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Basic Facts About Bobcats
The most common wildcat in North America, the bobcat is named for its short, bobbed tail. They are medium-sized cats and are slightly smaller but similar in appearance to their cousin, the lynx. Their coats vary in color from shades of beige to brown fur with spotted or lined markings in dark brown or black.
Bobcats mainly hunt rabbits and hares.
Bobcats are also known to eat rodents, birds, bats and even
adult deer, which they usually consume during the winter months, as well as lambs, poultry and young pigs when a ranch is near.
Approximately 725,000 to 1,020,000 bobcats remain in the wild.
Bobcats were once found throughout most of North America from northern Mexico to southern Canada. In the early to mid 1900s, bobcat populations in many Midwestern and eastern states of the United States were decimated due to the increased value of its fur. However, international laws began to protect the world's spotted cats in the 1970s, and populations have rebounded since then. Today, populations are stable in many northern states and are reviving in many others.
Bobcat habitat varies widely from forests and mountainous areas to semi-deserts and brush land. A habitat dense with vegetation and lots of prey is ideal. Bobcats are excellent hunters, stalking prey with stealth and patience, then capturing their meals with one great leap.
Usually solitary and territorial animals, females never share territory with each other. Male territories, however, tend to overlap. Territories are established with scent markings and territory sizes are extremely varied – generally 25-30 square miles for males and about five square miles for females.
Dens: Each bobcat may have several dens, one main den and several auxiliary dens, in its territory.
- Main den: Usually a cave or rock shelter, but can be a hollow log, fallen tree, or some other protected place. (Also called the natal den)
- Auxiliary dens: Located in less-visited portions of the home range and are often brush piles, rock ledges or stumps. These are also called shelter dens.
Mating season: Late winter, but throughout the year is possible.
Gestation: 50- 70 days. Kittens are usually born around early spring.
Litter size: 1 – 6 kittens.
The kittens begin eating solid food at around two months and begin learning to hunt at 5 months. When they are between 8 and 11 months, the kittens are evicted from their mother's territory.
In Mexico, bobcats are persecuted as sheep predators and are frequently killed by farmers. They are still hunted and trapped for their fur throughout most of their range. Habitat destruction and the ever-expanding human population limit their ranges.
What Defenders Is Doing to Help
Starting in 2004, Defenders has partnered with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish and Wildlife to track, capture, and collar bobcats in the State of New Jersey in order to determine their movements and which habitats are important to their survival. This valuable data will help biologists create a protection and management strategy that focuses on preserving the most critical bobcat habitat.


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REV- SV necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 192 diseños de 49 diseñadores freelance.
REV- revolutionary exercise
I'm Angela and I own Angela's Gym which is a successful exclusive gym specializing in group training located in Sun Valley Idaho. http://www.angelasgym.com We specialize in a group dynamic offering superb circuit classes including Cardio, strength, and balance. According to our clients we reign as the best gym workout in Sun Valley, Idaho; the second most fit city in the nation. One workout with us and people are hooked. It's time for us (yes I have partners) to expand. We've renamed our exclusive exercise centers "REV" and we need an eye catching logo to enhance our name. We are starting the chain of gyms in Idaho, then moving to California, up the West coast until we make our way EAST! Our philosophy is simple, great personal training at very affordable prices because we train groups AND we have the best of the best for instructors. We need a great logo to get them IN our gyms and then we can take it from there!
Since we are expanding we will be needing to attract new clients in all of our new locations. We chose a snappy one word name REV (so we could grab their attention), but also added the tag line, revolutionary exercise (to let them know what we do). We want to appeal to men and women who want a GREAT personal training workout that really works. We tend to attract people who like to workout hard- make it count and then get back to their busy lives. Our excisitng clients love getting crushed in our gym and love us for their beautifully sculpted bodies.
We'll be using this logo on our location signs, new website, tee shirts, water bottles- EVERYWHERE. Our goal is to open 100 gyms.
Here are some of our ideals and tag lines so you can get a picture of who we are and what we inspire.
"More is not better. Better is better." ~it's a better way to exercise, less time, more results
"We're specializing in revolutionizing YOU!"
"Start a revolution in your life, one workout at a time!"
"We will revolutionize you, one workout at a time!"
"Our aim is your fitness, one revolution at a time!"
"Get Results."
We are gym rats and so we need YOU for the creative part! BUT a little bit about what we like:
*funky fun fonts for sure
*we are trying to appeal to men and women
*we aren't just weights- we do a full strength training workout that feels like you've done weights AND gone for a big run or bike or swim! So we don't want to be limited to just dumbbells!
*We do want REV to be BIG and revolutionary exercise to be smaller
*We don't know if we just want a typeface or some sort of icon- HELP! we haven't thought of a great icon- so on this we need some ideas.
And we need it in formats that our website designer ( when we get one) can use and that we can send off for the shirts, water bottles and sign development.
Thanks in advance for helping us out!
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.

subset: commoncrawl


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REMINDER – Gerard Butler is scheduled to be on the BBC Radio 1 Scott Mills Show today (calling in) to participate in the "Oh What's Occurring" game during the show at 5:30pm (12:30pm ET).
You can listen to the podcast here. Scroll to the 1:27 time mark for Gerry's call in with Scott. [edited 9/15/09 at 8:38pm to add podcast link]
For those who missed Gerry on the show last week, listen here…
Gerard participated in The Elephant Project at the MTV VMA's. The Elephant Project is an organization to raise money and awareness for the Alzheimer's Association. There is a phrase that says, "elephants never forget," and in the fight against Alzheimer's we are striving for all those affected to "never forget." Because the elephant is the symbol of the project, we have celebrities pose with an elephant beanie baby and sign an Elephant Project card, which are then auctioned off with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer's Association. Gerry was very excited to participate and his elephant will soon be up for auction. For more information, please visit http://www.elephantproject.org!
The Ugly Truth will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 10th. Special features include Select Scenes, Filmmaker Commentary, Deleted and Extended Scenes, Alternate Endings, Gag Reel, The Truth Is Ugly: Capturing the Male & Female Point of View and The Art of Laughter: A Making of Hilarious Proportions. It is not yet available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Read more…
September 14 – Men's Final – US Open and Rebecca Minkoff Show – New York Fashion Week


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Printer Friendly Version
Standard ECMA-224
Private Integrated Services Network (PISN)
- Specification, Functional Model and Information Flows - Transit
Counter Additional Network Feature (ANF-TCSD)
2nd edition (June 1997)
ANF-TC is an additional network feature which limits the number of network
exchanges that a call request may transit during call establishment, e.g.
to protect the network against indefinite looping. There is no user involved
in the provision or operation of ANF-TC.
Additional network feature specifications are produced in three stages,
according to the method described in ETS 300 387. This Standard contains the stage 1 and stage 2 specifications of ANF-TC. The stage 1 specification (clause 6) specifies the general feature
principles and capabilities. The stage 2 specification (clause 7) identifies
the functional entities involved in the feature and the information flows
between them.
The following file can be freely downloaded:
This Ecma publication is also approved as ISO/IEC 15055.
The previous replaced "historical" edition of this Ecma Standard is available here.


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In the category, "You know that things are spinning wildly in the media world... "
The "in" basket this morning contained a press release offering an interview with a former Denver Broncos player who was available to talk about the Peyton Manning circus.
The NFL faithful in the office have no idea who the former player is.
Add new comment
Read and share your thoughts on this story


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You are here
The Natchitoches Farmers Market will SET up shop Saturday from April 28th through July 28th. Visit 20 to 30 vendors, listen to live music, enjoy food & drinks and learn by participating in activities and demonstrations. The Farmers Market also offers $5.00 in free Kids Club Tokens to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables for the first 50 children ages 2-13! We accept cash, credit, debit, and SNAP.


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Suffolk County District Court - Criminal & Traffic Division
Criminal Court future case information and dates is available at WebCrims:
cases filed in First District Court Criminal Court - docket numbers "20YYSU######"
WebCrims shows future dates for criminal court cases by searching by defendant's name or docket number, or get a list of calendared cases for a future date in a District Court criminal courtroom (choose "Criminal Court" for Court field, use the courtroom for Court Part field, without suffix). WebCrims does not show Bench or Arrest Warrants, cases without a future court date, or finished cases.
The public windows are open
Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM until 4:30 PM.
Arraignments are conducted every day of the year in Courtroom D-11 at 9:30 a.m.
Adjournment requests are not considered by email, phone or fax.
Court Frequently Asked Questions
see the FAQs for information on the Waiver of Production, Inmate Video Conferences, and Certificates of Relief from Civil Disabilities
development ...
Frequently Asked Questions - Traffic Matters
Frequently Asked Questions - Town Ordinance violations


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About Tiers
The Tiers program is IMVU's way of rewarding Creators for their great work and contributions. The Tiers program was designed to support our activity community base by measuring them on both activities common to all and those that are unique to the individual. In a sense earning Tiers is like a game, it is merit based, so the more hard work that you put in, the better your result will be. However unlike many games, there isn't just one winner, everyone can excel in the Tiers program, it all just depends upon how much work you are willing to do.
All Creators earn a Tier level, and you are not required to do any work to earn your level. But wait didn't we just say the more you work the more you earn? Yes, we did, but we don't feel the Tiers should program should be a requirement, more of a passive system of earned rewards, based on what you want to do naturally. Of course that doesn't stop you from being ambitious and putting in more to earn more.
Currently the Tiers system goes from level 0 (New Creators) to level 7. All Creators earn tier points based on two sets of unique attributes that we group together into two buckets: Core and Unique. These set of attributes are measured once a month and the final score is tallied up and used to determine your Tier for that month. For each attribute we try and look back at 90 days of history. Certain attributes might look at all time, and others might have less data because either you or they are new to Tiers. At the start of every month everyone is given a Tier level, one month you might be a 4 and the next a 5, or vice versa.
The inner guts of our system is a fairly sophisticated system that analyzes everyone's data, and determines what should be the normal distribution to earn tier points per attribute. All attributes can earn between 0 -3 points. If you are the best in an attribute you'll get the full 3 points. Because of the way our system works, all attributes are recalculated every month to reflect the trends in activity for the prior 90 days. This ensures that the system is always reflecting the latest level of work by the entire community and that everyone stands a chance to get to the top.
Your Tier score is tallied by adding up your Core and Unique attributes. The Core attributes are those that are common to all Creators. While the Unique ones are common measurements, but you as an individual may only participate in a few. Currently the system takes all of the Core attributes and adds those scores to the best of your three Unique scores. This ensures that only the things you really excel at will be counted over any other Unique attributes. Listed below are all of the current attributes tracked:
- Core
Income (credits)
Income (promo credits)
Sales (derived)
Sales (direct)
- Unique
Average product rating
CC Forum posts
Peer Review activity
Products in the catalog
Products recently submitted
Once your final score is determined, you're assigned your Tier level (again from 0 (new) to 7). Once assigned all levels last for 30 days, and then recalculated again. During that period you'll have access to any benefits you've earned because of your Tier level. Benefits are rewards that are granted to all Creators based on their Tier level. The higher your level the better benefits you earn. The current list of benefits are:
- 10% per tier level discount on product submission.
- Increased credit transfer limits.
- Tier levels 5 and above are awarded Pro Creator status.
That's pretty much it to the Tiers system. Just to recap:
- The Tiers system is passively applied to every Creator. You earn rewards just by doing what you normally do
- You can earn more points and thus more rewards by putting in more work. It's your choice
- Scores and levels are calculated once a month at the start of the month
- Attributes try to use the prior 90 days of information where possible to calculate your scores
- All attributes are recalculated every month to determine a fair distribution of points
- Everyone can earn their way to Tier level 7, staying there forever is different matter
- Tier levels can go up or down all depending upon what you did in the past 90 days
Good luck and we hope you see you all at Tier 7!


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the official video:
I don't need you to change, as you are amazing just the way you are..
*ps, change all the she to you, her into you
anyway what did you do to spent your 10.10.10 10:10?
I was sleeping at that time ;)
great youtube videos !
ahh i love this song! :D
first time here !
i loveee the song as well ;)
holy crap the girls are sooooo gooodd!!
thanks so much for sharing. i love this song so much!
and azn girl with british accent? awesome :)! lol
yeahh!! love bruno mars!! two tumbs up for 'just the way you are'! love the jason chen's version :D
i actually didn't realize until much later when i read a facebook status about it!
am from indo but studying in Sydney now. haha :D
i wish i could bump into them someday. ;p
well, sure ! would you mind exchange link? follow me back/? ;) thnks
great videos!!
(new post: Paloma and me & follow me)
great videos!!!
like your blog!
donee done ;))
have a good weekend !
I love that song. I really do! And these acoustic versions are good too!
Love the second one :)
waauw the first one is so great!! fabulous post :)
you have a great blog!
hope you come visit/follow me :)
hands down to Jayesslee! our fave, aren't they?! pretty girls with awesome voices. great covers!
great post and song x
God these are absolutely amazing! Hmm... I don't think I did anything special for 10-10-10... to me it's really just a date! x
Love it!!!
(new post: Overknee-socks-week | Outfit nr.1 & follow me)
aww.. this is the best song I've ever heard. I kept on listening to this song for a few weeks and I still love it!
I love this song.. just the way you are! =)


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By clicking "Yes" to "Do you agree with all the terms and conditions above" in the Terms of Use box on the registration page of the GO™ website, the user agrees that the following terms and conditions and those of the General Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, as defined below, are an agreement between the user (referred to below as the applicant) and the Western States Arts Federation ("WESTAF"), a Colorado nonprofit corporation.
1. Certain Definitions.For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions apply whether used with or without capitalization:
"Agreement" shall mean this Agreement as agreed to and accepted by the applicant's actions in clicking "Yes" in the Terms of Use box on the registration page of the GO™ Website.
"Application" shall mean the information requested by a Subscriber soliciting applications through the GO™ Service concerning an Applicant and which is submitted by an Applicant to a Subscriber through use of the GO™ Service.
"Applicant" shall mean the individual user referred to in the introductory paragraph of this Agreement as the person taking action to accept the terms of this Agreement, and, when used in the plural, shall mean two or more persons who have each taken such action.
"Database" shall mean the database of applications and related media data maintained on the website.
"GO™ service" or "Service" shall mean the web-based service, owned and made available by WESTAF through the website, which creates and maintains a database to accept applications and to hold and manage the data to review applications in online modules which includes a browser interface; data encryption; and transmission of, access to, and storage of such applications and related data.
"Media data" shall mean digital media, including, but not limited to, images, audio, video, and document (such as PDF, Word or Excel) files, uploaded by Applicants through the GO™ Service as part of their applications and which include tangible works and materials describing those works which are submitted through the GO™ Service. The copyright to works submitted by Applicant remains with Applicant.
"Subscriber" shall mean an awarding body or agency which has acquired rights from WESTAF to accept and manage its applications and awards online through the GO™ Service and includes such awarding body's or agency's users of the Service.
"Website" shall mean the site on the World Wide Web through which Applicant last clicked to reach this Agreement or such other URL address and website provided by WESTAF which is maintained under the GO™: GRANTS ONLINE or GO™ trademarks, or both, for the submission of applications and related media data by Applicant.
2. Submission of Applications and Media Data. Applicant's submission of applications and media data through the GO™ Service shall, as between Applicant and WESTAF, be under and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. The terms and conditions of Applicant's submission of applications and media data to a Subscriber reached between the Applicant and such Subscriber shall not alter or in any way change the terms of this Agreement.
3. WESTAF's Limited Obligations. WESTAF's obligation to the Applicant is to transmit and store applications and media data as described by the GO™ Service. WESTAF does not verify the completeness or quality of applications or media data.
4. Grant of Limited Rights; No Copyright Transfer. Applicant hereby grants to WESTAF a nonexclusive license to use Applicant's applications and media data for the following limited purposes: (a) to permit WESTAF to transmit the applications and media data, to the Subscribers to which Applicant has submitted applications; (b) to store, transmit, and distribute such applications and media data over public networks and in various media; and (c) to permit their retrieval and use by such Subscribers through the GO™ Service (the "limited license"). The use of Applicant's applications and media data includes the right to adapt, change, modify, and translate the applications and media data and to create derivative works of them to carry out the purposes of the limited license. The limited license granted does not include any assignment or transfer of the copyright in Applicant's applications and media data to WESTAF and does not include any right to otherwise reproduce, digitize, edit, modify, distribute, or publicly display the the applications and media data, in whole or in part.
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NASCAR & Auto Racing
Greg Biffle wins Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan
Greg Biffle may have had a sense he could win Sunday but he also had plenty of common sense as well.
When Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards asked if Biffle, then the race leader, would slow to help Edwards remove trash from his front grille with 35 of 200 laps remaining, Biffle declined.
"This is my chance to win today, right here, and (Jimmie Johnson) is coming. I don't know if you know that or not, but (Johnson) is coming," Biffle said his response was at the time.
As it turned out, a flat-tire ended Johnson's charge with three laps remaining and Biffle held off Kevin Harvick to win the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway for his first Sprint Cup Series victory of the year.
The win was also the 1,000th for Ford Motor Co. in NASCAR competition covering its three national series – Cup, Nationwide and Trucks.
It seemed only appropriate Biffle was the one to reach the milestone as he has accumulated 19 Cup wins, 20 Nationwide wins and 16 wins in Trucks in his career – all but two while driving a Ford.
"As far as the 1,000 wins that Ford has had here in NASCAR, it's over 50 years, and we've been involved just over half of that time," said Jack Roush, Biffle's team owner.
"There have been a lot of great teams and a lot of great drivers that have been part of that, and we're just glad and honored to be a part of that history."
The victory helped put Biffle in excellent position to qualify for the Chase this season and compete for the series championship – something he said he wasn't sure he would be able to do just two weeks ago.
"We went to Pocono with a good car and finished second, got ourselves 10th in points. When I left there I still wasn't a believer that we're all in the safety zone yet," Biffle said.
"Now, I believe that we've gained a little bit more on it, on the set-ups, and we're gaining bits and pieces on the aero(dynamics)."
Biffle's realization that in order to secure the win he still had to deal with Johnson is further evidence Biffle and his No. 16 team know they still have work to do to stay on par with the five-time series champion.
"You've got to compete with the top-five cars every week, or you don't stand a chance in the Chase. We're at that point at Pocono and here, but we've got to do that at all these other race tracks, as well," he said.
"I feel like we can be a serious contender over what we've just done in these two short weeks. I think (if) we continue to work hard in the next 10 weeks, we'll be there."
Martin Truex Jr. finished third, Kyle Busch was fourth and Tony Stewart was fifth.
Johnson, who was forced to pit in the final laps with the tire issue, finished 28th and still maintains a 31-point lead over Edwards.
Johnson's bad finish was the final piece of what was nearly an unprecedented day for Hendrick Motorsports, which saw all four of its teams finish outside the Top 25 in the race for the first time since June 2005.
With as well as the HMS teams have run this season, their absence from contention for the win vastly opened the door to several new contenders on Sunday.
Harvick's runner-up finish moved him to fourth in the series standings, while Stewart's fifth-place finish helped him move into the top 10 in points for the first time this season.
Stewart's finish was even more impressive considering he began the weekend by wrecking his primary car in Friday's first practice.
"I think we definitely got a lot of luck there at the end, but we'll definitely take it for sure because we haven't had much to this point in the year," Stewart said.
"I'm definitely proud of the effort this week. We weren't very good all weekend. I made a mistake on Friday and crashed the primary car, so this team had to work hard and do a lot to get us where we (finished)."


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If you're walking in San Francisco, more or less in the Union Square area, there's a reasonable chance that you'll walk past Burritt Street, just off Bush Street, and if you keep your eyes peeled you'll see this plaque:
This is a real plaque commemorating a fictional murder that takes place in Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon. Is it the only plaque of its kind in the world? I assume not, though I don't believe I've ever seen or heard of another. (Actually since I wrote the above, well-wishers have made me aware of a plaque to Sherlock Holmes in Baker Street).
Now, not so very far from Burritt Street (inside The Mystic Hotel – yes, it's really called that) you'll find the Burritt Room and Tavern, which claims to be "heavily influenced by film noir."
I'm not sure that Dashiell Hammett or any of his characters would have had much time for the Burritt Room's craft cocktail menu, and gawd knows what he'd have made of the cocktail dedicated to Lemmy of Motorhead, the Ace of Spades: "Jack Daniel's Old No. 7, Smith + Cross, Wormwood, Complimentary Cigar Bitters ." Nah, I don't know what "complimentary cigar bitters" are either and I wasn't motivated to find out.
Anyway, one of my companions had something called Snake Eyes "Gin, Pear Liqueur, Cactus Syrup, Absinthe, Lemon, Seltzer" (that's it on the left, below) which was declared to be a girly drink, without any bang for your buck whatsoever. It was a "girl" who said this. But the martini was perfectly serviceable.
And you know me, whenever I wander the streets of San Francisco, even when not slightly bagged, I always seem to see a thousand and one martini signs. This one, I think is, possibly the least promising I've ever seen:
This one is certainly among the best I've ever seen, although the place is a dive (in a good way) and I dare anybody to go in there and ask to see their craft cocktail list.
Dashiell Hammett by all accounts was a bad drunk, insulting people, falling down in the gutter, and as far as I can see he wasn't all that much of a walker (though there are certainly walking tours of Hammett's San Francisco). However, I did just find a couple of anecdotes, one about drunkenness, one about walking, in Diane Johnson's Dashiell Hammett: A Life.
According to Hannah Weinstein (a political activist, film producer, and one of Lillian Hellman's best friends) Hammett was once in a restaurant with her in Chicago, and was giving the waiter a hard time. When the waiter asked what he wanted to order he replied, "How do we know till we've tried what you have?" And then he ordered everything on the menu. "I could have died of shame," said Weinstein.
Dorothy Nebel (wife of the author Frederick Nebel) tells the story of Hammett and a group of his drinking pals in a bar in New York discussing the "the indifference of New Yorkers." "Someone said he could probably walk down the street naked and no one would turn to look." Well, Hammett didn't try that, but he did reckon that nobody would notice if he walked down the street with an open umbrellas on what was then a beautiful clear evening.
Not the severest test, I'd have thought, but anyway he and his pal Fred walked from from the bar, up Lexington to 42nd Street over to Fifth and back to the bar "and not a single person turned to stare."
Actually I'm not sure whether this is a mark of indifference or respect. The typical New Yorker would surely be thinking, "Hey pal if you want to walk under an umbrella when it's not raining you go ahead, it's nobody's business but yours." Though of course he wouldn't say it aloud. In San Francisco it might be different, though I suppose the picture below actually shows a parasol.
Dashiell Hammett had a comparatively short career as a writer of fiction – five novels published between 1929 and 1934, although he wrote a lot of short stories that were repackaged in various forms, not least the Dell "map back" editions: nice pulp covers on the front and maps on the back so you could, if you chose, walk the route taken by Hammett's characters. There'll be plenty of places to stop for a drink, too.


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No. 666 tee c/o Killer Condo, faux leather laced-up pants via eBay, Ann Demeulemeester triple-lace boots, Jil Sander shades, BOYY Slash bag, pink druzy & speckled jasper cocktail rings (right index & middle) c/o Hard Candy Gems; "Love Angels" rosary necklace, tri-color "Serpent" ring (left middle), & "Poison" earrings c/o Vanessa Mooney; lapis ring (left index) & random sterling ring (right ring) both vintage, all bracelets purchased by Bobby in Europe except for the Tiffany's padlock.
I got these pants for dirt cheap off of glorious eBay, along with a cornucopia of other sick pants, leggings, and overalls (yes, overalls -- and yes, I made them look badass), which you'll see in the very remote future. The shirt was sent to me from the amazing people over at Killer Condo ... it is also available in black, which I have as well. KC's tees are so soft and whenever I wear them out, I get a slew of "omg-where-did-you-get-that-shirt" compliments from passer-bys. Love, love, love. I'm also loving my new pink druzy ring, courtesy of Hard Candy Gems. HCG's treasures are not only stand-out gaudy-gorgeous, but amazingly comfortable; both my husband and I wear their rings on a daily basis. I have purchased statement pieces online for triple the price of what a Hard Candy Gems piece runs for, only to be disappointed by the crappy quality. Trust this woman when I say this to you right now: you CANNOT go wrong with HCG.
I'm going to end this post on an extremely positive note by making a very exciting announcement. I'm so honored that Troma Productions (the legendary horror film company responsible for classics like the Toxic Avenger series, Terror Firmer, and Blood Sucking Freaks) contacted the nefarious scoundrels at Käärme Concepts and asked us to provide the costumes for their current production, Return to Nuke 'Em High. Return to Nuke 'Em High will be the fourth installment in the Nuke 'Em High series (read more on Nuke 'Em High here, and we at Käärme are majorly pumped to see our gear on the Cretins, the leading ladies, and the other cast members. So we're warning you now: watch Return to Nuke 'Em High when it unleashes itself on Netflix, Redbox, On Demand, etc etc etc, or we'll make sure the next joint you smoke is radioactive weed and you puke a baby monster into a toilet bowl ;)
Class of Nuke 'Em High - 1986
More soon! I've been killin' it with semi-frequent posting, yeah?


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Today Politico Arena asks:
How does the Koran burning controversy relate to the Ground Zero mosque controversy?
My response:
As with the controversy over the Ground Zero mosque, Rev. Terry Jones and his tiny band of followers have a perfect right to burn Korans, but it would be well beyond insensitive to do so. Yet where are the establishment voices drawing the parallels? Where is President Obama, leaping to his defense?
Instead, we find the likes of the editorialists at the New York Times giving moral instruction to benighted New Yorkers, two-thirds of whom oppose siting a mosque at Ground Zero even as they defend Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf's right to build it there. Meanwhile, last evening on the PBS NewsHour, the very essence of establishment TV, the sole guest on the Koran-burning segment, George Washington University's Marc Lynch, lamented that across the Arab media, "on the jihadist forums, the newspapers, everywhere, there is a lot of focus on the fact that America right now is in the grip of this – of this trend towards anti-Islamic rhetoric and – and actions." The fact? What Islamophobic "grip" are Americans in? As the most recent records show, hate crimes against Jews in America are 10 times more frequent than against Muslims.


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Deputy Linda
Behind the scenes of UNDER THE DOME with Natalie Martinez. When the town begins to run low on water, the residents of Chester's Mill begin to fight for the remaining resources. Meanwhile, Julia discovers a strange connection that two of the town's residents have with the Dome, on UNDER THE DOME, Monday, July 29 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.. Photo: James Bridges/©2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.


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Alicia Silverstone isn't down with down. The actress-turned-vegan-lifestyle-guru and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are putting up a united front to urge holiday shoppers to avoid products that include duck or goose feathers. In a behind-the-scenes video released Thursday, Silverstone describes the cruelty millions of birds endure as they're plucked for their feathers each year. "Many birds used for down have their feathers yanked out of their skin, sometimes several times a year, while they are still alive," she says. "The terrified birds are pinned down while hurried workers rip fistfuls of feathers from their sensitive bodies, often plucking them so violently that they actually tear open the birds' skin."
Buying down can also support foie gras, which is banned in California and many parts of the world. Foie gras producers often boost their bottom line by selling the feathers of ducks and geese that are force-fed so their livers swell by up to 10 times their normal size, says Silverstone.
Buying down can also support foie gras, which is banned in California and many parts of the world.
Buying down can also support foie gras, which is banned in California and many parts of the world.
On many farms, birds are typically confined in tiny cages, sometimes in the dark. "They're denied everything that is natural and important to them, including water to swim and bathe in and the opportunity to forage for food," she adds. At the slaughterhouse, birds used for their down and feathers are hung upside down while still alive and stunned with electricity before they're plunged into scalding-hot "defeathering" tanks.
"No matter where it comes from, down is a product of cruelty to birds," Silverstone says. "We like to imagine that birds are walking around and their feathers are falling off and we just collect them in little baskets and be so lovely. That ain't happening."
This isn't the first time Silverstone's teamed up with PETA. In 2007, the Clueless star posed nude to tout the benefits of veganism.


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Pieces of Houston history to be auctioned at Mesinger sale
Houston Chronicle society columnist Maxine Mesinger knew them all: the city's rich and famous, Hollywood and Broadway stars, presidents and queens.
The Houston institution covered the biggest names in the news in her Big City Beat column. And she saved all that she collected from those glory days - fine art, antiques, mementos and precious signed photos.
When Mesinger died in 2001, her family decided what they called "the Maxine Mesinger Memorial Museum" should remain intact.
But after her beloved husband, Emil, passed away in June, the couple's adult son and daughter decided to auction the vast collection, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Maxine Mesinger Multiple Sclerosis Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine.
In the midst of her glory days, the Mesinger family lived at the old Shamrock Hilton Hotel, and son Jay Mesinger remembers his childish delight in tents pitched by the side of the enormous hotel pool and the joy of calling room service for his friends. He also remembers visiting stars including Frank Sinatra, Tommy Tune, Carol Channing, Liza Minnelli - the list of luminaries just went on and on.
"It was not uncommon," he remembers, "to wake up in the middle of the night to rousing laughter."
Items to be auctioned Saturday range from Tune's tap shoe to a signed Muhammad Ali red boxing glove to a collage of autographed celebrity photos, most with personal notes to Mesinger. Gilt bronze frames with photos of the columnist with Barbara Walters and Channing are up for sale, as is an antique frame holding a photo of Mesinger with Sinatra, who took her along when he toured Africa.
Antique furniture, French chandeliers, handwoven rugs and jewelry will be auctioned along with her antique walking sticks. An original Bob Mackie illustration for a gown designed for Mitzi Gaynor and later given to Mesinger also is included. (The gown is part of the Maxine Mesinger Archive at the University of Houston.)
The sale will be a walk down memory lane for the many fans of Mesinger, a native Houstonian who wrote her Chronicle column for more than 35 years. Her last column appeared only a month before she died at age 75 of complications from multiple sclerosis.
"What's happening, honey?" was a common Mesinger question. Or she'd say in her throaty growl, "I'm a news person. I could cover World War III."
Mesinger served as a faithful but surprisingly discreet chronicler of Houston society.
"Maxine would tell the truth," friend Joan Schnitzer Levy remembers, "but she would say it in such a way that nobody got offended. She never printed anything that was not nice."
In her columns, she was "Miss Moonlight," she "snooped to conquer," friends and sources lived in "swankiendas" and went on "playcations," and it was always wise to "slow down for the low down."
But Mesinger did not live a life that was all glamour and glitz. Friend Linda McReynolds remembers when Mesinger's multiple sclerosis advanced to the point that she needed a wheelchair full-time.
"Maxine was a private person in some ways," McReynolds remembers, and she didn't want to be viewed as disabled.
"It only controls you if you let it," McReynolds told her, and Mesinger quickly agreed. "If I can encourage others with disabilities, then it's for the good," she said.
Together, the two women raised millions for research for both AIDS and multiple sclerosis.
In addition to the auction proceeds that will go to the Baylor clinic, profits from the sale of Mesinger's old Smith & Corona typewriter - the one she used to bang out her early Chronicle columns - will go to a scholarship fund in her name at the University of Houston.
More Information
Mesinger auction
When: 1 p.m Saturday
Where: Morton Auctioneers and Appraisers, 4901 Richmond
Inventory: mortonhouston.com
On the auction block
Items from Maxine Mesinger's estate include:
A 19-piece collection of Frank Sinatra memorabilia with a plaque-style invitation to a Caesar's Palace event celebrating his 40 years in show business.
Two of Maxine's favorite things, caviar and Tony's, combined to create "Caviar at Tony's" - a group including a large porcelain service plate with Tony's logo by "Tiffany & Co." and a silver-plate and glass caviar server (unmarked) together with five elegant caviar spoons.
A 20th-century Louis XV Provincal-style ladies desk with leather top, from her home office.
A lady's 14-carat yellow gold and hand-carved jade ring.
A "royal" collection of photos contains one of Mesinger with Queen Elizabeth. A photo of Joan Rivers greeting Prince Charles is signed: "Dearest Maxine and Emil - At least if I'm not with you I'm still in good company. Love, Joan." Three sets of four Cartier crystal flutes in their original presentation boxes.
A richly ornamented gilt bronze and crystal chandelier in the Louis XVI manner.
Six 19th-century French, Louis XIII-style walnut chairs.
Signed, first-edition books.


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Editors' note, November 25, 2013: Due to increasingly stronger competition in the tablet space, CNET has lowered the score of the Nook HD.
The Nook HD is light, comfortable, and has the sharpest screen of any current 7-inch tablet. With full access to the Google Play store, "limited app availability" can now be crossed off as its major caveat.
The Nook HD's higher resolution screen makes movies and games look sharper than on any other small tablet. The OS still feels like a walled garden, but with access to now tons of apps and media content, that doesn't matter as much as it did when the tablet first launched.
While the Nexus 7 is still the best small tablet, the Nook HD's low price (especially now), sharp screen, expandable memory, and great app selection significantly increases its appeal.
Starting at only $129, the Nook HD is one of the best small tablets you can buy.
I spent days comparing the Nook HD to the top 7-inch tablets available and if there's anything I've learned in that time it's this: the devil's in the details. From a cursory glance, the average consumer might have a difficult time distinguishing one black, gray, or white slate from the next, but it's the little things that set them apart. Stuff like weight, corner design, bezel width, and texture are small things that play a big part in comfort and feel.
The Nook HD comes in both smoke (medium gray) and snow (kind of like ivory) and has a soft, rubberized back with a volume rocker on the top-right edge and a power/sleep button opposite it on the left. On the bottom edge are a custom 30-pin charging connector and a microSD card slot covered with a door. The tablet includes a 30-pin to USB cable that plugs into the included AC adapter. Dual speakers sit on the lower back and the top edge of the tablet seat a headphone jack and microphone.
In middle of the bottom border, right above the bezel, is the hardware home button, last seen on the Nook Tablet. Like on the iPad, the home button is a great "just press this if things get confusing" solution for the ever-evolving tablet interface. Unfortunately, there's no built-in camera, no ambient light sensor, no Micro-USB, and no HDMI port.
The Nook HD's corners are smoothly rounded and at only 0.69 pound, it's the lightest 7-inch tablet available and feels perfectly comfortable when held. The device is as thick (depth-wise) as the Nexus 7 and a bit thicker than the Fire HD and though it's wider than the Nexus 7, it's noticeably narrower than the almost-too-wide Fire HD. Held vertically, the side bezel's width just about matches the Nexus 7; however you get a little extra space due to the black borders surrounding the Nook's screen.
|Barnes & Noble Nook HD
|Amazon Kindle Fire HD
|Google Nexus 7
|Apple iPad Mini
|Weight in pounds
|Width in inches (landscape)
|Height in inches
|Depth in inches
|Side bezel width in inches (landscape)
Even with its light weight, the Nook HD's build feels solid and durable; however, it proves susceptible to screen warping with enough pressure in the right place. Applying pressure to the back or along the right bezel yields a visible screen warping effect on the tablet' screen. Now, screen warping occurs to some extent on nearly every tablet; however, if you're just holding the Nook HD while reading a book or watching a movie, you'll likely have no cause to apply enough pressure to your Nook HD for this to be a problem.
The interface
The Nook HD's operating system uses Ice Cream Sandwich as its base, with a custom-designed skin that feels like an evolution of the original Nook Tablet's OS. The home screen sports a light gray, slightly textured aesthetic that permeates through all native apps and menus. The home screen shows Library, Apps, Web, Email, and Shop options near the bottom with a global search bar underneath. Directly above is a space to organize your content shortcut icons, and near the top of the screen sits your content carousel.
In the top-right edge of the screen is Your Nook Today, which shows the current weather as well as book and movie recommendations based on recent additions to your library. Also, if the opt-out-of-ads kerfuffle for the Fire HD turned you off, you'll be pleased to know that Barnes & Noble has no such ads on its tablets.
Settings can be accessed by tapping the gear at the very top right of the screen and includes options too many to name. If you've ever used a tablet before however, there's nothing included in the settings that will surprise you. The default software keyboard, thankfully, includes a tab, but typing didn't feel as as accurate as it does on the Nexus 7.
Nook Profiles can be accessed from the upper left-hand corner and allows users to set up multiple profiles on a single tablet. With a simple tap of the profile photo at the top of the screen, you can choose to switch to a new profile almost instantly. Once in the new profile, that user's content (and only that user's content) will be displayed and accessible. Lock-screen switching is also possible. Both adult and child profiles can be accessed and passwords can be added to adult profiles, ensuring that not just anyone can access your content. Nook profiles are simple to implement and feel secure and useful, likely appealing to families on a budget.
Overall, the interface is much cleaner and intuitive than the Nook Tablet's; however, I still have a few problems with navigation. As much as I like the Home button, I feel the interface relies on it a bit too much. If looking at a magazine for example, there's no built-in navigation to view all magazines and you're forced to use the home button and then navigate to another piece of content if you want to switch. Not a huge deal, but it's annoying in the moment.
Now PLAYing: Google!
As of version 2.1.0 of the Nook OS, both the Nook HD and Nook HD+ include full Google Play support. All apps, music, videos, books, and magazines available on Google Play can now be downloaded directly to the Nook HD tablets. The Nook Store and its content is still available.
The chief criticism of the Nook HD tablets when they launched was the severely limited apps and media content ecosystem. With the additional of Google Play however, this effectively becomes an non-issue. Google Play is second only to iOS in terms of available content.
Chrome is now the default Web browser and all (aside from Google now) Google service apps -- Gmail, Magazines, and Books, etc. -- are automatically downloaded to the tablet once the update is installed.
Nook OS
If you have an Ultraviolet account, any movies added to your digital UltraViolet library will show up in your Nook HD+ library as well. A Netflix app is also available, but there are no plans to bring HBO Go just yet. The tablet supports MP4, 3GP, WEBM, and AVI video files, and MKV files.
Thanks to its high-resolution screen, text in books is crisp and clean whether in Google Books or the Nook's own book app. On the Kindle Fire HD, reading options like X-Ray, the percentage-read counter, and immersion reading may give Amazon's tablet the slight edge here. For a pure reading experience on a large tablet, though, the Nook HD+ the best current solution thanks to its lightweight and comfortable build.
Like pure Android tablets, the Nook HD does not have access to the Amazon Instant Video app. Right now, the app is only available on Kindle Fire tablets and iOS devices. Something to consider if, like myself, you're an Amazon Prime member with a heavy Amazon video streaming habit.
The Nook's magazine app is still the preferred way to view your favorite periodicals. I includes a smooth page-turning effect and the option to easily cut any page and include it in a virtual scrapbook. So, depending on your magazine(s) of choice, you could easily make a workout or recipes scrapbook, which is a lot less cumbersome than taking screenshots. Unfortunately, your clippings are only stored locally and (probably thanks to copyright laws) there's no way to share them online. You can, however, share them with other profiles on your Nook HD+.


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Email the website coordinator or use the suggestion form.
*This site is produced by the Caltrans Division of Environmental Analysis (DEA) and Division of Local Assistance (DLA).
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This site adheres to the current required standard for accessibility required by the California Department of Transportation:
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The SER web site consists of two major components: web page templates and content. The templates control the layout or "look-and-feel" of the site. The SER uses the required State of California web site templates, which have their own accessibility standards.
The content of the site is comprised of web page content and download-able documents. All web page content meets the minimum standards for Caltrans (above).
Links to web sites outside the SER are identified with the icon. Although the SER editors make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the SER, we cannot be responsible for the content of sites that are linked from the SER.
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Be aware, take care, schools open Thursday
August 7, 2013
Public schools open across Lee County next Thursday. An estimated 86,000 students, ranging from kindergarten through high school, will return to the classroom as the new school year gets under way....
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MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University's rowing crew raised $288 Thursday for Alternative Spring Break as part of its Annual Ergathon on campus.
The money will be used to support a university group that elects not to enjoy a traditional spring break, but donates its time in other ways. The Bucs crew rowed for three hours on the machines on the lawn in front of Thompson Hall on campus Thursday afternoon.
Those still wishing to donate can do so by contacting the rowing coach Dave Sanderson at firstname.lastname@example.com or by sending a check to:
Barry University Alternative Spring Break
11300 NE Second Ave.
Miami Shores, Fla. 33161
"I am extremely proud of the team for their efforts during the ergathon," Sanderson said. "Every member of the team contributed in a meaningful way and our captains, Kelly Harrison and Kristina Boncheva, did a fantastic job organizing this annual team community service event. We can't wait for next year's event."


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The most recent book of Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, Garry Wills, is Head and Heart: American Christianities. The chapters on religion during the Revolutionary Era show how far the USA today has drifted from the plan of our founders (1).
If you're a regular listener to NPR news programs, you're probably familiar with the occasional brief commentary during the morning or evening news programs by experts in various fields; people providing insight into public affairs, observations on the arts, and thoughts on how we live. This page contains transcripts and/or audio recordings of local commentaries that have aired on WYSU.


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Singer Josh Groban has opened up about his relationship with January Jones, and admitted he also enjoyed a few dates with fellow "goofball" Katy Perry.
Groban, who usually keeps quiet about his private life, has now revealed he was "madly in love" with the actress, who he dated in 2003 for two and a half years.
In a candid chat with Details magazine, he says, "We were madly in love. It was definitely my longest relationship. … I'd love to get into another serious relationship. I am a real romantic at heart."
When quizzed about rumors linking him to Perry, Groban remained tight-lipped and insisted, "We're very good friends. We met before her first album was even released, and we hit it off because we're both goofballs."
But when pressed, Groban admitted, "We might have skated on the line of dating."


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Sustainable Lincoln Overview
The City of Lincoln has long been proud of its high quality of life, its tradition of environmental stewardship, and its engaged community members. On March 27, 2012 another exciting chapter in this tradition was begun with the first meeting of the Sustainable Lincoln Blue Ribbon Leadership Team to help guide our community into an even more sustainable future.
The Sustainable Lincoln Blue Ribbon Leadership Team includes a broad cross-section of the community with interests in the environment, sustainable planning, and the social and economic future of Lincoln. Knowing that what matters is what's measured, the Blue Ribbon Leadership Team is charged with reviewing recommendations for measurable community-wide sustainability indicator targets in the following areas: air, water, land, waste, transportation, energy, and community.
The eighteen community leaders on the Blue Ribbon Leadership Team will now produce the first Sustainable Lincoln plan, meeting through July, 2012. This plan will give the City of Lincoln and the broader community a set of sustainability indicators and measurable targets that will help breathe concrete life into the City and County's new comprehensive plan, LPlan2040.
LPlan 2040's shared vision for our community's future includes a promise to make Lincoln a sustainable city, meeting the needs of residents today without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Throughout Lincoln today there is already so much productive activity, both private and public, helping to realize this shared vision.
The Sustainable Lincoln plan will be a first draft of what is expected to be a regularly updated planning and accountability tool that is just right for Lincoln. This tool will help organize and direct our community's efforts to realize this sustainable future, including through our Taking Charge budget process and associated local policymaking.
Please use this site to see more information on Sustainable Lincoln, including the proposed targets for each sustainability indicator (air, water, land, waste, energy, transportation, and community), future meeting dates of the Blue Ribbon Leadership Team, background information and resources used, and reports on the process.


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MinGW ("Minimalistic GNU for Windows") is a collection of freely available and freely distributable Windows specific header files and import libraries combined with GNU toolsets that allow one to produce native Windows programs that do not rely on any 3rd-party C runtime DLLs.
Full description
MinGW refers to a set of runtime headers, used in building a compiler system based on the GNU GCC and binutils projects. It compiles and links code to be run on Win32 platforms... providing C, C++ and Fortran compilers plus other related tools. If you see references to "mingw32" instead of "MinGW", they are referring to the same compiler system. The project's name changed from mingw32 to MinGW is to prevent the implication that MinGW will only works on 32 bit systems (as 64 and higher bit machines become more common, MinGW will evolve to work with them). MinGW uses the Microsoft runtime libraries, distributed with the Windows operating system. Unlike other ports of GCC to Windows, the runtime libraries are not distributed using GNU's General Public License (GPL). You, therefore, do not have to distribute your source code with your programs unless, of course, you use a GPL library in your programs. Initially, MinGW was an assortment of individual packages... the MinGW runtime, various applications built using that runtime (gcc, ld, etc.), and other useful components (the w32api headers needed to code for the Win32 API). Developers "rolled their own" MinGW environments by downloading the latest versions of each individual package needed. This was necessary given the dynamic nature of early package versions (updates being posted constantly)... but was oftentimes confusing for newbies, and made it difficult for application/library vendors to design products that build with a "standard" MinGW environment. Therefore, around mid-2001 when development had matured and updates were not being packaged as rapidly, the decision was made to create a single-file distribution of the standard MinGW environment. This single archive contains the files from each component package, bundled and ready to extract. The individual component packages are still available for download... if a particular package is updated in between releases of the overall distribution, it's possible to simply drop the newer package in place over a distribution install.
Packages included in MinGW
- binutils - Assembler, linker, ...
- mingw-runtime - Headers and libraries for the C library
- w32api - Windows API header files and libraries
- gcc-core - C compiler
- gcc-g++ - C++ compiler
- gcc-objc - Objective C compiler
- gcc-gfortran - Fortran 90 compiler
- gcc-java - Java compiler
- gcc-ada - Ada compiler
- mingw-gdb - Windows native build of GNU debugger
- mingw32-make - Windows native build of GNU make
- mingw-utils - Miscellaneous utilities
Contents of MinGW Packages
- binutils: A native port of the GNU binutils. Amongst other tools, this package contains the assembler and linker, which will transform the output of the compiler into a binary executable. You must install this package, together with gcc-core, to obtain a correctly functioning compiler suite.
- mingw-runtime: Header files and import libraries for the default C runtime library, (also known as msvcrt), which is required by MinGW compiled programs running on the Microsoft Windows operating system. You must install this package, together with gcc-core, to obtain a correctly functioning compiler suite.
- w32api: Header files and import libraries for the Microsoft Windows operating system; this provides the Application Programming Interface (API) required to access the essential operating system service functions, which are required by any working native Windows application. You must install this package, together with gcc-core, to obtain a correctly functioning compiler suite.
- gcc: A native port of the GNU gcc compiler. This is the application which parses source files, translating them to linkable object code. Note that the gcc package set is subdivided into a gcc-core package, which provides only a C compiler, with additional supplementary packages for additional programming languages. You must get at least the gcc-core package; if you also wish to add any supplementary languages, please ensure that you get the appropriate packages, with the same version number as the gcc-core package.
- mingw-gdb: A native port of GNU debugger.
- mingw32-make: A native port of GNU make. This application parses makefiles to create a project by following the rules expressed in the makefile.
- mingw-utils: Miscellaneous utilities.
MinGW contains several different packages. Some of those packages are licensed by the GNU Public License (GPL), some are licensed in the Public Domain and some have their own versions of a license. See [[mingw:license|Licensing Terms]]
It can be download from [http://sourceforge.net/projects/mingw/ Sourceforge's MinGW project page]. The package's name is MINGW-NNN.exe.


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News & Events
For the Media
Clarkson University Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Project Takes Flight
An unmanned aerial device designed at Clarkson University that flew near Lake Erie's shores this summer may help determine the best locations to site wind turbine farms.
A team of Clarkson faculty, staff and students traveled to Sandusky, Ohio, to fly the Golden Eagle, a nearly 40-pound UAV carrying a sonic anemometer that records wind directions and speeds.
The team managed a number of successful 30-minute data acquisition flights at a model aircraft field located in Burton, Ohio (approximately 50 miles south of the port of Cleveland), and two at the Griffing Sandusky General Aviation Airport, adjacent to the lake.
The project is part of a greater effort to collect weather condition and air quality data, a preliminary step toward researching proposed offshore wind turbine farms on and around Lake Erie. Several academic institutions and industries partnered in the research, including Clarkson, Indiana University, Case Western Reserve University, Arizona State University, and EDP Renewables.
"The Golden Eagle is a highly adaptable and capable platform with remarkable performance," said Pier Marzocca, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering and the UAV mission commander. "We can use it to acquire significant amounts of scientific data, at altitudes that cannot be covered by other aircrafts or means, to go well beyond what point measurement instruments are currently capable of."
In addition, the Golden Eagle collected ground information at the Port of Cleveland, but was not flown due to safety concerns and air space restrictions.
The team is currently working on the next prototype of the Golden Eagle. The Clarkson UAV could also be repurposed for other uses, according to Daniel Valyou, a senior specialist in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department and UAV chief engineer.
The UAV could house other technology besides wind-measuring devices, Valyou said. In the future, a UAV could help search and rescue teams find a missing child or fight forest fires.
"The UAV's primary function is not to be researched. It's to generate research," Valyou said. "This UAV presents a wide range of opportunities. It has a lot of potential to expand down the road."
Building and testing a UAV has been an invaluable experience for the designers' student assistants, including Jacob Miller '14 and Ryan Feldman '15.
"This project has really been a joy to work on," Feldman said. "It's nice to get your hands on something, to build something and learn the process to make something like this."
Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.
[A photograph for media use is available at http://clarkson.edu/news/photos/goldeneagle.jpg .]
Photo caption: A team of Clarkson engineering students and staff pose with the Golden Eagle, an unmanned aerial vehicle constructed last year. The parts in the foreground will go on the new UAV the team is designing. In the front row, from left to right: Jacob T. Miller, Sean Shea, Ryan Feldman, and Cassandra Christman. In the back, Dan Valyou, left, a senior specialist in Clarkson's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and Omer Bakshi.


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I don't know how it could get better than this for a concert venue. And to boot, in New York State's Finger Lakes and ten minutes from the Inn.
Keith Urban in Canandaigua – Video
You gotta see this video. Don't know if this will work as I've never posted a video on my blog before. But, if it doesn't work and you want to see, become a fan of the 1795 Acorn Inn on facebook. I successfully posted the video there. Thanks.


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Make a Donation
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The Third Commandment
by Wayne Blank
What Does "Vain" Mean?
The original Hebrew word of the Third Commandment, most-often translated into English as vain is (pronounced) shawv. It has two literal meanings; one means evil, the other means to lie, as a matter of vanity. Both literal meanings are manifested in how the Third Commandment is disregarded.
The first, vain meaning evil, is very commonly seen, or rather heard, when people use God's Name, or the Son of God's Name, as a form of vulgar expression, or profanity - which are forms of blasphemy. People who do this may think that only themselves, or the people who they are talking to, know that they're doing it, but God can hear them every time they blaspheme Him or His Son (see also Glass Houses).
When God's Name is blasphemed:
"My Name continually every day is blasphemed" (Isaiah 52:5 KJV)
When the name of Jesus Christ is blasphemed:
"they blaspheme that worthy Name by the which ye are called" (James 2:7 KJV)
And how should God's people speak?
"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of Truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness." (2 Timothy 2:51-16 KJV)
The other category, those who violate the Third Commandment by vanity, are very often highly-offended when they hear the Name of God or Jesus Christ used as a profanity as described above, and yet they are just as guilty of using God's, or the Son of God's, Name in vain. How can this be? Because they use the Name of God to seem righteous, in their own eyes or someone else's, or they use the Name of the Son of God to claim to be Christian, all without truly obeying God according to God's Own Word. Taking the Name of the Son of God, claiming to be Christian, is vain in God's sight if it's nothing more than a self-serving, self-indulgent "I'll do it my way" religious experience:
Ignoring the actual Word of God while claiming to be Christian is taking the Son of God's Name in vain:
"This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.' You leave the Commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men." (Mark 7:6-8 RSV)
Merely claiming the Name of God's Son for one's self does not make one a true Christian:
"Not every one who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven."
Fact Finder: How can we make sure that we are not living in the Name of Christ, as Christians, in vain?


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Moundville High School varsity football defensive coordinator Royce Brehm never planned to be a minister.
Moundville High School varsity football defensive coordinator Royce Brehm never planned to be a minister.
Football and teaching were his goals. But he said God apparently had more in store for him.
In May 2011 while taking a group of kids to Orange Beach, Brehm said he was called by God to become the youth minister at Moundville Baptist Church. He said the church's pastor had been talking to him about the position for several months but that he didn't think it was for him.
"I came down here in 2010 to teach and coach football," Brehm said. "I was at Huntington Elementary in Northport before. I hadn't been called to ministry.
"When I was called, I was scared to death," he said. "I thought, 'I have to be responsible for a bunch of kids who I don't know.' I did a lot of silent praying on the drive down to Orange Beach. I knew then, while watching the kids play, that this place (Moundville Baptist Church) was where God wanted me to be right now."
When Brehm accepted the position, Moundville Baptist Church's youth ministry had 12 youth members. The once-strong ministry had diminished over the years with the absence of a full-time youth pastor but, under Brehm's leadership, the ministry quickly grew, drawing in Christian and non-Christian youth from all over the city.
"The ministry's grown from just a small group of kids on Wednesday nights to up to 55 to 60 kids on Wednesdays and to around 150 to 170 kids on Friday nights," said Kim Cooley, a member of Moundville Baptist for the past nine years whose son is part of the youth ministry. "He's got half the kids in the high school going to church on Friday nights, which is good, because it keeps them in church instead of on the streets.
"Then in school he started this devotion group that's grown to more than 100," she said.
"We're just excited that this is happening at our church and he's able to talk to the children and get them up there."
Brehm, who was raised in San Antonio, Texas, and Northport, said the only thing he did was add a worship service to the Wednesday night youth Bible study and a youth worship service called "Souled Out" to the church on Friday nights, which took place after home football games. God just chose to bless his efforts from there, he said.
"I had been around the Wednesday night services, and the kids were just sitting around the table doing Bible study before, and I felt like God was calling me to have a full-blown worship service," Brehm said. "We still have Bible study. It's just after the service.
"Souled Out is what I call a fifth-quarter event after the home football games," he said. "We have about 150 kids show up from the school, which has a population that's roughly 300. We had 50 kids come to Christ in the three Souled Out events we've had so far. We worship and the kids have been giving their testimonies. A lot of the kids that come in Friday nights are lost. It's mostly kids that most people have given up on. Their testimonies really make a difference at these events."
Brehm said he couldn't do any of it without the support of his wife, who takes care of all the administrative tasks. He said the ministries also wouldn't be successful without the help of the core group of youth in the ministry. Brehm said the kids are why the worship services have grown so large.
"They're diligent and they're praying for their parents to show up to church and inviting other kids to come to the services," he said. "The kids coming have really come out of their shells when adults are around when they realize what it's about. They have been engulfing themselves in Jesus. It's a pretty amazing thing, and I've never seen anything like it."
Moundville High School students and Moundville Baptist Church youth ministry members Caroline Smithson and Matthew Hallman said they love the new youth ministry services.
"I was in the ministry from seventh-grade until the 10th-grade, and then our old youth ministry left and I left," said Smithson, who's 18. "Then coach Brehm came, and I felt like God was leading me back. I love it. He gets us and knows us and wants to talk to us about real stuff. It's all been part of God's plan. I'm a lot stronger now."
Hallman, a 17-year-old who's been a part of the youth ministry for two years, said what is said at the services are things that the youth can relate to.
"We all get together after the home football games and enjoy it," Hallman said. "He's been through some things in his life that allows him to know how to experience some things. He's young enough to hit home with us and let us know it's about reaching out to one another and spreading the word (of God). I love it. It's amazing to see the changes that we've experienced."


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Honda limited edition hatchback Brio
Submitted by Dalbir Sahota on Mon, 09/30/2013 - 23:57
New Delhi, Sep 30 : Japanese automobile manufacturer Honda's Indian subsidiary Monday launched a limited edition of premium hatchback "Brio" for the festive season, priced at Rs. 4.92 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
"It is our constant endeavour to provide freshness to our products and create excitement in the market," said Jnaneswar Sen, senior vice president, marketing and sales, Honda Cars India.
"We are confident that this new sporty and youthful look of the car will appeal to our customers."
The company has managed to sell 54,095 units in the last two years since its launch. (IANS)


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Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Bring Back Swedish Meatballs
It's time to spring Swedish meatballs from their Ikea prison; they've done their time, let's bring them home - they deserve a better fate. They were a staple in American kitchens for years; kids loved them, they were easy to make and they were budget friendly. Trouble is they lacked panache. Now, I know I'm moving dangerously close to "putting lipstick on a pig", but if it's been awhile since you had Swedish meatballs, I hope you'll give these a try. These are really good - cardamom takes them to another level and the aroma just might dive you crazy.
Swedish Meatballs
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup milk, divided use
1/2 cup packaged bread crumbs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
1/2 cup very finely chopped onion
1-1/2 teaspoon salt + salt to taste
1-1/2 pounds ground turkey (not turkey breast)
3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed, divided use
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 (10.5-oz.) can condensed beef broth, undiluted
2 tablespoons quick-mixing flour (i.e. Wondra)
1/4 cup cold water
1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
Garnish: fresh dill or parsley
1) Combine eggs, 1/2 cup milk and bread crumbs in a medium bowl.
2) Place onions and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a microwave container. Microwave on HIGH power for 3 to 5 minutes, or until onions are soft and fragrant.
3) Add onions, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, turkey, dill weed, allspice, nutmeg and cardamom to bread-crumb mixture. Mix to combine (don't overdo this). Refrigerate, covered, until mixture can be shaped, about 2 hours.
4) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Shape meat mixture into 30 meatballs.
5) Combine butter and reserved 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet. Heat over medium heat until butter melts and the mixture sizzles but is not brown. Saute meatballs in two batches until brown. Transfer to a 8 x 11 x 2-inch baking pan. Set aside.
6) Add beef broth to skillet. Stir flour into cold water. Add to skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to cook for 1 minute until thickened. Add pepper, and reserved 1/2 teaspoon dill; adjust salt to taste. Stir in reserved 1/2 cup milk and whisk until heated through. Pour over meatballs.
7) Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes. Garnish with fresh dill. Yield: 6 servings.
19 comments :
- Martha said...
These look great -- will have to be on the menu sometime soon.
- October 1, 2008 at 7:20 AM
You are right! I'd forgotten all about this dish. Thanks for the reminder.
- October 1, 2008 at 9:44 AM
- RecipeGirl said...
I'm Swedish... so I happen to actually make these sometimes. I just love them as a comforting dish to top egg noodles in a creamy sauce. Your version looks terrific!
- October 1, 2008 at 10:02 AM
- black eyed susans kitchen said...
We will absolutely be trying out your recipe. Being married to a Swede for almost 30 years, I have tried most of the delicacies. Swedish meatballs are always on the Christmas Eve Smorgasbord. This recipe with turkey sound great. Thank you. Susan
- October 1, 2008 at 10:29 AM
- Prudy said...
Those look wonderful. I haven't made some in year and I'll put it on my list for cooler weather.
- October 1, 2008 at 10:42 AM
- Pam said...
I've only had Swedish meatballs at Ikea - they were good but yours look fantatic! I will definitely be trying this recipe.
- October 1, 2008 at 11:32 AM
- Mary said...
Pam, I think you'll really like these meatballs. The one's at Ikea have a kinda dried minced onion taste and these are much fresher. I've added you to my blog list. You have a lovely blog!
- October 1, 2008 at 11:38 AM
- Maria said...
You are always cooking up something great!!
- October 1, 2008 at 1:35 PM
- Jenny said...
Wow, this looks beautifully delicious! I can't wait to make it!
- October 1, 2008 at 9:20 PM
- Patsyk said...
My family would love these! I'm marking them to try.
- October 1, 2008 at 9:25 PM
Hi Mary, I'm so glad to have found your blog! You were kind enough to share this recipe with me a few years back in response to a request, and it has been a family favorite ever since. We are of Swedish ancestry and the older relatives had used a mix to make their meatballs. I have proudly made your meatballs from scratch, and hope my kids will continue to tradition. Blessings, Carolyn (SwedishChef)
- October 2, 2008 at 1:53 PM
- Mary said...
Carolyn, it is so nice to hear from you! As always your kind words are appreciated. Those children are getting older - is it only one still at home?
- October 2, 2008 at 2:00 PM
My "baby" turns 18 later this month! She is a senior in HS and applying to colleges. (sniff,sniff)My oldest lives at home - works FT and takes classes, so he keeps me company. My middle two are at my alma mater in Providence. ;)Time marches on! It's all good.
- October 2, 2008 at 2:54 PM
- The Inexperienced Foodie said...
those meatballs look so good
- October 5, 2008 at 12:52 AM
- Mary said...
Steffi, thanks for stopping by! These meatballs are really good. I think you'll enjoy them.
- October 5, 2008 at 8:31 AM
- free online adventure games said...
Wow and I just had the Ikea meatballs... You mean the original recipe doesn't use a mixture of beef and pork, but ground turkey? This is one recipe I'd love to try. Thanks for the story!
- October 25, 2009 at 10:43 PM
- Farmer Jo said...
These were WAY better than Ikea's! Seriously delicious. We ate WAY too many. We ate them with some home grown red taters and some pear and cranberry chutney.
- October 30, 2009 at 11:33 AM
- Penny said...
I had never heard of IKEA meatballs, but have always loved Swedish Meatballs. Your recipe sounds wonderful with ground turkey. I will definitely be trying these Mary. Thank you.
- October 1, 2014 at 3:49 PM
- Nickie Jim said...
I'm not above enjoying Ikea's Swedish meatballs, but rarely. These days we seldom use beef of any kind, so Swedish turkey meatballs sounds like a great alternative. Believe I will give this one a try. Thanx, Mary!
- April 16, 2016 at 10:47 PM


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Bruno Mars Gets Distorted, Performs Live in 'Locked Out of Heaven' Video
Want to get up close and personal with Bruno Mars at one of his shows? Well, you can do just that with his video for 'Locked Out of Heaven.'
The singer bounces around with the energy of a 10-year-old that sucked down a case of Red Bull in this color distorted clip. The patina makes it look like you are watching a 3D video without the proper glasses.
The bells and whistles are few, but in addition to the performance footage, Bruno and his crew shoot dice, take photos, smoke, hang in the streets and engage in other acts of broing down.
Keep an eye out for the innocent girl-on-girl kiss, too. It's not as sexual as it sounds.


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A look inside the Seattle waterfront tunnel
In advance of a new overpass opening on Monday, members of the media were given a look inside the launch pit of "Bertha," the machine digging the waterfront tunnel under Seattle. While the machine is stuck, work above ground continues.
By By JOSHUA TRUJILLO
Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO, SEATTLEPI.COM


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Local tours
7:00am / 8:15am / 9:45am / 10:45am / 1:15pm / 2:15pm
Sky Trek is a system of zip lines ranging from mountain to mountain, which together cover a distance of 2.5 miles of linear cable.
This adrenaline filled adventure tour allows you to glide along cables as high as 524 feet (50 stories) at speeds reaching 40 mph with continuous runs of up to 2,500 feet (1/2 mile). On the longest cable it takes 50 seconds to complete the run. In addition the tour offers a sky tram ride over lush rain forest to the first departure platform and 5 observation platforms with incredible views of the Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal.
General conditions
- For security reasons, children under 8 years old cannot take the tour.
- People over 100 kilograms weight (217 pounds) must be evaluated by our technical staff (according to his/her height and physical condition). Our staff will determine if they can take the tour.
Departure schedules: 7:00am, 8:15am, 10:45am, 11:45pm, 1:15pm.
Duration: Approximately 4 hours
Departure point: Hotel Lobby


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Because I am a long time fan of Poke'mon, and I heard the news of a 5th season coming out, I felt like doing what most fans fail to do, and I probably also will fail at, but I would like to attempt anyways, making a Fan-fic, the Fan fic I'm planning on making is set in a while in the future, when Ash, is finally 18, Pikachu, is not Pikachu anymore, he finally decided to evolve, I mean seriously what level is Pikachu now? over 9000ish? and still losing to lv 5 starlys' srsly...
But as a thought, seeing how this is an Art Section, and Stories is Art, I was thinking about Posting my Story, once I finally stop outlining, and start writing, publishing here, and due to the fact I'm publishing here, I'm open, to critisism, ect, ect. but I wouldn't mind also some Ideas for the Story <.<;
The Opening outline that I'm currently writing, is the Chapter: "Start of a New Day" This Chapter goes over the end of the Sinnoh reigon, ash beat everyone, again, but failed, like always, to defeat the poke'mon league, so instead, him and Pikachu decide to go into a long training spree, leaving his other poke'mon w/ Prof. Oak, he leaves for several years to train alone, with Pikachu, the main part of the scene is the Scene, where Ash, finds and comes into ownership, of a Thunderstone, Is later attacked by team rocket, and easily defeats them, later that night, while Ash sleeps, pikachu, after much though and thinking, since a long time from Vermillion City, the first time the Idea of evolution was presented to Pikachu, Pikachu finally decides it's been long enough, and it's time to 'Grow up, and move on" in a way, Thus the next morning Ash isn't greeted by Pikachu, he is Greeted by Pikachu's Evolved Form Raichu, and at the end of the relization, him and newly Evolved Raichu, set off on their training, to make themselves strong enough, to fight at the Poke'mon League, and this time, Win.
It's a rough Idea, and ya, it's probably a little Cliche' but I'm under the impression, pikachu has been around a tad long, I'm just a fan for the idea of Pikachu evolving into Raichu, it would make Pikachu.. well, more of a formidable ally in the league, where only the best of the best gather <.<;
But like I said, just a rough idea, I would enjoy some constructive critism, please don't flame, and please note that I don't get the ability to check this site everyday anymore, so I might be slow on responses <.<; I have a few intresting charater role twist, Ideas... that if this fanfic isn't totally hated on the whole I'll reaveal ^^;
I never really was good with drawing, so I thought I might be able to compisate with writing~


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Matthew Joseph
Hey Everyone....Meet April's Baby of the Month, Matthew!!!! Matty loves all kinds of food his favorite right now is yogurt and fruit. Matt Loves to play with his cars and trucks... His favorite is his little puppy/blanky we call it paparoo loves snuggling with it and sleeps with it.
Matty Loves animal picture books, loves playing outside, going for walks, visiting his Bobo and bo, if he hears music playing he starts to dance, plays peekaboo, mamma dadda when he feels like it, he loves his sister they play together all day, he follows her around and wants to do whatever she is doing!!
Matty loves playing Ball he rolls it or throws it to you ... Or will play all by himself throws it and goes get it... Watching it bounce...
Things that make Matty happy are Bubbles.. loves being in the water... TUBBY Time his Momma and Dadda can't get him in fast enough!
His mom and dad knew they were in trouble on March 12th the day Matty let go of his walker toy…..He has been on the move ever since!!
Matty loves playing with his sister and little cousins especially now cause he can walk after them... He is a snuggle bug and gives hugs he is such a happy baby, and him and his sister are two peas in a pod....When they start Laughing be prepared (they don't stop) and it usually ends with them both falling over.
He loves to watch mickey mouse club house and Barney.. when its chill out time... He is a loving playful curious little boy and is VERY daring no fear climbs anything...that he can!
Something silly Matty does... you take his diaper off (when changing) he runs off and laughing. Already streaking....He must get his Spunky Personality from his TT ;)
Matty loves to put his hand to his mouth and blows on it making noises... Also loves the park... And big machines like his grandpas bobcat and uncles loader could care less how big it is will walk right up to it even if it's on ...Want to but a big smile on this boy's face just put him on Daddy's 4 wheeler or tractor and you have one happy boy!!
7 more Baby's to go before the Grand Prize Drawing. Which I will choose at Random LIVE Stream for all Momma's to see!!!
If you would like to have your baby featured or nominate a baby please contact me Via Facebook or e-mail me at firstname.lastname@example.com ****Unfortunately at this time all spots are full for the year 2012**
The Winning Baby of the Year Gift Basket will include the following:
Chenille Confetti Love on the Go!™ (with your choice of design)You can check that out Here Not to mention lots of other
fun trinkets!!
*If the blog is not showing up in its regular format at the bottom click "View Web Version" it is different for viewing via iphone. :o)


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Representative, 70th District
Hello from the legislative session in Topeka.
We have finally made it past the midway point of the session. While much work lies ahead, we have made progress on many issues. Bills passed by the House will now go to the Senate, and those passed by the Senate will be considered by the House.
I was honored to carry six bills during the first weeks of the session, including bills to enhance opportunities for our military veterans, improve the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, and reform aspects of our Juvenile Justice Code.
Recently, Speaker of the House Ray Merrick invited me to participate in his weekly press conference to discuss pending legislation, and to draw on my experience as a district court judge to elaborate on the use of drug testing in "child in need of care" cases.
While working bills and holding various hearings garner the lion's share of our time during the session, I've been pleased to host constituents who visit the Capitol, including some of our brightest young students. It was a pleasure to visit with four terrific 4-H members from Marion County, and four FFA members from Centre High School. They are a true inspiration and a reminder that the work we do in Topeka needs to lay a foundation for success and a desirable quality of life for future generations.
The legislative debate may take place in Topeka, but the ideas and solutions to keep our state moving forward are found in our communities. I truly enjoy traveling the district, speaking with community groups, and meeting individually to hear your concerns.
Recently, I attended "legislative day" meetings hosted by the Marion Chamber of Commerce and the town of Tampa respectively. I find attending these functions beneficial as we tackle issues affecting our communities.
We continue to debate whether Kansas should move from the state income tax to a greater reliance on sales tax. Gov. Sam Brownback proposes the current state sales tax rate is sufficient to make up for a reduction in income taxes due to anticipated economic growth.
He notes robust growth in states that have no income tax, and increased interest in movement of businesses to Kansas following passage of the income tax reductions that became effective Jan. 1. Tax reform is a complex issue, and I continue to gather more information as we examine the best path forward.
While not yet finalized, it is likely that education funding will again be increased, maintaining average per student funding well above $12,000. The level of per student funding invested by the state has led to closer scrutiny of how those dollars are being spent, and whether student outcomes can be improved.
The Education Committee is seeking reforms to produce a more "child-centric" K-12 education approach that will work with children's individual abilities, and encourage teaching skills that match more closely with the needs of Kansas employers.
Veterans are given little credit for their training and must undergo costly and time consuming civilian training programs to meet state certification requirements. As a veteran myself, I was honored to carry and move to House passage a bill that will remove these barriers to employment and recognize military training toward fulfillment of state certification requirements.
Please share your thoughts with me on these or any other issue of concern. I can be reached by email at email@example.com or drop me a letter at Rep. John E. Barker; 103 Wassinger Ave.; Abilene, KS 67410. I can be reached via phone in Topeka during the legislative session at (785) 296-7674 or in the district at (785) 479-7519.