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Monday, October 16, 2006
Mitt Romney 2008? Nathan Burd Thinks It Is Possible
Burd answered these questions for the Conservative President 2008.
1. Why should Mitt Romney become President?
As voters become familiar with Governor Romney, they'll see that he's far and away the most accomplished candidate in the field. In fact, he may just be the best candidate from either party in a long, long time.
As governor, Romney has erased a $3 billion budget deficit by reducing waste and cutting taxes. Massachusetts can no longer be called "Taxachusetts" due to Romney's bold leadership. The principles of fiscal discipline that he has shown in Massachusetts are sorely needed in Washington, D.C.
Romney has also earned praise for applying conservative principles to his landmark plan to provide universal health care coverage to every citizen in Massachusetts.
On education, Romney created the John and Abigail Adams scholarship program that allows high-achieving students to attend state colleges tuition-free for four years. The result of this incentive? Students in Massachusetts rank at the top of nearly academic category.
And on the vital social issues of the day, Romney has been a champion for traditional marriage and for protecting the unborn. By vetoing efforts to expand embryonic stem-cell research and emergency contraception, Romney has made defending human life a top priority. No leader has been as outspoken as Romney on the need to protect traditional marriage. By openly criticizing the Supreme Judicial Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage and by vocally supporting the Federal Marriage Amendment, Romney has been the strongest voice for the traditional values movement in America.
Prior to becoming governor, Romney ran the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. These games were held just months after 9/11 and Romney oversaw the massive security effort to keep the games safe. He has also recently traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan to encourage our troops and to get a first-hand look at the challenges we face. He has spoken clearly on the need to defeat the radical Jihadists who aim to destroy our way of life.
Mitt Romney should be our next president because he's taken action on all of the major issues of our time and he has the leadership ability to ensure that America remains the world's economic and military superpower.
2. What makes Romney a better candidate over other possible candidates?
Many of the likely candidates are Senators. History has shown that Senators have a hard time becoming presidents. Sadly, the current leadership in D.C. has failed to take action on the major issues facing the country. Governors (Carter, Reagan, Clinton, G.W. Bush) have the executive experience that voters appreciate and expect in presidential candidates.
Mitt Romney is the most accomplished candidate in the field. In fact, it's not even close. If you stack Romney's record of accomplishment up against the other likely candidates, there is no question that he's the best candidate in the Republican field. He's the complete package; a candidate who appeals to fiscal and social conservatives, but who has also proven capable of working with members of the other party for the common good. This country desperately needs Mitt Romney.
3. Do you think that Romney can win the Republican and if so could he win the general election?
Yes. Romney has already solidified himself as a top-tier candidate in the Republican field. Most polls show the race shaping up to be a Romney/Rudy/McCain contest. While Rudy and McCain still enjoy a considerable advantage in terms of name identification, each has significant weaknesses in the eyes of prominent factions of the Republican Party. Mitt Romney has no weaknesses. His message will appeal to a broad-range of Republican voters and once they get to know him, they'll like him.
In March, Romney finished in second place in the Southern Republican Leadership Conference Straw Poll. The event was held in Tennessee and Bill Frist won the poll simply for that reason. However, Romney was the real winner by finishing well ahead of the rest of the field.
After winning the Republican nomination, independent voters and sensible Democrats will flock to his campaign. The Democrats in the race are all beatable by the right Republican candidate. Mitt Romney is that candidate.
4. Do you think that Romney being a Mormon will effect his chances at winning the Republican nomination?
The media will bring up "the Mormon issue" continually, but Republican voters will not reject Mitt Romney because of his religion. Republicans are looking for a candidate who shares their values. Mitt Romney has been proven that he shares the moral and political values that Republican voters appreciate.
Prominent religious leaders, including Ted Haggard, Jerry Falwell, Richard Land, Marvin Olasky, Chuck Colson, and more, have already said that they could vote for a Mormon who shares their values. The media will insist on making this an issue, but among Republicans and various religious leaders, it's just not relevant.
The website I run, Americans for Mitt, has members from a wide variety of faith backgrounds. I'm an evangelical Christian and this issue poses no problem for me. As Cal Thomas recently said, "it troubles me not that a Mormon might become president."
There is also a great website for "Evangelicals for Mitt" (http://www.evangelicalsformitt.org/). As we've said from the beginning, the election is for president, not pastor.
5. If Romney loses the Republican nomination, would you like to see him run as a third party candidate?
No. Mitt Romney is a Republican. He'll get to the White House by winning the Republican nomination and the general election.
49 comments:
Great interview. I believe Mitt Romney is the best candidate out there. What we need in this country is family values and Gov. Romney is not afraid to let you know how he stands. He gets no credit for what he did for Massachusetts because it is so liberal. The Legislature and politicians are mostly all Democrats, and are constantly attacking him along with our liberal Boston Globe.
I am a Bible-believing Christian. As such I could NOT vote for a Mormon for president. Despite Sen. Hatch's '00 run to soften Americans for a future Mormon president, the LDS church is a dangerous cult. A Mormon president would give credability to their soul-damning theology. The LDS church also believes in a church-state system and instituted one in the Utah territory. As an Idahoan, I am very familiary with Mormonism. I will not support a Mormon for president. Unfortunately, the 50 years of unitarian chatter brands anyone who exalts Christ above man as a bigot--which somehow has become the worst sin to tv-addicted Americans.
Here is something on Mitt that explains a lot. I hope he is not electable.
- Robb said...
It's sad that people such as anonymous and Jim are out there. They chose to focus on rumors and false information instead of looking at the facts, they must be democrats. The Facts show that Romney would be a great president, by far the best candidate, and all that nonsense about the Mormon church is ridiculous. Mormons don't support a "church-state" system, in fact if you knew any of their believes it is the extreme opposite and are fully supportive of people believing how, what, and where they would like. They give credit to the freedoms of this nation that their religion could be. Additionally, the bible is part o the scriptures in the Mormon church. I know many Mormons and they are all fantastic people. Get your facts right and don't fall for rumors, America needs a President like Romney.
I watched your "You Tube" link about Mitt Romney and the Mormon Church - It does not change my view that Mitt is the best candidate for the Presidency. The Mormon church and Mitt Romney are always going to have people that do not agree with them - their feelings will drive them to twist the truth or simply make up garbage about them. Your judment is only as good as your knowlege - make sure you get your knowlege from the "geniune" truth. Mitt Romney has proven to be a great leader - the kind of leader this country needs if our country is going to be the example for good that this world needs.
As for the Mormon Church, I can tell you that the Mormon Church has no hidden agenda - like most churches, the Mormon Church is focused in helping people come to Christ. The Mormon Church is also very big on teaching people to cherish their Free Agency and gives guidance on how to keep one's free agency. Free Agency or Freedom - isn't that what America is all about?
- Spaldam said...
It's unfortunate that such a great presidential candidate is so over shadowed by his religious beliefs just because they are not widely understood. With over 12 million members world wide in the LDS (Mormon) church, you'd think it would be better understood. Being a Mormon myself, I wouldn't support another Mormon candidate just because they share my beliefs. Rather I support Mitt because of his excellent record of accomplishments. I believe he has the integrity, skills and experience this country needs in its next president.
- myclob said...
What does Ted Gaggard think of Mitt Romney's Mormonism?
"Pastor Ted Haggard, [at the time] president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NEA) in Colorado Springs, CO said:
" 'We evangelicals view Mormons as a Christian cult group. A cult group is a group that claims exclusive revelation. And typically, it's hard to get out of these cult groups. And so Mormonism qualifies as that'."
He is more liberal than Mitt Romney, in that he supports civil unions for gays.
Although Haggard opposes same sex marriage, he has suggested that there should be civil unions for homosexual couples. [16]
Ted Haggart supports civil unions, while Mitt Romney, "When he ran for governor in 2002, Romney declared his opposition to both same-sex marriage and civil unions. [67] "Call me old fashioned, but I don't support gay marriage nor do I support civil union," said Romney in an October 2002 gubernatorial debate. He also voiced support for basic domestic partnership benefits for gay couples."
But their are other differences between Mitt Romney and Ted Haggard:
Sex and methamphetamine scandal
[edit] Allegations
On November 1, 2006, Mike Jones alleged that Haggard (whom Jones knew as "Art"; Haggard's middle name is Arthur) had paid for sex with him on an almost monthly basis over the previous three years. Jones contends the relationship was strictly physical, not emotional, and that he was typically paid a "couple of hundred dollars" but sometimes Haggard would pay him extra. [24] Jones also stated "[Haggard] had told me he loved snorting meth before [he] has sex with his wife" and that Haggard had also revealed a fantasy he had of having an orgy with "about six young college guys ranging from 18 to 22 in age." [25]
Jones claims Haggard had often used drugs in front of him,[24] but he said he never actually sold drugs to Haggard but instead introduced him to someone he could purchase it from.
About two years ago he asked, "Hey, Mike, what do you know about meth? I don't do it personally, but I know people who do." I told him that some people think it enhances their sexual experience. He asked if I could help him get some. I located someone he could connect with. After that, he got it on his own. The last time he saw me, he was trying to get some and couldn't, which resulted in him sending me money through the mail in August, postmarked Colorado Springs. He wrote "Art" on the corner of the envelope. I just read that his middle name is Arthur....[26]
Jones said he made his outing allegations against Haggard in response to Haggard's political support for a Colorado Amendment 43 on the November 7, 2006 Colorado ballot that would ban same-sex marriage in that state. Jones told ABC News, "I had to expose the hypocrisy. He is in the position of influence of millions of followers, and he's preaching against gay marriage. But behind everybody's back [he's] doing what he's preached against."[25] Jones hoped that his statements would sway voters. [27]
Jones volunteered to take a polygraph test on a KHOW radio show hosted by Peter Boyles, where Jones first made the allegations. However, Jones' responses during the section of the polygraph test about whether he had engaged in sex with Haggard indicated deception. Haggard responded by saying "We're so grateful that he failed a polygraph test this morning, my accuser did." Jones was not asked questions about drug use. The test administrator expressed doubt about the accuracy of the test because of Jones's recent stress and resulting inability to eat or sleep. Jones says he doubts he will retake the test.[28]
Voice analysis expert Richard Sanders has compared the voice of Haggard from a television interview to that of the voicemails released by Jones and announced preliminary results stating that the voice on the voicemail is most likely that of Haggard. According to an article from KUSA, "Sanders makes his decision by comparing the resonance of the voice, the play of one's tongue and the inflection of vowel sounds."[29]
[edit] Rumors prior to the Jones allegations
Greg Montoya, editor of Out Front Colorado, a Denver GLBT newspaper, told the Colorado Springs Gazette that "rumors about Haggard's love life have circulated through Denver's gay community for the past year. 'But we didn't know it involved Mike Jones.'"[30]
Montoya's disclosure was paralleled by Lou Sheldon, chairman of the anti-gay Traditional Values Coalition and a self-proclaimed friend of Haggard, who told New York's The Jewish Week that he and "a lot" of other people had been aware of Pastor Haggard's same-sex behavior "for awhile... but we weren't sure just how to deal with it.... Ted and I had a discussion. He said homosexuality is genetic. I said, no it isn't. But I just knew he was covering up. They need to say that." [31]
[edit] Response to allegations
Haggard initially claimed he had never heard of his accuser and denied having ever done drugs and stated "I have not, I have never had a gay relationship with anybody."[32] Many evangelical leaders initially showed support for Haggard and were critical of media reports. James Dobson issued a news release stating, "It is unconscionable that the legitimate news media would report a rumor like this based on nothing but one man's accusation. Ted Haggard is a friend of mine and it appears someone is trying to damage his reputation as a way of influencing the outcome of Tuesday's election – especially the vote on Colorado's marriage-protection amendment – which Ted strongly supports."[33]
Later however, Haggard resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals. [34] He went on administrative leave from his position as senior pastor of New Life Church, saying "I am voluntarily stepping aside from leadership so that the overseer process can be allowed to proceed with integrity. I hope to be able to discuss this matter in more detail at a later date. In the interim, I will seek both spiritual advice and guidance."[35]
On November 2, 2006, senior church officials told Colorado Springs television station KKTV that Haggard has admitted to some of the claims made by Jones.[36] In an e-mail to New Life Church parishioners sent on the evening of November 2, Acting Senior Pastor Ross Parsley wrote, "It is important for you to know that he [Haggard] confessed to the overseers that some of the accusations against him are true."[37]
Haggard admitted on November 3 that he had purchased methamphetamine and received a massage from Jones, but he denied using the drugs or having sex with Jones. "I called him to buy some meth, but I threw it away. I bought it for myself but never used it." Haggard claimed in a radio interview, and added, "I was tempted, but I never used it."[38]
As it became apparent that some of the claims were true, and that Haggard's denials were false, some evangelical leaders such as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell sought to downplay Haggard's influence on religious conservatives and also deny that the NAE is very important." [39] On his television show, "The 700 Club" Robertson said, "We're sad to see any evangelical leader fall" and also said the claim that the NAE represents thirty million people "just isn't true... We can't get their financial data. I think it's because they have very little money and very little influence." During a CNN interview, Jerry Falwell would go on record saying, "[Haggard] doesn't really lead the movement. He's president of an association that's very loose-knit... and no one has looked to them for leadership."[40] White House spokesman Tony Fratto sought to downplay Haggard's influence on the White House by saying that Haggard was only occasionally part of the weekly calls between evangelical leaders and the White House and had visited there only "a couple" of times.[41]
James Dobson, however, issued another public statement saying he was "heartsick" of learning about Haggard's admissions and that "the possibility that an illicit relationship has occurred is alarming to us and to millions of others." He also stated that "[Haggard] will continue to be my friend, even if the worst allegations prove accurate" and "nevertheless, sexual sin, whether homosexual or heterosexual, has serious consequences."[42]
[edit] Admission and removal from job
The "Overseer Board of New Life Church" released a prepared statement on the afternoon of November 4, 2006 that stated: "Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct." The board cited the bylaws of the mega-church and said his conduct compelled them to remove him from his job.
During a New Life Church service on Sunday, November 5, 2006 another pastor read a letter from Haggard that stated:
Ted Haggard
I am so sorry for the circumstances that have caused shame and embarrassment for all of you.... The fact is I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem. I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life.... The accusations that have been leveled against me are not all true, but enough of them are true that I have been appropriately and lovingly removed from ministry.
Ted Haggard
— Ted Haggard, letter to New Life Church [43]
Haggard went on to say that his removal was permanent, and that until a new senior pastor could be found, Ross Parsley, the Associate Senior Pastor, would hold that position.
Haggard is to be counseled by a team including Jack Hayford and Tommy Barnett who intend to "perform a thorough analysis of Haggard's mental, spiritual, emotional and physical life", including the use of polygraph tests .[44] The team was to include James Dobson, who later stepped aside, citing time constraints.[45]
I don't think that any thing that Ed Haggard said will have any thing to do with the 2008 election.
Haggard no longer has any authority in any Christian groups.
I don't quite understand why we had a lesson on Haggard? Doesn't seem like it has anything to do with what is being discussed here. Romney will be the best president this country has had in a long time, based on the history that he has given.
I think Mitt Romney would make an excellent President of the United States. He is an honest person-something that's lacking in Washington lately. He has electability-he could win in any state in the United States-from liberal Massachusetts to conservative Utah. He has a lot of business and political experience in his life. As far as being a Mormon, I'm not concerned about that. How many times have you ever heard of a Mormon politician being found guilty of serious wrongdoing? I have never heard of it.
He's completely unelectable. His zero chance pre-presidential bid might earn him a slap on the back, but nothing more. Why even waste time discussing it?
Romney is an excellent candidate .. as for: "He's completely unelectable."
I smell fear from some Democrats who dont want this smart, articulate and super-competent Governor from becoming president.
"Why even waste time discussing it?"
Because Romney will be the next President. Watch and learn.
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text:
I like Giant Bikes. I have a TCR Allience and it is a great bike. This looks good too for off road.
Read about Giant's TCX2 on their website and you might think you're buying a full-on CX race iron. "Light enough to hoist and carry, fast enough to put you on the podium, that's TCX", they gush. In reality the £800 TCX is much more of an all-rounder, with a spec that suggests it'll do its miles in the week and spend most of its Sunday mornings tucked in the shed. It's a good bike though, capable of tackling proper off road and long tarmac jaunts too.
The frame and fork
Giant have plenty of experience fluid forming alloy frames, and each year their alloy offerings look a little bit more like the Carbon ones. The top and down tubes are heavily shaped, with the top tube featuring along-the-top cable routing and a flattened underside for easier shouldering of the bike. The down tube is squared off in a similar way to Giant's huge box-section Carbon offerings, and it's wide at the bottom bracket shell which features integrated bearings. The chainstays are tall and the seatstays fairly beefy for a stiff rear end; tyre clearance is good.
The fork is made of the same AluXX alloy as the frame and it's a wide-bladed straight affair that mates well with the frame via an integrated headset. The width and bulk at the crown suggest it'll be a pretty stiff affair; more on that later. Both frame and fork have mudguard eyelets, and there's subtle rack mounts on the frame too.
The components
Shifting duties are taken care of by Shimano Sora STI levers driving Sora/Tiagra front and rear mechs. The chainset is an FSA Omega compact. Sora's not my favourite shifter in terms of ergonomics - I don't like the long sweep and the fiddly release button - but functionally I've never had an issue with it. The Tiagra upgrade at the rear mech is a nice touch, paid for in part by the switch the to FSA chainset which is dependable enough without being particularly sexy.
You could call the chainset - a standard 50/34 rather than a closer ratio 46/36 CX unit - the first clue that the bike isn't really designed as an out and out racer. The second clue would be the tyres; Kenda's Small Block Eight is a great all-purpose choice for road and light off road, but show it mud or slippery roots and watch the colour drain from its cheeks. It's no use in the wet, so that rules it out for every cyclocross race ever contested.
The Kendas are attached to a sturdy wheelset, Shimano hubs and Giant SR2 rims. Light they ain't, but they're nice and solid and stayed true throughout testing. Stopping them going round are Tektro cantilever brakes, and finishing kit is own-brand Giant stuff, which is dependable enough and not over heavy; the bike tips the scales at a round 10kg and that's for a large.
The ride
First impressions are of a rangy, comfortable bike. The large size isn't massive in terms of reach but the neurtral steering and 44cm bars combine to give a fairly relaxed feel from the off. Everything on the bike is good quality and there's no ticks or squeaks, or pinging spokes: it's a well put together machine.
Pumping the tyres up to 90psi and heading out onto the roads, the TCX2 is a very comfortable and capable road bike. Okay it's not lightning quick, especially with the supplied rubber, but switch the Kendas for slicks and you've got a well-balanced, easy to pilot road machine for training or leisure rides. The portly wheels take a bit of coaxing to get them up to speed but that's true of most bikes at this kind of money, full-on road bikes included. Once you've picked up some speed it'll lick along just fine, with the fairly upright position limiting all-out pace but the easily accessible drops giving you a more aero tuck if you want it. I didn't struggle to knock out hilly 23-24km road rides in an hour, which is not far short of what I'd do on my 'proper' road machine.
I took the TCX2 on a variety of off-road excursions too, from canal-path commutes to full-on Peak District MTB loops, and never really found the bike wanting. Even on difficult rocky descents the main fear was always a pinch flat of the narrow tyres, rather than a feeling of loss of control. The bike, though large and rangy, was well balanced and perfectly capable of taking a beating on the singletrack.
Going downhill off-road found the limitations of the braking system pretty quickly though, specifically the front brake. Brake judder on cantilever brakes has long been a problem, especially when - like here - you've got a long section of cable between the brake hanger and the cantis themselves. The TCX hangs the front brake from the steerer stack, down the 17.5cm head tube to the brakes. It looks like a recipe for judder, and it is, despite the beefy-looking fork. Worst in damp conditions, the judder ranged from being slightly annoying to rendering the front anchor entirely useless. I'd bet my best wheels that simply moving the hanger down to a mount on the fork crown would solve the problem at a stroke. Please, Giant. PLEASE move the brake hanger.
Judder aside, the cantilevers were as cantilevers always are, kind of average. If you weren't racing you'd be tempted to swap them for mini-Vs, or full V-brakes with a travel agent. And will you be racing? Well. For all Giant's insistence that this is a 'proper' CX bike, it isn't. not really. The fact that it's specced with compromise Kenda tyres and a standard compact chainset is partly an admission of that, but the bike doesn't really ride like a full-on 'crosser either. It's a bit more relaxed and rangy than you'd want for the cut-and-thrust of an hour in a field. There weren't any races to do while I was testing the TCX2, but my gut feeling is that I'd have been happy enough racing the bike, but with a slight nagging desire for something that felt a bit more, I don't know. Dangerous?
So if it isn't a full-on racer, then what is it? A good all-rounder, that's what. Road loops, MTB trails, fire roads, it's pretty happy anywhere. I chucked a child seat on it too, and a rack and pannier, and it handled just fine with both. You could tour on it, assuming you only needed a rear rack, and with 'guards and a rack it would make a super year-round commuter. Actually, you'll probably want to switch to mini-V brakes for all of those. I liked riding the TCX2, it's a solid and reliable plaftform and very well put together. I was expecting it to be a bit more racy based on Giant's description of it, but while that's not really how the bike rides it's far from being a disappointment.
Much more of an all-rounder than a racer, the TCX2 is a good value option for a do-it-all machine. Minor niggles aside, it's a solid bike that should last, and it's a genuinely capable off-roader too.
If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website
road.cc test report
Make and model: Giant TCX 2
Size tested: L
About the bike
State the frame and fork material and method of construction. List the components used to build up the bike.
Frame: AluxX SL aluminium, Fluid FormedTM
Fork: AluxX Aluminium, OverDrive Steerer
Handlebar: Giant Connect
Stem: Giant Sport
Seatpost: Giant Sport
Saddle: Giant TCR
Pedals: Not Included
Shifters: Shimano Sora 18 speed
Front Derailleur: Shimano Sora
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Tiagra
Brakes: Tektro TK-CR-720
Brake Levers: Shimano Sora & Tektro RL721
Cassette: SRAM PG 950 11-26
Chain: Shimano HG-73
Crankset: FSA Omega 34/50
Bottom Bracket: FSA MegaExo Integrated
Rims: Giant S-R 2 DW aluminium
Hubs: Shimano 2200 rear/Formula front
Spokes: Stainless Steel
Tires: Kenda Small Block Eight 700x35mm
Extras: Frame is fitted with 2 sets of bottle bosses, rack and fender mounts
Tell us what the bike is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about the bike?
Light enough to hoist and carry, fast enough to put you on the podium, that's TCX. With sharp handling, lightweight and easy to shoulder ALUXX SL aluminium frame plus a smart mix of dirt worthy components, the all-new TCX is your do it all bike for competition or adventure - better yet, both.
Okay, calm down. It's more of an all-rounder than a racer.
Frame and fork
Tell us about the build quality and finish of the frame and fork?
Very well built. Solid.
Tell us about the materials used in the frame and fork?
AluxX Aluminium
Tell us about the geometry of the frame and fork?
72.5 head angle, 73 seat angle,
How was the bike in terms of height and reach? How did it compare to other bikes of the same stated size?
Felt quite roomy depsite not being over-long
Riding the bike
Was the bike comfortable to ride? Tell us how you felt about the ride quality.
It's a pretty comfy bike considering the fact that it's all-alloy and pretty beefy. The tyres help, as does the decent saddle
Did the bike feel stiff in the right places? Did any part of the bike feel too stiff or too flexible?
The frame was fine, the fork suffered from judder
How did the bike transfer power? Did it feel efficient?
Very well, no issues with power transfer
Was there any toe-clip overlap with the front wheel? If so, was it a problem?
no issues during testing
How would you describe the steering? Was it lively, neutral or unresponsive? A bit more neutral than I'd have liked
Tell us some more about the handling. How did the bike feel overall? Did it do particular things well or badly?
The handling was good: predictable and stable. You probably wouldn't call it exciting though
Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's comfort? would you recommend any changes?
The tyres were good, the Aluminium fork surprisingly not bad
Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's stiffness? would you recommend any changes?
It's a very stiff platform is the TCX
Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's efficiency? would you recommend any changes?
Nope, it's all good stuff. On road the tyres are a bit draggy but they're about the best compromise
The drivetrain
Sora's not sexy but it works just fine
No problems during testing
Good value spec for the cash
Wheels and tyres
Wheels are a bit heavy, tyres a decent compromise
Built to last
£800 bikes tend to suffer on wheel weight and this one is no exception
tyres make things comfy on the road
Shifting good, braking bad
Anything else you want to say about the componentry? Comment on any other components (good or bad)
Please Giant, for Pete's sake fit a fork-mounted front brake hanger
Your summary
Did you enjoy riding the bike? Yes, judder aside
Would you consider buying the bike? Yes, if i could get the shop to chuck in a fork hanger for the front brake
Would you recommend the bike to a friend? Yes, a good all rounder but not really a race bike
Anything further to say about the bike in conclusion?
A good all rounder, niggles aside. Not quite as utility as a tricross and not quite racy enough to, erm, race, it falls between two stalls a bit, but it's a good bike nonetheless
About the tester
Age: 38 Height: 190cm Weight: 98kg
I usually ride: whatever I'm testing... My best bike is: Genesis Equilibrium with SRAM Apex
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track
Dave is a founding father of road.cc and responsible for kicking the server when it breaks. In a previous life he was a graphic designer but he's also a three-time Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling world champion, and remains unbeaten through the bog. Dave rides all sorts of bikes but tends to prefer metal ones. He's getting old is why.
5 comments
£7 or so will buy you a crown mounted hanger, surely? Pop in an inline adjuster & the extra outer length needed to take the cable to the hanger and the total cost would probably be under £15.
(Cheaper, but more faff if you replaced the brake outer entirely).
They've not skimped on the brakes themselves, at least (CR520 or 720, by the looks of things, rather than the usual budget choice of Oryxes).
I am pretty much new to all this cycling malarky, I am wondering whether getting one of these and buying a set of skinny road wheels would be an 'ideal' compromise, ie using the beefier 'cyclo-cross' wheels for everyday use to cope with potholes and canal towpaths and my usual riding, and swapping out the others when I want to put some long miles on tarmac. What, apart from the wheelset is the diff between this and a road/touring bike?

subset: commoncrawl


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Morena Baccarin Short Straight Cut
Morena slicked back her short strands for a more sophisticated look at the 2013 People's Choice Awards.
Morena Baccarin Pink Lipstick
Morena Baccarin was pretty in hot pink at the 2013 People's Choice Awards, accentuating her brilliant smile with equally shocking lipstick.
Browse: Morena Baccarin | Short Straight Cut | Pink Lipstick
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The key to keeping your iPad safe is by keeping it inside a case at all times. Abt offers a wide variety of iPad Cases that will help ensure that your iPad doesn't become damaged when accidents occur. If you happen to use your iPad to type, you may be interested in purchasing an iPad Keyboard Case. Keyboard cases offer the protection iPads need, while giving you a full and functional keyboard.


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About BIG4
Where did we come from?
From humble beginnings in 1979 to encompassing locations all across Australia, our story is truly inspiring.
It all started way back in 1979, a time when football was an early Saturday afternoon tradition and Prisoner was only just beginning to captivate Australian television audiences. Four caravan park owners from the Victorian city of Ballarat met for dinner, unified in a belief that 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parks'.
These four owners and their families lived and breathed caravanning and camping and shared a common vision. Their aim was to create parks that were not just somewhere to rest a weary head but a place that defined the holiday experience.
The passionate Ballarat quartet wanted its parks to capture the essence of the 'true blue' Aussie holiday: celebrating the great outdoors, cricket on the beach, making friends around the barbie, nights spent gazing at a galaxy of stars, and so much more.
And the group agreed that its objective could only be achieved by delivering first-rate accommodation, facilities, and service.
What followed was a huge dose of perseverance, dedication, determination, and hard work that helped to establish our leading brand.
The first office caravan at BIG4 Tweed Billabong Holiday Park (NSW) in 1979.
The grounds of BIG4 Beacon Resort (VIC) during the 1970s.
The Breust family at BIG4 Easts Beach Holiday Park in Kiama (NSW) in 1992.
Where are we now?
Today, BIG4 Holiday Parks upholds the vision and values that were discussed around the dinner table all those years ago. We have an unwavering commitment to provide each and every guest with excellent customer service, quality accommodation and park facilities, and delivery of a unique and memorable holiday experience.
Regardless of whether a park is overlooking a glittering stretch of coastline or providing a welcoming oasis in the Australian outback, visitors can expect to receive the same high level of service and quality synonymous with our name.
With parks dotted all across our vast land, there is no shortage of opportunity to stay with BIG4. Whether planted in iconic holiday destinations or located in spots that earn the best-kept secret tag, we have your accommodation needs covered.
While our values have remained the same, our accommodation and facilities have progressed immensely. We are a world away from the basic accommodation and simplistic amenity blocks circa the 1970s. Sure, you can still pitch a tent or pull up in your caravan or motorhome. However, we also allow for greater indulgence with our self-contained cabins and safari-style tents for those 'glampers' out there.
These days, reduced mobility cabins and other amenities are a staple of most parks, while inflatable trampolines, indoor play centres, and water playgrounds are tangible signs of our progression. More recently, select parks throughout Australia welcome dogs so you'll never be in the doghouse with your four-legged friend again.
All this helps in our desire to be the most recognised brand in the holiday park industry, with a reputation for high standards, a BIG range of facilities, and a friendly atmosphere. We're still building our community that started with those four families in Ballarat and we welcome you to join us.
Two Bedroom Villa, Master Bedroom at BIG4 Beacon Resort, VIC.
Pet-Friendly Powered Site at BIG4 Gold Coast Holiday Park (QLD).
Having fun at the Water Splash Park at BIG4 Swan Hill (VIC).
Don't just take our word for it
The true measure of success is when you're pitted against your opposition, and we are proud to announce that we are collecting awards at a rapid rate. It is our belief that these honours speak volumes for the commitment that we have to providing our customers with the best holiday experience possible.
The Australian National Tourism Awards and the State Tourism Awards recognise excellence in tourism and highlight the best of the best – and we have claimed plenty of gongs recently.
We are extremely proud that BIG4 Holiday Parks claimed the trifecta at the
Australian Tourism Awards in 2017 in the Caravan and Holiday Parks category. Prizes went to:
- Gold: BIG4 Deniliquin Holiday Park, Deniliquin, NSW - HALL OF FAME
- Silver: RAC Cervantes Holiday Park, Cervantes, WA
- Bronze: BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort, Airlie Beach, QLD
In addition, BIG4 was very pleased to excel at the 2017 State Tourism Awards. The following parks were honoured in the category of Top Tourist and Caravan Park for their respective state/territory:
- NSW: BIG4 Deniliquin Holiday Park (gold)
- NT: BIG4 MacDonnell Range Holiday Park (gold)
- QLD: BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort (gold)
- SA: BIG4 Hahndorf Resort (gold), BIG4 West Beach Parks (silver), BIG4 Renmark Riverfront Holiday Parks (bronze)
- TAS: BIG4 Launceston Holiday Park (gold)
- VIC: BIG4 Inverloch Holiday Park (gold)
- WA: RAC Cervantes Holiday Park (gold)
In addition, BIG4 Chairman Ron Cregan, from BIG4 Nelligen Holiday Park in Batemans Bay, NSW, won the prestigious Outstanding Contribution by an Individual to NSW award in 2015.
Alongside the State and National Tourism Awards, our BIG4 Supreme Award for Excellence is the ultimate recognition of our very best BIG4 Holiday Parks. It acknowledges parks that have excelled in the delivery of customer service, facilities, accommodation, and tourism promotion – the qualities BIG4 Holiday Parks was founded upon.
The 2016 winner was BIG4 Inverloch Holiday Park, Inverloch, VIC.


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2011-07-18 @ 14:58:08
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this is not a commercial spot. all comments containing any type of advertising will be removed.
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This classic hanging basket wand was originally developed for greenhouses. The wand is lightweight and provides a full-flow shower for flowers. With a comfortable foam grip and a large, easy-to-use shut-off valve, it's perfect for wet, slippery fingers or arthritic hands. 36". 1lb. Made in the USA.
- Item #: 7-DR-1012358


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After three days of teases, Sony Pictures has now revealed the full teaser trailer for Rian Johnson's futurist action thriller Looper. Opening in theaters on September 28, the film stars Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo and Jeff Daniels.
In Looper, time travel will be invented but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a looper a hired gun, like Joe (Gordon-Levitt) is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good until the day the mob decides to close the loop, sending back Joes future self (Willis) for assassination. The film is written and directed by Rian Johnson and also stars Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, and Jeff Daniels. Ram Bergman and James D. Stern produce.


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Google Desktop Search
From ForensicsWiki
Revision as of 06:49, 9 June 2014 by Joachim Metz (Talk | contribs)
Please help to improve this article by expanding it.
Google Desktop Search is an application for both Windows and Mac OS X that allows the user to index and then search their local hard drives. These applications integrate with other Google tools such as searching the web and Gmail.
By default, the Mac version caches content that can be recovered even after the original has been deleted.
Google Desktop will be discontinued as of September 14 2011 [1]


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New from ACRL – 'The Librarian Stereotype: Deconstructing Presentations and Perceptions of Information Work'
For Immediate Release
Tue, 06/24/2014
Kathryn Deiss
Content Strategist
Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)
CHICAGO — The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) announces the publication of "The Librarian Stereotype: Deconstructing Presentations and Perceptions of Information Work," edited by Nicole Pagowsky and Miriam Rigby.
"The Librarian Stereotype" serves as a response to passionate discussions regarding the ways in which librarians are perceived. Through 12 chapters, covering topics such as racial and ethnic identity, professional personas, pop culture and a variety of specific stereotypes of librarians, the book re-ignites an examination of librarian presentation within the field and in the public eye, employing theories and methodologies from throughout the social sciences. The ultimate goal of the project is to launch productive discourse and inspire action in order to further the positive impact of the information professions. Through deconstructing the perceived truths of our profession and employing a critical eye, as illustrated by the chapter authors, librarians can work towards improved status, increased diversity and greater acceptance of each other.
More information on the book, including interviews with chapter authors and a link to a free preview of the foreward and first chapter, is available on the Librarian Wardrobe website.
"The Librarian Stereotype: Deconstructing Presentations and Perceptions of Information Work" is available for purchase in print, as an e-book and as a print/ e-book bundle through the ALA Online Store; in print and for Kindle through Amazon.com; and by telephone order at (866) 746-7252 in the U.S. or (770) 442-8633 for international customers.
The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education association for librarians. Representing more than 11,500 academic and research librarians and interested individuals, ACRL (a division of the American Library Association) is the only individual membership organization in North America that develops programs, products and services to help academic and research librarians learn, innovate and lead within the academic community. Founded in 1940, ACRL is committed to advancing learning and transforming scholarship. ACRL is on the Web at www.acrl.org/, Facebook at www.facebook.com/ala.acrl and Twitter at @ala_acrl.


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Giving your staff incentives
Having spent most of my career in so-called glamorous but low-paying jobs, I can appreciate the value of staff incentives. Whenever I felt that it was time to move on to a more lucrative field, little things like discount movie tickets and $5 CDs conspired to keep me where I was.
It also helped immeasurably that I have had fair and compassionate bosses. "There are some things money can't buy," I often told myself when I was short on cash. "At least my boss is great."
Was I naive? Not at all. In fact, in this shrinking labor market, staff incentives designed to lure and keep good employees are vital. And since the health club industry is not known for its high-rolling salaries (indeed it has a large part-time work force), incentives are doubly valuable.
"One of our company's core beliefs is that if we want to get extraordinary customer service, our employees have to be treated in an extraordinary fashion," says Herb Lipsman, general manager of The Houstonian Club, in Texas. That attitude has paid off for The Houstonian: Employee turnover has dropped from close to 100 percent annually in the early '90s to under 19 percent for 1999.
What exactly is extraordinary treatment? It can cover a wide gamut, as you'll see.
* Respect your employees. "Every employee needs to be treated with dignity at all times," says Lipsman. "We have to make sure we treat our employees in a manner that enables them to feel good about their job, their opportunities and themselves when they come to work."
To accomplish that, The Houstonian puts all employees through a three-day course: "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." "We feel we are investing in our employees so they have a better life," says Lipsman. "That course would cost them $2,000 to $3,000. We give it to them for free and pay them while they're taking it."
* Institute a bonus program. At WellBridge (formerly Club Sports International), monthly bonuses are awarded to staffers who exceed their goals. "Thirty-five hours a week is full-time for our industry, so incentives become key because you've got to be able to offer people something beyond an hourly wage," notes Lynne Short, WellBridge's vice president for human resources. For example, at WellBridge, a full-time massage therapist receives a bonus if she exceeds 25 hours per week; a part-timer, if she exceeds 10 hours.
"We bonus employees to deliver more than what we plan for from a budgetary standpoint," says Short. "It increases revenue for us, and it's an incentive for them to build business."
The Houstonian's bonus program is measured by specific criteria and is organizational rather than individual-focused. Previously the program was based on performance, customer surveys and employee turnover, and checks were distributed quarterly. Now the criteria will be profitability and employee turnover, and bonuses will be distributed twice a year. "When the checks are smaller, the bonus becomes almost an entitlement. Employees don't think about the impact of those numbers," says Lipsman. "But the twice-a-year bonus will have more of an impact. The potential gross amount per check will be $600 per person, which is a pretty good chunk of money for someone earning $5 to $7 per hour." Managers, who are measured by the same criteria, receive a percentage of their salary.
* Emphasize career development. "It's the biggest long-term retention factor," notes Short. To that end, WellBridge has created three levels of training programs for employees. Also the organization has established three areas - athletics, operations and sales - from which promising employees can be groomed for a general manager job. "We let people know: If you become more skilled, we'll move you up in the organization and we'll pay you more money," says Short.
Give performance feedback, preferably monthly, says Short: "Informal performance feedback, at the minimum, is necessary on a quarterly basis."
* Make the process of promotion a democratic one. WellBridge has de-scriptions for each and every job that state "very fully the necessary qualifications," says Short. When an opening occurs, the job is posted throughout the company, as are the details: the salary range, whom the person would report to and so on. "We interview anyone who meets the qualifications," says Short, "and fill most of our jobs internally, which is a key retention factor." But, and here's the important part, all those who don't get the job have a performance discussion. "We give them very specific reasons why they didn't get the job and map out a development plan for them," says Short.
* Give employees free membership. Employees of The Houstonian receive complimentary individual memberships. Usage is limited to certain periods, but many employees take advantage of the membership. "Almost none would be able to afford this club," says Lipsman.
* Offer a discount in your sport or pro shop. "We try to keep benefits equal across the board as much as possible," says Lipsman. "The [25 percent shop] discount is not just for managers; it's for everybody. It's another way of telling employees that they're important and we want to show them some special consideration."
* Try short-term team incentives. For example, reward everyone in a department two free movie tickets for accomplishing something like perfect attendance.
* Commemorate the important events. A yearly holiday party for employees' children is one of the traditions at The Houstonian. This past year, 400 kids attended the carnival-themed party and every one of them received a gift. On another night, employees attended a dressy holiday party complete with DJ and buffet. Events like these "build the culture, making employees feel more connected," says Lipsman. "People feel good about the club after they attend these events."
WellBridge has a monthly birthday cake to celebrate staff birthdays en masse. On the first, third, fifth, 10th, 15th and 20th service anniversaries, staffers receive a gift, ranging from a T-shirt and pin (for the first) to a leather jacket bearing the club's insignia (for the 20th). Also Well-Bridge designates an "Employee of the Month" and features the individual in the newsletter. "People love to be recognized," says Short. "That's one way for people to feel like they're part of a family."
* Look out for your employees. Each December The Houstonian encloses a card with its monthly bill telling members that in recognition of the services staff provide, $35 per member will go into a fund and be distributed to full- and part-time employees. If a member chooses to pay the amount, he simply checks a box. "This year, each full-time employee received $605; part-time staff received half of that," says Lipsman. "Most members gladly pay the amount and many add to it."
* Recognize good work performance. The Houstonian's program "The Extra Mile" is based on member feedback. Any time the club receives a note or call from a member or guest praising a staff person, he receives an "Extra Mile" pin. The award is presented with a lot of hoopla, and a proclamation acknowledging the extraordinary service is read. "It's funny that something that simple really has an effect," says Lipsman.
* Be committed to your incentive programs. "They won't work if you go in and try to have a program of the week," warns Lipsman. Part of what makes a program work is the thought that goes into it. Lipsman suggests three to five years of planning "as opposed to saying, 'We're going to go in and make nice and give a bonus.' "


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Warning: the following pictures are ridiculously cute as zoo reveals images of baby red panda twins after they emerged from their nesting box for the first time this week.
The baby red pandas, named Bert and Ernie after the Sesame Street characters by zoo keepers at Whipsnade, were born in June but have been hiding away in their nesting boxes until this week, when their mum – six year-old Tashi – began carrying them outside for short intervals.
Senior Keeper at Whipsnade Zoo, Stephen Perry said it has been 'magical' to see the baby red pandas out and about for the first time.
"Red pandas can be difficult to observe due to their shy and secretive nature, their nocturnal habits and the fact that they spend most of their time up trees," Mr Perry said.
"We never see much of their babies for the first couple of months of their lives but it's worth the wait. They're incredible and beautiful creatures, and a real visitor favourite.
"Tashi is a brilliant mum, and when the weather gets warmer you sometimes catch her carrying the babies between nesting boxes to find the coolest one for them."
Bert and Ernie are part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), a tool used by zoos, aquariums and wildlife parks across Europe to manage conservation breeding programmes. Bert and Ernie are the fourth and fifth cubs born to experienced mum Tashi at Whipsnade.
Mr Perry added: "Having such a confident mum there is great because it means we can just leave them to it and not interfere. We just check in on Tashi, the boys and their dad Blue once a day to make sure everything's okay."
Red pandas, which are classified as Vulnerable by IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species, are found mainly in Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, and southern China. There are thought to be around 10,000 red pandas left in the wild. It is estimated that their numbers may have decreased by as much as 40% over the last 50 years due to massive habitat loss, increased human activity and poaching.


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Meet Mitt Romney's sweetheart. Making her national debut, Ann Romney swept onto the stage at the Republican National Convention late Tuesday night and delivered a forceful defense of her husband's character and values
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Meet Mitt Romney's sweetheart.
Making her national debut, Ann Romney swept onto the stage at the Republican National Convention late Tuesday night and delivered a forceful defense of her husband's character and values — and made an all-out play for the critical women's vote — in a speech designed to introduce the country to the man she knows better than anyone.
"I love you women! And I hear your voices," she said, wearing a red, belted dress as black-and-white photos of her family flashed on a giant screen above her head.
She touched on her struggles with multiple sclerosis and breast cancer. She defended her husband's work ethic, saying, "I can tell you Mitt Romney was not handed success." And she told the crowd about what she says she has learned about her husband after 43 years of marriage.
"This man will not fail," she said, as the crowd in Tampa Bay Times Forum erupted with cheers and gave her a sustained standing ovation.
Her pitch was aimed squarely at women who are raising families. "If you listen carefully, you'll hear the women sighing a little bit more than the men. It's how it is, isn't it?" she said. "It's the moms who always have to work a little harder, to make everything right."
And Mrs. Romney defended her husband's wild success in business, offering a character testimonial to counter Democratic attack ads that have worked to paint her husband as wealthy and out-of-touch.
"Mitt doesn't like to talk about how he has helped others because he sees it as a privilege, not a political talking point," she said. "And we're no different than the millions of Americans who quietly help their neighbors, their churches and their communities. They don't do it so that others will think more of them. They do it because there is no greater joy."
The goal of her carefully crafted speech: Help people understand the warm, personal side of her husband, a longtime candidate who has sometimes struggled to connect with voters — and who isn't nearly as well-liked as his opponent, Democratic President Barack Obama.
"Tonight, I want to talk to you about love," Mrs. Romney said.
The woman whom Romney often introduces as "my sweetheart, Ann Romney!" has played the role of humanizer for months now. Together, she and Mitt Romney have five children and 18 grandchildren who range in age from 16 years to just a few months old. She has appeared onstage often with her husband, who's obviously more at ease when she's by his side.
They met in high school, kept in touch while he served as a Mormon missionary in France, married young and had five children. On Tuesday, she emphasized how their struggles shaped their relationship.
"I read somewhere that Mitt and I have a 'storybook marriage,'" she told the crowd. "Those storybooks never seemed to have chapters called MS or breast cancer. A storybook marriage? No, not at all. What Mitt Romney and I have is a real marriage."
Mrs. Romney has never appeared before a crowd the size of the one gathered at the convention. The speech was viewed as so critical by the campaign that it moved her appearance, originally scheduled for Monday, a day later after the networks announced they wouldn't cover the first evening's events live.
"I've never gone off a written text. So this is a unique experience for me," Mrs. Romney said as she and her husband flew from Bedford, Mass., near their home, to Tampa on Tuesday morning.
Mrs. Romney suggested she played a significant role in shaping her speech.
"I did say it's going to be pretty, pretty tough to actually write a speech that I feel like I can actually give, and so I had a lot of input in this, I must say," she told reporters. "And a lot of tweaking where I felt like I was getting what I really wanted to say from my heart."
Romney's campaign is trying to show more of the two of them together — and emphasize their love story as an essential part of his biography. When Romney did an interview for "Fox News Sunday" ahead of the convention, the couple also invited anchor Chris Wallace to their lakeside home in New Hampshire, where Mitt Romney flipped pancakes on a griddle and Mrs. Romney, son Tagg, and several of his grandchildren looked on.
When the pair sat down for a long interview with CBS News, they drove an hour out of their way to the Birmingham, Mich., movie theater where the couple used to go on dates as high school students.
And on Tuesday night, she turned those early evenings out into a pitch for why voters should back her husband this fall.
"He will take us to a better place, just as he took me home safely from that dance," she said.


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Business owner Angel Autry admits she didn�t really know what she was doing when she opened a caf� in her consignment shop.
Business owner Angel Autry admits she didn�t really know what she was doing when she opened a caf� in her consignment shop.
Still, Autry took a chance and now shoppers at Angel�s Upscale Consignments in Bessemer City can grab a sandwich, salad and glass of wine after they shop.
Autry tells me she started out selling wine and offering ice cream. In January, she started selling Panini sandwiches, potato salad and gourmet desserts.
�I figured this: I�ve got not a lot to lose,� Autry said.
She went to restaurant shows, looked at the presentation and quality, then went back and picked up only what she could use. She didn�t look at price. She compared it to picking out 10 shirts at the mall and finding your favorite, which happened to be the most expensive.
�I�d rather sell 10 great sandwiches than 100 so-so ones,� Autry said. �I�m not going to go out of business if I don�t sell 15 hamburgers.�
You can get the same dessert at Autry�s caf� that a person can get at Ruth�s Chris, she said. That�s because restaurants buy many of the desserts they sell, so Autry can serve the same thing.
While buying restaurant equipment for the caf�, Autry met a restaurant equipment dealer who needed warehouse space.
Autry was out of the horse feed and hay business, so the warehouse in the back turned into a place to store and show gently used restaurant equipment.
�I�m really proud of the restaurant,� Autry said.
She hopes to be able to upgrade the eating space into a quaint caf� where people can get a wholesome meal and shop. Think IKEA and Cracker Barrel.
Eventually, Autry wants to get into more upscale decor.
In the meantime, she�s expanded her business two doors down. A friend bought the building and Autry has moved overflow furniture into the space.
Autry says her expansion is part of the revitalization of downtown Bessemer City. She received a small business grant two years ago.
Autry also helped start a merchant�s association.
Reach Amanda Memrick at 704-869-1839, firstname.lastname@example.com or Twitter @AmandaMemrick.


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January 2007
Why is evidence important in science?
Levinton: The outside world, to physical scientists, is the way you gather information. There may be controversy in the way you interpret this information, but evidence is what you collect from the outside world. It has two important roles:
Artist's impression of five-eyed Opabinia at the sea bottom. The animal genus was found in Cambrian fossil deposits. Author: Arthur Weasley.
There are facts that command explanation. A simple example is Why does the sun rise daily?
It allows us to test hypotheses, or ideas that explain the facts. An example of a hypothesis is that the sun seems to rise every day because of Earth's rotation.
Observation and hypothesis are both important. Accidental discovery is crucial. People finding fossils has gone on for hundreds of years. But using fossil evidence to test a hypothesis is what ensures that science will present accurate statements, research, and theories.
Some people do not understand the difference between "theory" as used in science and "theory" as used in general conversation. So, would you clarify the concept?
Levinton: In general conversation, people might say "I have a theory" when they mean they have an idea or are making an assumption. In science, a theory is not based on speculation. There are many steps to take before a theory is established.
- A hypothesis is a testable statement explaining observations about phenomena occurring in the natural world.
- A theory is a hypothesis or group of related hypotheses that have been repeatedly tested and which scientists generally agree conform to all known data/observations or a major set of observations about the world.
The Cambrian explosion is an important event in Earth's history. What have we learned about it so far?
Levinton: The Cambrian explosion is a brief time in the Early Cambrian when most major groups of animals that have bilateral symmetry first appear in the fossil record. A bilateral animal is one whose body plan is such that it has two mirror-image halves. Modern examples are lobsters, people, dogs, and butterflies. The event is referred to as an "explosion" because a rich diversity of species appeared in a relatively short amount of time.
The hypothesis is that all these animal groups arose from a common ancestor and diverged at or near the beginning of the Cambrian period, which spans 543 million to 490 million years ago. Evidence is growing to support this hypothesis, at least from evidence derived from fossil occurrences. After that period, very few additional animal phyla, or large animal categories, arose.
A trilobite (Parkaspis decamera) from the Cambrian Period found in the Burgess Shale, Canada.
Image © Oklahoma University, Photographer Albert Copley; Source: Earth Science World Image Bank
How do we know all of this happened?
Levinton: We know it from evidence. There are two things we need to know:
You have to have a series of rocks from natural sites that are dated scientifically. Rocks are dated by their relative location and other methods but also by radiometric dating. Radiometric dating involves the use of radioactive isotope series that have half-lives up to many billions of years, such as uranium/lead.
The occurrence of the fossils. What we know now is that many of the animal groups go back in time but not past the Cambrian period.
Fossils are not always preserved perfectly. Sometimes you will come across a lack of good preservation factors for 200 million years, say, for an appropriate fossil to occur. Evidence shows that the rocks before the explosion were suitable for fossils to be formed but most of the Cambrian animals do not appear in these rocks. Other groups are found before the Cambrian, but not the bilaterian groups participating in the Cambrian explosion, except for a few still controversial specimens.
So the date of the rock in which a fossil is found is the date of the fossil. However, it's possible that a rock can be transported by natural events, for example, eroded out of a rock, transported downstream by a strong current, and deposited somewhere else. Scientists have to be careful about that possibility. Even the famous Burgess Shale in the Rocky Mountains of Canada, where Cambrian fossils were found, may consist of some animal fossils that were transported a few thousand yards. Scientists have to calibrate the data to make sure they are dated correctly.
Can molecular clocks determine the lineage of a fossil from such distant times as the Cambrian?
Levinton: You can never date rocks with molecular clocks, but you can ask certain questions. If you have two organisms and the DNA sequence of a certain type of molecule that evolved slowly enough so that you can see the difference in DNA sequence in the two organisms, you can go back in time to see when they diverged on the tree of life. However, you must have a way to calibrate the difference in DNA sequence against an absolute time scale.
Molecular clocks are not that accurate going back to such distant periods as the Cambrian, for several reasons:
There are different ways you can make an analysis, but the calibration points are not that abundant. Let's say you have a 400-million-year-old fossil and another one that arose 430 million years ago. But which age do you use in your evolutionary calculations? It could be a source of error.
There is also a lot of variation in rates of evolution and that has to be compensated for. There are statistical challenges here.
When looking at shorter spans of time, say 5 to 10 million years before the present, scientists are a lot more confident. There's a lot more to be learned about molecular clocks to use them accurately for older times such as the Cambrian explosion.
Did the Cambrian explosion happen because it followed an extinction event?
Levinton: Maybe. There are groups of organisms that seem to have some major overturns just before the Cambrian. There are also some physical changes on Earth that are well known, but no one can pinpoint the time. There's an idea, bolstered by data, that the whole of the Earth was covered by ice, which suggests that the oceans were anoxic, that is, life in the oceans was nonexistent. That would have been an extinction event, which, as history shows, is often followed by a burst of new species. But it would be difficult to connect this possible extinction event to the Cambrian explosion. There are other changes that occurred just before the Cambrian, but these include everything from a lowering of ocean temperature to an increase in oxygen in the atmosphere. There are too many variables that are too poorly timed to help us very much at this time.
Why is the Cambrian explosion so pivotal as an example of macroevolution?
Levinton: Macroevolution is about natural processes on a grand scale of geological time, such as origins and extinctions. The Cambrian explosion is the mother of all animal radiations. All the major body plans—for example, arthropods, brachiopods, and so on—they all arose in a short window of time, if the current fossil record is to be taken at face value. Scientists are still searching for evidence to add to the wealth of knowledge about this period so we can all agree that this hypothesis is absolutely accurate. If it proves to be absolutely true, it means that most of life's diversity pretty much started then. It's the moment of animal evolution's creativity.
© 2007, American Institute of Biological Sciences. Educators have permission to reprint articles for classroom use; other users, please contact email@example.com for reprint permission. See reprint policy.


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Get the latest news, updates and opinion on technology and products, along with reviews, specifications, features of smartphones, tablets, games, wearables, cars etc. Also, get technology tips and tricks, trends, future technology, and videos.
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.
Forum Rules


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LPD became continually agitated and I did what my instincts told me to do, rock her. Since rocking her back and forth didn't seem to soothe her, I decided it was time to check out the books and CD's that were given to me by couple of my girlfriends. Among them were the answer to my prayers, The Happiest baby on the Block book and CD. I remember reading the book, well I should say skimming, and thinking this makes sense, but when I watched the video my whole world changed. It was amazing how the doctor was able to take any fussy newborn, and within seconds quiet them down into a peaceful slumber. You have to see it to believe! There are so many types of swaddlers, but I purchased one with organic cotton with velcro closures and quickly realized that LPD would wiggle out like Houdini. I was never as good as my godsister (the Doulah) or my hubby. My godsister recommends a good old-fashioned receiving blanket. So when a friend is having a baby, they always recieve The Happiest baby on the Block.
Hi There- THANK YOU for helping me get to 25 likes for my Facebook page. Please help me to continue to grow by sharing my page with friends.


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Aug. 18-29 | Welcome to all new and returning Bees! Get ready for the first week of the fall semester.
Read More
Sept. 18 | Learn about studying abroad at this informative and casual event.
Are you ready to take the next step? St. Ambrose offers more than 60 programs and 27 athletic teams and sports to join on campus. Become an Ambrosian today!


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Speaking of comics, has anyone here ever unloaded some of theirs - or have suggestions on where to store things? I've basically at this point filled up my supply of long/short boxes, and have them all stacked up in our office (which is also the collection room). Although I do like to go through them every so often, as we've been trying to clean the house out a bit I've considered getting rid of some of them. The vast majority are more recent (within the past 10 years), so I'm not sure there is necessarily a lot of value, but again I don't just want to throw them out either.
Lobo is ruined
you DC guys still have it better than Marvel fans. Thor's new look is with boobs and lipstick is still a bigger change.
At least they didn't erase him from existence.
and they even replaced Nick Fury with Nick Fury Jr. to get the Sam Jackson look.
The comic books are insignificant from a business perspective.
Quote from: JediJman on August 18, 2014, 10:44 AMand they even replaced Nick Fury with Nick Fury Jr. to get the Sam Jackson look. Did not know this and checked out an image... really? He's got the eye patch, too?
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About Santa Fe Modern
Santa Fe Modern is a retail store showcasing contemporary home furnishings. You can purchase items in our showroom, order from catalogs, or have us craft custom furniture by local artists.
Santa Fe Modern is a retail store that caters to people with a more contemporary aesthetic. We carry furniture, lighting, tableware, art and other home furnishings. Additionally, we locally build custom furniture. We offer high quality items that gravitate towards clean, simple, minimal lines. Read more
Our furniture vendors:
Camerich http://www.camerichusa.com/
"Simple is good." Jim Henson
Custom Design
Effective custom design hinges on the relationship developed between the Santa Fe Modern team and their customers. The custom furniture piece is dependent on the relationship between form and function, creating something beautiful and practical. The desired product is also based on the relationship between the piece and its environment. Custom furniture is what Santa Fe Modern does best. Read more about custom furniture design
"Designing a product is designing a relationship." Steve Rogers
The following pictures show a sample of the type of contemporary furniture and home furnishings we carry.
Come into the store, call, or email us to find out what we presently have, get access to a catalog, or set up a time to consult with us on any project you would like to have completed. Read More
One of Santa Fe's greatest resources is its abundant supply of artistic talent. Santa Fe Modern has a team of gifted artists that create beautiful and functional contemporary artwork and home furnishings. Read More


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Many facilities are installing wireless routers to provide connectivity between industrial process devices and control systems as well as setting up wireless networks for other reasons. However, wireless routers still require a wired system behind them (usually with Ethernet to the routers). Sometimes, a wireless network ends up being wired even in a "user zone." For example, metallic obstructions may be easier to wire around than to try to surmount wirelessly. If you have broadband, you have a wired system. This means compliance with Art. 830.
If your wired system involves aerial cables (for example, to connect two buildings), you must comply with 830.44. Some key aspects of this section of the NEC include:
- Where practical, locate broadband cables below electric light or power conductors on their poles.
- Don't attach broadband cables to a cross-arm that carries electric light or power conductors.
- Keep broadband cables at least: 8 ft from all points of roofs over which they pass, 9.5 ft above grade, 11.5 ft above areas not subject to truck traffic, and 3 ft from any building openings.
- Separate broadband cables from other conductors, and fasten securely.
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My youngest son finishes school for easter this Friday so for the next three weeks I won't be getting too much crafting done either! The spring weather has made everyone more cheery here and we are planning lots of lovely day trips out to the farm and beach etc. I am really going to make the very most of him being 6 and still into that kind of thing because I know I will miss taking him when he is older and is no longer interested in that sort of thing!
WOYWW was created by the fantastic Julia at Stamping Ground take a visit and see what everyone else is up to. This is my workdesk today
Today I have been making some cards for my dear friend Liza, we have been friends since school and she has asked me to make several cards for her to give to friends and family. Therefore I have some lovely embellishments on my desk along with my buttefly punch and these .....
Some gorgeous Indian craft papers that I am going to put to good use. These are so cheap to buy in our local stationers and the colours and patterns are so pretty.
This week I also bought a wicker cutlery holder which I have used for tool storage on my desk....
I have a section for glue pens, one for rulers, another for scissors and tweezers and another for pens and pencils! It sits just comfortably on my desk with my wicker basket that contains all of my adhesives.
This evening my friend Linzi and I are going to print off all the addresses onto envelopes for her invitations. I have aready run the envelopes though the printer and put a pale silver damask pattern on to make them look a bit special. No doubt we will have a couple of glasses of wine to see us through so it should be fun.
Have a lovely week and I look forward to seeing whats on your desk later!
Tracey x


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Tammy Buhite '93
The most decorated track and field athlete in MWC history at the time of her induction, Tammy earned All-American honors six times in her outstanding career. A five-time All-American in the triple jump, she placed third in the nation on three occasions, and also earned national honors in the high jump. An accomplished student as well, Tammy was named to the Dean's List three times.
Inducted October 24, 2003


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Screening Mammography and Radiation Exposure
Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts,"
My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at 44 years old. As a result of this, I have been having routine mammograms annually since age 30 (I am currently 37). Am I doing more harm than good by doing this in terms of the long-term radiation exposure? Thank you.
Lawrence J. Solin, MD, FACR, Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania, responds:
Routine screening for the early detection of breast cancer in the asymptomatic patient includes three components: 1) monthly breast self- examination by the patient, 2) physical examination once or twice yearly by a physician, and 3) bilateral mammography. Screening mammography is typically started at age 40, but can be considered at a younger age for the high-risk patient, typically one who has a strongly positive family history or proven genetic risk from a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. The age at which mammographic screening is started is a decision that must be based on the potential risk in the individual patient, in order to maximize the risk-benefit ratio. The potential for radiation to induce a malignancy secondary to mammographic screening is very small, and is typically far outweighed by the potential benefit of early detection of a breast malignancy.
Early detection in the high-risk patient may be improved through the use of alternative imaging modalities, in particular, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast. MRI is a method of imaging the breast that does not involve radiation, and is used in conjunction with mammography for imaging the breast. Early studies suggest that MRI may increase the yield for detecting early breast cancer in the high-risk patient. When indicated, MRI should be used in addition to, not instead of, screening mammography.


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Academic Advising
The Student Success Center is the coordinating office for undergraduate advising services and activities. The office works closely with the Admissions Office, the academic department chairpersons, and individual academic advisors in order to make appropriate advisor assignments and to provide information to incoming students.
Most academic advisors at Andrews University are full-time faculty and advise students within their specific department. A few advisors are full-time, professional staff members who serve as advisors for specific student populations.
In addition to handling the advisor assignment for all incoming students, the Student Success Center manages all changes to the academic records for all undergraduate students. These changes include major and minor changes and additions, as well as advisor changes.
If you are an Andrews University student and need to request a major change, declare a major or minor, or make other changes to your academic record or to change or add an academic advisor, please drop by the Student Success Center in Nethery Hall, Room 100 to complete a request form. If you are not on campus, or if it is more convenient, you may contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com to request your change by e-mail.


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We'll help you get paid faster
With the Stripe and Xero integration, your customers can pay your invoices using their preferred credit or debit card, helping you get paid faster.
You'll be joining hundreds of thousands of businesses around the world that use Stripe to process billions of dollars in transactions each year.
Set up Stripe in minutes, save hours chasing payments
Add Stripe to Xero
Connect your Stripe account to Xero with just a few clicks. If you don't have a Stripe account, you can create one from within Xero.
Send your invoice
A Pay Now button will be enabled on your next online invoice, allowing your customers to easily pay with their credit or debit card.
Manage payments
You choose who carries the Stripe processing fee and how often payments will be deposited into your bank account.
In sync with Xero
Manage your Stripe fees automatically. When your customer pays an invoice, Xero creates a spend money transaction for the Stripe fee - making it even easier for you.


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Hats: They're what we're knitting
|Blume Hat by Connie Chang Chinchio
I'm excited about hats, as you know. They're super practical, fast, and fun to knit. We're so into hats that we've developed a web page that puts all of our hat resources in one place!
Here's a taste:
Who knows when the first person decided to put something over their head to keep it warm, but knitters know that hats are the one of the most fun and easy things to knit.
When they're worked in the round there is little in the way of shaping, except when you get to the crown.
Most hats are worked from the bottom up, with stitches cast-on and worked in a snug stitch pattern such as ribbing, or in stockinette for a rolled bring hat, using a smaller size needle than is used for the head portion of the hat.
In many hat patterns, the hat is worked straight for the desired length of the crown, then nearly all of the stitches are evenly decreased over the course of just a few rounds.
The yarn is cut, the tail threaded through the remaining stitches, pulled tight, and fastened off to the inside of the hat.
The hat can be topped with a pom pom, i-cord, tassel, or whatever embellishment strikes your fancy.
A great book for learning to make hats is Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns. There are chapters on basic hats as well as the type of hats called "tams."
|Four hats from Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns
Tips for Hat Knitting
- For more rounded top shaping, work the tip decreases every other round or every three rounds.
- If you don't want to knit a hat in the round and you don't mind a visible seam on the finished hat, work it back and forth in a single piece and seam the back.
- Work the inside of a hemmed edge in cotton to make it more comfortable against sensitive skin.
- To make a hat wind- and water-resistant, work the yarn at a smaller gauge (more stitches per inch) than recommended. For example, use smaller needles to work a worsted weight yarn at six stitches to the inch. (You'll need to cast on more stitches for this approach, so use your gauge swatch to determine the additional number of stitches needed.)
Check out our Hat Knitting page and get started knitting hats for the new year!
Happy new year!


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When the United State Supreme Court ruled in 2004 to keep the phrase "under God" in the pledge of allegiance, its power to influence Christianity and the broader religious culture came into clear focus. Often the most significant moral issues in the evangelical dialogue—abortion, homosexuality, church-state issues—go before the United States Supreme Court. Charged with interpreting the Constitution, the highest court in the nation consists of one chief justice and eight associate justices. Due to the life tenure of each justice, infrequent presidential appointments to the court have become an important action item for Christian lobbyists and a point of moral concern for evangelicals.
Browse our Full Library of online archives, including past issues of CT magazine. Access the Archives
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|Print this page
Victorian Native Title Settlement Framework
|4 June 2009
|Sub Category:
|Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
|Click this link to search this location with google maps
|Subject Matter:
|Access | Compensation | Cultural Heritage | Customary Law | Economic Development | Employment and Training | Environmental Heritage | Fishing | Land Management | Land Planning | Land Settlement | Land Transaction | Land Use | Law - Policy and Justice | Native Title | Native Title - Extinguishment | Recognition Agreement / Acknowledgement | Recognition of Native Title or Traditional Ownership | Recognition of Traditional Rights and Interests | Reconciliation | Self Government | Tourism | Water | Youth
|Summary Information:
|The Victorian Native Title Settlement Framework ('The Framework') was developed through the work of a steering committee formed specifically for this purpose. The committee developed a 'package of recommendations', forming a Framework, which was adopted by the Victorian Government (Land Justice Group). The Framework is an alternative procedure to the system that currently operates in Victoria to deal with native title claims (Attorney General Rob Hulls, Department of Justice, Land Justice Group, NNTT), and has been endorsed by the Victorian Cabinet. The Framework will have a focus on direct negotiation between Traditional Owners and the State, which will aim to eliminate the cost, delay and complexity associated with the current system in Victoria.
|Detailed Information:
The Victorian Native Title Settlement Framework aims to provide Traditional Owners with the choice to negotiate directly with the State to settle native title claims, rather than having to go through the current system. In doing so, it looks to eliminate the delay and high cost that is currently experienced in settling native title claims in Victoria (Attorney General Rob Hulls, Department of Justice, Land Justice Group, NNTT).
It also aims to form stronger partnerships between the government and Indigenous Australians, provide better outcomes that are fair for both Traditional Owners and government parties, including increased economic opportunities and environmental and cultural protection. It aims to provide more access for Indigenous Victorians to their traditional lands and improve reconciliation by building partnerships with Indigenous Victorians (Steering Committee, Department of Justice).
Key Objectives and Principles
At this stage, final implementation of the Framework is subject to securing Commonwealth funding.
The Victorian government will now begin speaking with key stakeholders in the Framework to finalise a Strategic Claims Resolution Plan, to outline how the Framework will function. There are plans for the government to hold information sessions for industry bodies, local government and the broader community, and to provide further information to Traditional Owner groups.
Further, it is anticipated that implementing the Framework will require some amendments to the current Victorian legislation (Department of Justice).
Related Entries
|General Reference
|Department of Justice (Vic) The Native Title Settlement Framework
|Department of Justice (Vic) Next Steps to Native Title Framework Agreements
|Department of Justice (Vic) Objectives of the Native Title Settlement Agreement
|Victorian Traditional Owners Land Justice Group Settlement Framework
|Attorney General Rob Hulls Victoria Leads the Nation in Native Title Settlement
|National Native Title Tribunal Victorian Framework Promises Faster, Better, Native Title Outcomes
|The Honourable Robert Hulls, Attorney General of Victoria AIATSIS Native Title Conference 2009: Keynote address
|The Steering Committee for the Victorian Native Title Settlement Framework Final Report
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Louis Vuitton Monogram Tulum GM Bag Authentic Pre Owned
This item is no longer available
Authenticity code: Louis Vuitton MB3018
Authentic: Pre-Owned
This authentic Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Tulum GM Bag is the bag to take around with you everyday. The exterior features a flap pocket with a unique turnlock clasp closure with pleated details and also has a vachetta strap that is adjustable. The interior is very spacious and has two pockets to put those quick grab accessories. A chic hobo look for the Louis Vuitton lover in you!
- Exterior: Like new
- Interior: Like new
- Description of Interior: Textile Lined
- Exterior Pockets: One turn lock pocket
- Interior Pockets: Two open pockets
- Color: Brown
- Hardware Description: Gold Hardware
- Material: Monogram
- Width: 13.4 in.
- Length: 5.5 in.
- Height: 11 in.
- Handle Drop: 18 in.
Product Code: 2173022
Read more about Louis Vuitton Date Code here.
All photos are of actual item being sold. © 2007-2019 LuxeDH.
This Louis Vuitton® item is guaranteed to be authentic. Louis Vuitton is a registered trademark of Louis Vuitton. LuxeDH is not affiliated with or represents Louis Vuitton in any way or form.