text:
DALLAS — The Derek Fisher-Dallas Mavericks saga had one last loud go-round Sunday, as the point guard who played nine games for Dallas between Thanksgiving and Christmas was lustily booed when he checked in late in the first quarter.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban led the chorus.
"I'll just boo him like hopefully everybody else," Cuban said prior to the Mavs taking on Fisher's new team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Fisher signed with the Thunder in late February, about two months after asking the Mavs to release him from his contract. Fisher said in a statement at the time that he wanted to return to his family in Los Angeles. Fisher, 38, immediately took over as the starting point guard for Darren Collison and averaged 8.4 ppg and 3.4 apg. The Mavs, who have had trouble finishing games all season, were 5-4 with Fisher.
After the 17-year veteran signed with title-contending Thunder, the team he joined late last season, as well, Cuban reacted with sarcasm. He said that Fisher's kids had time to grow up during the eight weeks between leaving the Mavs and joining the Thunder, and Cuban joked that it's easier to fly in and out of Oklahoma City than Dallas.
On Sunday, Cuban said that Fisher repeatedly made pitches to him and asked for advice before signing with the Mavs. Cuban said he "took the bait."
"With his history, I shouldn't have been surprised with what happened," Cuban said. "I tried to offer him some help. I thought I offered him some positive encouragement and advice, and then we signed him. I expected a different turnout than what happened."
After the 2007 playoffs with the Utah Jazz, Fisher asked out of his contract to better deal with his infant daughter's battle with eye cancer. He later signed a three-year contract to return to the Los Angeles Lakers. Last season, after being dealt from the Lakers to the Houston Rockets, he had his contract bought out and joined the Thunder, who lost to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
After Sunday's shootaround, Fisher said he holds no hard feelings toward Cuban. He hopes Cuban will eventually feel the same.
"I love Mark and I have a tremendous amount of respect for what he's done and does in terms of this team," Fisher told The Dallas Morning News. "There's no question about how passionate he is for his team. If it was my team and I wanted to win, I would want as many players that I felt like could help me.
"I take [Cuban's criticism] more as a positive thing than a negative. He saw some value I provided and would like to still have me here. But as far as long-term for me, I don't have any issues with Mark, and hopefully one day, we'll be able to get past this and have much more things to enjoy and laugh about than the short few weeks here."
Fisher might be waiting a while.
"It's not so much what he did," Cuban said. "It's how he did it."


text:
Candles and decorated jerseys adorned a Los Angeles park Wednesday night as family and friends remembered a 7-year-old who was fatally struck by gunfire in West Los Angeles earlier this week.
The boy, Talaib Pecante, died in the hospital Tuesday night after he was shot while sitting in a parked car one night earlier in West Los Angeles, police said. Police were still looking for gunmen.
"I just want the individuals that did this to my son ... Look how you affected these babies. All these babies, these are his teammates," the boy's father Talaib Hussain said.
The second grader played football for the Compton Vikings, and Pop Warner football supporters of all ages huddled Wednesday night to honor one of their own.
"(The children) give us so much as adults. What we give them is very small," coach Damon Fields said. "They don't realize how they impact us as adults."
Pecante's mother and a 31-year-old man were also injured in the shooting. His mother was at the vigil but did not want to speak to media.
The family remembered when Talaib, as an infant in 2007, visited then-Senator Barack Obama, pictured at right.
"We're asking, anybody that saw anything to call the tip line," friend Lita Herron pleaded. "That's the least you can do for this baby. Call the tipline and help our community get these murderers out of our neighborhoods."
The boy's sister said through tears she knows her slain brother will be with her in spirit.
"Talaib, I love you and I just want you to watch over all of us. Watch over me while I'm on the track," sister Morgan Pecante said. "Make sure I cross that line. And get to where I want to go."
Police said four black males wearing black hooded jackets were seen driving off in a white car. Investigators found "numerous shell casings" at the scene, according to Los Angeles police.
Anyone with information about the shooting was urged to call 310-444-0702.
More Southern California Stories:

subset: commoncrawl


text: What can I study? Argentina Not your country? Country Selector Lightbox Undergraduate programmes If you have completed your secondary level/high school studies or have never studied at university before and you would like to do your full Bachelors degree at UCD. Undergraduate Programmes Graduate programmes If you have already completed an undergraduate degree and are interested in a Graduate Diploma, Taught Masters (1-2 years), Research Masters or PhD (4-6 years). Graduate Programmes International Foundation Year The International Foundation Year is a three-term programme, specifically designed for international students who do not meet the requirement for entry to UCD bachelor programmes...... Pre-Masters Programme Our Pre-Masters Programmes are aimed at international students who want to study at a graduate level at UCD but do not meet direct entry requirements for a Masters degree. Pre-Masters Programme


text:
Your first look at tatted thugporn fantasies Phat Daddy, Hotrod (nsfw) and Angyl Valentino as they transform into sex sirens and fetish slash haute couture models for fashion bible FLAUNT. The editors have kindly provided Rod 2.0 with an exclusive preview for readers.
The editorial was lensed by New York City-based fashion photographer Slava Mogutin. FLAUNT Style Director Long Nguyen creates some brilliant imagery with Marc Jacobs (on Phat Daddy above), Versace, Gaultier, Armani (on Hotrod, second below), DSquared2 and others.
One more of Phat Daddy and a peek at Angyl Valentino's assets AFTER THE JUMP ...
Continue reading "FIRST LOOK: Porn Gods Phat Daddy, Hotrod and Angyl Valentino by Slava Mogutin for FLAUNT" »


text:
The product was added to your cart.
Free Shipping on U.S. Orders $65+
$11.59 per yard
Be the first to review this product
Login or Create an Account to be notified when this product is back in stock.
Colors may vary slightly due to differences in computer display
settings.Pricing, promotions, and availability vary online
and in our retail store.
12oz Duck / Canvas cloth is a heavier weight fabric with a variety of uses, including utility projects, home decorating, crafts, and around the kitchen.
Manufacturer: James Thompson
Collection: Duck Canvas Cloth 12oz
Fabric Width: 58/60"
Material Content: 100% Cotton
Manufacturer Care Instructions: Hand wash in cold water, use non-chlorine bleach. Pre-shrinking recommended or dry clean. Dry flat, use cool iron.
Fabric Weight 12 oz.
Regular Price:
Use spaces to separate tags. Use single quotes (') for phrases.
Please click here to sign in and write a review for this product!
Sign up For Exclusive Offers
Your security is our priority.
Copyright © Fabric Depot Privacy Policy
Website Design and Development by GRAYBOX in Portland, OR


text:
Log in
KPL staff-selected resources. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
Cover View | Detailed View
Magazines, journals, newspapers, and reference books provided to Michigan libraries and Michigan residents at home with their Michigan Driver's License or ID or from libraries in Michigan. Also includes links to Michigan related websites.
Information about copyright, its uses, abuses, and file sharing and downloading issues for both librarians and musical publishers.
4,600 Christian hymns and gospel songs from many denominations.
A significant collection of 19th and early 20th century American sheet music.
News features and articles about Latin music.
Channel and programming information from MTV.
Features a list of current inductees, those recently voted in, and a virtual tour through the museum exhibits.
Band biographies, musical research tools, scholarly analysis, genre descriptions, and access to periodicals.
Features more than 6800 files including more than 5000 CD, SACD, DVD and Book reviews and over 5300 links to other classical music web sites.
Resource for people wanting to learn more about symphonies. Rich biographies of major musical composers.
The world's largest social music platform. Show off your taste, see what your friends are listening to, hear new music, get personal radio, recommendations, and more.
Pandora radio is the personalized internet radio service that helps you find new music based on your old and current favorites.
Music and music videos from Yahoo.com.
Latest details on more than 2,500 music festivals in North America.
Concert and musician news information.
Music section of Black Entertainment Television's official web site.
E-zine abridgement of the hard-copy folk music magazine, including their "Gig Guide," an up-to-date listing of performance schedules for many folk artists.
The online version of the leading jazz publication offers artist biographies, music reviews, and more.
Guitar Player magazine is the complete acoustic and electric guitar package. Featuring free online acoustic and electric guitar lessons, tutorials and ...
Online version of the popular music and culture magazine.
Online version of the popular music magazine.
Sound and Vision Magazine provides authoratative tests and reviews of home theater equipment such as HDTVs, surround sound speakers, home theater systems, and more.
Spin Magazine's Web presence with news, Webcasts, interviews, reviews, and features on films, music, and games.
Online version of the hip hop and rhythm and blues music magazine.
Information about bands and solo musical performers, including biography profiles and discographies.
Online version of the Billboard magazine.
Metacritic compiles reviews from respected critics and publications for film, video/dvd, books, music, television and games.
"Pitchfork is a website dedicated to music and the discussion thereof. And we rule."
Online version of the World Music magazine
View all Topic Guides
Source: AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive database


text:
As you'll surely recall, over the previous article, I explained the basics of serializing objects in PHP. I showed some code samples that illustrated in a simple way the process of converting objects to their string representation (called serialization). I also showed how to reverse this process (that is unserialization), in order to restore these objects to their original state. In the several examples that you saw before, I also exposed some interesting concepts involved in object serialization, such as constructing objects that are capable of saving and restoring themselves via their own methods, which are commonly called self-saving objects.
As a matter of fact, one of the best things about serializing objects in PHP is that this fairly simple concept can be used as the starting point to tackle more advanced concepts, including those related to an object's persistence and its storage in database tables. In addition, if you've been working with sessions for a while, then you'll know that the PHP built-in session handling mechanism serializes and unserializes objects behind the scenes, whenever they're registered during a particular session, which means that object serialization is indeed an important topic that must be addressed appropriately.
Now, after refreshing the concepts that I deployed in the first part of this series, it's time to focus on the topics that I'll cover in this article, so you'll know what to expect before you continue reading. In this second part, I'll explain how to use objects in conjunction with the "__sleep()" and "__wakeup() magic functions respectively, in order to get the most out of them.
Having defined the topics for this new tutorial, let's move on and continue learning more about object serializing in PHP. Let's go!{mospagebreak title=A quick look at how to define self-saving objects}
A good place to start explaining some advanced concepts, such as the use of the "__sleep()" and "__wakeup()" PHP magic functions, and to introduce object persistence, is with precisely listing the definition for the example "ObjectSaver" class that you learned in the previous tutorial.
As you'll certainly recall, this class was capable of saving and restoring itself via its own methods, which implies that any objects spawned from it can be considered self-saving objects.
Assuming that self-saving objects are pretty familiar to you, here is the corresponding signature of the "ObjectSaver" class, as I defined it originally in the first article. Please have a look:
class ObjectSaver{
var $objectFile;
function ObjectSaver($objectFile='defaultDir/objects.txt'){
// save serialized object to file
function save(){
trigger_error('Error opening object
trigger_error('Error writing data to object
// fetch object from file
function fetch(){
trigger_error('Error fetching object from
return $obj;
// display message
function displayMessage(){
return 'This is an object that saves and retrieves itself
via its methods!';
As you learned before, the above class initially exposed the "save()" and "fetch()" methods, which were handy for serializing and unserializing itself, and used a simple text file for storing its status. Naturally, this behavior can be modified easily, in order to use cookies or even a database table for saving different instances of the class.
Additionally, I added to the class the "displayMessage()" method, which can be used for showing a trivial message, in this way demonstrating how an object spawned from this class is capable of restoring itself. With reference to this capability, the below example clearly shows how to use an object which has been instanced from the "ObjectSaver" class:
$objSaver=&new ObjectSaver();
echo $newObj->displayMessage();
All right, after exemplifying the usage of the above class, I'm going to employ it to demonstrate how to use the "__sleep()" and "__wakeup()" PHP magic functions, in order to create objects that persist across different HTTP requests.
To learn how this will be achieved, please click on the link below and keep reading.
{mospagebreak title=Using the "__sleep()" and "__wakeup()" magic functions}
For those of you new to serializing objects in PHP, let me emphasize an important feature that can be used for different purposes: if you use the "serialize()" function on a specific object, the PHP interpreter will check whether there is a method called "__sleep()" and run its corresponding code prior to any serialization, assuming that this method has been defined.
In a similar way, if the "unserialize()" function is applied to an object, the PHP parser will look for a method named "__wakeup()" and try to execute any code wrapped inside of it, before proceeding to unserialize the object in question.
Since these functions are called transparently by the interpreter, it's possible to create classes that take advantage of this automated process, in order to perform some useful tasks.
To properly understand the concepts I deployed before, take a look at the following sample class, which displays a simple message each time the "__sleep()" and "__wakeup()" functions are called respectively:
class ObjectSaver{
var $objectFile;
function ObjectSaver($objectFile='defaultDir/objects.txt'){
// save serialized object to file
function save(){
trigger_error('Error opening object file',E_USER_ERROR);
trigger_error('Error writing data to object
// fetch unserialized object from file
function open(){
trigger_error('Error fetching object from
return $obj;
// define '__sleep()' method
function __sleep(){
echo 'This method was called prior to serializing the
object!
';
return array_keys(get_object_vars($this));
// define '__wakeup()' method
function __wakeup(){
echo 'This method was called after unserializing the
object!
';
In this case, I redefined the previous "ObjectSaver" class, and added to its signature the corresponding "__sleep()" and "__wakeup()" methods, so that it will display a basic message whenever they're called up.
After defining the modified "ObjectSaver" class, a basic — yet illustrative — demonstration of how these magic methods are called by the PHP interpreter is listed below:
// show the functionality of __sleep() and __wakeup() methods
$objSaver=&new ObjectSaver();
If you run the above script, you'll get the following output:
This method was called prior to serializing the object!
This method was called after unserializing the object!
As you can see, the example above shows that each time the "save()" and "open()" methods are called — remember that these methods internally use the respective "serialize()/unserilalize() PHP functions –- the "__sleep()" and "__wakeup()" methods are also invoked, in this way displaying the messages shown above.
Even though the previous example may seem rather rudimentary, it serves to demonstrate how these magic methods are called in a transparent way by the PHP interpreter. However, this recently-acquired knowledge about how these methods work can be used for performing more useful tasks than displaying basic messages.
Keeping in mind the ability that PHP offers to call internally the mentioned methods, in the next section I'll show you how to create objects that persist across several page requests without using any session mechanism. Go ahead and keep reading.{mospagebreak title=Creating persisting objects}
Indeed, it's feasible to use the "__sleep()" and "__wakeup()" functions that you learned in the previous section to do something useful. In this particular case, I'll utilize the prior "ObjectSaver" class as the parent for deriving a child class that will expose a property that persists, that is, keeps its value across different page requests.
First, here is the source code that corresponds to the "ObjectSaver" class:
class ObjectSaver{
var $objectFile;
function ObjectSaver($objectFile='defaultDir/objects.txt'){
// save serialized object to file
function save(){
trigger_error('Error opening object
trigger_error('Error writing data to object
// fetch unserialized object from file
function open(){
trigger_error('Error fetching object from
return $obj;
// define '__sleep()' method
function __sleep(){
echo 'This method was called prior to serializing the
object!
';
return array_keys(get_object_vars($this));
// define '__wakeup()' method
function __wakeup(){
echo 'This method was called after unserializing the
object!
';
Now that I've listed the above class, the next step consists of deriving a child class from it, to create a persisting object. That said, here is the signature of the "CounterSaver" class, which, as you'll see in a few moments, is capable of maintaining the value of its "counter" property:
// 'CounterSaver' class extends 'ObjectSaver' class
// saves the value of 'counter' property to file and implements
persistence via
// the __sleep() and __wakeup() methods
class CounterSaver extends ObjectSaver{
var $objectFile;
var $counterFile;
var $counter;
function CounterSaver($objectFile='defaultDir/objects.txt'){
// call constructor of parent class
// overwrite '__sleep()' method
function __sleep(){
trigger_error('Error opening counter
trigger_error('Error writing data to counter
return array_keys(get_object_vars($this));
// overwrite '__wakeup()' method
function __wakeup(){
// increment 'counter' property
function incrementCounter(){
// return counter property
function getCounterValue(){
return $this->counter;
As you can see, the child "CounterSaver" class listed above overrides the parent "__sleep()" and "__wakeup()" methods. It stores and retrieves the value of its $counter property, which is appropriately saved to the "counter.txt" file. In this example I used a raw text file to save the property, but this can be easily changed to utilize a database table or even a simple cookie.
Now, the question that comes up is the following: how does an object spawned from the "CounterSaver" class implement some kind of persistence? All right, that's fairly easy to demonstrate. Just take a look at the following script, which illustrates the concept of a "persisting" object:
$countSaver=&new CounterSaver();
// open object (calls the __wakeup method)
// increment counter
// save object (calls the __sleep method)
echo $countSaver->getCounterValue();
When the above script is executed, an initial value of 1 is first assigned to the $counter property. However, if the page is reloaded several times, this value will be appropriately incremented, certainly a fact that demonstrates that the value of this property "persists" across different page requests. As you saw, a persistent object has been created by using the "__sleep()" and "__wakeup()" methods that were overridden by the "CounterSaver" class.
As you can see, the logic of the previous script is very simple: after instantiating a new "CounterSaver" object, the "open()" method is called, which also triggers internally the "__wakeup()" method. Then, the $counter property is incremented and finally saved to the text file by "save()," which additionally calls behind the scenes the "__wakeup()" method. See how these two magic functions can be used for creating persisting objects within an application? I hope you do!
To wrap up
Over this second article, I explored the magic "__sleep()" and "__wakeup()" functions, which are called automatically by the PHP interpreter when the "serialize()/unserialize()" functions are used inside a class. By providing a specific implementation for these functions I showed you how to create objects that maintain the value of their properties across several page requests, without the need to work with sessions.
Of course, persistence of objects is a broader subject, but in this tutorial I demonstrated how to build simple persisting objects via the PHP built-in mechanism. Not bad at all, right?
In the final part of this series, I'll be covering object serialization with sessions, as well as storing serialized objects in MySQL database tables. See you in the last part!


text:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." —Anthropologist Margaret Mead
Microlipid Technologies, Inc. | 8763 Pisa Drive, Suite 5212, Orlando, FL 32810 USA
Our Privacy Policy
Microlipids™ and Microsaturated™ are trademarks of Microlipid Technologies, Inc. and represent technology protected by United States Patent No. 7101584, People's Republic of China Patent No. 03817226.7, European Patent No. 1505878 and Japan Patent No. 4447451. Patents also issued in the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Great Britain, France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
©2006-2011 Microlipid Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. "Microlipids," "Microsaturated," "The fat-burning fat," and the Microlipids burning olive design are trademarks of Microlipid Technologies, Inc. Other trademarks are property of their respective owners. The content of this site may not be reproduced without prior written permission.


text:
Versatile, a brand part-owned by Canadian business mogul Buhler Industries, is on the fast track to expansion. The company, long known for its 4-wd tractors, has expanded into sprayers, tillage, and seeding equipment in the last two years to grow the Versatile brand name beyond tractors.
Expansion of the company has largely been driven by Russian-born Dmitry Lyubimov, president of Buhler Industries Inc. Lyubimov moved to North America in 2007, when Combine Factory Rostselmash Inc. acquired 80% of the common shares of Buhler Industries. Under Lyubimov's leadership, research and development is now four times what it was four years ago, according to Adam Reid, marketing manager for Buhler Versatile.
Extending the line
Lyubimov's first move was to change the name of Buhler's Versatile tractors to "Versatile," a brand best known for its red 4-wd farm tractors that are reliable, easy to operate, and simple to fix and maintain, Reid says. Currently the company ranks third in 4-wd tractor sales in North America, behind Case IH, John Deere, and New Holland.
In 2010, Lyubimov extended the Versatile name to include self-propelled sprayers by acquiring the intellectual property rights to Redball LLC's Redball-branded sprayers. The same year, Buhler Versatile entered a partnership with Raven Industries to produce precision ag products for Versatile tractors and sprayers.
The company's latest line extension came in February, when it purchased the assets of Ezee-On, an Alberta-based precision seeding and tillage manufacturer that builds air drills, air carts, offset and tandem disks, postpounders and front-end loaders.
Buhler Versatile also acquired the sprayer manufacturing plant in Willmar, Minn., to build the next generation of sprayers. Down the road, the company also may extend its seeding line to include row-crop planters.
"These are not the last products you are going to see," says Buhler's Lyubimov. "We will roll out new models and some new pieces, all built with the same goals of being simple, reliable, and easy to maintain."
Next-generation 4-wds
In step with its new-model rollouts, Versatile in October launched six new models of high-horsepower 4-wd tractors ranging from 350 to 550 engine hp. Development of the tractors began in 2007 in response to the EPA's stringent interim Tier 4 (iT4) emissions standards, requiring new engine technology to reduce engine emissions. The company took the opportunity to improve styling, visibility and feature offerings, says product manager Ryan Shust.
"What you'll see today is the styling evolution of Versatile tractors," says Shust during the formal product launch of the new models. "The new styling will improve visibility, operator comfort, and convenience and will be a design model for future Versatile tractors."
Shust says the tractors' biggest feature is a new cab, now the largest 4-wd tractor cab in the industry. It has 20% more space than previous models and 14% more window glass for better visibility. A new, sloped hood line gives the tractor a modern look. Cab access also was improved, and new armrest controls were added for ease of use.
The three smallest models, the 350, 375, and 400, are what Versatile refers to as its "standard frame tractors" capable of row-crop work such as planting. The larger 450-, 500- and 550-hp models are part of Versatile's large-frame HHT (high-horsepower tractors), designed for broad-acre, heavy-duty operations like primary tillage and pulling grain carts and planters. Shust says these bigger tractors have the heaviest frame in the industry, needed to transfer the extra power to the ground.
All of the models are equipped with 11.9- or 15-liter Cummins QSX engines that are iT4-compliant. And, for the first time, Caterpillar powershift transmissions are available across the entire line of 4-wd tractors. Shust says Cat transmissions are known for being smooth shifting and customer friendly.
The new tractors will be available in the spring of 2012. Later in the year the company will launch a revamped line of row-crop tractors and will expand its self-propelled sprayer line to include more than one model.
Russian combines coming
Next up in product line extensions is a new rotary combine from Russia called Torum. This brand accounts for 80% of combine sales in Russia, Lyubimov says. The combine planned for North America is a "large Class 8," rated at 485 hp.
The combine has undergone testing in North America for the last two years. The company is now confident enough to launch the sale of the combines next year under the Versatile brand name.
"We're very happy with the grain sampling and threshing ability of this combine," Lyubimov says. "We think customers will be excited, too."
The combines will compete on the same attributes for which Versatile is known. Lyubimov says, "We've changed the paint and logos, but what is underneath are the same hallmark traits of being simple, reliable, and easy to fix."


text:
QUIZ: How Well Do You Know Your True Blue Aussie Slang?
Oz slang, it's a language in itself.
Earlier this year, the Australian National Dictionary officially recognised a whopping six thousand words and phrases, it's first update since 1988.
New entries include terms like bogan, budgie smuggler and ranga.
Can you believe the word bogan has only JUST recently been added?
We can even thank former prime minister Tony Abbott for some of these Australianisms, like shirt-fronting...
We all use Aus lingo, but do we really always know what the words we're using mean?
We take things back to basics with this Aussie Slang quiz. If you can't get all of these right...you're rooted!


text:
Our Publications
- Aspen
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Chicago
- Dallas
- The Hamptons
- Hawai'i
- Houston
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York
- Orange County
- Palm Beach
- Philadelphia
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Scottsdale
- Silicon Valley
- Washington, D.C.
True Romance
In celebration of her newest West Coast-minded book, Interiors: The Romance of Design, Suzanne Tucker joined guests at a cocktail party hosted by Gump's. The designer and author signed books and mingled with attendees among her colorful, graphic-print china collection, the San Marco Collection by Suzanne Tucker Home for Royal Limoges, which is also available at the legendary home decor store.
Gary and O.J. Shansby, Ariane Trimuschat, Scot Meacham Wood, Frank Ancona, Steven Favreau, Damion Matthews, Heather Kearsley Wolf, Susan Chastain and Cynthia Woods
A prosecco-limoncello sparkler was the specialty cocktail of the evening, and was served alongside seasonally inspired hors d'oeuvres, such as Dungeness crab bisque, Waldorf salad on red endive and chicken-and-pumpkin seed empanadas, making for one tasty meet-and-greet.


text:
You have no items in your shopping cart.
NEED INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING OR USING AN INTERNATIONAL CREDIT CARD? Please use our International Checkout
Loewe was founded in Spain and remains one of the world's major luxury houses defined by the modernity of its past and a forward-thinking aesthetic. The brand is currently helmed by Jonathan Anderson, an Irish designer who graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2005.


text:
I purchased BarcaPro2.1 on 24th April 2006 with receipt from BMT Microorder. I was sent a licence code that is still not being accepted by the software. I am disappointed with the lack of resolution of this "invalid licence code" issue by PSI Support. How long does it take to send me an alternative licence code that works for the newly purchased single installation of BarcaPro2.1 or at least some explanation as to what is wrong with the registration process? It is now the 21st May and I have had two replies from Poco support that are nonchalant to say the least.
The last response from Pocomail support was on 2nd May: "It was not a wrong code. Give us some time to look into it. - PSI Support".
I am happy to assist with any information to resolve the problem but I feel like I am very far down the priority list.
If I was the supplier I would have just sent another code for the sake of professional customer service rather than offhandedly saying it was being looked into with the implication that it is my fault that the code does not work.
I still suspect that the code I was sent was for the old version as the new version had recently been released.
I am an experienced Pocomail/Barca user and I am most disappointed with the level of response.


text:
Reviewed by Michael H. (age 5)
My favorite part of the story was when the dog was asleep. It was my favorite part because he was dreaming that he ate food.
I would tell other kids to read this book because it is funny when the dog is asleep and dreaming.
(Review dictated to Mrs. Downey)


text:
Sports and Safety Surfaces – Leading the Way in Sport and Play
Sports and Safety Surfaces are a UK based company that work nationwide and we install all types of sports surfacing including 3G grass pitches, artificial all weather pitches, athletics surfacing and tennis courts. We also offer a number of services for these facilities including cleaning and painting, sports line marking and surface maintenance . With a wealth of knowledge we can cater for all clients with various budgets from small kickabout ball courts or a full sized synthetic turf football pitch. We offer costs and prices for building the facility, carrying out maintenance and installing extra equipment for all the different types of surfacing available.
Sports Surfacing Options
As experts in the installation of sports facility surfacing, we offer a whole range of different surface specifications which each suit individual sports, the surface types we install include:
- 3G Pitch Artificial Grass – This surface type is ideal for a football and rugby MUGA pitch as it is infilled with a layer of rubber crumb granules which help the pitch to provide natural playing characteristics. The third generation synthetic carpet is usually installed onto a shockpad which gives support to players' joints and prevents injury while taking part in training or matches.
- 2G Sand Filled / Sand Dressed Synthetic Turf – This artificial all weather pitch specification has a layer of silica sand infill applied at the base of the synthetic grass fibres. By installing this sand the turf pile is kept upright and gives great playing qualities for football and hockey as it lets the ball to roll evenly across the pitch.
- Needlepunch Synthetic Turf – A fibre bonded woven artificial grass surface which is extremely durable and can come in a range of bright colours and rainbow designs. Needlepunch specifications are often used for multi use games areas and long jump athletics runways. The reason the MultiSport synthetic is generally used for these facilities is because the flooring is the most hard wearing and durable carpet in the market with great slip resistant qualities with the surface meeting accreditations EN 15330 and also BSEN 7188.
- Polymeric Rubber Surfacing – Made up of EPDM rubber granules which are mixed together with a binder, polymeric surfaces are commonly installed for netball courts, MUGAs and athletics tracks. Anti slip paint coatings can be applied to a polymeric sports surface to improve grip and enhance the game play qualities.
- Macadam Surfaces – A popular choice for schools, macadam specification is a hard wearing sports court facility which requires little maintenance. Its good ball bounce capabilities mean that macadam lends itself to tennis surfacing and netball sports surfaces which can be painted in anti slip coating to meet TRRL 75 needed to meet AENA standards for netball governing body.
All Weather 3G Pitch Construction
Sports and Safety Surfaces can help with your project from the start with measuring up on site, checking access, checking dimensions, sizes, budgets and funds. Design and specifications of a 3G pitch will be tailor made to fit whatever the cost and price needs to be and as a specialist company we can offer any material to match the required quote. The full installation process for most of our sports surfaces is as follows:
- Design and Specification – First you need to decide on what your primary sports are going to be, this will determine the best surface type for the facility you're looking to install. For example if you're going to be playing football and rugby, a 3G pitch artificial grass surface would be the perfect option, but if you wanted to play netball and basketball then a polymeric or macadam surface would be best suited. You also need to know the area size that the facility will be installed to and any extra equipment you will need included within the construction process.
- Groundworks and Foundations – Once your specification and designs for the new facility are finalised, the first on site installation works will be to excavate the existing area and prepare the ground. A geotextile membrane will almost always be applied first, this prevents any weeds or contaminations growing up through the surface. Next the sub base is installed, this will either be a dynamic sub base made up of lots of angular stones, or an engineered macadam sub base, depending on the specification of your chosen surfacing.
- Shockpad – When the foundations have been set out, you can then have a shockpad installed before applying your surfacing layer itself. A specialist sports shockpad helps to absorb impact and prevents injury to players when taking part in sports. Having a shockpad installed is not required for every surface, but it is necessary with all weather pitch facilities which are used for contact sports like rugby. Rugby shockpad underlays are usually installed with a 60mm monofilament yarn synthetic grass carpet installed.
- Surfacing Installation – Once the groundworks and shockpad (if required) have been installed, the next stage of the sports facility installation is to apply the chosen surface type. This is where the process differs slightly for each surfacing specification as artificial grass is rolled out like a carpet and joined together with seams, whereas polymeric rubber and macadam surfaces are poured out onto the base. All of our surfacing systems are permeable to allow good water drainage, meaning that the facilities can be used in all weather conditions and throughout all times of the year.
- Extra Equipment and Accessories – This could include fencing, floodlights, ball stop netting and sand filled synthetic turf maintenance equipment. All of these MUGA sports facility extras can help you get the best from your new sports surface by maintaining the playing qualities and enabling you to rent it out to other clubs and teams.
Sport Surface Maintenance and Services
We offer a whole host of maintenance services for all of the different sports surfaces we install, works we commonly carry out include:
- Anti Slip Coatings and Line Markings – It's important to have the best playing characteristics for your sports court or MUGA. A fresh non slip paint coating will enhance the grip of a macadam or polymeric surface, and clear line markings ensure accurate game scoring for a range of sports. Tennis Court Maintenance is carried out annually where the surface is cleaned and every few years repainted generally in a two tone coloured design.
- Chemical Treatments – If your sports surface becomes contaminated with moss and algae, it can be a nightmare to remove it and restore the surfacing back to its original quality. This is why we offer chemical treatments which prevent the growth of moss and algae and keep your sports pitch or court clear from any contaminations which could cause damage.
- Redistribution of Infill – Artificial grass all weather pitch surfaces which have sand or 3G pitch rubber infill installed can often become compacted and lose their porosity, leading to flooding. This is why you need to regularly redistribute the infill particles by drag brushing and grooming the grass pile, this also helps to remove any dirt or debris.
- Damage Repairs – If your synthetic sports surface becomes damaged through overuse or vandalism, it is necessary to carry out repairs as soon as possible. This could be repairing seams on an artificial grass surface or recapping a damaged polymeric or macadam area.
- Infill Rejuvenation – This process is carried out to replace contaminated sand infill from an all weather pitch with a new layer of clean sand. Rejuvenating an artificial sports pitch helps to restore the original playing qualities and prevents any damage to the surfacing.
- Resurfacing – If a synthetic MUGA court, all weather pitch or athletics track surface becomes very damaged and is in extremely poor condition, it may be necessary to carry out a full resurfacing job. This involves ripping up and disposing of the existing sports surface and replacing it with a brand new surface. Sport facility resurfacing projects in the UK commonly involve replacing a muddy natural grass pitch with an artificial surface.
Sport Facility Funding
At Sports and Safety Surfaces we try our best to make sure not only the client gets an amazing new facility within budget, constructed and surfaced on time but we also want to go the extra mile in supporting you wherever possible. This could be simple advice on maintenance techniques to giving information on suppliers of equipment for a multi use games area. We as a company have grown massively over the years and can help many organisations such as schools with funding for new sports facilities. We understand that it can be a hard task to try and source funding for large projects like this, but we are very well connected with many governing bodies and are therefore able to help with this.
If you have any queries about any type of surfacing specification or the funding opportunities we have available and do not want to fill in our contact form you can easily tweet @james_dooley for guidance or follow @soft_surfaces to look out for latest developments. We regularly post updates and videos to our Sports and Safety Surfaces youtube account which can be looked at through the link and you will see a variety of projects for schools, universities, sports clubs. All of our social media accounts are constantly updated with new case studies and news articles of our recently completed projects so please don't hesitate to follow us to keep in touch with all the latest news.


text:
It represents bankers who own it. Big and powerful ones. Not the state or public interest. It prints money. Controls its supply and price. Loans it out for profit and charges the government interest it wouldn't have to pay if Treasury instead of Federal Reserve notes were issued. People, as a result, pay more in taxes for debt service. The nation is more crisis-prone. Over time they increase in severity. The current one the most serious since the Great Depression. Potentially the greatest ever. The result of Greenspan's 18 year irresponsible legacy.
He championed deregulation and presided over an earlier version of today's crisis. The Reagan-era savings and loan fraud. It bankrupted 2200 banks. Cost taxpayers around $200 billion and for many people their savings in S & Ls they thought safe.
In the 1990s, he engineered the largest ever stock market bubble and bust in history through incompetence, subservience to Wall Street, and dereliction of duty. In January 2000, weeks short of the market peak, he claimed that "the American economy was experiencing a once-in-a-century acceleration of innovation, which propelled forward productivity, output, corporate profits, and stock prices at a pace not seen in generations, if ever....Lofty stock prices have reduced the cost of capital. The result has been a veritable explosion of spending on high-tech equipment....And I see nothing to suggest that these opportunities will peter out anytime soon....Indeed many argue that the pace of innovation will continue to quicken....to exploit the still largely untapped potential for e-commerce, especially the business-to-business arena."
A week later, the Nasdaq peaked at 5048. Lost 78% of its value by October 2002. The S&P 500 49% from its March 2000 high to its October 2002 bottom. Individual investors were left high and dry as a result. For Mr. Greenspan, it was back to engineering multiple bubbles with 1% interest rates and a tsunami of easy money.
He advocated less regulation, not more. Voluntary oversight. The idea that markets work best so let them. Government intervention as the problem, not the solution. In the mid-1990s, he told a congressional committee:
"Risks in financial markets, including derivative markets, are being regulated by private parties. There is nothing involved in federal regulation per se which makes it superior to market regulation."
On October 23 before the House Government Oversight and Reform committee, he refused to accept blame for the current crisis, but softened his tone and admitted a "flaw" in his ideology. Confessed his faith in deregulation was shaken. Said he was in a "state of shocked disbelief." Unclear on what went wrong. Not sure "how significant or permanent it is," and added:
What went wrong with policies that "worked so effectively for nearly four decades," he asked? Securitizing home mortgages. "Excess demand" for them, and failure to properly price them he answered. Unmentioned was unbridled greed. The greatest ever fraud. No oversight, and a predictable crisis only surprising in its magnitude and how it grew to unmanageable severity.
Greenspan is now softening on regulation but barely enough to matter. Too little, too late by any standard, and only to restore stability after which chastened investors "will be exceptionally cautious." In the end, in his view, "This crisis will pass, and America will reemerge with a far sounder financial system." Until another Fed chairman repeats his mistakes. Creates a crisis too big to contain. Destroys unfettered capitalism as we know it. Changes the world irrevocably as a consequence. Unless this time is the big one and does it sooner.
In March 1999, Greenspan was optimistic at the end of a robust decade (that James Petras calls "the golden age of pillage") with no worries about new millennium meltdowns. He addressed the Futures Industry Association and said it would be "a major mistake" to increase rules on how banks assess risks when they use derivatives. He added: "By far the most significant event in finance during the past decade has been the extraordinary development and expansion of financial derivatives." By a compounded 20% rate throughout the decade. Around 30% alone by banks in 1998. And, according to Greenspan, "The reason that (derivatives) growth has continued despite adversity, or perhaps because of it, is that these new financial instruments are an increasingly important vehicle for unbundling risk....the value added of derivatives themselves derives from their ability to enhance the process of wealth creation (and) one counterparty's market loss is the (other's) gain."
Overall, they've increased the standard of living of people globally, he claimed. In fact, they contributed to global crises in the 1990s. Hot money in, and meltdowns when it exited. The problem is derivatives work well in bull markets, but are disastrous when they're down. Going up they do nothing for ordinary people, but during downturns receding tides sink all boats and all in them and aren't the zero sum game Greenspan suggested.
Worst of all are so-called credit default swaps (CDSs). The most widely traded credit derivative. In the tens of trillions of dollars. A $43 trillion market, according to PIMCO's Bill Gross. The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) estimates it at $54.6 trillion. Down from $62 trillion at yearend 2007. Others place it higher, but key is what they are and how they're used. They resemble insurance (on risky mortgages), but, in fact, are for little more than casino-type gambling. Unregulated with no transparency in the shadow banking system that dwarfs the traditional one in size and risk.
Gross describes it this way. It "craftily dodges the reserve requirements of traditional institutions and promotes a chain letter, pyramid scheme of leverage, based in many cases on no reserve cushion whatsoever." CDSs are at the center of shadow banking, and Gross and others warn about possible financial Armageddon if things begin collapsing.
That, according to James Grant, editor of Grant's Interest Rate Observer. Greenspan's "biggest mistake was inciting people to do imprudent things." He called him "marble-mouthed" for his "Greenspeak" and not simply admitting he "was as blind as those (he) pretended to lead. This sense of security that people invested in the idea of perfect control by an all-knowing brain at the top, that idea's been shattered."
In July, Grant was outspoken in a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled "Why No Outrage?" He quoted Mary Elizabeth Lease from the Populist era haranguing farmers to "raise less corn and more hell." He asked why today's financial victims aren't protesting Fed policy "of showering dollars on the (monied) people who would seem to (least) need them." Where are the "uncounted improvident?" Have they "not suffered (enough) at the hands of what used to be called The Interests? Have the stewards of other people's money not made a hash of high finance? Where is the people's wrath?" In the wake of the "greatest (ever) failure of ratings and risk management."
Greenspan's Fed cut interest rates to 1%. "House prices levitated as mortgage underwriting standards collapsed." He claimed earlier that property appreciation was a sign of prosperity and a strong economy and "while home prices do on occasion decline, large declines are rare." Most homeowners experience "a modest but persistent rise in home values that is perceived to be largely permanent."
Especially, according to Grant, at a time that "credit markets went into speculative orbit, and an idea took hold. Risk....was yesterday's problem." It led to "one of the wildest chapters in the history of lending and borrowing." As a consequence, an $8 trillion home valuation wealth bubble and an unprecedented oversupply of unsold properties. Now in even more oversupply as owners default. Are foreclosed on or simply walk away from unaffordable underwater assets. They sit empty with no one to buy them except for those able in distressed sales.
The whole episode criminal and avoidable had the Fed used its authority under the 1994 Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act. It authorized the central bank to monitor abuses and intervene, if necessary, to prevent abusive lender practices. It failed to do it.
The result was predictable. People and the economy in crisis. Greenspan orchestrated it. His successor Bernanke did nothing to curb it. Wall Street was on a roll until it crashed. Huey Long once compared JD Rockefeller to "the fat guy who ruins a good barbecue by taking too much." Wall Street thrives on it. Fed largesse enables it. The problem is their indigestion affects everyone. A stomachache spreading round the world. How bad it'll get and where it stops nobody knows. Blame it on Greenspan. Our "former clairvoyant," according to Grant.
Usually a "free-market" cheerleader, even The New York Times voiced criticism. In an October 8 Peter Goodman article titled "Taking Hard New Look at a Greenspan Legacy." It quoted him in 2004 saying: "Not only have individual financial institutions become less vulnerable to shocks from underlying risk factors, but also the financial system as a whole has become more resilient."
As already explained, he abhorred regulation and championed derivatives. The latter what investor George Soros won't touch "because we don't really understand how they work." What long-time investment banker Felix Rohatyn calls potential "hydrogen bombs." What Warren Buffett describes as financial "weapons of mass destruction." What Alan Greenspan thought regulating would be a huge mistake and even today his faith in these instruments remains unshaken.
Others see things differently "and the role that Mr. Greenspan played in setting up (the current) unrest." Law professor Frank Partnoy says "derivatives are a centerpiece of the crisis." Given their purchased market value in the hundreds of trillions of dollars. Up from a fraction of that years back. The fact that much of it is toxic junk, and the fear that writing enough off will bankrupt their holders and send shock waves through world economies. They're already being felt. Especially in emerging markets.
None of this should have happened. "If Mr. Greenspan had acted differently during his tenure as Federal Reserve chairman, many economists say, the current crisis might have been averted or muted. Over the years, Mr. Greenspan helped enable an ambitious American experiment in letting market forces run free. Now, the nation is confronting the consequences."
It was argued throughout the 1990s "that derivatives had become so vast, intertwined and inscrutable that they required federal oversight to protect the financial system." Even so, "Mr. Greenspan banked on the good will of Wall Street to self-regulate as he fended off (suggestions of) restrictions."
As the housing bubble burst and prices began collapsing, "Mr. Greenspan's record has been up for revision. Economists from across the ideological spectrum have criticized his decision to let the nation's real estate market continue to boom with cheap credit, courtesy of low interest rates, rather than snuffing out price increases with higher rates."
He championed adjustable rate mortgages and ignored the clear fraud from subprime ones. In a 2004 speech, he said that "American consumers might benefit if lenders provided greater mortgage product alternatives to the traditional fixed-rate mortgage." He, in fact, endorsed the type abuses and the housing bubble they produced that Fed action should have prevented.
It will be a chapter in his legacy. Along with "the spectacular boom and calamitous bust in derivatives trading." He declined a Times interview request and referred instead to his record in his memoir, "The Age of Turbulence." In it, he stated that it's "superfluous to constrain trading in some of the newer derivatives and other innovative financial contracts of the past decade." Instead he "preached the transcendent, wealth-creating powers of the market." Not for Main Street. For Wall Street. What a friend of this writer calls "laissez-unfair."
Despite convincing evidence to the contrary, he claimed markets are best able to handle risks. Former Fed vice-chairman Alan Blinder said "Proposals to bring even minimalist regulation were basically rebuffed by Greenspan and various people in the Treasury. I think of him as consistently cheerleading on derivatives." In congressional testimony, he claimed the potential for serious crisis "extremely remote" and dismissively suggested that "risk is part of life." He also warned that too many rules would damage Wall Street and prompt traders to do business overseas.
Until the present, every debacle under him was resolved (enough at least) and markets stabilized and advanced. He got credit for his "steady hand at the Fed," and former Senator Phil Gramm said "You will go down down as the greatest chairman in the history of the Federal Reserve Bank." That comment may go down as the greatest misstatement in the history of the Senate.
This is the same Phil Gramm behind the 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act that repealed (1933 enacted) Glass-Steagall. It let commercial and investment banks and insurance companies combine and opened the door to rampant speculation, fraud and abuse.
In addition, the 2000 Commodity Futures Modernization Act (CFMA). At Gramm's behest, it was tucked undebated into an appropriations bill near the end of Clinton's tenure. It legitimized "swap agreements" and other "hybrid instruments" at the core of today's problems. It prevented regulatory oversight of derivatives and leveraging and turned Wall Street sharks loose on unsuspecting investors. Including world sovereign ones.
It also contained the "Enron Loophole." So the company could exploit its "Enron On-Line." The first internet-based commodities transaction system. Freeing electronic energy trading from regulation by rescinding supervisory restrictions in place since 1922. It empowered Enron to do as it pleased. Ended up fleecing investors. Bankrupting the company, and costing its employees their jobs and savings in worthless Enron stock. All because CFMA sailed through the House and Senate (below the radar), and Clinton signed it into law a month before he left office.
Much to Greenspan's approval. He sweet-talked Congress and said "There is a very fundamental trade-off of what type of economy you wish to have. You can have huge amounts of regulation and I will guarantee nothing will go wrong, but nothing will go right either." He added that Wall Street had tamed risk and "many of the larger (ones) are dramatically hedged." Legislators bought it or at least didn't object. The New York Times is less convinced. Better late than never but don't expect it to become a trend.
As Greenspan championed derivatives as a way of sharing risks, The Times said: "Shared risk has evolved from a source of comfort into a virus. As the housing crisis grew and mortgages went bad, derivatives actually magnified the downturn. In recent months, the financial crisis gathered momentum." Mr. Greenspan stayed conspicuously out of sight. Until October 23.
With the crisis unfolding, he wrote an epilogue to the paperback version of his memoir. Said "Risk management can never achieve perfection. Governments and central banks could not have altered the course of the boom." He has no regrets.
His critics do, and they're coming out of the woodwork, if slowly. Economist Jeff Sachs said "To a large extent, the US crisis was actually made by the Fed, helped by the wishful thinking of the Bush administration. One main culprit was none other than Alan Greenspan."
On October 24, the Seattle Times ran a piece on "Former hero Greenspan blamed for the credit crisis." He "found himself likened to one of the great goats of baseball." Called one of "three Bill Buckners." Referring to the 1986 Red Sox first baseman who let an easy ground ball through his legs that cost Boston the World Series as it turned out.
The Financial Times ran critical responses to a Greenspan article titled "We will never have a perfect model of risk" in which he argued for the inability to anticipate "all discontinuities in financial markets." Economics professor Paul de Grauwe called it "a smokescreen to hide his own responsibility in making the financial crisis possible."
Economist Michael Hudson challenged Greenspan's logic and misuse of empirical real estate data. Specifically land values. By spring 2006, "bankers knew there was a bubble." He wrote a Harpers cover story on it. But Fed officials compounded bad policy with more of it. Hudson added that "The financial system is now at a turning point. Bankers have shown that they can't regulate themselves when they're making so much money by feeding (off Fed created) bubble(s)."
According to David Cox before today's crisis emerged. In the London Guardian on January 29, 2007. He referred to globalization "laying bare the contradictions of capitalism" but extended the argument to "unbridled economic activity." Destroying "the world's climate, water supplies, farmland, forests and fish stocks." Additionally, "mountainous trading, governmental, corporate and personal debt threaten to precipitate world-wide economic collapse....Nothing but the re-engineering of global capitalism can head off the crisis that is beginning to confront it."
Fast-forward to now and the Guardian's "Maelstrom in the markets" article (September 16). Marx again featured. "It is a moment Karl Marx would have relished. From every angle financial capitalism is taking a battering....Two pillars of the modern economic system - greed and prosperity - are trembling in a manner unseen for a very long time."
On October 15, the Guardian headlined "Booklovers turn to Karl Marx as financial crisis bites in Germany. Karl Marx is back." According to German "publishers and bookshops who say that his works are flying off the shelves." Because people "recognise that the neoliberal promises of happiness have not proved to be true," according to publisher Karl-Dietz's Jorn Schutrumpf. Even Germany's finance minister, Peer Steinbruck, was chagrined enough to admit that "certain parts of Marx's theory are really not so bad."
He's on a "winning streak" others admitted, so it's worth noting what he wrote to Friedrich Engels: "The American Crash is a delight to behold and it's far from over." He referred to the Panic of 1857. An earlier banking crisis and recession that spread to Europe, South America and Asia.
Marx condemned "free-market" capitalism as "anarchic" and ungovernable. Because it alienates the masses. Prevents the creation of a humane society. Produces class struggle between the "haves" and "have-nots." The bourgeoisie (capitalists) and proletariat (workers). The destructive contradictions of the system. Exploited masses so a few can profit.
He predicted what's clear today. Competition over time produces a handful of winners. Powerful monopolies controlling nearly all production and commerce. Finance capitalism as well. Exploitation increases. Successive crises erupt, and ultimately fed up workers react. Recognizing their collective power and bringing down the system. Replacing it with a self-managed one. Ending exploitation and alienation. In his view, an inevitable socialist revolution.
His letter to Engels wasn't wrong. Just early, and perhaps by how change will evolve. Not the outcome. Just the method. With a whimper, not a bang. Not by workers. From the system's own corrosiveness. Internal contradictions. So unworkable. Crisis-prone. Fractured by inequities. So self-destructive it can't endure. So it won't. It will crumble on its own.
Compared to other bouts, this one is scary and hitting everywhere. In his latest update, Nouriel Roubini states that:
"markets (are) in sheer panic and becoming literally dysfunctional and unhinged." So much so that "policy makers may soon (have to) close financial markets as the panic selling accelerates. Indeed, we have now reached a point where fundamentals and long term valuation considerations do not matter any more for financial markets. (They're in) free fall as most investors are rapidly deleveraging and we are on the verge of a capitulation collapse." Flows are now everything and in one direction. For the exits in a very destabilizing game.
Just as bad, economic fundamentals "are awful as investors are finally realizing that a severe US and Eurozone and G7 and emerging markets and global recession is coming (not a full-blown depression he believes) and will be deep and protracted." Before this ends, "equity prices may have to fall another 30% based on fundamentals alone...." Add the element of panic selling that may erase even more.
After Wall Street crashed in October 1929, the Dow lost 89% of its value by its low point in July 1932. No one today is predicting that. But given the current climate. Three decades of reckless excess. The greatest ever financial fraud. Multi-trillions of bad debt. Only the brave or foolish should imagine conditions won't be painful and protracted before they stabilize and improve.
What's sure is they're already awful, worsening, spreading, affecting everyone, and when finally ended - the world no longer will be the same as when the crisis emerged. But what it will look like and where it will head is anyone's guess.
For now, emerging economies are endangered. Iceland collapsed, and others, like Hungary, may have to default on their debt. More stable countries like India and Japan are also in trouble. For the first time in 26 years, Japan recorded a trade deficit as exports to the US dropped 21.8% from a year earlier. The steepest ever monthly decline. Recall also that at yearend 1989, Japan's Nikkei peaked at 38,915. It then plunged to 7831 in April 2003. On October 27, 2008, it sunk to a shocking 7163. About 18% of its peak value nearly 19 years earlier and its lowest valuation since October 1982. In the world's second largest economy. A hint of what may await the largest.
One money manager was so shaken he said we're "going back to the stone age." Across Asia it was bloody Friday. The same again on Monday and throughout the world. The worst on Friday was avoided. Armageddon was postponed until further notice. Beyond the timeline of this article, it may arrive sooner, not later.
Because markets are crashing. Equities, commodities, currencies, bonds considered risky. Anything investors can sell to raise cash. All signs are negative. In America, a key indicator is the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) figures on home loan applications. Its index tracking purchasing demand and for refinancing loans plunged 17% in its latest reading. Their lowest levels since October 2001 showing housing demand remains stubbornly weak and not likely to stabilize soon.
Other signs are just as worrisome. Fitch Ratings suggest that high-yield corporate debt defaults may end up the highest number on record. Hedge funds are hemorrhaging from forced liquidations and huge losses. US automakers are on their knees and may face bankruptcy. European ones are also wobbly. Credit is still frozen as who'll lend to borrowers who can't repay. And households are so over-indebted, they can't borrow nor will lenders accommodate them.
Global deleveraging is in play as well. According to Fitch Ratings, world credit growth peaked at almost 16% in 2007. By yearend, it will be 7% and lower still at 5% in 2009. Hardest hit will be "emerging Europe but (it) will spread to all regions." World recession is setting in. Most likely to be deeper, longer and worse than most predict.
In America, credit market debt as a percent of GDP began rising in the early 1980s and peaked at 350% in 2008. Comparable to its 1930s level. Money manager Jeremy Grantham's research shows that all markets revert to their means and generally way overshoot in the process. We're currently well into a massive repricing of risk and asset values. It may take years to play out. It will affect all over-valued markets. Stocks, bonds, commodities and leveraged debt. The cost will be in the trillions. The wreckage unimaginable. The result of monetary and fiscal irresponsibility with Greenspan deserving more blame than anyone.
In 1987, he was chosen to serve financial community interests. Largely Wall and major banks. He bailed them out on October 1987's black Monday. Again in 1998 after Long Term Capital Management's collapse. He flooded the market with easy money. Kept interest rates low. He could do no wrong, and even now, says he has "no regrets on any of the Federal Reserve's policies that we initiated." An astonishing statement given the gravity of today's crisis. The result of rampant speculation and fraud made possible by easy money. With Greenspan supplying it to all takers.
The Fed's job (or what it should be) is to promote stability. Smooth out the business cycle. Maintain a steady, healthy sustainable growth rate. Create price stability. Control inflation, and grow opportunities for everyone. Instead Greenspan fueled bubbles, and all he could say was that "irrational exuberance" may have "unduly escalated asset values" in a December 1996 speech. He did nothing to curb it. Claimed bubbles are hard to identify in real time, and the Fed is unable to diffuse them. He infamously said that it's "easier to clean up the mess after an asset bubble pops than to try and deflate (one) on the way up."
In fact, the Fed's job is to spot and moderate them. Not let them get out of hand. By raising interest rates. Margin requirements. Jawboning. Reducing the money supply to cool speculation and enhance stability. "Taking away the punch bowl," as former Fed chairman William McChesney Martin put it. Available tools Greenspan eschewed that would have worked if used. They weren't, and he denied all responsibility. The result is where we are today. Greenspan still avoiding a mea culpa and only expressing "shock" and "disbelief." But no regrets, and why not. His job was to transfer wealth from the public to the rich. In that he succeeded mightily but look at the cost:
The result of reckless and irresponsible policy. With lots of blame to go around. But none more than to the "maestro" of misery. Now 82 and unapologetic to the end.
Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization. He lives in Chicago and can be reached at email@example.com.
Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Global Research News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Mondays from 11AM to 1PM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national topics. All programs are archived for easy listening.
Mr. Lendman's stories are republished in the Baltimore Chronicle with permission of the author.
Republication or redistribution of Baltimore Chronicle content is expressly prohibited without their prior written consent.
Baltimore News Network, Inc., sponsor of this web site, is a nonprofit organization and does not make political endorsements. The opinions expressed in stories posted on this web site are the authors' own.This story was published on October 27, 2008.


text: Everton Barrett eats right and exercises, but he knows his lack of sleep is hurting his alertness during the day,"I definitely know it is not good," he said as he sat up in a bed at the Doctors Hospital Sleep Center, where he is undergoing testing. In fact, the four to five hours of sleep he gets each night could put him at a greater risk of stroke. A study being presented today at the SLEEP 2012 conference found that getting less than six hours of sleep night after night quadruples the risk of stroke for people with normal weight. Other studies in Europe, Australia and in post-menopausal women in the U.S. have found similar links between sleep deprivation and increased stroke risk. But one Augusta sleep expert cautioned against reading too much into the latest findings on risk. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham followed more than 5,600 people who had no previous stroke or stroke symptoms, and who were at low risk for sleep apnea or disrupted breathing during sleep, for an average of two years. Those at normal weight who averaged less than six hours of sleep a night had four times the risk of stroke symptoms on follow-up, the study showed. Exactly why is unclear, said lead author Dr. Megan Ruiter, a post-doctoral fellow and co-investigator in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. "That is a very good question," she said. "Why would less sleep be such a significant risk factor for stroke symptoms, especially for people of normal weight and not for people who are overweight and obese? That is definitely a big question mark for us as well." Previous studies have found sleep deprivation heightens inflammation in the body, disrupting blood pressure and increasing levels of stress hormones like cortisol, and metabolic hormones like ghrelin and leptin that can affect appetite, Ruiter said. "It can compromise the integrity of your cardiovascular system," she said. "When that happens, you're basically increasing your risk for atherosclerosis and stroke." Sleep deprivation could be the first step people take toward stroke, Ruiter said. "If you have insufficient sleep early, that might be one of your first risk factors that might lead to other risk factors in this sort chain of events toward the stroke," she said. The work in the U.S. mirrors work from Europe published earlier this year. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Potsdam, the Potsdam arm of a much larger study spread across Europe, followed more than 23,000 people an average of nearly eight years. Getting less than six hours of sleep in that study more than doubled the risk for stroke even when other risk factors were taken into account. A study of 218,155 Australians published in December found that six hours of sleep put people at a 25 percent greater risk of stroke. In 2008, The Women's Health Initiative study in the U.S. found after following 93,175 older women that lack of sleep in post-menopausal women conferred a 22 percent higher risk of stroke when cardiovascular disease and diabetes were taken into account. Even with mounting evidence, sleep is not getting the attention it deserves, Ruiter said. "I think that the realization that this is an important factor is growing, but it is not nearly where it should be in terms of awareness among policymakers and the public and of course the physicians who treat us," she said. "I think it is on the rise, but I feel that sleep is just as important as diet and exercise when it comes to modifiable lifestyle factors." While the latest findings sound alarming, one shouldn't panic over getting less than six hours of sleep a night, particularly if it is a temporary situation and the sleep can be made up at other times during the day or over the weekend, said Dr. Carmel Joseph, medical director of the Doctors sleep center. Still, he said, it's best to get more than six hours. (c)2012 The Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, Ga.)


text:
La jetée is a 1962 French science fiction featurette by Chris Marker. It is also known in English as The Jetty or The Pier. Constructed almost entirely from still photos, it tells the story of a post-nuclear war experiment in time travel. The film runs for 28 minutes and is in black and white. It won the Prix Jean Vigo for short film.
The 1995 science fiction film 12 Monkeys was inspired by, and takes several concepts directly from, La jetée.


text: This Summer, BulkyPix will be releasing a colorful new Pacman-like game for iPhone entitled Fruity Jelly. Story of the game? A village filled with sweet jellies has been destroyed, and you of course need to be the hero who saves the day. By eating all the fruit in the mazes, you can help the jellies find peace again. The game will use the gyrosensors of the iPhone or iPad you're gaming on for the controls. The game will support login through OpenFeint, and will contain achievements for the achievementwhores out there. After its release, Fruit Jelly will be getting new levels and other extra's through updates.


text:
Works done through traditional methods such as: pencil, pen, markers, watercolor, acrylic, ecoline, charcoal.
Works created in a wide range of graphic software, such as: Painter, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, openCanvas.
Various works requested by clients. Created using both traditional and digital techniques.
Small sketches, unfinished works, school projets. Anything not suitable for other categories.
White pencil, A5


text:
Edward Jay Epstein is a gifted writer and investigative journalist who has been at it now for nearly 50 years. I hope to have something on his forthcoming book — The Annals of Unsolved Crime — when it is to be published by Melville House next month.
I have been a fan of Ed's since I read Legend: The Secret World of Lee Harvey Oswald when it was published in 1978. Legend derived from Ed's interest in Lee Harvey Oswald. In the course of his research for the book, Ed developed a relationship with the legendary CIA counterintelligence chief, James Jesus Angleton, who familiarized Ed with the pitched battle over the authenticity of a key KGB defector. Ed's book Deception: The Invisible War Between the KGB and the CIA (1989) also benefited from Ed's relationship with Angleton.
I bought and read Deception when it was published in 1989. Although it is a terrific book, it quickly dropped from sight, only to reemerge this year — in China. What's going on? Ed writes:
Up until it was published in China this year, I had assumed events had long since bypassed my 1989 book Deception: The Invisible War Between the KGB and the CIA. After all it had been written during the Cold War as a warning about the KGB's well-honed use of deception as a means of winning without fighting, and, literally on the eve of its publication, the Berlin Wall came down, and the Cold War ended. The concepts in it, such as disinformation, moles, and strategic intelligence manipulation, seemed an anachronism of a war that ended.
So I asked: why the renewed interest in China? I believe there are three reasons:
1) Deception at its core is about the vulnerability of US intelligence to self-deception and, as Benghazi demonstrates, that is still relevant.
2) The KGB has been reconstituted as the powerful master class of Russia.
3) The US has continued to transform the CIA from an intelligence service, which values counterintelligence, to a paramilitary covert action organization.
Given the renewed interest in Deception, Ed has republished it as an ebook that is available via Amazon at the link.
CORRECTION: Thinking of Mark Riebling's book Wedge: From Pearl Harbor to 9/11–How the Secret War between the FBI and CIA Has Endangered National Security (another book which has dropped from sight), I misstated the subtitle of Ed's book in the original version of this post. Thanks to the readers who noted my error.


text:
In order to investigate the potential GMO contamination of Italian agriculture, as well as to investigate methods for the co-existence of different agricultural systems, COOP-Italy has started a field trial in collaboration with the National Interuniversity Consortium for Environmental Sciences (CINSA) .
The out-crossing of GM maize on two fields in Emilia-Romagna and in Tuscany was analysed in a study from CINSA, ordered by COOP-Italy. To simulate GM plants, the researchers used a conventional variety with a coloured phenotype.
To measure the distance of pollen movement, a further study was ordered by the Italian National Research Council and the Ministry of the Environment. Islands of maize were planted at predefined distances and separated by uncultivated ground.
See also: Research at the Joint Research Centre


text:
Toggle navigation
House Plans
Picture Gallery
Porch Designs
A porch is really a place to sit, spend some time with family enjoying outdoor beauty. You can choose a porch design that best suits to the exterior of your house.
Kitchen renovation ,Four Important Aspects to Consider
Renovation is a dreaded word because it means bringing back rigour and newness into something old. Easier said than done
These are various designs of POP
Plaster of Paris Ceiling designs are very easy to construct. It is just a matter of creative designs and workmanship. Just look at the variety of POP Ceiling designs so that you can have it in your dream home.
Kitchen design mistakes
Kitchen is the heart of your home and design of kitchen may make it functional. Just make sure that do not make mistakes while designing your kitchen. You will find here a list of common mistakes to avoid.
Design your Office
The office where we spend our most of time be careful about the functionality and comfort of office. The working conditions and environment of an office is directly affected by the office design. To create healthy and productive environment in the office there is need to plan office carefully.
Bathroom Design Tips
How to design a Bathroom? Designing a bathroom involves various considerations that can result in intelligent use of space. Read 10 basic tips for bathroom design you should consider before planning new bathroom or remodeling the old one. Here you find renovation as well as décor tips for small bathroom to large bathroom designs.
Roof Garden
A roof garden is a garden on the top of a building. Roof gardens are becoming popular in urban areas because of limited space. If you dream of garden in your home make a beautiful roof garden.
Ceiling Design- New Ceiling Design for 2012
Ceiling design ideas can change the overall look of the room. Look at the new collection of ceiling design that gives you an idea for changing the ceiling for every room of your house. Check out pop ceiling, false or suspended ceiling, wood ceiling, gypsum ceiling, glass, metal, and many more ceiling designs.
Kids room ceiling designs
Are your kids room is well decorated, themed room but ceiling is flat? Now you can decorate kids room ceiling, we will show you the wonderful ideas on ways to design kids room ceiling using theme, designs and bold colors.
Living Room Ceiling
Living room ceiling can change the interior of your room. Beautiful ceiling designs and colorful ceiling can be the feature of your living room.
Planning a House
Once the architect has given his design options, it becomes necessary to select one and start working on it.
What are various designs of grills in windows?
Window Grills are required for the safety of homes. Window glasses should be well covered with grills. Here are various designs of grills which provide safety to window glasses.
Orientation of Building
To get maximum ventilation and natural light in your house, make sure the building is properly oriented. Orientation of building saves energy and provides comfortable living as well. This article tells you about various factors and benefits of building orientation.
Restaurant Design
Shed the tried and tested ways of designing and adopt a new approach to make your restaurant design interesting and warm
How to Increase productivity in office
A comfortable and well designed office may increase the productivity of employees. Office space design requires imaginative thoughts and consideration for business needs. There is need to hire a designer for a comfortable and functional office.
13 simple pointers to set you on your way to designing your bathroom!
Designing your own bathroom is definitely exciting, but challenging nonetheless. Options are aplenty and you're not alwa
Design your Coutyard
Courtyards are wonderful place to create space for sitting and relaxation. Blooming flowers fragrance, blowing wind, plants beauty and outdoor furniture give you a place to enjoy the evening.
Interior Decorating Ideas
Gharexpert have largest collection of interior decoration ideas and pictures that may help you while decorating your home. Gharexpert have a large database for all types of interior decorating pictures i.e bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living room, dining etc. You can also find paint ideas, cabinet designs, wall décor, door and window designs etc.
Ceiling designs
Modern Ceiling Design ideas are one of the most beautiful things that can happen to your home design. Here view some pictures of home Ceiling designs.
How to Design Stairs?
Going up and down the stairs needs much energy if the steps are not designed smoothly. For easy access to upper floors the house owner should focus on design requirements such as width, height, slope and lighting while designing stairs. This article tells you about essential design requirements of stairs.
Vastu for East Facing Plot
POP false ceiling design for 17 ft by 20 ft room with wooden planks
Chandelier and false ceiling design for kitchen
Wooden Interior door design
Dining Set Design
Study Table Design
LCD Unit Design
Lining Room LCD Unit
Shower Enclosure
LCD Wall Unit
Modern LCD Unit Design
Stylish LCD Wall Unit
LCD Unit with Wall Decor
Stylish Hanging Lights
Ceiling and Lighting Design
Royal Sofa Design
Modern Ceiling Design
Ceiling Design
POP Ceiling Design
Framed Shower Doors
Kids Room Lighting
Kids Room Lighting
Cupboards for Toddlers
Curtains Design
Sliding Door Design
Wall Cladding Design
L- Shaped Sofa Design
Main Gate Design
White Marble Flooring
Bathroom Flooring
Copyright 2007-


text: DigitalDetails.com is on the Lookout for Innovative Writers With StyleBy Aneya Fernando|January 14, 2014 ShareBy Aneya Fernando|January 14, 2014 ShareDetails.com isn't your traditional "macho" men's website with an endless stream of sports, women and beer. No, this digital space is all about modern men's luxury. So, dudes, if you're embarrassed about discussing your grooming habits, this site isn't for you.The magazine's digital counterpart (which averages about 1 million uniques a month) is on the hunt for freelancers to enhance its ever-expanding content. So what kind of writing are the editors looking for? Well, it depends on what you bring to the table:The vast majority of the content on Details.com is presented through 500-word blog posts or slideshows that include a hed, dek, intro and captions. That may seem limiting, but considering the vast coverage of the site ensures that there are plenty of opportunities for freelance bylines. In "Style" and "Advice," editors are looking for fashion news, not generic how-tos or service pieces. "They tend to be too remedial, and it's not something that we're trying to aggregate right now," says [online director James Cury]. "So you'd want to spot a trend, or anticipate a trend. That would be ideal for us."To hear more about what Details.com is looking for, as well as editors' contact info, read: How To Pitch: Details.com.The full version of this article is exclusively available to Mediabistro AvantGuild subscribers. If you're not a member yet, register now for as little as $55 a year for access to hundreds of articles like this one, discounts on Mediabistro seminars and workshops, and all sorts of other bonuses. Sharehttp://adweek.it/2ka9IRX copy Adweek Adweek


text:
nothing super-super major. life stuff. you know how it goes, right?
some tears were involved but so glad to have a loving, supportive fiance.
talks with my wise parents. prayer. journal-writing like whoa. extra cups of coffee.
i have always been a firm believer of writing out thankful or happy lists especially when life is not the smoothest.
besides the ones above, here are other things that top my list...
1. books like Clockwork Angel and Divergent that rock my fiction reading world
2. getting a ton of mail after a week and half long trip
3. chunky rings
4. a 16-year old sister that craaaaacks me up with her ridiculous jokes and voices
5. Chicago and my best friends that live there
6. hot apple cider
7. re-watching hilarious Flip video clips from the roadtrip
8. updating the Much Love, illy Facebook page (finally! got around to doing this!)
9. the movie She's the Man
10. the temps falling low enough to pull out the boots but not the coats and gloves
much love.
p.s. don't miss out on this week's giveaway by Ellarye Boutique!


text:
This graduate makes a difference, one country at a time12/20/2013
Snapshot: Jessica Custer
B.A. in Spanish, B.S. in Accounting and B.S.B.A. in International Business, graduated in 2010. As a Fulbright Scholar, she spent a year in Peru developing a business model to provide sustainable sanitation to urban poor.
Currently: She's completing a master's degree in sustainable development in Paris, France, and working in India with MBAs Without Borders.
Jessica returned to campus to speak to new students as part of UA's Honors Leadership Summit. About this series.
Jessica Custer will tell you that being awarded a Buckingham Scholarship to study at UA was her ticket to explore the world — inside and outside the classroom. But it was a toilet that gave her a purpose in life.
More precisely, it was the thousands of shacks and toilets Custer saw in "The Floating City" of Belen — on the shores of the Peruvian Amazon — that set her on a quest to make a difference.
"The way they were living was unthinkable to me — it was the first time I had seen concentrated, debilitating poverty," recalls Custer, who was on a study abroad trip to Peru, Argentina and Mexico at the time. "I saw their form of sanitation was floating toilets that went directly in the river. With no access to clean water, they were using this water for swimming, playing, bathing, cooking, drinking. I couldn't understand why it was this way."
Finding purpose and passion
For a time, she questioned her choice to major in business, reasoning that if she were an engineer or a doctor, she would have the tools to really help these people. Custer says she soon realized that her business skills did indeed give her the ability to make positive, lasting changes. She began to study social business and sustainable development in particular. "It is development that meets our current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs," she explains.
Read more:
Akron Beacon Journal: UA graduate discards lucrative career, finds happiness helping poor
It was the focus of her honors project and it remained a priority for Custer, even after graduation. When she was awarded a Fulbright grant to move to Peru and study sanitation — just six months after joining the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche — Custer left the secure, lucrative position to work in the jungle.
The choice was not an easy one, but it was the right one for her, says Custer, who has continued to work on sustainable development projects in locales from Peru to India.
Connections are personal
"My passion stems from a personal connection with these people," notes Custer. "I did come from a very low income family. One of the lessons I learned from that is that you have to work twice as hard and you have to have triple the perseverance of people that have means in order to succeed. I was rewarded with the Buckingham Scholarship here at The University of Akron, which gave me the opportunity to change my life.
"So my real passion is working with social enterprise to develop and innovate business models that can increase access to critical goods and resources for people so that they have the power to change their own lives and steer their own development," adds Custer. "It's very personally connected for me, because someone once did it for me."
My Akron Experience
"I've been to 28 countries and a lot of that was during my time at The University of Akron."
What Inspired My Passion
"It started with a toilet."
Sustainable Development Defined
"So much of what goes into creating a good strong business cannot be monetized."
Redefining Success
"I wasn't willing to give up being passionate about something to be OK."
My Mentor
"Her philosophy of working and pushing me forward is honestly what helped me to develop many of the skills I use today."
What's Next?
"I have this just inherent desire for adventure and travel … that really energizes and inspires me."
About this series
As incoming Honors College students prepared to start their first year on the UA campus, they received sparks of inspiration from four honors alumni — all recent College of Business Administration graduates — who became more than their majors and found success on their chosen paths.
The four, who had all been all Buckingham Scholars, were brought to campus through the Honors Leadership Summit, which is a program hosted by the Institute for Leadership Advancement within the CBA. The institute, established in 2012 by a $1 million gift from The J.M. Smucker Company, promotes the development of leaders with the unique combination of knowledge, skills and principles needed to make an impact on their organizations early in their careers.
The alumni that returned to inspire, one each week, were:
- Aniqa Feerasta, Amazon;
- Mike Honeck, Walt Disney Imagineer;
- Michael Modon, Google; and
- Jessica Custer, MBAs Without Borders.
Capping off the series as keynote speaker was Richard Smucker, CEO of his family's company. He spoke about wise and ethical leadership.
In wide-ranging interviews before their presentations, each graduate talked about the value of his or her UA education. From mentors to motivations, from goal setting to overcoming fear, from campus involvement to studying abroad, each shaped an Akron Experience that made them ready for everything that has followed.
See what Aniqa Feerasta, Mike Honeck and Michael Modon had to say.


text:
Faith Hill Debuts New Song 'Illusion' During 'CMA Music Festival' Television Special
Faith Hill returned to the CMA Music Festival in Nashville for the first time in years in 2012, and brought new music with her. The country superstar revealed 'Illusion' — the rumored title track to her long-awaited new album — during the ABC-aired recap of the festival on Monday night (Sept. 17). Earlier in the show ,Hill confirmed that the album is done, but stopped short of saying it'd be available soon.
'Illusion' is a song that finds a scorned woman singing to her ex. "Every time you told me love me it was just an illusion, an illusion," Hill shouted during the chorus. "I thought we had it / Thought we were magic," she added. This new song will not be her new single. 'American Heart' is scheduled to impact radio in October.
The singer was backed by an enormous band as she performed in a very casual pair of blue jeans and a long-sleeved red top. She matched the mood of her audience, especially during a performance of 'Piece of My Heart,' the Janis Joplin song which closed her short TV set.
Hill's funky recreation of the classic song had the audience on their feet, begging for more as she signed off. It was starling to see Hill — whose televised performances have been glamorous ballads in recent years — on her knees crying out, "Have another little piece of my heart now baby!"
Watch Faith Hill Perform 'Illusion' at CMA Music Festival


text:
You are hereYou are here: Inicio › The Bank › What We Do › Issue of Legal Tender
Issue of Legal Tender
This content has been translated into English for informational purposes. Upon any query regarding its interpretation or enforceability, the Spanish version shall be deemed official, and will prevail over the English version. The authors of specific texts such as working papers or articles select the language of publication; therefore, there might be cases in which the content may only be available in English.
- The Bank
- What We Do
- Who We Are / Locations
- History
- Press releases
- Bank Holidays
- Anti-Money laundering and counter terrorism financing risk management system - SARLAFT
- Board of Directors
- Research and Publications
- Press releases
- Regulation
- Banknotes and Coins
- Statistics


text:
Sky Scores Again
Just released Victoria Mahoney's debut film, 'Yelling to the Sky,'features a bevy of talent (Zoe Kravitz, Jason Clarke, Antonique Smith, Yolonda Ross, Gabourey Sidibe, Shareeka Epps, Sonequa Martin, Tariq Trotter, Tim Blake Nelson, EJ Bonilla, Gio Perez, Gleendilys Inoa, Dennis Kellum, Marc John Jeffries, Adam Tomei, Billy Kay, Peter Tambakis, Antoine de Pharoah, Sarah Schaefer, Maurice Compte, and Zabryna Guevara)
An Official Selection of the 2011 Berlin Film Festival and the SXSW Film Festival, 'Yelling to the Sky' stars Zoe Kravitz as Sweetness O'Hara, as an introspective and shy inner-city teenager who unsuccessfully tries to quietly blend into the crowded halls of her high school. But an increasingly complex home life, and a persistent, growing threat at school, soon carries her into a world of reckless ambivalence.
For Antonique Smith, who plays Sweetness' sister Ola, the film offers her another opportunity to work with a big ensemble.
Known for her debut film role as Faith Evans in 'Notorious,' which was based on the life of Evans' late husband, rapper The Notorious B.I.G, the East Orange, NJ native was also seen opposite Taylor Lautner in John Singleton's Abduction.
Besides her film career, Smith is also an accomplished theater actress and singer, having played Mimi in Jonathan Larson's Broadway production of 'Rent.' She's also working on her first album.
Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim trailer released
Warner Bros. has released first trailer for Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim, starring Idris Elba. When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity's resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)—who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind's last hope against the mounting apocalypse.
The film opens in 3D on July 12th, 2013.
HBO drama TREME
New Orleans native and distinguished television and stage actor Lance Nichols, stars in the critically acclaimed HBO drama series TREME, playing the role of dentist and devoted husband 'Larry Williams' to the strong-willed 'LaDonna Batiste-Williams' (Khandi Alexander). 'Larry' believes he can make a better life for his family in Baton Rouge after Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans and although his wife has no significant ties left, she refuses to leave her beloved city behind. Having recently returned for its third season, new episodes of the series continue to air on Sunday nights at 10:00PM on HBO.
Conceived by producers David Simon and Eric Overmyer who created the critically acclaimed HBO series THE WIRE, TREME paints a poignant picture of a diverse group of New Orleans residents as they struggle to deal with the wreckage and renewal of rebuilding both their lives and their city. The series begins three months after Hurricane Katrina where the residents of New Orleans, including musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians, and other New Orleanians return to their homes and their unique culture in the aftermath of the devastating 2005 hurricane.
With an acting career that spans over three decades, The three time NAACP Theatre Award nominee and L.A. Weekly Theatre Award winner, Nichols is no stranger to television, having made over 75 guest star appearances on a number of acclaimed and award winning series', including but not limited to EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, THE WEST WING and DESPERATE HOUSWIVES. His breakout role came in 2008 when he was cast as a preacher in the Academy Award nominated film THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Since then, he has landed starring roles in such films as, I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS THE MECHANIC and GREEN LANTERN among others.
When he is not on set, the devoted husband and father of three daughters, enjoys watching his beloved New Orleans Saints, traveling with his wife, dining out and splitting his time between New Orleans and Los Angeles, where he began his acting career over twenty years ago.
Gangster Squad
Release Date: January 11, 2013?
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures?Director: Ruben Fleischer?Screenwriter: Will Beall?Cast: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Robert Patrick, Michael Peña, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Mackie, Emma Stone, Sean Penn?Genre: Drama?MPAA Rating: Not Available
Synopsis: Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and–if he has his way–every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It's enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen's world apart. "The Gangster Squad" is a colorful retelling of events surrounding the LAPD's efforts to take back their nascent city from one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time.