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Many American liberals and economic populists are on guard in the wake of the fiscal cliff deal between Congress and the President on taxes and revenue because what Washington expects to negotiate in the next two months is cuts. With the automatic Pentagon cuts of the "sequester" postponed, rather than canceled, we're still operating in the framework of the Budget Control Act, which mandates $1.2 trillion in reduced projected government debt over 10 years. The deal on revenue took care of half of that. The Washington understanding is that the other half will come from cuts.
The two most dangerous proposed cuts from the point of view of the long-term interests of the majority of Americans are the proposal to cut Social Security benefits forever by reducing the annual cost-of-living increase (using "chained CPI," a measure of inflation that rises more slowly than the currently used measure) and the proposal to cut Medicare benefits forever by raising the Medicare retirement age to 67, forcing more seniors onto the private insurance market. Many establishment Republicans want these cuts; many Wall Street Democrats want these cuts; and the President has signaled his potential willingness to agree to these cuts as part of a "big deal." Most liberal groups vehemently oppose these cuts, and the majority of Americans would never go along with these cuts – reducing the benefits working families have already paid for through their payroll taxes – if they have effective say.
But two months from now, automatic cuts to Pentagon discretionary spending will again loom, tax increases will likely not be on the menu of negotiations and Republicans may again try to wield the purported threat of default by saying that they won't raise the debt ceiling without big cuts, including cutting Social Security and raising the Medicare retirement age.
Two months from now, who do you want leading the President's negotiating team? Someone who will fight tooth and nail to protect Social Security and Medicare benefits, or someone who will trade those paid-for benefits away in order to protect bloated Pentagon spending and endless war?
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, who has led the President's negotiating team, is stepping down. President Obama has not yet named his replacement.
Beltway conventional wisdom is that the Treasury secretary has to be vetted by Wall Street. In the wake of the financial and economic crisis brought on by Wall Street gambling, that's a bad idea to start with. We need a Treasury secretary who can stand up to Wall Street, not a Treasury secretary chosen by Wall Street.
But the fact that negotiations over 10 years of cutting debt are hanging fire makes the idea of a Wall Street-chosen Treasury secretary especially dangerous, because Social Security and Medicare benefits are in peril, and bigfoot military contractor lobbyists will be pushing Congress to cut domestic spending instead of Pentagon spending. Now, more than ever, we need a Treasury secretary for the 99%. We need a Treasury secretary who will see job creation, not austerity, as job one.
Why not Paul Krugman?
He has a Nobel prize in Economics. He's proven his ability to communicate economic knowledge to the multitude. And he's a fierce opponent of cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits and the austerity dogma more generally, which as economic policy has a track record of spectacular failure around the world. As Treasury secretary, Krugman would make job creation his top priority.
The Treasury secretary doesn't just oversee domestic US economic policy. The Treasury secretary also oversees international US economic policy. The United States executive directors at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank report to the secretary of the Treasury. As Treasury secretary, if Paul Krugman decides that the United States isn't going to tolerate IMF support for cruel and destructive economic austerity policies in Europe and elsewhere, he'll have the power to bring that about. Since the United States is far and away the most powerful country in the IMF and the World Bank, that would be a world-historic change.
Many will say: A Treasury secretary not vetted by Wall Street? That's impossible! It's certainly not likely. But how about for a week we try to behave otherwise. How about for the next week we tell our fellow citizens what the world could be like if Paul Krugman were Treasury secretary instead of someone vetted by Wall Street: Unemployment would fall, retirement benefits that America's working families have already paid for would be protected and debt cutters would have to go after Pentagon bloat and endless wars instead of the things Americans need. The war in Afghanistan would have to end, because people would realize that ending the war would save the government more money than cutting Social Security or Medicare benefits. And unlike spending on war in Afghanistan, spending on Social Security and Medicare creates jobs here at home.
Danny Glover has started a petition at MoveOn urging President Obama to nominate Paul Krugman for Secretary of the Treasury. Why not help Danny change our national conversation about economic policy?
Briefly, we wanted to update you on where Truthout stands this month.
To be brutally honest, Truthout is behind on our fundraising goals for the year. There are a lot of reasons why. We're dealing with broad trends in our industry, trends that have led publications like Vice, BuzzFeed, and National Geographic to make painful cuts. Everyone is feeling the squeeze of inflation. And despite its lasting importance, news readership is declining.
To ensure we stay out of the red by the end of the year, we have a long way to go. Our future is threatened.
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text: I have two tables T1 and T2. T1 contains transaction details with say date, oper_id, super_id, tran_no where oper_id and super_id are user id types used for posting/authorising the transactions. T2 contains user_id and user_name. There could some users with more than one user_id as well ( ie the names are same with ids different) Now, i want to find out all the transactions from T1 where oper_id and super_id correspond to same person (ie they have same user name in T2) . The assumption is all the users have distinct names.

subset: commoncrawl


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Lately, as I am in the midst of growing the COCOCOZY home textiles collection, I've been thinking about marketing and sales. I got a chuckle earlier today as I was telling new COCOCOZY sales rep JG about how I was once possibly hoodwinked into buying a questionable item at one of the most elite brands in the world…right on Rodeo drive (btw…like southerners say "I was over served" when they've drank to much alcohol; I am saying I was hoodwinked when I might have just really been impulsive…I like to say I was hoodwinked though…takes all responsibility away from me…that's right!) Hoodwinking is not a tactic we want to use for the COCOCOZY brand and not one typically used at this major brand either at all but thinking about this story that actually happened to me got me to laugh!
Please make sure to read the update at the bottom of the post…life is filled with ironies!
For those of you who have seen this story, I hope you'll weigh in again. The majority of you, I know haven't read it because I had a much smaller readership back then, I hope you'll weigh in now!
So today I bring you one from the COCOCOZY archives…UGLY OR PRETTY? HOODWINKED BY HERMES! You be the judge!
This is my Hermes scarf. This is the Hermes scarf that I was duped into buying.
Here's how this became mine…
I was at the Hermes store in Beverly Hills on Rodeo Drive awhile back (August 2009)….on a mission to buy a new Hermes scarf. Thought it would be nice to have a classic silk scarf to wear as a belt with black dresses, jeans or black pants. Chic preppy. That was my goal. Black gold and white…or maybe one in that classic Hermes orange. Definitely with an equestrian feel (as I used to ride horses years ago…and love to pretend that I still have the horse woman in me by occasionally incorporating horsey things into my life). I knew what I wanted…I had a clear vision…focus…resolve.
Well, I walked into the store to buy my scarf just as that day's Birkin bag had arrived. If you haven't been to Hermes lately, in place of the renowned Birkin waiting list, Hermes has now started the clever practice of only releasing one of these $10,000+ bags a day…in a surprise daily ritual with the manager walking the bag down from a secret storage area at an unknown time. This Birkin bag "practice" creates a very bizarre in-store hysteria on a day-to-day basis with uber shoppers thronging the store in hopes of getting their hands on the leather purse of the day. The bags usually are sold within 10 minutes I was later told by one of the sales people. Only 10 minutes to sell a purse that costs over $10,000!!! That's smart…trickery….or magic…you decide?
Well, all I wanted was a scarf.
So as I was standing at the scarf counter speaking with one of the Hermes ladies…the Birkin bag arrived. I was almost shoved aside. A girl and her boyfriend, a middle aged woman who everyone seemed to know, an older husband and wife, and lady who looked like a tourist (whatever that means) were all there waiting…to see the color, to decide whether they would plunk down the $10,000. All eager, all with bated breath. It was then that I got distracted. Totally distracted (which would be much to my chagrin).
Watching this Birkin bag purchasing spectacle made me for one moment think that I needed that day's Birkin. My heart started to race. My American Express felt like it was burning a whole in my not so chic Tod's bag. If that bag was not taken, I was going to buy it. Lucky for me (and my bank account), the young girl and her boyfriend, who seemed to have been first in line, won the coveted bag that day. I didn't even have the option to purchase. What? Why not? How did these people know to even be here? How can I get one? This is not fair? Why didn't I get the memo? Why wasn't I in the know? These were all things that were running through my mind as the Birkin sailed out of the store and I was left at the war torn scarf counter.
Bewildered and bemused, I continued my hunt for the perfect silk scarf. I should have left after witnessing that Birkin whirlwind. I had lost all senses. While I had told the sales lady that I definitely and absolutely wanted a more traditional Hermes patterned scarf (you know the kind that oozes classic style), I did feel a bit like a second class citizen and was very impressionable at that point. Here were all of the ladies ready to fork over $10K and all I wanted was a measly $375 scarf (I know $375 is not cheap…I know…that's why I'm telling this story…it was crazy…craziness…but the whirlwind of the Birkin made me lose my senses I tell you. It did! Aaaarrggghhhh!!!!)
So when the sales lady said in her best French accent, "Zees eeez za scarf you must geeeet. Eeet is so very very chic….I adorrrhhhee eeet!", I looked at the scarf and thought to myself, "Really? I don't know? Is this a joke? Maybe she's right? I don't know. I think it is kind of awful. Ooops, I should never even think anything is awful in Hermes. If I do, I may never be in the Hermes know. Well, she just said many of her clients are scarf collectors and this scarf is the one to have this season. I don't know? It seems…so…so…I don't know? Maybe if I buy one of these more daring scarves, I will feel like I am in the know…like the Birkin bag shoppers. I'll have a collectors Hermes scarf. That's it yes! Forget staid traditional. I'm going daring. I'm part of the "in" scarf collectors crowd. There…yes…aha!"
The scarf she carefully unfolded in front of me is the scarf you see here. Hmmm….
The scarf features a mish mosh of colors, patterns, themes, eras, a cornucopia of flora, fauna and half of a Native American man dressed in traditional garb (notice there is only half of this man on the scarf). Oh yes, did I mention, the palm fronds, the tiger and the medieval times horses?
So the scarf is mine. I've worn it once. I've tried it on a couple of times and even as a belt it doesn't seem to work.
Now I leave it to you…is my Hermes silk scarf UGLY OR PRETTY?
Am I missing something here? I think you know where I stand on this…if you don't by now, I'll just call a spade a spade…I think it is leaning towards ugly…
To tie this into home decor…maybe I can salvage this in some way. I won't ever wear it but maybe I could frame it and make it a piece of art? Hang it on a wall? Add style and panache to my home?!#$%^&… I don't think so.
If all of you see some beauty here…I'll reconsider my point of view…I'm waiting…weigh in please!
Important Update…I was just on the Hermes site…today 4/15/11 and I noticed that a version of my scarf (it is called Carre en Carres) is still being sold at Hermes and it is now $580…my scarf has appreciated over time! This is crazy. The scarf I've made fun of for years is actually more expensive now than it was when I bought it. I guess there was no hoodwinking going on after all…someone thinks it's pretty enough that its value has grown! Whoa! Over time, I have found uses for my scarf…I've worn it as a belt (hiding the design), a drawer liner, a keepsake…but I've still never been daring enough to actually wear it as scarf!
Was just on the phone with my good stylish friend Amie (A.Ro.) who works in the fashion industry. Years ago she said the scarf was "in" and I said not. A.Ro. is on her way to Paris and is at the airport right now. She just called and asked me why I was laughing…and I reminded her about the scarf and the story and told her the scarf has apppreciated to $580…all she said was, "I told you. That scarf was on trend. I knew it.". I guess I'm still not on trend!
Please weigh in…do you think this scarf is ugly or pretty?
Happy Friday!
Photos: all photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy


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Obituary Greg Tiller
October 19, 1951 – January 3, 2014
Tahoe lost one of its most gifted, long time skiers, Greg Tiller, on Friday,January 3. Greg died at age 62 at his home in Tahoe City with his wife, Benita Luke-Tiller by his side. He lost his battle with cancer, after a brave fight. Greg grew up in Hopkins, Minnesota and is survived by his mother Anna Lee Tiller, sister DeAnn Mulpolder and nephew Stuart Mulpolder, along with his wife Benita. He grew up ski racing and playing ice hockey, baseball and football. Greg attended college at Arizona State University. He then traveled to Hawaii to surf, and later returned to Arizona and worked at Arizona Ski Bowl on the ski patrol. In 1991, he moved to Tahoe. Shortly thereafter, Benita recalls "I picked him up at Jake's on the Lake." They were married two years later in Carmel, California. Greg worked in developer real estate sales around the lake at places including Olympic Village Inn, Lahontan, Tonopalo and Diamond Resorts. But skiing and sports were his passion, and he and Benita skied for decades at Squaw Valley, waterskied on Lake Tahoe and traveled. He also golfed and mountain biked. Greg had an encyclopedic memory for all types of information, but on any given ski day he could recite all the runs he'd taken, the conditions on each run and with whom he'd skied. His energy, wit and warmth will be missed by colleagues, friends, ski buddies and his fellow music and guitar enthusiasts. A memorial will take place from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 25, 2014 in the Grand Ballroom A at the Resort at Squaw Creek. In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting Tahoe Forest Hospice (Truckee, Calif.), whose in-home care for Greg was invaluable.
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Silicon Valley's Secret, Vicious Lust for Hollywood Fame
Motivations are supposed to be pure in Silicon Valley. Facebook, for example, was developed to make the world a better place; its billions of dollars in revenue are just a happy accident. And when a Facebook scion eagerly promoted her titillating new reality show, she was roundly condemned as a terrible sellout—by people who were themselves dying to sell out.
Greed insists on disguises, and Northern California's robber-barons have long made a point of trying to elevate themselves above the non-value-adding Philistines back in New York. Their bodies are temples, their food is ethical, their non-business activities are numerous and sophisticated, even the way they viciously rip one another to pieces is, like, totally Zen.
When Randi Zuckerberg, sister to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, announced she'd be executive producing a reality show about the tech world for the Bravo cable network, she completely (if temporarily) obliterated this notion of Silicon Valley exceptionalism. And of course the backlash was immediate. Among the numerous and widely circulated takedowns of the less-known Zuckerberg was this one, from longtime Valley journalist Sarah Lacy. The whole thing is a fairly relentless and breathtaking read, but here are some choice bits:
She has sold her industry and her generation out, and there's little any of the real entrepreneurs can say other than sit there, mouth agape, wondering why the hell she would do this. I hope she made plenty of money off the deal, because as far as I'm concerned she's sold her Silicon Valley soul for fifteen minutes of fame on basic cable... How on earth can Randi Zuckerberg... sleep at night?
Here's an important bit of context: The person who wrote that herself wanted to make a reality TV show about Silicon Valley, we're reliably informed. When she was setting up her widely and purposely conflicted site PandoDaily, Lacy tried to recruit staffers with visions of her own reality-show dream. It was described to us as a competition that would pit tech startup against tech startup, all in front of the cameras, and all as part of a sort of roving tech-money circus that would end with a final champion round in the very serious, soulful, not-at-all-sold-out city of Las Vegas, Nevada.
The obvious way to reconcile Lacy's angry attack on Zuckerberg with her own fantasies of lights and cameras is to assume she envisions her own reality show as very, very different from Zuckerberg's reality show. So much less filthy, you see. Zuckerberg's preview reel showed "people drinking, shirtless in clubs... parties, bimbo women, an obsession with money and things... like 'The Jersey Shore,' only without the tans." Lacy's show would presumably focus on much more substantive issues around startups, like say data-sharding optimization strategies and REST API design fundamentals, and never ever include titillating video clips in the preview reels.
But the broader story behind this incestuous tech-industry kerfuffle is that Silicon Valley still pretends it is intellectually and morally above Hollywood, even as it needs and wants Hollywood as it never has before.
Twitter is valued at more than $8 billion despite historically scant revenue, in part thanks to Hollywood celebs like Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Oprah Winfrey, Ashton Kutcher, and so on.
And while Google has turned from a "don't be evil" post-post-graduate school into something much more ruthless, it has found plenty of heart to exempt celebrities from the invasive rules that govern other users. In other words, Google wants performers like Lady Gaga and Conan O'Brien to sign up for its services and dance for its employees, but it doesn't want their irreverent, explicit energy actually mucking up its products.
It's sort of like how Mark Zuckerberg fought and fought and fought against having the origins of his company made into a lightly fictionalized movie — even saying "I wish that no one made a movie about me when I was alive" — before taking his whole staff to see exactly that movie. In other words, the same entrepreneur who stared down Google and sloughed off big acquisition offers from the likes of Microsoft had to throw up his hands and surrender to reality when it came to the lure of celebrity and storytelling. Hopefully all of Silicon Valley's wannabe Zuckerbergs will soon learn to do likewise.


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The humble Lego minifig usually leads a life of adventure and conquest—pirates, knights, Jedi—glamour and thrills. But underneath all that plastic? Pulsating, bleeding bone and organs, just like us.
Meet Microsoft's New Surface Laptops
Jason Freeny, the artist behind this sculpted vivisection, details the process on his Facebook page, showing the use of an off the shelf Lego toy, sculpting clay, and some very, very meticulous work. But I wonder—is the plastic of a Lego man his skin, or some kind of grotesque suit he's trapped inside? Have we peeled away his flesh, or revealed his constant torment, a cage of polymer containing his rattling frame and spasming entrails? Is he man in miniature, or some cybernetic freak? I want this on my desk. [Jason Freeny via Laughing Squid]


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ISwitch & 4 Pushbuttons Temperature Humidity Sensors Alluminium
iSwitch is a wall-mounting room controller device for on/off switching of loads, dimming of lighting devices, control of motor drives or other programmable switching and control functions. The product is equipped with integrated temperature sensor, humidity sensor and ambient sensor. iSwitch can act as a room probe or thermostat, both in heating and cooling mode.Body gateway included
- Switching, toogle, dimming, shutter/blinds, thermostat controls, scenes, value, 2 channels, step switching mode features are available.
- 2-points, PWM or continuous room temperature regulation
- Operating modes: comfort, standby, economy and building protection.
- Automatic switching between operating modes.
- Seasonal modes: heating and cooling with possibility of local via bus seasonal changeover.
- Temperature measuring through integrated sensors with possibility of sending the value on the bus.
- LED configuration is available.
- Locking is available for all features.
- Ventilation control with continuous or 5-speed regulation
- External-internal temperature, (measured, setpoint, outdoor values as ºC and ºF), operating mode, settings, CO2 concentration, fan control, humidity, on/off features are displayed on LCDs.
- Relative humidity measuring through the integrated sensor with possibility of sending the value on the bus
- Humidification and dehumidification control.
- Integrated light sensor (1/64k Lux)
- Natural Alluminium ( cod. ITR-304-0100 )
- Black Alluminium ( cod. ITR-304-0101 )
- Champagne Alluminium ( cod .ITR-304-0106 )


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[cover: Calvinist iconoclastic riot in Lyons in 1562]
[cover design by Dave and Judy Armstrong]
— For purchase, go to the bottom of the page —
Subtitle: Replies to Exegetical Arguments in John Calvin's Institutes, Books I-III
Introduction [read in its entirety]
I. Salvation, Justification, Sanctification, and Predestination
1. Is God the Author of Evil? [read lengthy excerpt on Facebook]
2. Can Only Regenerate Men Perform Truly Good Works?
3. Total Depravity: Are the Non-Elect Continually Evil?
4. Are All Hearts "Desperately Wicked"?
5. Perseverance of the Saints: Biblical Disproofs [partial excerpt on Facebook]
6. Can True Faith Ever be Lost?
7. Can the Hope that is Allied with True Faith be Lost?
8. Does God Unconditionally Predestine the Reprobate?
9. Limited Atonement and Irresistible Grace?
II. Visual Images
1. Non-Idolatrous Physical Images of God in Scripture
2. "Graven Images": Extreme and Unbiblical Iconoclasm
3. Calvin's Denial of Images as a Teaching Aid
III. Bible and Tradition: The Rule of Faith
1. Scripture has Intrinsic Authority, Not from the Church
2. Church Authority and the Canon of Scripture
IV. The Communion of Saints
1. Antipathy to Veneration of Saints and Angels
2. Saints and Angels, Intercession and Invocation of
V. Penance
1. Satisfaction and Penitential Mortification
2. Redemptive Suffering
3. Mortal and Venial Sins
4. Temporal Punishment After Forgiveness [read online]
5. Indulgences and Distribution of Grace [read short excerpt on Facebook]
VI. Purgatory
1. Calvin's Derisive Rhetoric and Matthew 12:32
2. Matthew 5:25-26
3. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15
4. Prayer for the Dead
Appendix of Areas of Calvinist-Catholic Agreement
Antinomianism; Cheap Grace
Apostolic Succession
Church: No Salvation Outside of
Confession and Absolution (of a sort) [read excerpt on Facebook]
Faith and Works are Both Necessary in the Christian Life
Faith, The (Meaning, "Orthodox Doctrinal Belief")
Foreknowledge is Not Predestination
God: Anthropomorphism / Anthropopathism
God, Glory of: Displayed in, or Shared with Angels
God, Glory of: Displayed in, or Shared with Men
God: Immutability of
God: Providence of / Sustainer of the Universe
Grace Alone; Initial Justification
Grace: Greater Degree or Measure of
Grace: Synergy; Free Cooperation with God's Grace
Justification and Sanctification: Closely Allied
Law of Moses: not Abrogated or Abolished
Mary: "Blessed Virgin"
Materialism, Scientific (Falsity of)
Natural Theology / Teleological Argument for God
Paganism, Incorporation of Truths from
Saints (Dead), Intercession of
Sanctification [read on Facebook]
Suffering; Taking up the Cross
Theosis; Divinization
[PAPERBACK: List: $19.95] [KINDLE: 2.99] [NOOK: 2.99] [APPLE BOOKS: 2.99] [KOBO: 2.99] [ePub, PDF, or MOBI 3.99: purchase via email / PayPal: firstname.lastname@example.com]


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This article is more than 1 year old
Booze and breasts combined, finally
Drink! Girls! Feck!
Ladies, if you're not happy with the size of your bust, but your boyfriend won't let you see surgical redress, then retailer Firebox has a solution that'll make you both grin with glee.
The WineRack: pour the wine in and suck away
The company's unveiled the WineRack bra. As the name suggests, and the pictures indicate, it's simply a large bra with a polyurethane pocket inside to hold your ante-nipple tipple of choice, such as Liebfraulmilch.
A tube's connected on one side that enables the wearer and friends to sup from the cup, making the support garment a good way for sneaking booze into over-priced bars and nightclubs.
Boob support is questionable
Although we could have thought of a better name, such as the Bra Bar, the gadget's obvious disadvantage is that your tipple of choice will get warm very quickly whilst spread over, under and in between her two lovelies.
Another problem is that as you and your partner/mate sup from the teat, her bust will be retreating to its normal size.
Amy WineRack WineRack bra is available online now in a pointless small or man-sized medium. It costs £20 ($40/€27).


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WATCH: Jennifer Lopez doesn't 'Worry No More' in latest 'AKA' teaser
Jennifer Lopez won't "Worry No More" about love; she wants to "feel brand new" in her latest AKA album teaser. Ahead of next week's release, the pop diva has slowly been revealing cinematic tidbits from her new project. On Wednesday (June 11), she dropped the searing "Emotions" sneak peek. Now, diehards get a glimpse at another side of the singer, through her collaboration with Rick Ross.
"Do anything you can to make me feel protected," she sings on the opening line, of the one minute clip. She then clutches her chiseled beau, as machine-generated fog wraps around their sweaty bodies. By the looks of things, Jlo is pulling a Beyonce with a visual album-style release–at least, that's what the internet is saying at the moment.
As her 10th studio album to-date, the dance queen is certainly offering up a set that's as diverse as her outfits on American Idol. This release follows the tracks "I Luh Ya Papi" and "First Love."
Jennifer Lopez - A.K.A. Album Teaser: Worry No More ft. Rick Ross


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Ferrari is celebrating its 20th anniversary in China with 20 commemorative custom 458 Italias. With "Marco Polo Red" paint and a golden dragon on the hood, have they made a proper tribute, or just a stereotype?
There are no mechanical changes to these anniversary-edition cars, but their interiors get gold embroidery, a Mandarin-language 'start' button, and a gold plaque. The real news is the paint job.
Ferrari describe the hood's dragon decal as traditional.
The inspiration behind the livery came from the longma theme which is an old Chinese idiom which means "the vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse"… The [soaring dragon and the prancing horse] symbols reflect both Chinese culture as well as Ferrari's constant innovation.
This isn't the first time that Ferrari has made custom Ferraris to show off in China. In 2005, they drove two 612 Scagliettis 15,000 miles around the country, and in 2009, they commissioned artist Lu Hao to paint a one-off 599 China that sold for $1.8 million at a charity auction.
The Chinese exotic car market favors gaudy cars, but the dragon on this 458 strikes us as being significantly less tasteful than any of Ferrari's other commemorative treatments.
Wouldn't red paint and gold wheels have been sufficiently gaudy?


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Welcome to the Truthbomb Apologetics Free Online E-book Library. From time to time, while researching a given topic, we run across a free e-book online. I decided to put them all together into one collection. I will be adding to it as I find other books. If you know of a free e-book, that would go nicely in the collection, please share it with us.
I hope you find these books helpful in your search for truth; and hey, they are free! I love free books!
Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock: What to Say Jehovah Witnesses When They Knock on your Door by Mike Licona
Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock: What to Say to Mormons When They Knock on Your Door by Mike Licona
Beyond the Bounds: Open Theism and the Undermining of Biblical Christianity edited by John Piper, Justin Taylor, and Paul Kjoss Helseth [PDF]
Confessions by St. Augustine [PDF]
C.S. Lewis- A Profile in Faith [PDF]
Curse of Cain? Racism in the Mormon Church by Jerald and Sandra Tanner
Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching by St. Irenaeus
Digging for the Evidence by Peter S. Williams [PDF] NEW!
Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R.C. Sproul [PDF]
Evidence for the Historical Jesus: Is the Jesus of History the Christ of Faith? by Gary Habermas
Evidence of Christianity by William Paley
Fifty Nobel Laureates and Other Great Scientists Who Believe in God [PDF]
Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die by John Piper [PDF]; originally called The Passion of the Christ
How Do You Know the Bible is from God? by Kyle Butt [PDF]
Jesus Rediscovered by Malcolm Muggeridge
Letters to a Mormon Elder by James R. White
Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia by W.M. Ramsey
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis [Audio available as well]
Mormon Claims Answered by Marvin Cowan
Pens'ees by Blaise Pascal
St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen by W.M. Ramsey
Suffering and the Sovereignty of God by John Piper [PDF]
Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas
The Case for the Existence of God by Bert Thompson, Ph.D. [PDF]
The Changing World of Mormonism by Jerald and Sandra Tanner [PDF available here]
The Dawkins Letters by David Robertson
The Irrational Atheist by Vox Day [PDF]
The Mark of the Christian by Francis A. Schaeffer
The New Testament Documents: Are they Reliable? by F.F. Bruce
The Person of Christ According to the New Testament by B.B. Warfield [In EPUB, .MOBI, .PDF & HTML Formats]
The Resurrection of Theism: Prolegomena to Christian Apology by Stuart Hackett
The Scientific Case for Creation by Bert Thompson, Ph.D. [PDF]
The Story of the Bible by Sir Frederic Kenyon
The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ Among the Major World Religions by Dr. Gary Habermas [PDF]
The Works of Flavius Josephus
Tracking the White Salamander: The Story of Mark Hofmann, Murder, and Forged Mormon Documents by Jerald Tanner
Warranted Christian Belief by Dr. Alvin Plantinga
Was Christ Born in Bethlehem? by W.M. Ramsey
Why Isn't God More Obvious? by Paul Moser [PDF]
Christian Living
Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners by John Bunyan [PDF available]
Dealing with Doubt by Dr. Gary Habermas
Holy War by John Bunyan [PDF available]
Man-The Dwelling Place of God by A.W. Tozer
Real Christianity by William Wilberforce
The Necessity of Prayer by E.M. Bounds
The Normal Christian Life by Watchmen Nee
The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
The Thomas Factor: Using Your Doubts to Draw Closer to God by Dr. Gary Habermas
The Works of Jonathan Edwards
With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray
Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design
In Six Days- Why 50 Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation, Edited by Dr. John Ashton
Natural Theology by William Paley
On the Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin
Refuting Evolution 1 by Jonathan Sarfati, Ph.D., F.M.
Refuting Evolution 2 by Jonathan Sarfati, with Michael Matthews
Taking Back Astronomy by Jason Lisle
The Bible and the Age of the Earth by Bert Thompson, Ph.D. [PDF]
The Creation Answers Book by Dr. Don Batton (Contributing Editor), Dr. David Catchpoole, Dr. Jonathan Sarfati, and Dr. Carl Wieland
The Descent of Man by Charles Darwin
The Global Flood of Noah by Bert Thompson, Ph.D. [PDF]
The Mystery of Life's Origin by Charles B. Thaxton, Walter L. Bradley, and Roger L. Olsen [PDF or Adobe Reader]
The New Answers Book by various authors
In the Shadow of Darwin, a review of the teachings of John N. Clayton by Wayne Jackson and Bert Thompson [PDF]
Logic and Fallacies of Logic by Dr. Johnson C. Philip and Dr. Saneesh Cherian [PDF]
The Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments by Ali Almossawi
A Treatise on Human Nature by David Hume
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Critique of Pure Reason by Emmanuel Kant
Ethics by Aristotle
Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard
Me, the Professor, Fuzzy, and the Meaning of Life by David Pensgard
Heretics by G.K. Chesterton
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton [PDF]
Philosophical Fragments by Soren Kierkegaard
Selections from the Writings of Kierkegaard- Translated by L.M. Hollander
The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton
The Predicament of Modern Man by Elton Trueblood
The Sickness Unto Death by Soren Kierkegaard
Thus Spake Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche
What's Wrong with the World? by G.K. Chesterton
Happy reading!
Courage and Godspeed,


text:
- Papers
- Patents
- Publication Statistics
|Status :
|Date :
|Title :
|Directional Information based Mobility Procedure for Throughput Enhancement in Mobile TVWS
|Authors :
|Jihaeng Heo, Gosan Noh, Sungsoo Park, Eunsun Kim, and Daesik Hong
|Conference :
|Abstract :
|Portable unlicensed devices operating in TV white space must adhere to FCC rules designed to protect licensed devices. These rules decrease the achievable throughput for the portable unlicensed devices because the portable unlicensed devices are required to perform channel availability query (CAQ) before transmitting. In order to reduce the number of CAQs, the Federal Communications Commission allows a regionbased mobility procedure (RMP).in this paper, we propose a new-RMP using directional information in order to enhance the achievable throughput. Directional information enables an unlicensed portable device to increase its achievable throughput by considering a uni-directional region that is smaller than an omni-directional region. Simulation results show that the proposed RMPs enhance the achievable throughput compared to the conventional RMPs. In addition, the achievable throughput for the proposed RMP using a navigation system is greatly enhanced compared to the conventional RMPs.
|Download :
Jihaeng Heo; Gosan Noh; Sungsoo Park; Eunsun Kim; Daesik Hong, "Directional Information Based Mobility Procedure for Throughput Enhancement in Mobile TVWS," Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC Fall), 2013 IEEE 78th , vol., no., pp.1,5, 2-5 Sept. 2013
doi: 10.1109/VTCFall.2013.6692161
keywords: {mobile handsets;radio spectrum management;FCC rules;Federal Communications Commission;TV white space;achievable throughput;channel availability query;directional information based mobility procedure;mobile TVWS;portable unlicensed device;throughput enhancement;unidirectional region;unlicensed portable device;FCC;Navigation;Performance evaluation;Silicon;TV;Throughput;Vectors},
URL: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6692161&isnumber=6691970


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SWELL SWILL: The gun's always greasy, the beer's always cold, and the popcorn's always free at the Silhouette in Allston.
See the losers in the best bars. Meet the winners in the dives.
— Neil Young
We find ourselves living in a city that's changing before our eyes. The humble, the homegrown, the timeworn — these things aren't valued like they once were. Where they do still exist, they're often being replaced with the shiny, the pricy, the soulless. But even in this dead-eyed era of creeping corporatism, pockets of character, authenticity, and independence do still exist.
Bars, we're talking about. Dive bars. Holes. Downmarket drinking dens. The kind of local places where the beer is but a couple bucks. Where the drinks are cold and stiff. Where the air wafts with the unmistakable but not-altogether-unpleasant tang of suds long since spilled. Where the neon shines bright and true and the jukebox plays good and loud.
Here, in no particular order, are some of our favorites.
CHARLIE'S KITCHEN | 10 Eliot Street, Cambridge | This Harvard Square haunt has a better beer selection than most proper dives. It also has the best punk-and-indie-stocked juke in town. Occasional live music? Gravy.
CROSSROADS IRISH PUB | 495 Beacon Street, Boston | Wednesday nights, buy a pitcher and get a free pizza. Thursday nights — sign up for the Beirut tournament! — get an order of hot wings with your pitcher. You can't beat that with a stick.
DOYLE'S CAFÉ | 3484 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain | Not exactly a "dive," per se, but the utter laidbackness and lack of pretension of this cavernous, creaky, character-rich, 127-year-old JP classic earns it a spot on this list. Try the Pickwick Ale.
THE DUGOUT | 722 Comm Ave, Boston | The name fits on a technical level: it's below street level! But to judge by the primary decor — BU hockey team pictures dating back to the '60s — it's otherwise a misnomer.
J.J. FOLEY'S | 117 East Berkeley Street and 21 Kingston Street, Boston | It's a rare dive bar indeed that features friendly-faced barkeeps in starched shirts and black ties. But that's the kind of class you're in for at these two Irish-Boston institutions.
THE MODEL CAFÉ | 7 North Beacon Street, Allston | I say "Model," you say "Mo-delle." Let's call the whole thing off. Then we'll crack open a couple beers, feed five five bucks into the jukebox, and argue about what songs to pick.
P.A.'S LOUNGE | 345 Somerville Avenue, Somerville | The P.A. stands for "Portuguese American." Long frequented by men from Madeira and the Azores, it now also plays host to hipsters seeking cheap booze and some of the best live music in town.
T.C.'S LOUNGE | One Haviland Street, Boston | Walls chockablock with cheesy kitsch. Posters stained yellow from cigarettes of ages past. A faux fireplace. Shots with names like "Oxycontin" and "Blackout." Naked Photo Hunt. Pure class.
THE TAM | 222 Tremont Street, Boston | In a nifty nod to thrift, this Theater District stalwart glued countless pennies atop its tables. You'll need more than a few Abe Lincolns to order a beer here — but not too many more. (Try the Brubaker pounders.)
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Do You Skip Breakfast as Much as Everyone Else? — Survey of the Day
If, as the saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then why do so many people skip it so frequently?
According to a survey of 2,000 adults by electrical-goods firm Phillips, 33 percent never eat breakfast at all. Another 30 percent munch during their way to work or school, and the remaining 37 percent sit down and eat a proper morning meal.
Phillips also calculated that it takes eight-and-a-half minutes to eat breakfast.


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Daniel Hodge - October 21, 2019
S.4 E.3 The Rise and Fall of the Religious Left: Dr. Benji Rolsky
From Series: "Profane Faith"
A podcast that engages faith, on the margins. Faith that has been labeled, profane, non-conformist, and/ or "out there." We'll be exploring the intersections of the sacred, secular, and profane to find God. Profane Faith is a Dauntless Media Collective podcast. Visit dauntless.fm for more content.
Dr. Rolsky's Website The Rise and Fall of the Religious Left (Book Link) What the Left Can Learn from the Right About Winning Elections RELIGION IN HIP-HOP, PART 1: EXPLORING THE RELIGIOUS HISTORY OF KENDRICK LAMAR How Mister Rogers' faith shaped his idea of children's television RELIGION IN HIP-HOP, PART 2: UNPACKING THE METHODOLOGY


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WASHINGTON – WASHINGTON (AP) — Law enforcement officials decided not to call all airlines directly on Monday to tell them an important name had been added to the government's "no-fly" list, even as investigators pursued the man they suspected was the Times Square bomber.
Emirates airlines apparently didn't notice the notification from the Transportation Security Administration that there was an addition to the list, and Faisal Shahzad boarded a Mideast-bound jetliner before federal authorities pulled him off and arrested him. On Wednesday, the government issued a new requirement for airlines to check the no-fly list more often, a move aimed at closing that security gap in future cases of terror suspects.
But officials could have called all the airlines themselves in such a critical situation — they've done it before.
This would have put Shahzad on the radar of the carriers, and it could have prevented him from being able to board the Emirates plane headed for Dubai.
The FBI asked the TSA not to make the calls, according to an administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the ongoing investigation. The FBI did let the TSA call a few domestic air carriers, which did not include Emirates.
According to the Obama administration, the airline appeared to drop the ball on Monday by not consulting an updated list when the Times Square suspect purchased his ticket. A post-9/11 requirement that airlines provide Customs and Border Protection officials with lists of passengers 30 minutes before departure kept Shahzad from leaving the country.
Obama administration officials say this is why the aviation security system has multiple layers. Emirates airlines officials did not respond to requests for comment about their role in the security lapse.
On Wednesday, the government issued a new requirement: Airlines must check updates to the no-fly list within two hours of being notified of changes.
Previously, the airlines have had to check for updates every 24 hours. If they don't comply with the new policy, they could face penalties, a Homeland Security official said.
This is the latest policy change for one of the government's best-known counterterrorism tools, a list that is constantly updated based on terror threats — but one that is also known for inconveniencing innocent travelers when they are held up at airport security because their names are similar to those on the list. The list was never intended to be the country's last line of defense against terrorism. But whenever there is an aviation security-related incident, the process gets refined.
Intelligence officials have always been concerned about sharing sensitive information widely, such as the name of a suspect. Some airlines are partially owned by their governments, and law enforcement officials could have thought that notifying all of the airlines to be on the lookout for Shahzad could jeopardize the case.
The FBI would not comment on the decision. "We don't discuss specific operations or investigative techniques," FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said.
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., called the decision not to make the calls a mistake in judgment and "clearly wrong."
Kip Hawley, a former TSA administrator, said officials have made such calls in critical situations before.
"When somebody comes across as an expedited no-fly, that means pick up the phone, don't send an e-mail," he said.
Hawley was the head of TSA when intelligence officials unraveled a 2006 terror plot in which al-Qaida operatives planned to blow up U.S.-bound airliners using liquid explosives. As soon as Hawley and others were aware that names would be added to the no-fly list, they prepared to pick up the phone and call people directly, he said. He would not say who specifically was called during the 2006 plot because that information is operationally sensitive.
The last change to the watch-listing process came after the attempted Christmas Day airliner bombing by a man whose name was not on the no-fly list despite the availability of disparate pieces of intelligence on the bomber and the plot. Since then intelligence analysts have added thousands of names to the list based on up-to-date threat information with the hope of not letting another terrorist on an airplane.
Then Monday happened. Amid a fast-paced terror investigation, law enforcement officials put the name of the man prosecutors say tried to blow up an SUV in Times Square on the no-fly list early Monday afternoon. The Homeland Security Department sent a notification to airlines that the watch list had been updated and that they should work off of the latest version. Because Shahzad was able to board the plane, the government believes Emirates airlines did not consult the updated no fly list when he bought his one-way ticket in cash, just hours before the flight was scheduled to leave.
Customs and Border Protection officials spotted Shahzad's name on the passenger list and recognized him as the bombing suspect they were looking for when Shahzad was in his seat and the plane was preparing to leave the gate. Customs officials knew to look for him because of updates to the no-fly list made earlier in the day.
"You don't have to have a silver-bullet strategy," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Wednesday. "So the system is set up so that a series of checks are provided that prevented this person from flying."
The changes announced Wednesday do not go far enough, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. said. The administration should require that airlines flag passengers who pay for tickets with cash as well, he said.
Schumer also said matching names to watch lists in the commercial aviation sector should be up to the government, not airlines.
The government agrees. It has planned to take over the responsibility, but the transition has taken longer than expected. The new program is almost fully implemented for domestic airlines and is months away from beginning with international carriers.
As for the airline in Monday's case, it released this statement Wednesday:
"Emirates fully cooperated with and responded immediately to all local and federal authorities on all matters related to its flight EK 202 (New York-Dubai, 3rd May) where a passenger was removed from the aircraft by U.S. law enforcement officials. Emirates is in full compliance with all passenger check-in procedures in the U.S. and works closely with both the Transport Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agencies to update security watch lists on a regular and timely basis."


text:
2033 Gateway Place
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San email@example.com
For more than a decade, the Reaction Search San Jose Food Products Executive Search Firm Specialty Team has provided its food product clients with superior food product industry talent acquisitions by matching top food product industry professionals with employers in the San Jose, California Metro Area.
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Our highly trained executive recruiting firm has real-world food product industry experience and insight, making them the best suited for conducting construction executive search to enhance the staffing infrastructure in both private and public organizations.
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Our Food Products Recruiting Agencies specializes in the following search areas:
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One of the many dimensions that make our food product top executive recruiters truly unique is the fact that they are food product executive industry insiders. Our San Jose food product industry recruitment company teams have actually worked in the positions for which they now recruit talent. With this unique insight and perspective, they are better equipped to deliver search results that continue to uphold and ensure our firm's consistently high retention rates within the San Jose Food Products Top Recruiting Firms.
Because our job recruiters San Jose are familiar with the key San Jose food product players and the "ins and outs" of the San Jose food products field, they know the questions to ask, and are able to quickly and effectively assess candidate competency. These insights amongst other dimensions enable our San Jose headhunters to consistently recruit premium food product candidates. These are just a few of many ways in which our Job Recruiters San Jose distinguish themselves from recruiting agencies who are just trying to hastily fulfill an executive job search.
From start-up to Fortune 500 companies, our extensive San Jose food products industry knowledge base and proven track record of accomplishments enables our firm, RSI, to expeditiously and thoroughly tailor and fulfill each San Jose Food Products Executive Search. Simply, we provide outstanding service and bottom line results by servicing a comprehensive range of disciplines.
San Jose, California Executive Search Recruiters San Jose's economy is mainly based around the Silicon Valley. In 2000, at the height of the dot-com boom, San Jose's residents had the highest median household income of any large city's residents in the US (highest of cities with over 300,000 people). One downside to the lack of diversification is high unemployment rates during periods of economic recession. On the other hand, high technology is always updating and improving, and the San Jose's economy has been proven to bounce back from recession periods faster than other cities that lack economic diversification. The Silicon Valley is home to the world's largest collection of high tech corporations and small tech-based startups. The Santa Clara Valley earned the nickname "Silicon Valley" for its large collection of silicon chip manufacturers. Today the Silicon Valley accounts for a third of all venture capital investment in the United States. This investment has helped fuel innovation. Silicon Valley residents produce more US patents than any other region in the country. Below is a list of the major high-tech companies in and near San Jose.
Fortune 500 Companies The Silicon Valley is home to many well-known Fortune 500 technology companies. In 2012 five of these companies (Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Intel, Cisco Systems, and Google) cracked the top 100. This is a list of the San Jose area companies on the 2012 Fortune 500 list. These 15 companies are located in San Jose and its neighboring cities of Palo Alto, Cupertino, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Fremont, Sunnyvale, and Milpitas.
Fortune 500 Companies in the San Jose Metro Area
Additional Notable Companies in San Jose are:


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"I move for a bad… court… thingy"
Universal And Fox Sued Over Simpson's Theme Park Ride… By A Musicians' Union
from the if-we-didn't-think-of-it,-it-must-be-illegal dept
The Simpsons has had a long run (perhaps overly so) and, despite being Fox's cash cow for the last quarter century, has never been targeted with a lawsuit. It took the show being turned into a theme park ride to do it and even then, it took over four years from the ride's debut before something Simpson's-related became suit-worthy.
And it's not about licensing, trademarks, copyright or any of the usual suspects. It's about the music. The Simpson's theme music that runs nonstop from entrance to exit is the problem. While it would seem obvious that the rights would be cleared on an officially licensed theme ride, the American Federation of Musicians says it isn't.
[T]he union is objecting to a Simpsons roller coaster attraction at Universal Studios Theme Park in Hollywood that has been featuring the recorded music soundtrack from the show. The plaintiff union filed the lawsuit in California federal court, alleging that Universal obtained the recording without providing any notice.
According to the complaint, both Fox and Universal are parties to a 2010 agreement with the musicians guild that "include(s) a broad restriction on new uses" of music recorded for TV shows…
The lawsuit states, "Universal's use of music sound track from The Simpsons at its park does not fall within any of the new use exceptions enumerated in Article 8 of the Agreement and, thus, is not an authorized new use under the Agreement."
As far as statements go, AFM's allegation that Universal's use of the theme music for its ride does not fall within the "defined new uses" is true. It doesn't. Universal's counterclaim, that the use of the soundtrack is "promotional" and therefore, not subject to AFM's royalty demands, could also be considered largely factual. After all, a theme park ride is a giant advertisement for the franchise. But when all the crosstalk dies down, what it really looks like is a royalty grab by AFM, whose contractual language failed to nail down specific rates for use of its music by a theme park attraction.
The filing notes that Fox originally "engaged the professional services of AFM musicians" when recording the theme song. But Universal skipped an important step, at least according to AFM, by putting the theme song to use on the Simpson's ride without notifying the union. Why should AFM been notified? It's tough to say. From the lengthy listing of various permutations that should result in a royalty payment to AFM, it appears the musicians' union feels it should be involved even in situations the contract never directly addresses.
Because Universal, with Fox's permission, used Simpson's theme music to soundtrack an amusement park ride, AFM feels it should get paid (again). But it seems to have no standing based on the quoted contractual wording. Universal's use of the soundtrack doesn't fit into the "PAY UP" bin and, according to AFM, it doesn't fit into the "EXCEPTIONS" bin, either. Unable to pin down exactly why Universal should be paying more royalties, AFM instead recasts this "new" usage as a violation of its members' rights, accusing Univeral of "breach of labor agreement."
Not paying for something no one's asked for (yet) is hardly "breach of contract." Universal's claim that the use is "promotional" puts it back in compliance with the contract, but AFM doesn't want Universal in compliance… or at least not under that heading, which would result in no further royalty payments. Instead AFM has asked for an injunction against Universal to prevent it from further "exploiting" the Simpson's music and is suing both Fox and Universal for "breach of contract" and any owed royalties. And all of this over a development AFM didn't see coming: a theme park ride.
Considering the principals involved in this suit are IP-behemoths Fox and Universal, it's hard to believe that either of the companies deliberately avoided running this plan past AFM simply to avoid paying some royalties. Sure, Universal's music arm has this problem, but this case deals with one of Fox's most successful IPs turning into a theme park attraction with Universal's expertise on that end. Some IP was transferred from Fox to Universal, presumably to cross all t's and dot all i's. This lawsuit, coming as it does more than four years after the ride's debut, feels more like some overactive lawyering/rent-seeking rather than a case of deliberate shafting by Fox and Universal.
Filed Under: copyright, music, simpsons
Companies: afm, fox, universal


text: A spooky, atmospheric piece with celeste, choir, strings, piano and various pads that is perfect for Horror or Halloween related productions. An eerie theme with choir and high strings over repeated triplets on the celeste is followed by short quotes of the well know nursery song Rock-a-bye Baby, played in an off-key manner. In the central section, the music becomes more evocative and emotive as if symbolizing a sad past. Finally, the music builds up to a darker quality and incorporates the children's playground chant "We're going to get you". A return of Rock-a-bye Baby draws this creepy, yet also emotive piece to a conclusion.


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BERLIN – Eastern Shore Gas will most likely retain its gas infrastructure franchise from the town of Berlin, after the first reading of the franchise renewal resolution at Monday night's Berlin Town Council meeting.
The franchise agreement grants Eastern Shore Gas the exclusive right within Berlin's town limits to provide propane gas through underground pipelines, as well as conversion or storage of natural, liquefied petroleum or artificial gas.
Other gas providers can sell propane gas to Berlin customers, but cannot use or install underground pipes in order to do so. Under the franchise agreement, that right is reserved to Eastern Shore Gas.
There is nothing new in the agreement, Berlin Administrative Director Linda Bambary said Monday night.
Eastern Shore Gas has been selling propane gas in the town of Berlin since the 1940s, General Manager Steve Ashcraft said.
Over the last six years, the gas company has spent $1.6 million in capital improvements, specifically to re-pipe the entire town. Steel gas mains have been replaced with strong plastic throughout the town of Berlin. The annual piping survey revealed no problems this year, according to Ashcraft.
"This June we found no leaks at all," said Ashcraft.
With the new polyethylene pipes in place, the company will no longer need to inspect or survey their infrastructure every year and will change to a five-year rotation for pipe inspections.
While gas pipes do not yet extend through the entire town of Berlin, the franchise agreement requires Eastern Shore Gas to install gas piping whenever the town of Berlin does road or utility work that tears up a street without gas access already.
This forestalls the need to tear up the street just to install gas piping when new customers ask for service.
"We're obligated to extend the main," Ashcraft said.
The gas company is also obligated to install further piping when requested by a customer, at a rate of 250 feet per customer. If this is not feasible, the franchise agreement requires Eastern Shore Gas to install a tank at the customer's property.
The agreement also requires the gas company to notify the public adjacent to piping installation or other work.
The council will vote on the franchise renewal on Aug. 25.


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Brandenburg Gate
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Brandenburg Gate, German Brandenburger Tor, the only remaining town gate of Berlin, Germany, standing at the western end of the avenue Unter den Linden. It has served as a symbol of both the division of Germany and the country's reunification and is one of Berlin's most-visited landmarks.
The gate was commissioned by Frederick William II as an entrance to Unter den Linden, which led to the Prussian palace. It was built in 1788–91 by Carl G. Langhans after the model of the Propylaea in Athens. The sandstone structure is composed of 12 Doric columns that create five portals—the middle of which was originally reserved for royal use only—and stands approximately 66 feet (20 metres) high, 213 feet (65 metres) wide, and 36 feet (11 metres) deep. It is flanked by two small buildings, Haus Liebermann and Haus Sommer, which were built in the late 1990s by architect Josef Paul Kleihues to replace the pavilions that were destroyed during World War II. The gate is decorated with reliefs and sculptures designed by Gottfried Schadow, the majority of them based on the exploits of Heracles. In 1793 a quadriga statue depicting the goddess of victory bearing a symbol of peace was added. During the French occupation of Berlin (1806–08), Napoleon took the statue to Paris, where it remained until 1814. The gate was later used extensively in Nazi propaganda, and a parade was held there on Adolf Hitler's ascent to power in 1933. The entire structure was heavily damaged during World War II, and in 1957–58 it was restored, with the quadriga recast from the original molds.
From 1961 to 1989 the Brandenburg Gate came to symbolize divided Germany, as the Berlin Wall shut off access to the gate for both East and West Germans. It served as the backdrop for U.S. Pres. Ronald Reagan's famous 1987 speech in which he entreated the Soviet leader, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." The gate was reopened on December 22, 1989, in the course of the reunification of East and West Berlin, when West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl walked through it to meet East German Prime Minister Hans Modrow. It underwent restoration beginning in late 2000 and officially reopened in 2002, though it remained closed to vehicle traffic.


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An angry mother delivered a scathing response after her daughter was punished for punching a classmate who snapped her bra.
The details of this story are impossible to verify since all names and locations have been changed. But I certainly think it is an important subject, and that's why I absolutely wanted to share the story right away.
At the end of the day, it teaches us an important lesson. And everyone should stand up for their children this way, especially when it comes to sexual abuse or assault, as mild as it may appear. Well done to this mom.
(I'm an A&E nurse. We're not allowed our phones on us; they're to be kept in our lockers. A call comes into hospital reception on a private line for me.)
Phone: "This is [Teacher] from [School]. There's been an incident involving [Daughter]. We need you to come in."
Me: "Is she ill or injured? Can it wait until my shift is over in two hours?"
Phone: "[Daughter] has struck another pupil. We've been trying to call you for 45 minutes. It really is very serious."
(I go to the school and am ushered into the head's office. I see my daughter, her head of year, a male teacher, the headmaster, a boy with blood around his nose and a red face, and his parents.)
Head: "Mrs. [My Name], how kind of you to FINALLY join us!"
Me: "Yeah, things get busy in A&E. I've spent the last hour administering over 40 stitches to a seven-year-old who was beaten by his mother with a metal ladle and then I had to deal with the police regarding the matter. Sorry for the inconvenience."
(After watching him try to not act embarrassed, he tells me what has happened. The boy had twanged my daughter's bra and she had punched him in the face twice. I got the impression they were more angry with my daughter than the boy.)
Me: "Oh. And you want to know if I'm going to press charges against him for sexually assaulting my daughter and against the school for allowing him to do it?"
(They all get jittery when I mention sexual assault and start speaking at once.)
Teacher: "I don't think it was that serious."
Head Of Year: "Let's not over-react."
Head: "I think you're missing the point."
(The boy's mother then starts crying. I turn to my daughter to find out what happened.)
Daughter: "He kept pinging my bra. I asked him to stop but he didn't, so I told Mr. [Teacher]. He told me to 'ignore it.' [Boy] did it again and undid my bra so I hit him. Then he stopped."
(I turn to the teacher.)
Me: "You let him do this? Why didn't you stop him? Come over here and let me touch the front of your trousers."
Teacher: "What?! No!"
Me: "Does that seem inappropriate to you? Why don't you go and pull on Mrs. [Head Of Year]'s bra right now. See how fun it is for her. Or on that boy's mum's bra. Or mine. You think just because they're kids it's fun?"
Head: "Mrs. [My Name]. With all due respect, [Daughter] still beat another child."
Me: "No. She defended herself against a sexual attack from another pupil. Look at them; he's nearly 6 feet and 11 or 12 stone. She's 5 feet and 6 stone. He's a foot taller than her and twice as heavy. How many times should she have let him touch her? If the person who was supposed to help and protect her in a classroom couldn't be bothered what should she have done? He pulled her bra so hard it came undone."
(The boy's mum is still crying and his dad looks both angry and embarrassed. The teacher won't make eye contact with me. I look at the headmaster.)
Me: "I'm taking her home. I think the boy has learnt his lesson. And I hope nothing like this ever happens again, not only to [Daughter], but to any other girl at this school. You wouldn't let him do it to a member of staff so what makes you think he can do it to a girl of 15 is beyond me. I will be reporting this to the governors. And if you—" *turning to the boy* "—EVER touch my daughter again I WILL have you arrested for sexual assault. Do you understand me?"
(I was so angry I gathered my daughter's things and left. I reported it to the Board of Governors, several of whom I know from Church (it's a Catholic school), and was assured it would be strongly dealt with. I also reported it to OFSTED (Government-run school monitoring) and they were equally as horrified and assured me they would contact the school. My daughter was put into a different class for that subject, away from the teacher and the boy.)
Share this story if you agree what the mom did was right!


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Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Season start: 0/15 required teams
0 teams enrolled
Format FT3
• Stock and time are set to 3 stock and 8 minutes
• Best of 9
• Handicap: Off
• Friendly Fire: On
• Damage Ratio: 1.0x
• Items: Off and None
• Pause: Off
• Custom Fighters and Custom Moves are set to off
• All DLC characters are legal
• Mii Fighters are legal. 1-1-1-1 Mii Brawlers/Swordsmen/Gunners are available for use (Using a Default Mii). No other specials for Mii Fighters will be allowed. In the case of doubles, Default Guest Miis should be picked to match the color of the team you are playing
on. Stage List
Starter Stages
• Battlefield*
• Final Destination**
• Lylat Cruise
• Smashville
• Town & City
Counterpick Stages
• Dream Land 64
• Omega Stages*
*Treated as Final Destination in striking phase. If Final Destination is struck, Omega Stages are struck and vice versa. You may only choose the following Omega Stages: Midgar, Suzaku Castle and Wily Castle
Course of the match
1. Players select their characters. Either player may elect to do Double Blind Character Selection
2. Both players take the highest figure in a Mr Game and Watch's Side B duel to determine who begins to ban. If it's a draw, both players play another duel.
3. The winner bans one stage. The opponent bans 2 stages. The winner of the duel then picks the stage.
4. The players play the first match of the set
5. Winning player of the preceding match bans 2 stages
6. The losing player of the preceding match picks a stage for the next match
7. The winning player of the preceding match may choose to change characters.
9. The losing player of the preceding match may choose to change characters.
10. The next match is played. Repeat Steps 5 through 9 for all subsequent matches until the set is complete.
Additional Rules
• If a game goes to Sudden Death, the winner is determined by stocks and percentage at the time the match ends.
• When the timer hits 0:00, the player with the higher stock count is the winner. If both players are tied in stocks the player with the lower percentage is the winner. In the event of a percentage tie, or a match in which both players lose their last stock simultaneously, a 1 stock 3 minutes tiebreaker will be played
• If a match ends with a self-destruct move, the results screen will determine the winner. If a sudden death occurs, standard sudden death rules apply.
• Players' character colors must match their team's color when possible, to avoid confusion
The use of any support software during the game (turbo mode, tool assisted, ...) is forbidden and can lead to a ban in case of a proven usage.
In case of disconnection of a player during the match, the point goes to the opponent
Global match process
Match date acknowledgement
At the start of the league, the match calendar is given to the players. At that moment you can check the dates of each one of your matches and notify whether you are available or not to play on that day.
If you are not available, you can propose other dates to your opponent. If your opponent accepts the date proposed, the match date is updated.
Important: It is only possible to propose new dates until 1 hour before the given match schedule.
Confirm your presence before the match
Between 1 hour before the match and until 15 minutes after the game starts you have to visit the match's game sheet and confirm your presence by clicking on the "Ready" button. Once the two opponents have confirmed their presence, you can start playing and after you can fill in the score.
For the team: The captains have to visit the game sheet before the match starts and fill in the players roster.
Delays, forfeits and postponements
In case of non-confirmation of presence by one of the two opponents, the player or the team who has confirmed its own presence is granted winner by default. In case of non-confirmation of presence by both of the opponents, the match is automatically postponed to 48 hours.
Filling in the scores
After the match, both of the opponents have to fill in the final score. In case of agreement, the score is validated. In case of disagreement, the score is tagged as awaiting and the players are invited to revise the score. If the two opponents still don't agree about the score, they are invited to use the upload tool for match score evidence. This will be done by uploading an image which proves the final score.


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OCEAN CITY — After a rather tumultuous 2011 summer season with street performers on the Boardwalk, all has been relatively calm thus far this season with a new set of rules and a new "if you can't beat them, join them" attitude.
Fresh off a victory in a federal lawsuit challenging First Amendment rights filed against the resort last fall, street performers have been back in force on the Boardwalk this summer. However, with perhaps one notable exception, the prevailing attitude between the buskers, the police and the business community, at least on the surface, has been less adversarial and more amiable.
"We haven't arrested anybody," said Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) Lieutenant Mark Pacini, who has taken the lead on street performer issues for the department. "Going back to last September when Judge Ellen Hollander made her decision on the preliminary injunction, I think we've only handed out one citation and that was for a noise complaint."
Last June, the Ocean City Council passed an emergency ordinance requiring all street performers to register each day for a nominal fee. The ordinance also solidified language in the code prohibiting street performers and artists from openly selling their wares on the Boardwalk and included specific language about where they could and could not be.
One week later, spray paint artist Mark Chase, who became the de facto spokesman for the Boardwalk street performers, filed suit in U.S. District Court claiming the town's actions against him specifically and street performers in general were in violation of his First Amendment rights.
In February, the parties reached a consent decree that essentially formalized the elements of the preliminary injunction handed down last September. In short, the consent decree allows street performers and vendors under certain definitions to sell their creations on the Boardwalk and also eliminates the registration requirement. What was left in place, however, is the prohibition of street performers setting up displays and performances at North Division Street, citing public safety issues with the most important access point to the Boardwalk and beach for emergency services.
"There really are just two major changes, one being they aren't required to have a permit anymore, which presents some challenges," said Pacini. "The other deals with the sale of protected expressive material. Some of the 'artists' are allowed to sell items they have created, written or composed."
The court ruling could have created a volatile situation, but conflicts have been few and far between. Buoyed by their apparent victory, the street performers could have pushed the limits of their First Amendment rights, but most are falling in line with the rule changes. Many of the business owners on the Boardwalk have complained for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the ability of non-registered, non-licensed street vendors peddling their wares just a few feet in some cases from the stores for which they pay expensive leases, license fees and taxes. Caught in the middle have been the OCPD officers trying to keep the peace.
"It's a sticky issue," he said. "The First Amendment rights are challenged by the performers, and we're getting challenged by some of the business owners. Not everybody is happy with the ruling, but that's what we have to live with."
One of the biggest issues has been the elimination of the registration requirement, which has complicated the situation because to town no longer has a forum for explaining the rules up front.
"The non-permit change has been a challenge for us," said Pacini. "Because they aren't required to get a permit, many of them think they can set up and perform anywhere they want."
Pacini said another major issue has been clearly defining what falls under expressive material protected by the First Amendment. Many items such as clothing, jewelry, stuffed animals, food and beverages, for example, are not expressive and not protected. Anything that can be considered art is certainly expressive and can be sold by street performers and vendors. In the middle is a vast gray area, but the OCPD pretty much has a handle on it, according to Pacini.
"It became a real challenge," he said. "We were able to come up with a document that lists where they can set up and where they can't, along with what they are allowed to sell and what they aren't. It's a pretty comprehensive list and we can say 'here you go, these are the rules.' All of them have been pretty cooperative. We haven't had to cite anybody. People that have previously performed outside the rules are falling into compliance."
Pacini said the officers on the Boardwalk have been successful in walking the thin line protecting the rights of the performers and handling business complaints.
"We've only had an issue with one guy and it was a noise issue," he said. "We're not just out there banging on them. We're waiting for complaints and then we're acting on those complaints."


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Hunter Pence, who reached a tentative agreement on a $90 million, five-year contract before the game, hit a two-run homer for the Giants. San Francisco had won three in a row.
Eric Stults (11-13) pitched seven effective innings to win his third straight start after going 0-6 in his previous 10 starts. He also helped himself with an RBI single during a four-run fourth.
Stults allowed three runs on seven hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out three.
Yusmeiro Petit (4-1) lasted a season-low 3 2-3 innings, giving up five runs and seven hits.
Luke Gregerson pitched the eighth and Huston Street worked the ninth. The Padres are a game ahead of the Giants in third place in the NL West.
Denorfia led off the game with his career-best 10th home run.
Angel Pagan doubled to open the bottom of the first and scored when Sandoval doubled with two outs.
Pence hit his 27th homer in the third to put the Giants ahead 3-1. His homer total is the highest for the Giants since Barry Bonds hit 28 in 2007.
Petit retired the first two batters in the fourth and then gave up six consecutive hits before being replaced by George Kontos.
Chase Headley doubled and Tommy Medica singled following a 14-pitch at bat. Guzman hit a two-run homer and consecutive singles from Alexi Amarista, Chris Robinson and Stults produced another run and ended Petit's day.
Stults, who retired the last nine hitters he faced, threw a career-high 203 2-3 innings.
The Padres added four runs in the ninth on Gyorko's 22nd home run, a two-run shot, and RBI singles from Denorfia and Reymond Fuentes.
Gyorko has the most home runs by a rookie second baseman since Dan Uggla hit 27 for the Marlins in 2006.
NOTES: Giants INF Brandon Belt will be working on his versatility during the offseason according to manager Bruce Bochy. ... RHP Guillermo Moscoso (2-2, 4.21) will start Sunday's season finale for the Giants. It's his first start since Aug. 4. ... RHP Tyson Ross (3-8, 3.10) makes the start for the Padres on Sunday. He has an ERA of 2.80 over his last 12 starts. ... Denorfia hit his second leadoff homer of the season and seventh of his career. ... Medica had his first career three-hit game.


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(SportsNetwork.com) - In what expects to be a bittersweet evening for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the club will welcome Steven Stamkos back into the lineup just as it gets ready to begin life without franchise mainstay Martin St. Louis.
Stamkos, who has been sidelined since Nov. 11 with a broken right leg, was cleared for contact on Wednesday and expects to play in Thursday's home game against the Buffalo Sabres.
The news of Stamkos' return, however, came shortly before the franchise traded St. Louis to the New York Rangers for forward Ryan Callahan, a first-round draft pick in 2015 and a conditional second-round choice in 2014.
St. Louis, who led the league with 60 points in the shortened 48-game season in 2013, was the captain and leading scorer for the Lightning this season with 29 goals and 32 assists for 61 points in 62 games.
The 38-year-old veteran joined the Lightning as a free agent in July 2000 after spending his first two seasons in Calgary. He helped Tampa Bay to its lone Stanley Cup title in the spring of 2004, when he was also the Hart Trophy winner as the league MVP.
St. Louis has 369 goals and 604 assists for 973 points in 1,041 career NHL games. He has one year remaining on his contract and requested a trade after general manager Steve Yzerman initially left him off the Canadian Olympic roster. Yzerman, also the GM for Team Canada, eventually added St. Louis as an injury replacement for Stamkos.
"We'd like to thank Marty for everything he has done on and off the ice during his outstanding 13-year career in Tampa Bay," said Yzerman. "He has been one of the greatest players in the organization's history, but in the end we honored his request today. We wish him and his family the best of luck as he continues his career in New York."
Callahan, who was New York's captain, is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the season. If Callahan re-signs with Tampa Bay, the Rangers will receive Tampa Bay's second-round pick in the 2015 draft and the Lightning will acquire New York's seventh-round pick in 2015.
The 28-year-old Rochester, N.Y. native has 11 goals and 14 assists for 24 points in 45 games this season.
Callahan and Stamkos hope to make up for the loss of St. Louis in terms of production and leadership. Before he suffered a fractured right tibia against Boston on Nov. 11, the 24-year-old Stamkos was tied for the NHL lead in goals (14) and points (23).
Tampa Bay currently is holding onto the first of two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference and is just one point in back of Toronto for the third of the Atlantic Division's three automatic bids to the postseason. The Lightning, however, have lost two straight, three of four and five of their last seven games.
The Bolts recently posted a 1-3-0 record on a four-game road trip, but the club is beginning a stretch of six straight on home ice tonight. Tampa is 17-7-3 as the host this season compared to a 17-16-2 on the road.
Like the Lightning, the Sabres also recently traded a longtime centerpiece of their franchise when they shipped former No. 1 goaltender Ryan Miller to St. Louis on Friday. Buffalo received goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the Blues in the deal, but flipped Halak to Washington on Wednesday before he could even suit up for the Sabres.
Halak was dealt to the Capitals along with a third-round pick in 2015 in exchange for goaltender Michal Neuvirth and defenseman Rostislav Klesla.
In a separate trade on Wednesday, the Sabres dealt forwards Matt Moulson and Cody McCormick to Minnesota in exchange for forward Torrey Mitchell, a second- round pick in 2014 and another second-rounder in 2016.
The Sabres are last in the NHL with 44 points and are headed for their third straight year missing the playoffs. Buffalo had won three in a row before losing 3-2 to Dallas on Monday at the start of a three-game road trip.
Tampa Bay is 2-0 against Buffalo this season and the Bolts have taken three of the last four meetings in this series.
The Sabres, who have a dreadful 6-18-3 road record this season, have lost in their last two trips to Tampa.


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The Constitution Failed
The problem is our limited government has become unlimited and does whatever it wants. How can I say, "The Constitution Failed"? What I am saying is our system is broken, it is no longer functioning as designed, and we need a re-set button.
By Dr. Robert Owens
People often ask me, "How could you write a book entitled The Constitution Failed?" If the Constitution was written to ensure a limited government and if today we have an unlimited central government my question is, "How can anyone contend that the Constitution hasn't failed?"
We know that for the last 100 years the Progressives have sought progress by changing the Constitution, which was written to establish unbreakable boundaries for government, without recourse to the amendment process. The Framers knew that without these boundaries government would grow into a millstone around the neck of the American people. Instead of a document establishing solid limits the Progressives say it is a living document that can be re-interpreted with each passing year evolving into whatever the current leaders may desire.
Our twin headed Progressive party of power expands and twists the General Welfare, the Commerce, and the Supremacy clauses to sanction any executive, legislative, judicial, or regulatory action they wish to impose whether it's a welfare state, energy policies, or the mandatory purchase of insurance. However, nothing is more symbolic of the current irrelevance of the Constitution to our leaders than the utter contempt they hold for the 9th and 10th Amendments.
Back during the original debate to ratify the Constitution these two sentinels of limited government were forced upon the proponents of a strong central government by those much maligned patriots the Anti-Federalists. The Constitution never would have been ratified without an assurance that the first order of business for the new government would be the ratification of the Bill of Rights. The capstone of these sacred rights is the 9th and the 10th Amendments which state:
The 9th Amendment, "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."
The 10th Amendment, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
I present the following examples of how our Progressive central government infringes upon the rights of the States and the people:
Term limits:
While in almost every instance that voters have had an opportunity to voice their opinion they have overwhelmingly approved term limits, and the courts have just as consistently overturned the will of the people. Through ballot initiatives and Constitutional amendments to State Constitutions the people have spoken, but instead of the voice of the people we hear the commands of the elites.
The Supreme Court in a classic five-to-four decision in U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton (1995) said the states don't have the authority to limit the terms of their own congressional delegations. They further ruled that unless the Constitution is amended neither the states nor Congress has the power to limit the number of terms members of Congress can serve. Dissenting Justice Clarence Thomas pointed out that the majority ignored the clear meaning of the Tenth Amendment. Since there is no explicit denial of the power to limit terms to the States in the Constitution the 10th Amendment clearly states this power is reserved to the States.
When the Governor and legislators of Arizona attempted to address the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who are pouring over their borders with Mexico each year they first had to admit that the Federal Government was not enforcing their own laws. After the central government ignored their petitions and pleas for help for years the government of Arizona acted to protect their citizens.
Immediately, the Justice Department sued to block the law, contending it violates the U.S. Constitution. The Arizona law was subsequently struck down by the Federal Courts using the Supremacy Clause for their justification. Judge Richard Paez, said, "By imposing mandatory obligations on state and local officers, Arizona interferes with the federal government's authority to implement its priorities and strategies in law enforcement, turning Arizona officers into state-directed [Homeland Security] agents." When it reached the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals a three judge panel said, "Congress has given the federal government sole authority to enforce immigration laws, and that Arizona's law violates the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution" The Federal Government has abdicated its responsibility to protect Arizona from invasion and in their opinion a law that requires law enforcement officials to enforce the law goes too far.
The intrusive actions of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA):
Legislators in Texas decided to take action to protect their citizens from what many considered to be overly aggressive pat-downs. The reaction of the TSA to Texas attempting to protect their citizens from the molestation the Federal l Agency calls a pat-down is indicative of the attitude our central government has towards any infringement of their absolute power. On their website The TSA Blog the gatekeepers of the air said, "What's our take on the Texas House of Representatives voting to ban the current TSA pat-down? Well, the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution (Article. VI. Clause 2) prevents states from regulating the federal government." This says it all. As far as our Federal masters are concerned there is no limit to their power.
Obamacare: Mandating action and penalizing inaction:
The Federal Government is attempting to enforce the mandatory purchase provisions of Obamacare alternately as authorized by the Commerce Clause and as a tax, depending on which argument they think a judge will uphold. This massive invasion of personal liberty is currently being challenged by 28 States as being beyond the bounds of the Constitution. Currently two judges have ruled it unconstitutional and three have ruled it constitutional. If this is provision wherein not taking an action is considered either engaging in commerce and thereby subject to regulation or if a non-action is taxable what is left of our precious freedom? What other non-actions will now be under the power of the government. If a government can control our non-actions what does that say about their power over our actions?
By ignoring the unambiguous meaning of the 9th and 10th Amendments and by stretching and twisting the meanings of a few vague clauses the Progressive leaders of our Federal government have interpreted our Constitution to mean anything needed to do anything desired. Once the words lose their meanings, once the sentences can mean anything the Progressives want, what power does the Constitution have to limit government?
Ultimately this is a message of hope because I trust in the ability of the American people to solve any problem they confront. However, we have to admit there is a problem before we can solve it, and if we refuse to admit there is a problem we have no chance of solving it. The problem is our limited government has become unlimited and does whatever it wants. How can I say, "The Constitution Failed"? What I am saying is our system is broken, it is no longer functioning as designed, and we need a re-set button.
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion for Southside Virginia Community College. He is the author of the History of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com View the trailer for Dr. Owens' latest book @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ypkoS0gGn8 © 2011 Robert R. Owens firstname.lastname@example.com Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook.
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New studies provide more insight into Zika effects
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Three new studies reporting on the effects of the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil will be presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
The first study looks at CT findings of the central nervous system in 16 newborn babies with congenital Zika virus infection confirmed by tests in cerebral spinal fluid.
See Also: Mouse models of Zika in pregnancy show how fetuses become infected
The researchers identified a pattern of CT brain findings in the babies, including decreased brain volume, simplified gyral pattern, calcifications, ventricular dilatation and prominent occipital bone.
"We live in Pernambuco, a state in northeastern Brazil, which had the highest number of patients with microcephaly during the Zika outbreak in our country," said study author Natacha Calheiros de Lima Petribu, M.D., from the Department of Radiology at Barão de Lucena Hospital. "Our study proves that Zika virus infection can cause congenital brain damage in babies with and without microcephaly."
Another study analyzed the imaging results of three target groups affected by Zika: adults who developed acute neurological syndrome, newborns with vertical infection with neurological disorders, and pregnant women with rash outbreaks suggestive of Zika.
Learn More: Why neural stem cells may be vulnerable to Zika infection
Many of the adults had symptoms of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the nervous system causing rapid onset muscle weakness. A few showed inflammation of the brain and spinal cord (Bickerstaff's encephalitis) or brain stem and spinal cord lesions. Common MRI findings included enhancement of certain spinal and facial nerves. In the newborns, MRI showed orbital injuries and anatomical changes in brain tissue.
"It was alarming to find so many cases of neurological syndromes in adults, some very serious, related to Zika virus infection," said study author Emerson de Melo Casagrande, M.D., from the Department of Radiology at Antonio Pedro University Hospital - Federal Fluminense University. "We have also noticed a difference between these syndromes, even though the trigger was the same."
Related: New report details pre- and postnatal brain defects from Zika virus
In a third study, ultrasound and fetal MRI were performed on pregnant patients with Zika virus infection at different gestational ages. Once the babies were born, they underwent ultrasound, CT and MRI. The researchers then created 3-D virtual and physical models of the skulls. More than half the babies had microcephaly, brain calcifications and loss of brain tissue volume, along with other structural changes.
"The emergence of Zika virus in the Americas has coincided with increased reports of babies born with microcephaly," said study author Heron Werner Jr., M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Radiology at Clínica de Diagnóstico por Imagem. "An early diagnosis may help in treating these babies after birth. Moreover, the knowledge of abnormalities present in the central nervous system may give hints about the pathophysiology of the disease."
Zika is mainly spread to humans via the bite of an infected mosquito. Symptoms may include fever, rash, joint or muscle pain, headache and bloodshot eyes. More serious conditions, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, have been associated with Zika infection in adults, but are uncommon. Many adults infected with Zika have no symptoms at all.
Zika appears to be most dangerous when transmitted from a pregnant mother to her fetus during the first trimester of pregnancy, increasing the likelihood of severe brain defects in the baby, including microcephaly. Zika has also been linked to eye defects, hearing impairment and stunted growth in babies.
Don't Miss: Neurodevelopmental model of Zika may provide rapid answers
Pregnant women and women who are considering becoming pregnant should avoid visiting areas where infected mosquitos are known to be present. However, if women live in areas where the mosquitos are present, the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, US) is to wear clothes that protect from mosquito bites, use mosquito repellent and get appropriate testing, including routine prenatal care and an ultrasound at 18 to 20 weeks. Pregnant women who are worried that they may have contracted the virus should speak with their obstetrician to initiate testing.
Although these reports focus on the Zika outbreak in Brazil, the infection has spread to countries and territories around the world, including the United States.
Note: Material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.
Radiological Society of North America press release
"Common Findings on Head Computed Tomography in Neonates with Confirmed Congenital Zika Syndrome": Natacha Calheiros de Lima Petribu, M.D., Marilia B. Abath, M.D., Andrezza C. Vieira Fernandes, M.D., Felipe R. Queiroz, M.D., Jannie D. Araujo, M.D., Glauber B. Carvalho, M.D., and Vanessa van der Linden, M.D.
"Neuroradiological Findings Related to Zika Epidemic:Experience from a Brazilian University Hospital": Cristina A. Fontes, M.D., M.Mc., Alair Augusto S. Santos, M.D., Ph.D., Emerson de Melo Casagrande, M.D., Victor M. Bussed, M.D., Daniel G. Neves, M.D., and Alessandro S. Melo, M.D., Ph.D.
"Essentials of Intrauterine Zika Virus Infection: Pre and Postnatal CNS Findings": Bianca Guedes Ribeiro, M.D., Heron Werner, M.D., Luiz Celso H. Da Cruz, M.D., Pedro Daltro, M.D., Renata A. Nogueira, M.D., and Tatiana M. Fazecas, M.D.