text:
Story highlights
It's easy to fall into a trap of thinking that every item is a "must-have"
If something isn't a priority for you, don't waste money on it
There are simple, still elegant, ways to curb spending
Champagne, favors and programs can easily be sliced from the budget
Regrets: Brides and grooms have had a few.
Sometimes, sadly, it's over the person to whom they've pledged their undying devotion. Other times, it's about the cash they've dropped on their wedding.
It's easy to get caught up in a nuptial frenzy. At every turn, family members, friends, experts, magazines, blogs and Pinterest are there to offer inspiration and instill panic. A bride or groom's "nice-to-have" is inevitably someone else's essential ("You can't possibly get married without a DJ, champagne toast, church full of flowers, fill-in-the-blank!").
Thing is, a couple will still be just as married whether or not the guests go home with "Amanda 'n' Drake 4EVA" commemorative matchboxes or the bridal gown has a designer label. So how does a couple decide to save or splurge?
Here's a little perspective from people who have taken that pricey stride down the aisle.
The favors
Your guests' presence is a present, indeed, but you don't have to pay them back with custom-printed tchotchkes that you might end up lugging home or tossing in the trash.
Wedding planner Tracie Domino says to skip the favors that aren't really personal. "If you give your guests something meaningful, they will be very appreciative," she says, "but if it's a bottle of bubbles or a cheap picture frame, it will most likely get left behind by your guests."
Even with the custom stuff, you might save a little cash, but isn't your time equally valuable? "While some DIY projects are worth it, many are huge time and money wasters that might not even be noticed by your guests," says Domino. "Unless you are already crafty and have a bunch of time on your hands, try to avoid taking on big DIY projects."
Bay Area wedding planner Erica Ota says to consider edibles if you're going the favor route. "The majority of guests don't even take them home and pricey favors end up getting left on the table," she says. "Provide edible favors like chocolates, olive oil, or balsamic vinegar that are less expensive and more likely to go home with your hungry guests."
But even then, the well-intentioned treats don't always make it off the premises. When Katie Rossi got married last November, she thought custom-made cookies would be pretty sweet, but more than half of the favors got left on the table. "At $6 a cookie, that's a lot of money down the drain," she says. "The cookies were delicious but since over half of the wedding guests didn't get to taste them, I felt it was a waste."
The dress
On one hand, it's a once in a lifetime occasion. On the other, it's just that – once – that you'll only be wearing your wedding dress, so do you really want to spend a couple of mortgage payments on it? For brides brought up dazzled by Disney princesses, nothing else but a handmade, frothy concoction will suffice. Meanwhile, an off-the-rack frock that didn't cost as much as a minivan may have worked just as well.
Event designer Shondra Cheris has seen it time and time again. "I have clients regretting spending over-budget for the fabulous dress that they are uncomfortable in the entire wedding," she says. Another tip she offers spendthrift brides: Skip spending big bucks on "shoes that they take off as soon as they are able."
Fashion blogger Tanya Thamkruphat wishes she'd kept it simple. "The one thing I definitely would have skipped on was my wedding dress," she says. "I would have opted for a simpler, flexible and probably a mass merchandise store dress. I would have been much happier if I could have done all my crazy dance moves I wanted to do that night if I had a more comfortable – and still chic – dress!"
Maureen Bolus Wilkey gave herself and her bridesmaids a break in the wardrobe department. For her August wedding at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, she bought a store sample that wasn't perfectly sized and had a few marks on it from being tried on and dragged around dressing rooms. Wilkey admits that she spent more on the alterations than she did on the dress itself, but, "It looked perfect." Her bridesmaids selected slightly upscale J. Crew dresses that they could wear again, and everyone spent the evening in happy comfort.
Blogger Ericka Andersen spent all of $300 on her wedding dress, loved it and says it was worth every penny. And she didn't just avoid the couture gown route; after seeing her loved ones spend thousands on a single day, she and her fiance decided on a two-person wedding in Jamaica.
"I'm so thankful I skipped the expensive dress and reception," she says. "It was just for us and that's what mattered. Now we have money to put a down payment on a house and take care of the more important expenses of everyday life."
The champagne toast and cake
It's bubbly, elegant and oh so festive, but truth be told, champagne is a lousy pairing with cake, and half-filled glasses and barely eaten slices end up littering the tables.
It's a pricey scenario that Ota sees played out time and time again. "Typically, most people spend between $700 to $1,000, yet I find that only 60% of guests even take a slice. Factor in a $2.50 per person cake cutting fee and you're looking at an expensive dessert," she says.
Ota sees dessert buffets as a fun, less expensive (around $400) and increasingly popular alternative, and says that for people afraid they'll miss out on a photo op, there's always a "show cake." These are smaller cakes given only to family members, not guests, and they work just as well for those Instagram shots.
Realtor Chantay Bridges regrets her opulent dessert (not to mention the designer gown that she says is still taking up space in her closet). "Gourmet seven-tier cake, really? A traditional cake that tasted good would have pleased any crowd," she says.
David Render and his betrothed opted for a small, 35-person wedding – and the guest list wasn't all they sliced. "We appreciate the symbolism of the traditional wedding cake, but we chose to represent it in our own unique way," he says.
For less than $100 total, the couple bought imperfect cheesecakes from a local company that makes them for restaurants, covered the tops with fruit, and made their wedding guests awfully happy. "We don't know anyone who doesn't like cheesecake," he says.
Lauren Swoboda also heard no complaints from guests who got an open bar and Publix supermarket cake ($400) rather than a champagne toast and a $1,000 cake from a local bakery. The tiers were dressed up with help from her florist, who also helped her nip costs in the bud by letting her "rent" flowers. They were collected at the end of the night and redistributed to hotels and restaurants around the area, which gave Swoboda a significant discount.
If guests are still thirsting for something fizzy with which to toast, wedding planner Sandy Wieber believes there is no need to splurge on the Dom Perignon. "I throw out a lot of full glasses of champagne! More people like sparkling cider," says Weiber, "and it's cheaper."
The printed programs and menus
If your guests can't tell the players without a program, perhaps they've stumbled into the wrong wedding. Ely Anne Vedar runs a boutique agency and advises clients to save both money and trees by skipping the printing.
"Everyone there is there for your wedding, and if they don't know who the bride and groom are then they shouldn't be there," she says. "Save that money and splurge on your food and beverages for the reception!"
Event planner Robyn Bruns believes printed programs can be a nice touch, but they often get left behind after the ceremony. She recommends handing one out per couple rather than per person to cut the cost in half.
Similar cutbacks can be made at the table. "I do believe the guests do like to get an idea of what they are eating, however a menu per person is not necessary. Use one or two menus per table and display them for everyone," says Bruns.
For couples who do decide to go the menu route, it can do double duty, Bruns advises. "Put the guests' names on the menu and then it becomes a place card instantly."
Every couple has different priorities, and one couple's must-have is another couple's "meh." Priorities can even vary between the betrothed. Wieber helps them sort it out by asking them a few questions:
1. Pick your top three priorities: dress, flowers, food, cake, champagne, music, favors or guest gifts, venue, decor, printed items, photography, videography, reception, transportation, drinks or honeymoon. (Wieber notes that grooms always choose the honeymoon, so brides are really picking one, and then the couple is picking one jointly.)
2. What is important in other areas of your lives? Hobbies and ideas about how you'll spend your first honeymoon can help offer clues.
3. Do any important family members have expectations? If they do, that's the fourth priority.
After those are set, Wieber says everything else can be skimped on because it doesn't matter as much. "And if it doesn't matter, then it's a waste of money to go all out in that particular area."
Write down your priorities, stick to your budget, don't spend too much time getting distracted by Pinterest, and you, too, can stroll happily down the aisle together, debt-free, 'til death do you part.
Got any regrets or wedding elements you wouldn't have missed for the world? Please share them in the comments below.


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Personal Finance For Dummies Three eBook Bundle
ebook ∣ Personal Finance For Dummies, Investing For Dummies, Mutual Funds For Dummies
By Eric Tyson
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Three complete eBooks for one low price! Created and compiled by the publisher, this finance and investing (USA) bundle brings together three of the all-time bestselling For Dummies titles in one, e-only bundle. With this special bundle, you'll get the complete text of the following titles:
Personal Finance For Dummies, 7th Edition
The proven guide to taking control of your finances. The bestselling Personal Finance For Dummies has helped countless readers budget their funds successfully, rein in debt, and build a strong foundation for the future. Now, renowned financial counselor Eric Tyson combines his time-tested financial advice along with updates to his strategies that reflect changing economic conditions, giving you a better-than-ever guide to taking an honest look at your current financial health and setting realistic goals for the future. Inside, you'll find techniques for tracking expenditures, reducing spending, and getting out from under the burden of high-interest debt. The bestselling, tried-and-true guide to taking control of finances and is updated to cover current economic conditions.
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Investing For Dummies arms novice investors with Eric Tyson's time-tested advice along with updates to his investing recommendations and strategies that reflect changing market conditions. You'll get coverage of all aspects of investing, including how to develop and manage a portfolio; invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and real estate; open a small business; and understand the critical tax implications of your investing decisions. This new and updated edition of Investing For Dummies provides a slow-and-steady-wins-the-race message and helps you overcome the fear and anxiety associated with recent economic events, no matter where you are in life from men and women who are beginning to develop an investing plan or want to strengthen their existing investment portfolios, employees making decisions regarding investing in their company's 401(k) plans or who need to roll them over when changing jobs, young adults who want to begin saving and investing as they land their first jobs, and baby-boomers seeking to shore up their nest eggs prior to retirement. Expanded and updated coverage on investing resources, retirement planning, tax laws, investment options, and real estate. If you're looking to get sound guidance and trusted investment strategies, Investing For Dummies sets you up to take control of your investment options.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Chuck Colson responds (response #1)
Everyone is welcome to read the entry and comment right here, but I will repeat my request that you remain equally respectful and refrain from trash-talk. I'll take your comments into consideration when I get around to my own reply. It looks like Chuck is not done yet, so I may not write another response until after he's finished his reaction to me.
Thanks, Chuck and Mike, for getting back to me.
11 comments:
Russell, can you cite a source for your contention that only those inmates who landed a job upon release from prison were included in Colson's statistics? Although I'm sure you don't want to get bogged down in the finer points of statistical analysis, this seems to be a sticking point.ReplyDelete
Most of the key points in your outstanding initial post have thus far been unaddressed, so hopefully Colson will keep his word and follow up with a 2nd response.
I did cite a source... the original study is linked from the first post.ReplyDelete
Here it is again:
Page 7/59 of the PDF:ReplyDelete
"A program graduate is one who completes not only the in-prison phases of IFI dealing with biblical education, work, and community service (usually lasting 16 months), but also includes an aftercare phase (usually lasting 6 months) in which the participants must hold a job and have been an active church member for 3 consecutive months following release from prison." (emphasis added)
The only important thing Colson said in the whole post was this,
"As for the question you raised about whether someone could be paroled, not get a job, and therefore not be counted in our statistics, that's the first time I've ever heard that."
Considering the above quotation from the original study, it's right there in black and white. The point this round seems to go to you, Kazim.
Thanks, Zurahn! I admit I was second-guessing whether I had done my homework correctly.ReplyDelete
The Zondervan blog writer needs to pay more attention to Chuck:ReplyDelete
"Russell Glasser with The Atheist Experience wrote Chuck a 25 paragraph question..."
Whereas Chuck says:
"You raised a number of very thoughtful questions..."
Chuck himself seems a lot more attentive and polite than his publisher. I'm really enjoying this dialog so far.
I will repeat my request that you remain equally respectful and refrain from trash-talk.ReplyDelete
(gasp) You don't think he means me, do you? :-)
Nah, honestly I didn't, Martin. I just anticipated a lot more rabble-rousers going in and trolling on Colson's blog.ReplyDelete
By the way, did you ever finish reading the book?
Haven't started it yet — had too much to do. Will get around to it soon enough though, and I can see it's pretty short.ReplyDelete
So far this seem like it could be good. It is refreshing to see both sides showing each other the proper respect. And yes, so far Chuck does seem like he is going to address your points. It is frustrating in a debate when the other side ignores your points and just moves on to their next argument. I look forward to following this.ReplyDelete
Martin wrote:ReplyDelete
Will get around to it soon enough though, and I can see it's pretty short.
Those short books can be deceptive. A couple of JWs gave me their canonical anti-evolution book, and even though it's only 150 pages long, half the size of a paperback, and full of pictures and big margins, reading it is a very slow endeavor, since I keep having to scribble "quote-mine" or "Spiderman argument" or "old source" or something in the margin.
I just wanted to put in a quick plug praising the intelligence and civility of this dialog. Way too often religious/non-religious discussion bogs down in unproductive name calling. I respect Colson as generally articulate and genuinely interested in productive conversation. And I'm equally impressed with Russell's well worded arguments. Keep up the good work of arguing without "sneering" at one another.ReplyDelete
PLEASE NOTE: The Atheist Experience has moved to a new location, and this blog is now closed to comments. To participate in future discussions, please visit http://www.freethoughtblogs.com/axp.
This blog encourages believers who disagree with us to comment. However, anonymous comments are disallowed to weed out cowardly flamers who hide behind anonymity. Commenters will only be banned when they've demonstrated they're nothing more than trolls whose behavior is intentionally offensive to the blog's readership.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.


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SNOW HILL – Maryland Program Open Space funds for Worcester County have been drastically reduced for this year, the county learned recently, and if Worcester County's towns do not use their Project Open Space money from past years soon, they could lose it altogether.
"This is 89 percent less, unfortunately, than we received last year," said Sharon Reilly, director of Worcester County's Parks and Recreation Department.
Program Open Space awarded the county $147,800 for fiscal year 2009.
The county is allowed this year to use all the funds for development of open space, unlike last year, where it was required to spend at least a quarter of the funding on purchasing land for open space purposes, since the county has gone well beyond the Maryland state goal of 30 acres of park land per 1,000 persons.
"Worcester County's done a good job of this. Worcester County's got 196 acres of parkland per 1,000 citizens," Reilly said.
Berlin, Snow Hill and Pocomoke City will not be getting any Open Space funds this fiscal year, as all three municipalities are behind in using funding awarded last year, and, in Berlin's case, the year before that as well.
None of those three towns have completed and submitted the application to use the funds allocated them. Only Ocean City has finished its applications for recent funds.
The town of Berlin has $247,334 allocated; Snow Hill has $81,050; and Pocomoke City has $80,966.
According to the Parks and Recreation Department, all three towns have enough funding to complete at least their highest priority project.
Worcester County is one of the only counties in Maryland to routinely pass Program Open Space money through to municipalities. Some do so on a case-by-case basis, like Caroline and Talbot counties, but Caroline will not do so this year, and Talbot has not done so for several years.
Queen Anne and Somerset counties do not pass Program Open Space funds on at all.
The County Commissioners decided Tuesday morning to assign 84 percent of the FY09 funding to the county and 16 percent to Ocean City.
The FY09 funds will allow Worcester County to install a softball field at Newtown Park.
If the other three towns do not submit their applications to use the Program Open Space money and use the funding by the opening of the General Assembly next year, the funds will go back into Worcester County coffers.
"This is being mandated from the state for us to do," said Reilly.
Reminder letters will be sent to those municipalities.
"I recommend the municipalities be given a deadline of Aug. 1, 2008 to encumber their current balance funds and save them or they will revert back to the county," Reilly said.
Applications must first go through the Parks and Recreation Department, next get Program Open Space approval and then be presented to the Maryland Board of Public Works.
"They've still got two or three months this year to spend this year's allocation," said Commissioner Bobby Cowger.
It looks bad for the county if the funding is not spent as it is received, according to Reilly.
"All of us have got to do a lot more credible job with the state," she said.
Another change has mixed implications for Worcester County and the towns, with Maryland's Community Parks and Playgrounds Grant now only offered to municipalities, not counties. This program can be used for a variety of park projects, not only playgrounds, and can come in substantial amounts up to over $200,000.


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Bloomberg reporters face jail for reports on Turkish crisis
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — U.S.-based Bloomberg news agency says Turkish prosecutors are seeking up to five-year jail terms for two of its Istanbul-based reporters over their report on last year's currency crisis.
Bloomberg said late Thursday that Kerim Karakaya and Fercan Yalinkilic have been accused of trying to undermine Turkey's economic stability over a story they wrote in August 2018.
The news agency also says that prosecutors have charged 36 others for their social media comments on the story because they deemed them to be critical of Turkey's economy.
Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait condemned the indictment and defended the reporterse for reporting "fairly and accurately on newsworthy events."
He added that the agency will "support them throughout this ordeal."
The first hearing of the trial is scheduled for Sept. 20.


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english | deutsch
Evgenia Rubinova
"Enormous power, fervent intensity and astonishing control! Rubinova is larger than life!"
Washington Post
The sensational Silver Medal Winner of the 2003 Leeds International Pianoforte Competition Evgenia Rubinova has been hailed as an artist of "enormous power and imagination". Critics rave. "Rubinova is larger than life" states The Washington Post. Andrew Clements of The Guardian: "Rubinova had the audience on the edge of the seat! Stephen Pollard of The Independent: "Rubinova has spark engendered by real personality and musical imagination …a performance which took off and left everything else behind!" While Howard Williamson of the 'Yorkshire Post' and Arthur Pizzaro (BBC) put it simply: "An amazing artist! Rubinova is beyond competition prizes!"
After her debut with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic at Royal Albert Hall Glynom Hughes of the 'Daily Post' wrote: "It was Evgenia Rubinova's quite incredible performance of Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto which made the evening.." This universal recognition by critics and public alike brought Ms. Rubinova an EMI Classics contract.
In recent seasons Ms. Rubinova appeared as orchestral soloist with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic at the sold out Royal Albert Hall, London (and is reengaged in Liverpool for 2005), with London Philharmonic Orchestra at the sold out Royal Festival Hall, Hallé Opera Orchestra, Germany, Opera North Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra under Mark Elder and Kees Bakels and the Wiener Kammerorchester under Philippe Entremont.Ms. Rubinova's current seasons include recitals in Germany at Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiele, Rheingau Musik Festival, Mosel Festwochen and Weilburger Schlosskonzerte.
In the United States she performed in New York City, West Palm Beach Kravis Center, Chicago with national broadcast and Washington D.C. Her concerts are broadcast on the following radio and TV networks: RAI, Italy , BBC 3, BBC 4, Classic FM London, NDR, Hannover and HR, Frankfurt. In 2006/07 Ms. Rubinova also makes her orchestral debut at Alte Oper Frankfurt with Museumsorchester under the baton of Maestro Paolo Carigniani.
The highlights of Ms Rubinova's previous concert seasons included performances at Birmingham Symphony Hall for BBC with national broadcast, of Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto, Mozart's Piano Concerto K.271 and Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto under B. Mettke in Germany. She gave her solo recital debut at the esteemed "Bocconi University" concert series in Milan, Italy and was invited back to perform Tchaikovsky's First Concerto under Mark Elder with the Hallé Orchestra in Bradford, England. Ms. Rubinova was heard in both recital and orchestral performance with Ensemble Orchestral de Paris at the Lille Piano Festival in France.
Born in Tashkent into a family of professional musicians Evgenia was the winner of the International Piano Competition in Russia at the age of 12. Several years later she received a "Diploma and Special Prize" at the International Chopin Competition for Young Talents in Moscow and graduated with honors from both Gnessin Music School and Academy, partaking in master classes with prominent musicians such as V. Krainev and A. Lubimov. She also concertized with various symphony orchestras, in addition to playing solo recitals in major concert halls in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Novosibirsk and Tashkent.
Evgenia Rubinova moved to Frankfurt/Main where in 1999 she was accepted into the masters class of renowned Prof. Lev Natochenny, formerly student of legendary Lev Oborin, where she continues to hone her artistic skills today. In 2002 Ms. Rubinova began to establish herself in the West winning the DAAD competition in Germany and several competitions in Italy including the "Citta di Cantù" International Piano Competition and the "Casagrande" International Piano Competition in Terni. She further won the "Meranofest Solo Recital Award" for three consecutive years (2000 – 2002).
Ein deutsches Requiem (Arr. f. 2 Klaviere)
|Schumann, Chopin, Brahms


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X-Force Mid-Year Trend Report
The IBM X-Force Trend and Risk Report is produced twice per year: once at mid-year and once at year-end. This report provides statistical information about all aspects of threats that affect Internet security, including software vulnerabilities and public exploitation, malware, spam, phishing, web-based threats, and general cyber criminal activity. It is intended to help customers, fellow researchers, and the public at large understand the changing nature of the threat landscape and what might be done to mitigate it.


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CRS: International Drug Trade and U.S. Foreign Policy, November 6, 2006
From WikiLeaks
About this CRS report
This document was obtained by Wikileaks from the United States Congressional Research Service.
The CRS is a Congressional "think tank" with a staff of around 700. Reports are commissioned by members of Congress on topics relevant to current political events. Despite CRS costs to the tax payer of over $100M a year, its electronic archives are, as a matter of policy, not made available to the public.
Individual members of Congress will release specific CRS reports if they believe it to assist them politically, but CRS archives as a whole are firewalled from public access.
This report was obtained by Wikileaks staff from CRS computers accessible only from Congressional offices.
For other CRS information see: Congressional Research Service.
For press enquiries, consult our media kit.
If you have other confidential material let us know!.
For previous editions of this report, try OpenCRS.
Wikileaks release: February 2, 2009
Publisher: United States Congressional Research Service
Title: International Drug Trade and U.S. Foreign Policy
CRS report number: RL33582
Author(s): Raphael F. Perl, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Date: November 6, 2006
- Abstract
- Recently, U.S. policy toward Colombia has focused increasingly on containing the terrorist threat to that country's security posed by groups engaged in drug trafficking. The high national priority given to terrorism has resulted in enhanced focus on links between drug and terror groups. A challenge facing policymakers is not to divert counter-drug resources for anti-terror ends in areas of potentially low payoff. An issue likely to receive continued attention in the 109th Congress is that of skyrocketing opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan and whether to press for aerial crop eradication against the wishes of the local Afghan leadership.
- Download


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Red TX's New HARMAN Studer Vista 8 Console Records Michael Jackson Tribute Concert
CARDIFF, United Kingdom— Earlier this summer, broadcast sound specialist Red TX commissioned its new RED II mobile recording unit, which has been designed specifically to cater for 3D and 7.1 surround sound productions.
Based at Pinewood Studios, the truck was pressed immediately into service at a Linkin Park concert in Moscow's Red Square, followed by the Download Festival and other high prestige events such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers' worldwide launch of their new album in Cologne—which was filmed and broadcast live to 1,500 cinemas around the world. But most recently they recorded Michael Forever—the Michael Jackson Tribute Concert at Cardiff Millennium Stadium.
Equipped with a HARMAN Studer Vista 8 (as is their original RED I production vehicle), they are finding that Studer's new SCore Live engine affords them a lot more flexibility than they have been accustomed to.
Said Red TX managing director, Ian Dyckhoff, "We have geared the new vehicle around 7.1 because it was becoming increasingly apparent that the requirements for panning were different from cinema 5.1. Also, by incorporating 3D in a fully redundant production vehicle, we are future-proofing it."
The truck features the highest insulating specifications while the main studio area is a lead-lined, floating room within a room, equipped with active 7.1 surround sound monitoring and the SCore Live-powered Studer Vista 8. 96 x 24/96 remote mic amps are included as standard, with additional blocks of 48 (up to 240) available for larger projects. All microphone inputs are 24bit/96kHz with full DSP on every channel.
"We have used Studer for many years and have a great relationship with the company," Dyckhoff said. "It's also a widely-known platform and useful for workflow, since the BBC has adopted it as a standard, it is on various sound stages here at Pinewood and also in the Royal Opera House. We were very mindful of that."
Deploying their existing Studer D21m digital I/O frames, with new MADI cards and three of the existing 48-way stage boxes (deployed in their portable flypacks), sound supervisor Ollie Nesham says that with so little time to soundcheck multiple act shows "Studer makes everything so much quicker. It's a very reliable desk and the graphic control is excellent."
He also highlighted the bonus of having the 'Reconfig' button at the point when they needed to plug in the third stage box. "The console is so flexible that we can add or remove stage boxes on the fly, reconfigure the console to suit with a single button press and all without disrupting the audio currently going through the desk. It's a big bonus–this function is a really quick way of doing it."
Taking splits from the FOH desk, Red TX's main engineer Tim Summerhayes sent stereo and 5.1 feeds to the two TV units, using the Snapshot facility to recall 52 individual scenes
Once Red TX had painstakingly set up audience mics to capture the audience, they mixed 140 channels from the stage via 3 x 48-way stage racks (including eight returns), compressed down to 128 and recorded onto Pyramix.
Musical acts that participated in the event included the Jackson Brothers, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Alexandra Burke, Alien Ant Farm, Craig David, LaToya Jackson, Leona Lewis and Smokey Robinson. And while copyright issues blighted the prospect of live broadcast to around 30 countries throughout the world in 2D and 3D formats, it will now be broadcast at a later stage.
Finally, Ian Dyckhoff confirms that reality TV spectaculars such as XFactor and Strictly Come Dancing are also benefitting from having a Vista 8 in the new production unit. "It's clear that the presence of Studer is winning us extra work," he said, as he prepared RED II for its next mission—the opening night of the Coldplay European tour in Madrid.
HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG, Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 12,500 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.0 billion for twelve months ending September 30, 2011.
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Zendesk Unveils Products to Help Enterprises Build Better Customer Relationships
October 24, 2017
SAN FRANCISCO – October 24, 2017 – Zendesk (NYSE: ZEN) redefines customers relationships, creating beautifully simple software for more than 107,000 customers. For 10 years, its focus has been on connecting companies and customers in better ways. Now Zendesk is expanding enterprise and machine learning capabilities with new product offerings: Talk Enterprise, Chat Enterprise and Answer Bot.
This week at Relate Live, a customer relationship event, Zendesk is celebrating the launch of new enterprise solutions and AI powered self-service. These products are already supporting a variety of enterprise customers. More than 35 percent of Zendesk's Support revenue base now comes from enterprise customers.
Zendesk offers enterprise-ready solutions to help manage customer relationships at scale, quickly and seamlessly, achieving rapid and visible improvement in customer satisfaction. It easily flexes and integrates to meet custom requirements when needed.
According to a 2017 Forrester study commissioned by Zendesk, participating customers in the study observed the following results: customers that switch to Zendesk see a 390 percent ROI; a payback period of just 2.9 months; and three year cost savings of over 52 percent on license and maintenance costs.
"We deployed Zendesk and were taking tickets in about an hour," said Dustin Swayne, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, State of Tennessee. "Within the first week we were driving value for our organization, and the reporting gave us the insights we needed to learn, optimize our processes and drive huge improvements in efficiency and effectiveness. Our use has evolved over time, and now using Zendesk as our omnichannel solution, we have saved $250k in the cost of maintaining our old legacy systems alone."
Consumer expectations are higher than ever and the definition of "good" service has changed drastically. Customers have placed an increased value on independently solving problems, and the statistics support it. From 2014 to this year, Zendesk has seen more customers seek out self-service, with views of its self-service articles growing by 32x in that time. This trend has led businesses to increase their use of advanced self-help options, including AI technology like Answer Bot.
But stellar customer service means providing support in any way the customer needs it. That means sometimes self-service isn't enough — complex or urgent questions are best answered by phone, and multitasking customers would rather get instant help through live chat.
"We were able to start using Zendesk in the early days of Box with 15 users in a matter of weeks and were also able to grow with Zendesk over the last seven years to add new channels, leverage new functionality and grow to hundreds of agents," said Tim Smith, Vice President at Box. "We continue to partner with Zendesk on an ambitious set of customer service initiatives that will take advantage of their latest capabilities."
Zendesk continues to heavily invest and improve its Talk and Chat products, helping organizations of any scale meet customer expectations for seamless support across multiple channels. The new enterprise offerings for Talk and Chat provide the powerful tools and services larger organizations need to adapt quickly and communicate easily and reliably with customers on any channel.
"Companies are under tremendous pressure to provide differentiated support to drive customer growth and retention," said Adrian McDermott, President of Products at Zendesk. "Enterprises don't have time for months of integrating, so Zendesk created a complete solution to allow immediate results, empowering agents around the world to reach expectations of the modern customer."
Zendesk offers powerful solutions that are simple to use, implement and scale, allowing businesses to focus on what really matters: their customers. Chat Enterprise, Talk Enterprise and Answer Bot ensure that technology and people are always connected, so conversations are seamless, agents are more productive and information can easily be shared across your company.
About Answer Bot
Answer Bot works right alongside customer support teams, scaling efficiently, and using machine learning to help answer customers' questions with content from the Zendesk Guide knowledge base. The answers it provides are tailored to each customer's question accurately and reliably. And when in doubt, Answer Bot loops in support agents to offer the customer a human touch.
About Talk Enterprise
Zendesk Talk is call center software embedded in the Zendesk Support ticketing system, allowing service teams to provide more personal, productive phone support within a multichannel customer journey. The Zendesk Talk Enterprise plan provides growing teams and call centers with the tools and hands-on support they need to successfully deliver personal phone support at any scale. Talk is built on enterprise-grade technology with Global Low Latency (GLL) architecture for enhanced reliability and high availability, and Talk Enterprise includes enhanced services like deployment support, monthly diagnostics, a 99.95 percent usage SLA and failover on-demand.
About Chat Enterprise
Zendesk Chat Enterprise helps businesses deliver an effortless customer experience by providing the tools necessary to offer real-time support on websites, mobile apps and through messaging channels. The Chat Enterprise workflow and management features have enabled Zendesk's largest customers to deploy live chat across multiple countries, languages and brands. At the same time, features like skills-based routing and roles and permissions ensure that customers can mitigate risk and scale strategically.
About Relate Live
The Relate Live conference series is designed to help businesses and entrepreneurs explore the complicated nature of customer relationships. It includes training workshops, breakout sessions and thought-provoking keynotes by industry leaders. Relate Live is produced by Zendesk.
About Zendesk
Zendesk builds software for better customer relationships. It empowers organizations to improve customer engagement and better understand their customers. More than 107,000 paid customer accounts in over 160 countries and territories use Zendesk products. Based in San Francisco, Zendesk has operations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. Learn more at www.zendesk.com.Return to newsroom
The press releases contained in this archive section are provided for historical purposes only. The information contained in each press release is accurate only as of the date each press release was originally issued. Zendesk, Inc. disavows any obligation to update the information contained in such press releases after the date of their issuance.
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Member since Dec 24, 2010
- Profile: /members/7492-adam.htm
- Comments: 4
Recent Blog Comments By Adam
Back To The Fusion - Part X
Posted on Feb 17, 2011 at 9:38 AM
Think Cf needs a mad Doc... read more »
Seven Languages In Seven Weeks By Bruce Tate - What An Adventure
Posted on Jan 30, 2011 at 2:10 PM
AWK awk -v adjective="simples" '{$2=adjective; print $1" is "$2}' ./nameList.txt >> nameWithAdjective.txt yeah ok there is no function or collection unless I guess you allow a text file as a collection.... read more »
Using ColdFusion Custom Tags To Help Explore Complex Regular Expressions
Posted on Jan 12, 2011 at 11:52 AM
I think its the meanings of the ?*$^[] etc characters that makes them complex and daunting. If your demo code makes the patterns clearer with white space thats great. Its probably wrong of me but I find half the appeal of regular expressions is the perlesque density of them.... read more »
Creating A CFThread-Based Process In ColdFusion In Order To Learn About Concurrency
Posted on Dec 24, 2010 at 11:27 AM
Thanks Ben, I think i'll have to try some experiments of my own to get into my head though.... read more »


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Still more bike goodies coming from our visit to the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Austin, Texas, this past weekend. In Part 2, we brought you high-end single speed creations and carbon works of art, two stunning red steel cyclocross bikes from legendary builders Richard Sachs and Ritchey, along with new chainrings, ultralight wheels, seatposts and some nifty cable hangers. Part 1 gave you a look at some titanium, steel and monster cross creations from the likes of Caletti, Storm, Moots, Anderson, Eriksen, Bilenki and more.
Here we have more stunning frames; cool single speed options including a belt drive bike from Vertigo, a wrap-around custom chain guard and a Miche crankset; sexy style from Speedvagen, Zanconato, Black Cat, Sycip, Strong Frames and others; a magnetic bottle connection; and wheels of wood!
Photo Gallery:


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Twelve years ago, when the "Gang of Three" was the voting majority on the San Ramon City Council, they had lofty ideals about a Civic Center with a 1200 seat theater, a new, enlarged library, a City Hall building, and a Swim Center. It was a lovely vision, but the Council majority had no idea where the money would come from.
My fellow blogger, Tim Hunt, just wrote a sobering story about Livermore's Bankhead Theater which was in some danger of closing because of "a $22.3 million debt." The 500 seat Bankhead was the smaller of the planned theaters for Livermore's ambitious arts program. Its construction was funded in part by a grant from the Bankhead family.
In 2002 our City Council wanted to build a 1200 seat theater here. The Council went as far as spending $1.5M on plans for the theater. Councilmember Donna Dickey even said we needed to beat Livermore to it, as if building the biggest theater was a competition. Fortunately no more money was wasted or invested in a race to out-do Livermore or Walnut Creek.
Instead the next City Council voted to invest $2M in partnership with the San Ramon Valley Unified School District to construct the auditorium in the new Dougherty Valley High School as a shared facility to be used as both a High School auditorium and Performing Arts Center. So now San Ramon has a 600 seat Performing Arts Center for a tenth of what Livermore still owes on its 500 seat theater.
Tim Hunt goes on to say, "The arts group, however, will still need to raise $4 million this year to cover its operating costs." The super-size theater proposed ten years ago for San Ramon was estimated to cost $2M in annual operating expenses.
When I was on the Arts Advisory Committee two years ago, we received a presentation from the consultant who operates our Performing Arts Center. She said the theater operates at a loss of about $35K a year. That's a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of Livermore's operating expenses.
Except for the two years that the profligate City Council was throwing money at idealistic dreams, San Ramon has always been run by a pragmatic and prudent City Council that keeps costs down while providing services equal to or better than neighboring communities. Some of this is done by partnering with other agencies or businesses for sharing facilities and/or costs. We partnered with the School District for Parks and Recreation facilities like the two Olympic-size pools at the High Schools, with Contra Costa County for Library services, and recently with Sunset Development for our new City Offices building.
Even when we go it alone we still keep the costs down. Five years ago, when real estate prices were depressed, the City purchased the office building on Crow Canyon Road to use for our Police Station. This consolidated our Police in one location without breaking the bank on a fancy new building.
San Ramon does not have grandiose edifices to show off our self-importance. Some residents would like more pomp in our public buildings, but pomp costs money and isn't worth the ongoing expense. Let Livermore pay for the pomp. San Ramon does just fine without it. We get the same services without the big price tag or ongoing expenses.


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Six culinary labs, a restaurant/bar, a bakery café and a full catering operation or the conference center give culinary students an opportunity to learn their trade on state-of-the-art equipment situated on two lower floors and in a penthouse suite.
Ivy Tech Community College's culinary program had earned respect and a well-deserved reputation. Then, in 2003, Jeffrey Bricker, CEC, CCE, AAC, an alum of the program, part-time program instructor and former catering company owner, took on the program chair position. Working with an advisory council to develop a strategic plan, Bricker realized an enormous need for more culinary and hospitality staff in Indianapolis to support the new Lucas Oil Stadium, home to the Indianapolis Colts football team, and the city's convention center, which doubled in size in 2010.For 27 years after its founding,
"A significant culinary program expansion was needed," he says. "We were situated in an old campus building, with 220 students and operating out of 2 dated kitchens. We were landlocked and had no room to grow." So the school began exploring its options, continuing for eight years to research five different program venues and business plans. Meanwhile, an additional 380 students joined the program, bringing enrollment to 600. Bricker and the advisory council were understandably frustrated.
In December 2010, the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, the tax-exempt private foundation headquartered in Indianapolis and established in 1968 by the global pharmaceutical giant, offered a $23 million grant to buy and renovate a 13-story building adjacent to campus. "The foundation was interested in the revitalization of this area, which is close to the world's largest children's museum," Bricker says. "They didn't want the area falling into disrepair and saw this as an opportunity to develop an educational corridor around the museum. They asked the college to identify its biggest need, which was culinary and a corporate college for customized noncredit training."
Working with administrators, faculty, Schmidt Associates and Reitano Design (formerly Foodservice Solution Group), Bricker led the project team to gut an existing Stouffer's Hotel that had closed in the 1980s and build a contemporary facility that includes the school's central region culinary program with seven culinary labs, a restaurant/bar, a bakery café and full catering operation for the conference center, and a corporate college.
The culinary college currently enrolls 850 students, and enrollment is expected to grow to 1,500 students. "As a community college we have a broad student profile of all ages and educational backgrounds," Bricker says. "The average age is 26. Nearly 70 percent of the students qualify for Pell grants, and a high percentage are first-generation college students. Because this is part of a statewide community college system, the legislature provides funding and caps tuition. A student can get an associate's degree for less than $10,000, about one-fifth the cost of proprietary schools." Bricker adds that the new facility allows scheduling that gives students flexibility to work, attend school, manage their nonschool lives and move through the program in 18 months.
"They now have a world-class facility supporting a world-class program," Reitano says. "An interactive process brought Chef Bricker and his staff into the design process. Their experience and input were invaluable in getting the spaces right and getting the project done on time."
Built in the 1960s, the Stouffer's Hotel was a hot spot through the 1970s, registering guests such as Elvis Presley. After the hotel shut its doors in the early 1980s, a faith-based organization moved in to occupy the facility.
"We had to work with a structured space and yet gut the entire building except for historical elements on the 13th floor in order to bring the structure up to code," Bricker says. "We had to do asbestos abatement and replace all the windows, electrical wiring, HVAC and plumbing."
"This building had very low floor-to-floor heights," says Kevin Shelley, project lead at Schmidt Architects, Indianapolis. "We literally raised the roof of a portion of the building four feet, which gave us space to run the systems to support the culinary labs, including exhaust hoods. It was the most cost-effective option." The second floor, to which Shelley refers, is an appendage to the 13-story tower on its north side.
"The key for us was the building's entry lobby," Shelley says. "The hotel tower had 8 feet, 8 inches, floor-to-floor, leaving less than 8 feet of clearance for program space and systems. We created an atrium that never existed to help make this an open space." Grand stairs lead to the ballroom and classrooms and connect to the conference room.
Also in the building, the construction team had to clear space in an area that was originally the hotel's swimming pool. Thick concrete was removed to build culinary laboratories.
Early on in the design process, the owner and the project team set a goal for the design to meet the requirements for LEED silver certification, which influenced the selection of the heating and cooling systems; high-efficiency, low-CFM exhaust hoods; foodservice equipment, including dishwashing and disposal systems; and windows. In the restaurant, designers selected carpeting with high amounts of recycled content, porcelain tile floors and lay-in acoustic ceilings.
Lighting includes fluorescents throughout the labs. In the restaurant, lighting includes both fluorescents and incandescents. Also contributing to energy efficiency is an advanced refrigeration system designed with 100 percent redundancy, intelligence for defrost-as-needed only, an alarm and HACCP reporting function, and a smaller footprint than traditional rack systems.
"There is also the additional benefit of removing compressors from each of the lab spaces," says Scott Reitano, principal, Reitano Design Group, the project's foodservice design consultant. "The instructional team struggled with teaching over the noise of multiple compressors in each lab. With this refrigeration system we eliminated that issue and reduced the heat load within the building."
Another significant challenge was the tight design schedule and subsequent construction timeline. "Design of the project began in March 2011 and was completed in September of the same year," says Reitano. "The project was bid in late 2011, and construction began in February 2012. Classes started on August 20, 2012.
"We focused a significant amount of our attention on this project over the 18-month design and construction period," Reitano explains. "We actually treated it like multiple projects in order to meet the various deadlines. The team worked closely with the general contractor, Shiel Sexton, and the kitchen equipment contractor, Stafford-Smith, to make adjustments until the very last second prior to opening."
The 17,650-square-foot building houses foodservice-related facilities on 3 floors. The first floor contains the loading dock and receiving area; main walk-in cooler/freezer and dry storage; Courses Bakery and Café, a retail bakery operation; bakery and breads lab; meat fabrication lab; waste reduction system; and catering operation for the conference center. The second floor contains two advanced culinary labs with high-end cooking suites, sous vide stations and a chocolate room; advanced bakery lab; and garde manger, including a humidity-controlled walk-in for drying meats. The 13th floor penthouse contains Courses – a full restaurant and bar – and the President's Conference Room.
"The equipment and layout was driven by our curriculum and course objectives," Bricker says.
Bricker and Reitano investigated equipment at two industry trade shows and toured other culinary schools. "We wanted students to experience current technology so they'll be prepared to use it when they take jobs in the industry," Bricker says.
"We wanted to give them equipment they'd see in the marketplace," Reitano says. "The layouts don't exactly mimic what you'll find in a commercial kitchen. We adjusted the distance between cooking islands and counters to accommodate classes of up to 16 students.
"There are also different, yet similar, items on the cooking suites so students can experience various cooking methods," Reitano continues. "For example, both induction burners and gas burners are available on each suite. Our overarching goal was to create an open learning environment for the students. The use of windows, the placement of the equipment, and even the use of 55-inch monitors suspended from the ceiling helped us achieve that goal."


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STATESBORO — Georgia Southern University has embarked on a journey on which no Eagle has ever gone before.
GUS, the university's mascot, landed safely after being launched into the stratosphere on a mission to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning.
To gain a bird's-eye view of Earth, GUS was attached to a weather balloon and a rig with multiple high-definition video cameras and tracking equipment for lift-off at Paulson Stadium. GUS reached an altitude of 102,000 feet before the weather balloon burst and a parachute returned the Eagle mascot to Earth.
He traveled more than 70 miles and touched down in some woods outside Mount Vernon.
"GUS in space wasn't just a gimmick because there was a lot of technology behind it," GSU President Brooks A. Keel said. "This was a great experiment for our university to blend the wow factor with real science, technology, engineering and math and give our students an opportunity to put textbook material into a real-life situation for a great learning experience."
The GUS-in-space project included the Center for Academic Technology Support, faculty, staff and two students, Cameron Cato and Jeremy Goodman, who were responsible for designing the telemetry system to track GUS.
"It was quite impressive that what we made could go up more than 100,000 feet and survive the extreme cold of 95 degrees below zero," Cato said. "All the electronics came through in great shape and were working fine when we recovered GUS."
Goodman took pride in his role in sending GUS into the stratosphere.
"The cameras captured some amazing video, which shows the curvature of the Earth and should help promote STEM education," Goodman said. "This is an exciting experience. How many people can say they put something into near space?"
The goal of GUS in Space was to showcase the university's efforts in STEM education.
"It's not difficult to launch something into space with a weather balloon, but to track its every move from launch to landing was really something special for our students," Vice President for Research and Economic Development Charles Patterson said. "By being able to show the science behind such a fun and entertaining project, we hope to get more children interested in STEM careers."
Associate Dean of Faculty and Research Programs Karin Scarpinato said this experiment demonstrated that science does not have to be boring or intimidating and that GUS in Space brought people together who typically don't work with each other.
"This definitely shows how important it is to be interdisciplinary in STEM education, but also shows that what you learn in the classroom can be applied in real life, whether it's doing something fun like putting GUS in space or in a career choice where you will need the same skills," Scarpinato said.
Watch the GUS in Space video at GeorgiaSouthern.edu/newsroom. The direct link to the video on YouTube is http://youtu.be/MqtIip7qIdo.
STATESBORO — Georgia Southern University has embarked on a journey on which no Eagle has ever gone before.


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LRS Log Handler
|Total length
|12.75 m
|Engine power
|230 kW
|Total length
|12.75 m
|Engine power
|230 kW
Shear forces are reduced with the single-wheel drive. This results in lower tyre wear and makes possible narrow radii.
The comfortable cab with its ergonomic design eases the burden on the operator. Optimal view with the high proportion of glass in the cab increases safety in the terminal.
The tried-and-tested hydrostatic drive enables continuous acceleration for enhanced driving comfort. It also ensures energy recovery for increased efficiency.
The wheel rims ensure reduced maintenance costs and increased safety. The simple principle of these rims makes assembly quick and safe. This concept is unique on the market.
Like all maritime cranes from Liebherr, our Reachstacker can rely on a dense service network worldwide. This ensures short downtimes and a quick response.
Our LRS 545 is equipped with a four-cylinder engine. This powerful 230 kW drive complies with the exhaust emissions standard IV / Tier 4 final, and stands for low service costs and low emissions.
We have optimised the design of our Reachstacker for quick and simple servicing. All relevant parts are easily accessible, for short downtimes.
|Engine power
|230 kW
|Driving speed unloaded
|25 km/h
|Driving speed rated load
|20 km/h
|Grab/clamshell capacity
|8.20 m²
|Lifting capacity (max.)
|30 t
|at radius
|8.5 m
|rubber tyred
|Total length
|12.75 m
|4.49 m
|Wheel base
|6.50 m
|Fuel tank
|500.00 l
Optional supporting pads increase the load capacity of the Reachstacker when lifting heavy loads.
The operator can change the horizontal position of the cab using the hydraulic system. This stepless setting option facilitates intermodal handling.
Optional cameras at the boom and rear of the Reachstacker facilitate handling and increase safety at the terminal grounds.
Freight under control: The weight under the load suspension device is automatically calculated and displayed on the monitor in the cab.
High-performance LED headlights provide better lighting with a longer service life.
LiDAT supplies information about localisation, as well as detailed data about operation of the Reachstacker. more
Central lubrication
The central lubrication system requires less maintenance. Relevant Reachstacker parts are automatically and independently lubricated by electric pumps.
This product is not available in the selected range. Change the range to delete the product separately from your wish list.


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The Olayan Group has been involved in food services in Saudi Arabia and the Arab Middle East since the early 1990s, when Olayan Financing Company acquired the Burger King franchise for Saudi Arabia and became the master franchisee for the wider region. Olayan opened its first Burger King restaurant in Riyadh in December 1992. Today, there are more than 400 Burger King outlets in the region; in 2012, Olayan was awarded the prestigious Franchisee of the Year award by Burger King for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. Olayan Food Services Co. (OFS) operates the Saudi franchise. First Food Services, another Olayan company, operates in the UAE, Egypt and Oman. General First Food Services operates the brand in Morocco. The Burger King master franchise for the region is held by HANA International Co. Ltd., another Olayan entity, which has successfully recruited local operators in Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain. In 2008, The Olayan Group added the Texas Chicken brand to its convenience food options. First Food Services opened the first Texas Chicken restaurant in the Gulf in Abu Dhabi in March 2008. Today, Olayan operates more than 30 Texas Chicken restaurants in the UAE and Egypt. Another major international brand was added in 2012 when an agreement was signed with Buffalo Wild Wings to open restaurants in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the wider Gulf region. The first restaurant was opened in August of 2015 in Dubai, followed by a restaurant in Riyadh in October of 2015. With strong international partners and brands, and dedicated operators in each country, Olayan prides itself on building world class franchising organizations for the region. View More
Apple iCloud Mail is a webmail service provided by Apple, Inc.Webmail
Cloudflare is a web-infrastructure and website-security company, providing content-delivery-network services, DDoS mitigation, Internet security, and distributed domain-name-server services.Cdn


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Here's a riddle: How do you make it easier to push through legislation in Congress that is overwhelmingly opposed in the public without any political consequences?
Answer: Keep the votes secret.
That's exactly what's happened to an Obama administration plan to provide weapons directly to the Syrian rebels. The Senate committee that approved the plan was, unusually, allowed to classify their votes, presumably in order to insulate themselves from any repercussions from their constituents. Because really…why should elected representatives have to tell the people they supposedly represent how they are doing the job they were elected to do!?
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence reportedly gave its approval last week to an Obama administration plan to provide weapons to moderate rebels in Syria, but how individual members of the committee stood on the subject remains unknown.
There was no public debate and no public vote when one of the most contentious topics in American foreign policy was decided – outside of the view of constituents, who oppose the president's plan to aid the rebels by 54 percent to 37 percent, according to a Gallup Poll last month.
In fact, ask individual members of the committee, who represent 117 million people in 14 states, how they stood on the plan to use the CIA to funnel weapons to the rebels and they are likely to respond with the current equivalent of "none of your business:" It's classified.
Those were, in fact, the words Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., chair of the committee, used when asked a few days before the approval was granted to clarify her position for her constituents. She declined. It's a difficult situation, she said. And, "It's classified."
She was not alone. In a string of interviews over days, members of both the Senate intelligence committee or its equivalent in the House were difficult to pin down on their view of providing arms to the rebels. The senators and representatives said they couldn't give an opinion, or at least a detailed one, because the matter was classified.
It's an increasingly common stance that advocates of open government say undermines the very principle of a representative democracy.
"It's like a pandemic in Washington, D.C., this idea that 'I don't have to say anything, I don't have to justify anything, because I can say it's secret,'" said Jim Harper, director of information policy studies at the Cato Institute, a Washington-based libertarian think tank.
In our increasingly Orwellian country, it's getting hard to tell the difference between parody and reality. But this is very real. And Harper is correct: it is a pandemic.
Everything is secret in Washington. Who are we at war with? That's classified. Who is the government spying on? That's classified. Are we bombing multiple countries on a regular basis with remote-controlled airplanes? That's classified. Which senators voted for an incredibly unpopular and dangerous plan to give weapons to unaccountable Syrian militias as they fight in a chaotic civil war that should have nothing to do with us? None of your god damned business.
The US government in 2012 rejected public requests for documents more often than at any time since President Barack Obama took office, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.
"The administration cited exceptions built into the law to avoid turning over materials more than 479,000 times, a roughly 22 percent increase over the previous year," The Associated Press reports.
"The government cited national security to withhold information at least 5,223 times – a jump over 4,243 such cases in 2011 and 3,805 cases in Obama's first year in office. The secretive CIA last year became even more secretive: Nearly 60 percent of 3,586 requests for files were withheld or censored for that reason last year, compared with 49 percent a year earlier."
According to Information Security Oversight Office, the Executive Branch alone made 92,064,862 classifications decisions in 2011. In the same year, it cost the federal government $11 billion just to keep its own secrets.
The trend towards reckless classification in government will prove to be one of the most pernicious in the very near future. The one opportunity for Americans, in our ostensibly three branched government, to challenge the absurd levels of secrecy are the courts. Unfortunately, they have given the state incredible deference when it comes to state secrets privileges.


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To avoid any potential inconvenience or loss due to baggage irregularities, we recommend you to take out travel insurance before your journey.
In case of any irregularity with your baggage, please report it immediately upon landing to the local Baggage Delivery/Lost and Found Service before leaving the airport.
The following items should not be carried in checked-in baggage:
- money,
- keys,
- jewelery and precious metals,
- medicaments,
- computers and electronic devices,
- stocks, bonds and business documents,
- passports, personal and irreplaceable documents,
- items of art,
- perishable items and fragile items,
- other items of value that cannot be easily replaced if lost or damaged.
These items should be carried in hand baggage under your care.
However, if you decide to carry any of these items in your checked-in baggage, it will be at your own responsibility and risk. In that case, we strongly recommend you to take travel insurance before your journey.
Limited Release Bag Tag
Air Serbia shall issue Limited Release Baggage Tag for fragile, other inadequately-packed items and perishable items. Baggage with pre-existing damage shall also be accepted as a Limited Release Baggage. The Limited Release Baggage Tag releases the airline from liabilities resulting from any pre-existing damage or unsuitability for transport.
Lost Hand Baggage
Air Serbia shall not be held liable for the loss of hand baggage. If you lose your hand luggage, please report it while you are still at the airport so that we can support you in tracing the lost baggage.
Notes on Limited Liability
Air Serbia adheres to the Montreal Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air which defines the limited material liability of the carrier for the delayed, damaged, destroyed and lost checked baggage as stated in General conditions of carriage and Terms and Conditions of Carriage US/CA.


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Boss Baby Goodie Bags
Decorate your birthday candy and treat bags with our Boss Baby favor bags fronts and covers! You will get six different sheets with The Boss his brother Tim and friends Staci, Jimbo, and The Triplets and family.
Make a perfect themed party favor bags and bring "Boss Baby" feelings to your kids' special day. Your kids and guests will love it!
Boss Baby Favor Bags details:
These are party favor and teat bag covers and fronts for candy and gifts, ready to be applied to standard favor bags from the Office supply store. All files are ready-made for printing and cutting at home. You will get pdf file(s) formatted for printing on the American Letter Paper format for a comfortable printing home.
- Size (inches): 5.5x8.5 Standard party favors bags
- Quantity: 6 Fronts
- Quality: High Print 300dpi
- Digital File: PDF
For more Boss Baby party favors bags, party favors, and party decorations, check our Boss Baby Birthday Party Supplies. If you are looking for different party ideas for favor design, you can request a custom order.
Printing options:
- In the house with a color printer.
- Office supply stores.
- Online printing shops.
- A local professional printing shop.
Print it at home, in stores like Walgreens, Walmart, Kmart, Staples, etc.
What you need to DIY & print at home
- A most recent version of Adobe Reader. If you don't, it's free, and you can download it here: https://get.adobe.com/reader/.
- Good quality color printer
- 8.5x11 bright white cardstock
- Scissors for cutting
- Hot Glue Gun
Product details
Customer Reviews
Needed goodie bags for my son's birthday party and couldn't find none in stores so I search online and ran across this website and found what I was looking for.....downloaded the files printed them and made the bags for the party
The prints came out really nice and the bags were a hit at my daughters birthday party! Super cute.
Digital printouts made it easy for me to make as many gift bags as needed without the extra expense... Great quality photos....


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Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. 45: Catholic Epistles, tr. by John King, [1847-50], at sacred-texts.com
Behold, I return to you again, most excellent King. For though I did not expect that the Commentaries on Isaiah, which I lately dedicated to your Majesty, were a worthy gift, yet it was offered with my hearty good wishes. I have, therefore, thought of adding the Catholic Epistles, as they are commonly called, as a supplement to make up a full measure, so that both might come to your hands at the same time. And doubtless, since they were written either to Gentiles far distant, or to such as inhabited various countries far asunder, it is nothing new to them to pass over the sea, and to make a long circuit in coming to your Majesty. At the same time I thus as a private individual offer to you, most illustrious King, my labors, that being published under your name, they may profit all.
And truly, if there has ever been a time when the truth of God ought to have been freely and boldly maintained, it has never been more necessary than in the present day, as all must see. Not to mention the atrocious cruelty exercised towards its professors, to omit also all those machinations by which Satan fights against it, sometimes covertly and sometimes openly, there are places in which the pure doctrine of Religion lately prevailed, but where now the satellites of the Roman Antichrist, by their spurious deformations so mock Christ as though they gave a reed in his hand instead of a scepter, and laid a crown of thorns on his head. When these crafty corrupters of the purity of the Gospel hope by their arts gradually to extinguish it, with what cowardice do they connive at these mockeries offered to Christ, who ought to have hazarded their life a hundred times rather than to redeem it for a very short time by their perfidious silence?
In the meantime, the Pope himself, to complete the last tragedy of crucifying the Son of God, is said to have summoned again his own masked council. Though he marches with his savage soldiery to obliterate the name of Christ and to destroy his Church, yet every kind of council is to him as a sacred sword, to make slaughter as it were a solemn rite. Thus Paulus the Third, when he had resolved to kill and destroy all by whom the defense of truth was preferred to their own life, made a show at Trent of that odious spectre, though disguised in fine colors, that he might put an end to the Gospel as it were by its thunders. But all that preparation, when the good fathers had begun, through some gleams emitted at the sessions, to dazzle the eyes of the simple, was put an end to by a secret and sudden blast from the holy seat, and vanished into smoke, except that for the purpose of continuing the terror, a little cloud rested for a time on Bononia.
Hence Julius, his successor, who had performed his part previously at Trent, is said to be preparing himself now for this stratagem, as though this only remained as means to obliterate the Gospel from the memory of men, that is, to fulminate against us with the horrible and terrific decrees of council; though many think that he only makes a pretense. But it signifies but little whether he pretends or really means to call a council. It is indeed a thing clear and well proved, that since the Papacy began to decline through the efforts of Luther, whoever occupied that citadel of tyranny, though they might hope to obtain some support from a council, they yet have shunned this kind of remedy in way similar to a sick man, who, being all over full of ulcers, dreads even the touch of the most tender physician. Therefore common even among children is the saying, that the Papacy cannot otherwise be assisted by a council than by cauterizing or amputation.
But I see no cause why the Popes dread councils so much, except that fear is an inseparable companion of a bad conscience. For what, I pray, was the late rabble at Trent, (to which yet they gave the name of a holy, general, and ecumenical synod,) but a sort of empty apparition, which no more disturbed the pleasures of the Pope than the clangor of trumpets, or the sound of drums, with which he daily amuses himself? Were, indeed, a synod from all parts really assembled, here might be some cause of fear, lest a disturbance, arising in so great a multitude, should occasion a greater tumult. But by such fictitious councils as that of Trent, who can believe that a Pope could be terrified any more than by children's rattles, but that on the contrary he would sweetly slumber as through the blandishments of a quieter sleep? For example, two or three cardinals shall be chosen by the Pope, being his bosom friends, who shall wield all the authority. The same tyrant will hire from his courtiers some greedy fellow for a few ducats a month, who, being clothed in the mask of a patriarch, will servilely declare as his own opinion what had been dictated to him. Such was that blind Robert at Trent, whom I saw some time ago at Ratisbon, busying himself, not less foolishly than wickedly, in behalf of the Pope, when by his inveiglements he tried to draw me to a conference with Contarenus. There will fly together from all Italy the three-halfpenny bishops, of whom there will be a vast abundance. There will come also from France and Spain some of the light-headed and fatuitous, and others infamous for the vices of their former life; who afterwards returning home will boast that they had rendered a good and faithful service to the Catholic Church. Moreover, there will come forth from the caves of monks a great conflux of frogs into that marsh, who by their eager croaking will banish far away every truth. What! do I imagine here a new thing, or do I not, on the contrary, correctly describe the assembly which was lately seen at Trent?
Why then is it that the Pope dreads these guardians of his own tribunal, who are all, in the first place, his own servile creatures; and who, in the second place, seek no other thing than to gain by any means his favor?
Our Julius especially, who is a veteran in matters of this kind, can in mockery, whenever he pleases, compose such a council as this, so as, in the meantime, to leave as usual the thing undone. And, indeed, as he has given to many of the Dominicans the red cap, it seems to be no obscure prelude of such an event. This order, as they say, has ever been in favor with him; but such profusion arises from a higher cause. He, indeed, knows well, that none are more shameless than these beggarly fellows, as he has often employed at his nod their illiberal and sordid services. When he raised them again to this dignity, he knew that whatever he might bid them to do, none would be more audacious or more cruel than they. Besides, he is not ignorant that most of these hungry dogs, feeding on the same rewards, would rush into any contentions he wishes. I do not, however, say that they are mistaken who declare that he does not desire a council. But when he has arranged his own theater, some sudden storm will be raised with no great trouble, which will disturb the whole proceeding. Hence, at the very beginning, if his own advantage so require it, he will fold up the curtains. A council, however, though an empty phantom, he thinks to be to him like Hercules's club, to lay Christ prostrate, and to break in pieces the remnant of the Church.
When this prince of impiety so wickedly tramples upon the glory of our God and the salvation of men, does it become us by silence to betray the sacred cause? nay, we ought to undergo hundred deaths, were that possible, rather than to suffer so unworthy, wicked, and barbarous oppression of sound doctrine to continue unknown through our sloth.
But let us grant what is hardly credible, that the Pope with his band does seriously intend to call a council. In that case Christ will not, at the first view, be so grossly mocked; yet in this way a wicked conspiracy would be formed against him: nay, the greater the fame of the gravity and splendor of the Papal council, the more injurious would it be to the Church, and a more dreadful pest would it prove. For it cannot possibly be hoped, that an assembly gathered under the authority of Antichrist, should be governed by the Spirit, or that the slaves of Satan should exercise any moderation. In the first place, the Pope, the professed and sworn enemy of Christ, would occupy there the chief place of authority. Though he would especially pretend to ask the opinions of the Fathers sitting there, yet being terrified by his presence, they would all follow what would please him. But in an assembly fully agreeing in every impiety, what need would there be of dissimulation? Such, I have no doubt, is every one of the cardinals. In that very college, which pretends to be a holier senate, there prevails, it is evident, an Epicurean contempt of God, a savage hatred of truth, a rabid fury against all the pious. Then the order of bishops, does it not consist nearly of the same monsters? except that many among them are slothful asses, who neither openly despise God, nor hostilely oppose sound doctrine; yet they are so enamoured with their own depraved state, that they cannot endure any reformation. Add to this, that authority will reside almost wholly with the few, who, being indeed altogether destitute of any concern for true religion, will shew themselves the most fierce supporters of the Roman See: others will make up the number. As every one of these will speak the most atrocious things against us, there will be many not only of those who may only give their votes, but also of the princes, who will subscribe either willingly and gladly according to their own inclinations, or from ambition, or from fear.
I am not however, so unjust as not to concede that some of these have a sounder judgment and are not otherwise ill disposed; but they do not possess so much courage, that they will dare to resist the wickedness of the whole body. There will be perhaps, amidst a thousand, two or three who may dare to give a half-uttered word for Christ, (as Peter Paul Vergerius at Trent) but the holy council of the Fathers will have a remedy at hand, so that such may not create any further trouble; for being cast into prison, they will be presently driven to a recantation, or they will have to pay the penalty of death for too much freedom of speech, or they will have to drink the cup of perpetual silence.
But such is the equity with which we are treated, that we are untameable and hopelessly perverse heretics, except we seek from the holy council the rule for the necessary reformation, except we acquiesce without any demur in its decrees, whatever they may be. We, indeed, do not shun the authority of a legitimate council, (if such could be had,) as we have already made sufficiently evident by clear proofs. But when they require that we are to bow to the judgment of the chief adversary of Christ without any appeal, and indeed on this condition, that religion is to be defined at their will and pleasure, and not by the Word of God, what reason have we for submission, except we are prepared willingly and knowingly to deny Christ? There is no reason for any one to object and say, that we distrust before the time. Let them give us a council in which there will be a free liberty given to defend the cause of truth: if to that we refuse to come, and to give a reason for all that we have done, then they will justly charge us with contumacy. But so far will a permission be given us freely to speak, that there is no doubt but that we shall be prevented from making even a suitable defense. For how can they listen to the clear-sounding thunders of truth, who can by no means bear warnings however bland and conveyed in soft whispers? But this they publicly do — They invite us; is it that they may grant us some place on the lowest seats? Nay, they declare that it is not lawful to admit any one to their sittings except the anointed and the mitred. Then let them sit, provided we are heard, declaring the truth while standing. They answer, that they freely promise a hearing; that is, that having presented a suppliant petition, being ordered immediately to depart, after the turbulent clamours of some days, we shall be recalled for the purpose of being condemned. I say clamours, not that any altercation of dissidents is to be in that assembly, but that the sacred ears of bishops having been so irreverently offended by us, the indignity will appear to them intolerable. It is not unknown how tumultuous is their violence. Surely, when they ought to determine the cause with reason, this can never be obtained from them, when not even a slight hearing can be hoped for.
We shall endeavor to restore God's worship to its purity, purged from the innumerable superstitions by which it has been corrupted. Here the profane orators will chatter about nothing but the institutes, the old rites and ceremonies of the Fathers, as though the Church taught by the celestial ministry of the prophets and of Christ knew no other way of worshipping God than by adopting, in brutal stupidity, the dregs of Romulus, made fascinating by the anile dotages of Numa Pompilius. But where is that simplicity of obedience which the Lord everywhere makes so much of and so distinctly requires?
If the controversy be concerning the depravity of human nature, the miserable and lost state of mankind, the grace and power of Christ, or the freeness of our salvation, they will immediately bring forward and dogmatically allege the putrid axioms of the schools, as things that ought to be received without dispute. The Holy Spirit teaches us in Scripture, that our mind is smitten with so much blindness, that the affections of our heart are so depraved and perverted, that our whole nature is so vitiated, that we can do nothing but sin, until he forms a new will within us. He constrains us, condemned to eternal death, to renounce all confidence in our own works, and to flee to our only asylum, the mercy of God, and to trust in it for all our righteousness. He also, inviting us to God, testifies that God is reconciled to us only through the blood of Christ, and bids us to rely on Christ's merits, and to come boldly to the heavenly tribunal. That none of these things may be heard, those endless decrees are adduced, to violate which is deemed more unlawful than to disbelieve God and all his angels.
Of the sacraments they will not permit a word to be said, differing from the notions entertained of them. And what else is this but to preclude the possibility of any reformation? But it is easy to show how preposterous is the administration of the sacraments under the Papacy, so that hardly anything bears an affinity to the genuine doctrine of Christ. What spurious corruptions have crept in, nay, what disgraceful sacrileges have entered! It is not lawful to move a question on this subject. Hence it is a common saying with theologians, which they have published everywhere in their books: That the Church may remain safe, care must especially be taken that the council should not admit a doubt respecting the chief controversies of the present day. Come forth also has lately, in the Italian language, the insipid book of one Mutius, witlessly breathing nothing but carnage, in which he dwells profusely on this point, that nothing else is to be done by the reverend Fathers, when they meet in council, but to pronounce what already appears to them right on the whole subject, and to compel us to subscribe to their sanguinary edicts. I should not indeed have thought it necessary to mention the hoarse chatterings of this unlucky owl, had not Pope Julius recommended the work. Hence readers may judge what sort of council Mutius recommends, and is to be expected from Julius his approver.
As then we see that these antichrists rush on with desperate pertinacity in order to destroy sound doctrine, and with equal insolence boldly exult that they will set up a masked council for no other purpose than that, having put to flight the gospel, they may celebrate their own victory; let us also in our turn gather courage to follow the banner of our leader, having put on the armor of truth. Were only the pure and simple doctrine of Scripture to shine forth as it ought, every one, who refuses not to open his eyes, would acknowledge the Papacy to be a savage and an execrable monster, made up, through Satan's arts, of innumerable masses of errors. For we make it evident by the most solid proofs, that the glory of God is so distributed by a sacrilegious rending among fictitious idols, that hardly a hundredth portion of his right remains to him. And further, when they reserve for him some portion of worship, we can show that no part of it is sincere, inasmuch as all things are full of the superstitious inventions of men; the law of God is also loaded with similar devices, for miserable consciences are held bound under the yoke of men, rather than ruled by God's commandments; and they groan and toil under the unjust burden of so many traditions, nay, they are oppressed with a cruel tyranny. We declare that, prevaricating obedience can avail nothing except to lead men to a deeper labyrinth. We shew clearly from Scripture, that Christ's power under the Papacy is almost abolished, that his grace is in a great measure made void, that unhappy souls removed from him, are inflated with a fatal confidence in their own power and works. We prove that prayer to God, such as is prescribed by his word, (which yet is the only true asylum of salvation) is wholly subverted. We plainly shew that the sacraments are adulterated by extraneous inventions, and are also transferred to a foreign purpose; for the power of the Spirit is impiously tied to them, and what is peculiar to Christ is ascribed to them. Then we disown the number seven, which they have presumptuously adopted. The mass also, which they imagine to be a sacrifice, we prove to be a disgraceful denial of the sacrifice of Christ. There are many other sacrilegious things of which we make it evident that they are guilty.
Doubtless, were only the Scripture allowed its own authority, there are none of these things respecting which our adversaries would not be constrained to be mute. And this is what they by no means dissemble, when they contend that owing to the ambiguous meaning of Scripture, we ought to stand solely on the judgment of the Church. Who, I pray, does not see, that by laying aside the word of God, the whole right of defining things is thus transferred to them? Though they may kiss the closed copies of the Scripture as a kind of worship, when yet they charge it with being obscure and ambiguous, they allow it no more authority than if no part of it existed in writing. Let them assume specious titles as they please, that they may not appear to allege anything besides the dictates of the Spirit, (as they are wont to boast,) yet it is a settled and fixed thing with them, that all reasons being laid aside, their will alone ought to be believed (αὐτόπιστος.)
Then, lest the faithful should be carried about by every wind of imposture, lest they should be exposed to the crafty cavils of the ungodly, being taught by the sure experiment of faith, let them know that nothing is more firm or certain than the teaching of Scripture, and on that support let them confidently recumb. And since we see that it is shamefully deformed by the false comments of the Sophists, and that at this day the hired rabble of the Pope are bent on this artifice, in order that by their smoke they may obscure the light, it behoves us to be more intent on the restoration of its brightness.
I, indeed, have in an especial manner resolved to devote myself to this work, as long as I live, whenever time and opportunity shall be afforded me. In the first place, the Church to which I belong shall thus receive the fruit of this labor, so that it may hereafter continue the longer; for though a small portion of time remains to me from the duties of my office, yet that, how small soever it may be, I have determined to devote to this kind of writing.
But to return to you, most, illustrious King, here you have a small pledge, my Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles, where many things have been deemed obscure and recondite, which I have endeavored so to explain, that an easy access to the true meaning might be open to a reader not altogether slothful. And as interpreters of Scripture, according to their opportunity, are to supply weapons to fight against Antichrist, so also you must bear in mind that it is a duty which belongs to your Majesty, to vindicate from unworthy calumnies the true and genuine interpretation of Scripture, so that pure religion may flourish. It was not without reason that God commanded by Moses, that as soon as a king was appointed over his people, he should take care to have a copy of the Law written out for himself. Why so, if he had, as a private individual, already exercised himself diligently in this work, but that he might know that kings have themselves need of this remarkable doctrine, and are especially enjoined to defend and maintain it; the Lord has assigned to his Law a sacred habitation in their palaces. Moreover, since the heroic greatness of your mind far surpasses the measure of your age, there is no reason why I should add more words to stimulate you.
Farewell, most noble King. May the Lord protect your Majesty as he has already done, govern you and your counsellors with the spirit of wisdom and fortitude, and keep your whole kingdom in safety and peace.
Geneva, Jan. 24, 1551.


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HEALTH REFORM: If You're an Uninsured Worker, It's Your Chance to Get Covered
Smith will earn his degree from Fordham University in New York City next May. Eventually, he hopes to land a full professorship with health benefits. But as a new graduate, he'll probably spend one to three years in part-time teaching assignments that don't offer job-based health insurance.
The new health insurance exchanges, or "marketplaces," created under the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration's sweeping health reform law, may offer him a solution.
Beginning Oct. 1, the exchanges will help consumers compare various insurance plans and prices, and choose the coverage that best suits them and their family members, often with the help of federal subsidies to keep the premium affordable. The new coverage takes effect in 2014.
"The timing's really good for me, actually, because now as I finish my degree, I'll have an option for health care that I really didn't think I had before," Smith said.
Smith is one of millions of part-time and seasonal workers, small business employees, self-employed people, and even some full-time workers, who don't have job-based health insurance. More than three-quarters of America's nonelderly uninsured are in working families, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured.
With an advanced degree, Smith's prospects of landing full-time employment with health benefits are much better than many. Uninsured workers tend to hold down low-wage or blue-collar jobs and to work for small firms or in service industries, the Kaiser commission noted.
"Obamacare," as the health reform law is sometimes known, seeks to chip away at the nation's uninsured population, in part by requiring most Americans to have insurance or pay a fine. The so-called "individual mandate" takes effect on Jan. 1, 2014.
"If you don't get health insurance, then you're going to need to have coverage somewhere, unless you qualify for an exemption, and those are pretty limited," said Linda Rowings, chief compliance officer at United Benefit Advisors, an Indianapolis-based provider of employee benefits advisory services.
New coverage options for uninsured workers
When the new health insurance exchanges open on Oct. 1, consumers can compare health plan options and prices, and apply for coverage online, by phone or in person.
Most anyone can use the exchanges, but they will mostly benefit those with low or modest incomes because they'll get federal tax credits to help pay for their coverage.
Tax credits are available to those earning between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or $11,490 to $45,960 for a single person and $23,550 to $94,200 for a family of four. The subsidies vary by income, with lower earners qualifying for more help than higher earners.
"The exciting part about it is that those people will be able to get coverage that is much more affordable than they've been able to in the past," said Rhett Buttle, vice president of external affairs for the Small Business Majority, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit advocacy group for small business owners.
Workers making more than 400 percent of the poverty level may use the exchanges but won't get help paying for coverage.
And people with very low incomes may have another option. Some of the lowest wage earners in America will be eligible for Medicaid, in many cases because they live in a state that is expanding Medicaid coverage.
Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia will expand Medicaid eligibility in 2014 -- up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. This means a single person earning up to $15,856 or a family of four making as much as $37,384 could qualify for that coverage.
In states that expand Medicaid, eligibility will be based solely on income, not whether someone is disabled or has dependents.
Is employer-sponsored coverage an option?
As Obamacare unfolds, uninsured workers should check with their employers. Depending on how businesses react to changes under the health reform law, you may be offered group health coverage -- or you could lose work hours that would make you eligible for coverage.
If you work for a business with fewer than 50 workers, your employer doesn't have to offer health insurance. There's no penalty for not providing coverage.
Beginning this October, each state will offer a marketplace, or health insurance exchange, for small businesses that elect to offer coverage to their employees. The Small Business Health Options Program -- or "SHOP" -- is designed to make it easier and more affordable for small businesses to offer health benefits.
An important feature of the SHOP is the "employee choice" provision that allows small businesses to offer multiple health plan options. Although the Obama administration delayed this part of the program until 2015, 15 states are moving ahead with some level of employee choice, according to a recent Commonwealth Fund report.
"If you work for a large company, generally you get the option of two or three plans, maybe even four or five. Well, small businesses have never been able to do that before," Buttle said.
Smith, the Ph.D. candidate, is just beginning to sort through the complexities of searching for health coverage, beginning with which state health insurance exchange to use. (He's in New York now, but his home address is in California.)
He's heard the cost of health coverage through the exchanges is based on income, "but I really don't know what that means in terms of dollars and cents," he said.
Although he's young and healthy, Smith isn't willing to embark on his career without health coverage. "I just was thinking, gosh, if I suddenly got in an accident or if I suddenly came down with an illness, a severe one at that, what would I do to pay for it?"
More information
The Kaiser Family Foundation's subsidy calculator can help you figure out whether you may be eligible for premium tax credits through the state health insurance exchanges.
To read part one of the series, how to navigate the new health insurance exchanges, click here.
To read a part-one story on the potential impact on young adults, click here.
To read part two of the series, how the Affordable Care Act will affect those who get their insurance through their employers, click here.