is never to believe any Apple iPhone news unless it comes from Apple itself. Of course that won't stop us from reporting future rumors, because you know you love reading them. We just ask that you read them all with a skeptical eye.


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- Home
- Dancecd
- SPEED: ANIME SPEED Newtype Edition
- Tamashii no RUFURAN - Soul's Refrain
Tamashii no RUFURAN
|Original / Romaji Lyrics
|English Translation
kioku wo tadori
yasashisa to yume no minamoto e
mo ichido hoshi ni hikare
umareru tame ni
Following memories
To the source of gentleness and dreams,
In order to be born, and shine to the stars
Once again...
toki no naka de shizuka ni furuete'ru
inochi no yukue wo toikakeru you ni
yubisaki wa watashi wo motomeru
Trembles quietly in this moment
Your fingertip searches for me,
As if asking for the whereabouts of life
kisetsu ni saku maru de hakanai hana
kibou no nioi wo mune ni nokoshite
chiri isogu azayaka-na sugata de
Blooms in season like an ephemeral flower
Leaving behind the scent of hope on your chest
Scattering hurriedly in splendid form
umareru mae ni
anata ga sugoshita daichi e to
kono te ni kaeri nasai [2]
meguriau tame
kiseki wa okoru yo nando demo
Before you are born
To the earth you spent your days on
Please come back into my arms, [2]
To meet again
Miracles do happen, however many times
sekai wa tada yami no soko ni kieru
soredemo kodou wa mata ugokidasu
kagiri aru eien wo sagashite
The world simply disappears there into the darkness
Even so, my heartbeat starts again
Looking for a bounded eternity
kioku wo tadori
yasashisa to yume no minamoto e
anata mo kaeri nasai
aishiau tame
kokoro mo karada mo kurikaesu
Following memories
To the source of gentleness and dreams.
You, too, please come back,
So we can love each other.
Heart and body repeat
umareru mae ni
anata ga sugoshita daichi e to
kono te ni kaeri nasai
meguriau tame
kiseki wa okoru yo nandodemo
Before you are born
To the earth you spent your days on
Please come back into my arms
To meet again
Miracles do happen, however many times
[1] "RUFURAN" is the Japanese spelling/pronunciation of the French word "refrain," which means "refrain." (The French word happens to be spelled the same as the English word, but is not pronounced the same.)
[2] "Te" (hand) is the reading given for the kanji for "ude" (arm)
Contributed by Takayama Miyuki <[email protected]>
See an error in these lyrics? Let us know here!
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My Little Pony Ties
Lyrics copyright to their respective owners or translators. No copyright infringment is intended or implied.
Layout and other content copyright Anime Lyrics dot Com / Anime Globe Productions
This is some text here


text:
The modern-day consumer is more connected than ever before, but has never been harder to reach. The consumption of media is shifting, with the rise of ad-blocking tools and a new generation that is more aware of, and more resistant to, advertising. The competition for their attention is fierce, and they demand more than your average advert.
We believe in meeting that demand by engaging with consumers through the production of digital entertainment products that they want to get involved with. Our goal is to create valuable and entertaining experiences that are worthy of their time and attention.
It is our belief that videogames are an excellent way of engaging with consumers on a long-term basis.
What we can do for your brand
Here at Happy Volcano, we offer a unique combination. Our background in advertising and vast experience in game design allows us to tell your story like no other. We provide a service that is not only relevant to your target audience, but also engages them in a fun and entertaining way. We would love nothing more than to create a digital entertainment product for you, whether that is an app, a website, or a videogame.
Our team has experience in designing games for all platforms, ranging from online to mobile, and desktop to console. Happy Volcano does it all.
Want to stay up-to-date?
Add your email below to receive our newsletter.
About us
Happy Volcano was founded by these three handsome lads. Jeroen is our business developer, Peter is our master of coding and David makes sure that every pixel is perfectly placed. Together they create and produce high quality digital entertainment products.
Studio Volcano is our design & development studio.
We design your website, app, visual identity, logo…
To name just a few.


text:
Some clients need more than just the best bioanalytical sample analysis. To support our clients Research and Development programs, including IND-enabling preclinical and clinical studies, KCAS conducts non-GLP and GLP bioanalysis in a variety of tissues and matrices. With more than 35 years of experience, our expert team adds value to each of our pharma, biotech and CRO clients with a wide range of offerings to ensure sample processing integrity, properly trained clinical sites and regulated long-term sample storage.
Sample Collection Instructions
- Protocol guidance for sample processing and shipping instructions
- Work with Sponsors and clinical sites to insure a smooth chain of custody transition from clinic to KCAS
- Provide pre-labeled collection containers or tubes, pre-labeled sample storage cryovials, shipping containers and other supplies related to sample processing
- Design and validate a customized database for specialized sample collection needs
On-Site Study Services
- Send trained technicians to clinical site to handle sample processing and shipping to alleviate staffing concerns and ensure the proper care of samples requiring delicate processing.
- Monitor clinical sites for sample processing and shipping compliance, allowing the Clinical Research Associate (CRA) to concentrate on subject or patient-related procedures.
- For tracking purposes and to provide clients with feedback on clinical site performance, KCAS maintains a historical database of all clinical sites that have shipped samples.
Archive Sample Storage
Long term storage of archive pharmacokinetic (PK) and toxicokinetic (TK) samples refrigerated at -20°C or -70°C
- Seven freezers with 140 ft3 capacity for ultra-cold -70°C sample storage
- 1,540 ft3 walk-in freezer for -20°C sample storage
- Triple-redundant temperature records are traceable to National Institute of Standards and Technology standards
- All equipment and freezers are monitored by an external vendor, temperature deviations trigger an audible alarm and phone tree notification system
KCAS Virtual Lab Manual
View certificates, permits and holiday hours.


text:
Guo Juan's Internet Go School is currently accepting new students for group classes for the next term, which begins October 6/7. Group class participants also receive a 20% discount on a year's membership for Guo Juan's audio lectures. In addition to Guo Juan 5P, the school's teaching faculty includes Jennie Shen 2P, Young Sun 8P and Mingjiu Jiang 7P. Click here for details on Guo Juan's Internet Go School.
American Go E-Journal
Fall Semester Enrollment Open at Guo Juan's Internet Go School
Monday September 3, 2012


text:
Reputed O.C. gang member convicted of murder in botched drug deal
A reputed Orange County gang member was convicted Wednesday of special circumstances murder of a man during a botched drug sale.
Robert Reil, 32, and three other gang members planned to steal drugs from Bernal Ezquivel Felix in January 2010, the Orange County district attorney's office said.
Reil and the others met Felix, ostensibly to buy drugs, prosecutors said. One of the gang members with Reil walked up to Felix, who was in his car, and opened fire.
Reil and his three accomplices fled the scene, according to prosecutors. The three others have been charged in the case. Two are awaiting trial and the other was sentenced to 12 years and four months in state prison after pleading guilty to felonies including manslaughter.
Reil, who lived in Orange, is scheduled for sentencing on May 11 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. He faces a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
Oxnard teacher accused of being porn star put on leave
UCLA professor charged in fatal lab fire continues plea talks
Double murder suspect unarmed when shot by officers in La Mirada
— Robert J. Lopez
Photo: Robert Reil. Credit: Orange County district attorney's office


text:
- Extremely high quality, smooth top grain leather
- Contrasting piping under the belt and along the leg
- 1-inch leather reinforcement under the thigh
- Classy and durable YKK solid brass zipper
- Double stitched zipper for maximum strength and quality
- Braided back for easy adjusting and a fancy custom look
Come standard with black leather and stone trim as shown.
Available in size X-Small, Small, Small/Slim, Medium, Medium/Slim, Large and Large/Slim.
View Size Chart
Custom Options Available:
- Additional colors (no charge)
- Buckle instead of braid in back (no charge)
- Fringe (Add $60)
- Embroidered Monogram (Add $40)
- Front Snap (Add $40)
- Calf Patches (Add $40)
- Boot Cut and Zipper Pulls (Add $15)
If you add any custom options to your chaps, unfortunately they are not returnable.
Chaps take 2-3 weeks for delivery.


text:
Although I've always loved the idea of making my own clothes, the thought of it terrified me. With the help and encouragement of others, it has got a lot easier, but most times I'm out of my comfort zone, but I still give it a go. This week, I was going to try and make trousers. They weren't going to be difficult ones with a zip or anything, just something simple. That was the idea, but as you know, things don't always go to plan.
I save patterns and idea on Pinterest, so over the weekend, I went through some of my pins. I deleted the ones that no longer worked and then came across a patter for the sort of trousers I thought I could manage. I downloaded the pattern, but for some reason, I couldn't get it to print properly. The only thing left for me to do was use a pair of trousers I already had to create a pattern.
(I should have realised that the trousers I used to base the pattern on was not for the same type of fabric I was using. That was the cause of problems further along the line)
I cut out the pattern and pinned it to my fabric. I added a bit extra to allow for the seam allowance and then proceeded to assemble. I was quite pleased when I added pockets and sewed up the seam, I had what looked like two trouser legs. Very satisfying indeed!
The next stage was to sew the two legs together. I'd been warned to double check that rights of the legs were together at this stage. I put on leg inside the other, double and triple checked right sides were together, and Voila!
I again put one leg inside the other. I double and triple checked that rights side were together, but I also double checked that the pockets were together. The result was something resembling a pair of trousers and what was even more surprising, I could get them on! Actually, I was quite pleased with the result. Then came the waistband.
I knew from the start, this was going to be a learning curve. The fabric I used, I didn't have to pay for, it's cost me nothing. I now know I can make trousers. I've also learned the changes I need to make. So, as they are, I may not be able to wear them, but I'm so pleased with the way they turned out.
The legs still need hemming, but I wasn't going to do that if I wasn't going to be able to use the trousers. I had thought that I may find someone that they would fit, but last night, I happened to be browsing Pinterest and came across a tutorial for a remedy. I'll let you know if it works.
All I can say is, not everything I do works out the way it should, but I get to learn lessons along the way. I'm not going to forget the line up the proper seams in a hurry, and I'll certainly make sure that the waistband will go over my hips.
My advice is, don't let your fear hold you back. Give things a go. They may not always go to plan, but you will learn so much from the experience and you never know, you might just amaze yourself!
Create With Loopy


text:
SAG/AFTRA proposes contract extension to 2013
To: All ANA Members and JPC Members
From: Douglas J. Wood and Stacy K. Marcus
Re: Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Commercials Contracts Extension Agreement through March 31, 2013
Date: August 9, 2011
As you may be aware, the current collective bargaining agreements between the Screen Actors Guild ("SAG"), the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists ("AFTRA") (collectively, the "unions") and the advertising industry that cover the services of union performers in commercials (the "Commercials Contracts") will expire on March 31, 2012.
The unions have proposed a one year extension of the Commercials Contracts which will run from April 1, 2012 through March 31, 2013. It is the intention of the ANA-4A's Joint Policy Committee on Talent Union Relations (JPC) to agree to the extension. During this extension year, all rates, terms and conditions of the 2009 – 2012 Commercials Contracts would remain the same, i.e., there will be no increase in wages or Pension + Health/Health and Retirement contributions. The date for negotiating new Commercials Contracts is simply put forward by one year. The Pension and Health/Health and Retirement contribution cap negotiated in the 2009-2012 Commercials Contracts will, however, continue to take effect on January 1, 2012.
The JPC regards this extension as favorable to the industry because it freezes rates for another year, does not delay the P+H contribution cap, and allows an extra year to evaluate the results of the GRP compensation pilot currently underway. The JPC believes the extension will have no negative impact on any signatories.
The JPC will formally notify the unions on September 1, 2011 of the JPC's agreement to the extension.
Therefore, the following options are available to you in regard to this matter:
- Current JPC Authorizers:
- Option 1: If you wish to remain a JPC authorizer and a signatory to the one-year extension, you do not need to do anything.
- Option 2: In the event that you do not wish to accept the one year extension, you must withdraw your authorization from the JPC no later than Monday August 29, 2011 by written notice to the JPC and copies to the unions. We can provide you with a sample form letter should you desire one. On September 1, 2011, the JPC will provide the unions with a list of its authorizers absent anyone who has withdrawn. Thereafter, assuming you wish to terminate your signatory status and adherence to the current Commercials Contracts upon their expiration date of March 31, 2012, you must provide the unions with sixty (60) days advance written notice of your desire to terminate the contracts. That notice should be sent no later than January 29, 2012. Please consult with your legal counsel on the form of that notice. Note, however, that if the unions then contact you directly regarding your withdrawal and demand that you negotiate with them, under the National Labor Relations Act, you must negotiate with the unions in good faith until such time as you and the unions either agree to terms and conditions on a new contract or you and the unions bargain to impasse. During such period of negotiation, you remain bound to the terms and conditions of the current agreement. If the unions do not demand that you negotiate, you may be released from further liability under the union contracts but it is strongly recommended that you consult with your company legal counsel before making such an assumption. Should you terminate the contract or the unions abandon the contract, you may also be liable for withdrawal liability assessment from the unions' pension plans. If you have questions regarding pension withdrawal liability, we again strongly advise that you consult with your legal counsel.
- ANA Members Who Wish to Become Signatories:
- If you would like to become a JPC authorizer and a signatory to the Commercials Contracts and support the JPC's vital industry efforts, as an ANA member you may become an authorizer of the JPC thereby granting the JPC the authority to negotiate on your behalf. The JPC, comprised of members of both the 4A's and the ANA, has been very successful in the past in negotiating agreements with very favorable terms for the industry. We can provide you more information regarding the JPC and the obligations of being a signatory and the forms you will need to complete in order to accomplish this task.
As a reminder, becoming an authorizer to the JPC and/or becoming a signatory to any union labor agreement is not a requirement of your ANA membership.
For more information regarding the options presented above and/or to obtain sample forms for the notification and withdrawal process or further information and forms for authorization to the JPC, you can contact Doug Wood at firstname.lastname@example.com or Stacy Marcus at email@example.com.


text:
Children's Parties are extra special here at The Planet Ennis....Read More
We are Clare's best family entertainment centre offering something for all the family since 2003. We operate in 5 different locations around Ireland, Athlone, Cork, Ennis, Galway & Limerick ...Read More
Planet Entertainment Centre
Monday to Friday 10.30am – 11.00pm
Saturday & Sunday 10.00am – 11.00pm
We offer Ten Pin Bowling, Children's Soft Play Area, Laser Tag, Astro Turf Football, Snooker and refreshments. We cater for Children's parties, Corporate Nights, Student Nights, Stags and Hens, School Tours, Fundraisers and lots more....Read More
Galway Shopping Centre, Headford Road, Galway...Read More
Going out for a night out with your work mates? The Planet has 10 pin bowling lanes, pool tables, a bar and a Subway Restaurant....Read More
~~TEN PIN BOWLING:- NOT JUST FOR KIDS Anyone who's ever played a game of bowling knows its addictive, fun and filled...// Read More Mon Aug 12
Hope all you GMIT and NUIG students enjoyed the free bowling. Don't forget that we offer free bowling every Monday...// Read More Mon Aug 12