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Subscribe To Paranormal Activity 4 Updates
Subscribe To Paranormal Activity 4 Updates
Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)
Paranormal Activity 4 Synopsis
Paranormal Activity 4 Release Date
In Theaters October 19, 2012
Paranormal Activity 4 Credits
Starring: Dianna Agron, Katie Featherston and Brady Allen
Written By: Zack Estrin and Oren Peli
Directed By: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Produced By: Jason Blum, Oren Peli, and Steven Schneider
MPAA Rating: [ R ]
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
External Info: Paranormal Activity 4 Official Website
Trailer 1
Latest Paranormal Activity 4 News
12 Horror Movies That Give Horror Movies A Bad Name
The horror genre is peaking right now, but these horror films are the ones that give the entire genre a bad name.
Conner Schwerdtfeger Mar 22, 2018
12 Horror Movies That Give Horror Movies A Bad Name
Filmmaker Sues The Makers Of Paranormal Activity 4 For Concept Theft
Costanza is suing for unspecified damages, and part of the suit includes Paramount destroying all material based on any of his concepts. Meanwhile, Paranormal Activity 5 is scheduled to be in theaters on October 25th.
Nick Venable Apr 24, 2013
Filmmaker Sues The Makers Of Paranormal Activity 4 For Concept Theft
Paranormal Activity 4 Will Levitate On To Blu-ray In January
The most recent flick in the franchise, Paranormal Activity 4 was made with a $5 million budget, and pulled well over $53 million at the domestic box office, making the flick a pretty big success. If you missed it, and you'd like to get on board for some good, old-fashioned scares, you'll be able to catch Paranormal Activity on Blu-ray and DVD beginning on January 29.
Jessica Rawden Dec 18, 2012
Paranormal Activity 4 Will Levitate On To Blu-ray In January
British Children Scarred For Life When Shown Paranormal Activity 4 Instead Of Madagascar 3
Mistakes happen in movie theaters on time-- films start late, the house lights don't go down on time, and in places that are still showing actual film, sometimes that film catches on fire. But it's rare that a mistake happens that so drastic it sends the audience actually running for the exits, with children screaming in horror
Katey Rich Oct 23, 2012
British Children Scarred For Life When Shown Paranormal Activity 4 Instead Of Madagascar 3
Paranormal Activity 4 Sucked, So Where Should It Go From Here?
With Paramount already planning on Paranormal Activity 5 and set to unveil a Spanish-language spin-off next spring, I began to wonder, where the franchise will go from 4, and where it needs to go to get back on track. Obviously, this discussion will focus on specifics of Paranormal Activity 4, so MAJOR SPOILERS lie ahead.
Kristy Puchko Oct 23, 2012
Paranormal Activity 4 Sucked, So Where Should It Go From Here?
Paranormal Activity 5 And Latino-Focused Spinoff On Their Way
At this point a new Paranormal Activity movie is pretty much synonymous with the arrival of fall weather and Halloween, so it would be more surprising if Paramount had decided not to make another movie in the franchise, especially given the heavy-duty $30 million it's estimated to have made this weekend. But Paramount has put a twist in the usual formula of green lighting a sequel
Katey Rich Oct 21, 2012
Paranormal Activity 5 And Latino-Focused Spinoff On Their Way
Weekend Box Office: Alex Cross Bombs And Paranormal Activity Plummets
The current reigning Halloween movie series, Paranormal Activity, released the its fourth entry this weekend but, despite taking the number one spot, suffered a major set back for the franchise.
Scott Gwin Oct 21, 2012
Weekend Box Office: Alex Cross Bombs And Paranormal Activity Plummets
Paranormal Activity 4 And Alex Cross Both Disappoint At Friday Box Office
Though the Paranormal Activity franchise remains undeniably strong, and the fourth installment in the series will come in at #1 at this weekend's box office, the micro-budget horror behemoth is showing some signs of wear this weekend. Paranormal Activity 4 made $15 million on Friday, based on estimates, and is on track for a $34 million weekend
Katey Rich Oct 20, 2012
Paranormal Activity 4 And Alex Cross Both Disappoint At Friday Box Office
Now Streaming: Netflix Instant Alternatives To Seven Psychopaths, Argo & Paranormal Activity 4
Inspired by Seven Psychopaths, Argo and Paranormal Activity 4, we've picked some crazy comedies, acclaimed dramas inspired by real events, and some haunting supernatural horror for your home-viewing pleasure.
Kristy Puchko Oct 19, 2012
Now Streaming: Netflix Instant Alternatives To Seven Psychopaths, Argo & Paranormal Activity 4
Paranormal Activity 4 Nabs $4 Million From Midnight Screenings
The Paranormal Activity movies are famously made for almost no money, so when each of them regularly opens to multi-million midnight showings, they've made back their production budgets before they've even officially opened. At the same time, though, the midnight opening of Paranormal Activity 4 can be considered something of a disappointment
Katey Rich Oct 19, 2012
Paranormal Activity 4 Nabs $4 Million From Midnight Screenings
This Rotten Week: Predicting Alex Cross and Paranormal Activity 4 Reviews
Coming off a big week for the Rotten Watch, we're looking to keep the momentum going. This time around we've got Alex Cross catching serial killers and more folk recording crap going bump in the night
Doug Norrie Oct 14, 2012
This Rotten Week: Predicting Alex Cross and Paranormal Activity 4 Reviews
Paranormal Activity 4 Goes Big With IMAX Release
Paranormal Activity 4 is being digitally re-mastered with a reworked sound and image quality suitable to the immensity of IMAX presentation. While the film will open nationwide October 19th, kicking off with sure to be spirited midnight screenings, its IMAX version will launch at about 300 locations as early as October 18th at 9PM. So keep all this in mind while deciding on which Paranormal Activity 4 ticket you want to buy.
Kristy Puchko Oct 09, 2012
Paranormal Activity 4 Goes Big With IMAX Release
Paranormal Activity 4 Audience Reaction Trailer Arrives
While it's a strategy that has been around for decades, the Paranormal Activity franchise has made great use of the audience reaction trailer. Each film thus far has had at least one preview that would replace footage from the actual movie with just footage of people screaming and shrieking at early screenings. It's helped make the last three movies become blockbuster hits and now it's Paranormal Activity 4's turn.
Eric Eisenberg Oct 08, 2012
Paranormal Activity 4 Audience Reaction Trailer Arrives
Paranormal Activity 4 To Feature Tease Of Latino-Themed Spin-Off?
Back in April we learned that Paranormal Activity producers Jason Blum and Oren Peli were teaming up with Paranormal Activity sequel writer Christopher Landon to create a Latino-themed version of the horror sensation that would serve as a "cousin" to the other movies. Well, apparently we may be getting our first taste of that project this month.
Eric Eisenberg Oct 05, 2012
Paranormal Activity 4 To Feature Tease Of Latino-Themed Spin-Off?
The New Paranormal Activity 4 Trailer Has Arrived
For a while it just wasn't Halloween unless a new Saw movie was getting ready to enter theaters. Every October movie-goers would carve out at least one October evening to go see the latest work of the serial killer known as Jigsaw, watching him put victims in ironic, contrapasso torture devices that reflected their sins. But since 2009 the color of the guard has changed. While the Saw series didn't see its end until 2010, the new found footage franchise clearly took over as the king of Halloween...
Eric Eisenberg Sep 27, 2012
The New Paranormal Activity 4 Trailer Has Arrived
New Paranormal Activity 4 Spot Will Get You Ready For October
We are now just a little over a month away from Halloween (I hope you have already figured out your costume!), and in the movie world that means only one thing: it's once again time for some more Paranormal Activity. Since 2009, when the first film in the franchise was released in theaters, every year we have gotten a brand new sequel and 2012 will be no different.
Eric Eisenberg Sep 24, 2012
New Paranormal Activity 4 Spot Will Get You Ready For October
Paranormal Activity 4 To Get Early Screenings In 25 Cities
With the Paranormal Activity 4 trailer officially released, giving us some clues to speculate on as to the official plot for the found footage horror film, fans of the franchise have even more reason to celebrate the approaching sequel. PA4 is due to release in theaters October 19, however Paramount is setting up a promotion that will bring the film to 25 cities around the world ahead of its scheduled release.
Kelly West Aug 02, 2012
Paranormal Activity 4 To Get Early Screenings In 25 Cities
Paranormal Activity 4 Trailer Reveals The Next Terrified Female
This October, Paranormal Activity fans will have reason to return to the theaters again as the fourth installment in the popular found-footage horror franchise is set to arrive, delivering the next chapter in the spooky story. The previous two Paranormal Activity sequels took us back in time, with PA3 driving us all the way back to the 80's. Based on the trailer for the fourth film, which just made its way online, PA4 will take us back to the present… more or less.
Kelly West Aug 01, 2012
Paranormal Activity 4 Trailer Reveals The Next Terrified Female
Short But Spooky Paranormal Activity 4 Teaser
Despite being a prequel, Paranormal Activity 3 fared well with critics and audiences, spurring Paramount to rush into Paranormal Activity 4 with both Joost and Schulman returning to helm. However, aside from Katie Featherston reprising her role as the franchise's freaky final girl, little else is known about where this latest demon-centered horror flick will take us.
Kristy Puchko Jul 30, 2012
Short But Spooky Paranormal Activity 4 Teaser
The River's Zack Estrin To Pen Paranormal Activity 4
The next installment of the Paranormal Activity has locked in a writer, and it's someone who is no stranger to found footage horror. Zack Estrin, whose current work you've seen on ABC if you've been watching The River, is reportedly penned a deal to pen the fourth Paranormal Activity film.
Kelly West Mar 15, 2012
The River's Zack Estrin To Pen Paranormal Activity 4
Paranormal Activity 3 Directors Brought Back For The Fourth Film
The Paranormal Activity franchise hasn't yet established continuity when it comes to the folks sitting in the director's chair. The first movie, of course, was directed by Oren Peli (who has served as a producer on the two films that followed), but Paranormal Activity 2 was made by Tod Williams, while Catfish filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost were put in charge of Paranormal Activity 3.
Eric Eisenberg Jan 05, 2012
Paranormal Activity 3 Directors Brought Back For The Fourth Film
Paranormal Activity 4 Gets A Release Date
Earlier this week we learned that the Paranormal Activity franchise would be getting another sequel this year. The obvious prediction for the release date for the horror film would be somewhere near Halloween, which is when the earlier films made their way into theaters. Sure enough, the announced date does fall into that timeframe...
Kelly West Jan 04, 2012
Paranormal Activity 4 Gets A Release Date
Paranormal Activity 4 Officially Announced
So once again I pose the question: where does the franchise go from here? In my previous post, I suggested a straight up sequel, following a new family, or even possibly (but not likely) abandoning the found footage format? But where do you think that they should go with Paranormal Activity 4? Leave your thoughts, feelings and ideas in the comments section inside.
Eric Eisenberg Jan 02, 2012
Paranormal Activity 4 Officially Announced
Where Does The Paranormal Activity Franchise Go From Here?
This past weekend Paranormal Activity 3 set a whole slew of new records. The movie now holds the top spot for midnight opener for a horror film (bringing in $8 million), best opening day for a horror film in the US ($26.2 million) and best opening for a October/fall movie ($54 million). What makes it a true success, though, is that the whole movie cost only $5 million to make...
Eric Eisenberg Oct 24, 2011
Where Does The Paranormal Activity Franchise Go From Here?
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Jennifer Lopez Announces More Dance Again World Tour Dates
Jennifer Lopez has announced a new batch of dates on her global Dance Again tour. She has added dates in Russia, Europe and the Middle East. With a trek booked through November, J. Lo is going big but she isn't going home!
Lopez is currently rocking South America and will return to launch the North American leg with Enrique Iglesias and Wisin y Yandel on July 14.
The Euro leg of Dance Again launches in Lisbon, Portugal on Oct. 5 and the diva will hit Germany, France, Ireland, Belgium, Ireland and more. She will then travel to Russia in November and wrap in Dubai on Nov. 22.
In a blog post on her site, Lopez wrote: "Being on the road, covering so many cities in such a short period of time has been unbelievable. I never dreamed I'd see the world this way and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity.'
She is going to let her fans in on her life on the road. She also posted, "I want to share as much of my tour experience with all my LOVE!RS, so be sure to keep coming back for more updates and stay tuned for my TOUR FEED, which will be launching soon!"
Make sure to bookmark her site to stay on top of everything La Lopez, touring and more.
New Dance Again World Tour Dates
Oct. 5 – Lisbon, Portugal | Atlantico
Oct. 10 – Zurich, Switzerland | Hallenstadion
Oct. 11 – Bologna, Italy | Unipol Arena
Oct. 13 – Berlin, Germany | O2 World
Oct. 14 – Antwerp, Belgium | Sportpalais
Oct. 16 – Paris, France | Bercy
Oct. 19 – Dublin, Ireland | O2
Oct. 22 – London, England | O2
Oct. 25 – Munich, Germany | Olympiahalle
Oct. 26 – Prague, Czech Republic | O2
Oct. 28 – Hamburg, Germany | O2
Oct. 29 – Rotterdam, Netherlands | Ahoy
Oct. 31 – Oberhausen, Germany | Honig
Nov. 3 – Copenhagen, Denmark | Forum
Nov. 5 – Stockholm, Sweden | Globe
Nov. 7 – Helsinki, Finland | Hartwell
Nov. 8 – St. Petersburg, Russia | Ice Palace
Nov. 10 – Moscow, Russia | Crocus
Nov. 18 – Sofia, Poland | Armeec Arena
Nov. 20 – Belgrade, Serbia | Nokia Arena
Nov. 22 – Dubai City, UAE | Media City
Watch the Jennifer Lopez, 'Dance Again' Video Feat. Pitbull

subset: commoncrawl


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This page last updated
January 08, 2019
The following Final Reports have been reviewed and approved by the SMTC Committee structure (Planning and Policy Committees), and are listed below by category and in chronological order, with the most recent reports presented first. (View SMTC Maps)
The SMTC fiscal year runs from April 1 to March
Most of these files are in Acrobat PDF format and open in a new
window; noted download times are based on a 56k (dial-up) modem.
Adobe Reader (free). Contact us to view a hard copy or if you cannot open any of these files.
This program of projects is effective October 1, 2013.
For a bound copy please call the SMTC at (315) 422-5716 or e-mail
your request.


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Bold and beautiful! This lovely sterling silver ring showcases one oval shaped opaque gemstone cabochon in your choice of color on top. A wavy bezel complete with circle cut-out accents lend a contemporary touch to the ring as you slip it on to complement your favorite fashions. It's eye-catching design you'll absolutely love!
Check out the Ring Sizing Guide to find your ring size.
All weights pertaining to gemstones, including diamonds, are minimum weights. Additionally, please note that many gemstones are treated to enhance their beauty. View Gemstone Enhancements and Special Care Requirements for important information.
Sterling silver, also called fine silver, is a beautifully lustrous cool-toned precious metal favored in fine jewelry among other products. The most reflective of all metals (excluding mercury), sterling silver looks stunning by itself and brings out the best hues in an array of colorful gemstones.
Sterling silver can be polished to a higher sheen than platinum. In fact, Ag, the chemical symbol for silver, comes from a word that means "white and shining." The surface of silver can boast that shiny, polished appearance, or can be brushed, satin, matte, sandblasted, antiqued or oxidized (chemically blackened).
In order to be called sterling silver, a metal must be made up of a minimum of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% alloy (meaning other metals), including but not limited to copper and nickel. The alloy is added to pure silver to make the metal more durable, tougher and harder. Sterling silver is designated a fineness of "925." Pieces with sterling silver may be marked "sterling."
Finishes on Sterling Silver
Finishing, or plating, is a common treatment with sterling silver. Popular types of plating are rhodium plating, gold plating and anti-tarnish plating. Plating is used to extend the life and sheen of the jewelry. After sizing or buffing a piece of jewelry with a machine, it must be re-plated to restore the finish.
Caring for Sterling Silver
Sterling silver becomes tarnished as the result of a natural chemical process that occurs when sterling silver is exposed to chemicals in the air, rubber, wool and latex. Humidity also plays a role in accelerating tarnishing. It's easy to keep your sterling silver sparkling, though, by taking a few steps to prevent tarnish and other wear and tear.


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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Men's and women's head coach Kenny Doyle recently announced the team award recipients for the 2009-10 season at the team's awards cookout.
Alex Chen earned team MVP on the men's side, while Leydi Zora took home team MVP honors for the women. Josh Girling was awarded the team's Johnny Donnelly Maverick Award.
A first-team all-conference selection, Chen played atop the lineup Golden Eagle lineup for the entire season, helping the team to a second place conference finish. He compiled an 11-4 dual meet record during the spring and finished with a 6-1 mark in OVC matches.
Chen, a sophomore for Samarkand, Uzbekistan, had winning streaks of four and five matches en route to leading the team in victories in singles action. On the doubles court, Chen finished the conference season 3-3 with teammate Lloyd Harris. In his two seasons at Tech, Chen has racked up 25 career wins on the singles court.
Zora, a second-team all-OVC selection, was the lone women's player to earn all-conference honors after she went 4-5 at the No. 1 singles position during conference play for the Golden Eagles.
A junior transfer from Arkansas State in her first season at Tech, Zora went 7-13 overall in singles action and finished her season on a high note with a straight-sets win in her final match. A Floridabianca, Colombia, native, Zora also went 4-8 in dual meet doubles matches, including a 3-5 mark during OVC play.
The Johnny Donnelly Maverick Award, named for the late Johnny
Donnelly, was presented to Girling by his parents, John and Marty
Donnelly of Cookeville. Johnny Donnelly was a true TTU sports fan
who passed away in October of 1998 after a long-fought battle with
muscular dystrophy. In 1999, he was first Golden Eagle fan to be
inducted into the Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
The award is given annually to a member of either the men's or women's tennis team who exhibits the same kind of determination that Johnny showed.
Girling, a first-team all-OVC selection, earned his first career all-conference recognition after being the only Golden Eagle to post a perfect 7-0 record in OVC singles action. A junior from Winchester, England, Girling compiled a 15-9 record between the fall and spring seasons and finished the dual meet season strong, winning his last eight matches.
Girling also left his mark on the doubles court, teaming with Nicholas Stafford to record a 5-1 OVC record at No. 1 doubles.


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DAC Collection Artist Information
Tara Donovan
American installation artist and sculptor
Brief biography, in most instances from the Union List of Artist Names® Online:
Known for her labor-intensive and large-scale sculptural installations involving enormous amounts of individual elements, typically industrial materials. She was included in the 2000 Whitney Biennial. She currently lives in New York City.
Artist ID number in the Union List of Artist Names®: ULAN 500114624.
The ULAN link above leads to a cataloging authority record at the Getty Research Institute.
Objects related to Tara Donovan:
|Tara Donovan
|Untitled, 2004
|Etching printed in blue-green ink on heavyweight white wove paper
ULAN biographical content is displayed with permission of the Getty Research Institute. Some ULAN content in some DAC artist records has been lightly edited. Content from the Getty Research Institute is © 2019 The J. Paul Getty Trust. All rights reserved.


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Dean Foster Wong, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Section of High Resolution Brain PET Imaging, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology
Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science
Expertise: Diagnostic Radiology
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The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Main Entrance)
1800 Orleans St. Sheikh Zayed Tower Baltimore, MD 21287
Dr. Dean Foster Wong is a Professor in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Radiology and Radiological Science. He also serves as Director of the Section of High Resolution Brain PET Imaging within the Division of Nuclear Medicine.
Dr. Wong received his undergraduate degree in physics from the University of Western Ontario, and completed his M.D. at the University of Toronto in 1977. After an internship at Sunnybrook Medical Center in Toronto, he undertook a residency in anatomic pathology at Princess Margaret Hospital of the Ontario Cancer Institute, and a subsequent residency in radiology at the University of Toronto.
In 1980, he came to Johns Hopkins as a research and clinical fellow in the Radiology Division of Nuclear Medicine. He was soon promoted to Assistant Professor of Radiology, and in 1987 became an Associate Professor. He received a doctorate in Radiation Health Sciences from Hopkins in 1990.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Wong has been a leader in the design, development and use of PET scanning for the study of brain chemistry. He has been primary investigator on numerous federal and private grants, has authored or coauthored more than 200 articles and 50 book chapters and essays, and has been an active consultant to pharmaceutical companies.
In 2013, the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging bestowed upon him the Paul C. Aebersold Award for Outstanding Achievement in Basic Nuclear Medicine Science.
- Director, Section of High Resolution Brain PET Imaging, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology
- Professor of Radiology and Radiological Science
- Joint Appointment in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
- Professor of Neurology
- Professor of Neuroscience
Departments / Divisions
- Neurology
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
- Radiology - Nuclear Medicine
- Radiology and Radiological Science - Nuclear Medicine
- MD, University Of Toronto Faculty of Medicine (1977)
- Princess Margaret Hospital / Anatomic Pathology (1979)
- Toronto General Hospital / Diagnostic Radiology (1980)
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine / Nuclear Medicine (1983)
Board Certifications
- American Board of Nuclear Medicine / Nuclear Medicine (1982)
Research & Publications
Research Summary
Throughout his career, Dr. Wong has used PET scanning to uncover key insights into brain chemistry and to identify receptors for the major neurotransmitters. He oversaw the first dopamine PET receptor imaging in human beings; led the first study suggesting elevations of so-called D2 dopamine receptors in schizophrenia, and how dopamine is transported in and out of cells; and acted as principal investigator on one of the first studies to document cocaine craving, as measured by nerve cell dopamine release. Additionally, his research team demonstrated elevated dopamine release in Tourette's syndrome.
Recently, the Wong lab has collaborated with Avid Radiopharmaceuticals of Philadelphia on the first study using FDA-approved F-18 amyloid radiopharmaceutical imaging in humans to help map out the role of amyloid plaques in large groups of patients suffering from Alzheimer's.
Core Facility: Radiology Research Laboratory
Academic Affiliations & Courses
Graduate Program Affiliation
Neuroscience Graduate Program
Environmental Health Sciences
Pathobiology Graduate Program
Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program
Activities & Honors
- Paul C. Aebersold Award for Outstanding Achievement in Basic Nuclear Medicine Science, Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 2013
Patient Ratings & Comments
The Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to physician related questions on the national CG-CAHPS Medical Practice patient experience survey through Press Ganey. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best score. Comments are also gathered from our CG-CAHPS Medical Practice Survey through Press Ganey and displayed in their entirety. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.
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California Department of Transportation
Date: November 1, 2013
District: District 10 - Stockton
Contact: Angela DaPrato
Phone: (209) 948-7176
TUOLUMNE COUNTY –Tuolumne County motorists started driving on the new section of the East Sonora Bypass eight months sooner than expected today.
Caltrans and the Tuolumne County Transportation Council (TCTC) finished the safety project eight months ahead of schedule.
"Caltrans' goal is to deliver quality projects on time so we couldn't be more pleased to open the new section of the bypass early," said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. "The new expressway will be safer and save motorists time while reducing fuel costs by eliminating the need to stop at Peaceful Oak Road."
As part of Stage II of the $54 million project, Caltrans constructed a two-lane expressway on a new alignment from Peaceful Oak Road to Via Este Road. It was scheduled for completion on June 30, 2014 but a dry winter allowed the contractor to make the road available for motorists sooner.
The new configuration has fewer curves – making the highway safer for the more than 20,000 motorists who use this roadway daily.
The project also includes a new interchange at Peaceful Oak Road; a new bridge at Mono Way; and a new frontage road connecting Highway 108 with Seaborn Road and Waif Road.
In 2006, California voters approved Proposition 1B, investing $19.9 billion in roads, bridges, ports and transit. This bond contributed $15 million toward the East Sonora Bypass. In total, nearly $17 billion in Proposition 1B funds have been put to work statewide for transportation purposes.
Caltrans finished the first phase of the East Sonora Bypass, from the Sanguinetti Overhead to just west of Peaceful Oak Road, in 2002.
This year, Caltrans has delivered several projects ahead of schedule. In February, Caltrans, the Bay Area Toll Authority, and the California Transportation Commission finished the seismic retrofit of the Dumbarton Bridge in the San Francisco Bay Area $30 million under budget and months ahead of schedule. In August, it opened the Colton Crossing rail overpass in Southern California eight months early and for more than $100 million less than the original $200 million price tag.
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Flushed with the success of its own recently launched content subscription service, RealNetworks said Tuesday that it is offering content providers the ability to create their own managed subscription services based on the Real platform.
The Seattle, Washington, company's new service will be delivered through the Real Broadcast Network (RBN), and offers companies the ability to create an e-commerce model around their content. The service was designed around Real's own RealOne SuperPass content subscription service, which launched in March.
RBN Managed Subscription Service offers companies customer registration and subscriber management, payment processing and billing systems, user report accounting, customer service and back-end hosting through the Real Broadcast Network. With the managed subscription service, content companies have the ability to drum up revenue through pay-per-view, rental or subscription models, Real said.
A handful of companies have already adopted the service, including Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment Inc. which is launching Soap City Radio through its SoapCity.com property, offering soap opera fans on-demand audio episodes streamed over the Internet, Real said.
The company did not immediately disclose pricing for the managed subscription service.


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Philadelphia Economic Development Committee[Record group 60-18-1]
Agency Function
- The purposes of this committee are:
- to prepare and revise a "workable program" for economic development;
- to serve as an umbrella organization which could work with operating organizations and agencies in the further development of suggested policies and programs;
- to advise the Mayor and major community organizations on the combination of action programs which should be given top priority; and
- to elicit community-wide support for the programs and projects.
- Agency History
- The Philadelphia Economic Development Committee was formed in December 1963 by Mayor James H. J. Tate. It was composed of 30 members representing the City administration, business, industry, labor, education, citizen and religious organizations and minority groups.
- Archival Records
- 60-18-1.1 Reports (1964-1965)
Click on a folder or file to return to that level...
PhILS Home
City Agencies
Current Agency Information Sheet. (Text-only version of this page)
Send your comments to firstname.lastname@example.com
Last updated on November 8, 2000


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Techonomy: How Big Data Will Impact Our World More Than the Internet Has
As has been the case at almost every conference I've attended this year, "big data" was a major theme at the Techonomy conference this week. A number of the sessions explained how data can transform not only businesses, but the world as a whole. The session was very positive—maybe a little too positive, given some of the concerns around privacy and security—but many of the examples were compelling.
Rick Smolan, probably best known for the Day in the Life books, spent the past year running a project called "The Human Face of Big Data," which sent hundreds of photographers around the world to capture photographs related to the concept. The resulting stories and photos have been compiled in a book that is slated to be out next week.
His project, which was funded by EMC (with a related documentary funded by Cisco), tries to capture the changes that are happening because of all the data we have, as we are building "a digital nervous system" for the world. He repeated a statistic that the amount of information we're exposed to in the course of a day is more than someone in the 15th century was exposed to in their entire life. He presented a number of wonderful pictures on stage, including some that showed early warning systems for earthquakes, methods of tracking animal life, new ways of understanding power consumption, and new ways of improving health care.
"Big data will have a much bigger impact on our lives than the Internet has so far," Smolan said.
In a panel that followed, Smolan said big data was "the right tool and the right time to address the enormous problems we face as a species." He added that it gives us information to connect causes and effects.
Tibco CEO Vivek Ranadivé said it's the connection of real-time information with historical information that makes this so powerful. Ranadivé, who authored The Two-Second Advantage, talked about how more data lets you take advantage of opportunities and better avoid problems.
One big change, he said, is that math is starting to trump science, meaning you don't really need to know the why, just the what. He gave similar examples to the ones he used at last year's conference, talking about how people who buy champagne, razor blades, and diapers are likely to be using a stolen credit card, but also mentioned AIDS researchers are using such techniques to figure out how the virus mutates.
Lars Björk, CEO of QlikTech, gave a similar example: Swedish police were able to use 10 years of data to figure out that a sniper wasn't randomly going after people, but actually had a pattern. They were able to do this in 30 minutes instead of three months. "You could see the forest for the trees," he said.
Björk said with these new tools, police are up to 90 percent more accurate in predicting when and where crimes will happen, which brought to mind visions of Minority Report.
Gil Elbaz, CEO of Factual, said the key opportunity of big data is better decision-making, which is increasingly automated and happening in real time. We are trusting computers and algorithms with more of our lives, he said, and "the more data you have, the better decisions you'll make."
Moderator Justin Fox of Harvard Business Review asked about financial models and looking for correlations. Ranadivé replied with the idea of replacing the Fed with a computer program because the world is running in real-time and shouldn't have to wait for the Fed to make decisions based on three- month-old days. Fox noted that models sometimes fail, but that just led Ranadivé to talk about the need to make continuous adjustments to your models.
Björk said that "no model is perfect" and it will always be important to filter out the noise. Elbaz said that transparency of the models is also part of the story, noting how the financial models that weren't clear helped lead to the financial crisis.
Smolan noted the potential for big data to help sort through the data drug companies have from clinical studies they have already done. In a few years, this will be matched with genomic information to help figure out which drugs work on which patients.
Asked about privacy concerns, the panel talked about individuals owning their "data exhaust" and their worries about data security and control. But as Smolan said, if 10 years ago someone told you that they would plant a tracking device on you that will know where you are, what you buy, and who your friends are, you would have been very concerned. "Now you'll wait in line to pay $800 for it."


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The Huffington Post reported Wednesday that former Vice President Dan Quayle's son Ben Quayle has, in his newest campaign ad, called Barack Obama the "worst president in history."
Apparently, anything Obama does, Quayle can do better.
In the ad Quayle, currently running for Congress in Arizona's 3rd District, says that "his generation will inherit a weakened country."
"Drug cartels in Mexico, tax cartels in D.C." he says. "What's happened to America?"
See his campaign ad here:
As for Quayle's claims against President Obama? Two recent surveys, done by Siena College Research Institute in 2010 and C-SPAN in 2009, have listed Andrew Johnson and James Buchanan as the worst presidents in history.
President Obama, featured only in the 2010 Siena poll, placed 15th right between Andrew Jackson and Lyndon B. Johnson.


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Giving to the Program in Molecular Medicine
Research laboratories in Molecular Medicine are actively engaged in discoveries on the molecular basis of disease as well as developing therapies for major illnesses…for example…
Diabetes—Molecular Medicine researchers are developing approaches to treating the autoimmunity of type 1 diabetes, using RNAi to silence genes active in the immune system. Researchers have also developed stem cell-based approaches to developing mouse model systems to better understand human autoimmunity.
AIDS—Researchers in Molecular Medicine have identified a protein that may serve as a drug target for inhibiting HIV. Drug-like small molecules have been discovered here that effectively inhibit this protein, providing proof of concept for this approach in future possible therapies.
For more information about giving to these and other research efforts please visit the UMass Memorial Foundation:


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What Are the Secrets of a Happy Marriage?
A new poll of 2,000 happily married couples in the UK has revealed what seem to be the secrets of a successful union: one argument per week and two vacations a year.
Almost 60 percent of respondents said vacations together provide a reminder of why they love each other so much, probably because more than half reported being more likely to make time for each other during trips than at any other time of the year.
Happy couples also said having one "healthy argument" every week is key to a thriving relationship.
Here are a few other things survey respondents said were good for a happy marriage:
- Short breaks, twice a year.
- Cuddle, 11 times every two weeks.
- Have sex, two times a week.
- Deep and meaningful conversation, two times a week.
- Dinner out, three times a month.
- Boys/girls' night out without partner, twice a month.
- Surprise romantic gesture, three times a month.
[ABC News]


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Cake Toppers Comical
For the more adventurous cake decoration we have comical cake toppers including; football, fishing, cycling and motorbiking. We also have horseback and scooter cake toppers and a large choice of traditional toppers, something for everybody.
Products In Cake Toppers Comical(Total Products 15, Showing: 1 -> 15)
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February 15, 2013
Industry to further reduce aircraft noise by seven decibels
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) has adopted a new noise stringency level for commercial airplanes. The milestone achieved at the CAEP meeting last week lowers the current standard by seven decibels. Having now been agreed by the ICAO CAEP, the new stringent noise standard will be presented for final review and approval by the ICAO Council later in 2013. This new standard will come into force on the 31st December 2017.
"Over the past 40 years, Airbus has put a lot of effort into reducing noise at source and to bringing the quietest aircraft to the market. This new standard is another major step in how the global commercial aviation industry is pro-actively addressing environmental protection," said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO.
At Airbus, innovation and technology are key to provide aircraft that generate fewer emissions and less noise while carrying a maximum payload over the mission range. All Airbus development aircraft (NEO and A350 XWB) are designed to be compliant with the new noise standard.
In addition, Airbus continues developing new solutions to further reduce the operational noise. Several functionalities are available such as the Automatic Noise Abatement Departure Procedure (NADP) that optimises the thrust and flight path to reduce noise over populated areas.
In the UK, which has the strictest noise regulations in the world, the A380 was given an award for its quiet operations by the UK Noise Abatement Society in 2012.
The A380 carries 42 percent more passengers than its nearest competitor but produces half the noise energy when taking off, and three to four times less noise energy when landing. The A350 XWB, the aircraft with the leading environmental performance in the long-range market is up to 16 decibels below the current standard requirement.
Airbus is a leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive family of airliners on the market, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 500 seats. Airbus is known to offer innovative technologies as soon as they become available and has sold over 12.400 aircraft to almost 350 customers worldwide. Airbus has achieved more than 7,600 deliveries since the first Airbus aircraft entered service. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS company


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Marquez Ends It with Stunning Finality/
by Kieran Mulvaney
Read the 'Day After' Fight Update and be sure not to miss the fight replay Saturday night at 9:30 PM ET/PT on HBO Sports.
Juan Manuel Marquez was reeling. His face was swollen and bruised. His broken nose was streaming blood. He had ended the previous round on the receiving end of a furious Manny Pacquiao rally. And now, as the sixth came to a close, another Pacquiao left hand had him hurt, and backing into a corner.
And then it happened.
As Pacquaio leapt forward, Marquez uncorked a beautiful short counter right hand. Pacquaio didn't even see it coming, and the combined force of the punch and his forward momentum exploded on his unprotected chin. At that moment, the bell sounded to end the round, but it was too late to save him.
Pacquiao dropped like a stone, face first, to the canvas, his head lying beneath the bottom rope. Referee Kenny Bayless began the count as the arena erupted in unison, but it was immediately evident that there was no way Pacquiao was going to reach his feet before ten. He lay there, immobile, as Bayless abandoned his count and waved the fight over.
Manny Pacquiao was out cold. Juan Manuel Marquez finally had the victory he had craved, and he had delivered it in emphatic style.
And we have our Fight of the Year.
HBO's Jim Lampley had earlier prophesied that this fourth meeting between the arch-rivals might go one of two ways. Perhaps the two old warriors now knew each other so well that they would cancel each other out, and the fight would resemble Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier II, a relatively pedestrian affair by the standards of the battles that came before and after it. Or it might be more like Ali-Frazier III, the Thrilla in Manila, by which time the two greats had slowed just enough that they were less able to avoid each other's blows and thus wound up producing arguably the greatest heavyweight title fight of all time.
In the event, it was undeniably the latter, so much so that, for all that some had questioned whether we needed to see a fourth installment in this rivalry, by the time it was all over there was already talk of a fifth.
"Why not?" said promoter Bob Arum. "Have you seen a more exciting fight in years?"
The atmosphere was intense from the outset, a capacity crowd of 16,348 seemingly dominated by Marquez fans that sang along to their fighter's entrance music and booed their hero's nemesis as the Filipino made his way to the ring.
But although sentiment in the media room all week had been that Marquez had the edge and the momentum, that his counterpunching style would once more give Pacquiao fits, and that the Pacman's perceived decline in skills and speed would prove fatal, it was the man from the Philippines who began the contest more brightly, moving in and out, finding his range and landing straight left hands.
When Marquez did land in the early going, it was with a left hook; rarely his weapon of choice against Pacquiao, the fact that he was deploying it to some effect ironically underlined the success Pacquiao was having in cutting off the ring, moving right and landing his southpaw left.
The rounds were close, the boxing skilled. Each man sought to find openings where they existed, and to create them when they didn't. Jabbing was largely an afterthought, as Pacquaio sought to dart in with his left hand and Marquez moved to counter with straight rights and the aforementioned left hook.
The third was settling into a similar pattern when Marquez launched an overhand right. It flew through the air in an arc like a missile, landing with perfect precision on Pacquiao's jaw and knocking him down. It was a strong punch and a solid knockdown – the fifth of the four-fight series, but the first scored by Marquez – but Pacquiao displayed the hint of a wry smile before standing up. He recovered in a fourth round that was more cagey and tactical, and then in the fifth, he landed a straight left that sent Marquez backward and down. Whereas Marquez had been measured following his knockdown of Pacquiao, Pacquiao smelled blood, and the fifth ended with him teeing off on Marquez, landing straight left after straight left.
This was epic stuff: two experienced, exceptionally skilled fighters, both destined for the Hall-of-Fame, tied together like Ahab and the whale, destined to pursue each other through the years until one or both could pursue no more. Each man feinted and slipped punches, came back with short combination counterpunches, and then retreated in the face of counters from the other. And mixed in with the skillful boxing were pockets of explosive violence. At no stage did the crowd cease roaring.
As the sixth round progressed, it felt as if the end might be near, albeit not in the manner that unfolded. Marquez was struggling now as Pacquiao pressed his advantage, but the Mexican never lost belief, never lost composure or concentration, and when Pacquiao overreached, he struck.
"I threw the perfect punch," said Marquez, with what may actually be understatement.
"I felt that for the last three rounds, he was going for the knockout," the victor continued. "I knew I could be knocked out at any time. But I also knew, after I knocked him down, that I could knock him out."
Indeed he could. And did.
"I got hit by a punch I didn't see," admitted Pacquiao.
Pacquiao and Marquez had fought each other tooth and nail, across eight years and 36 rounds, with so little to separate them that equally valid cases could be made for either man to have won all three. Their fourth fight was the first to have a concussive, conclusive ending. Marquez, after one disputed draw and two disputed defeats, finally had his win. And with it, he had won the rivalry.
Unless, of course, it continues. Unless, there is a fifth and perhaps even a sixth fight.
Why not?
In the co-main event, after his promoter 50 Cent had descended from the rafters on a harness while singing his hit "My Life," Yuriorkis Gamboa survived a knockdown, and administered two of his own, to defeat Michael Farenas in a super featherweight contest. Mexico's Miguel Vazquez totally outfoxed and outboxed Mercito Gesta of the Philippines, to inflict the first defeat on Gesta's record and retain a lightweight title. And Javier Fortuna outworked a game Patrick Hyland to win a decision in the opening bout of the broadcast.


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Snow Cones
Price: $360.00
Designer: Parvez Taj
Snow Cones, a giclee on canvas print. Part of the limited editions collection, spring 2005. High quality original contemporary artwork for the modern home.
The canvas print, Snow Cones, is part of the Limited Edition Collection, fall 2005. The designer, Parvez Taj uses film, software, UV ink and canvas/paper for each art piece. It's a giclee canvas print and each piece is signed and a limited edition of 500.
Parvez Michel, Inc. creates and sells original, contemporary art through a combination of style, quality and price. Parvez Michel connects the out-of-reach luxury art world with the modern fashion-conscious home decorator by delivering high quality artwork that is both affordable and hip. Fashioned for urban sensibilities, Parvez Michel's art reflects and responds to the contemporary lifestyle.
Born and raised in Canada, Parvez currently lives and works in Los Angeles. In addition to his short movies, sculptures, and painting, Parvez is pioneering Ultra Violet ink technologies as a fine art medium.
The canvas print is available in stretched canvas frame and stretched canvas in a floater frame.
Giclee canvas print
W 24" x H 36"
W 30" x H 45"
W 40" x H 60", freight additional
Receive in 3 to 4 weeks!
Free shipping except for sizes 40" x 60"
Please call for faster shipping methods


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Lobby Habitat
Weekly Feeding & Demonstration
Join us every Friday at 11a.m. for Snake and Eggs (not really), but we do invite you to breakfast with our resident snakes and Gila Monster to observe their feeding. Learn about these fascinating Sonoran Desert creatures during this insightful demonstration.
The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa has taken on the great effort of treasuring and preserving the "Essence of Arizona" throughout the Resort and our very popular attraction, showcases some of the most common reptiles in the area. In partnering with the Phoenix Herpetological Society, we have two habitats in the lobby featuring a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Sonoran Gopher, a Gila Monster and a California King Snake.
The Westin Kierland Resort was designed with the intention to preserve the rich history and culture of Arizona. Through The Westin Kierland Resort, the theme of "Treasuring the Essence of Arizona" was born. Taking it to the next step is to incorporate desert life into the education we provide, not just in history and culture, but what makes Arizona unique. There are nearly 40 different kinds of snakes throughout the state.
This habitat is an educational opportunity for guests to learn what makes Arizona unique and diffuse some of the myths surrounding snakes in the process. The Resort's award-winning FUN team has been trained with the reptiles and will incorporate them into their activities and educational opportunities. Each habitat has a brief description about the different reptiles, instructions on handling and demonstrates that many of the common myths surrounding the reptiles are in fact false. For more information on the FUN activities, stop by the Kierland Mining Company or pick up a PathFinder from the front desk.


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We are also accepting advertising. If you have a product that you wish us to advertise on our site, please email email@example.com with your information. We will reply back with rates and placement options. With readership well into the tens of thousands per month, we are a rapidly growing enterprise.
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In the surreal photographic worlds of father of three John Wilhelm, the imaginative play of childhood is a force to be reckoned with; motivated by childhood memories of video games and television, the university IT director spends his free time dreaming up fantasies for his three daughters, 6-month-old Yuna, 2-year-old Mila, and 5-year-old Lou.
Wilhelm's impressive body of work, composed of images heavily-manipulated in Adobe Photoshop, is simultaneously touching, thrilling, and humorous. Most children have fantasized about the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, seduced by the adventure of it all and by the terror of the Big Bad Wolf, but this father's retelling of the classic fairy story is a little bit different; here, the girl is just as wild and free as the wolf, for instead of being fooled into believing that the beast is a peaceable gentleman, she howls with him, tossing her head ecstatically.
The bravery of the small children is highlighted again in a poignant image in which Mila offers a tiny bunch of yellow flowers to a wizened, toweringly large buffalo, whose magnificent, uncouth hair stands in stark contrast with the girl's miniature peacoat and knitted pom-pom hat. In these fantastical images, the smallest of humans can be the most powerful; the littlest of all, Yuna, is often shown as wreaking havoc on her befuddled parents, who wear space masks to feed her or change her diapers. Indeed, this mischievous bunch is subject to no one's will but their own, and in this visual play land, they are granted everything they could ever wish for. (via Demilked and Bored Panda)


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On January 17, InsightMag.com posted a story stating that Sen. Barack Obama attended a madrassa as a boy and that this information had originated from Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's camp. With the aid of the conservative media, InsightMag.com's anonymously sourced report turned into 11 days of baseless accusations against two leading contenders for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
On January 17, InsightMag.com published an article claiming that "researchers connected to" Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) disclosed that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) "spent at least four years in a so-called Madrassa, or Muslim seminary, in Indonesia." The story claimed that "sources close to [a] background check," which was supposedly "conducted by researchers connected to Senator Clinton," said that "[t]he idea is to show Obama as deceptive." These "sources" also speculated that the "the specific Madrassa Mr. Obama attended" might have taught "a Wahhabi doctrine that denies the rights of non-Muslims." The InsightMag.com story also noted that in each of his two books, Obama "mentions but does not expand on his Muslim background." The article cited only anonymous sources. By January 19, the story had been picked up by conservative media figures and given prominent play on major television networks, such as CNN Headline News and Fox News.
On January 29, The New York Times reported that the InsightMag.com article "was able to set off a wave of television commentary, talk-radio chatter, official denials, investigations by journalists around the globe and news media self-analysis that has lasted 11 days and counting." Media Matters for America was one of the first to report on the media's coverage of the smear, including an item posted on January 19. Below is a timeline of how a smear originated by a conservative website turned into 11 days of baseless accusations against two leading contenders for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination:
January 9*
On January 9, eight days before the InsightMag.com story was posted, Chicago Tribune metro columnist Eric Zorn wrote on the Tribune's Change of Subject weblog, "The crazies are sending around an e-mail that attempts to establish that Barack Obama is actually a Muslim who masquerades as a Christian for political advantage. It goes under the heading 'The Enemy Within' and 'Be Careful, Be Very Careful.' "
January 17
On January 17, InsightMag.com posted the original article on the subject. InsightMag.com is the successor to Insight on the News, a biweekly magazine published until April 2004 by News World Communications, the company controlled by Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church that also operates The Washington Times and the wire service United Press International. The website describes itself as a "weekly Internet news magazine."
January 18
On December 13, Jason Zengerle, editor of The Plank, the weblog of The New Republic, predicted that Republicans would "launch a savage and despicable whispering campaign against the guy (Barack Hussein Obama, etc.) and then blame it all on Hillary." On January 18, Zengerle responded to the InsightMag.com article:
The attribution on all this is broad enough ("political opponents within the Democratic Party"; "researchers connected to Senator Clinton") that I suppose this information about Obama could have originated with people in Clinton's orbit. But let's not forget where this information appeared. And let's be on the lookout for who goes on the cable shows and wonders whether "Barack Hussein Obama" is "The Manchurian Madrassa Candidate." Something tells me it isn't going to be Hillary, or any liberal for that matter.
January 19
The next day, as Zengerle predicted, conservatives were abuzz about the article. Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Melanie Morgan, and Morgan co-host Lee Rodgers all discussed the InsightMag.com article on their radio programs. But it wasn't just conservative radio hosts who echoed the InsightMag.com accusations. The weblog Think Progress noted that the January 19 editions of Fox News' Fox & Friend First and Fox & Friends discussed the story and even took caller comments about the allegations. That afternoon, Fox News host John Gibson dedicated two segments of The Big Story to the InsightMag.com article, including a discussion with Republican strategist Terry Holt. Gibson read a statement from Obama denying the allegations, and he acknowledged near the end of his show that it "[d]oesn't seem" that "Hillary's fingerprints [are] on the story." But Gibson said earlier in the program that "[t]he New York senator has reportedly outed Obama's madrassa past." Gibson also remarked, "[L]ook at what some anti-Obama Democrats are doing to her political rival now."
The same day, Glenn Beck stated on his CNN Headline News program that the source of the story "is a conservative blog" and that "the odds of this being true pretty darn close to zero," but nevertheless said that "if you live in Chappaqua, New York, and you hear a strange grinding noise coming from the Clinton estate, it could be Hillary Clinton sharpening her knives in the basement." After saying that there was "no evidence" for the charge that Obama "attended a madrassa," Beck continued to assert that Clinton had a "lot to gain" from the story and that she is "that desperate."
None of the seven radio or television hosts mentioned above cited any evidence that Clinton was responsible for promoting the madrassa story, beyond the InsightMag.com article, which cited no one by name.
In a January 19 post on Change of Subject, Zorn wrote, "The source of this rumor seems to be a viral e-mail that I've received at least a dozen times in the last few weeks." He added: "Without any attribution or supporting documentation it spins a tale of Obama being indoctrinated as radical Muslim as a youth living in Indonesia, and claims that he remains 'ideologically' Muslim." After noting Fox News' reporting of the InsightMag.com story, Zorn cited each of Obama's memoirs, including a passage from Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (Crown, July 1995), in which Obama wrote: "In Indonesia, I had spent two years at a Muslim school, two years at a Catholic school. In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell my mother that I made faces during Koranic studies." Zorn further cited information provided by Obama's advisers, who noted that Obama was educated in Indonesia beginning in 1967 but that "the type of madrassas linked to the Taliban did not emerge until the Afghan war against the Soviets," which started 12 years later.
January 20
A January 20 New York Post article quoted Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson saying, "We have no connection to this story." The article further reported that Obama strategist David Axelrod said he did not "believe ... for a second" the allegation that Clinton's camp was behind the story. Nonetheless, on the January 20 edition of Fox News' Fox News Watch, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas said there are "[a] lot of questions" about whether Obama "spent two years in a Muslim school in Indonesia," and that "[t]hey start off these schools, if it was a madrassa, with a reference to God and his only prophet is Muhammad." Thomas added: "And that's a fair question, by the way, before anybody writes about religious bigotry."
January 21
On the January 21 edition of CNN's Reliable Sources, CNN and Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz blasted Gibson for not having "done the firsthand reporting" and noted that Obama "writes in his autobiography that he spent two years at a Muslim school in Indonesia." Later in the discussion, CBS national political correspondent Gloria Borger noted that "the easiest thing to do is say that the Hillary Clinton campaign is spreading this about Barack Obama, which is, you know, ridiculous." Borger added that "Hillary Clinton's campaign doesn't need to talk about madrassas when it comes to Barack Obama."
But while Kurtz was questioning the story, conservative columnist Mark Steyn continued to peddle the smear. In his January 21 Chicago Sun-Times column, Steyn wrote that Obama "was raised in an Indonesian madrassah by radical imams" and that "[t]he madrassah stuff was supposedly leaked to Insight Magazine by some oppo-research heavies on Hillary Rodham Clinton's team."
The morning of January 22 began with a "clarif[ication]" by the hosts of Fox & Friends First, which was reiterated later on Fox & Friends. Co-host Steve Doocy noted that "Mr. Obama's people called and they said that that is absolutely false." Co-host Brian Kilmeade added that the Clinton camp said "[w]e did not have anything to do with that story."
Kurtz returned to the topic in his January 22 "Media Notes" column in the Post. Kurtz called the InsightMag.com story "thinly sourced" and wrote: "These days, the time elapsed between a flimsy charge from some magazine or Web site and amplification by bigger media outlets is often close to zero." That afternoon, Kurtz appeared on CNN's The Situation Room and stated that a smear reported by InsightMag.com "got a big boost from Rupert Murdoch's media empire." Kurtz added: "This, unfortunately, is how the media food chain works. A bogus charge appears in some magazine or on some website and works its way up to bigger news outlets, all based on little or no evidence." The report further noted that Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs told Kurtz that Gibbs "didn't think much" of the clarification on Fox & Friends. Kurtz did not note that Beck also had a hand in forwarding the smear in his CNN Headline News program.
That same day, InsightMag.com posted a response to Kurtz's column and claimed that its original story was "not thinly sourced." It added: "The Clinton camp's denial has as much credibility as the 'I never had sex with that woman' statement."
On the same edition of The Situation Room, host Wolf Blitzer repeatedly teased a report that he promised would "debunk a possible smear campaign against Senator Barack Obama." CNN correspondent John Vause visited "Barack Obama's elementary school in Jakarta" and stated that he's "been to madrassas in Pakistan, and this school is nothing like that." (The report did not address the charge that Clinton was behind the story.) The report was the first of several by major media outlets discrediting the InsightMag.com claim that Obama had attended a madrassa.
January 23
The next day, InsightMag.com responded to CNN's debunking with a post titled "Hats off to CNN, but ... " The response claimed that "CNN didn't debunk anything" and added: "Insight never -- not once -- in its article claims that Obama went to a Madrassa. We didn't claim it; Hillary's people did." Additionally, it rehashed the unfounded smear against Obama and suggested that the issue should be investigated "by other news outlets -- such as Fox News -- who will look the facts straight on, without a vested ideological interest in downplaying Obama's Muslim heritage." InsightMag.com also posed this question of Obama: "If he was raised in a secular household (as he claims), why does he have -- or retain -- Muslim names, Barack and Hussein?"
On the same day, Washington Times editor-in-chief Wesley Pruden's column cast doubt on the veracity of the claim in the InsightMag.com article that Obama attended a madrassa, but he never denounced the second, baseless part of the story -- that Clinton's camp was responsible for spreading the rumor. Pruden also wrote that "maybe Obama himself was behind such a 'leak,' to get the story out where his spinmeisters can cut off the story's legs now, while there's time and opportunity." Pruden wrote that InsightMag.com "is owned by the owners of The Washington Times, but is absolutely, positively and entirely separate from the newspaper" and that the Times "never took up the story, which cited no named sources." After quoting denunciations of the story by Obama and Clinton spokespeople, he claimed that "[t]alk radio and cable television went for" the story in part because "spreading malicious gossip was exactly what everybody expects a Clinton campaign to do."
Despite CNN's debunking and Pruden's column, Boston Herald columnist Virginia Buckingham wrote in a January 23 column: "Everything there is to know about [Sen.] John Kerry's [D-MA] record is known. Obama? Well, for starters, we're just hearing a bit about the senator's early education at a madrassah in Indonesia. Yes, the source is Insight Magazine, run by the Moonies, but I haven't heard a strong denial from the Obama camp. What else will we learn about this Democratic 'rock star'' in the YouTube era?"
Conservative talk-show hosts were equally unwilling to let the story go. On the January 23 edition of KSFO's Morning Show, Morgan and Rodgers repeated the claim that Obama "went to a Muslim school, a madrassa they call it. ... [T]hose things are funded by Saudi Arabia." They also cited a report alleging that the story came from the campaign of former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC). Morgan claimed the new charge originated from U.S. News & World Report's "Washington Whispers," but Media Matters found no such article on the weblog or in the magazine. Rodgers reiterated comments he made January 19 on the Morning Show, during which he suggested that Obama may be a "death target" because of the revelation that he was born the son of a Muslim. On the January 23 show, Rodgers said: "If your father is a Muslim, you're a Muslim, and as far as Islamic law is concerned, you are a Muslim forevermore. ... And Islamic law says: 'You try to get out, any Muslim has not only the right but the duty to kill you.' "
January 24
On January 24, the Associated Press reaffirmed CNN's debunking of the charge that Obama attended a madrassa in Jakarta. The article reported that "[i]nterviews by The Associated Press at the elementary school in Jakarta found that it's a public and secular institution that has been open to students of all faiths since before the White House hopeful attended in the late 1960s."
That morning, Obama appeared on CBS' The Early Show to respond to President Bush's State of the Union address. Co-host Harry Smith asked Obama to respond to the allegations forwarded by InsightMag.com. Obama called the attacks "scurrilous" and said: "Unfortunately, they get repeated. And fortunately some good journalists showed that they were complete fabrications." That same day, in a memo released on January 24 and picked up by National Journal's The Hotline, Obama's office called the reports "malicious, irresponsible charges."
January 25
On the morning of January 25, on the front page of ABC News' website, a headline read: "Madrassa Madness: Was Hillary Behind Obama Smear?" below pictures of Clinton and Obama, despite the fact that the article to which the headline links notes that the accusation that Clinton is responsible for the smear "remains unproven and unsubstantiated." The January 25 ABCNews.com article bearing that headline was written by ABC News senior national correspondent Jake Tapper, who described the InsightMag.com article as "since-discredited." He wrote that InsightMag.com "cited [only] unnamed sources" and noted that, since the article was published, media figures have "repeat[ed] the false charges" against Obama "while bemoaning the notion that the Clinton campaign was investigating Obama's past, a charge that remains unproven and unsubstantiated."
A separate ABCNews.com article posted January 25 quoted a statement by Fox News senior vice president of programming Bill Shine. Shine stated that "when John Gibson focused on the item, he, like other news outlets, presented Senator Obama's statement on the subject. We consider the matter closed and believe the senator feels the same way." Shine also stated: "[T]he hosts of 'Fox & Friends' gave too much credence to the Insight magazine report and spent far too long discussing its premise on the air. Those remarks, however, were clarified on the next 'Fox & Friends' program." But in the portion of the statement quoted in the ABCNews.com article, Shine failed to address statements Gibson made about Clinton's involvement in the smear, and never addressed Obama's reported dissatisfaction with the Fox & Friends clarification.
On the January 25 edition of the Morning Show, Morgan and Rodgers continued their discussion of the accusation. Rodgers acknowledged that the story had been "discredited" by CNN but in turn purported to discredit CNN by claiming that the network is "the propaganda mouthpiece for the political left. They're the Democratic Party's Al Jazeera."
January 27
On January 27, the first editorial from a major U.S. newspaper on the smear appeared in the Chicago Tribune. The editorial said that "what Insight did on its Web site, and what Fox News did in repeating the report" was "unethical, unprofessional and shabby, a trifecta, if you will, in the world of journalism."
In a column posted the same day, Newsweek senior editor Jonathan Alter addressed the coverage of the smear. According to Alter, "Gibson -- once a respected correspondent and host -- went on the radio to malign the CNN reporter, John Vause. He 'probably went to the very [same] madrassa' as Obama, Gibson said."
January 28
The next day, The Washington Post editorial board chimed in. The editorial stated: "Insight, whose piece was eagerly touted by Fox News Network, might have learned" that Obama attended a public school in Indonesia, not a madrassa, "if it had bothered to check its story rather than cravenly attributing the false report to 'Hillary Clinton's camp,' citing unnamed 'sources close to the background check' that the New York senator supposedly conducted into Mr. Obama."
The discussion of the smear continued on the January 28 broadcast of Inside Washington -- a weekly news program on ABC's Washington, D.C., affiliate, WJLA-TV -- when syndicated columnist Mark Shields said: "Now we have these smear tactics being used against Barack Obama by Fox News, by Steve Doocy and John Gibson, just running with this story, which is a total fabrication, totally unfair, and this is early in the ballgame. And then, they try to pin it on Clinton. I've got to tell you, this is beyond the pale. Have they no decency left at last in our business?" Moments later, in response, syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer suggested that the story still had legs and that despite all the debunking, there were still unanswered questions. Krauthammer said: "I don't know where the story came from, whether it was a Clinton leak or not. But there is a question about what was his childhood like, which is quite interesting. He was in Indonesia. Let's hear about it."
January 29
Twelve days after the InsightMag.com story was posted, and one week after it was first debunked by CNN, Fox News political analyst Dick Morris continued to speculate on the story's origin. Appearing on the January 29 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Morris said: "I believe that that Insight magazine story that was inaccurate, that he went to a Muslim school, was indeed planted, as Insight magazine said, by somebody close to the Clinton war room." Co-host Alan Colmes asked Morris whether that statement was also "a smear against the Clintons." Morris replied: "No, it's an accurate description of their tactics."
The same day, The New York Times featured an article about the smear on its front page. The article noted that InsightMag.com editor Jeffrey Kuhner "said he still considered the article, which he said was meant to focus on the thinking of the Clinton campaign, to be 'solid as solid can be.' " The New York Times article added that the InsightMag.com "article followed a series of inaccurate or hard-to-verify articles on Insight and its predecessor magazine about politics, the Iraq war or the Bush administration, including a widely discussed report on the Insight Web site that President Bush's relationship with his father was so strained that they were no longer speaking to each other about politics." The New York Times article also reported that The Washington Times "quickly disavowed the article." The article said The Washington Times' "national editor sent an e-mail message to staff members under the heading 'Insight Strikes Again' telling them to 'make sure that no mention of any Insight story' appeared in the paper."
The New York Times story was also discussed on the January 29 edition of PBS' The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer by Jeffrey Brown, senior correspondent for The NewsHour; David D. Kirkpatrick, who wrote the New York Times article; and Ellen Hume, the director of the Center on Media and Society at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Kirkpatrick appeared to refer to Shine's statement in saying: "[A]nd in Fox's defense, it was mostly their commentators who picked it up. It wasn't their news reporter who picked it up. And they've apologized. They said they made a mistake.' " But, again, Shine's statement apparently did not address the allegation that Clinton was behind the madrassa smear -- an allegation that Gibson promoted.
Earlier in the discussion, Brown described the original InsightMag.com story as "quite a story itself: discussed as though fact, debunked as fiction; a case study in how information -- anonymous and apparently incorrect information in this case -- can spread quickly and cause a political stir." Hume called the story "a perfect political hit -- they tried to kill off two Democratic campaigns at the same time" and added: "[A]ll of this paints journalists with a brush that is, unfortunately, not bringing audience to real news. It's murking up the media landscape in a way that journalists have a very hard time recovering from."
* Since the original posting of this item, two additions have been made -- both references to weblog posts by Zorn.
- Network/Outlet
- Fox News Channel, Talk Radio Network, ABC Radio Networks, ABC, Premiere Radio Networks, Boston Herald, Insight, Chicago Sun-Times, CNN Headline News, KSFO
- Person
- Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Dick Morris, Glenn Beck, Charles Krauthammer, Cal Thomas, John Gibson, Mark Steyn, Melanie Morgan, Lee Rodgers
- Show/Publication
- The Savage Nation, The Sean Hannity Show, Hannity & Colmes, The Rush Limbaugh Show, FOX & Friends, FOX News Watch, The Big Story with John Gibson, Inside Washington, FOX & Friends First, Glenn Beck show
- Stories/Interests
- Barack Obama, 2008 Elections
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More frequent bridge failures are one of the risks the public faces from a changing climate. Swiftly moving storm water can scour the dirt and rocks from around bridge piers, leading to collapse.
But policymakers soon may have help prioritizing which bridges to strengthen first, thanks to new research funding from the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.
A new project assessing the impact of climate change on bridge infrastructure is one of seven Environmental Venture Projects selected for funding this week by Stanford Woods, which advances interdisciplinary research aimed at finding practical solutions to major environmental and sustainability challenges.
Other projects include an "eDNA" breakthrough for measuring marine animal populations and a natural approach to controlling snails that carry a debilitating parasitic infection.
The seven innovative projects will receive grants totaling $1.25 million during the next two years. They were selected by an interdisciplinary faculty committee led by Stanford Woods Senior Fellows Jenna Davis and Jamie Jones.
Environmental Venture Projects (EVPs) are transformative and often high-risk projects that represent new collaborations among Stanford faculty who have not previously worked together. This year's awards include seven teams with 19 faculty members, nine of who are participating for the first time.
The Stanford Woods Institute has awarded more than $8.5 million in Environmental Venture Project grants to 56 research teams working in 24 countries since the annual program started in 2004. These projects have garnered more than $39 million in follow-on funding and have involved faculty from all of Stanford University's seven schools.
This year one of the projects, the eDNA marine animal population measurement tool, will be funded by The Seaver Institute, which provides seed money to creative individuals pursuing their passion with innovative projects that have the potential to catalyze change.
Previous Environmental Venture Projects have resulted in clean drinking water in Africa, biodegradable plastic from waste gas, protection for endangered species in California, biodegradable composite boards for construction, clean energy from wastewater, and low-cost mobile toilets in Haiti.
The 2013 Environmental Venture Projects are:
"Assessing Climate Change Impact on Transportation Infrastructure Vulnerability and Sustainability"
A team led by Sarah Billington (Civil and Environmental Engineering), with Noah Diffenbaugh (Environmental Earth Science) and David Freyberg and Oliver Fringer (both Civil and Environmental Engineering), will study the impact of climate change on infrastructure vulnerability with a focus on scour, which is the primary cause of highway bridge failure in the United States. In order to better predict scour, researchers will link climate, river and sediment dynamics, and impacts for a wide range of bridges and configurations, allowing policymakers to make sound choices in prioritizing infrastructure renewal.
"Connecting Aboriginal Land Use Management Strategies, Mammal Extinction Rates and Shifts in Fire Regimes in a Changing Climate"
This team, led by Rebecca Bliege Bird (Anthropology), with team members Risa Wechsler (Physics), Douglas Bird (Anthropology) and Luis Fernandez (research associate), will help Australian environment conservation specialists understand how to promote species conservation while supporting the traditional livelihoods of Martu tribe members. The models developed for balancing biodiversity conservation with cultural sustainability will have broad applications throughout much of arid Australia.
"eDNA for Quantitative Macroorganism Marine Animal Monitoring of Ocean Waves"
Obtaining a census of marine life is important to understanding changes in marine ecosystems that result from stressors such as overfishing, ocean acidification, hypoxia, pollution and biological invasions. Traditional monitoring depends on individuals who count marine populations. It is invasive, expensive, time-consuming and error-prone. Principal investigator Alexandria Boehm (Civil and Environmental Engineering), joined by Larry Crowder (Hopkins Marine Center) and Ryan Kelly, Kevan Yamahara and Jesse Port (all with the Center for Ocean Solutions), plans to measure marine populations more efficiently by sequencing environmental DNA (eDNA) in water samples - that is, evaluating tissue cells and waste shed by marine life to measure the distribution, diversity and abundance of the organisms present.
"High Throughput Precision Measurement Tools for Insect-Parasite Ecology in Field Settings"
Insect-borne diseases are one of the largest causes of human death, yet we have no way of predicting and controlling outbreaks. This project, led by Manu Prakash (Bioengineering), with assistance from David Schneider (Microbiology and Immunology), proposes a device that will screen insect vectors in their natural habitat with minimal human intervention. It will use hydrogel-based low-cost microfluidic chips, baited with odorants, to capture single nanoliter volume droplets of saliva per insect bite from thousands of individual mosquitoes and test for both vector species and pathogens. It may lead to early warning systems for epidemics, monitoring of the evolution of insecticide resistance and a better understanding of how vector-borne diseases are transmitted.
"Lead Contaminated Topsoil and Food in Rural Bangladesh"
Human exposure to lead in the environment causes irreversible impairment of intellectual function. This project will evaluate the severity of lead poisoning in rural Bangladesh and identify the pathway of exposure to help develop focused prevention strategies. It will provide important evidence to support policy responses that reduce lead from the environment, not only in Bangladesh but also in other regions where lead contamination is a known risk to health and development. It will be led by Stephen Luby (Medicine), with Scott Fendorf (Environmental Earth System Science), Pascaline Dupas (Economics) and Rosamond Naylor (Environmental Earth System Science and director of the Program on Food Security and the Environment).
"New Solutions for Global Control of Parasitic Infections: The Case of Schistosomiasis"
Instead of treating a debilitating parasitic infection called schistosomiasis with drugs, this project aims to develop methodologies for controlling the snail populations that are the cause of the disease in developing countries. Principal investigator Michael Hsieh (Urology) and team members Giulio De Leo and Susanne Sokolow (both Biology) will introduce river prawns, a native crustacean predator that consumes snails, as an environmentally safe and effective snail control option. This approach might offer a "triple win" solution by amplifying the positive effect of traditional drug treatment, possibly eradicating the disease from some areas, and offering a source of protein and marketable goods. The 20/20 Initiative Inc. is a partner in this project.
"Unraveling the Great Ammonium Debate in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Using a Novel Underway Analytical System"
One of the reasons for the dramatic decline of native fish species in the San Francisco Bay-Delta may be massive outputs of ammonium from regional wastewater treatment plants. There is a pressing need to understand the distribution of ammonium and its impact on phytoplankton, the organisms that form the base of the marine food chain. This project will link satellite remote sensing of phytoplankton with a real-time marine sampling system on a research vessel to determine how physical and chemical properties interact to control the fate and distribution of phytoplankton in the Bay-Delta. It will be led by Christopher Francis (Environmental Earth System Science) with team members Kevin Arrigo (Environmental Earth System Science) and Stephen Monismith (Civil and Environmental Engineering).


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Presidents Acknowledging Divine Authority
Our country has a long lineage of religious faith informing politics. It is not necessary to conduct exhaustive research into the spiritual lives of U.S. presidents to establish that the vast majority of them affirmed repeatedly, in a variety of ways, their belief in a supreme deity. Depending on the president, this deity could be defined as the personal God who pursues intimate relationship with human beings, revealed in Jesus Christ; the covenantal God of the Judeo-Christian tradition; the supreme deity of natural theology, creator and sustainer of the world; the transcendent being whose power and timelessness supersede the frailty of human life; the God of self-help, who helps those who help themselves; or a deistic God, the great watch-maker in the sky, who wound up the universe and left it to run on its own.
What's God got to do with America? In the context of the religious faith of American presidents, belief in God has consistently imbued our leaders with a sense of accountability to divine authority, responsibility to seek divine guidance, and the hope of divine protection for the life of the nation. God has mattered to our presidents for several reasons. They have recognized that their decisions are answerable in a higher court of appeal than opinion polls. They have affirmed that the advice of advisers, cabinet staff, and joint chiefs, the opinions of spouses, and the dictates of personal conscience don't add up to enough guidance for the momentous decisions thrust upon them. And in times of crisis, they have admitted that even the very best human efforts and accomplishments are not enough to secure peace and safety for the country.
An interesting way to look at how various presidents viewed divine accountability, guidance, and protection is through their choice of the particular Bible passage on which they solemnly swore at their inauguration.
• Abraham Lincoln, 1865: "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matthew 7:1); "Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" (Matthew 18:7); "And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments" (Revelation 16:7).
• Andrew Johnson, 1865: "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will" (Proverbs 21:1).
• Benjamin Harrison, 1889: "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night" (Psalm 121:1–6).
• Theodore Roosevelt, 1905: "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass" (James 1:22–23).
• William Howard Taft, 1909: "Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment" (1 Kings 3:9–11).
• Woodrow Wilson, 1917: "God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with its turmoil. . . ." (Psalm 46).
• Warren G. Harding, 1921: "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8).
• Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933, 1937, 1941, 1945: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal . . ." (1 Corinthians 13:1–13).
• Harry S. Truman, 1949: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted. Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you, and say every kind of evil against you falsely because of Me" (Matthew 5:3–11 HCSB; Exodus 20:3–17).
• Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953: "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain" (Psalm 127:1); "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).
• James E. Carter, 1977: "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8).
• Ronald W. Reagan, 1981, 1985: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).
• William J. Clinton, 1993: "For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Galatians 6:8). In 1997: "And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places:
thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in" (Isaiah 58:12).
• George W. Bush, 2005: "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31).
All of these individuals were elected by the people of the United States. Almost all of them have been religious. What does that say about what God's got to do with America?
Dr. Richard Land is president of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the Southern Baptist Convention's official entity assigned to address social, moral, and ethical concerns, with particular attention to their impact on American families and their faith.


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My server (Argent Dawn EU) has had regular login queues over the last few weeks. On several occasions, it has also been marked as locked which means no new characters can be created there. At the same time, the server has been the source of free transfers to other RP servers. Clearly that hasn't been working.
And why is that? (Aside from my presence.)
Well, via the dungeon finder, characters can get geared up more quickly than ever before. And what will they do once they are geared? There's a good chance that they will want to raid, and the easiest way for a more casual player to raid is to join a PUG. And the easiest way to find a PUG is to hang around a city in game, keeping an eye on the trade and LFG channels, and wait until someone announces that they are looking for more people to form a raid.
This happens more frequently on larger servers.
Being on a smaller server has never been less attractive for a casual player, and unless Blizzard can get some kind of cross-server raid function working, I think that further exodus is inevitable. It's ironic, because one of the great benefits of the cross-server dungeon finder has been that players on smaller servers have much better access to group content. But it may yet be the death of those servers in the long run …


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Not every business in Michigan is required to be licensed by the State of Michigan.
To find out if your new venture could require a state license, use this search feature to search our licenses list to see if you need a license or permit.
Search for Michigan Licenses and Permits
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