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What I believe…
Although abortion tends to be a sour topic among society today, it is still a pressing matter that I hold dear to my heart. To me abortion is wrong, and a crime. Even though a woman should be allowed to say how she is, and what she does, I think that abortion should be one thing that they cannot do. When is it ok to take away a child's life? And what makes it right to steal away someone's potential happiness and desire to live?
In the last year alone there have been roughly 348,340 abortions in the United States alone. That is three hundred forty eight thousand three hundred forty lives that were just swept away like dirty. I personally believe that it is wrong to take away a child's life. In today's society, you can sue another person for 'taking away their pursuit of happiness, and enjoyment of life,' and I think that if people can sue one another for this, that it is wrong for someone to completely take away another's life.
If it is considered murder to kill someone, why is it not wrong to kill a baby in their mom's womb? There are a lot of ways to avoid pregnancy, and a lot of ways to have a child placed in good homes if the mother is inadequate to have a child. I just personally think that if a woman decides that she wants to have unsafe sex, that she should know that there are potential consequences that go along with it. I would rather see a woman give birth and have her child placed in a foster home, or up for adoption, than killed. There are many families that can not even have children due to medical issues, and they would love to have a child. There are more and more abortions each year and there are a lot of families that would love the chance to have a child for their own.
I just get upset that people can't take responsibility for their own actions. If you are going to have sex, make it safe sex. If you don't, there is a higher possibility that you will have a child. Like I already have stated, people should have safe sex, or if they end up pregnant, they should give their child up for adoption if they feel like they cant have a child, or if they feel inadequate to have one at the current time.
If you enjoyed this essay, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to This I Believe, Inc.


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HMI Flicker With The Alexa & Epic
I've been shooting a lot of high speed content with the Alexa and the Epic lately and I have uncovered some unexpected results when shooting with both cameras. Watch the 2 minute video, and then read on to learn more about what is going on.
Perspective On Part 02 of Zacuto's Revenge Of the Great Camera Shootout 2012
Thu, Jul 19 2012 09:00 | Epic, Great Camera Shootout, Kessler, Red, Revenge, Shoot Out 2012, TCC, Zacuto | Permalink
On the 15th of this month Zacuto released part two of their Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012. In this second episode of their three part series they reveal the answers to the blind test that was conducted in part one. This test has raised a lot of discussion, debates, and heated arguments on the internet. As I participated in the event by running Red Epic - a camera with a very passionate following by its users, I thought I'd offer a little perspective on the test.
Tips For Maximizing Your R3D In Post:
Wed, Jun 27 2012 09:00 | Epic, grading, Post Smithery, Red, Redcine-X Pro, Scarlet, Tips | Permalink
How an image is handled in post will greatly effect the quality of the final deliverable. Nowhere does this ring more true then with any of the Red cameras. Setting yourself up well at the start of the process will enable you to get the best results possible. Unfortunately with Red, this has been, and continues to be, a bit of a cryptic process that is shrouded in mystery and confusion. I'll help you wade through this mystery so that you can have a better understanding of how to get the most out of your raw image.
Zacuto Shoot Out 2012: A Master Cinematographer's Experience
Mon, Apr 16 2012 06:00 | Epic, Great Camera Shootout, Kessler, Red, Revenge, Shoot Out 2012, TCC, Zacuto | Permalink
Back in February of this year Zacuto & Kessler asked me to join them for their Revenge 2012 camera shootout as the Red Epic Master Cinematographer. While I was honored to be a part of an event where I would be working alongside such greats as Bruce Logan, ASC, Rodney Charters, ASC, Nancy Schreiber, ASC, Michael Negrin, ASC & Curtis Clark, ASC, I accepted the offer with a bit of trepidation. After years of running various tests, and making those results public, I have become acutely aware that no matter how stringent a test is run, inevitably people are going to find fault, and there is no way to make everyone happy. Add to that the fact that critique from the Reduser community is even more stringent, and it is a recipe for some harsh criticism and open flaming of one's character. Even though I knew I was walking into dangerous ground by being the Red Epic Master Cinematographer, this was an opportunity I could not pass up.
Letus Color Temp & ND Fader Test
Wed, Jan 18 2012 08:12 | Color Temp, Epic, Fader, Getting Elemental, Letus, ND, Red | Permalink
Portland Lens Test 2011
Thu, Dec 22 2011 06:56 | Cooke, Epic, Getting Elemental, Illumina, Lecia, Lens, Portland Lens Test, Red, Schneider, Test, Unique, Zeiss | Permalink
On December 10, 2011 Indent Studios organized a lens test that was very eye opening and educational for all that attended. I feel fortunate that I could partake in making it a successful event. :) With the release of "affordable" cameras like the Epic-X, Scarlet, C300, and F3 (among many others) everyone is wondering what "affordable" lens package they should invest in, or rent for their camera. Indent Studios organized this event to use 3 Epic-X's to shoot with 7 sets of lenses and find out the answer. After handling the lenses, and reviewing the footage we all came across some surprising results.
Check out the footage for yourself and download the R3Ds after the jump...
IR ND Filtration + EPIC
Thu, Nov 24 2011 10:12 | Epic, Filtration, Getting Elemental, IR, IRND, ND, Platinum, Schneider | Permalink
As cameras get more and more sensitive to light, infrared (IR) pollution becomes a bigger issue as stronger neutral density filters are used to maintain exposure. IR pollution ends up changing the color rendition of the entire image and can result in some VERY funky color shifts. (I have seen dark green leaves change to magenta for example.) These color shifts can be next to impossible to get rid of once they are recorded into the digital image. There are creative ways to get rid of this in post, but many of these solutions - like rotoscoping and painting out the problem - are cost prohibitive. Besides, a "problem" like this should have been corrected in the camera at the time of filming, not left to post. Always remember this mantra, and practices it daily: "Fix it in camera, NOT in post."
Epic + HMI (Mag Ballast)
Just because it works in theory doesn't mean it will work in practice. And just because it works in one application, that doesn't mean it will work in another application - which is why testing durring preproduction is SO important and should NEVER go over looked. I recently spent a day camera testing in preparation for a short film I was shooting for Director Shawn Nelson and it was during one of the camera tests that we stumbled upon some interesting results when shooting with the Epic and HMI's that use a magnetic ballast. What I had thought would be safe speeds on the camera turned out to not be safe at all ...

subset: commoncrawl


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Hebrew National brand beef franks have become a big hit at my house, especially when I prepare them on the grill. I noticed on the second page of this week's ad that Brookshire's is giving me a FREE bottle of ketchup when I buy my favorite franks. That's right – I get a FREE Hunt's 24 oz Ketchup when I buy 2 packages of Hebrew National Beef Franks priced at 2 for just $5.
Take advantage of this great offer now through May 24!
| Permalink | Print
Posted in: Cooking, Meat Market, Shop the Sale
Posted in: Cooking, Meat Market, Shop the Sale


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5000 Form halloween resurrection shirts Hoodies, Sweatshirts, Sweaters, Meaning 2018
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Peaches' distraught husband puts death home up 'for sale'
PEACHES Geldof's husband Thomas Cohen is planning to sell their £1million home because he cannot face bringing up their two sons in the house where she died.
The grieving musician and the boys, Astala, 23 months, and Phaedra, 11 months, have been staying at his parents' house.
Our source said: "Thomas is devastated.
"His whole world has crumbled and it's only their two sons that are getting him through it.
"He's told friends he can't face moving back to the house and instead wants to sell it.
"His whole world has crumbled and it's only their two sons that are getting him through it"A source
"He's been told not to do anything hasty but at the moment he can't imagine moving back.
"He's in total shock and just can't get his head around how this could have happened."
Peaches died at the house in Wrotham, Kent, nearly two weeks ago, aged just 25.
A private funeral will be held tomorrow at the Kent church where she married Thomas, 25, two years ago.
Her dad Sir Bob, 62, will give the eulogy at the service, which will also be attended by sisters Fifi, 31, Pixie, 23, and Tiger, 17.


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I have degenerative changes, and so far the board of doctors have denied me a few things due to degeneration. I once waited a week for them to have thier meetings just to find out that they decided I was not a candate for nerve burns. WHich was silly! why ask me, then have a meeting, just to deny me?.. *sigh* I am told that it is due to degeneration and stability of the spine. I have something they call Levoscoliosis, but only bottom half of my back hurts from it, not while spine. I get the distinct impression that degenerative changes , thou common, make it hard to seek other pain management options. All about the great inflammation reace. Sorry I can add helpful input at all.
Modlemaker, I too am sorry that the SCS won't work for you. I also agree that it is better to find out now than afterwards. When I had my fusion I underestimated the recovery time. For some reason I don't learn very fast. After the SCS implant, I did not think it that difficult but I have found that this old body does not heal as fast as it did once. I would hate the thought of going through all this for nothing. First the failed back surgery and then if the SCS did not work I would be a candidate for the funny farm. I know it is partially my fault as I have tore the leads loose by doing a very simple thing but I still can't stand to be in the car for long and sitting in a chair relaxing is difficult for a length of time. Since the transmitter is on my right back side just above the belt line and I get tiured of laying on my left side for hours before I can finally get to sleep. I say all this just to reinforce it is not worth it if it would not work.
Have they tried nerve blocks or a pain pump. I know that they have never discussed a nerve block with me but the pain pump has been a discussion. I hope that they find something besides just pumping you full of pills. I will be keeping you in my prayers.
I am so sorry that the SCS won't work for you! ((((((((((((modelmaker))))))))))))
I was NOT a candidate for the SCS either. I bypassed the trial and went directly to the NS who in the end would be putting the permanent unit in. I went for 2 opinions and advised to have an MRI and CT Scan and was told the same thing by both Drs that I was not a candidate. I was told there are 3 types of people, the definite NO, the definite YES and the other 50% are in a maybe group, by that I was told the trial may work and then when the permanent unit is put in it chances are it would not. I was in the Maybe group and felt the cost and iffy outcome was not worth the risk!
My PMD was as disappointed as I was!


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Originally posted by knightsof0ld
AWWWW what happened to the other thread you were going to do --- Not that we were going to head to it but rather your Exp in how you got where you are -- a sort of spiritual guide
have you read the hidden hand postings dragonridergal?
Does that fit in anyway with what info you are getting?
Originally posted by trueset
Yes this is happening ! The quality of consciousness is increasing globally !
Exponentially ! I see this as the most Novel of all going on today ! The birthing of"Homo-illuminous " The next evolution of man. The enlightened soul in the physical ! As we increase our consciousness we "open " up the collective and "see". Practicing non-judgemental awareness , be here now mindfullness and
non-dual awareness gives us a glimpse of our full potential. Simply acknowledging our awareness of the "Now " increases our understanding of
self. Forgive yourself,Love yourself and grow your consciousness !
Originally posted by Tomis_Nexis
People from every corner, every aspect of the world and history have been saying the same thing.
What I've come to see is that people themselves, individually find it. There's always a back story to someone saying "enlightenment is coming", but the back story is to them.
I believe enlightenment doesn't happen as a whole, for all in this world, but is individually found.
I hope I made some sense.
Edit; also, when the world seems to be going down the crapper, people tend to believe in things they normally would not. Something to make them sleep at night.
Originally posted by v01i0
Nothing new under the sun. How many people before you in far, far away past have been saying the same? I won't start counting them, instead I just say that this is - or rather might be - a positive collective fantasy in contrast to all the negative collective fantasies we see here on ATS and world generally.
I guess you are positive person and there's nothing wrong with it, carry on with high hopes. I personally doubt full enlightenment, either personal or collective. There will always be idiots as well as decent people, as long as either decides to extinct the another.
I personally head open-minded towards the future, will it be total enlightenment or total extinction - it doesn't matter. We are such small part in vast existence that our destiny doesn't really matter in larger scale. Neither it doesn't make difference for me. The future is then, and what it will be, I cannot but accept it.


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Opus is a leading international multi-disciplinary consultancy. Its people are at the forefront of award-winning and innovative projects. Opus is a global company providing excellent solutions to a wide range of clients.
Opus provides specialist advice and project management across a wide range of service sectors. The main areas of work include highway asset development and maintenance, architecture, structural design, infrastructure development, and asset management, water management and environmental planning.
Today, Opus has around 3000 staff in offices and laboratories throughout Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. It is part of the corporate philosophy of Opus to encourage staff to develop and reach their full potential and in so doing contribute to its success.


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|This article needs more links to other articles to help integrate it into the encyclopedia. (October 2018)
A Consensus government is a rare form of government that has thus far been operated exclusively in Canada at a macronational level. A democratic form of government, Consensus government is characterized by non-partisan politics in which standing members of the legislature are elected as independent candidates for their districts through a first-past-the-post system. The legislature in turn elects the national government, as in the case of the Westminster system. In a consensus system is is common for the national government to be at the mercy of Parliament - policies unpopular with Parliament cannot theoretically be advanced.


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Campaign of the Month: August 2016
Oath of Crows
The Aegis
The Aegis is an ancient bronze shield carrying the Lambda symbol of the Tarren family. The shield was gifted to Maelgwyn by the late lord of the island of Wight before his demise. It's is said that the shield never breaks or buckles if used to defends ones liege lord or country.
- Made: Unknown
- Original owner: Unknown, but said to have been one of Salis's bodyguards.
- Current Owner: Maelgwyn the Bulwark
When used to protect or fight for a sworn lord and with a successful Homage or Fealty roll the shield becomes unbreakable and its protective value is doubled.


text: Insurer launches major branding campaign Published on April 05, 2001. Chicago--Encompass Insurance said Thursday that it has begun a brand-awareness campaign designed to draw support from independent insurance agents and raise awareness among consumers. Dubbed "Liberty, justice and really good insurance," the trade and consumer campaign was developed by Leo Burnett, Chicago. Encompass, formerly CNA Personal Insurance, is one of the few insurers dedicated to selling exclusively through b-to-b relationships with agents. Most Popular In this article: BtoB


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SPI-1 provides a data-driven approach to continual improvement that allows sales organizations to identify and focus on key performance drivers.
Develop and enable reps based on their individual needs and your standards of excellence.
Execute focused training and on-the-job activities to close sales competency gaps.
We would be pleased to help you learn more about SPI-1 and our Sales Process Playbooks. 100% Risk- and Obligation- free.


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A Look at Your Venous Anatomy
Many individuals suffer from varicose veins and spider veins. In fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that approximately 50 to 55 percent of women and 40 to 45 percent of men suffer from some type of abnormal vein condition. While many people know that they are at risk for varicose veins, very few individuals truly understand the underlying cause of the condition. A good way to better understand varicose veins and spider veins is to educate yourself on your venous anatomy.
- Veins vs. Arteries
Veins and arteries are two different types of blood vessels within your circulatory system. Your arteries are responsible for carrying oxygenated blood from your heart and lungs to different parts of your body, while your veins pump the blood back towards your heart for re-oxygenation. Arteries are made of thick, elastic muscle tissue, as they need to be able to handle the high pressure of your blood. Veins are composed of thinner elastic muscle tissue with semilunar valves.
- Different Categories of Veins
The veins within your body are typically broken down into three distinct categories. These are:
- Superficial leg veins, which are just beneath the surface of your skin and have less support from the surrounding bones and muscles.
- Deep leg veins, which are located in the center of your leg near your bones and return blood directly to your heart.
- Perforator veins, which connect the superficial veins to the deep veins.
- Abnormal Veins
The valves within your veins are responsible for keeping blood flowing back towards your heart. However, these valves may weaken over time and allow blood to flow backwards in the vein. This causes the blood to pool within the vein wall and leads to the development of spider and varicose veins.
Whether you're suffering from spider veins or varicose veins, the physicians at Advanced Varicose Vein Treatments of Manhattan are here to help. We offer a number of treatment options for abnormal veins. Call us today at (212) 204-6501 for more information about varicose vein treatments and leg ulcer prevention.
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Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
NonProfit Center, 89 South St.
Ste. 403
United States
About Us
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) is a nonprofit organization that supports parents' efforts to raise healthy families by limiting commercial access to children and ending the exploitive practice of child-targeted marketing. In working for the rights of children to grow up—and the freedom for parents to raise them—without being undermined by corporate interests, CCFC advocates for a healthier childhood and a more democratic, sustainable world. CCFC's work is featured regularly in newspapers around the country, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today, and has appeared on radio and television shows including the Today Show, CBS Evening News, The Colbert Report, and many more.


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Applied and Computational Mathematics Seminar
Thursday, January 13, 2011 - 11:00am
1 hour (actually 50 minutes)
Skiles 006
Recent experiments indicate that one- and two-dimensionalinstabilities, bunching and meandering, respectively, coexist duringepitaxial growth of a thin film in the step-flow regime. This is in contrastto the predictions of existing Burton–Cabrera–Frank (BCF) models. Indeed, inthe BCF framework, meandering is predicated on an Ehrlich–Schwoebel (ES)barrier whereas bunching requires an inverse ES effect. Hence, the twoinstabilities appear to be a priori mutually exclusive. In this talk, analternative theory is presented that resolves this apparent paradox. Itsmain ingredient is a generalized Gibbs–Thomson relation for the stepchemical potential resulting in jump conditions along the steps that coupleadatom diffusions on adjacent terraces. Specialization to periodic steptrains reveals a competition between the stabilizing ES kinetics and adestabilizing energetic correction that can lead to step collisions. Theaforementioned instabilities can therefore be understood in terms of thetendency of the crystal to lower, away from equilibrium and in the presenceof dissipation, its total free energy. The presentation will be self-contained and no a priori knowledge of theunderlying physics is needed.


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Experience the fastest growing leisure sport in the country.
Photo: Jarratt Willis
Classes and experiences specifically designed for birders of all skill levels.
Join the Trinity River Audubon Center for a night hike, owl prowl, and s'mores! Night Hikes begin in August 2017!
Birds of all ages and stages are welcome! Summer 2018 Programs now open!
Browse our calendar for upcoming programs, classes, events, and more.
Enjoy free admission, discounts in our nature store, and free and discounted programs at the center.


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The clarinet family includes the contra-alto and bass models, but we will focus on the instrument most often thought of when the word clarinet is used: the Bb clarinet. This is the most popular form, used for music from Mozart to marching tunes and especially prominent in jazz, swing, and Dixieland. Useful in ensemble and solo playing, the clarinet can also be a good crossover instrument, allowing players to easily pick up the saxophone or flute at a later time.
Generally the ideal clarinet tone is one that is rich, dark, and focused with lots of fundamental and a pleasant mix of overtones (both lower and higher). The presence, or absence, of overtones is where personal taste comes into account, but a clarinet should always produce a smooth and centered fundamental tone. The clarinets offered by Musician's Friend will deliver fantastic fundamental tone, and we'll help you understand the instrument features that will let you achieve ultimate tone and playability.
Parts of the clarinet
The clarinet is composed of five separate parts that are assembled to make up the instrument: the mouthpiece A, the barrel B, the upper joint C, the lower joint D, and the bell E, in that order. Clarinets are usually divided into three different categories: student clarinets, intermediate-level clarinets, and professional clarinets.
Body materials
Clarinets are chiefly composed of two substances: plastic and wood.
The type of plastic used in clarinets is specifically engineered for that use. Its benefit is that it has all the forgiving ruggedness typical of plastic while possessing certain musical qualities that allow it to sound like a clarinet. The majority of clarinets constructed from plastic are student, entry-level instruments.
The material traditionally used for clarinet composition is grenadilla wood. Grenadilla clarinets are preferred by advanced students and professionals for the unmistakable sound and resonance only a wood clarinet produces. The wood clarinet's drawback is that it needs proper care to live a long life; care that most students are not disciplined enough to provide. Air moisture is critical to maintaining the health of a grenadilla clarinet, extreme fluctuations in moisture can cause cracks in the body, ruining the instrument. Consistent air moisture is ideal but nearly impossible. Thankfully, there are methods of caring for wood clarinets that guarantee a long life (see below).
There is a subcategory of wood clarinets known as Green Line clarinets. Green Line instruments, manufactured by Buffet Crampon, are composed of 95% grenadilla wood fiber mixed together with 5% carbon fiber and epoxy resin. They go through the same manufacturing process as 100% grenadilla instruments. Their advantage is that they can withstand temperature and humidity changes, require less maintenance, and don't crack.
Keys and plating
The key work on a clarinet will be plated with either nickel or silver (on rare occasions gold). Nickel plate is durable; does not tarnish as easily as silver; and has a shiny, attractive luster. Silver plate is very attractive with a warm, brilliant appearance; has a nice feel to the touch; but tarnishes easily compared to nickel plate. With care silver-plated keys can remain free of tarnish and retain their beauty throughout the instrument's life.
Bore styles
Clarinets come in several different styles and sizes of bores (the inside of the clarinet). In general, smaller bore clarinets are easier for students to play in tune, and it is easier for them to cover the finger holes. Larger bore clarinets are more flexible in pitch and are most often used by jazz players who need to bend notes and produce a big sound that projects adequately in a band setting.
Breaking in a wood clarinet
A new clarinet, or one that has been stored unused for some time, needs to be acclimated to avoid cracking. There are two general rules of thumb to follow in taking care of your grenadilla clarinet.
Rule #1: Do not keep your wood instrument anywhere you would not keep a baby. You would not leave a baby out in the cold or in your car on a hot day, so don't do either with your wood clarinet.
Rule #2: When not playing, always store your instrument in its case.
Also, grenadilla clarinets have to be broken-in before you can play them for extended periods. During the first week, play your clarinet no longer than 15 minutes per day, and swab the bore carefully afterwards to remove moisture. The second week, extend playing time to 30 minutes and follow up with swabbing the bore. The third week extend playing time to 45 minutes and swab the bore. During the fourth week you can push your playing time up to one hour and remove moisture from the bore afterwards by swabbing. After this regimen, if you have followed it closely, your clarinet should be broken-in. If you live in a dry climate, your clarinet will require more care since moisture is pulled from the wood quickly, causing problems. In this case, using a humidifier will help prevent the wood from drying too rapidly and cracking.
Purchasing your clarinet from Musician's Friend means you can try it out at home, giving you a chance to discover if it's the instrument for you.


text: A haven within a haven, Cascade Spa is the newest addition to Cascade Manor boutique hotel and spa. This intimate wellness centre offers an array of specialist as well as all-purpose treatments to pamper your body and revive your mind. Unwind from your busy lifestyle in the skilled hands of our therapists, who will advise you on a variety of pampering options available. Relax to the soothing sounds of nature and immerse yourself in a sensory experience that will refresh and reinvigorate you.


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Amelia and Brian's wedding was absolutely gorgeous and their wedding party was hysterical! It was easy to see that Brian and Amelia attract awesome people! Their creativity was flowing through every aspect of the wedding, from Amelia's stellar purple shoes to the bouquets to the reception decor. The wedding was held at the Hyatt Harborside in Boston, MA. Even though rain forced the ceremony indoors, the venue was fantastic. Friends and family danced the night away in an elegant ballroom overlooking the harbor. Congratulations Brian and Amelia!
A special thank you to Lauren Allison for giving me the honor of helping her photograph this incredible wedding in Boston! This was my first time to Boston so we made an awesome three-day weekend out of the trip! That post will come later! :)


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Senior PastorCapitol Hill Baptist Church
Dr. Mark Dever serves as the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. He is the president of 9Marks Ministries and has taught at a number of seminaries. Dr. Dever is the author of several books, including The Church: The Gospel Made Visible, What is a Healthy Church?, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism, and Nine Marks of a Healthy Church.


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Manchester United debutant Angel Gomes, 16, shares incredible picture of himself with Wayne Rooney ten years ago
Red Devils youngster was feeling reminiscent after replacing the United captain during Sunday's win over Crystal Palace
MANCHESTER UNITED youngster Angel Gomes posted an inspirational picture of himself with Wayne Rooney ten years ago.
Gomes, 16, became the first player born in the new millennium to play in the Premier League when he replaced captain Rooney yesterday.
And the London-born kid, who has been at United since he was six-years-old, uploaded a photo to Instagram to highlight his journey.
Keep up to date with all the latest news, gossip, rumours and done deals in SunSport's live transfer blog
Alongside a snap of himself with a 21-year-old Rooney, he wrote: "Ten years later, anything is possible. #Godswill #Mondaymotivation"
Gomes won United's Youth Team Player of the Year award on Tuesday.
The skillful No10 - who is cousins with ex-Red Devils ace Nani - was unable to make much of a difference against Crystal Palace, but still finished his Prem debut with a 2-0 win.
He said: "Obviously, it's a dream come true.
"I've been here since the age of six, working my way up and it's what everyone dreams about.
"I just want to thank the manager for putting me on the bench and playing me today, and all the staff back at the club and everyone who has helped me.
"I'm from Manchester, Salford and it's literally down the road. It's just unbelievable."
Fellow youngster Josh Harrop, 21, enjoyed a dream debut, scoring just 15 minutes into the Old Trafford clash.
Paul Pogba's goal four minutes later sealed the win for Jose Mourinho's side, who finish the season sixth.


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NTObjectives (NTO) announced that its new Fire & Water Toolkit is now available for public beta. The toolkit is an assessment and defense tool that you can use on local and remote networks.
NTO said, "Fire & Water is a collection of cohesive, interactive command line tools that perform network discovery, mapping, assessment and reporting; as well as robust web server defense. By using XML output interactively, Fire & Water can easily and effectively manage multiple scans and their resulting output via standard output in the command line, CSV, HTML reports (created via XSL templates provided with the tools), or through custom report formats by creating your own XSLT templates."
We reported that previously, Foundstone had obtained a temporary restraining order against NTO that attempted to prevent the release of the toolkit. However, a press release on the NTO Web site said that, "In a precedent-setting case, the court denied Foundstone's request to issue a preliminary injunction against NTO, stating lack of detail in the allegations and the absence of any supporting evidence."
The toolkit contains several components, including ntoscan, ntoweb, ntoroute, ntomap, ntotrend, and ntowire. For a description of the components and to download the toolkit, visit the NTO Web site.


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Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP says that "Ontario's fiscal mess is moving toward a climax." With the release of the provincial budget on April 23, Walker says that the Liberal government faces a clear choice, "it can keep digging a bigger debt hole and making deeper cuts to public services, or it can turn a page after 12 years of mismanagement."
"The decision they have to make is kind of simple," he says. "They owe a lot of money, and are paying interest payments of about $30,000 per day or $11 billion a year, money that could be providing frontline care and services.
"If this government wants to avoid making further cuts to education, health care and social services, then it has to commit to get its spending under control," says Walker.
To help guide them, his party has laid out five budget asks for the province, which aim to boost jobs and job security, protect the family pocketbook, and restore health care services that are slowly disappearing from local communities.
"Our recommendations to the government are to walk away from the unaffordable Carbon Tax, as it's another tax on everything and people can't afford it; to forego the unaffordable Ontario Retirement Plan, as it adds financial burden on workers and businesses; to commit to reducing hydro rates so we no longer have to pay the highest energy costs in North America and lose even more manufacturing and jobs; and to commit to fixing home-care by tying CCAC funding to outcomes and clearly defined results," says Walker.
Finally, he adds, the PCs want the Liberals to call-off their plan to sell a majority stake in Hydro One to get out of its $11-billion deficit mess.
"Let's get real. This money will get them out of the deficit mess for one fiscal year, perhaps in 2017-18, and so it's short-term gain for long-term pain," he says. "Such tactics are unsustainable in the long-run, as they will run out of other public assets to sell to finance their spending habits, and what will happen then? Unless they get their spending under control, there will be no real solution."
Most importantly says Walker, the sale of a majority ownership in Hydro One will cut government revenue and drive hydro rates up even higher for consumers.
"This move will hurt every ratepayer in Ontario, no doubt about it and will be yet another Liberal boondoggle," suggests Walker.


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Main → Afghanistan → Velayat Helmand → Tal-e Gawmeshi
Map of Tal-e Gawmeshi Velayat Helmand, Afghanistan
Other Names: Tal-e Gavmishi,Tal-e Gawmeshi,Tal-e Gāvmīshī,Tal-e Gāwmēshī,Tale Gawmesi,Tale Gāwmēši,Tali-Gavmeshi,تل گاومېشی, Tal-e Gāwmēshī
Tal-e Gawmeshi
Welcome to the Tal-e Gawmeshi google satellite map! This populated place is situated in Velayat Helmand, Afghanistan. Original name (with diacritics) of the place is Tal-e Gāwmēshī. See Tal-e Gawmeshi photos and images from satellite below, explore the aerial photographs of Tal-e Gāwmēshī area. This placemark was added 2010-08-03.
Map of Tal-e Gawmeshi
- Country: Afghanistan
- Province: Velayat Helmand
- Category: populated place
- Altitude: 0 m
- Population: 0
Asia/Kabul +4.5
- Local Time: 08:24
- Sunrise: 06:19
- Sunset: 17:31
Wiki articles near Tal-e Gawmeshi
Places near Tal-e Gawmeshi
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Delivering prompt, skillful and knowledgeable claims service to meet the needs of our clients forms the cornerstone of our business. Accident & Health International strive to continually improve our service to our customers.
Claims are administered and assessed by our in house experts who have high settlement authority limits. If you call to discuss any aspect of your claim you will have the benefit of speaking with a decision maker.
'I would like to congratulate AHI on the claims service we have experienced as a client for the past 6 years.
Your claims staff consistently provide a professional, efficient service and personal and understanding approach to the handling of our claims.
All of our claims over the years have been settled and paid on time, in fact, in some cases claims have been fast tracked to ensure that the claimant does not suffer any financial hardship. Your staff demonstrate a common sense approach to settling claims and understand our business.
I cannot recommend AHI more highly.' Risk Manager


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How Long and In What Manner to Great Mastery?
View Single Post
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,394
Re: How Long and In What Manner to Great Mastery?
You ... lie. Lying. Liar.....You've allowed yourself to go on attack on this kind of basis to the point of getting two discussions closed in one day
You once again prove my point. When you can't argue the merits-you attack- than state you were the one attacked. I ask questions – you call it an attack, and get agressive. Its bizarre, but there it is for all to read.
Why can't you follow a line of discussion with logic presented to refute your points-and that includes questions about your ability and knowledge of the material being discussed- without you losing it?
When it comes to this information I cited a very logical approach as to
why your comparisons and opinions are not useful to anyone
who trains this way (including those who train who keep telling you the same thing-over and over anyway). You call that an attack!
So, what do you want?
Do you really expect dozens of Aikido people who train this way and –actually know what they are talking about- and have rejected your information, to just lie and agree with you?
Those in Aikido who are training to do real aiki have been discussing it in the Non-aikido forum. You pursue us around the forums; trying to take place in a discussion you know nothing about- you continue to describe mechanical analysis that have been rejected. In short-you keep butting in. We've asked you not to-you do it anyway. We have asked if people have come down and tested you like aikiweb did to me and then Ark and Mike. At any rate, you admitted to Mike and to me that you could not pull off the examples we cited three years ago. Look them up yourself.
Because people with these skills are so uncommon, many people here on aikiweb (many who are teachers themselves) are protective of people being scammed by posseurs and being led astray by false information. You have presented no credible information, or abilities all while stating you understand the material. Some aikido folks have objected to that.
There is a fellow who lives ten miles from you. He wants to come train here. How about we let that happen and he comes to see what your teacher is able to do-then you? Your descriptions have failed to jibe with everyone who can do these things. Your logic has been rejected as well. How about we now see if you know anything at all about this material by way of your physical skills?
It's a discussion of knowledge Erick, not an attack on you as a person.
Last edited by DH : 09-15-2008 at
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Observer: Fred Stauffer
Location: Gondiswil, Switzerland
Date: March 31, 1997 04:45 UT
Gondiswil is a little rural village in the center of Switzerland. Image taken by Olympus-2n, 50mm lens f=1.4, Fujicolor 1600 Super HG, 5 sec. Image scanned by Remo Nyfeler from 20x30cm photo prints.
Fred Stauffer
e-Mail: email@example.com
Comet Hale-Bopp Home Page


text:
Need a cost-effective way to reclaim the smile you once had? At your Brewster dentist, we can provide traditional dentures that fit comfortably, look great, and allow normal function in daily life.
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Here at East Brewster Dental in Brewster, we will serve your needs. Call us today at 508-255-0111 to discuss your denture options or ask any questions you may have.


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It's said that "Great family quotes can be inspirational and insightful", isn't it? Well, then why don't we give our children a lesson through a bedtime story, which was about a family reunion with lots of family quotes are presented? I think this idea will have an influence on your beloved sons and daughters, much or little. So let's start with the phrase" Once upon a time…"
Once upon a time, there was an old man lived in his ancient mansion in the outskirts of a city. The Christmas had come and our old man was looking forward to the reunion day, the Christmas' Eve that his far away daughters and sons would return. He phoned her only son, reminded him about the reunion day.
"I'm too busy right now, dad. I'm not sure if I can return that day" – said his son.
"I know that you're kind of busy, but I also know that family is the most important thing in the world. You can't just abandon your family and say that you're kind of busy."
"Dad, I know there's no such thing as fun as the whole family, but I don't know if I can finish my work on time. I'll try my best, hope to see you soon, dad."
A little disappointed by the son's reaction, the old man called his only daughter
"Hi, dad. I'm so happy to hear your voice. Have anything happened recently?"
"Nothing. I just called to remind you of the reunion day. I doubt that you'll forget"
"Ah, the reunion day. Yes of course I remember, but there's no telling that I may arrive on time. I'm kinda busy right now. Dad, forgive me if I come late, but there' much chance that I will miss the date."
"Is that so? I've hoped that you and your brother will come on time, but there seems to be that both of you will disappoint me that time"
"I'm sorry, dad. A man can't make a place for himself in the sun if he keeps taking refuge under the family tree. I must have my work done first, for those people can't underestimate me. I'll call you back later. Love you, dad"
"Love you, my daughter". The sadness surrounded the old man. All his hope was lost.
The Christmas Eve had come, and once again the old man lived the whole night with the maids and his butler, the old friend that have lived with him for more than 30 years. He sent two postcards to his sons and daughters, asking them the question
"Have you believed in ghost? If you don't believe in ghosts, you've never been to a family reunion?.
The day his mature children received the postcard, his old dad had passed away. They then knew the value of happiness. "Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city". But it's the way too late.
Family quotes | Show Your Family How They Are Loved?(Home)


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What's next for wireless nets
WiMax aims to expand the reach of wireless networks
Mobile IP could liberate network-bound computers
In a mesh network, adding nodes multiplies its strength
Slice of the spectrum
Colorado city switches protocols to keep vehicles on track
Portable fuel cells may replace today's batteries.
About the Author
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I was lucky enough to be one of a small group of people invited along to Google's London offices last Friday for a breakfast briefing. This was right after Thursday's announcement of OpenSocial. We didn't know for sure what was going to be covered, but a combination of leaks and educated guesses meant that most people had figured out that we were going to get more than just a free breakfast.
As I'm sure you know by now, OpenSocial is a social-networking application development API created by Google that is being implemented by pretty much all social networking sites (with the notable exception of Facebook). You can now write applications that will work without modification on MySpace, Orkut, Friendster, Bebo, LinkedIn, Ning, hi5, salesforce.com, and many more. The only social networking site that is not likely to appear in this list any time soon is Facebook, and that's an obvious consequence of Microsoft's recent $240m investment. But even Facebook might have to kowtow to OpenSocial in the long run.
The OpenSocial API gives you the ability to write social-networking applications that can be hosted on any site that supports the API. This "learn once, run anywhere" capability makes it easy to develop functionality that can be used by a combined audience of over 150 million users. This is a one-click reach that puts your application right on the user's home page with no clumsy client-side installation or fiddly account registration to go through.
Suddenly this is the new application development platform kid on the block. At the moment it is billed as a social-networking platform, but from what I've seen there's no impediment to writing any kind of application using the OpenSocial API. Google have chosen to leverage HTML, JavaScript and Ajax, all of which are open and ubiquitous, to create a very rich and flexible platform. By contrast Facebook's platform (FBML), launched a few months ago, is idiomatic, closed and proprietary.
You can now build full function applications that can run inside each of your user's chosen social networking site. No longer do you need to ask users to navigate to your web-site, lead them through tortuous registration and login procedures to a site with its own idiosyncratic behaviour and UI. Just get them to add your application to their own MySpace, Ning or Orkut page. Whether your goal is to provide financial information, retailing, patient appointment booking or any other kind of customer facing service, you can now bring it to them rather than requiring them to come to you. You can have your application right in front of them, logged-on and authenticated whenever and wherever they're on-line. Why would you want to make it any harder than that for your users to run your application?
It's early days and the dust has yet to settle, but it could be that what Google have unleashed here is not just a social-networking platform but something that could grow to become the platform for all application development.
Today Google OS means Google OpenSocial, but sometime in the future it might just mean Google Operating System.


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Welcome to day 2 of the Haute Lacquer 7 Days of Christmas Giveaway!
EDIT: This giveaway is now closed and no longer accepting entries.
Today we can thank Lesley from The ElleBee Tree for sponsoring this giveaway and providing the prizes! Lesley's Etsy shop, The ElleBee Tree, sells jewelry, nail polish jewelry, makeup bags, even pillow cases.
In addition to this giveaway, I have posted a review of the stunning pair of earrings you can win! Check out that post here.
So, what can you win?
A cute makeup bag from The ElleBee Tree. And because I just can't help myself I'm throwing in the cute pair of earrings that I reviewed (they have not been worn).
Rules & How to Enter?
Simple, be a public GFC follower of my blog and also complete the comment entry question as instructed on the form. You may only enter this giveaway once. Open internationally. Giveaway ends 12/21/12. Fill out the rafflecopter form below and you're entered.
Who can enter?
Everyone, anywhere in the world, every age, every gender!
What about the winner?
One winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email shortly after giveaway ends. Winner has 48 hours to reply otherwise a new winner will be chosen.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
*Prizes provided by The ElleBee Tree


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The NFL will hold the Supplemental Draft on Thursday at 1pm. There are 6 players eligible this year. None of them are likely to be drafted.
DE James Boyd, UNLV – 6-5, 255 – Originally went to USC. Then transferred to a junior college and eventually UNLV. Has played both offense and defense. Played DE for UNLV in 2012. Had 2.5 sacks, but 2 of them came vs I-AA Northern Arizona. Talented prep player who never panned out in college. Good frame.
DT Nate Holloway, UNLV – 6-3, 365 – Massive NT. Missed 2012 due to academic issues. Had 3.5 TFLs in 2011 as a Soph. Not as physically dominant as his size might suggest. Does have good potential as a run stuffer.
DE Toby Jackson, Central Florida – 6-5, 257 – Originally signed with Georgia out of high school, but had to go to junior college. Was a highly sought after JC prospect and chose UCF over some bigger schools. Didn't pan out. Was a backup in 2011. Lists at 6-5, but doesn't look that tall.
WR DeWayne Peace, Houston – 5-11, 190 – Led UH in receiving in 2012, going 54-603-2. Looks like a slot receiver, but played outside for the Cougars. Lacks the speed to beat CBs. Comfortable working the middle of the field. Also a returner.
WR O.J. Ross, Purdue – 5-10, 188 – Purdue's leading receiver in 2012. Finished his career with 100-959-6. That is a terrible yards per catch average, especially for college. Ross isn't anything special athletically. Could be a role player in the NFL. Has some KOR experience.
CB Damond Smith, South Alabama – 5-11, 184 – Played 2 years at Western Michigan. Was out for 2011 and ended up at South Alabama. According to former Eagles scout John Middlekauf, there are some character concerns with Smith. He did have a solid Pro Day workout for NFL teams and ran in the 4.5 range, which is solid for a corner with his build.


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PleasureAll I have to say is, this item is fabulous. I highly recommend it for any beginner. It would also be good for a bachelorette party or just to have a great time.
Size, shape, fits comfortably, good functions, quiet
Looking for double the pleasure with a partner? Looking to pleasure yourself when you are alone? Either way, this is the best toy to provide for your every need. You can enjoy the pleasure of an orgasm when your other half isn't around. The posh butterfly lover is also great to take with you on your travels.
Material / Texture
I find the nubbed texture of this toy very comfortable. Both beginners and advanced users would enjoy it. The toy also has no taste or smell to it.
Design / Shape / Size
I love the design of the product. The shape is perfect and sits comfortably where it is designed to fit. It worked perfectly for me. I had the greatest orgasm using my butterfly! The size is perfect for beginners and advanced users. The toy is very easy to hide, which makes it discreet at home and suitable for traveling.
Functions / Performance / Controls
The functions are awesome. The vibrations are located on the body of the butterfly. I really have nothing negative to say because this product was that wonderful. The controls are very convenient and easy to use. The butterfly was not that noisy at all.
Care and Maintenance
To clean your butterfly, wipe it down with a damp wash cloth. You can store it in a sex toy storage unit or in your dresser drawer.
Follow-up commentary 1 month after original review
I love this product...I use it whenever I get the free opportunity to. I still highly recommend this to anyone, especially to first timers trying out toys.
This content is the opinion of the submitting contributor and is not endorsed by EdenFantasys.com
As I said in your comments, welcome to Eden and make sure you check out the mentoring program! The more details you can include in your reviews, the better. Best of luck to you!
Thanks for the review!
Glad you love this so much! I have a very similar one from Cal Ex too & I totally despised that thing. It was horrible. The straps were so tiny they cut into my (very small) legs & the butterfly's wing broke, but the biggest problem of all was that while wearing, my butterfly would stand out, its butt sticking in the air instead of lying flat on my crotch. Such a bummer! I did finally find one that worked really well for me though. These can be so much fun! I'm really glad you like it. I'm tempted to try this one, but I know I have bad luck with Cal Ex toys. It looks nicer than the one I had from them in the past though.
Thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked it
Thanks for the review!
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I don't generally like Asian desserts – the beans and the soupy things don't do it for me. But, I do have a soft spot for glutinous rice and mochi desserts so everytime I'm in Hong Kong, I head to Honeymoon Dessert for a sugar hit.
We arrive around 11pm on a Friday night and it is packed… so packed that there are people spilling out of the shopfront waiting for a table. The branch that we go to has limited seating (as with most of the other ones that I've been to) but the turnover is fast so it's not too long before we have a table.


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PARSIPPANY, N.J., Oct. 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Traveling internationally this fall? If you're planning or longing to visit Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Mexico, the Middle East or New Zealand, Avis Car Rental has a special offer for you. Avis is offering residents of the United States and Canada a way to save up to 25 percent on vehicles when traveling abroad.
"Research by the International Association of Travel Agents indicates that the fastest-growing passenger destination areas for North American travelers are expected to be the Middle East (11.3 percent), Africa (7.5 percent), and the Asia-Pacific region (5.7 percent), led by China, one of the world's fastest-growing tourism destinations," said Jeannine Haas, chief marketing officer, Avis Budget Group. "As a global company, growing our share of this international travel spend is one of our strategic priorities, so we're pleased to be able to offer our customers the opportunity to save on Avis rentals when traveling abroad to these regions."
Avis has locations throughout northern and southern Africa as well as at certain major airports in central Africa. Avis also has locations across the Middle East, and is a leader in China with more than 70 locations.
"We continue to expand our global system to provide more new destinations and more new rental locations for our international travelers," said Haas. "From our new presence in Taiwan to our growth in South Africa and the Middle East and our rapidly growing network in China, Avis is now more convenient and affordable than ever."
The promotion is valid on rentals of three days or more at participating locations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Mexico, the Pacific and the Middle East. Customers must reference Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number D732700 when making a reservation on www.avis.com or AWD number D784200 when reserving a vehicle via the Avis Reservation Center at 1-800-331-1084 or a local travel professional. Reservations must be made by October 28, 2012 and rentals must begin on or before December 16, 2012. Offer is subject to availability and blackout dates apply. For full terms and conditions of this promotion, visit www.avis.com/intl. To make a reservation, visit www.avis.com, contact the Avis Reservation Center at 1-800-331-1084 or contact a local travel professional.
About Avis
Avis Car Rental operates one of the world's best-known car rental brands with approximately 5,200 locations in more than 165 countries. Avis has a long history of innovation in the car rental industry and is one of the world's top brands for customer loyalty. Avis is owned by Avis Budget Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:CAR), which operates and licenses the brand throughout the world. For more information, visit www.avis.com.
The Avis Car Rental logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=11593
CONTACT: Alice Pereira (973) 496-6113 firstname.lastname@example.com
Source: Avis Car Rental


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Running straight home would get me just 4 km, so I added a few side trips. From the Holocaust Memorial in front of the school I headed for Kingsborough Community College's Shore Blvd. gate. I would have loved to cross Sheepshead Bay via the footbridge, but it was still closed for repair post-Sandy. After KBCC, I inadvertently went into the dead-end Pembroke Street. I wouldn't mind running back out, but it turned out it was only dead-end to cars. There was clearly a narrow public sidewalk connecting Pembroke to Oxford. From the Oriental Blvd gate of KBCC, I headed for Manhattan Beach. It has been a while since I last visited the area so I wanted to see what's news. Instead of going into the park area, I went along some street and ended up in the parking lot of MJHS Adult Day Health Care. There was a fence to separate the health clinic (?) from the public park but by the waterfront the two properties were only separated by low rails. There was no use getting into Manhattan Beach Park though, as I could see that the area was under construction. Most, if not all, the roads were blocked by sand fences. A bulldozer and a dump truck were busy on the small beach, moving sands perhaps from elsewhere back to the beach. Looping back to Oriental Blvd I saw a sign that declared Manhattan Beach officially closed. Disobey the sign and you'll risk getting summoned by NYPD! I hope this is only because of the repair/renovation work and not a seasonal thing for the area. I can recall how painful it was to find free parking space in the area, during the summer, because all the streets were off-limit during weekends and holidays. Perhaps someone is not happy to only keep the undesirables out of the area during the summer, maybe they should not get to enjoy the park in the dead of winter as well. Just a wild idea I conjured up.
After running the length of Oriental Blvd, it was time to get back to the eastern end of the Riegelman Boardwalk, aka Coney Island Boardwalk. For a second, I thought the boardwalk was off-limit to the public, as there were orange construction net seemingly blocking access. I was wrong. The boardwalk was still open on the eastern end, albeit it was a smaller opening. I haven't run along Stillwell Avenue in a while, so instead of getting off the boardwalk at West 8th Street, I went for Stillwell. Just a little over the creek, I ran past the picket line of bus drivers. They were asking "When do we want job security?" and answered the question themselves with "Now!" That brought me full circle to the whole situation, interesting.
|Holocaust Memorial by Sheepshead Bay (the actual body of water)
|One of the many memorial tablets.
|Sean Penn sipping champagne by the sand fence in San Fran. Sand fences everywhere.
|In the background, yellow heavy equipments moving sand on the beach.
|You have been warned!


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IBM announced Monday that The Hertz Corporation and Mindshare Technologies, a provider of enterprise feedback solutions, are using IBM analytics software to examine customer survey data, including text messages, to better identify car and equipment rental performance levels and improve customer satisfaction levels.
As the world's largest airport car rental brand with more than 8,300 locations in 146 countries, Hertz continually receives feedback from customers. To retain its competitive edge, the feedback is analyzed so that real-time identification of issues and rapid problem solving solutions can be deployed.
"Hertz gathers an amazing amount of customer insight daily, including thousands of comments from Web surveys, emails and text messages. We wanted to leverage this insight at both the strategic level and the local level to drive operational improvements," said Joe Eckroth, chief information officer, the Hertz Corporation. "Working closely with the IBM-Mindshare team, we are able to better focus on improvements that our customers care about while removing a time-consuming burden from our location managers. This has greatly improved the effectiveness of our 'Voice of the Customer' program and has helped build on our reputation for delivering superior customer service."
Using IBM Content Analytics software together with a sentiment-based tagging solution from IBM Business Partner, Mindshare Technologies, Hertz introduced a "Voice of the Customer" analytics system that automatically captures customer experiences in real-time. Using a series of linguistic rules, the system categorizes comments received via email and online with descriptive terms such as vehicle cleanliness, staff courtesy, and mechanical issues. The system also flags customers who request a callback from a manager or those who mention #1 Club Gold, Hertz's customer loyalty program.
Prior to working with IBM and Mindshare Technologies, Hertz location managers read each customer comment submitted online via email or by phone and then manually categorized it for basic reporting and analysis. This approach proved to be labor-intensive and inconsistent, as comments were categorized based on a manager's personal interpretation.
IBM content analytics software has improved the accuracy and speed of the tagging and analyzing process, almost double what had been achieved manually, setting the stage for more reliable analytics.
Hertz field managers can now focus attention on performing deep-dive analysis on the information, quickly identifying trends or issues and adjusting operational service levels accordingly. For example, survey feedback led managers in Philadelphia to discover that delays were occurring at the returns area during certain parts of the day. They quickly adjusted staffing levels and ensured a manager was always present in the area during these specific times.


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These are some pictures of rooms and design ideas from around the web that I like. If only I had a house of my own to decorate and paint as I wish. Maybe just even a room of my own that I can decorate and paint. I would be happy with that. I can compromise on how my house is decorated (Rodger and I have different ideas of what looks good. Well mostly he doesn't care for all the color and old looking stuff I like. I am fine with what he likes) as long as I have a craft room I can decorate the way I want. But if I were to design my own house I would definently want rooms that look like these.
I am not sure where all these pictures came from. Most are from "Design Sponge" and "Apartment Therapy" but I didn't keep track when saving them. However, I got the idea of a post like this from Eliza who is now a homeowner, yeah! Congrats on that, can't wait to see how you decorate. I am sure it will be super cute.
So here goes. (Sorry the pictures are a bit scattered.)
-This one has been all over the Internet but I love the idea of a desk in a closet and I love the color.


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Enjoy doodling and spending countless minutes sharing said doodles in apps like Draw Something? You'll love Didlr for Windows Phone and now Windows 8.1. The app, should you not be familiar with the name, is a cross-platform social network enabling people to draw whatever they wish on a canvas and sharing that work with others.
Already available for Windows Phone (and we strongly urge you to download it), the Windows 8 version of Didlr acts pretty much identical to its Windows Phone counterpart. You fire up the app, login with your account information (unless you wish to continue browsing anonymously) and get creative with the array of tools available.
And I was told as a child I wasn't artistic enough...
Since it's all cross-platform, everything is loaded from the cloud, no matter which device you're using. The above screenshot shows a Windows Phone Didl displayed on the Windows 8 app. Here's what the app looks like on the phone:
You can see some real gems by other users (see examples in this very article), but there's a handy "Best Didls" where you can browse through some simply breath-taking designs. It's a great social network with some awesome ideas implemented. A perfect example would be how you can effectively see just how each Didl was created with the automatic playback - really handy for picking up some tips and tricks too!
If you've used the Windows Phone version of Didlr, you'll feel right at home with the Windows 8 app. You have the usual pen colours and sized tips, as well as see--thru and extra smoothing options. Then there are multiple layers, zooming and the trusty undo feature. Another really neat part of Didlr is how you can save drafts and return to them later - don't feel pressured into getting the drawing published before your flight lands.
You can download Didlr from the Windows Store. Be sure to also pick up the Windows Phone version while you're at it (QR code below).
This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details.


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Responding to criticism from Democrats and to the mounting concern of state and local governments, the White House is now saying that the long delayed government spending plan for the year does not provide enough money to protect against terrorist attacks on American soil.
After initially praising the giant spending package that was shaped by Congressional Republicans, the White House has reversed itself in recent days, conceding in a series of public statements that a closer reading of the 3,000-page spending bill shows that domestic counterterrorism programs were shortchanged. President Bush signed the bill into law earlier this month.
The latest acknowledgment came this week from the president himself.
In a speech here to the National Governors Association, where governors expressed deep concern about their ability to pay for the equipment and training needed to prepare for a terrorist attack, Mr. Bush said he was ''disappointed'' with the Republican-authored spending package because it had failed to provide adequate money for local counterterrorism programs. And he said that Congress was to blame.
In remarks that struck some in the audience as unusually sharp given that both houses of Congress are controlled by the president's party, Mr. Bush said that Congress ''did not respond to the $3.5 billion we asked for -- they not only reduced the budget that we asked for, they earmarked a lot of the money.''
He was referring to the $3.5 billion that the White House requested more than a year ago for state and local governments to pay for counterterrorism equipment and training, a centerpiece of the administration's domestic security program.Continue reading the main story
''That's a disappointment,'' he said, ''a disappointment when the executive branch gets micro-managed by the legislative branch.''
White House officials say they believe the $397.4 billion spending bill, which will finance the government through September, contains only about $1.3 billion in counterterrorism money for local governments.
Congressional leaders have insisted that they provided the full $3.5 billion sought by President Bush for so-called first responders, like local fire and police departments.
But White House officials say most of that money went to emergency-response programs that had little to do with counterterrorism, a view shared by some private budget specialists who have reviewed the bill.
''We wanted specific counterterrorism funding,'' said a White House official. ''We weren't talking about community policing programs. We weren't talking about grants to buy bulletproof vests for police officers.''
The president's remarks, which came two weeks after the White House raised the color-coded national terrorist alert to ''orange,'' signifying a ''high risk'' of terrorist attack, have infuriated Republicans in Congress, who say they closely consulted with the White House in preparing the spending deal.
Mr. Bush's criticism of Congressional leaders followed similar statements made over the last two weeks by Homeland Secretary Tom Ridge and by Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesmen.
Aides to Republican leaders said they would not publicly respond to Mr. Bush for now. But the aides accused the White House of bowing to pressure from Congressional Democrats, including likely presidential candidates, who have charged that Mr. Bush is putting the nation at risk by spending too little on domestic security.
State and local leaders from both political parties have joined in the criticism of Washington, saying that they are desperate for the promised federal help.
''We have a lot of police agencies in the state that were assured by the administration, repeatedly, that this money was on the way,'' said Gov. Gary Locke of Washington, a Democrat.
He said that many police and fire departments had bought hazardous-materials protective suits and other counterterrorism equipment in the expectation that they would be reimbursed by the federal government.
''And now,'' Governor Locke said, ''they're going to have to scramble to terminate other programs in order to cover those costs.''
Governor Bob Taft of Ohio, a Republican, singled out Congressional leaders for blame, saying he agreed with the president that lawmakers ''did not appropriate the amount that was recommended and then earmarked part of what they appropriated.''
Spokesmen for two major Republican authors of the spending bill -- Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and C. W. Bill Young of Florida, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee -- said they had no comment on Mr. Bush's criticism.
In a sign of the importance and political sensitivity of the issue of domestic-defense spending, both of the appropriations panels have announced plans to establish subcommittees that will deal specifically with the operations of the Homeland Security Department and related agencies.
A Republican Congressional aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Republicans were angry over the efforts of the White House to distance itself from the domestic-security provisions of the spending bill.
''We told the White House months in advance what we were going to do with this bill -- and we believe it provides an historically unprecedented amount of money for state and local assistance,'' the aide said.
Mr. Bush's remarks will strengthen the hand of Congressional Democrats who have announced their intention to seek billions of dollars in new counterterrorism financing in a supplemental budget request next month.
''The White House is realizing how vulnerable it is on this issue,'' said Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, who has been appointed by his Democratic colleagues as a spokesman on domestic security. ''This is the first time that their attitude about homeland security -- their don't worry, be happy attitude -- has been shed.''Continue reading the main story


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What would be a savory reason for a ref to manipulate a game?
No big surprise. That LA-Sac series pretty much let the cat out of the bag.
A savory reason? How about a filet mignon dinner?
I'm underwhelmed. And, unsurprised.
This is one reason I'm not enthusiastic about ANY additional professional sports in Portland. It just facilitates and enables this kind of arrogance and corruption.
Perhaps we need a ref-meter to replace the Oden-meter. We have some great examples to compare their play calling to.
I'm sure no Blazers fan are surprised that he attributes the famous Laker 4th quarter comeback against the Blazers in the playoffs to a league mandate to let the Lakers do just that.
This is terrible for the game. It makes me sick!
Bring back the replacement refs!
That's similar to my solution: Term limits on refs.
2 years and out. A half-million a year or something, pensioned compensation enough so none ever have to work again.
College ball refs move up. Or, also, a built-up (trained, tested, and provisioned on $50K retainers, say) in a pool of 1ooo at pro-level from which to draw 30 rookie starts each season.
Or, replace the current arrangement of 75 roster refs, needed for a schedule of a maximum of 18 games in a night, getting work in as many as 60-some games a season, banking $500,ooo; instead having a 500 roster, each getting 20-some games a season, banking $125,ooo. 3 years and out.
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As it stands though, I wouldn't attend any game ref'd by any one named in the book ... ever again.
They all gotta go. Swept clean and start over clean.
Twenty years ago when I was getting game paychecks as part of Blazer Broadcasting, and watching on my satellite dish 2 qtrs or more of over 800 games per year (I counted), I kept a spreadsheet for two years showing every ref and every game they worked, (also Home/Visitor wins/losses). I was studying the travel itinerary of refs -- to be able to predict which one(s) was due in Portland next game; (it worked: I'd know 2 on the crew of 3 a couple days in advance). That was when I saw that the refs rigged the game, "like the League (read: David Stern) wanted" as Donaghy says in his book.
I folded up my paperwork and chucked it, didn't answer broadcast crew calls again, turned the satellite dish to other spectra and ephemera, and haven't watched a game since. Not a live game.
When I see others, self-said fans, fully earnest and 'cheering' for the Blazers, they look to me as phony as pro-wrestling 'fans' cheering in pretense as if they didn't know/believe the outcome was preset and rigged.
Just, in principle, there is no way, in no sense, that any team 'athlete' (based on extraordinary 'talent') can be 'paid' on contract more than 5 or at most 10 million bucks a year unless someone's got a 'handle' on them in Vegas ... which means the mob. Basketball, football, baseball, hockey, soccer, or otherwise. Even Peter Jacobsen told me there's a ceiling limit, (he put at about 5 million), in income -- sports or otherwise, above which is senseless, useless, wasteful: you can't spend it and still be real and human. There is not a shred of difference in talent above a certain level, winning and losing is only the random bounce of the ball or puck, and any difference in players' 'salary' is telltale that there's sumpin sumpin unseen 'on the side' ... which means the mob. Which means politicos. Which means injustice.
The main part of the math I figure, about sports contract salaries, is in knowing the numbers for TV production costs, TV 'rights' exclusives, TV market size (cable subscribers), and ad sales revenue. Divided by the number of players on a team in the particular sport. Believe this: game tickets and concessions could all be given away free, or there could be not a single butt in the seats, only TV of the game and it'd still pay all the players' salaries ... and cover the spread in Vegas.
Look, Wilt Chamberlain claimed he 'bedded' 20,ooo women during his career. Do the math. 20-yr, 40-yr, 60(?)-yr 'career' figure it whichever way you like, even shrink his claim by half or more, and still, ya gotta ask: Who 'arranged' the women supply? 2-a-day? 730-a-year? continuously? The hotel room costs alone would be astronomical ... or free, in Vegas.
Remember when the Oregon Lottery began, and right at first offered betting lines on 10 NBA games, pick 3 beat-the-spread and you win the small prize and it goes up from there? Then the 'League' leaned on Lottery 'officials' something about 'enforcers' and 'enforcement' which would take the Blazers' ball and go somewhere else not playing in Oregon, remember? Oh the agony, the travesty, hilarity ensued. The Lottery blinked, canceled the NBA lines game.
I remember because I was set to make a bundle (with my 'insider' scoops of the latest poop under the bleachers in the locker room ... and TV production facility), I could pick 5 of 10 (at least) night after night -- and I did for the couple weeks it lasted. But Vegas didn't believe in 'sharing' in the action.
Vegas must be the biggest city in the country without a single pro-sports team franchise.
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Over on Dwight Jaynes' blog where this NBA Book story came from, the comments are running similar to mine -- 'Of course the games and scores are rigged, everyone knew, that's who.' And Dwight is trying to keep a straight 'League' game face on -- dismissing out-of-hand the entire expose because 'the author (Donaghy) is a jailbird and anything and everything he ever says is a lie, don't trust him don't believe him.' Or, as Groucho Marx said, "who you gonna believe: me, or your lying eyes?"
Give it up, Dwight. The game's over. The NBA's a con, not the author. The only honor or dignity you can save is by how deliberately you cut the cover-up connections to the Stern/League, and let the whole loser mob of them sink beneath history's horizon and faggedaboudit and along with the lost city of Atlantis. ... where, so I hear, the fishes got a game tonight.
My friends used to call the NBA "NADS." That's the National Association of David Stern. My favorite part of those excerpts:
"The 2002 series certainly wasn't the first or last time Bavetta weighed in on an important game. He also worked Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers. The Lakers were down by 13 at the start of the fourth quarter when Bavetta went to work. The Lakers outscored Portland 31–13 in the fourth quarter and went on to win the game and the series. It certainly didn't hurt the Lakers that they got to shoot 37 free throws compared to a paltry 16 for the Trail Blazers."
That was the game that convinced me that that NBA was a lot like pro wrestling.
The book's publisher has now announced it will not release the book due to "liability concerns". Ya think?!
Didn't take the NBA long to act.
Also at the deadspin blog:
... the NBA came calling. "They came after Random House and threatened a lawsuit," the source says, "and Random House just rolled ...."
... he goes on, "... there was no logical reasoning other than an open threat. It just doesn't make sense. If they had come down and said, 'There are some specific things that are flat-out lies or they're wrong and we think there are fabrications or something,' then there'd be some basis to say, 'OK, we need to back up and double-check this.' But this was just an open comment. And so we don't know what the specific basis of that potential suit might've been."
Yeah, the courts and the law always gets wrapped up in (disclosing) those stupid facts things. Picky, picky, picky, when obviously the author should bury the book, forget his experiences in life, don't ask and don't tell ....
Oh, come on, folks. I believe most of the stuff in this book probably has a lot of truth to it, but the reffing in the 4th quarter of Game 7 in 2000 was very unremarkable. We lost the game because we went ice cold from the field and played like shit. Watch the tape if you can stand it.
The Kings/Lakers series, however, I can completely believe.
Man, don't know if I want to get into this season after reading that. What's the point?
I'm not surprised that Random House is scared out of publishing. Hope the whole book leaks to the net. Some teams/players/cities should consider suing the NBA right back.
Allen Iverson should sue based on that anecdote. Get his $25,000 back. I like that the author acknowledged that the other ref had a vendetta against Iverson, but then punished Iverson anyway for saying it out loud. There's more honor in a street gang....
I am shocked simply shocked that anyone would think that Dick Bavetta ever called games in a less than completely professional and disinterested manner.


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Two Democrats on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) voted to investigate former GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee for a political joke he made while on the campaign trail.
While he was campaigning for president last year, he made this statement, which included a political joke:
"I will be funded and fueled not by the billionaires, but by working people across America who will find out that $15 and $25 a month contributions can take us from Hope to higher ground. Now, rest assured, if you want to give a million dollars, please do it, but I know most of you can't."
In case you didn't catch the joke, it was his statement that if his supporters wanted to "give a million dollars, please do it." If you recall, the maximum an individual can contribute to a political candidate or his committee is $2,700. Here's video of his May 2015 presidential candidacy announcement. For the criminal political joke, skip ahead to 28:50:
Trending: Former Australian Politician Gives Life to Christ at 85 After Lifetime of Atheism
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While it's obvious that it was joke – and Huckabee himself had told the FEC later that it was joke – two Democrats who sit on the FEC didn't think it was funny. Commissioners Ann Ravel and Ellen Weintraub took it to mean that Huckabee was deliberately soliciting high-dollar donations that exceeded way beyond the maximum allowable amount.
And no, this isn't a joke either.
As it turned out, the remainder of the FEC – comprised of three Democrats and three Republicans – voted 4-2 to dismiss the matter. The FEC staff report concluded:
"Huckabee expressly dismissed the idea that members of his audience would provide large contributions and instead encouraged his listeners to consider contributing $15 or $25 a month. Huckabee then visibly altered his facial expression and tone and added that, "[i]f you want to give a million dollars, please do it." Indeed, while making the aside, his demeanor changed in a way that further would have reasonably evidenced to his audience that his remarks were not serious or intended to be taken literally — he closes his eyes, pauses, shrugs, and smiles — and many in the audience laughed.
"Consequently, given the context in which Huckabee made his statement, a reasonable person would have believed that Huckabee was not in earnest when he stated that "[i]f you want to give a million dollars, please to it."
Penalties for FEC violations can include fines and even imprisonment for more willful and egregious crimes.
H/T: Washington Examiner


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ST. GEORGE'S - West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels conjured up a new twist to his feud with Ben Stokes when he stood to attention and gave a military-style salute to his English rival on Thursday.
Samuels stood bolt upright and mockingly raised his right hand to his forehead as Stokes walked past him after being dismissed for just eight on the third day of the second Test.
The gesture by the West Indian drew praise and criticism on social media.
"He can be an absolute tool sometimes but I have to admit Marlon Samuels just made me laugh tea out of my nose with his saluting send off," tweeted former England off-spinner Graeme Swann.
Stokes and Samuels have been at each other's throats over the course of the match.
The West Indies player made a century in the first innings and claimed that the Englishman's verbal exchanges spurred him onto his three-figure score.
West Indies bowling coach Curtly Ambrose backed Samuels.
"There's nothing wrong with a little bantering. This is international cricket. As long as it doesn't go over the top, I'm fine with it," he said.
"I think it's more friendly than anything else. He gave a salute, is that a sign of respect? I don't know but I'm hoping so.
"That's something that we don't really preach. We always make sure that we tell the guys to keep it clean, and keep it within a certain range, and don't go over the top.
"International cricket is hard, and they must find ways to relax themselves, and smiling is one of those things. As much as we're working hard and want to win, you must have some fun doing it. You've got to enjoy what you are doing."


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Mayflower Antiques
Mayflower AntiquesI have been in the antique business for 44 years. Now attempting to retire I am winding down by sitting at the computer and selling a few interesting items now and again. If there is something special you are looking for I usually know where to find it. I endeavour to describe each item as accurately as possible, but please email me with any questions before buying, and if necessary I will send you more pictures.I attend the Antique Scientific, Medical and Early Technology Fair in London, and the occasional Newark International Fair. I also have a world-wide following on eBay.com (john4oldjunk) and eBay.co.uk (4oggy4) John. http://www.oldjunk.co.uk/


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AMERICAN telephone companies are preparing for a corporate free-for-all that will make today's battle of long-distance services look like a mere skirmish.
Regulators are breaching the last barriers to competition. And in a deregulated world, phone companies doubt that most Americans will patronize two firms: one for long-distance and one for local calls. They'll want just one.
Thus, the push to win the phone customer is becoming a no-holds-barred battle for corporate survival. And the rhetoric is turning tough. Long-distance firms accuse local companies of hard-ball tactics to keep competitors at bay. The local Bells argue their rivals aren't negotiating fairly.
"It's pretty messy," says Bernie Tylor, spokesman for MCI Communications Corp. in Washington, D.C. "Right now we are facing a monopoly that is fighting competition every step of the way." State utility regulators urge the sides to negotiate, he adds, but "it's like throwing us into a pack of wolves."
"It's a very one-sided process," counters Michael Brand, spokesman for Ameritech Corp. in Chicago. AT&T, in particular, is not budging from what he calls unreasonable demands in its negotiations to set up local service in Chicago.
Last week, AT&T made official what its competitors have long believed. The long-distance giant aims to offer local phone service in markets nationwide. "We will fight for the right to give our customers a choice for local service through every option open to us," AT&T chairman Robert Allen said in a statement.
It joins the other major long-distance companies, which also plan to provide local service. MCI expects to begin offering local service in the top 20 markets by year-end. Sprint hopes to be offering local service by the end of 1996 by building an alternate network that carries phone signals through the cable-TV wires of its three cable partners and eight cable affiliates. "We want to be the nation's preeminent, full-service local telecommunications company," says Mark Bonavia, spokesman for Sprint Corp.
The regional Bell operating companies, which today provide local service, are equally anxious to begin offering long-distance service. Both sides are jousting to influence Congress, which is trying to decide how soon to let each type of company into the other's business. The House and Senate have not yet reconciled versions of a telecommunications bill that President Clinton has vowed to veto if major changes aren't made.
Even as they wait for federal legislation, the companies are fighting for the upper-hand at the state level. Connecticut is an early battleground. State regulators have ruled on a series of seemingly trivial but significant technical issues. Customers will be able to use their choice of local phone company without dialing extra codes. They can switch providers without giving up their phone numbers. In three weeks, state regulators will make a preliminary ruling on the final issue: the wholesale price of local phone lines.
It's a crucial ruling. Long-distance companies as yet have not built their own local phone networks. So they'll have to lease the lines from the local phone company. How much should they pay? In Connecticut, AT&T says it needs to make a profit off the service, so the wholesale price should be lower than what Southern New England Telephone (SNET) charges its customers. "We need a 35 to 45 percent discount in order to really be able to make some headway," says David Jefferson, AT&T vice president for the northeastern United States.
But in its filing to regulators, SNET proposed charging wholesale rates that were 25 percent to 170 percent higher than what it charged its own customers. "All of our residential rates are subsidized to some extent," argues company spokeswoman Beverly Levy. Like others, it claims it loses money on basic local service and recoups it by selling custom add-on features and in-state long-distance calls.
In sparsely populated rural areas, SNET says it costs $25 a month to service consumers who only pay $10 a month. So by using AT&T's recommended prices, she adds, "we would be, in effect, subsidizing AT&T."
The wholesale price of local lines is just one flash point. Long-distance providers charge that local companies are using a whole raft of procedures to frustrate their entry. These include charging exorbitant rates for directory listings, phone lines, and related equipment; refusing to lease the number of local lines requested; and using bureaucratic delays.
For example, AT&T is one of the companies experimenting with local phone service in Rochester, N.Y. But every time it signs up a new customer, AT&T is forced to conduct a lengthy interview to fill out an eight-page questionnaire. The questionnaire is then faxed to the local phone company and AT&T has to wait for the company to key in the data and switch the customer. "The legislators can legislate competition and the regulators can regulate competition, but at the end of the day, we'll always be within the power of the incumbent monopoly to either facilitate or stymie competition," says AT&T spokesman Paul Karoff.
Within a year, customers will have the option of choosing a local phone company other than Ameritech, promises Mr. Brand. On Friday, the company plans to release the rates it proposes to charge other companies to lease its lines.


text: "So good to have my men back. And Jessica Christ, what a stunner of an opener. It just keeps getting better and better." Click HERE for the full post! Related November 13, 2014By ODNTBlogs Episodes In the Media Reviews Season 3 On the Next Episode of ODNT with Rutanya Alda & Bruce Hart!Jim Bullock, Mo Gaffney Guest Star In 3rd Season Of Old Dogs & New Tricks


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Curious about improv classes in Denver at the Bovine School of Improv but not ready to commit to a full 8 week Level of classes? Come check out our Intro To Improv class for a cheap sample of our classes are only $10.
We'll give you a taste of the games, exercises and basic philosophies that we teach in our classes. Plus your $10 gets you into our 10:15pm show that evening.
IMPROV. Take an improv class with a Bovine instructor and learn improv games and our style of teaching. This is an emphasis on fun and play! 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.
SHOW. Watch a performance and see some of what you've learned in action! 10:15 - 11:15 p.m.*
Come join us to see what the fuss is all about and why thousands of people have taking improv classes with the Bovine School of Improv.
The next Intro To Improv is on Friday, October 26, 2018
Instructor: Royce Roeswood


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Mir SSTV interior shots of new crew transmitted Mon 99/02/22 11:22UTC 145.985 fm Robot 36. Jean-Pierre Heignere was heard callin CQ and was looking especially for anyone in Huston. He worked a number of stations from Florida to Canada while sending SSTV inbetween QSO's. Al Emer N2YAC FN20 New Jersey ---- Via the sarex mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe sarex" to firstname.lastname@example.com
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The primary principle of glue is much like any relationship in that the adhesive must fit the adherend. (Kinda Zen, eh?)
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Happy gluing!!!!


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As many of you may have read in my previous review last month, our family loved Ms. Wood's Wild Art Adventures by Jan Wood Harris! We have continued using the book after our winter break. Our most recent lesson lead the kids deep into the rainforest to learn about and hot to draw toucans (which just so happens to Beck's favorite bird). We took the opportunity to learn more about toucans by watching several videos online and reading a book we found at our local library.
|I just love how Beck added a baseball cap to his toucan!
|I love watching that tongue stick out when she is concentrating so hard!
|Elizabeth's toucan, complete with a bow!
I am still awe struck at how this is the only art program that peaks Beck's interest at all. To get two thumbs up from Beck really does speak volumes in my world. The kids and I are excited to move on to our next art lesson adventure with Ms. Wood's Wild Art Adventures.
Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of 'Ms. Wood's Wild Art Adventures' in order to give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.