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Statement of Carolyn Colvin,
Deputy Commissioner for Programs and Policy, Social Security Administration
before the House Committee on Ways and Means
Subcommittee on Social Security
April 24, 1997
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:
I am pleased to be here today to discuss the workloads at our Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA), and the General Accounting Office's (GAO) findings on inconsistencies in disability decisionmaking at different levels of the adjudicatory process. As described below SSA is working on myriad initiatives designed to improve and streamline the appeals process. These include short-term initiatives designed to improve our processing time. as well as long range initiatives such as the implementation and testing of several elements of our disability process redesign.
Mr. Chairman, a brief overview of the disability process might help put this statement in context. The Social Security Act broadly defines disability as the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity. The Act requires the Commissioner of Social Security to prescribe rules for obtaining and evaluating evidence and making disability decisions. The law further requires that initial disability determinations be generally made by State Disability Determination Services (DDSs) following Federal rules and guidelines and flnanced by Federal funds.
State DDS Process
In the State DDS, a team composed of a disability examiner and a physician (or sometimes a psychologist) makes the disability determination based on an evidentiary record. The State DDS requests medical evidence from the treating physician(s) and other sources identified by the claimant. If that evidence is incomplete or conflicting, the disability examiner may request a consultative examination from the claimant's treating physician or a physicianunder contract to the DDS to perform these examinations. If necessary, the examiner will also obtain evidence from the claimant's family, friends, or other third parties which will help explain bow the individual's impairment(s) affects his or her ability to work. The team then considers all medical and other evidence to make the disability determination; if the claimant is not disabled, the DDS releases a denial notice to the claimant.
Appeals Process
A person who is denied disability benefits may pursue an appeal through three adminisrrative levels, one at the State DDS and two at SSA, and the Federal courts. The Act requires the Commissioner to provide a dissatisfied claimant the opportunity for a hearing before an SSA administrative law judge (ALJ), and allows for filing of a civil suit in Federal court after the Commissioner's final decision. SSA has also provided a reconsideration review at the State DDS prior to the hearing and a final review after the hearing by SSA's Appeals Council.
Reconsideration is the first administrative review for claimants and is a de novo (fresh) review of the claims file (including any new evidence) by a State DDS doctor/examiner team who did not participate in the original decision. The new team considers all of the evidence and issues a reconsideration decision.
The second level of administrative appeal is a de novo hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). The ALJ can call on medical and vocational experts to assist in evaluating the evidence. Usually the claimant will obtain legal representation at this point. Frequently new evidence is introduced by the claimant and his or her representative, often at the hearing itself. They are allowed to present testimony to the ALJ in person, to subpoena witnesses, and to obtain answers to interrogatory requests.
The final administrative appeal level is the Appeals Council (a group of 24 administrative appeals judges), which may gram, deny, or dismiss a request for review of the ALJ decision. It will grant review if the ALJ decision contains an error of law, is not supported by substantial evidence, involves a broad policy issue, or there appears to he an abuse of discretion by the ALJ. After an unfavorable Appeals Council decision or an Appeals Council dismissal, if the claimant is still dissatisfied, the next step is filing a civil action in Federal court.
Allowance Rates
Although there is one and only one standard for determining disability at all levels of the adjudicative process, there are some inconsistencies in disability decision making at different levels of the adjudicatory process. Before I cite the statistics on the different allowance rates at the DDS and OHA levels, it is important to note that more than 70 percent of the beneficiaries awarded disability benefits in 1996 were allowed by the DDS. Fewer than 30 percent were allowed at the ALJ hearing level or higher levels of appeal.
From the late 1970s and throughout the 1980, while the DDS allowance rates remained fairly stable at about 35 percent, the hearing level allowance rate fluctuated between about 48 to 59 percent. From 1990 to 1992 both the DDS and hearing level allowance rates increased primarily because of the effects of the Zebley Supreme Court decision. Although the DDS allowance rate decreased in 1993, to about 39 percent, the bearing level allowance rate remained at 67 percent through 1995. In contrast the DDS allowance rates dropped to the low 30 percent range during those years. However, in FY 1996 the bearing level allowance rate decreased to about 59 percent and has declined even further in the second quarter of FY 1997. Additionally, the DDS allowance rate has risen slightly.
A fundamental goal of SSA's effort to redesign our disability process is to make the correct decision as early in the process as possible. When developing our redesign strategy we recognized that in order to achieve this goal we needed to minimize those factors, within our control, which contribute to the variance in allowance rates between the DDSs and the ADs. To that end, we are implementing several initiatives designed to do just that. Collectively, we are calling iaese initiatives Process Unification. Our goal is to achieve similar results on similar cases at all stages of the process, through consistent application of laws, regulations, and rulings with minimal or no impact on program costs.
At the outset I want to stress that there is one and only one standard for determining disability at all levels of the adjudicative process. As I will explain below, the difference in the State DDSs and hearing level allowance rates is influenced by many different factors, including differences in the process, as described above. I am proud to report that through the Process Unification initiatives SSA is making significant strides toward minimizing these factors.
As an initial step, we have convened a group of Agency experts to identify policy issues that are critical to process unification. In addition. we have established a senior level group to oversee all aspects of process unification implementation.
Consistent Application of Policy at all Levels
A key element in process unifi cation is consistent presentati on of policy both in written instructions and in training. One of the factors we identified is the different approaches that the DDSs and ALJs take in evaluating claims which can lead to different conclusions in a particular case. These are areas which are highly complex, like how pain and related symptoms are evaluated, or what weight to give treating physician opinion, or deciding an individual's residual functional capacity.
Last year we published eight new Social Security rulings clarifying policy in several complex areas of disability evaluation, designed to assist all decision makers in applying the policy in the same way. To ensure consistent application of these rulings, we conducted--for the first time--joint training for SSA's 15,000 disability adjudicators. This training included DDS examiners, quality reviewers, senior attorneys, and ALJs as well as members of the Appeals Council and their staffs. Training commenced in July 1996 and was completed in February 1997. Each training class was comprised of representatives from all levels of our disability decisionmakers. The training allowed the participants to benefit from the experience of adjudicators at every level, to hear the same information from the same instructors, and to discuss and resolve any differences in interpretation.
Preliminary results are very favorable. Decisionmakers surveyed about the training generally praised the quality of the training and the substance of the new rulings. In fact, our internal stakeholders--DDS administrators, physicians, examiners and ALJs--think that process unification, besides being essential, is progressing positively.
Additionally , we have seen a recent shift in the pattern of allowances both by the DDSs and the ALJs. As mentioned above, the hearing level allowance rate declined to 59 percent in FY 1996, and data for the second quarter of FY 1997 indicate an increase in the initial and reconsideration allowance rates at the DDS with an accompanying further decrease in the hearing level allowance rate. Some of this likely reflects an impact from the process unification initiatives. The rulings published last summer and the joint training effort recently completed were expected to affect decision outcomes in these directions.
We plan to have similar joint training sessions on other complex policy areas in the future. Quality assurance efforts are in place to support and evaluate the training objectives.
Another initiative designed to improve consistency is the development of a single presentation of policy (the "one book") that is binding on all decisionmakers. This will ensure that different presentations of policies, although those differences may be slight, do not result in different outcomes.
Additionally, the process unification workgroups are continually looking at ways to improve our guidance in the areas of policy identified by an intercomponem panel, described below, as "problem areas". For example, we are in the process of preparing revised regulations clarifying residual functional capacity (RFC) assessments for less than a full range of sedentary work, a particularly difficult area of assessment.
Expanded Rationales at the DDS
In the early 1990s, in response to workload pressures caused by the skyrocketing number of new applications for disability benefits, we allowed the DDSs to use simplified rationales to document their determinations. Since the DDS decision is considered evidence at the hearing level, the simplified rationale did not provide the ALJs with the information they need ed to determine why the DDS denied a case. Therefore, in some cases, the ALJ was unable to give proper weight to the DDS determination while evaluating the evidence in file.
We are now requiring that the DDSs fully rationalize all of their reconsideration denials so that this valuable expe rtise is fully utilized at the hearing level. We are also preparing revised regulations clarifying the ALJ's responsibility for considering the medical opinions of DDS physicians.
Remands of Cases to the DDS
In reality, most ALJ allowances are based on a substantially different case. Thus, an ALJ decision may "allow" benefits but it does not necessarily "reverse" the DDS determination. A substantial majority of ALJ decisions are based on additional and different evidence from that available to the DDSs.
Also, the ALJ hearing is the first step of the claims process in which the claimants may appear in person before the decisionmaker to explain their impairments and present witnesses who can attest to the effects of their impairments. DDSs do not meet the claimant. In addition, more than 80 percent of the claimants are represented by an attorney or other individual at the hearing. Because the representative assists the claimant in obtaining new evidence to support the case and explaining the effects of the impairments to the ALJ, representation can have a substantial impact on the hearing decision.
There is also some anecdotal evidence that representatives wait until the hearing before submitting some of the evidence of disability.
Additionally, in some cases the person's condition has worsened, or the person alleges an additional impairment. Other cases, denied by the DDS based on expected improvement in the claimant's condition within 12 months of the onset of the condition, are allowed by the ALJ because improvement has not occurred since the DDS determination.
Therefore, as part of our Process Unification effort, the ALJ can remand to the DDS, for a new determination, those cases where new medical evidence is received prior to the hearing being scheduled. In many cases this will permit the DDS to change its denial to an allowance which will result in fewer cases going to hearing and decrease the time a claimant must wait for a favorable decision. Additionally, for cases that the DDS cannot allow, the ALJ will be reviewing the same claims file as the DDS and benefiting from the DDS's assessment of the new evidence.
Precedential Value to Court Cases
Because ALJ decisions are reviewed directly by the district and appellate courts, ALJs are more inclined than DDSs to be sensitive to how the courts review disability law and policy. Under SSA's acquiescence policy, a ruling is issued in all cases where the final circuit court decision conflicts with SSA policy and SSA decides not to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. Our adjudicators are not authorized to give precedemial weight to the circuit court decision until these rulings are issued. SSA recently published a ruling reemphasizing our acquiescence policy, and one of the initiatives in Process Unification is to streamline the process for issuing these rulings.
Increased Review of ALJ Cases
Another key initiative in Process Unification is implementation of preeffectuation (PER) quality review of OHA allowances by the Appeals Council under its authority to conduct "own motion" reviews. The Office of Program Integrity Review (OPIR) (which is not a pan of OHA) will screen approximately 10,000 favorable hearings decisions each year, in addition to the ongoing quality review of ALJ allowance and denial decisions, and forward these cases to the Appeals Council if a potential error is detected.
While we are preparing a regulation describing this new process, we have begun a post-adjudicative "dry run" of OPIR's identification of cases for Appeals Council review. OPIR is providing feedback to the ALJs on cases wben they detect a possible error and an intercomponent panel is being established to review a body of "tough policy cases" wbicb can be used to identify problem areas berween the DDSs and ALJs and then to develop policy solutions. We have put the staffing and processes in place so that the official reviews can begin immediately after the regulation is published.
Rewards of Success
The benefits of successful process unification will be enormous. Obtaining the correct decision as early as possible in the process will greatly improve administrative efficiency, often avoiding an expensive hearing. If fewer claimants seek appeal, OHA workloads will decrease, and service to claimants will improve. Not the least benefit WI1I be that DDS examiners and ALJs can work together more harmoniously, and each will be more effective in their roles as decisionmakers.
Having said all this, however, it is important to note that the hearing process is different by design from the DDS process. In a program as important to the American public as this one is, it is imperative that the process not only be fair but also be seen as fair to those applying for benefits. Disability evaluation is a complex task requiring sophisticated, professional expertise. Claims appealed to the ALJ generally are the roughest to evaluate, the most complex and the most subjective. It is entirely appropriate for such cases to be heard in a more formal setting allowing presentation of testimony and questioning of witnesses. I want to emphasize that all of the SSA family (including the DDSs) is committed to Process Unification. We all recognize that the goals of process unification are important on their own, and they are essential for the success of our highest priority, a better and more efficient disability process.
Current Process
At the same time that we want more consistency in our decisionmaking process, we also want accurate decisions. To achieve this goal, SSA's quality review activities comprise an integrated system designed to provide the Agency with a "report card" of management information (MI) about how different components within the disability decisionmaking process are doing in terms of well documented, policy-consistent correct decisions. At the State level, each DDS conducts inline quality reviews on samples of determinations before they are returned to SSA's field offices. Subsequently, SSA reviews, at the regional level, DDS determinations issued at the initial and reconsideration steps. When appropriate, determinations are returned to the DDS to either change the decision or obtain additional documentation. Some of the cases which are sampled at the DDS level and regionally also receive a review by a component at SSA Headquarters. Known as a consistency review, this assessment enables SSA to check on the consistency with which the regional review components are applying Agency policy. All of these reviews of DDS determinations are integrated in that there is a sharing of findings so that any adjustments in the reviews resulting from this data can be coordinated to achieve greater efficiency and an improved product through the planning and scheduling of DDS/SSA rraining initiatives.
At the hearing level, the history of quality review is more recent. Prior to 1993, there was no ongoing qualiry review of hearing decisions per se, and as a result, the Agency lacked a basic source of ongoing MI with respect to that level. To some extent, the Appeals Council was viewed as a quasi-quality review component because of its review of hearing decisions. However, its formal position as the last step in the administrative appeals process is separate and distinct from that of a quality review component.
In 1993, SSA began its first ongoing quality review of ALJ allowance and denial decisions. This sample is stratified 50 percent allowances and 50 percent denials. Valuable MI has been obtained which has resulted in both ALJ training and process unification initiatives. Moreover, this review also includes a review of the initial and reconsideration denial determinations which preceded each ALJ decision. This unique aspect of the review enables the Agency, for the first time, to obtain a multilevel longitudinal assessment of each case. In addition to identifying process unification issues arising between the DDS and the hearing level, this review enables SSA to ascertain whether hearing allowances were allowed at the earliest possible point in the adjudicative process, which is a fundamental goal of policy unification.
Transitioning to a New Quality Review Vision
With respect to the future of quality review within a redesigned process, SSA is developing a clear vision of what the future of quality review should be--a more comprehensive quality review program that better defines its quality standards, more effectively communicates them to employees in a consistent manner and continually provides employees with the means to achieve them.
SSA's existing quality review system bas always demonstrated the flexibility necessary to adapt to the new concerns andmany changes which have occurred in the disability program over the years. The enhancement of the bearing-level reviews is just one example of that flexibility. As SSA continues forward with its redesign activities, its quality review system will continue to be adaptable and meet the growing needs of the new processes which SSA introduces.
The enormous demands confronting SSA in the form of increasing disability workloads required us to evaluate policies and procedures which might be streamlined or altered to process the workloadmore efficiently. Record numbers of disability applications were received in the early 1990s, leading to skyrocketing bearing requests and ever larger OHA pendings. Additionally, we expect more than 125,000 additional hearings from now through FY 1998 relating to the legislation passed last year affecting individuals disabled due to drug addiction and alcoholism and children and non-citizens receiving Supplemental Security Income payments. SSA bas sought both short-term and long-term solutions to manage the unprecedented workload increases.
Short-Term Disability Project
SSA's Short-Term Disability Project was designed to achieve a substantial near-term reduction in both initial and appeals backlogs. From the inception of the Project in October 1994 through the end of FY 1995, the number of initial claims pending in the DDS was reduced by more than 120,000. Project initiatives designed for OHA had to await completion of hiring, redeployment, and training of staff, as well as approval of a new regulation. This initiative allowed us to increase hearings dispositions by almost 100,000 cases (and doubled the number of CDRs processed), while maintaining most of the progress made in basic DDS initial claims pendings.
Some of the more successful elements are being continued, including:
- expanding the prehearing conference procedures to ensure claimants' files are complete;
- granting temporary authority to experienced staff attorneys and paralegal specialists to make allowances in certain prehearing cases; and
- establishing screening units to identify appealed reconsideration decisions which can be allowed based solely on the record without additional development or a hearing.
In addition, SSA increased decision drafting capacity by detailing employees to decision drafting functions. Through September 1996. these employees produced nearly 58,000 decision drafts.
New AU Hires
In another effort to help reduce OHA pendings, over 300 ALJs were hired during the course of fiscal years 1994 and 1995, increasing the total number of ALJs on dury by over 25 percent to about 1050. New ALJ hires in FY 1996 essentially covered attrition, which is also the plan for FY 1997. In order to help with the new "welfare reform" legislation workloads, 60 ALJs are being hired this year in anticipation of FY 1998 attrition and will report in June.
Additionally, SSA is exploring ways to hire ALJs with subject matter-specific experience. These ALJs would be able to become proficient immediately and would help address the short-term need of "welfare reform" legislation.
Disability Redesign
The Plan for a New Disability Claim Process represents a long-term initiative to provide world-class service within available resource levels by redesigning SSA's disability process. It is expected to significantly reduce the time and resources needed to process disability cases, and is the Agency's highest priority. We are concentrating most of our redesign efforts on several key elements and have begun testing an integrated redesign process that incorporales many of these elements. While redesign's project life is expected to run over many years, SSA is moving to implement those aspects of the new process that can be implemented in the nearer-term.
Two of these projects are of particular pertinence to the appellate process. First is the Adjudication Officer (AO), currently being piloted in 25 sites nationwide. The AO will serve as the focal point for claimants who request a hearing and will have full authority to issue a favorable decision, if the evidence so warrants. Of the over 20,000 AO cases processed since testing began in November 1995, about 30 percent have been allowances, with the remainder being fully developed by the AO and forwarded to the ALJ for hearing. At slightly less than one case per day, productivity is lower than expected but improvements are anticipated. While quality review of allowances has found some problem areas that need work, the quality of the information being forwarded to ALJs is high.
Second is the Full Process Model, which tests several redesign features working together, including the AO, a pre-decision interview similar to the face-to-face interaction of a hearing, and elimination of the reconsideration step prior to the ALJ hearing. Testing began in eight states this month. Testing of an additional feature-elimination of mandatory Appeals Council review prior to the filing of a civil suit in Federal court--will begin after publication of a revised testing regulation.
In closing Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the subcommittee for the opporrunity to address these important issues. We expect, based on the short-term efforts mentioned earlier and followed by improvements related to implementing the redesigned disability process, to increase bearings dispositions significantly.
While process unification has already accomplished a great deal, much still remains to be done. You may rest assured that SSA is fully commined to obtaining correct, similar results in similar cases at all stages of the disability claims process. Although all indicators suggest that our initial efforts are succeeding, SSA will continue to monitor carefully the results of all our initiatives.


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Starting with this country, I have a database of births registered from the middle of 1837 to 2011. That totals 904. Of course many of those are no longer with us. I reckon that, of those born as Swinfields, about 229 males and 126 females (who have not married and changed their surname) are still alive. To that we have to add, at my calculation, 106 living women who have "married into the family" and still bear the surname. That makes an English population of approximately 461.
For the English Swinfields, I have also been trying to produce a list of as many current addresses as possible so that we know who lives where and with whom! To date, the commercially-available indexes to current electoral registers combined with the online telephone directories through BT.com have produced names and addresses for 195 adults. In addition, there are 106 children, aged 17 and less, who are too young to be registered voters. That accounts for 201 of the population of 461. We know where about 43.6% of them are living. By the way, there may be as many as 38 of them who are aged 80 or more. The oldest man is, as far as I can ascertain, Eric Swinfield of
Leicester who was born in
How many would come to our family reunion do you suppose? I am still hoping to arrange one for this Autumn.
I did recently highlight the amazing statistic that jumped out at me as I was doing this calculation. Of those 114, who were born in the years from 1973 to 1993, as few as 12% have formally married from 1990 to 2009. Marriage is rapidly going out of fashion amongst the younger Swinfields!
The Australian Swinfields are far more difficult for me to count from this far away. They would all appear to be natives of the state of
unless you can tell me otherwise. The online
registration indexes are only accessible only for births to 1909, marriages to
only 1956 and deaths to as late as 1977. None of those in the birth indexes
will still be alive. New South
How many Swinfields are there living in
to add to our total population? Just send me the names and addresses of youself and your living
relatives and I will compile the list. Looking forward to receiving your input very soon. Australia

subset: commoncrawl


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Dear Dr. Collins (et al):
I cannot thank you enough for all that you do for the impoverished, broken, and voiceless.
I thank everyone within the MeGALalert circles for the pro-active stance that has opened doors once thought closed.
Our family's case is literally "killing" my almost 16 year-old daughter; that was her description – just yesterday – of how the numerous adversarial & prolonged family court procedures have adversely effected her.
At present, she is being held against her will within her dad's home: the GAL failed to hear her pleas of wanting desperately to move back in with her mother {me} . Additionally, the 2014 court order legally permits her father from allowing her visitation with her mother {me}.
The last GAL failed us on several occasions submitting an 18 page report filled with subjective information – mostly inaccurate & malicious information — provided to her by my former husband.
The system has failed our family in 2009-2010 and in 2012 to present: both of us parents have considerable legal debt.
I am still in shock over the final judgment given to me just 2 days after I appeared in Portland (01/14/2104) to testify that I have been unable to contact Mary Ann Lynch via email.
I know both myself and my daughter suffer from a form of PTSD as a result of the on-going post-divorce conflict initiated by my former husband but fanned and fueled by those within the divorce industry.
Those who want to point fingers can point to my former husband or to me BUT the truth is, my former husband would not have been able to succeed in financially impoverishing me without the support of the divorce industry.
Collectively, our family has lost so much; the most tragic loss — something that cannot be replaced — is my young daughters childhood. Both teens suffer separately and differently from the conflict that results from drawn-out and highly contentious court proceedings.
Conflict is all that she knows / they know; the divorce industry knowingly or unknowing gave my former husband positive reinforcement every time he sought legal counsel to take me back to court — twice since our original 2006 divorce.
Each consecutive court process took twice as long as the prior and the costs involved doubled from the previous process. I was just getting out of legal debt from the 2009-2010 process when my former took us back to court in 2012. That process lasted 18 plus months and cost me over $20,000 when I only earned $10,000 in 2012 and $12,000 in 2013 (I was a full-time USM student until this past May).
Presently, my debt is so astronomical that that my ability to pay court ordered child support {calculated – mind you – on a salary that I did not actually earn} has been greatly hindered: how is any of this in the best interest of either teen? Or, the Maine tax payers? Or, to our society???
As a result of the collusion between the divorce industry and my former husband, my daughter has fallen deeper and deeper into a depressions; she has twice attempted to end her life {May and September of 2013}.
Maine care has picked up all of the costs for her medical care. Maine tax payers are footing the bill and , we as a society, are potentially losing a once energetic, civic-minded, and highly accomplished student to a major depression and self-harming behaviors both beginning after she was taken out of my home in 2010 and placed in the care of her dad.
I suggest that the mayor and the divorce industry consider a "Truth and Reconciliation Act" in order to acknowledge the pain and suffering that has taken place — for decades upon decades — as a result of such a broken system.
Since 2006, I have suffered – as well as the two minors — enormous losses:
1. Loss of primary home in 2010;
2. Loss of $100,000 equity in that primary home (2012 York, Maine);
3. Loss of all material possessions sold off to pay down legal debt;
4. Loss of family pet as former husband adopted the dog out of the family once he was granted custody of both minors and their dog in 2010.
5. Decrease in credit score by 100 points due to inability to pay mortgage on primary home when former spouse was advised- by his lawyer- to stop making child support payments in order to force me into signing 2010 post-judgment agreement;
6. Loss residential custody of both teens due to loss of primary home (temporarily left homeless);
7. Loss 1/2 retirement fund in 2010 court process to pay GAL, legal fee's and mortgage payments;
8. Loss all of savings to date; accrued credit card debt is now equal to my 2013 annual salary; loss all assets with exception to my vehicle that allows me to travel 3 hours a day to my full-time job;
9. Loss ALL parental rights and responsibilities and all decision making powers due to erroneous GAL report and due to her recommendation that losing all rights would end conflict;
10. Loss visitation rights as all visitation is now up to the discretion of my former husband who has been the instigator for all post-judgment discord;
11. The stress and the conflict has interfered with my work at present, has created ongoing and extensive medical expenses, and has left our daughter suicidal as well as feeling hopeless about her future;
12. The scars left on the hearts of my two teenagers as well as myself may or may not ever heal; time will tell. There is nothing more psychologically harmful than to lose the right to parent: from 1996 until 2014, I gave my life to my children. I intended and strove to raise well-adjusted, law abiding, and well-educated young adults. That right has been taken from me; the family court system partook in that loss of civil liberties.
The time for healing is now.
Please allow those of us who have to live with these court ordered "solutions" to family matters be a part of the solution for creating a system that heals and supports healthy family relations rather than a system that fuels the flames of discord in order to "win" a case; we have a vast amount of anecdotal information that would be an invaluable resource for those who are truly vested in the well-being of Maine's children and in the health and welfare of the state of Maine as a whole.
With sincere gratitude for your time and consideration~
Former resident of York Maine
Present Maine tax payer
Social Justice Advocate
This letter was written to the courts and state government and came about as a result of the post "A Maine Commission to Assess the Impact of Divorce and Custody on Maine Children and Families". To read the letter to Gov. Paul LePage follow this link.
For more information please contact us at email@example.com or find us on Facebook.


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Daniel Boulud's Braised Basque Chicken with Tomatoes and Paprika Recipe
Your source for quick recipe every single week day.
Adapted from Melissa Clark's Chef, Interrupted
Read more: Dinner Tonight: Daniel Boulud's Braised Basque Chicken with Tomatoes and Paprika
- Yield:serves 4 to 6
- Active time: 30 minutes
- Total time:1 hour
- 4 ounces Spanish chorizo, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 3 pounds chicken thighs and breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch thick strips
- 2 small red onions, sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3/4 cup dry sherry
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (or diced plum tomatoes)
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Handful fresh basil, thinly sliced, for garnish
Adjust the oven rack to the bottom-third position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, set a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat and add the chorizo. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chorizo has rendered some fat and is starting to brown. Remove chorizo with a slotted spoon and drain on some paper towels.
Season the thighs and breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Add the chicken pieces to the skillet and brown on both sides, about ten minutes total. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside.
Remove all but two tablespoons of fat in the skillet. Add the bell peppers, onions, garlic, and thyme. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about five minutes. Add the sherry, tomatoes, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Stir well to dislodge any browned bits and simmer for one minute.
Nestle the thighs in the skillet (you'll add the breasts later) and add the cooked chorizo. Cover the skillet and place in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, and then remove the skillet, flip the thighs, and add the breast pieces. Cover again and return to the oven. Cook until the chicken pieces are completely cooked, ten to fifteen minutes. If needed, season with more salt and pepper. Garnish with basil. Serve.
This Recipe Appears InDinner Tonight: Daniel Boulud's Braised Basque Chicken with Tomatoes and Paprika
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Template:Recognitions for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports program
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
(→Earning Loops and Pins multiple times: add links)
m (Recognitions for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports program moved to Template:Recognitions for the Cub Scout Academics and Sports program: This is a template)
Revision as of 00:39, September 29, 2008
| This article is transcluded into another article, potentially several articles.
Please take this into consideration and be cautious when editing.
Quoted from: Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program Guide, 2003 Revision (BSA Supply No. 34299B)
A variety of recognition items are available for the boys who participate in the Cub Scout Academics and Sports program. (Adults are not awarded with belt loops or pins.) Packs are encouraged to include the cost of these in their annual budgets. Packs may consider charging a fee to each participating Cub Scout and adult partner to cover the cost of these awards.
Belt Loops
Belt loops are awarded to boys who complete the three belt loop requirements in an academic subject or sport. Participation can take place individually or with the family, in the den or pack, or in the school or community. Academics belt loops are gold, and Sports belt loops are silver.Belt loops may be worn with the Cub Scout uniform on the Cub Scout belt. Webelos Scouts who have chosen to wear the khaki uniform may still wear the blue Cub Scout belt so as to display the belt loops they have earned.
PinsTiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts may choose to continue their involvement in an Academics or Sports area and earn the pin. Pins may be worn on the Cub Scout Academics and Sports letter.
Earning Loops and Pins multiple times
- "Many Webelos Scouts may earn belt loops and pins a second time to qualify for Webelos Activity Badges. All boys may earn belt loops more than once; however, leaders should encourage boys to try different requirements and earn the pin. Packs should have a clear policy in place to determine whether the pack or the boy's family will be responsible for the cost of awards that are earned more than once."
- - Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program Guide #34299B, 2003 Revision, p.4 & Cub Scout Leader Book, p. 31-1.


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Our 1st birthday gifts offer a variety of items perfect for the new one-year-old. Personalized gifts for baby are a definite crowd pleaser. Keepsakes detailing special moments and dates in the baby's life are sure to bring a tear to mom or dad's eye, and a variety of plush toys will bring a squeeze of softness to the little one. Excellent and colorful books will make story time even more exciting, as favorite cartoon characters like Elmo will show up in these delightful 1st birthday gifts.
Help the little guy or gal celebrate their milestone year by outfitting them in a bodysuit with their name printed on its front or peruse our other 1st birthday gift ideas including a wacky treats jar or fun puzzle they'll love playing with as they continue to grow.
The best 1st birthday gift ideas are those which bring a smile to both the baby and parents alike. A bouquet of roses combined with a dinosaur plush will make everyone happy on this wonderful occasion. Some of our most popular 1st birthday gifts are those designed to bring comfort. Soft throw blankets personalized with the birthday child's name will be a hit with mom, dad, and baby. Monogrammed gifts such as nightlights will provide a warm glow to help baby feel safe all night long, personalized stuffed animals or baby dolls will be clutched by happy little fingers, and art supplies will be put to good use in the years to come.
Some of our first birthday gifts serve as the perfect hostess gift at a one-year-old's birthday party. A delivery of chocolate covered strawberries or a gourmet gift basket will please mom and dad, and an attached plush animal will surely inspire some giggles from the little one.
While shopping for your first birthday girl gift, why not get some of your other important gifts sorted out for every upcoming occasion? If you've recently welcomed a new baby into the family, be sure to celebrate with any of our unique baby gifts. Gifts.com offers present ideas that work for any occasion. Find the perfect Christmas gift for him to make your shopping list easier than ever this year, and grab a gift for the special woman in your life that she will cherish for years to come.
Peruse our unique first birthday gifts for boys and girls for the upcoming birthday celebration and make this first birthday one to remember.


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I went to my dentist due to a chipped filling in my second molar. The first thing he told me is that I needed a root canal and that he does not do root canals in molars. This is because there are four roots in molars compared to one or two in the front teeth. There are special doctors called Endodontists* and they are qualified to work on the complexities involved with doing a root canal to a molar. These doctors use microscopes and perform a very delicate procedure making sure that there will be no problems in the future.
So I am on my search to find the very best Endodontist in the Los Angeles area and will report what I find soon! I need to get this tooth taken care of because when you need a root canal, you need it ASAP so the tooth does not die and require an extraction and a dental implant that takes seven months and costs lots!
*Wikipedia definition of Endodontist:
Endodontics (from the Greek endo "inside"; and odons "tooth") is one of the dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, and deals with the tooth pulpand the tissues surrounding the root of a tooth. Endodontists perform a variety of procedures including root canal therapy, endodontic retreatment, surgery, treating cracked teeth, and treating dental trauma. Root canal therapy is one of the most common procedures. If the pulp (containing nerves, arterioles, venules, lymphatic tissue, and fibrous tissue) becomes diseased or injured, endodontic treatment is required to save the tooth.


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Mondays - Fridays $260 per quarter
Specific day and class times will be determined after students have contacted Troy Slocum or Joyce Stanzel and availability is gathered. Troy Slocum teaches Monday through Saturday. Joyce Stanzel is available to teach classes on Mondays and Thursdays. Please contact the teacher before you register online for class.


text: Floral Shine is seamlessly background for your Broadcast Programs, business / art background, overlay, intro, logo, title, presentation, site, dvd, etc.. This is 1080p and for 720 users can also use this by reducing its size. seamlessly loop able. Hope you will like this and find this helpful and useful for you.


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Okay. I'm a little embarrassed that I'm this far behind on #30daysofbiking. My motivation to bike is waaaay down. I barely ride during the week anymore. Going on a ride after work just seems like sooo much work. I'm bored of all my usual routes and I hate riding in after work traffic. So most of my riding is on the weekends. But I enjoy taking pictures and writing about my rides, so I'm going to keep it up, even when it's not longer fashionable to do so.
On the weekend of this ride, I went with Melissa (my 50 states buddy) out to MacArthur Blvd. My first trip on MacArthur was my ill fated trip with Shannon that resulted in 3 flats, 45 minutes of walking, and a bike fairy. My second trip on MacArthur was out to Great Falls. This time I was finally going to tackle the epic hill of MacArthur. I don't know much about this hill, except that lots of people ride it because it is hard. Does it have a name? Probably. But I don't know it. I was dreading it and looking forward to it, as it would be an interesting test of my fitness. The hill was hard…but not that hard. There was suffering, but it was not epic. Whenever I thought it might be too hard, I said to myself, "You did RAGBRAI and 30 miles on that [bleep] Skyline. This hill ain't nothing but a mole hill compared to that." So I made it to the top. And I could even hold a conversation with Melissa when I got to the top! Progress, what?!
We took a break about half way through and the second half was pretty brutal. We were riding on more heavily trafficked roads (which is not relaxing), there were a lot of stoplights, it was a lot hillier than I expected, and I was more wiped than I thought I was from the big hill. Melissa is significantly faster on the climbs than I am, so I would get dropped and only catch back up with her when she would stop and wait. It was exhausting. Plus, I was so unprepared food-wise, I had almost no food to eat and was starving. This mean that once I got home, I ate a big ass burger, a milkshake, and drank a beer. Well deserved.


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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The large sign on the back of Tennessee Tech's Tucker Stadium proclaims: "Champions Are Made Here."
Yes, they are.
Not only did the Golden Eagles capture the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference championship on the Tucker Stadium turf, the state of Tennessee has determined its high school football champions on Overall Field for the past three years. The 2012 championship games are scheduled for Dec. 6-8.
On Monday, Tech and the City of Cookeville received a four-year extension to host the TSSAA BlueCross Bowl games, keeping the eight title games in the Tucker Stadium through 2016.
"We are honored to be able to continue to host these games," said Mark Wilson, TTU Director of Athletics. "This has been a great partnership between all the local entities, and we will continue to roll out the red carpet for all of those high school football players, their families and fans."
Cookeville and Tech initially received the bid in 2009 to host the eight TSSAA championship games for two years, then received two additional years after the games were such a success. Monday's action by the TSSAA Board of Control extends the contract four more years.
"TSSAA has found a home," said George Halford, Cookeville-Putnam
County Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. "We are pleased they
have the confidence in us to go forward.
"This was a great team effort," Halford said. "One of the biggest concerns of the TSSAA was whether we'd continue to be excited after the first couple of years, or if our enthusiasm might diminish. If anything, I think the level of regional and community excitement has grown. We've had 650 volunteers, great leadership, and we're all so proud of our community and our region."
A group representing "Team Cookeville" traveled to the TSSAA office on Monday to make a presentation and show the enthusiasm and unity that has defined Cookeville's effort in hosting the BlueCross Bowl games. Among the representatives were Connie Albrecht, Terry Alley, JoeMac Bennett, Molly Brown, John Donnelly, Halford, Mark Hutchins, Thomas Lynn, Kristie Phillips, Ottis Phillips, Dr. Phillip Oldham, Jim Shipley, Kristen Wells, Mark Wilson, Laura Wolf, Jim Woodford and TSSAA steering committee chairman Chuck Sparks.
"We won it, and now we've just taken it to a new level," Halford said. "It's been a real team effort. I'm very humbled by the confidence that they have expressed in us to give us another four years. This gives us time now to make significant improvements to our facilities. We have some opportunities to do some very significant things."
Former Golden Eagle baseball standout and TTU alum Tommy Layne, who is the principal at Sequatchie County, made the motion to extend the contract with Cookeville for four more years during Monday's meeting. Chuck West, the principal of Dresden High, seconded the motion. All were in favor. The TSSAA board of control also had high praise for the way Cookeville and TTU have been hosting the Blue Cross Bowl games.
Boasting more than 600 volunteers, the BlueCross Bowl games have become a sense of pride for TTU, Cookeville and Putnam County. They have also provided a huge economic impact for the local businesses while providing a championship atmosphere for the players, coaches and fans.
"It's been great to know that all of these students
and their fans make it a mission to get to Cookeville,"
Wilson said. "The exposure we garner from hosting these games
is immeasurable."
Golden Eagle head coach Watson Brown, a native of Cookeville, expressed gratitude in the community for its efforts in hosting the games.
"It's just fantastic. The first time we got the bid, the community did a great job of hosting it and making it an event, and making everyone feel welcome," Brown said. "Now, it's even neater to get it this second go-round. This time it's because of all the work they've done in hosting. The chamber, the community, Tennessee Tech. We certainly appreciate all the work they've all done."
Brown says the fact that Tech hosts the championship games has
also proven to benefit Golden Eagle football.
"Hosting these games means an awful lot to our program," Brown said. "We have 10 or 12 kids on our team right now who have played in these games. Plus think of all the kids who just tried to get here. It's their goal. Playing in this stadium is what they all strive for."
One of those current Golden Eagle players is Austin Tallant, now a sophomore defensive back.
"I remember how excited we were to get to play at Tech, and to play on turf," said Tallant, who was named to the OVC all-freshman team last season in his first year at Tech one year after leading his Alcoa team to the 2011 title on Overall Field.
"We had played here once in the season," he said. "Our game with Stone Memorial was moved to here because there was so much rain. We looked around and we all said 'wow' we really need to get back here."
And, for all the hype of the crowds and the games and what was on the line, what memory stands out brightest for Tallant?
"Honestly, the locker room," he said, standing in front of his current TTU locker with his name printed above. "My locker was right down there. It didn't have my name on it, but it was really special being in here. I was thinking 'Tech' all the time."
And the hospitality offered by the Cookeville community to the visiting teams helped tremendously, Tallant added.
"We did our walk-through inside Stevens Street Church. That was great. They cooked for us and everybody treated us so well. All of those things really helped to make the whole experience extra-special."
Another current Tech standout, linebacker Tra'Darrius Goff, came to Tech and plays on the same field where he punctuated his prep career. Goff earned the historic distinction of being named both the Offensive MVP AND Defensive MVP in the 2010 championship game for Columbia High School
"The atmosphere is what I remember the most, and how they made us all feel so much at home," Goff said. "We really felt at home.
"It was just so exciting to get here and to play in this stadium in front of our fans," Goff said. "I really liked it here. It's a smaller stadium so the stands looked full. It was loud and the people really got into the game."
Playing in Tucker Stadium was the driving force behind Columbia's success, which used "The Road to Cookeville" as its daily mantra.
"That's the way we broke it down every day in practice," Goff said.
So, for at least the next five high school football seasons, the road to the Tennessee State Championships will continue to head directly to Cookeville and Tucker Stadium.
Note: Some of the information in this story was provided by
Buddy Pearson, Cookeville Herald-Citizen.


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About ZimbabweZimbabwe is best known for its current economic crisis, however Zimbabwe backpacking tours still have a lot to offer visitors seeking to witness the wonders of the Victoria Falls.
Zimbabwe Budget Travel
Below is a list of Zimbabwe's top destinations, click on the link to view all details and tours.
Bulawayo, Chimanimani National Park, Gweru, Hwange National Park, Matopos National Park, Victoria Falls
Fast Facts
Zimbabwe Dollar (ZWD)
Dialing Code
Zimbabwe HIV/AIDS basic precautions include the following:
• Don't ever share needles or syringes
• Practice safe sex at all times
• Equipment should be sterilized
• If you require self-administered injections, take an adequate supply of your own needles
• Avoid tattoos, acupuncture treatment or body piercing from suspect or unsterile operators
Zimbabwe airports include:
• Harare International Airport
• Bulawayo International Airport
• Victoria Falls International Airport
Zimbabwe birdlife is rich and diverse, with a large number of endemic and near-endemic species to be found, as well as migratory species from Southern Africa. Key birding areas include the Victoria Falls, Matopas, Larvon Bird Gardens and the Zambezi River.
With an increasingly falling economy, and major shortages of food, water and resources, Zimbabwe conservation is a major challenge. Many reserves and parks have not been able to support the number of game within their grounds, and there is a wealth of environmental issues to address.
Zimbabwe cultures include the following:
• Food and drink plays a key role in social gatherings
• Crafts are an important cultural heritage and income provider
• Museums record history of the town and its people and cultures
• Music and dance is an important social heritage
• Traditional healing is very prevalent in villages
Zimbabwe customs allows free import of the following for travelers of 18 years and over:
• 200 cigarettes or 450g of tobacco
• 1 opened bottle of alcoholic beverages
Zimbabwe health facilities are in dire straits, and with almost no supplies and very poor hospital supplies, healhcare may not be available. It is best to take out comprehensive travel insurance and to pack a basic first aid box containing essentials such as malaria medication, vitamins, headache pills, nausea pills, diarrhea pills, bandages and anti-septic creams.
Zimbabwe inoculations include the following:
• Hepatitis A & B
• Typhoid
• Polio
• Rabies
• Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
• Tetanus-diphtheria
Zimbabwe languages include:
• Shona
• Ndebele
• English
• Silozi
Zimbabwe malaria medication includes the following:
• Mefloquine (Lariam)
• Doxycycline
• Atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone)
Zimbabwe money and banking info includes the following:
• Banks are generally open Monday to Friday from 08h30-15h00
• It has become almost impossible to exchange money at reasonable prices
• US Dollars are widely accepted across larger towns
• Prices of food and basic items are extremely high
• Many items are not available in the country
Zimbabwe people include the following groups:
• Shona
• Ndebele
• Lemba
• Hungwe
• Shangane
Zimbabwe local phrases in Silozi include:
• Welcome - Mulumeni
• Thank you - Ni itumezi
• Please - Nangu
• How are you - Muzuhile cwani?
• Fine - Lu zuhile hande
Harare plant life is surprisingly abundant, and the country is famous for its vibrant jacaranda. There are a number of nature areas including Mukuvisi Woodlands, Kame Ruins, Matopas, Victoria Falls, the beautiful Zambezi River and Ewenrigg Botanical Gardens which has terraces of aloes plus many other spectacular plant displays, as well as the beautifully laid out Harare Gardens and Lake Chivero.
A January 2008 UN estimate puts Zimbabwe's population at 13,349,000.
Zimbabwe religion includes the following:
• Christianity
• Traditional beliefs
• Christian Zionists
Safety Tips
Zimbabwe safety tips include the following:
• Zimbabwe crime is on the increase, however it is safe to visit despite a failed economy
• Pickpocketing, muggings and smash and grabs are the most common crime
• Keep valuables safe and out of sight, and keep car windows closed when driving
• Avoid large crowds and street demonstrations which may turn violent
• Be cautious at game reserves and do not attempt to touch or feed wildlife
Zimbabwe local transport options include:
• Taxi
• Car
• Plane
Travel Books
Zimbabwe recommended travel books include the following:
• Birds of the Botanic Garden, Harare, Zimbabwe by A. J Beasley
• Mugabe: Power, Plunder, and the Struggle for Zimbabwe's Future by Martin Meredith
• Zimbabwe In Pictures by Francesca Di Piazza
• Lonely Planet Zimbabwe by Tione Chinula and Vincent Talbot
• The Rough Guide to Zimbabwe by Barbara McCrea and Tony Pinchuck
Visa Requirements
Zimbabwe visa requirements are as follows:
• Most foreign nationals require a visa to enter the country
• A valid passport of 6 months minimum is required
• 3 blank pages in your passport are required
• Return air tickets are required to obtain visas Visas are valid for 6 months from date of issue
What To Buy
What to buy for Zimbabwe safaris:
• Zimbabwe travel book plus bird and wildlife guide
• Plug adapter for UK and US visitors
• Sleeping bag plus camping mattress if you are on an overlanding tour
• Basic first aid box with supplies and vitamins, plus malaria medication
• Mosquito repellent spray and lotion
What To Pack
What to pack for Zimbabwe safaris:
• Lightweight clothing in neutral colours and long sleeves for mosquito protection
• Warm jacket for cooler months and evenings
• Comfortable walking or hiking shoes, sandals and appropriate shoes for activities such as rafting
• Sunglasses, sunscreen and sunhat
• Camera with spare batteries plus film or memory card, and binoculars
When To Go
When to go to Zimbabwe:
• April through to August is generally cooler
• September through to November is hot and dry
• December until early April is hot, rainy and humid
Zimbabwe wildlife is fairly abundant despite the country's major economic problems, and there are a number of game parks and centers within country, including the Lion and Cheetah Park, Snake Park, Victoria Falls National Park, Matopas and many others. Wildlife species to be seen include Bush Pig, Bushbuck, Black Backed Jackals, Lion, Cheetah, Crocodiles, Duiker, Eland, Giraffe and Impala, as well as Ostrich Tortoise and Zebra Terrapin.
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.
Cairo to Cape Town Nile Trans
17 Weeks From
Cairo to Cape Town
Cape Town to Nairobi Epic
6 Weeks From
Cape Town to Nairobi
Dar Es Salaam to Cape Town
5 Weeks From
Dar Es Salaam to Cape Town
Dar Es Salaam to Johannesburg
26 Days From
Dar Es Salaam to Johannesburg
Dar Es Salaam to Victoria Falls
15 Days From
Dar Es Salaam to Victoria Falls
Discover South West Africa
21 Days From
Victoria Falls to Cape Town
Johannesburg to Nairobi
7 Weeks From
Johannesburg to Nairobi
Vic Falls to Cape Town
22 Days From GBP 685
Victoria Falls to Cape Town
Victoria Falls to Dar Es Salaam
15 Days From
Victoria Falls to Dar Es Salaam
Victoria Falls to Nairobi
21 Days From
Victoria Falls to Nairobi
Victoria Falls to Nairobi and Gorillas
5 Weeks From
Victoria Falls to Nairobi
The highlight of my trip had to be Gweru in Zimbabwe, it was my idea of paradise. So much to do there with the animals and the location of it was just beautiful!
— Anne B (27) from Ireland
The trip was great! A very relaxed ride in a mokoro, followed by camping in the Okavango Delta and watching the animals on the islands was awesome!
— Michael & Silke from Germany
I loved every millisecond of the entire trip... Guess what I did in Swakopmund? I skydived out of a plane - woohoo was that AWESOME :-)
— JoJo E (61) from Switzerland
Finally home and had a great time…. I loved the shark diving, Sossusvlei and Himba people. Saw Lions, a Leopard, Elephants, Giraffes, everything really! Thanks for…
— John E from Canada
I did not believe in god till i visited Chobe National Park.
— Juca from Uruguay
Do this on the Cape Town to Nairobi with Gorilla Trek.Tours with Gorilla Trekking in Uganda
Do this on the 14-day Kruger and Mozambique Safari.Tours with Kruger National Park Game Drive
Do this on the Best of South West Africa.Tours with Okavango Delta Mokoro Excursion
Do this on the Best of East Africa.Tours with Serengeti National Park Excursion
Do this on the Best of South West Africa.Tours with Victoria Falls Flight of Angels
Do this on the Best of South West Africa.Tours with White Water Rafting on the Zambezi River
Visit Etosha National Park on the Best of NamibiaTours through Etosha National Park
Visit Okavango Delta on the Best of South West AfricaTours through Okavango Delta
Visit Serengeti National Park on the Best of East AfricaTours through Serengeti National Park
Visit Victoria Falls on the Best of South West AfricaTours through Victoria Falls
Visit Zanzibar Island on the cape town to darTours through Zanzibar Island


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Get the Flash Playerto see this player.
|Naked Movie
Short review: Just think about one of the classic movies that you've watched over and over and then remember how many times you thought about a sexual spin put to the plot, well, that's what this site is all about and they've done a beautiful job of it. My only complaint is the extremely low count on content, that's a shame. All other areas held true to the pledges of high quality.
Content Amount: This is the only area that held the slack that can be easily rectified by adding new material quickly. The count on sets was extremely low, and even though promises are there for weekly updates, it's not happening, they depend on network bonuses.


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IoT Tech Trends is a newly launched site by the team here at Make Tech Easier. Its aims is to make IoT tech easier to understand for everyone.
We Are Hiring
We are expanding and are looking for talented writers with great passion in technology to join us.
Introducing Make Tech Easier Premium – Courses, Tutorials, Ebooks and More
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New Ebook: The Complete Beginner's Guide to Ubuntu 16.04
"The Complete Beginner's Guide to Ubuntu 16.04" ebook covers everything you need to know about Ubuntu.
Beware of Make Tech Easier Scam That Is Not from Us
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Introducing: Make Tech Easier Deals Site
Looking for some great deals and bargains on Web services, software, and tech-related gadgets and courses? Check out the Make Tech Easier Deals site and save 10% on your first purchase.
Introducing MTE Premium: Support Us By Becoming a Premium Member
We launched a premium membership program with tons of benefit. Support us and become a premium member now!
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Download "The Beginner's Guide to OS X Mountain Lion"
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My Name is Jason. I Run Our Social Media Channels
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Ask The Readers: Do You Support MakeTechEasier Switching Back to the Native WordPress Comments System (From Disqus)?
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BOSTON, Mass. – On the first day of the 2014 ECAC Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship the men's and women's 4x200 meter relay teams took center stage for UMass Boston as the women's team recorded a fifth place finish, while the men's team set a new program record Friday afternoon at the Reggie Lewis Center.
For the women's team, Anisha Trappier (Taunton, Mass.), Renee O'Brien (Stoneham, Mass.), Krista Ledin (Bridgewater, Mass.), and Hulerie McGuffie (Lynn, Mass.) recorded a combined time of 1:44.06 seconds beating out Bates College by .44 seconds.
The men's record setting performance was due to the combined effort of Nobert Simon (Chelsea, Mass.), Fritz Gustave (Fall River, Mass.), Kelly Desane (Cambridge, Mass.), and Shawn Lawson (Westford, Mass.) as the four sprinters recorded a time of 1:31.49. They broke the original record, which was set last month by almost two seconds.
In the women's 60 meter dash prelims, McGuffie recorded a time of 7.97 seconds just missing the qualifying mark for the finals. The time marked the third fastest time recorded by the sophomore All-American.
Also in the 60 meter dash was Trappier as she finished with a time of 8.10 seconds (37th place) and O'Brien with her time of 8.11 seconds (40th place).
The Beacons return to action tomorrow when they compete on the final day of the championship meet as every athlete is looking to earn a spot in this year's National Championship.


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Honestly, I'm of the mind that if you haven't seen The Thing yet, you really owe it to yourself to watch the damn movie. But if you need a crash course in John Carpenter's Antarctic bodysnatcher classic, it's hard to beat this recap by an ersatz Ol' Blue Eyes. Who knew big band and body horror complemented each other so well?
This toe-tapper comes to us from Jon and Al Kaplan, two brothers maniacally committed to reinterpreting the entirety of 1980s scifi cinema using the power of song. Hat tip to David.


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Honister Mine Herdwick Ewe III - Prints of Original Artworks ~ Lake District Art
Honister Mine Herdwick Ewe III ~ PhotoPaper & Canvas Prints
Lake District Wildlife & Landscape Prints
Honister Mine Herdwick Ewe III - Lakeland Sheep Photo
Honister Mine Herdwick Ewe III. Herdwick Sheep - Herdy Photograph
Keywords: Herdwick, Sheep, Herdy, Ewes, Lake District, Cumbria
Image ID: SMA 3097
Buy 12 x 8 inch Photo Print - £ 14.99
30 x 20 cm approx.
Buy 18 x 12 inch Photo Print - £ 29.99
45 x 30 cm approx.
Buy 24 x 16 inch Photo Print - £ 59.99
60 x 40 cm approx.
Buy 24 x 16 inch Box Canvas - £ 64.99
60 x 40 cm
Buy 30 x 20 inch Box Canvas - £ 109.99
75 x 50 cm
Buy 36 x 24 inch Box Canvas - £ 119.99
90 x 60 cm
Buy 40 x 30 inch Box Canvas - £ 129.99
100 x 75 cm
Buy 48 x 32 inch Box Canvas - £ 159.99
120 x 80 cm
Copyright Steve Mackins
2019 - All Rights Reserved
All of these Artworks are unique to this website and artist.
Canvas Prints are usually received in around 6 to 8 working days. Delivered by UPS
Keywords related to this Art Print: Honister Mine Herdwick Ewe III, Herdwick, Herdies, Herdwick Ewes, Herdwick Rams, Lake District Sheep, Tups, Rams, Ewes, Herdwick Tups, Lake District, Cumbria, Lake District Holiday Accommodation Art Prints, Lake District Ram Art Prints, Lake District Ewe Art Prints, Lake District Holiday Chalet Art Prints, Lake District Hotel Art Prints, Wasdale Herdwicks, Langdale Herdwicks, Borrowdale Herdwicks, Animals, Wildlife, Lake District Hares, Lake District Foxes, Lake District Otters, Lake District Art Posters, Lake District Pheasants, Lake District Cows, Borrowdale, Langdale, Cumbrian, Herdy Lambs, Herdy Tups, Holiday Cottage Artwork, Holiday Cottage Art Prints, Holiday Cottage Paintings, Lake District Holiday Cottage Artworks, Lake District Hotel Artworks, Art Prints For Hotels, Lakeland Cottage Canvas Artworks, Herdy Ewes, Herdies, Lakeland, Lakeland Sheep Art Prints, Sheep Artwork, Home Decor, Home Improvement, Interior Design Artwork, Keswick, Wasdale, Dogs, Eskdale,


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Much like their larger enterprise IT brethren, IT organizations within SMBs are discovering the benefits of virtualization. But just as large enterprises before them, many are also discovering the challenges of deploying and managing virtual machines.
In a survey of 658 organizations worldwide with five to 249 employees, conducted by Applied Research on behalf of Symantec, interest in virtualization was high, but adopting virtualization progress has been somewhat slow. Worse yet, when it comes to backup and security, the lack of attention paid to these functions is setting the stage for much bigger problems later.
How Password Savvy Are You?Test your password acumen with these 10 questions.
Nine Instant Messaging Best PracticesEssential etiquette rules for instant messaging.
Five Mistakes Companies Make in Their Cloud StrategiesLearn how to capture the full potential of the cloud.
Related Topics : Stimulus Package, IT Market Analysts, Supercomputing, Performance Management, Request for Proposals
Selecting the perfect consultancy firm may seem daunting, but keeping these five tips in mind will help organizations get off to a good start. ... More >>
Robotic hardware combined with cognitive intelligence and cloud computing capabilities signifies a host of new opportunities across many industries. ... More >>
Here are five key business areas in which service management can help streamline the infrastructure and process challenges of M&As. ... More >>


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WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama will host former political rival Mitt Romney for a private lunch at the White House on Thursday, their first meeting since the Nov. 6 election.
Obama promised in his victory speech to engage with the Republican following their bitter campaign and consider his ideas.
Thursday's lunch will likely be their most extensive private meeting ever. The two had only a handful of brief exchanges before the 2012 election. Even during the election, their interactions were largely confined to the three presidential debates.
Obama aides said they reached out to Romney's team shortly before last week's Thanksgiving holiday about a meeting. The men will meet in the White House's private dining room, with no press coverage expected.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama was looking forward to having a "useful discussion" with his former competitor. He said there was no formal agenda for the lunch.
One topic of discussion may be the looming so-called "fiscal cliff," the combination of expiring tax breaks and deep spending cuts that will take effect Jan. 1 if Obama and a divided Congress can't reach a deal to avoid it. The economic impact has been estimated at more than $670 billion for next year alone, and it threatens to send the U.S. back into recession.
Much of the debate between the Obama administration and Republicans in Congress on what to do about the fiscal cliff centres on the expiring tax cuts first passed by former President George W. Bush. Obama and Romney differed sharply during the campaign. Romney pushed for them to be extended for all income earners, but Obama wants to let the cuts expire for families making more than $250,000 a year.
Another topic of discussion at Thursday's lunch could be Romney's idea to raise money instead by capping taxpayers' deductions. He floated the idea during his campaign.
Romney has virtually disappeared from politics since the election. He's spent the last three weeks largely in seclusion at his family's California home. He has made no public appearances, drawing media attention only after being photographed at Disneyland in addition to stops at the movies and the gym with his wife, Ann.


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Ryan Berger on
Any update on shipping? 10/21/13 and I haven't seen anything, not even an e-mail confirmation.
Robert Pickup on
@Klaus lol, they are probably too busy playing with their gamesticks
Robert Pickup on
GAMESTICK ! Hello again, tomorrow is the proposed start date for US and EU backers to receive units, can you please let all us backers know if that is still the plan, are you on schedule ?
Mike Tremoulet on
Mark M - that was confirmation of the address change, not confirmation of shipping.
Tanner Lubuk on
So....what's going on with us Canadians gamestick. You said you'd update but I don't see any kind of update yet
Robert Pickup on
Hi Gamestick, please can we have a quick status update ?
Markus BisingerSuperbackeron
Have the Sticks arrived in London?
When do I get a tracking number?
Please answer this 2 questions!
Nikolay Ivanchev on
It is 8th of October, I haven't received no tracking #
Would you please check.
J.R. Raith on
Excited to hear about shipping! Any news on retail availability yet? I'm looking forward to add a red controller to my set when I can. :)
I live in Colorado and would be happy to take the 300 orders to my local post office if you can get 'em here! I'm sure they'd hate me for it, but hey, friends help friends out, and we're all friends here, right? :)
E. Scott Lockwood on
I know that this is probably last minute, but are we able to get tracking numbers through UPS? Thanks for using UPS by the way. FedEx is horrid.
Mark-Temba Christensen on
Is there any way to pre-order a carry case as I was such a stupid miser when I backed... :-/
Jose Ignacio Musso on
What about Latinamerica backers? when will we get the product? And how much is the going to be DHL fee?
Aman on
@GameStick I am worried about the performance of the gamestick. I have been reading about the processor and it looks like that it has lower performance than the outdated iPad 2 and the GPU fill rate is limited to 800 Megapixel/Second which cause it to perform poorly on a Full HD (1080p) display. Should we expect poor performance issues? waiting your respond
Tanner Lubuk on
Great another small delay for use Canadians just what I want to read....not
Alpacapaca on
GameStick Creator on
That moment came and went in a flash ZeroBliss! I have no time to stand about taking videos and pictures.. we have 5,268 orders to pack :) It's all going well so far though.. another 3 or 4 days and units should be on the move again. I'm flying home to UK today and leaving the packing the capable hands of our Chinese colleagues. I'll keep you all posted on progress at the weekend if I can.
GameStick Creator on
Note for Canadian backers: We have pulled the shipment of units for Canadian backers from the delivery to the hub in Dallas. You won't be sent your units from there via UPS now. However it does mean a probable delay in you receiving your orders as we'll either send DHL from UK, or by USPS in the States if we can find a hub that will receive the goods in. We have no physical presence in the United States, or Canada, so it's not a simple case of going to the post office.. we have to send in bulk from our base which is currently HK but soon to be London. We'll keep you updated.
GameStick Creator on
Hi all.
Please note that all shipping labels have now been printed and can no longer be amended. If you have written to us asking to change your address then we will have confirmed the change with you already and there's no need to contact us again.
If you haven't had any confirmation then I apologise but over 50% of backers have, incredibly, moved house in the last 9 months so we have had a lot of changes to make. The KS survey system doesn't allow any amendments online - we have had to make those changes manually - some as recently as last night - but I am confident that we have picked up 99.9% of all changes that have been requested.
Many thanks!
Cabola on
Remember not to include the shipping costs into the package value! By that I mean for everyone that needs to add the $15 USD to ship outside the US. Those $15 shouldn't be added to the value of the package.
So if your pledge is ex. the $155 or more pledge and you have to have shipping outside US then you'd have pledged $170. This would be the price that you guys then put on the package when shipping it, but it should really only be $155 as the shipping fee is not something you actually get or is included within the package. So if it's set as $170 then we're actually paying customs of the shipping fee too which we shouldn't!!
I did send a support ticket in with this information too a month or 2 ago, so I hope you guys have read it..
Simon DickSuperbackeron
http://liliputing.com/2013/10/gamestick-dock-hits-fcc-expands-capabilities-playjams-tiny-game-console.html may be of interest for people who want to see the dock :)
GameStick Creator on
Guy, guys! We appreciate that some of you have a preference for how you would like your GameStick to be shipped, but we have to send over 5,000 orders in the next few days and we can't make any individual exceptions. We are using the most reliable and effective method wherever we can. If anyone is seriously affected by duties and fees then please contact us after shipment. Thanks!
Gerard Braad on
Gamestick, seriously... do NOT use DHL to ship my device to China.
I have never received anything this way.
Thiago Stocco on
If you ship it from HK please send it by HK Post!
Thiago Stocco on
Please don't send to brazil by UPS or DHL, as the chances of being taxed would be bigger!
GameStick Creator on
Hi Canadian friends (all 295 of you).. there does seem to be a groundswell of opinion that we shouldn't use UPS for deliveries to your country, so we will have a re-think. We have no easy access to USPS as we're based in HK and UK which is why we engaged with a distribution centre in the States to act on our behalf. They only use UPS. We only have a day or so to change our plans so we can't make any promises but we will do what we can. ~Simon
Howell A. Bicomong on
Please use USPS to ship to Canada Please! Thank You!!!
Darren Cooper on
Any news for XBMC?
Renan Costa Sousa on
The update says shipping will be done to the world minus Latin America & Africa. I know we are the poor minority but as far as funding goes our money is as green as anybody else's. So how are we going to get our gamesticks? Or is it that the only stick we'll get is the proverbial one?
James Cain on
As another James in Canada I can say NO Canadian wants their packages delivered through UPS. It's not a matter of Duties, it's that UPS charges illegal (yes it's illegal) brokerage fees by not offering the option to allow us to broker it ourselves. They charge over $40 for this "service" that they do in flight then claim that they cannot reverse it as it has already completed. If you ask to do it yourself they make it as difficult as possible (hoping you give up) and saying that you have to catch the delivery person on the 1st or 3rd attempt and ask them for the information so that you can go to their warehouse to get the whey-bill to take to customs yourself, then go back to pick it up. They feel $40 is a fair compensation (which they wouldn't need to charge in the first place if we just did it ourselves).
I echo the other James in that USPS is amazing and fair.
I've replied in a DM to prove that I've mentioned this issue months ago.
James Botham on
LOL...it sounds like most people outside of the US have the same feelings with regards to UPS. Out of all of them....they are hands down the worst and most unreliable. Then there is FEDEX...they are a lot more reliable but just as expensive as UPS with regards to their fees and duty/tax calculations. USPS I personally can't say it is the fastest or slowest but out of any shipper to Canada they are the most reliable and affordable.
Pablo Noel on
USPS Its the fastest and secure option for South America too, please dont use UPS or Fedex!
Tanner Lubuk on
Awesome! No can't wait to get my gamestick, I'll just have to visit my rents place to pick up my gamestick because that's where I'm having mine delivered to due to moving 3 weeks ago
Ryan Zecchel on
As a Canadian resident I must echo James' request to use USPS instead of UPS. UPS charges resiculous brokerage fees on packages entering Canada while USPS does not
Erick Gontijo on
For the brazil will be sent that way? When will be sent?
James Botham on
Please consider using USPS to ship to Canada. Both UPS and FEDEX charge over the top brokerage fees which will end up costing your backers big bucks!!
If shipped UPS it could easily cost 60-80 more in brokerage, duty and taxes. Yes USPS I still have to pay duty and taxes but in general everything is calculated at a lower rate and I have seen parcels valued at $75 come through owning nothing.
With UPS that would never happen. The unit is already delayed and having UPS ask for another 60-80 would kill the desire for the game stick completely.
Please reconsider your shipping options! I know many other backers in Canada will agree with this
Ted Foxberry on
Glad to hear the GameStick is coming to Australia straight from Hong Kong. Should take next to no time to arrive. Thanks for the update.


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