text:
Some of the world's most successful hedge fund managers and more than 1,000 investors are gathered in Las Vegas for Skybridge Capital's SALT Conference. MarketWatch's William Watts live-blogged the market movers from day one here.
5:43 pm | Smith defends Starboard's hedging strategy
Smith is asked if Starboard is hurting itself by hedging its long positions with a big short on the Russell 2000.
Smith says the hedge is designed to protect investors' capital and hasn't usually been a drag on performance.
5:41 pm | Darden could realize hidden billions in real estate value: Smith
Starboard's Smith makes the case for its battle to stop restaurant chain operator Darden from spinning off its Red Lobster brand.
Smith says Darden has hidden billions in real estate, which needs to be restructured.
5:37 pm | Sandell likes FirstGroup
Sandell says his favorite European activist opportunity is FirstGroup. Sandell is pushing for a spinoff of its U.S. operation.
5:36 pm | Rosenstein: Lots of upside for Walgreen
Rosenstein says one of his favorite positions is drug store chain Walgreen's. The company recognizes it has a problem and made deal to acquire U.K.'s Alliance Boots back in 2012.
Walgreen has substantially underperformed its peers due to thin margins. Rosenstein says JANA is working behind the scenes with the company and that he sees big upside.
5:29 pm | Trian's Garden: Pepsi stifled by "culture of sycophants"
Garden is asked about its ongoing battle to get Pepsi to spin off its beverage unit, a proposal that has seen the company's board dig in as part of a high-profile battle with Trian founder Nelson Peltz.
Garden recounts Trian's success with other food companies. Garden, recounting a Trian white paper, says Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi has created a huge corporate bureaucracy that has stifled the firm's divisions.
Garden says Pepsi is hampered by a "culture of sycophants" and pledges to continue the battle, saying there will be material change at the company.
5:23 pm | There will always be activist opportunities: Starboard's Smith
How much longer can activist cycle run?
Jeff Smith of Starboard Value says there will always be a bottom quartile of companies, so there will always be opportunity to create value.
"Companies will fall down, companies will have execution problems -- sometimes when market is performing well, sometimes when market isn't performing well," he says.
5:18 pm | Activists work behind scenes in Europe
So why aren't there more well-known European activists?
There's a lot of cooperation with institutional investors. A lot of work is done behind the scenes and doesn't make it into the papers, Sandell says.
Rosenstein adds that some companies have biases against activism, particularly by Americans. Rosenstein says he steers clear of France.
5:14 pm | Lots of activist opportunities in Europe: Sandell
What about Europe? Tom Sandell of Sandell Asset Management says some of the best activist opportunities are located in Europe.
He says the ECB needs to do "unsterilized quantitative easing" to achieve growth. Meanwhile, there are a lot of cheap companies and offers a better framework for activism because there are no staggered boards and shareholders must approve poison pills.
In certain markets, unions have a huge influence which can make things more difficult. Also, companies in the Netherlands and Germany have dual boards, which can also complicate things.
The U.K. environment for corporate actions is straightforward, by contrast, he says.
5:11 pm
Trian Partners is described as an "operational activist."
Trian's Ed Garden uses the company's goal is to drive the income statement.
Trian is headed by famed raider/activist Nelson Peltz.
5:04 pm
There's that "R" word. Rosenstein says that in the 80s he was a "corporate raider."
5:03 pm | Activist game has changed: Rosenstein
People have been talking a lot about activist investing — nobody here uses that old term "corporate raider" — in a mostly positive way. Now we get a panel discussion featuring some high profile activists:
First up is Barry Rosenstein of JANA Partners says the M&A cycle is back and we're seeing a lot more acquisitions. As far as activism is concerned, he says "no company is safe today." In other words, in the past activists targeted firms with market caps of around $15 billion or less. Nowadays even corporate giants, such as Pepsi can find themselves in activists' sights.
There's also a sea-change in how investors view activists. Ten years ago, long-only funds wouldn't have returned JANA's phone calls. Now they would be viewed as irresponsible not to listen to what activists have to say.
Companies are also less likely to automatically fight activist proposals, he says. Poison pills, staggered boards, lawsuits and other tactics only alienate shareholders, something that boards recognize.
2:59 pm
That's it for now. It's lunch time at SALT.
Basketball star Magic Johnson is the speaker. No doubt attendees will be eager to hear his take on the latest in the Clippers affair. Unfortunately, the event is off the record.
2:44 pm | 'Corporate pro-activism' creating opportunities: Bader
Bader says stocks aren't cheap and 1,900 is probably near fair value for the S&P 500.
Bader says CEOs have more confidence. That bodes well for mergers. There's also been more opportunities in terms of multi-bidder situations, such as the battle for Time Warner Cable. M&A is one place to put capital that can capture some uncorrelated returns.
Then there are activists, with Carl Icahn, et al, pushing boards to take action. That's well and good, but now there's a new phenomenon that Bader terms "corporate pro-activism."
That may be because boards are trying to take action before activists strike, but it's creating a lot of opportunities for profit, he says, between when companies begin pursuing deals and when they complete them.
2:37 pm | Shadow banking on the rise
Don Brownstein of Structured Portfolio Management expounds on a theme that's cropped up repeatedly at SALT, the deconsolidation of the banking sector. Hedge funds, pension funds and others will continue to play a growing role in lending.
Earlier, York Capital's James Dinan bragged about the attractive returns earned by stepping into European credit markets.
2:19 pm | No idea where rates are going
Another panel, this one focused on maximizing returns in a rising rate environment.
John Bader of Halcyon Asset Management starts the ball rolling by saying he doesn't know where rates are headed, so he's focused on areas with low correlation to rate moves, including liquidations in credit driven and event-driven activity in equities.
2:08 pm | Ukraine and fear itself
Asked what keeps him up at night, Dinan says he sleeps pretty well.
In part, that's because York runs "liquid" portfolios. He admits he has kept an eye on the situation in Ukraine and that he sometimes worries about fear begetting more fear.
2:06 pm
Dinan: "Interest rates are going to stay low in the US...longer than most people expect." #SALT2014
— Simone Foxman (@SimoneFoxman) May 14, 2014
2:01 pm | Dinan: 'European credit 'gift that just keeps giving'
So what are Dinan's investment themes?
For one, takeovers. "In a world of stocks on the surface aren't moving….this event-driven [theme] works well in this environment," he says.
The redeployment from debt into equities also continues.
The big story in Europe remains credit. York has been doing direct lending in a big way and is "stepping in where the banks aren't going." This has made for returns that are "extraordinarily attractive."
And now, European banks are writing down loans "and we're buying them."
European credit "is the gift that just keeps giving," he says.
1:55 pm | Eliminating 'rogue-trader' mentality
Dinan initially embraced building the infrastructure. Around 10 years ago, York decided to register with the SEC even though it didn't need to. The move was a recognition the firm needed to move from adolescence to adulthood, though it raised compliance and regulatory costs.
The biggest key to institutionalization, however, is finding talented people and teaching them the culture of the organization.
You have to instill a sense of responsibility for the money your firm is managing. That helps insure against the threat of "rogue-trader" mentality.
1:51 pm | The ghost of 1987
Dinan talks about his early days of managing money.
He was famously wiped out by the stock-market crash in 1987. It made him aware that there could always be another 1987 at any time. As a result he says he didn't initially invest enough in infrastructure of York.
1:47 pm | Words of wisdom from York Capital's James Dinan
We're back from the break. SkyBridge founder Anthony Scaramucci is sitting down with hedge-fund heavyweight James Dinan of York Capital.
1:11 pm
An interesting panel discussion but, curiously, no questions from the audience as it's thrown open to Q&A. Guess that's a sign it's a good time for a coffee break.
1:09 pm | Rise of small hedge funds?
Jacob Walthour thinks a key business trend will be a focus on smaller hedge funds and managers, who are often more entrepeneurial.
1:06 pm | Low interese stubborn?
Kaminsky says the big surprise a year from now will be how low interest rates will still be.
1:03 pm | More European activism?
Kaminsky says activists have had trouble getting traction in Europe due to governments' efforts to protect home companies. The proposed Pfizer-Astrazeneca deal, however, could herald growing activism in Europe.
1:01 pm
Finding relative value is critical. Is it better in Asia or Europe beyond preponderance of capital in US.? #SALT2014
— Mark Kornfeld (@KornfeldMark) May 14, 2014
12:59 pm | 'Pockets of opportunity' in Europe
Nolte of Skybridge says there are "pockets of opportunity" in Europe. He says regulators have given European banks a lot of leeway, which has left them reluctant to ditch troubled assets. That's crimped opportunities for hedge funds to buy distressed assets.
12:56 pm
Kapnick: We see a lot of opportunity in Europe. Now is the time to be there and be present. #SALT2014
— SALTConference (@SALTConference) May 14, 2014
12:48 pm | 'Just buying the index' has had its day
A lot of talk about how ETFs have affected the investing environment.
Nolte says there is some impact in that people are buying entire sectors and industries, indiscriminately buying everything. That can frustrate long/short managers, but in the long run it creates more opportunities for active managers, he says.
Gary Kaminsky of Morgan Stanley says this is the first year in a long time that index-following and benchmark-hugging haven't outperformed. He thinks the game of "just buying the index" has had its day."
12:40 pm | Activists displacing private equity: Walthour
Jacob Walthour, vice chairman at Ramius, says old world of private equity being displaced by "activism." He sees that trend continuing, but warns that activists have "finite capacity," with a number already shutting funds to outside investors.
12:36 pm | Credit bubble building?
Next up is a panel on managing trends. Ray Nolte of Skybridge Capital is worried that a bubble is building. This time it's less about leverage, driven more by retail use of ETFs and mutual funds. It could be a few years before it pops, he says.
12:25 pm | Deflation debated
Schiff denies idea that people hold off on purchases because prices are falling. If that were so, no one would ever buy a cell phone.
Deflation was a salve for hurting consumers in the Depression, he says.
Roubini says that, of course, prices can fall because of technological change. Deflation is when prices fall due to lack of aggregate demand, which leads to a pernicious spiral.
Roubini and Schiff start to shout each other, leading Meyer to declare the panel over.
12:24 pm | Twitter reacts at #SALT2014 | by Tom Bemis
Harold Ford Jr is owning Peter Schiff and he doesn't even have to try #SALT2014
— Linette Lopez (@lopezlinette) May 14, 2014
Ken Langone At SALT: Major shortage of doctors Coming @SALTConferencehttp://t.co/x89NGYXdiI$JPM$MACRO#SALT2014
— ValueWalk.com (@valuewalk) May 14, 2014
Schiff on offense vs fed. funding gvt deficits, politicians lack integrity, Fed lacks guts. #salt2014#hyperinflation
— Mark Kornfeld (@KornfeldMark) May 14, 2014
12:20 pm | Roubini: 'Nonsense' to say deflaiton not a problem
Things are getting testy.
Roubini tells Schiff that what he said about deflation is "nonsense." The economy suffered from deflation in the Great Depression, while deflation led to rise of power of Nazis in Germany and political upheaval.
Roubini says inflation hawks have been forecasting hyperinflation since central banks began employing QE and have yet to be proven right. Central banks have been appropriately respoonding to appropriately to threats of low inflation and possible deflation.
12:17 pm | Schiff: Deflation not a problem
Meyer challenges Schiff to put a "number and a date" on his forecast for hyperinflation.
Schiff shrugs off the challenge, saying the economy is headed for hyperinflation if Fed doesn't take appropriate action.
He goes on to argue that the Fed needs to get rid of QE and let the economy deal with the consequences. He says the idea the Fed needs to protect consumers from deflation is a "ridiculous" idea because consumers benefit from falling prices.
If the economy get to inflection point where inflation starts to pick up and CPI hits rate sof 4% to 5% to 6%, the Fed will find itself boxed in. Eventually economy will be forced to swallow tough medicine.
12:16 pm
12:11 pm | 'Two-year hotheads' and the Fed
Harold Ford says it would be a bad idea to give "two-year hotheads" in Congress more direct control over Fed policy. He says Congress should have oversight, but Fed officials, including Janet Yellen, are doing a good job in tough conditions.
12:04 pm | Roubini says fiscal risks faded
Roubini says the risk of a fiscal crisis in the U.S. has faded and sounds relatively upbeat on economic outlook.
He sees a number of potential pitfalls, including geopolitical risks surrounding Ukraine, a potential bumpy landing for China's economy, and either a too-slow or too-fast QE exit by the Fed.
11:58 am | China could get bumpy
On China, Roubini says he's worried about a "bumpy" rather than a "hard landing" in China. Growth will slow more than the market has factored in.
11:56 am | From doom to boom
Next up is Nouriel Roubini. He quips that while his nickname is "Dr. Doom," sitting next to Schiff he feels like "Dr. Boom."
11:55 am
Laurence Meyer tells Schiff he appreciates "bold" forecasts. Says a good forecast can be confirmed within 6 months and he looks forward to seeing how Schiff's outlook stacks up.
11:54 am | Schiff: Fed is boxed in
Peter Schiff of Euro Pacific Capital makes his case for a plunge by the dollar and a sharp rise for gold and other commodities.
He argues today's PPI rise is a harbinger of rising inflation and says the Fed will find itself unable to raise interest rates to battle rising price pressures for fear of hurting a fragile economy.
11:44 am | Greece's Papandreou regrets austerity focus
Papandreou, who served as prime minister of Greece from 2009 to 2011, says he and Dan Loeb were on the same side when the hedge fund manager made a bull case for beaten-down Greek government bonds a few years ago. Loeb made around a half-billion dollars "and I lost my job," he quips, but says he cheers the outcome.
While Greece has returned to the credit markets and conditions have improved, it's come at a painful cost for Greek citizens. Policy makers have "muddled through."
There was a great focus on austerity, when it would have been better to have emphasized reform in the euro zone's peripheral economies.
He expects public resentment over the outcome to show up in upcoming elections to the European Union parliament with stronger showings for extremist parties.
11:39 am | Economic outlook
Next up is a panel on the global macroeconomic forecast, featuring economist Nouriel Roubini, former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, investor Peter Schiff and former congressman Harold Ford. It's moderated by former Fed governor Laurence Meyer.
11:37 am | Langone says regs strangling economy
Kenneth Langone kicks off the conference in trademark take-no-prisoners style.
He says business leaders shot themselves in the foot in the runup to the financial crisis, but argues that the current level of regulation is choking the economy. He says rental housing is a great investment because of short supply as creditworthy young people struggle to get loans.
Langone, who has criticized Pope Francis for being too hard on the rich, wins a smattering of applause as he ponders why the New York Times bothers to publish on Sunday and says he's glad its dying as he doesn't care for its politics.
Langone notes that the world is run by "C" students, including himself, and urges attendeees to be philanthropic.


text:
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Minimally-invasive weight loss surgery is safer than open surgery, with patients suffering fewer complications during those procedures, according to a new study of more than 150,000 people who had a gastric bypass in the United States.
Patients also left the hospital sooner — and with a slightly smaller medical bill — after so-called laparoscopic gastric bypass procedures, researchers from Stanford University in California found.
During gastric bypass, the surgeon creates a pouch out of the top portion of the stomach, then connects it to the small intestine so fewer calories are absorbed during digestion. For laparoscopic procedures, only a few small cuts in the stomach are made and a tiny camera is inserted to allow the surgeon to get a full view during the procedure, as compared to the one large cut made during open surgery.
"From a surgeon's perspective, the ability to see (during) the surgery is enhanced doing it laparoscopically," said Dr. Anita Courcoulas, a professor and bariatric surgeon from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who wasn't part of the new research team.
"From the patient's perspective, there's much less pain, so they can walk and move and return to normal activities sooner."
The findings support past research suggesting the less-invasive procedure is safer, and are "important" because they reflect complications and deaths on a national level, according to Courcoulas.
Dr. John Morton and his colleagues analyzed data on weight loss procedures done at about 1,000 U.S. hospitals each year between 2005 and 2007, including 41,000 open gastric bypass surgeries and 115,000 laparoscopic surgeries.
Looking back at safety records for the procedures, the researchers found about 19 percent of patients undergoing open surgery had at least one complication — such as developing pneumonia or needing a blood transfusion — compared to just over 12 percent of those who had less-invasive surgery.
One in 500 obese patients in the open surgery group died during or shortly after the procedure, compared to one in 1,000 in the laparoscopic group.
People getting open surgery also had longer hospital stays — 3.5 days versus 2.4 days, on average, the researchers reported in the Archives of Surgery. And their procedures cost slightly more, with a price tag of $35,000 compared to just under $33,000.
The records didn't have information on longer-term complications or on how overweight patients were going into the surgery.
Weight loss procedures are typically considered for people with a body mass index of at least 35 and other medical problems such as diabetes, or for people with a BMI of 40 without other related conditions. For a five-foot, six-inch person, that equates to 217 pounds or 248 pounds.
According to data from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, about 220,000 people had weight loss surgery, including gastric bypass, in 2009.
Courcoulas said for some patients, such as those who've had previous colon and bowel surgeries, open weight loss procedures may be the only option. But that's the exception rather than the rule.
"I think that in most large centers, patients are being offered a laparoscopic procedure exclusively," she told Reuters Health.
"For patients considering weight loss surgery, especially gastric bypass, they should have a very thorough conversation with their surgeon about the planned approach, and a laparoscopic approach should be the preferred approach if possible," Courcoulas concluded.
"The consensus is now overwhelming to suggest a laparoscopic approach first," Morton, the study's senior author, told Reuters Health. He said close to 90 percent of gastric bypass surgery patients are now having their procedures done laparoscopically.
"Pretty much across the board (it has) better outcomes for patients," he added.
In another analysis published in the same journal issue, researchers found six studies of close to 16,000 people having their appendix removed suggested those laparoscopic procedures also came with fewer complications and deaths and shorter hospital stays than open surgeries.
However, Eleanor Southgate of Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, Surrey, and her colleagues said there was a lack of information on pain, patient satisfaction and cost of each type of procedure in those studies.
SOURCES: bit.ly/M0vcYw and bit.ly/MKDMrP Archives of Surgery, online June 18, 2012.

subset: commoncrawl


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School of Humanities and Sciences
Howard Erlich, Dean
For full faculty listing, see "Faculty and Administration."
The School of Humanities and Sciences' mission is to provide sophisticated teaching and learning opportunities through an unusually diverse range of programs taught by outstanding faculty. We accomplish our mission in a student-centered learning environment that integrates the enduring benefits of liberal education with professional and applied studies. We recognize that flexible and advanced critical thinking is the appropriate preparation for a wide range of pursuits. To that end, we support research, scholarship, and creative activity as complements to the excellent teaching and advising that are central to all we do, and we strive for collaboration between students and faculty in those endeavors.
Beyond intellectual development, we offer opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to engage in a broad array of cocurricular activities. An education in the School of Humanities and Sciences encourages informed citizenship, global awareness, and community involvement, preparing students to make meaningful contributions to society and for productive, fulfilled lives.
A. Ozolins, Office of Creative Services, 15. July, 2005


text:
When I get junk, I (R) click on that junk mail and choose to mark as junk and move.
Do I need to do more?
Moderators: Eric, Tomas, robin, Michael
It should be enough redd.redd wrote:When I get junk, I (R) click on that junk mail and choose to mark as junk and move.
Do I need to do more?
dribnus wrote:I used to really question PM's Bayesian system.....however, after much playing around with it, I have been able to get it to stay at about 98-99%.
Here are the steps that I took to get it to this point, as far as I know, these have not been mentioned in the forums. I also have a check mark in the "Run Standard Non-Bayesian Filters"
1. Any spam that is missed, classify it as 'junk' and move to 'junk folder using the 'file as junk' icon
2. Any 'GOOD' message that is sent to junk, right click on it, and, click on 'declassify as junk', then 'classify as good', after that, drag it back to the appropriate folder.
** 3. I think this is the important part....after you have many emails, at least 100, in the 'junk' folder, Highlight all emails, and then press "CTRL + F4", click on 'JUNK' Multiple times, @15.
4. While all emails are still selected, right click on messages, choose "Junk Mail Filtering", then 'Tag Junk Messages', after that choose 'show untagged' in the 'show...' dropdown menu.
5. Everything this is untagged, is still NOT classified as 'junk', and you will need to repeat the 'classifying' steps above, until they are consdidered 'Junk' when you do the 'Apply and Test' step.
I just know that after I took these steps, and repeated them about once a week, I don't have to anymore, and I'm running about 98-99% accuracy with 0% 'false positives'
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text:
August 30, 1859
Northern Lights. - On Sunday evening many of our citizens were startled by the appearance in the heavens, in a northeasterly direction, of streams of lurid light ascending towards the zenith from a line a few degrees above the horizon. Many persons remember to have seen the northern lights in latitudes where they were more plainly visible, but nothing so grand and brilliant as the singular electric freak of Sunday night was ever witnessed by any one whom we have met. At first there appeared an immense white cloud moving rapidly to the westward and forcing itself through and past the clouds of smaller dimensions. In the train of this cloud arose the streams of light which continued to be visible during nearly the whole of the night. Read what the superintendent of the Canadian Telegraph Company says about the phenomenon, in the telegraph column.
NEW YORK, Aug. 29. - The Superintendent of the Canadian Telegraph Company's lines, telegraphs as follows, in relation to the effect of the Aurora Borealis last night:
I never, in an experience of 15 years in working the telegraph lines, witnessed anything like the extraordinary effect of the Borealis between Quebec and Farther Point last night. The line was in most perfect order, and well skilled operators worked incessantly from eight o'clock last evening till one o'clock this morning, to get over, in an intelligible form, about four hundred words of the report per steamer Indian, for the Associated Press, and at the latter hour, so completely were the wires under the influence of the Aurora Borealis, that it was found utterly impossible to communicate between the telegraph stations, and the line had to be closed. The same difficulty prevailed as far South as Washington.
August 31, 1859
The Aurora Borealis. - Our exchanges from all parts of the country, come to us with elaborate descriptions of the splendid natural phenomenon visible here on Sunday night last. It was certainly a brilliant celestial spectacle, and afforded a "free blow" of pyrotechnics to more people than ever attended one show before. About fifteen years ago a similar phenomenon was witnessed, and also in the year 1829.
September 1, 1859
The Aurora Borealis. - The ghostly appearance and doubtful character of the aurora, visible on Sunday night, says an exchange, attach to it some of the strangest superstitions. To some, it portends war, famine, freezing, cold death, pestilence, and even the end of the world - as we recollect in the days of Millerism when on the occasion of a red aurora one Winter night hundreds of people, roused thereby from sleep, fell to prayers, firmly believing that the great day had come and that the world was already on fire. We heard a score of prophecies evoked on Sunday night, most of them of an extravagant type, scarcely one less than the cholera for the world in general, while individuals indulged in the pleasing egotism of applying it all to themselves as portending the death of one of the family or serious sickness at least. If the weather should be cooler for a day or two, we shall be satisfied that nothing more important can be laid to the presence of the w[ei]rd dancers of the northern sky.
Science and Technology


text:
I noticed an Amazon trend a few months ago. Some third party indie publishers were creating Kindle bibliographies for bestselling authors who had a lot of titles.
I thought it was interesting, but probably not necessary. Amazon makes it pretty simple for readers to find books. Why should readers have to buy an ebook to get a list of ebooks to buy?
But more and more of these bibliographies began to pop up. I took a closer look at the trend, and realized why.
Amazon customers were searching for series titles in order. So to find them, they would type in something like "JD Robb series in order" or "Nora Roberts series" or "JD Robb books chronological".
If you search for any of those, you get four different bibliographies by different publishers offering their $0.99 checklist of JD Robb/Nora Roberts titles.
So I had myself a think.
I have two pen names--Jack Kilborn and Melinda DuChamp.
I operate under the assumption that most of my ebooks are bought and read by readers who haven't heard of me (or my pen names) previously. They're browsing, find a title, and buy it. If they like it, the hope is that they'll seek out other titles.
One way I do this is to have a bibliography in the back of my ebooks. But this is problematic; links are tied to a specific region, like the US or UK or Canada, so I haven't been using links, just a static list. This makes it harder for readers to instantly buy one of my other titles (every step introduced between the desire for a purchase and the actual purchase loses some potential customers). It's also problematic when, like me, you have 60 ebook titles with more coming out every year, which requires updating the bibliography in every single title.
Maybe readers who try me and like me will Google me and find my website. But that takes an extra step. More likely, they'll search for me on Amazon, perhaps with the term "JA Konrath series in order", and maybe they'll start the series from the beginning. Or maybe they won't. Or maybe they'll miss a title. Or maybe they'll give up in frustration because it isn't immediately apparent to them which books of mine tie in together, and the order they should be read in.
So I published this, for free on Amazon.
The long and search-intensive title is:
"J.A. Konrath Books in Order: Jack Daniels Series in Reading Order, Jack Kilborn, Codename: Chandler, Melinda DuChamp, Complete Pen Name Chronological Bibliography".
The link is: http://www.amazon.com/Konrath-Books-Order-Chronological-Bibliography-ebook/dp/B01BD0167G
I also made free downloads available in my website, as Kindle and pdf files.
But I'm getting a little ahead of myself.
The Reading Order ebook has links in it, to make it very easy for readers to immediately download any of my titles, in order.
Q: But Joe, earlier you said that was a problem, because links are tied to a specific Amazon store. What if an Amazon.ca reader downloaded the book? Does your ebook have links for Canada too?
Joe sez: Sort of. I took a shortcut. There's a very cool, and free, service called Booklinker.net. You put in an Amazon link, and you can create your own URL.
That link is clicker specific. If you are from Canada and shop at Amazon.ca, it will take you to the RUM RUNNER Amazon page in Canada. If you are in England, it'll take you to Amazon.co.uk. And so on.
Pretty cool, huh? So rather than have a gazillion links for each ebook title, I only have a single, Booklinker link.
BTW--if you haven't pre-ordered RUM RUNNER yet, please do.
Q: Okay, so you've got a bibliography, and it has links for all of your ebooks at all Amazon stores worldwide. But how did you make it free? Does Amazon allow free ebooks?
Joe sez: No, Amazon doesn't allow freebies. But it does price-match with other retailers who do offer freebies.
So I used the fine services of Draft 2 Digital. In about ten minutes, I set up an account and uploaded the READING ORDER ebook as a free ebook, and D2D distributed it to Apple, Kobo, Scribd, Nook, and Inktera, and they all went live within 24 hours. It was fast, simple, and free to do, and the D2D folks were accommodating and responsive.
I also created a Google Books account and uploaded it there, also for free.
Then I went to me Amazon page for the READING ORDER ebook and clicked on tell us about a lower price at the bottom of the Product Details section.
I started this on February 2. Once a day I'd tattle on myself, clicking on that link and reporting the free links from Apple, Nook, etc. Six days later, Amazon price-matched my book, so it is now free.
Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca aren't free, because first I wanted to see how the US experiment went. But now I'm doing the same thing with those stores, and I expect they'll be free soon.
All in all, not too much work. A few hours at most to compile the book. I paid 52novels.com to do the formatting, and Extended Imagery to do the cover, so there was a cost involved.
Q: Was this effort worth the time and cost?
Joe sez: I have no idea. I saw a trend. It made sense to follow it, because I understand why it's happening. Aggregation is a form of information, and it has value. So much value that some readers are willing to pay for compiled information that they could otherwise get for free.
Amazon is very good at collecting data, and very good at recommending books to readers. But there are many ways to skin a cat. The fact that these "reading checklist" books seem to be so popular shows that some readers want aggregation in ebook form. I've even seen some ask for pdf form, to print out. Why miss an opportunity to connect with fans and potential fans if this is how they prefer to find you?
Media industries are filled with cautionary tales about companies not listening to customers. One that springs to mind is Napster. Rather than study and learn from consumers who were trading digital files, they tried to shut it down with lawyers and cries of copyright infringement. As a result, Apple--a computer company--is now the biggest music retailer in the world. If the record companies had listened to what consumers wanted (easy to download digital files) they could have made billions.
If some readers want a handy ebook checklist to make sure they get all of my work, it makes sense to give it to them.
My approach seems like the best way for me to give it a go. It works for all Amazon stores, it will allow new fans (and longtime fans) to easily find and read all of my ebooks in order, and it should be easy to maintain and update as I release new titles.
But if anyone has any suggestions or better ideas, I'm all ears.
Visibility and discoverabilty seem to be the biggest hurdles for authors to overcome. Remember, sales isn't about selling something to someone who doesn't want it. It's about informing people who are looking to buy the type of things you're selling.
You want readers to be able to find you in as many ways as possible. And once they find you, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to read you. Every extra step they have to take--even if it's just one extra click--will lose you some customers.
If someone likes your kind of books, you should be very easy to find and acquire. If you have more than twenty titles, that might mean you should consider a reading order checklist.
Monday, February 08, 2016
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text:
Notice: On April 23, 2014, Statalist moved from an email list to a forum, based at statalist.org.
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: st: Modeling % data
Austin Nichols <firstname.lastname@example.com>
Re: st: Modeling % data
Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:12:53 -0400
-qreg- requires no "fix" using higher powers of X in the general case.
I referred the original poster to -glm- as well, in
but your objection to -qreg- is unfounded in the case I outlined--if X
is a continuous variable (did you mean unbounded, maybe?) there is no
reason it cannot have a linear effect on the conditional median of y,
even if y is bounded between 0 and 1, and even if there is a nonzero
fraction at the boundaries. Of course, if a significant fraction of
the data piles up at the boundary, neither -qreg- nor -glm- will be a
particularly good model, and the typical researcher may prefer a MLE
that has a two-part flavor to it (requiring some strong assumptions
about the distribution of errors).
On Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 12:19 PM, Maarten buis <email@example.com> wrote:
> --- Austin Nichols wrote:
>> I don't see how data approaching the boundaries is a problem in
>> -qreg-, as long as the fraction at the boundary itself is not too
>> large (though that in itself is more an indictment of the outcome
>> measure than a necessary problem for quantile regression). If 10% of
>> the outcomes are at the lower boundary (zero) for low X and 10% of the
>> outcomes are at the upper boundary (100) for high X, how is that a
>> problem for estimating how the conditional median changes with X?
> The problem would be that in those cases is that if X is an continuous
> variable it is probably not going to have a linear effect. That is
> what the boundary does. If you are approaching one boundary, than you
> might get away with adding squares, but if you are approaching both
> boundaries, like in the case of the original question, things would
> get much harder (though not impossible). However, in those case I
> would just go for models in Stata that were written for this type of
> data like the ones I refered to earlier, rather than try to "fix"
> -qreg-.
* For searches and help try:
* http://www.stata.com/help.cgi?search
* http://www.stata.com/support/statalist/faq
* http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/stata/


text:
HOUSTON (AP) Rookie Damian Lillard scored 20 points, including eight in overtime, and the Portland Trail Blazers slowed down James Harden in a 95-85 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
Lillard and Nicolas Batum each made a 3 to help Portland open an 87-81 lead early in overtime. Harden made a pair of free throws before a reverse layup by Lillard. His second 3 of overtime pushed Portland's lead to 93-85 with 1:25 remaining.
Harden led the Rockets with 24 points in his home debut, but he wasn't as dominate as he was in the first two games. He scored 37 and a career-high 45 points in his first two games with Houston since last week's trade from Oklahoma City.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 27 points and 11 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.


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Images and news of the Israel-Palestine conflict have been circulating media for a few weeks now. The photographs that emerge out of this war are tragic and graphic. A handful of Palestinian artists have been transforming images of smoke and fire from the attacks on Gaza into portraits that reveal the very real and human cost of these rocket explosions. By inscribing faces and bodies onto images of destruction, these artists are reminding people from all sides that war takes its toll on an individual, human level, a fact that is often erased when the media creates its narratives. These simple, yet powerful, illustrations give these Palestinian artists a voice that they might otherwise not be given, a voice that tells a different story than the ones represented in the original photographs. (via demilked)
Featured artists: Tawfik Gebreel, Bushra Shanan, Belal Khaled


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|Join hundreds of other Developers and InfoSec professionals for Training, Sessions and Community at our first conference of 2019
[AppSec Tel Aviv, May 26-30th]
SpoC 007 - OWASP LiveCD Project
Back to SpoC 007 Selection page
AoC Candidate: Joshua Perrymon
Project coordinator: Eoin Keary
Project Progress: 100% Complete, Progress Page
Joshua Perrymon - OWASP LiveCD Project
Executive Summary
I am proposing that I complete the second version of the OWASP LiveCD during this period. The first version of the LiveCD is now available and include many of the current OWASP documents and tools. I believe the LiveCD is one of the best mediums to promote OWASP tools and documentation. It is portable and already being used by thousands of security proffesionals to perform application testing and training.
In the current state the CD is stable and contains a lot of tools. However, this is just the beginning. There is a LOT of work that needs to be completed. The entire CD experience needs to be branded using OWASP graphics. This shouls start with the boot screen and carry all the way through to the icons and desktop graphics. The CD should also inlcude the wiki and ALL the tools developed for OWASP.
Objectives and Deliverables
Update of the LiveCD:
- Complete OWASP branding
- Add OWASP wiki
- Add encryption capabilities
- Add more OWASP tools
- Add more pen-test tools such as VOIP, RFID, BlueTooth, Wireless, etc.
Why I should be sponsored for the project
I had the idea of the LiveCD about a year ago and have worked very hard to get the first version developed. This was driven by my vision to make all of the OWASP tools available on a portable medium. The main difference in the OWASP liveCD vs. other live CDs is going to be the regularity of updates. If sponsorship can be obtained the CD could be updated on a monthly basis. Not once a year like other liveCDs. The CD will also include specialty tools and documentation to perform VOIP, RFID,Bluetooth, and wireless security assessments.


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Shopping Cart
Item Count: ()VIEW CART
Sub Total:
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Rectangular Size Dividers are a useful, cost effective way to allow your customers to see where their size is on the sales floor. Size dividers will keep your merchandise organized and accessible. Our size "3T" dividers fit standard 1 1/4" hangrail (standard size for 36" round racks) and square tubing clothing racks. Our divider feature a 5" L x 2"W plastic white rectangle with black numbers, letters or both to indicate the size on both sides.


text:
ING Vysya Bank Guntur Customer Care Number, Phone Banking Number – 24 hour customer servicephone number, email ID, ATM debit card and mobile banking number is listed here with corporate headquarters and registered branch office address.
As this page, we are also sharing ING Vysya Bank credit cards Guntur customer care number, toll free helpline number of ING Vysya Bank Guntur and ING Vysya Bank Guntur 24 hours toll free number with the useful information like customer care office address, complaint, mailing and postal office address.
If you are existing or new customers of ING Vysya Bank and if you want to get the advantage of customer support and service offered by the bank. So, we are providing ING Vysya Bank Guntur toll free helpline numbers, customer care phone numbers, customer service email IDs, sms numbers, telephone numbers, and fax numbers.
ING Vysya Bank Guntur Customer Care Contact Details
ING Vysya Bank Guntur customer service number and customer care support facility is available 24 hours a day for the accountholder and banking customers that includes ING Vysya Bank Guntur customer care toll free number, ING Vysya Bank Guntur telephone numbers, ING Vysya Bank Guntur email ids and customer care cells. The ING Vysya Bank Guntur accountholder and customers can use one of the following contact information of ING Vysya Bank Guntur related to their purpose and issues.
ING Vysya Bank Guntur Customer Care Toll Free Number: 1800-420-9900, 1800-425-9900
For any general support, information, feedback, queries and suggestions of ING Vysya Bank Guntur including ATM Debit Cards, POS, Gift Cards , mobile banking, Internet Banking and other related services, kindly contact at the above toll free number of ING Vysya Bank Guntur in India.
ING Vysya Bank Guntur Customer Care Phone Number: +91-80-3030-9900
These are the non-toll free customer support numbers of ING Vysya Bank Guntur (from outside the country) for the issues or problems concerning banking services including phone banking, online banking, cards and other services.
ING Vysya Bank Guntur Customer Care Email ID: email@example.com
For any other information, suggestions, complaints, feedback and comments related to ING Vysya Bank Guntur products and services, you can write to email at the above address.
ING Vysya Bank Corporate Head Office Address, Customer Care Numbers, Click Here
Other Contact Phone Numbers of ING Vysya Bank in Guntur:
ING Vysya Bank International Phone Number: 0091-1800-420-9900
ING Vysya Bank USA Customer Service Phone Number: 1855-845-3730
ING Vysya Bank UAE Customer Service Phone Number: 8000-3570-2897
ING Vysya Bank Guntur Nodal Office Address:
ING Vysya Bank Ltd., Regional Office,
D.No.29-4-19, 1st Floor, Kodandarami Reddy Street,
Governorpet, Vijayawada – 520 002, Andhra Pradesh India
ING Vysya Bank Guntur Nodal Office Phone Number: +91-866-2440314, +91-9848812770
Important Links of ING Vysya Bank Guntur Customer Service and Support:
Customerservicenumbers.co.in is sharing the all details and information of ING Vysya Bank Guntur customer care toll free and helpline phone number along with the lists of full contact details of addresses, phone number, fax number, email with official web page provided by the ING Vysya Bank Guntur Limited.
You can Visit on Customer Service Numbers website to finding the customer care and service support information, addresses for all other Indian brands, companies, institutions and many more. You can also search a service center and customer care service number in your area as convenient as possible.


text:
Armed with an HDV camcorder, you are equipped with everything you need to capture memories in a format that will last forever. Add Cyberlink PowerProducer to the equation and you then have the ability to transform these memories into video discs that can be shared with others. The program can be used to capture footage via a TV tuner - which can be used to record television broadcasts or footage from other connected equipment.
Once your footage has been capture, Magic Tools are available for enhancing and editing and whatever type of disc you are creating, tools are on hand to help you to create professional menu systems. For quick and easy results, the Magic Movie Wizard can transform raw footage into a completed project in a matter of minutes, but manual control of red eye, colour levels, sharpness and other settings are also available.
PowerProducer can be used with still images as well as videos to create eye catching slideshows, complete with striking pan and zoom effects. All of this backed up with a 5.1 soundtrack.
The Ultra edition of the program adds support for importing content from AVCHD discs and the option to create AVCHD and Blu-ray discs.
PowerProducer provides you with all the tools you need to create stunning homemade discs.


text:
Wygląda na to, że nie posiadają Państwo aktualnej wersji przeglądarki.
Aby w bezpieczny sposób korzystać ze wszystkich funkcji na stronie KLM.com, zalecamy Państwu zaktualizowanie swojej przeglądarki lub wybranie innej. Przeglądanie na tej wersji może spowodować, że niektóre elementy nie będą się wyświetlały poprawnie lub też w ogóle się nie wyświetlą. Aktualna wersja przeglądarki gwarantuje również większe bezpieczeństwo Państwa danych osobowych.
Driving in Rio is not recommended for overseas visitors due to the chaotic nature of the traffic. The public transport system in Rio is cheap and efficient, and most places can be reached by metro or bus. By far the quickest and easiest way to get around is by the efficient metro, but there are limits to its coverage of the city with only two lines. Walking around is generally safe as long as there are crowds of people, although walking in the centre of the city is not recommended after the shops close and their security guards go home. The most inexpensive form of transport is the local buses, which travel all over the city as fast as the traffic will allow. Unfortunately, they are often badly driven, crowded, and the scene of much petty theft, especially during rush hours when the crowded conditions are ideal for pick pockets. Special care should be taken on buses known to be used by tourists, such as those to the Sugar Loaf. Public transport stops between 11pm and midnight, with some buses operating twenty-four hours, but it is safer to hire a taxi late at night. Radio taxis can be ordered and are said to be safer and more reliable, usually with air-conditioning, but they are more expensive than regular taxis. Drivers may add a surcharge for extra luggage.
GMT -3 (GMT -2 between the last Sunday in October and the third Sunday in February)
Brazil has a variety of electrical voltages, sometimes within the same city. The better hotels offer 220 volts, 60Hz. If not, transformers are available in electrical stores. Outlets often accept a variety of plug types.
The Brazilian currency is the Real (BRL). The US Dollar is also welcome in most tourist establishments. In the main cities foreign currencies can be exchanged at banks or cambios. There is an extensive network of ATMs in the country and most major international credit cards are accepted.
The international access code for Brazil is +55. Mobile phone networks cover the main cities and towns, and phones are available to rent. Internet cafes are widely available and most hotels provide internet access. Every town has a central telephone office called a Posto Telefonico where long distance calls can be made, and public phone booths are everywhere, operated by phone cards.
Emergencies: 194 (police), 192 (ambulance)
Everything about travel documents
Public buses are available and passengers can connect to Rio's Novo Rio Rodoviaria bus station in the city centre. More expensive airport shuttles are available to downtown hotels and popular destinations and often have an English speaking guide. Travellers can take buses to the closest subway station.
Car rental companies, including Avis and Hertz, can be found in Terminal 1 and 2.
Taxis are available outside the terminals. Visitors are advised to buy prepaid taxi vouchers at the Rio Tourism Authority desk; they are usually a little bit more expensive but give you peace of mind. It is advisable to ignore the RDE taxi desk and go to the Rio de Janeiro State Tourism Authority desk instead and buy prepaid taxi vouchers there. If you hail a taxi outside the terminal make sure the meter is cleared of the last fare.
A moving walkway connects the two terminals.
The airport is well equipped with facilities including ATMs, banks and bureaux de change, shops, restaurants and bars, duty-free shopping, luggage lockers and a tourist help desk. Facilities for the disabled are good.
There is a multi-level car park across from the terminal that offers short and long-term parking.
There are a few wifi hotspots operated by pay services like Trustive and Boingo.


text: Dade County, the northwest corner piece of Georgia, dates to 1837 when the legislature divided Walker County. First called Salem, the county seat was later designated Trenton after New Jersey's capital. Until the 1940s, Dade remained isolated by mountain ridges and supported no paved roads to allow easy access to other parts of the state. Travelers usually approached Dade from Tennessee.


text:
Annual Veterans Day event to focus on family impact of deployment
Annual Veterans Day event to focus on family impact of deployment
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Penn State Lehigh Valley Veterans Club will serve as host for the campus' 2013 commemoration of Veterans Day at 1 p.m. Nov. 11 in Room 135 at the campus in Center Valley. This year's event will focus on the physical and emotional impact of deployment on military families. The event is free and open to the public.
As in years past, the event organizers have chosen to use the observance as an opportunity to shed light on real issues that service men and women face due to their military obligation. Speakers this year will include both current and former members of various military branches, as well as individuals with family members who serve in the armed forces. After they share their personal perspectives, a question-and-answer session will allow audience members to interact with the speakers. Refreshments will be served.


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Lisa Young Named Asst. Prof. of Physics, Oct. 30, 2000
SOCORRO, N.M., October 27, 2000 -- Lisa M. Young first came to Socorro at the start of the Summer of 1990 as a Harvard University undergraduate and spent the ensuing summer months working on her senior thesis at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's (NRAO) Very Large Array (VLA) radiotelescope.
She then went on the following year to earn her bachelor of arts degree magna cum laude in astronomy and astrophysics at Harvard, and followed this up in later years with a doctorate in astronomy from the University of Illinois.
But throughout all those years, Young returned back to Socorro every summer to study the stars.
Now, in addition to pursuing her research interests, Young has further reason to call Socorro home: she recently was appointed to the full-time, tenure-track position of assistant professor of physics at New Mexico Tech.
Young also will serve concurrently in the position of research physicist with the state-funded university's Office for Research and Economic Development.
She also plans on continuing her collaborative radio astronomy work with her research colleagues at the VLA and at New Mexico State University, where she was a Tombaugh Postdoctoral Scholar for the past two years.
This fall semester at New Mexico Tech, Young is teaching one of the four sections of Physics 121, or "General Physics," a class which all Tech students are required to take in order to meet general requirements for graduation.
Young relates that she eventually plans to teach upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in astrophysics at Tech and draw on her expertise on the interstellar medium, or gas and dust, which is present in elliptical and dwarf galaxies.
"This is a very good scientific environment for me to be in because of the close connection between Tech and the NRAO," Young says. "I'm pretty happy about that aspect of my work, plus the fact that I have some good, enthusiastic students in my class."
Young and her husband, Wes, who is a computer programmer at the NRAO, are the parents of a two young sons, Karl, age 3, and one-year-old Joey.
"My family is the sum total of my pursuits outside of work," Young says.


text:
Find accommodations in Roy with the hotel list provided below. Find cheap and/or discounted hotel rates in or near Roy, UT for your corporate or personal leisure travel. We list the best Roy Utah hotel rooms. Review the Roy hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. We also have a map of the Roy hotels.
The Roy center point is approximately 2 miles southwest of Ogden Hinckley Airport and 5 miles southwest of Historic Union Station.
How should we direct your call?


text:
Jim Nantz
CBS Sportscaster Jim Nantz drops by the New Orleans set of THE TALK to preview this weekend's Super Bowl game, Friday, February 01, 2013. All week THE TALK broadcasts live from CBS Super Bowl Park at Jackson Square in the heart of the historic French Quarter in New Orleans leading up to Super Bowl XLVII airing on the CBS Television Network. Jim Nantz, left, and Sharon Osbourne, shown. Photo: Heather Wines/CBS ©2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved


text:
Free Beer & Hot Wings: Australian TV Host Has Close Call with Nail Gun [Video]
A nail gun isn't something to mess with.
Really, anything that can fire a projectile should be handled with care. Mix in a blindfolded mind reader and a dumb TV host and it's a recipe for disaster.
Mind reader Anthony Laye was a guest on an Australian TV show recently, where he was playing a form of Russian roulette with a bunch of nail guns.
Things nearly went horribly wrong for the host.
Source: Free Beer & Hot Wings


text:
- AC Toolkit - AC Toolkit is an open source Common Lisp application aimed at aiding Music composition, ideas are based on AC Toolbox
- Bach Chorales - A database of music (100 chorale melodies) harmonised by J.S Bach
- cl-en - cl-en provides a common lisp interface to the echonest music analysis web API
- CL-IO-MOD - CL-IO-MOD is a parser for a subset of the MOD music tracker file format
- cl-wav-synth - cl-wav-synth is a wav sample editor, a spectrum editor and a song editor.
- CLCE - CLCE (Common Lisp Composition Environment) is a complete environment for Musical composition based on the Common Lisp language and on the MidiShare operating system
- cmpl - Computer Music Programming Language
- Common Lisp Music - is a Music synthesis and signal processing package in the Music V family
- Common Music - Common Music (CM) is an object-oriented Music composition environment
- Common Music Notation - Common Music Notation is an independent subsystem of Common Music
- Compo - Compo is a language to describe in a natural way simple or complex structures of Music
- EMI - EMI (Experiments in Musical Intelligence) is David Cope's project to develop systems which are capable of automatic analysis and resynthesis of musical styles
- Gsharp - Gsharp is a graphical, interactive score editing application for standard Music notation
- midi - A library for parsing MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) file format files and representing MIDI events, previously distributed as part of the Gsharp project
- MIPS - MIPS (Mathematical Investigation of Pitch Systems) is a mathematical formal language for investigating the structural properties of Musical scales, pitch systems and their associated notational systems
- Mixalot - Mixalot is a grab bag of systems related to audio in Common Lisp under an MIT-style license
- Music Mind Machine - The Music Mind Machine research group at the Universities of Nijmegen and Amsterdam have a variety of Common Lisp software available for the computational modeling of Music cognition including:
- Ntccrt - Ntccrt is an interpreter for the Non-deterministic Timed Concurrent Constraint (ntcc) calculus capable of real-time interaction
- OMax - OMax is a software environment which learns in real-time typical features of a musician's style and plays along with him interactively, giving the flavor of a machine co-improvisation
- OpenMusic - OpenMusic is a visual programming language based on Common Lisp and CLOS
- OSC - An implementation of the OpenSoundControl protocol
- Phorx - Phorx is a program that allows you to write Music that can change dynamically as it is playing
Historical Interest
- MIDI-lisp
- Flavors Band
- HyperLisp
- Patchwork is being actively worked on and ported to MacOSX: Patchwork gitlab repository; IRCAM Patchwork page on archive.org
- Sorcerer
- Igor Engraver, Igor Engraver on Wikipedia is written in Common Lisp (a new version for MS-Windows and MacOSX is in preparation).
Lisp Music Books
- Notes from the Metalevel An Introduction to Computer Composition by Heinrich Konrad Taube. (amazon)
- Computers and Musical Style by David Cope.
- Experiments in Musical Intelligence by David Cope.
- The Algorithmic Composer by David Cope.


text:
Troy New York's Best Funeral Home
Bryce Funeral Home, Inc.
Troy, NY - Funeral Home
Bryce Funeral Home, Inc.
276 Pawling Ave.
Troy, NY, 12180
Bryce Funeral Home, Inc. in Troy, New York has been selected as the best funeral home in Troy, NY by America's Best Funeral Homes. Their compassionate staff of funeral professionals know that what matters most to those who have lost a loved one is guidance & understanding. At Bryce Funeral Home, Inc. they are not just funeral directors, they are expert listeners and Remembrance Planner Professionals who will help transform your thoughts and ideas into a perfectly themed and executed Remembrance of A Lifetime that will capture the essence and personality of your loved one.
Bryce Funeral Home, Inc. recognizes that in Troy, NY people have a new expectation of funeral homes and accept the fundamental idea that today's families are not happy with cookie cutter funerals. That is why they've adapted by offering new products and services crucial in helping you honor, remember and celebrate that wonderful life.
Contact the Bryce Funeral Home, Inc. to learn more about their signature funeral & cremation options and honest reliable pricing.
A Pre-Need Funeral Arrangement Is A Gift of Love
Plan Ahead
Making a Pre-Need Funeral Arrangement will pay off both emotionally and financially for you and your family. We spend a lifetime planning for the precious moments in our lives: the birth of our children, birthday parties, weddings, and of course, our retirement. But there is one event that we tend not to plan for, yet it's guaranteed to happen...our funeral.
A Wise & Prudent Decision
Making a Pre-Need Funeral Arrangement saves you & your family money while protecting against inflation & price increases. Planning Ahead organizes data so your family does not worry about locating vital information when it's needed most. Preparing for tomorrow today by pre-funding your funeral arrangements serves as an extension of your estate planning.
Spare Your Family the Burden
Making a Pre-Need Funeral Arrangement allows you to consider alternatives & make decisions on your own terms. Planning Ahead provides peace of mind in knowing that your affairs are in order & your wishes will be fulfilled. It allows you to select & document your final wishes while eliminating the uncertainty & financial burden from the shoulders of your family.


text:
Shop Announcement:
From Heidi Meier Textiles - Most cards are blank inside so even if it is listed as a birthday card, it can be used for any occasion such as Father's day, Congratulations, Get well, Christmas etc.
Click on my shop banner to view more examples of products like this.
Tiger birthday card
'Tiger Tiger' birthday card for boys and girls, children, child or adult alike.
This Tiger birthday card measures 150mm square. Professionally printed on quality 350sgm silk card. White Envelope and cello wrapped for protection.
Also available as a limited edition giclee print (A4).
Shipping & delivery
This item will be posted to you by Heidi Meier Textiles -art gifts & cards within 3 days of receiving payment.
|Shipping destination
|Additional items
|United Kingdom
Returns Policy
You have 14 days, from receipt, to notify the seller if you wish to cancel your order or exchange an item.
Unless faulty, the following types of items are non-refundable: items that are personalised, bespoke or made-to-order to your specific requirements; items which deteriorate quickly (e.g. food), personal items sold with a hygiene seal (cosmetics, underwear) in instances where the seal is broken.


text:
Well, the election is finally behind us and, as in most every political event, regardless of one�s particular ideology, it was a mixed bag.
Well, the election is finally behind us and, as in most every political event, regardless of one�s particular ideology, it was a mixed bag.
Conservatives could take comfort with such outcomes as Governor-elect Pat McCrory�s decisive victory, along with an increase in the number of conservatives in the N.C. House. Also pleasing to conservatives was Paul Newby�s reelection to the N.C. Supreme Court and Chris Dillon�s election to the N.C. Court of Appeals.
Those of the liberal persuasion could be pleased with the reelection of President Obama, and the gain by Democrats of three additional seats in the U.S. Senate.
As to local races in this area, you and I are personally acquainted with most of the candidates and, hopefully, we are reaching the point where we can vote for them without a lot of regard to party affiliation. The rapid rise in unaffiliated registrations seems to bear that out.
When all is said and done, we are all Americans and can take pride in the fact that we still live in the greatest country in the world, and we can be confident that so long as we take responsibility for doing our part in keeping our country free, we will remain great. We are not being egotistical or overly self-confident when we let the rest of the world know how proud we are of our country.
There is a difference between being self-confident and being egotistical.
An illustration of egotism can be told by relating the story of the Texas farmer who came to visit a farmer friend here in Eastern North Carolina. They were sitting on the porch of the N.C. farmer�s home, and his Texas friend asked, �Tell me, Jim, how much of this land is yours?�
Jim, with some pride, said, �My land goes all the way back to that highway on your right, all the way to the wooded area, and as far over as the lake ahead of us.�
His friend from Texas was not impressed, and said, �And that is all the land you have? Let me tell you something, on my farm in Texas, I can get in my pickup truck on any given morning and drive all day, and never leave my land!�
To which Jim replied, �I know what you mean. I used to have a pickup truck just like that.�
An illustration of self-confidence is in the story of the young man who walked into Mr. Johnson�s drug store and asked if he could use his telephone. Upon being given permission to do so, he dialed a number and a lady answered the phone.
He said, �Ma�am, I have been observing your lawn, and I would like to have the opportunity of taking care of your lawn on a regular basis.�
The lady told him she already had someone doing that job, but the young man persisted, �But Ma�am, whatever he is charging you, I will do it for half that price, as well as twice as fast and twice as good.�
The lady repeated that she was completely satisfied with the boy who was already working for her.
The young man hung up the phone, and Mr. Johnson said, �Son, I couldn�t help overhearing that conversation, and I�m so sorry you didn�t get that job,� to which the young man replied, �Oh, Mr. Johnson, I already have that job. I was just checking up to see how I was doing!�
Now, that�s self-confidence!
Reece Gardner is the host of �The Reece GardnerHour,� which airs on TACC-9 on Mondays at 9 p.m., Tuesdays at 8 p.m., Thursdays at 11 p.m., Sundays at 10:30 p.m.and on-demand anytime at TACC9.com. You can reach Reece at email@example.com.


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text:
Couldn't attend the TAPR Digital Forum held at the 2000 Dayton Hamvention? Well - here is your opportunity to listen in to the Friday forum.
Listen to entire TAPR Digital Forum
"Amateur Radio and Submarine NR-1"
Listen to entire TAPR Digital Forum
- John Ackermann, AG9V, Forum Moderator
- Tom McDermott, N5EG
- Steve Bible, N7HPR (www)
- Steve Dimse, K4HG
Welcome to the TAPR Digital Forum
TAPR Friday Night BanquetThe 2000 "Packet BASH" co-sponsored by TAPR and the Miami Valley FM Association, Dayton's packet radio club, was a big success!
If you couldn't attend this year, then be sure to attend in 2001! The location, NCR "Sugarcamp" Conference Center, was prefect for our event, with lots of good food, people, and conversations.
"Amateur Radio and Submarine NR-1"
- CDR Chas Richard, W4HFZ, USN


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Hokkaido… different beauty in different seasons…
Hokkaido, the indigenous land of Ainu, the second largest island and the northern most of Japan, is now one of the most popular tourist attractions for Thai people.
I have just been back from my second trip to Hokkaido this year!! I haven't done this before… going back to the same place and almost the same route twice in the same year (not including Hong Kong and Singapore where I go, sometimes, several times in a year).
My first trip was during the winter in February to see the Sapporo Snow Festival. And this trip was during the summer in late of July to see the most famous lavender fields.
Both trips, I joined groups from ROH (Royal Orchid Holidays) Tour, one of the best travel agents in Thailand.
I confidentially say so since I used to be in the travelling business for 7 years and I do know well about the standard of travel services in Thailand. ROH is one of the best, and please, don't judge them just by the prices as quality always costs money.
During my first trip, I was very impressed with the beautiful scenery of Hokkaido. It's full of snow. Even though everywhere I passed through, everything was white, I really loved it. However, my tour guide kept telling me that it would be much different in the summer where all trees would be green and the fields we saw would be full of colorful flowers, lavender, particularly.
So, I went back there again to see if the boast was true and I am very glad that I did believe her. Hokkaido in the winter is beautiful indeed, but in the summer, it is really something different. I love it in both seasons though.
Here I have some pictures that I took. Some of them were taken at almost the same places to show you the different in each season. I do hope that you will love and enjoy them like I do.
The choice is yours! No matter which season you will choose to visit Hokkaido, I'm sure you will love it as I do. But please make sure that you will book it with ROH. With wonderful scenery, superb food and fantastic hotels, what else that you would need!
Bhavit Vanuptikul
Aug. 28, 2014
5-9 June 2014
in LONDON


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|2010-10-30, 23:12
|Link #3
Senior Member
just read a little about it. showing that it will be announce at the next Lyrical Party.
It's going to include characters from Vivid and Force. I guess it's not a continuation of this game.
I'll miss the Materials and Reinforce. And Hayate's combat skills
|2010-10-31, 19:17
|Link #6
The Flame Crussader
Join Date: Aug 2009
|2010-11-04, 04:50
|Link #7
Join Date: Sep 2010
Don't you mean Reinforce played by certain friends who knows how to be really cheap?
Yeah, but the main thing that balances out "cheapness" while perserving character diversity is speed. Battle of Aces used "stamina" as the axel bar instead, which...doesn't work. Since every character's dash covered the same daistance over the same time, Reinforce just runs away and Nightmares you.
In the anime they have, for example, Fate going at really high speeds (relative to other characters) and a strong speed factor would greatly advance the combat system (in my opinion at least).
If I were to guess, maybe they'll have a field with multiple characters playing multiple positions (center, left wing, right wing, rear guard, healer, etc.) and make it like a tactical combat interface such as the one seen in Vivid chapters 14-16.
In face, I'm sorry to say this, but I'd prefer if they left Force out of it. I just don't see how the Huckebein would fit in. I'm not sure how they'll get Force's Biology and Pure magic (the infections and the "negate all") to mix with Vivid's Martial Arts and Sci-fi/Set magic (Magic with rules and classified levels of power). I mean, can the Huckebein block Einhart's Falcon Punch? (I think not )
|2010-11-04, 09:24
|Link #8
Senior Member
I'm... pretty sure they'd make them balanced and simply treat it as a fighting game. Given there is a decent chunk of time between Forces and Vivid, having the two in the same game makes it seem like it's just a fan fighting game, not meant to be taken very seriously. But who can say.
|2010-11-04, 09:45
|Link #10
Senior Member
Well, as balanced as everyone else is what I meant. :P I don't think they'd make the Force characters several times more powerful than the Vivid characters (or whoever else they wind up including). Personally though, I hope they continue off of the Aces continuity, or make a new one, I find them interesting.
|2010-11-04, 19:10
|Link #12
Beta by Accident
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Maine
Age: 47
She can just break her hand punching their Eternal Healing Factor bodies...
|2010-11-23, 05:20
|Link #14
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Nanoha A's Gear of Destiny is the name of the second game. Yes, apparently it's still called A's. lol. The betting pool may now begin on what this means for the inclusion of Force/Vivid characters. Apparently they said two new characters, no comment on the Materials.
Information subject to correction when it's not being reported by a random guy on 2ch furiously posting from lyripa4.
|2010-11-23, 07:48
|Link #15
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
|2010-11-23, 09:58
|Link #17
Senior Member
I'll make a few guesses about the game.
Judging by the title "Gear of Destiny" and the inclusion of Force/Vivid characters. It is right after tBoA and that one of the new characters is the Big bad whom did not like the fact that this timeline is diverging from the original timeline. Reinforce being alive is the biggest factor.
So the new Big Bad arrive to this timeline with the intent of finish off Reinforce once and for all. He/She/It will also have the ability to summon fake Force/Vivid characters similar to the "Dark Piece" from the last game.
Maybe the Materials will show up again helping out our heroes since they'll most likely be following the Defense program's order to prevent Reinforce from dieing off for real. That if we are still following the old enemies = new allies next season trend.
I'm wondering if the any real version of anyone Post-Strikers is going to arrive. I would like to see Vivio meeting A's Nanoha or anyone meeting a Battle Ready Hayate.
|2010-11-23, 10:10
|Link #18
~Night of Gales~
Join Date: Dec 2005
The 'Gears of Destiny' image having the symbolism of a clock ( time ) and gears probably implies that whatever logic that will allow A's characters to interact with characters from 10+ years later ( Force/ViviD ) era would be... time travel or time distortion plot.
Being a fighting game and established as non-canon, it has the liberties to play around with nonsensical plot bunnies and things Tsuzuki wouldn't dare try due to its cheesiness. ( fanfictioness )
|2010-11-23, 10:24
|Link #19
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Canada, Sault Ste. Marie
Now I wonder what kind of voice actors the Vivid/Force characters will get.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SayakaOhara might be appropriate for Cypha, if she used a voice similar to Beatrice's.
|Thread Tools


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This Memorial Day, we'll look back at some of our favorite family-themed stories.
Claire Caulfield
Producer - Morning Edition
Claire Caulfield first joined KJZZ as an intern in 2015 and now wakes up before the sun to produce and report for Morning Edition. She graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2017 and covered education policy in the nation's capital, election night in New York City and Native American issues for Cronkite News/ Arizona PBS. Before joining the Morning Edition team, she also worked on a documentary about rap music in the deep South and directed a film on drinking-water quality in the United States.
On the weekends, you can find Claire flying her photography drone or working her way through the Pulitzer Prize book list.


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Stealing $15 worth of food equals 7 year conviction
In the courts, a small loot has landed a convicted burglar in prison for seven years. That's the news that forty-seven year old Anthony Reneau received when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith late Wednesday evening. During his trial, Reneau was unrepresented but submitted to the court that he should be acquitted because he was not caught with any stolen items and that police could not produce evidence of the window they claim he broke in through. Reneau maintained that he was only found sleeping near the food stall and that he was badly beaten while being apprehended. But a police officer who had responded to the burglary testified that he saw Reneau exit the stall through the window and then jump the fence behind the Stella Maris School. The Chief Magistrate, who was convinced by the police version of the incident, then found him guilty. And while the value of the stolen food items is fifteen dollars, the minimum sentence for burglary is seven years which Reneau will spend behind bars. Chief Magistrate Smith also informed Reneau that he could not be given a non-custodial sentence because he has previous convictions for burglary.


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Alert 2014-20
Subject: Counterfeit Cashier's Checks
Date: April 18, 2014
Description: First Federal Savings and Loan
Counterfeit Cashier's Checks of First Federal Savings and Loan, Lorain, Ohio
To: Chief Executive Officers of All National Banks and Federal Savings Associations; All State Banking Authorities; Chair, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Conference of State Bank Supervisors; Deputy Comptrollers (Districts); Assistant Deputy Comptrollers; District Counsels; and All Examining Personnel
The above-named bank has reported that counterfeit cashier's checks using a correct routing number of 241271342 are being presented for payment nationwide in connection with various online auction and employment opportunity scams.
The counterfeit checks resemble the bank's authentic checks; however, the counterfeit items may be identified by the following traits on the front of the checks:
Counterfeit checks presented to date have been made payable in varying amounts from $1,984.70 to $2,450 and with the remitter name Jessica Meyer. The counterfeit checks presented have included the following address beside the bank's logo in the top-center portion of the check: "1840 E. Perry Street, Port Clinton, Ohio 43452."
E-mail correspondence related to this scam has been generated by the following three individuals:
For additional information and to verify the authenticity of cashier's checks drawn on First Federal Savings & Loan, please contact Compliance Officer Lori Mihalek by mail at 3721 Oberlin Ave., Lorain, OH 44053; by telephone at (440) 282-6338; by fax at (440) 282-4918; or by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Consumers who receive counterfeit or fictitious items and associated material should file complaints with the following agencies, as appropriate:
Additional information concerning this matter that should be brought to the attention of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) may be forwarded to
For additional information regarding other types of financial fraud, please visit the OCC's anti-fraud resources page at www.occ.gov/fraudresources.htm.
Ellen M. Warwick


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Vivien's Cozy Rainbow Retreat
Name: Vivien
Location: Somerville, Massachusetts
I really wanted Vivien's room to be colorful and playful, but fun and stylish at the same time. After all, for the first few years anyway, we'll be spending more time noticing the decor than she does.
The look I was going for was "sun after a rainstorm" - you know when there's a really heavy summer rainstorm, and after the rain stops the sun shines more intensely than usual, really igniting the color of everything? The dark grey walls (Benjamin Moore's "Rock Gray") really make all the intense colors pop. And with such a wide variety of colors, I didn't have to worry about matching things.
My favorite pieces in the room are the ones that were saved from when I was a child: the patchwork quilt on the crib was made by a family friend for me when I was born; the puffy blanket on the chair was my "blankie" as a kid; and the original Strawberry Shortcake trash can (now vintage, I guess. Which means I'm old. Sigh).
The paper cranes and the mobile over the crib were made by friends and family at our baby shower, which makes me smile when they flutter and entertain Vivien.
Thanks, Elizabeth! You can see more of Elizabeth at her blog, Someone Creative.
(Images: Elizabeth/Someone Creative)


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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – For someone who threw a complete game, UC Santa Barbara fans sure did not see a lot of starting pitcher Austin Pettibone in Friday's 5-0 win over the visiting Sacramento State Hornets. Instead, the sophomore righty spent the majority of his afternoon on the dugout bench watching the Gaucho offense.
Pettibone was incredibly efficient in the two-hour, two-minute contest, throwing just 79 pitches in his first career shutout. He threw nine or less pitches in six of the nine innings, never tossing more than 12 in any single frame. Incredibly, he seemed to strengthen as the game went on, throwing just 21 pitches over the final three frames, including a five-pitch ninth. It was the first shutout by a Gauchos pitcher since May 20, 2011, when Greg Davis gave up just four hits in an 11-0 win over UC Davis.
"Austin has been on his game all year," said UCSB head coach Andrew Checketts. "He missed a few more bats today and got a lot of first pitch outs, but he has been giving us a shot to win every time he takes the mound and that's all you can ask for."
The UCSB (10-7) win pushed Pettibone's record to 3-1 and established a number of new benchmarks for the Yorba Linda, Calif. native. Both his first career complete game and shutout, it was also the most strikeouts (six) and fewest hits (four) he has allowed in any start as a Gaucho.
Among the pitches that the Hornets (10-7) connected with, few were squared up solidly. Justin Higley's fifth-inning double and Scotty Burcham's sixth-inning single were both well-hit, but the rest of the Sacramento State lineup remained frustrated by Pettibone's mix of fastballs and offspeed pitches.
The Gauchos defense did plenty to back up their starting pitcher. Left fielder Woody Woodward made one of the toughest plays of the day when he ranged back to catch a line drive smoked off the bat of Hornets cleanup hitter Andrew Ayers while on the run. Shortstop Brandon Trinkwon effortlessly converted a pair of tough short-hop grounders, while third baseman Marc Venning showed no lingering signs of injury in his return to the UCSB lineup, making a pair of plays to his backhand.
In the second inning, Venning also drove in what would turn out to be the game winning run. Center fielder Cameron Newell stroked a one-out double to right field to get things started for the Gauchos. Newell would then take advantage of a lapse in concentration from Hornets starter Tanner Mendonca as he got a huge jump and stole third without even drawing a throw. He would come across to score when Venning fisted a 1-1 pitch into shallow center field.
Mendonca struggled with his command throughout the afternoon, and his wildness would break open the score for the Gauchos in the fifth inning. Woodward led off the inning and was hit by a pitch not once, but twice. After being struck on the shoulder on the first pitch of the at bat, he was ruled to have leaned into the pitch. After taking a couple strikes, Woodward was struck by another pitch, this time on the left hip, and was awarded first base. First baseman Tyler Kuresa would walk later in the inning, and then designated hitter Robby Nesovic turned on a 1-2 mistake pitch, doubling down the left field line to plate Woodward. An RBI groundout from right fielder Luke Swenson and an infield single from catcher Jackson Morrow would net the Gauchos another pair of runs, making the score 4-0.
Mendonca would eventually pick up the loss, dropping his record to 0-3. Hunter Greenwood and Alex Fitchett would combine to throw three innings of one-run ball to close out the game for the Hornets.
Nesovic remained red-hot with the bat, going 3-4 on the day. In his last four games, he has gone 8-13 with eight RBIs. Kuresa had his team-best eighth multi-hit game of the season, going 2-2 with a pair of walks.
The Gauchos will go for the series win tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m. with freshman lefty Justin Jacome on the mound. He will be opposed by Sacramento State's Brennan Leitao.


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Sioux Falls Garage Fire Causes Damage
Sioux Falls Fire Rescue responded to a report of a structure fire at 115 S. Walts Ave. at approximately 9:15 p.m. Tuesday evening.
The first arriving unit found a fully involved single car detached garage to the rear of this residence. The fire was controlled within approximately 15 minutes, but due to the intensity of the fire, one adjoining detached garage was damaged by direct flame impingement while two other detached garages had siding damaged by convected heat from the fire.
Also involved in the fire due to direct flame contact was an adjoining wood fence and a van parked in the driveway at this residence.
After arriving on scene, Battalion 1 witnessed several electrical explosions as the fire impinged upon a power pole adjacent to the garage. The fire extended up the power pole, burning through several of the power lines. Power was lost to six residences on Walts Ave. due to the damage.
Xcel Energy was dispatched to the scene and after assessing the damage, assisted Sioux Falls Fire Rescue in extinguishing the remainder of the pole fire. Crewmen from Xcel made immediate repairs to restore power to five of the six homes without power. The involved residence would require additional work to restore power. All residents were able to return to their homes after the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by Fire Inspector John Wagner.


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John Walker- the chairman of Macquarie group of Korea has published his second children's book, with a young moon bear-Ura" - as its central character. This follows the first book -Ura's World- which introduced us to the new born Ura and his two feathered friends-Gaachi, the young Korean magpie, and the bespectacled and wise old eagle ,Doc Suri.
Whilst Ura's World was set in summer Ura's Dream takes place in winter when bears in the wild actually hibernate. Ura's latest adventures then are actually dreams he has throughout the long winter.These dreams include dancing with fireflies, visiting a family of tigers far in the north and eating berry ice cream with a red fox.
As always Ura is a little clumsy and accident prone and we are reminded of the great singing and dancing talents of the baby moon bear.
Order your copy today!
moonbears.org presents the beautifully illustrated book Ura's World by John Walker. 'Ura's world' tells a tale about a young, spirited, mischievous little moon bear named Ura and his charismatic gang of forest friends in their mountain environment, far from the city. Among these friends are the wise old eagle "Doc Suri", a spectacle-wearing creature with an interesting history. We read about Doc Suri's first encounter with a Human and learn a thing or two about the value of helping others. We meet the bright bird "Gaachi", who later comes to Ura's rescue as young Ura finds trouble as easily as he finds fun. The story ends with another encounter with the human world, and Ura and friends learn a lesson about the manner in which life holds a delicate balance of action and consequence.
Order your copy today!
Is Korea a modern industrial and technological powerhouse, as its government would have the world believe? Or is it still a developing country steeped in superstition, struggling to shake off the vestiges of its third-world past?
Korea has been at pains in recent years to prove itself as a major actor on the world stage. It is attempting to improve its access to world trade by ratifying a free trade agreement with the US and other countries.
In conjunction with these status-enhancers, Korea's environment department recently declared part of Antarctica an Endangered Species Protection Zone and trumpeted this as another example of Korea's environmental credentials and proof of its responsible citizenship as a regional power.
This same Department is responsible for regulating more than 60 bear farms around Korea which produce gall bladders for oriental medicine. They form part of a secretive but lucrative trade within Korea of an animal, which is protected from such exploitation by an international convention – TO WHICH KOREA IS SIGNATORY! The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
Instead, Korea is being shown up embarrassingly by supposedly less advanced nations. China is currently monitoring bear farms in response to international outrage. In 2005, Vietnam declared a total ban on bear farming and is creating bear sanctuaries for former farm bears.
In Korea, in the same year as Vietnam ban, the government announced a policy of allowing the slaughter of bears for their gall bladders from age 10 onwards. Also, activists claim that Korean regulators are not inspecting farms, which are illegally draining bile from live bears.
All this may not come up in FTA discussions, but perhaps it should. Many of the bears in these so-called farms – in some cases little more than cages hidden in suburban homes – came from North America.
The Korean government, though it created this industry, has refused to address the existence of these farms – instead actually condoning their operation. This indicates yet again the power of Korea's farming lobby – which vociferously opposes any FTA involving agricultural concessions – to disproportionately influence Korea's attempts to enter the global community as a responsible and enlightened actor.
Korea has a conflicted relationship with the bear. Despite the brutal treatment meted out to bears in modern-day Korea, the bear has a special place in Korean history.
Legend has it that Hwan-ung, the son of Hwan-in (who was the God of All and the ruler of Heaven), yearned to live on Earth. His father sent him and 3,000 helpers to rule Earth and provide humans with great happiness. Hwan-ung descended to Mount T'aebaeksan on the border between Manchuria and what is now North Korea. He named the place Shinshi, City of God. Along with his ministers of clouds, rain, and wind, he instituted laws and moral codes and taught the humans various arts, medicine, and agriculture.
A tiger and a bear living in a cave together prayed to become human. Upon hearing their prayers, Hwan-ung called them to him and gave them 20 cloves of garlic and a bunch of mugwort. He said they should only eat this sacred food and remain out of the sunlight for 100 days. The tiger gave up and left the cave. However, the bear remained true and after 21 days was transformed into a woman.
The bear-woman was very grateful and made offerings to Hwan-ung. However, lacking a companion she soon became sad and prayed for a child. Hwan-ung took her for his wife and soon she gave birth to a handsome son. They named him Tan-gun, meaning "Altar Prince" or sandalwood. He became Korea's first king.
The Korean Moon Bear, also known as the Asiatic Black Bear, has a diet consisting chiefly of fruits and vegetables, honey, and insects. They are regarded as being of no danger to humans unless threatened. Their lifespan in the wild is 20 to 40 years. They are an endangered species and in 1982 were declared by the Korean Govt as protected species number 329, Cataogoty1 under CITES. Category 1 means Legislaton which meets all the requirements for implementing CITES.
There are only known to be 16 moon bears in the wild at Jiri Mountain. These were released at this location by the Government for their protection as endangered species. But poaching is already prevalent in this area. In fact a recent report on SBS television showed over 100 traps being discovered in just over 90 minutes in that area.
In contrast to the pitifully low numbers of bears in the wild, there are currently 1,140 bears at around 60 Korean bear farms most of which treat the bears with extreme cruelty.
1981 - Just one year before the declaration of Moon Bears as a protected species, the Korean Agriculture Department imported 493 bears - mostly Asia for breeding and export.
1985 - The import of bears was then banned only four years after the same Govt officials began importing the bears. The main reason for this is that other countries began banning bear imports, making Korea look bad. Bear farmers were allowed to slaughter bears for oriental medicine as compensation for import ban and the decline of the legitimate live bear export market.
Government policy changed dramatically from farming to breed towards farming for slaughter. Still, the regulation does not allow for the draining of bile from live bears though this practice is believed to be widespread and not policed.
1993 - The Korean Govt joined CITES [Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora], which outlaws the sale of bear gall bladder.
1999 - The Environment Department takes responsibility for bear farms from the Agriculture Dept.
2005 – Another policy change, this time under pressure from community groups. The Bear Farm Administration Index is introduced, providing guidelines for the proper handing of bears in captivity.
2008- The maximum age for slaughter of bears is reduced from 24 years old to just 10 years old. The Environment Department does not monitor bear farms to ensure these guidelines are being followed.
Moreover, the department does not keep a record of the actual number of bears now being held in the farms. There are no regulations providing for any specific method of slaughter, and there is a widespread belief that the bears are killed inhumanely. All of these conditions are against CITES agreement.
These bears are killed for oriental medicine, especially for their gall bladder but also for their meat and feet. Customers regularly visit the farms to select their own bear for slaughter.
A bear gall bladder sells for up to $20,000 in Korea. Mr. Kim, Muung- an ex Chairman of the Korean Bear Farms Union argues that deregulation will allow farmers to compete with imported bladders from China. China, Russia and North Korea have huge bear farming industries.
The Korean Union of Bear Farms insists that what is happening outside of Korea, namely a rising number of bans on endangered species, is not relevant to Korea as the bears are born in captivity.
However, the further liberalisation will only encourage Koreans to believe other wild animals can be killed for commercial use.
According to reports on oriental medicine there is over speculations about bear's gall bladder being extra effective to cure human liver problem, it also can be replaced by over 100 other different herbal formulas.
It is clear that the number of bears killed in Korea exceeds what would be possible if regulations were being followed. Green Korea reports that 38% of oriental medicine shops in Korea [62 out of 163 shops visited] are secretly selling bear gall bladder and that when shops are generally asked whether they do so they respond with extreme caution.
According to a survey, the majority (87.1%) of Korean people do not agree with bear slaughter for use of gall bladders. And yet the trade continues..
There are legal processes set out for the establishment of bear farms and the sale of bear products. However these are clearly being ignored and not enforced. Advertisements for internet sales for bears and bear breeding are easily found in Korean internet shopping malls.
Visits to 10 bear farms by in 2004, hygiene standards and the condition of bears were both extremely poor. Most bears were in small dog cages – around 1 meter by 2 meters in size. There are frequently up to 10 bears in larger cages.
All bears were showing signs of abnormal behaviour. Some farms were located in the gardens of residential houses or temporary buildings. The "farmers" indicated that there were no inspections by authorities.
Just imagine many bears waiting to be slaughtered for their gall bladder, feet and meat, crowded into small and filthy cages being fed pigs food on a daily basis. In the West, activists protest against similar treatment of battery hens. Here we are talking about a protected species, and one of the world's most magnificent animals. Nothing is being done by authorities to stop the trade in Korea.
The cruellest thing for this animal – remember this is the animal meant to be the mother of the Korean nation - is that they cannot live in the wild. Bears hibernate in their natural environment and the need to do this is indelibly implanted into their DNA. But bears caged at farms cannot hibernate during Korea's bitterly cold winters. This drives them insane, and activists have seen bears self-harming themselves against hard objects in despair.
Article author: Mrs.G.Moon
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California has it all. As cliché as that sounds, it is nevertheless true. From state parks to theme parks, missions to museums, vineyards to deserts and beaches to mountains, California promises to delight.Play golf in Palm Springs or surf Big Sur. Ski the slopes at Lake Tahoe or backpack though Yosemite. Sip wine in Napa Valley. For history buffs, California is home to 21 Spanish missions. Or play the slots at an Indian casino.
From a party bus to a 56-passenger coach bus, US Coachways is an ideal choice for groups of all sizes. Booking a cross-country vacation or a school trip? A California bus charter will hit all the points of interest, stop throughout the day for meals, shopping and sightseeing. Taking in a Lakers game? You can rely on us for a smooth, safe ride.
Our charter bus destinations in California include:
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Whether you want to visit the Magic Kingdom, peruse famous museums, learn to surf or hike through mountains, forests and deserts, California offers delights that should appeal to any interest. The list of places to go and things to do long, and below is just a taste of what visitors can expect.
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Ceriani growing as top female speed carver
RIDGWAY – As a top female speed artist, chainsaw carver Dawna Ceriani of Brockport is quick to the saw as she is renowned for producing detailed and quality carvings in under 45 minutes. Last year Ceriani brought in $7,000 in three days for her auction pieces during Block Bash in French Lick, Ind. The event was hosted by the Saw Dogs, a team of the world's top chainsaw carvers who are the feature of a behind the scenes television series. The previous year she placed third in the auction. In addition she also created a masterpiece carving. Ceriani, participating in this year's 15th annual Ridgway Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous, is often sought after for invitation-only events.
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Friv.com is the big online games site, but we found more best online games from other games sites the same: Y8.com, Friv.com, games.com, Y3.com and more...
So we develop Friv.uk.com to put up all best online games. At Friv.uk.com, gaming is free, instant, and insanely fun! We're happy to tell you that all of our free online games offer a high level of graphics and sound effects, making the time you spend playing them that much more unforgettable. Confused by the huge plethora of games you see here? Never fear! We take the trouble of carefully analyzing our user traffic, so we can tell you straight away exactly which games are the most played, or are being played right now!
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