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Comments for Kodachrome
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Nov. 23, 2016
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Good controls which is a must for platformers. God I hated the yellow tower up. Anyhow, the tower down + the escape, felt very unnecessary and pointless. After all you already broke the roof in one place to cut some yellow rooms away, why not instant traveling to the surface? The final boss was barely ok, would have been good if not for the falling rock phase, messed me up with BS rng+homing several times in a row. The epilepsy flashing end at the surface annoyed me. All in all 3/5 stars, very close to 4.
May. 25, 2016
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Talked to someone. Could not exit text box. Closed game.
Mar. 11, 2015
Under rating threshold (hideshow) The first part of the game was okay, the pre-tower levels were a bit frustrating, the tower itself was maddening, but the boss battle, its downright lovecraftian in the sheer frothing rage it elicited out of me. I quit. 1/5
Jun. 18, 2014
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Rating down because I can't complete. I know it's silly, but the last 4 hours of pain have far outweighed the first 10 minutes of fun. Parts I hate: 1. The 5th gun upgrade where if you mess up and take the checkpoint you have to redo 20 rooms. 2. That room with lasers in the ceiling (I think it's the 6th yellow room) where the correct strategy has to be found by trial and error. 3. That tower - would it kill you to split it into two rooms? Because it certainly killed us. For the record, I've seen but not touched the spikes in the tower, because there are a thousand ways to mess up the double jumps before that. Yes, I wouldn't mind an impossible badge for reaching/completing the tower, but for now I need to find a replacement for my up arrow key.
Jun. 13, 2014
Under rating threshold (hideshow) A bit annoying gun upgrades don't show up on the map. I've got 4 of them and all gems, and can't move on to the end of the game.
May. 27, 2014
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Coming from a computer that can handle the flash, I appreciate that for a skill-platformer approaching VVVVV difficulty, the controls and physics are extremely crisp and approachable. I found the save points to be well-spaced for the most part, but I also have the same complaint others do about the map- it's not placed in the path of the player, you have to jump down a shaft at random, and players don't usually like to give up the height advantage. I never got to the yellow levels, I'm more of a powerup collector than an extreme skillz platformer... Most of the time Megaman is too hard for me, so don't take my quitting as a bad thing X) I'm looking forward to seeing more from this author.
May. 9, 2014
Under rating threshold (hideshow) An epic labyrinthine adventure with quirky minimalist graphics. You'll get sucked in, but beware. This game is the devil. The end is so sadistic and near impossible, that I think this software is a work of black magic, designed to siphon the user's vitality to the software creator. Only a sick monster could've created the brutal mayor level. I stayed up all night and morning until noon the next day and could not finish the tower.
Apr. 18, 2014
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Tower is impossible because far too many of my ground jumps do not make me jump far enough, thus causing me to be unable to reach the next platform. And that's certainly not because I'm not holding the Up button long enough.
Jan. 5, 2014
Under rating threshold (hideshow) 5/5! 10/5! This is spectacular! Hell yes, the yellow levels and the tower might be difficult, but they're not TOO difficult, despite what other people write. Yes, the first time I got through the yellow levels to the boss I died about 100 times and probably 40-50 times trying to kill the boss with 3/5 gun upgrades. After that, I decided to go get the other two upgrades (M+enter to teleport to the blue levels). Doing the yellow levels again has been really easy (died 6 times). The same goes for the tower (9 deaths). It's a matter of learning from errors: if you read through your mistakes, you'll probably get higher and higher every 10th death or so in the tower. Also, figuring out that the bullets in the tower are fake definitely helps :p + so that people can see this and fully understand how beautiful it is this EXTREMELY UNDERRATED platformer. I'd really love to see badges for it and complete it again to grab the final hard (or impossible) badge. The ending is fantastic.
Nov. 28, 2013
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Same problem as YeloboltW. Flash eats a lot of CPU and RAM, so it's impossible to make one perfect jump after another. When I reloaded the page, I was back at the point where I had to find 3 remaining gems. so basically tower is impossible. Making only perfect jumps as required is nearly impossible. And they flash problem in combination with the resetting save point finishes it off. A jumpo upgrade would be good or just remove that needless laser. I'm on top of screen and then I have to wait to get nearly killed and have to jump up again. Not to mention that one missed step means death.
Nov. 28, 2013
Nov. 27, 2013
Under rating threshold (hideshow) is it just me who only gets a yellow screen?
Aug. 3, 2013
Under rating threshold (hideshow) I really enjoyed this game. I gave it 5/5 and favorited. Great music, difficulty and retro graphics... then I accidentally exited out and lost all my progress... I had all the gems but never made it to the tower because I couldn't find it. The no save thing frustrated me more than the game.
Jul. 22, 2013
Under rating threshold (hideshow) 1/5, just because of the tower and boss. I was loving the game up to that point, thinking perfect 5 for sure. Great music, an interesting look, and captivating gameplay. I thought the gold rooms were challenging, but manageable. Then the tower flipped my opinion around, and the boss set it in stone. There's nothing worse than difficult multi-stage bosses when you die in one hit. I spent about as much time on the tower and boss as I did on the rest of the game.
Apr. 29, 2013
Apr. 29, 2013
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Great game, apart from the tower, where the game's difficulty differentiating between taps and long jumps becomes painfully apparent
Feb. 16, 2013
Under rating threshold (hideshow) wtf i was at the tower and when i reenter im at the previous room :(
Feb. 13, 2013
Under rating threshold (hideshow) THAT LASER . . . its clearly impossible...
Feb. 13, 2013
Under rating threshold (hideshow) that was the last room, finally arrived at the tower..
Feb. 12, 2013
Under rating threshold (hideshow) seriously i cant figure out how can i go beyond a room where im supposed to dodge a wall of 4 bullet traps for something like 15 secs (dodging when u have only the second space from the floor is really hard)
Feb. 12, 2013
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Aww sweet yellow rooms (they freakin me out :) ) great game, will i ever beat this game?
Feb. 10, 2013
Under rating threshold (hideshow) always loved Knytt and i love this man! grrrrreat job!
Nov. 26, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Hey! Great game! Awesome design and music. Love it!
Nov. 9, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Where can I find the old version? I loved that one. Some gamers just need to grow a pair and play the damn game!
Sep. 20, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) WTF are you kiding ? No saves for this type of game ? By the way, the game is really excellent.
Sep. 17, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) just completed the game...man those were some FLASHY COLOURS! overall a very nice game just WAY TOO MUCH unforgiving and hard. and the ending could've been at least a little bit better after such punishing levels...
Sep. 16, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Can you make a video walkthrough please?
Sep. 13, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) to find the Mayor: search carefully in the UPPER RIGHT CORNER (sort of a secret room). anyway the last climbing part with the moving floor is BULLSHIT. really. can't explain just how HARD it is.
Sep. 13, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) I can't find the stupid Mayor. I hate when I get to the point in a game where I am just STUCK. Searched the web, no help available.
Aug. 26, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Honestly I love this game, it has very good graphics, nice relaxing music, and a good challenge not to hard. 5/5
Aug. 13, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) My girlfriend and I enjoyed playing this game a lot. We were both playing at the same time and enjoying competing to see who could reach the end. We couldn't get past the tower. The jumps had to be absolutely perfect in timing and position. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with that; if a game is too hard, it's too hard, but I wish you would have included some sort of jump upgrade in the game. By the time I had gotten to that level my flash game had been eating a LOT of CPU and RAM and it was causing my game to lag. If my game lags it ruins my ability to predict how far up my character is jumping and at that point the game is impossible because I can't control my character properly. It's not your fault at all. I won't detract my opinion of the game for that, but it's a shame I couldn't see the end. I really liked this game. :(
Aug. 12, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) I got all the upgrades, but I have no idea how to get to the Mayor. Does it involve the infinitely cycling room?
Aug. 11, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Love the difficulty! Only thing I'm not a fan of is using the up key for jump.
Aug. 10, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Assume you've seen all the comments here, too?: http://www.freeindiegam.es/2012/08/kodachrome-nmws/
Aug. 9, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Congrats on the great game! Love the art style, music, and overall feel you were going for. However, I agree that it could be improved. I quit after a short period of time due to frustration. It's not that the game's too hard (hard games can be great fun; see Super Meat Boy as an example), it's that it feels like I invest time and then can lose that time too easily. I don't mind dying if I can try again rapidly, and I don't mind exploring if I don't feel hopelessly lost. I heard there's a map, but I didn't find it. You either need to make it a part of the game by default or make it much harder to miss. Best of luck with this game and (hopefully) your future games!
Aug. 9, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Due to flaws in jumping mechanics, the last few rooms are pretty much the opposite of fun. It's a shame. I was really enjoying it until the background turned orange.
Aug. 9, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) It seems like I don't always get full height on a jump, even when I hold the jump key. Didn't notice this until the final climb to the Mayor, and then it was painfully evident...
Aug. 4, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Ha, a hardcore metroidvania game. Actually, this kind of game can be good, but only if the game is really well-designed. Unfortunately, no effort was made to make it fun at all. After seeing the tetris game you've made I'd say that you are a very competent coder. And my advice to you is to team up with someone who is good at game/level design instead.
Aug. 2, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) miezebieze you have to go down then come up from behind to get the gun.
Aug. 2, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) Yeah, it's a little challenging. It's got a good look, but getting killed so much is kind of a bummer.
Aug. 2, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) This game has potential so that is why I'm writing this. First of all where where is the mini map button? The majority of people who play these games are casual gamers so why make hardcore platforming. For example the part where you have to jump from block to block while the cannons fire, and once you hit the next level there's more to do. Why would anybody want to restart that. Also the artwork seems uninspired. You should add some colors so the scenery is not so predictable and bland. A lot of platforming games like these go better when you use a lot of humor in them as a side note. The most important thing I can tell you is to spice it up so it does not become just avoiding native guys. Almost forgot to tell you to eliminate double jump and just make the character jump higher. It is annoying to double click in hectic moments. Great job I plan on finishing the game later so I might be wrong on a few things, but I recommend you change this to a beta test.
Aug. 2, 2012
Under rating threshold (hideshow) The main turn off about this game are the many dead ends and one way drop offs. Once I found an upgrade too but it said, I needed a gun; I saw the gun but can't find a way to get it. There seems to be a specific way to win, but this would mean to begin several times. (after deleting the lso each time?) I think, you need to guide the player making the game more linear. Perhaps put down some doors and keys or $uff.
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One day after a mildly eventful Thanksgiving at home, Halle Berry took her daughter Nahla to see Yo Gabba Gabba at the Nokia Theater in Downtown L.A.
As TMZ first reported, Gabriel Aubry (Halle's baby daddy) was arrested Thanksgiving morning after a melee at Halle's house, which sent both Gabriel and Halle's fiance, Olivier Martinez, to the hospital.
Aubry was seen out yesterday and clearly looked like he got the worse end of it. A judge issued an emergency protective order against the baby daddy, requiring him to stay 100 yards away from Halle, Olivier, and Nahla.
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Canton-Galva is hosting its 33rd annual volleyball tournament this weekend.
CANTON — Hillsboro is the No. 1 seed in the 33rd annual Canton-Galva Invitational Volleyball Tournament that will be contested Saturday.
Pool play, which starts at 9 a.m., will be conducted in both Canton and Galva, with the host Eagles playing in Canton.
C-G, 4-15 at the time of the pairings, is in a pool with Hillsboro (18-1), Sunrise Christian Academy (16-12) and Halstead (17-9).
On the other side of the bracket, Little River (7-12) is in a pool with Goessel (16-5), Hesston (13-5) and Central Christian (6-12).
The bracket play starts at 3 p.m. in Canton.


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Apple Goes After Open Source Startup For Daring To Use The Term 'App Store'
from the butt-head-astronomer-store dept
As you probably have heard, Apple is trying to convince the world that "app store" is not generic and that it holds the trademark on it. This has resulted in lots of people trying to invalidate the trademark, and one lawsuit against Amazon. Rather than taking a step back, Apple has become much more aggressive, lately (even though Steve Jobs has been caught calling other app stores "app stores").
We recently noted that it had threatened the developer organization Wireless Industry Partnership for daring to have a webpage that lists out alternative app stores. Carl J points us to the news that the company is now also threatening the open source startup Amahi with a similar cease-and-desist, for the app store it has for its home web server offering.
While the company is still deciding what to do, it's asking people to suggest potential alternatives:
We'd like it if you submit your suggestion for a term to use for Amahi's store area, in every language on the surface of the earth, except of course using the term "app store." Keep them short! We will use one of the top suggestions to name that area of our site.Anyone have suggestions that would fit with the spirit of Apple's response to Carl Sagan?


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Council chiefs have been flying the flag for the Commonwealth this week.
Derbyshire Dales District Council flew one of 500 Commonwealth Flags from across the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man at Matlock Town Hall on Monday as part of Commonwealth Day celebrations.
The flag was flown at 10am after the Commonwealth affirmation was given by the Chairman of the District of the Derbyshire Dales Councillor Peter Slack.


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Kerry seeks Chinese help on North Korea while bashing Beijing for regional assertiveness
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BEIJING – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday appealed for China's help in bringing a belligerent North Korea back to nuclear disarmament talks but faced an uncertain response as the request was accompanied by demands for Beijing to roll back a series of increasingly aggressive steps it has taken to assert itself in territorial disputes with its smaller neighbors.
Kerry opened a 24-hour visit here by meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People and was later to see an array other senior officials as he sought to underscore the Obama administration's commitment to refocusing U.S. foreign policy on the Asia-Pacific amid myriad other global priorities. Kerry planned to address issues ranging from climate change to Syria and Iran with his Chinese hosts.
Yet, he faces a decidedly tough sell on both of his main agenda items: North Korea and regional tensions that have flared, particularly with Japan over conflicting maritime claims.
For one, the extent of China's influence, and willingness to use it, with North Korea is unclear following a purge in the isolated country's leadership.
And, China has angrily dismissed U.S criticism over its moves in the East and South China seas that have alarmed U.S. allies like Japan and the Philippines.
In Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, Kerry said the Obama administration wants to put new emphasis on getting North Korea back to stalled six-nation talks aimed at getting Pyongyang to give up nuclear weapons.
"Let me be clear," he told reporters. "The United States will not accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state. We will not accept talks for the sake of talks. And the DPRK must show that it will negotiate and live up to its commitments regarding denuclearization."
Efforts toward that end, he said, would rely heavily on China, North Korea's only friend, putting pressure on Pyongyang.
"China has a unique and critical role that it can play," Kerry said. "No country has a greater potential to influence North Korea's behavior than China, given their extensive trading relationship with the North."
But China's leverage with the North is being tested.
Diplomats say Beijing received no prior warning ahead of the December arrest and execution of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, who had been considered Pyongyang's point man on China affairs and was a strong promoter of free trade zones being set up along their mutual border.
That came on the heels of Pyongyang's snubbing of Beijing's wishes when it conducted a missile test in late 2012, followed by the underground detonation of a nuclear device last spring.
Jang's removal was seen as depriving Beijing of its chief conduit into the North Korean regime and in the weeks that followed the leadership found itself at a loss as to how to proceed. A delegation of Chinese diplomats led by the Foreign Ministry's deputy head of Asian affairs visited Pyongyang last week in a sign that Beijing was attempting to renew dialogue with Kim's government, although it remains to be seen whether the North was any more receptive to China's pleas to return to the nuclear talks.
Those discussions involving the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan, broke down at the end of 2008 and U.S. officials say they see no point of restarting talks until Pyongyang shows an authentic desire to make good on its prior commitments to dismantle its nuclear programs.
Meanwhile, as Kerry tries to prod the Chinese on North Korea, he will also be delivering a stern message on the competing territorial claims and China's bitter dispute with Japan.
His audience — including Xi, Premier Li Keqiang, Vice President Li Yuanchao, State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi — may be even tougher on those issues.
Since sometimes violent anti-Japanese protests rocked major Chinese cities in late 2012, Beijing has continually stepped up its rhetoric against Tokyo, dispatching its diplomats to make China's case in the global media and at international forums, even dogging Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent trip to Africa.
Recent weeks have seen China's ambassador to London compare Japan to the evil Lord Voldemort of the Harry Potter books in the pages of Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper. On Thursday, the official China Daily newspaper devoted a half page to grievances against Japan, while the Foreign Ministry revived the case of a 2010 confrontation between a Chinese fishing boat and Japanese coast guard ships to demand an apology and compensation from Tokyo.
More worrisome, Chinese patrol vessels have maintained a more-or-less constant presence in waters surrounding the disputed Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea, forcing the Japanese coast guard to go on the defensive to avoid a clash.
Chinese ships have also stepped up their presence in the South China Sea, particularly in regards to the Philippines, which is seen by Beijing as weak and overly dependent on the U.S. for protection. Diplomats are concerned that Beijing may be planning to declare an air defense zone above those heavily traversed waters, further raising the chances of confrontation with American surveillance planes and other military flights.
U.S. officials traveling with Kerry said he would urge the Chinese to show restraint, cool down its rhetoric and actions, and clarify its claims consistent with international law.
"The perception in the region and in the United States that is generated by the incremental actions that China has been taking ... is one of a country that is asserting its position through extra-legal and non-diplomatic means," one official said. "That's not a good image of China, and it is not a pattern of behavior by China that the U.S. or others want to see."
China has rejected U.S. criticism of its actions in the past and is expected to do so again in response to Kerry's visit.


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Double J Ranch
Shawnee, OK 74801
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This beautiful 14,000-acre working cattle ranch in northwest Oklahoma is in the heart of wild quail country. Selman Ranch...Learn More
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The Flying W Guest Ranch offers a large variety of activities and entertainment for guests of all ages. Test your skills as...Learn More
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For a first-rate outdoor experience, head over to Croton Creek Guest Ranch in Cheyenne. With 5,000 acres of...Learn More


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Are you visiting Brunei Darussalam and you need to know if you need any adapter or converter for the power plugs and power sockets used in Brunei Darussalam? Please select from which country you are to see if you need any adapters and/or converters in Brunei Darussalam.
In Brunei Darussalam they use the following plug and sockets types:
The sockets and plugs used in Brunei Darussalam are G. You can take a look at the pictures below to see how each plug and socket type looks.
Are the power plugs and sockets different from your home country click on the link below for a universal power plug adapter for Brunei Darussalam
All sockets in Brunei Darussalam provide a standard voltage of 240V with a frequency of 50Hz.
You can use all your equipment in Brunei Darussalam if the standard voltage in your own country is between 220V-240V. This is mostly the case in Europe, Australia, United Kingdom and most countries in Africa and Asia.
If the standard voltage in your country is in the range of 100V-127V (which is most common in the US, Canada and countries in South America) you will need a voltage converter in Brunei Darussalam. Without a converter you will damage you electronic equipment.
Voltage converters are available trough the links below, you can also choose for a plug adapter and voltage converter in one device.
The standard frequency in Brunei Darussalam is 50Hz . If this frequency is different than the frequency in your home country we do not recommend to use your electronic equipment in Brunei Darussalam. But if the voltage is the same (240Hz) it is possible to use your equipment for a short time (AT YOUR OWN RISK). This specially applies on any moving, rotating or time related appliances.


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Your Complete Brake Repair Service in St. Joseph Missouri
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Call us today to schedule your Brake Repair.We are glad you are checking out our web site. Here you'll find details about our day-to-day work and our expert services. Our staff will be glad to respond to any inquiries you may have.
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With car ownership comes essential repair and maintenance obligations. If you wish to continue to enjoy your car, you will want reputable and reputable repair center that will keep your car in top condition. It is often said that the most important professional relationships you can develop is with a reliable mechanic.
If you need affordable Brake Repair in St. Joseph MO, go ahead and drop by. Our ASE-certified technicians are always available to help you with anything you need. Just a couple of services we offer include brake repair, timing belt inspection and replacement, alternator repair, radiator and water pump repair, transmission replacement as well as total engine replacement. Our services take care of your new car warranty, so feel free to see us for all your routine maintenance needs including oil changes, 30/60/90 services, tune-ups, filter replacements and brakes.
Drop by and see us today. You'll immediately understand why we have been successfully doing auto repair in the St. Joseph Mo area.
Have you got any questions about our services? Please contact us – We look forward to hearing from you.
No doubt you've heard St. Joseph described as having a distinct 'car culture.' Part of the joy of living in St. Joseph MO is owning a car so you can easily enjoy all the wonderful things there is to do and see in our part of the country. But with car ownership comes important maintenance and repair responsibilities. If you want to continue to enjoy your vehicle, you'll need a reliable and reputable repair shop that an keep your car in top shape. It's been said that one of the most important professional relationships you can develop is with a trustworthy mechanic. Read More
Considerations When Hiring a Mechanic for affordable Brake Repair in St. Joseph MO
The first thing you will want to consider when hiring a mechanic is to consider the recommendations of your family and friends or people whose opinion you inherently trust. You must also check the public reviews of the shop on Yelp and Google. There you will find a good selection of reviews and opinions that you can take into consideration.
Communication is key. Does the mechanic explain repairs clearly to you? Do you leave the conversation understanding why you need work, what exactly will be done, how much it will cost and if there is any way you can possibly get the work done for less? It is important that you feel the mechanic takes your personal situation into consideration. If you need an expensive repair that has caught you unaware, does the mechanic listen to you when you explain that the cost may be a problem? Perhaps the shop has alternative ways to repair your vehicle, or use less expensive parts to save you money. Be sure to ask it certainly can't hurt. Never pay for any work you have not authorized.
If you are seeking something unique such as a specialist for your particular car or for something as specialized as Brake Repair, be sure to ask if the mechanic has experience with what you are seeking. Be sure to ask if your car will be sent elsewhere or worked on by a mechanic other than the one you've chosen. Some mechanics will specialize in particular cars, makes, models, domestics, imports or types of repairs such as tires, engine, transmission or brakes. If you will be needing more than one type of repair that your mechanic may not provide, perhaps they can provide a recommendation for another mechanic.
Location and transportation are also important when choosing a mechanic. Once you drop off your car, how will you travel to work or home? If the repair will take a number of days, ask if the shop provides shuttle service or free loaner cars. Will you need to make a reservation for the loaner car or is it readily available?
Auto Repair Service in St. Joseph Mo has been servicing and repairing the vehicles of the greater Saint Joseph Mo. area for over twenty five years. With 11 locations now serving Saint Joseph Mo., we are one of the most reputable auto repair shops in Saint Joseph Mo. Just check out our Yelp and Google ratings and see what our loyal customers have to say. Customers love our free shuttle service, free loaner cars, free brake checks, same day service and two year warranties. Stop by and see us today. You'll immediately see why we've been successfully doing auto repair in the greater Saint Joseph Mo. area for more than two decades. Our prices, reputation, quality of service, convenient loaner cars and shuttle services, free inspections and two year warranties keep our customers coming back to us year after year.
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Air Conditioning – Charging System – Heater Hoses – Lube, Oil Change & Filter – Alternator – Brakes – Engines & Mounts – Radiators and Belts Windshield Replacement and Glass Repair – Axle Boot – Shocks/Struts – Electrical – Starters – Steering Battery – Suspension Belts & Brakes Transmission – CV Joint – Tune-Up – Clutch – Upholstery – Dent Repair – Water Pump – Express Lube – Transmission Repairs – Smog
We hope you found this article useful. If so please share with your friends and family. You never know if they are in search of affordable Brake Repair in St. Joseph MO.The only place to go for Brake Repair in St. Joseph Missouri


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muratki99 necessitava di un nuovo design di logo e ha lanciato un contest su 99designs.
È stato scelto un vincitore tra 260 design presentati da 62 designer.
We are looking for a logo for a contemporary bistro named Bistrouge. Bistrouge has been derived from bistro and rouge. Bistro is a traditional French restaurant type. Rouge is red in French. Red is the hottest of the warm colors. It conveys emotions from optimism to passion.
Simpler is better. We believe that simple graphic designs are more powerful to be recalled and convey the message.
Desired Color Scheme:
The color of red should be used in a small dose with cooler or neutral colors
Desired Style:
Simpler is better. We believe that simple graphic designs are more powerful to be recalled and convey the message
Accepted File Formats:
Standard Web Formats (.jpg, .gif or .png); Vector Formats (.eps, .pdf or .ai); Both vector and web formats
For us the color of red embodies people who are socializing while eating and drinking in a warm and lovely environment. We envision our place a modern bistro within the traditional bistro frame. Our guests will be comfortable and treated well in Bistrouge. They will gather around tables, eat signature dishes, drink European wine, beer and signature cocktails and HAVE FUN!
We will create a contrast in the design by using red colored art works with neutral or cool colors in the background. We think that small doses of red will be ore effective in the design. We would like to have the logo consistent with this approach. Good luck!
Maggiori informazioni su come funziona un contest di design o sui nostri servizi di design di logo.


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A real pet peeve of mine is how often mainstream "green" media spends it's time trying to sell new cars, often ignoring or disparaging more efficient modes like riding a bike or taking transit and misinterpreting data in the process. The following quote from the New York Times article "Delusions Abound on Energy Savings, Study Says" stood out to me from their report on a research paper titled "Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings".
The top five behaviors listed by respondents as having a direct impact on energy savings (turning off the lights, riding a bike or using public transportation, changing the thermostat, "changing my lifestyle/not having children" and unplugging appliances or using them less) yield savings that are far outweighed by actions cited far less often, like driving a more fuel-efficient car.This jumbled mess of a paragraph lumps together a bunch of data from the recent research paper to reach conclusions that are not supported by the paper it self in anyway. The New York Times is delusional if it believes you can buy a giant hunk of metal and plastic that sucks down gas, though less than some other ones, and come out with more energy savings than riding a bike or taking transit.
The paper was focused on perceptions of energy use relative to reality of differences in curtailing use and increasing efficiency. Most of the paper is focused on home appliances and not transportation. The paper does make a few conclusions on transportation, but not what the New York Times "Green" blog makes it out to be. The paper found that people vastly underestimate how much more efficient trains are compared to trucks in hauling goods (10x more efficient), and that they pretty accurately guess that planes use a lot more energy than other modes.The researchers also found that those surveyed pretty closely understood the energy savings of a car tune up, reducing traveling speed from 70 to 60, and driving a car with 10mpg more in fuel efficiency.
No where does the paper seem to suggest or conclude anything about public transit use and bicycling relative to driving other than it was listed by survey participants as the 3rd most energy efficient change one can make in an open ended question. The main conclusions from the paper were that people tend to perceive activities like turning off lights more often as being more important than more energy efficient bulbs, which is not true. Similar conclusions were made about other home appliance uses.
Maybe the New York Times bloggers should actually read the research they are reporting on, instead of making up their own bull shit conclusions. If they wanted to report on transport efficiency, maybe they should have looked at a graph of transportation mode energy use instead of a paper focused on psychology and home appliances.


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Lightning is a big chicken, there's just no two ways about.
Lightning is a big chicken, there's just no two ways about.
A string of fireworks, the spray from an aerosol can even the un-nerving late night call of our resident Screech Owl will have him slinking for cover. A clap of thunder or a distant gun shot and whether I'm in the house, in the bathroom or in the shower it's not long before a big white muzzle is planted firmly against my thigh.
Occasionally I use that to my advantage.
We have night creatures at the farm. Coyotes, owls, hawks buzzards and a couple of things that even the dogs won't leave the circle of light to chase. Normally when one of these intruders gets too close to the house and the dogs' barking won't remedy the situation I get Lightning staring in the front window with his, "you really need to come out here," look.
Other times I get the sudden clamor of noise when the two white dogs knock over bikes and other porch items as they explode off the porch in pursuit of some night stalker.
More often than not when this happens in the heat of the moment my commands to "get your b---s back to the house," go unheeded and it's a couple hours before they come dragging their muddy "crap they got away from us,' selves back to the house.
Last week when I was in one of my more bipolar moods and the two dogs charged off the porch to chase a pack of coyotes that had gotten to close to home, I resorted to modified version of a slap-in-the-face to bring some order back to the situation.
The dogs were already halfway across the section north of the house by the time I pulled the semi-auto off the rack just inside the door and put about eight quick rounds into a dead tree stump in the front yard.
Lightning was on the front porch with his head between my legs almost faster than I could return the gun to the rack.
Still rattled he looked up at me, "They've got guns now for cripes sake, whatever happened to this extended background check legislation anyway."
I gave him Senator Moran's number. I speak dog, but politics are beyond me.


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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State lost a special teams ace to Texas, while two more Nittany Lions have left Happy Valley without ever playing a game for first-year coach Bill O'Brien.
Just days before the start of training camp, Penn State's roster remained in flux Thursday after the NCAA allowed players to explore transfers in light of strict sanctions against the program for the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. It set up a collegiate version of free agency in which opposing teams could cherry-pick players off the NIttany Lions' roster.
Anthony Fera was the second starter to leave after the kicker-punter announced Thursday he would be booming kicks for Texas this year. The junior, who is from the Houston area, will have two years of eligibility left.
Fera said the last few weeks had been difficult. His mother was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which also factored into Fera's decision.
"Shortly before I arrived on campus, the most important person in my life was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis), making it more and more difficult to travel each weekend from Texas to see me play," Fera said in a statement released by the Longhorns. "I've been afforded the opportunity to give back to my family and make their lives a little easier by transferring to a university much closer to home, The University of Texas."
Fera's powerful right leg made him one of the top specialists in the Big Ten after hitting 14 of 17 field-goal tries and averaging 42 yards a punt last season. He said he loved Penn State, teammates, the fans and coaches — both past and present.
As of Thursday afternoon, eight players have left Penn State since the NCAA imposed penalties on July 23 , including a four-year bowl ban and significant scholarship reductions. One of those departing players, though — backup quarterback Rob Bolden — was given permission to look at other schools before the punishments were announced.
Despite the defections, Penn State noted that of the 117 players on the team's roster on July 23, 109 players, or 93 percent, had stayed as of Thursday afternoon. The count would include scholarship players and walk-ons.
The entire starting defense, including standout tackle Jordan Hill and linebackers Gerald Hodges and Mike Mauti, is expected to remain intact. Otherwise, the team has lost just two starters — though tailback Silas Redd and Fera were two of the most important players as O'Brien embarked on his rookie season as coach.
Redd, a 1,200-yard rusher, is the most crushing loss after defecting to Southern California on Tuesday. A revamped offense patterned after the potent attack at O'Brien's previous employer — the New England Patriots — may have to rely on converted wideout Bill Belton to carry the load at tailback.
On Thursday, Fera followed Redd out the door of the football building. Fera offered gracious praise for Penn State, and boasted he would "proudly say that I am a Penn State alum!"
"I will be giving my all to the Longhorns," Fera said, "but will always be pulling for my friends and Nittany Lions family as well."
Redshirt freshman Ryan Nowicki, an offensive lineman, was dropped from the Penn State roster later Thursday. Defensive lineman Jamil Pollard was headed to Rutgers, Clyde Folsom, Pollard's former coach at West Deptford (N.J.) High School, said Thursday.
Folsom said the lineman planned to finish some summer courses online and will join the Scarlet Knights when the team reports for camp Sunday.
"Rutgers was in his plans a year and a half ago, but there was a concern about Jamil being a qualifier, so with the concern about being a qualifier and the transition in coaches, he just kind of leaned on Penn State a little more," Folsom said.
While O'Brien appears to have successfully kept most of his core players, especially on defense, roster stability may not return until Monday, when the Nittany Lions open their training camp with a morning workout.
In light of the unprecedented sanctions, the NCAA allowed Nittany Lion players to seek new schools and play immediately. Most players considering a transfer are trying to decide before their new schools start fall practice.
Players can transfer throughout the season, though they lose immediate eligibility to participate with a new school once they play a game for Penn State in 2012.
Florida State announced Thursday that backup tight end Kevin Haplea had joined the team, two days after the junior left Penn State. His father, Gene Haplea, said his son was leaving behind a lot of friends whom he wished well.
"I think (Penn State) is going to do fine," Gene Haplea said in a phone interview. "They're going to probably have to work a little harder, but it's a quality bunch of kids out there. They're going to fight like hell for every inch out there."
At least six 2013 recruits have also re-affirmed their commitments to Penn State, while at least two 2013 prospects have rescinded their verbal commitments.
But the transfers, along with a handful of other offseason departures unrelated to the sanctions, are taking a toll on Penn State's depth. Senior receiver Devon Smith, and junior cornerbacks Curtis Drake and Derrick Thomas left the team earlier in the offseason for off-field reasons.
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- About us
- Blogs
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- Challenges
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- Papers
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- Code of Conduct
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- Recent posts
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French chapter achieved its reorganization in 2011.
First founded by Sebastien Tricaud, it is now co-led by both Sébastien Tricaud and Guillaume
In 2011, we welcomed a new member: Franck Guénichot, one of the Forensic Challenges best
We've also set new status and attribution among members:
|Active members
|Alumn members
|Anthony Desnos
|Cédric Blancher
|François Hamelin
|Christophe Grenier
|Eric Filiol
|Francois Koenig
|Franck Guénichot
|Franck Veysset
|Guillaume Arcas
|Sébastien Tricaud
We deployed a trac instance on the Picviz project in order to see the spam trac could gather.
Statistics will be details in the Findings section.
We are currently deploying a fast campaign launcher to centralize data of a given set of VM-
based sensors.
A partnership is discussed with ESIEA (Laval) & French chapter in order to build a centralized
depository for data collected on VM-based sensors.
Collected data will be available to Honeynet members as well as ESIEA students of ESIEA
Network Security Master classroom for analysis & research.
VM-based sensors are still on development.
French chapter is also involved in GSoC this year through two projects:
Sebastien took the official lead of the Honeywall project and will be focus on this project for the upcoming months.
Christophe Grenier has implemented exFAT support for Test Disk, a data recovery software.
We found that organizing the annual Workshop was a big honour as well as a huge job!
The deployed trac instance of the Picviz project (available from the url http://
trac.wallinfire.net/picviz). We use the fact the Picviz was advertised enough to get
interesting facts during one year. While this deserves a greater paper, here's some
Captcha has proven a good way to face this trac spam, however a simple keywords
blocking has proven efficient to make sure no robot would spam a trac session. Those
keywords are: cialis, viagra, casino, sex, online, aciphex, business, vicodin, pharmacies,
Most of tickets starts with a similarity with keywords such as "gizhhcoadovqgscvlflg"
being used just before urls.
The major goal for our chapter this year is to make the partnership with ESIEA Laval solid for
our VM deployment and have a first deployment working.
Sébastien Tricaud was active on Infrastructure migration.
Honeynet Project's annual Workshop was held in Paris (France) this year with support & hosting of ESIEA (a huge thank to Vincent Guyot & Robert Erra) and help from French chapter members.
Challenge 2 of the Forensic Challenge 2010 - browsers under attack - was co-lead by Guillaume Arcas and Nicolas Collery (Singapore Chapter).
Challenge 5 of the Forensic Challenge 2010 - Log Mysteries - was co-lead by Raffael Marty from the Bay Area Chapter, Anton Chuvakin from the Hawaiian Chapter and Sebastien Tricaud.


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Helping Build The Surveillance State Is Good Business: Palantir Gets $196 Million More In Funding
from the money-money-money dept
Apparently all the revelations concerning the surveillance state haven't been bad for business either. Reports are that the company has recently closed on a little under $200 million from investors, bringing its total raised to around $500 million. Supposedly the latest valuation has the company around $8 billion -- which would mean that the $200 million only bought around 2.5% of the company.
Obviously, there's money in feeding the surveillance state. In fact, we've argued that so much of the hype around "cybersecurity" has really been about efforts to drum up more business for contractors, including Palantir. It's just a shame that all these revelations don't seem to have dampened the interest in building the surveillance state. Apparently the 4th Amendment doesn't mean too much when all that money is on the table.


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With the Wii U already released, the Xbox 360 celebrating around its last year and the Playstation 3 likely soon to follow, this console generation is coming to an end. So, before we go into the new era, now is the time to see how everyone did over these last several years.
I believe all three systems have done well this generation compared to the last one. But this generation won't be over once new hardware is released. I believe the current gen hardware will still continue to sell for a few more years, by at least 2 of the big 3, once next gen hits.
While Sony did lose a lot of third party exclusives, it did pick up that slack with its own first party titles, thanks to their first party companies. And for being a year late and only having less than 6 AAA titles less than the 360, is pretty good and they will make that up by time May 7th hits.
While the Wii was the biggest success this generation, it lose the most support with third parties, but they showed that their first party games will forever hold weight and will still sell their consoles. They also showed power doesn't always equal better games or better looking games. Look at Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2.
Microsoft came out of nowhere and took a great deal of market share from Sony and has made a home in the North America. While the 360 did take exclusives away from the PS3, that didn't mean the PS3 didn't try and make them multi-platform titles; look at Bioshock and Mass Effect.
This generation has been an uphill battle and I don't think anyone of them stopped putting up a fight. They all kept climbing and are still climbing until their makers put them to rest.
I feel Sony got unfairly criticised this generation even though they just did what the core fans want which is just pump out quality exclusives. They have done some odd things this generation (which they should be criticised for) but they also did what they were supposed to and gives us new quality exclusive ips for their platform.
this gen won't over untill both sony and Ms stop making ps3s and xboxs or stop support their consoles ..i know sony will still support ps3 till 2015 along with ps4
not because next gen consoles are coming mean this gen is over
anyway for me ps3 is the best console of this gen
thanks to the Huge 1st party games of every genre possible and 2nd/3rd party support
Simple. The PS3.
It has the most diverse library by a considerable margin. Nothing else matters.
I still maintain this entire generation sucks in comparison to the previous two though. All pretty visuals and no substance.


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.NET Software Architect,Manchester, up to £50000
- Recruiter
- Computer Futures
- Location
- Manchester
- Salary
- £48000 - £52000 per annum
- Posted
- 21 Nov 2012
- Closes
- 19 Dec 2012
- Ref
- Contact
- Danielle Tucker
- Function
- Contract Type
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full Time
.NET Software Architect,Manchester, up to £50000
I am currently recruiting a .NET Software Architect to join a growing eCommerce company based in the centre ofManchester. My client has experienced a lot of success in the market place through the development of their core web-based product and they are looking to continue this growth in 2013.
This is an excellent opportunity for a .NET Software Architect to join an innovative company. You will be joining a creative and dedicated Development Team and play a key role in the direction of the company.
In this hands-on Architect role you need the following technical experience:
C#.NET with ASP.NET
Model-View-Controller (MVC)
Visual Studio 2008/2010
SQL Server
Software Design / Architecture responsibility
Test-Driven Development (TDD)
This is an excellent opportunity for a C# / ASP.NET Software Architect to join an innovative and growing eCommerce company.
Please send your CV to Danielle Tucker at Computer Futures ASAP - my number is 0161 817 7888
To find out more about Computer Futures please visit www.computerfutures.com


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Covidien PLC soared Monday following a deal with Medtronic Inc., while Yahoo Inc. shares were among the biggest losers in the S&P 500 after China's Alibaba released more details on its financial performance.
Covidien US:COV shares rose 21% after the company reached an agreement to be bought by rival Medtronic MDT, -0.01% in a cash-and-stock deal worth about $42.9 billion. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2014 or early 2015. Shares of Medtronic reversed earlier gains to fall 1.4%.
Tesla Motors Inc. TSLA, +0.44% rallied 8.3% on news that Marcus Hotels and Resorts, owned by Marcus Corp. MCS, +0.63% will install power charging stations for Tesla cars at its properties in the United States.
Williams WMB, -0.62% shares surged 19%. The natural gas pipeline company will pay $6 billion to buy the remainder of Access Midstream Partners LP that it doesn't already own.
Fusion-io Inc. US:FIO shares jumped 23%. SanDisk Corp. US:SNDK on Monday agreed to buy Fusion-io in an all-cash transaction worth about $1.1 billion, or $11.25 a share. "Fusion-io will accelerate our efforts to enable the flash-transformed data center, helping companies better manage increasingly heavy data workloads at a lower total cost of ownership," said Sanjay Mehrotra, SanDisk chief executive, in a statement. Shares of SanDisk rose 3.6%.
Shares of Nuance Communications Inc. NUAN, -0.60% advanced 9.8% on a report that the company is in discussions to find a potential buyer. The speech-recognition software maker has held talks with Samsung Electronics Co. and private-equity firms, The Wall Street Journal reported. Nuance's voice-powered technology is used in Samsung's handsets and tablets as well as Apple Inc.'s Siri.
Yahoo US:YHOO shares slid 5.1%. Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce company in which Yahoo holds a large stake, reported its quarterly operating margin fell to 45.3% from 51.3% a year ago, The Wall Street Journal reported. Alibaba is in the process of listing its shares in the U.S. stock market.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. VRTX, -0.32% shares skidded 8%. Analysts at Bernstein Research said they are cautious on the stock due to expectations that the result from the company's traffic and transport phase III program for its cystic fibrosis treatments Vx809 and Kalydeco is likely to be underwhelming. "Put simply, the basic science, the pharmacokinetics and the anecdotal feedback all point to a higher than expected probability of disappointment in this trial, which now seems likely to be announced in July," said Geoffrey Porges at Bernstein in a report.
Level 3 Communications Inc. US:LVLT shares dropped 3.9%. The company said Monday it agreed to acquire TW Telecom Inc. US:TWTC in a deal worth about $7.3 billion, including the assumption of $1.6 billion in debt. Level 3 said it secured committed financing valued at $3 billion. TW Telecom shares climbed 8.2%.
More must-reads from MarketWatch:
Why China is blamed for wacky market moves
Five ways to spot a stock-market correction
Fed faces economy with conflicting vital signs
Providing critical information for the U.S. trading day. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Need to Know newsletter. Sign up here.


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When Directory Proxy Server detects an error on a connection, the proxy closes the connection and tries to reestablish the connection immediately. If the proxy can reestablish the connection, it considers the data source to be up and running. If the proxy cannot reestablish the connection, it flags the data source as unavailable. Directory Proxy Server stops distributing requests to the data source and closes all other connections to the data source.
If a request fails because of a failed connection or a failed data source, Directory Proxy Server replays the request over another connection to the same data source or replays the request to another data source. If the request is replayed to another data source, the load balancing algorithm determines which data source is used.
If there are no data sources to which Directory Proxy Server can replay the request, the proxy returns an error to the client.
Replaying the request enables the failure to be transparent to the client. Requests are replayed for the following operations:
Requests are not replayed for write operations because Directory Proxy Server cannot be sure whether the operation was performed before the connection failure occurred.
When a data source recovers after a being unavailable, Directory Proxy Server returns the data source to the list of candidate data sources. The work that was being carried out by the other candidate data sources is redistributed to include this data source, according to the load balancing algorithm.
When the failed data source recovers, Directory Proxy Server recommences monitoring the traffic between the data sources and their clients.


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- How to book taxi from Budapest Airport to Budapest. Enter you destination in search form – city or district or street
- Specify the terms. Choose the date of your arrival, name oh hotel or adres of your destination, additional terms to taxi. Enter your contacts and make prepayment.
- Our driver will wait you in airport. After passing the passport control at the exit of the arrivals area you will find our driver holding sign with your name.
- Don't buy Forints (currency of Hungary) in airport area. Our taxis accept payments in EUR and USD.
What are the advantages of online taxi reservations from Budapest Airport to Budapest
Taxis are more comfortable and faster than public transport. You do not need to look for a public transport stop, wait for the arrival of an empty bus, buy tokens, spend time on travel and come from a stop to the hotel on foot.
The taxi is already there and waiting for you only. You do not need to look for a taxi stand and wait for a queue, our driver takes you to the car right from the exit of the arrival area. In addition, many drivers help with luggage, especially if you are flying with children.
Advantages of our offer
You get exactly the conditions that you see on the website. You can book a taxi with a child seat, or a taxi of great capacity for a group of friends, or choose a class of a car.
You will not be lost. The drivers of the service will do their best not to miss you at the exit from the arrivals area.
We will not have difficulties in communicating. Basically, all drivers speak English.
The price is fixed
The cost of a taxi from Budapest Airport to Budapestwill be the same as you fix at the time of booking.
Enjoy your flight and travel


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SagePay payment gateway
Shopify supports SagePay to accept credit card payments in United Kingdom
Start your free 14-day trial today!
The Sage Pay payment gateway offers merchants a number of practical and useful features including easy setup, real-time reporting, multiple currency capabilities, fraud protection and free 24/7 telephone support.
One of the great things about Shopify is that we support the world's best and most popular payment gateways – and Sage Pay is one of them. Accept credit card payments through your online store using Sage Pay by following our simple guidelines for complete payment gateway integration. You'll be processing orders before you know it.
Major payment gateways supported in United Kingdom
- Adyen
- Alipay Global
- Amazon Pay
- Authorize.net
- Bancontact via Mollie
- BitPay
- Checkout.com
- Coinbase Commerce
- CyberSource
- Divido
- ePay / Payment Solutions
- eWAY Rapid 3.1
- G2A Pay
- GoCoin
- iDEAL via Mollie
- Laybuy
- Mondido Payments
- Pay Later with Klarna
- Payment Express PxPay
- PaymentExpress
- PayPal Express Checkout
- Paysafe
- PinwheelPay
- QuickPay
- Realex
- Realex Payments (Offsite)
- SagePay
- SagePay Form
- Sezzle
- Shopify Payments
- Skrill
- Slice it. Pay over time with Klarna
- SOFORT Banking (DIRECTebanking)
- WorldPay (Direct)
- WorldPay (Offsite)
Or, use Shopify to accept payments
You can accept payments directly with Shopify without the hassle of a payment gateway.Learn more about Shopify Payments


text:
Just connect your computer to a digital projector or SMART Board, select a student to operate the mouse and let Peter, the avatar, teach your kids a lesson on Comparison and Contrast.
This MicroLesson (like all of the others in the series) comes with a word search activity and a crossword puzzle based entirely on the presentation--the words found in the word search provide the word bank for the crossword puzzle.
Therefore, this presentation along with the time required to complete both puzzles will require 50-60 classroom minutes.MicroLesson 11 Details
Comparison and Contrast, Full Version comes with a word search, and a crossword puzzle.
I have thoroughly tested this MicroLesson with actual students in real-life, public, middle school classrooms--the vast majority of students became engaged, responsive, and productive (even the n'er-do-wells).Screenshots
Both of the screenshots below are samples from the instruction portion of Comparison and Contrast.
Here is the word search activity for Comparison and Contrast.
The words found in the activity above become the word bank for this crossword puzzle:
Like all of the MicroLessons in the Language Arts Presenter series, Comparison and Contrast includes...
Teachers report that during MicroLessons, they...
All of the titles in the Language Arts Presenter series are executable applications, making them compatible with all versions of Windows.Free Download Details and Link
The "Free Trial Version" stamps are a necessary annoyance.
When you consider the fact that I spent two and a half years of my life developing these MicroLessons, I would sincerely hope that you would agree that giving them away completely free of charge is not a plausible option.Full Download Details and Link
Both versions of Comparison and Contrast are accessible with any of the major web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari. As a result, these apps are compatible with all versions of both Windows and Mac.


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Bangalore: Around 15 tonnes of rare red sandalwood, valued at Rs.7 crore, were seized yesterday from a truck in Karnataka's Koppal district when it was being transported illegally to Mumbai from Andhra Pradesh, an official said.
"On a tip-off from the director of revenue intelligence, we intercepted the truck with Punjab registration at Kushtagi in neighbouring Koppal and seized the sandalwood, as it was being carried without valid documents," Assistant Commissioner of Central Excise Arvind Ghuge told IANS from Bellary, about
The excise team brought the consignment to Bellary, about 310 km from Bangalore, along with the truck cleaner as its driver fled from the scene.
"The sandalwood was concealed under a load of papaya fruit in the truck, which managed to cross from Kurnool in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh and went through Bellary and Hospet towns before we could raid it at Kushtagi," Ghuge said.
Though no arrests have been made, the excise team is investigation the case to ascertain the source of the sandalwood and to whom it was being sent to Mumbai.
"We are investigating the case from all angles to find out if the illegal consignment was meant for export or consumption in the Mumbai market, as red sandalwood is in great demand for a variety of uses, including furniture and artifacts," Ghuge added.


text:
Miscellaneous Antiques
Needle Cases & Holders
Other Sewing Tools
Pin Cushions & Emeries
Pottery & Porcelain
Reel Stands & Holders
Reference Books
Sewing Sets & Work Boxes
Silver & Objets de Virtu
Thimbles & Thimble Holders
New Products
Dutch Beadwork Purse with Silver Frame
This nice Dutch purse has two internal divisions. It's crocheted and beadwork on a silver frame with marks for Schoonhoven, 1882. The colour doesn't show up well here, it's actually a nice royal blue. Excellent condition. Measures approximately 4 1/4" wide x 5" high....
Carved Bone Tatting Shuttle
Exceptionally well carved bone tatting shuttle with different design each side. It was made in Canton around 1840 and is one of the best of this type I've had. It measures 3" x 1 1/4"....
Dutch Silver Basket
Pretty little pierced silver basket with Netherlands marks for 1919 by Van Kempen. Measures 12cm in diameter and stand 10cm high including handle. Excellent condition....
Dutch Silver Stiletto
Pretty Dutch silver sheathed stiletto with hexagonal terminal and fine engraving. It measures just 3" long when sheathed. Dates from about 1860....
Chatelaine Seam Knife
This seam knife is in the form of a sheathed dagger and was intended to hang from a chatelaine. The steel blade shows some discolouration and minor rust spots but otherwise the piece is in lovely condition. It dates from the late 19thC and measures 6 1/2" overall....
Calling Card Case
Very nice Mother of Pearl and abalone calling card case from around 1880. The central diamond pearl panel is nicely carved with flowers. The back is plain Mother of Pearl tiles. It measures 4" x 3" and is in excellent condition....
Wooden Snuff Box
Wooden snuff box dating to mid 19th century. It has a design on the lid surrounding a monogram. Measures 4" x 3" and is in excellent condition....
French Silver Sewing Set
Pretty silver sewing set in original fitted maroon coloured case. All implements are original and matching. Dates to around 1890. Case measures 4 3/4" x 2 1/2"...
Tunbridge Ware Needles Box
Nice Tunbridge ware "Needles" box. Late 19thC, excellent condition. Measures 2 1/4" long....
Handmade Jockey Cap Pin Cushion
Lovely little hand stitched fabric pincushion in the form of a miniature jockey cap. This is much smaller than the usual jockey cap pincushions at just 1 1/2" long overall. Very good condition. Late 19th century....
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Ascent of Couchsachraga Peak on 2008-07-05
Matt Nuesell
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Ascent Type:
Successful Summit Attained
Couchsachraga Peak
USA-New York
3793 ft / 1156 m
Ascent Trip Report
In terms of weather, I don't think I could have asked for a better day to climb this range. There was still plenty of boot-sucking mud to deal with, but probably not as much as there usually is, as it's been dry, warm, and windy the past 3-4 days. To put it very simply, this trip was miserable. I've never done a trip that completely sapped by motivation or spirit so thoroughly. Narrow, sharp-edged trails, endless ascents and descents, impossible stretches of knee-deep mud, and views that were less than satisfying for the work. Enough with the complaining, here's the trip report.
I set out solo from the Bradley Pond lean-to parking area, just off of Upper Works Road near Tahawus, at 7:30am. The first couple of miles fooled me into thinking this would be an easy day. A well-marked turn off put me onto the blue trail where I steadily began gaining elevation over the next 2 miles or so. The turn-off for the herd path is on the left, just short of the Bradley Pond lean-to and was marked by a small cairn on a swaybacked rock. The trail is easily discernible, so even if you miss the cairn, just turn around at the lean-to and walk back until you see the trail. I reached this point in about 1:45. From there, the walk around Bradley Pond and up Panther Brook to Times Square was quick and easy.
I reached Times Square at 10:53am and had a quick bite to eat while I planned the rest of the trip. I decided to take the advice of pretty much everyone I spoke to regarding this trip and completed Couchsachraga first. The round trip was supposedly 2.8 miles. No way! After about an hour of descending and losing all of the elevation I had just gained, I came to a swamp that I navigated with surprising ease (stick to the right-hand path and follow it in a semi-circle counter-clockwise to regain the trail). Another 15 minute ascent and I met 2 French-Canadian gentlemen who informed me it was another 30 minutes to the top! What?! Miserably, I plodded up the side of Couchsachraga until beaten and hungry, I reached the top. I had a quick lunch with 3 more Canadians that had been playing leap-frog with me all day and tried to enjoy my 26th summit.
I felt a little more energized after the food and started the long climb back down and up to Times Square. It wasn't long before I hit the wall. By the time I got back down to the swamp, I was stopping every 5 minutes for water and a rest. God bless the creator of the Camelback. TWO HOURS later I arrived back at Times Square, having thoroughly convinced myself that there was no way in hell I could continue. I had literally taken my first step back down the trail to Panther Brook when my three Canadian friends came off the trail from Panther. I chatted with them briefly, and they told me the walk up to Panther was an enjoyable 15 minute stroll. How could I come this far and not have the satisfaction of a 15 minute stroll to a 46r summit? I sucked it up, had some Gatorade, and feeling moderately refreshed, made my way up to Panther. Excellent views on a clear, sunny Adirondack afternoon greeted me and I enjoyed a quiet 10 minutes on a very empty, very buggy summit.
The time was now 3:15pm. I trekked back to Times Square and made the quick decision to go for Santanoni. I really didn't think I'd be able to do it, but I pushed on and found myself at the summit at 4:30pm, alone and wondering how the hell I was going to make it out of here in one piece. A gentleman I met at Times Square earlier in the day had told me about the new/old Santanoni trail and how it was a "short-cut" down to the other side of Bradley Pond. He gave me brief instructions on how to find it. As I had not seen the turn-off on the way up, I didn't think I'd be taking any short-cuts this afternoon. However, I literally stumbled upon the marker just off the summit and after a minute or two of indecision, decided it was my best chance to make it back before dark and with both knees still attached. The trail was steep, but a lot less muddy and miserable as the alternative. An hour or so later, I was at Bradley Pond and stopped to fill a water bottle and enjoy a late-day snack in the setting sun.
After rejoining the blue trail, I waddled for another 2+ hours and finally made it back to my car where an ice-cold Adirondack Grape soda was waiting in a cooler. Bugs were miserable on the trek out and I made about a pint of donations to the mosquito population. From the description, you might not think this trip was that bad. And honestly, every minute that goes by seems to soften my views on it as well. I still don't think I'd go back and do them again though. Although Santanoni and Panther without Couchsachraga wouldn't be a bad day-trip, especially if there was similar weather conditions. Physically and mentally drained, I headed for home, 12 short hours of hiking later. 28 down, 18 to go. Looking forward to the Dix Range in late July. Thanks for reading!
Summary Total Data
Route Conditions:
Maintained Trail, Unmaintained Trail
Gear Used:
Ski Poles
Hot, Calm, Clear
Ascent Statistics
Panther Brook to Times Square
Start Trailhead:
Parking area near Tahawus
Descent Statistics
New/old Santanoni trail
End Trailhead:
Parking area near Tahawus
Ascent Part of Trip:
Santanoni Range
Complete Trip Sequence:
Couchsachraga Peak
Panther Peak
Santanoni Peak
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text: We've all used hundreds of pencils in our lives since we were kids. Jennifer Maestre uses pencils too, but not the way most of us do, or even the ways most artists do. These imaginative creatures use pencils to showcase the contrast between lifelike forms and industrially produced materials. They were inspired by the texture of the sea urchin, which she has been exploring in many materials for several years.


text:
Today Blackberry has announced the Blackberry YouTube channel.
From the looks of the YouTube site viewers can expect to find a collection of "How to Videos" ranging from titles such as "How to set up a personal email account on your Blackberry smartphone" to "How to pair and power on your BlackBerry Visor Mount Speakerphone VM-605".
There are a limited amount of videos however Blackberry's Forums Community Manager says that Blackberry will be adding new videos regularly.
Visit the Blackberry YouTube channel.YouTube - BlackBerry's Channel


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Insurgents in Iraq kill 23, officials say
Insurgents bent on destabilising Iraq killed at least 23 people in eight separate attacks on Sunday, including five kidnapped Iraqi soldiers and an 8-year-old child, officials said.world Updated: Aug 25, 2013 22:36 IST
Insurgents bent on destabilising Iraq killed at least 23 people in eight separate attacks on Sunday, including five kidnapped Iraqi soldiers and an 8-year-old child, officials said.
The boldest attack was near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, where militants set up a fake security checkpoint, captured five soldiers and shot them dead, a police officer said. The soldiers were dressed in civilian clothes and returning to base in a taxi, he added.
Inside Mosul, other gunmen in a speeding car shot and killed a grocer, he said, adding that the motive was not immediately clear. The grocer was a member of the Shabak ethnic group, which has its own distinct language and religious beliefs.
Mosul, a former insurgent stronghold, is about 360 kilometers (220 miles) northwest of Baghdad.
Another police officer said a car bomb exploded as a judge drove past in the northern town of Balad, killing three nurses and a man who had been walking nearby. Thirteen other people were wounded, including the judge, his brother and the driver, he added.
In Baghdad's southeastern and largely Shiite neighbourhood of al-Ameen, a car bomb at a market killed three civilians and wounded 13 others, a police officer said.
Three other civilians were killed and six wounded when a bomb attached to a car exploded while passing through the capital's eastern Zayona neighborhood, he said.
Another bomb went off in a commercial area in the western Ghazaliya area, killing two people and wounding seven others.
In the town of Madain, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) southeast of Baghdad, a car bomb explosion killed four other civilians and wounded 12, another police officer said.
Also on Sunday, a bomb exploded near a policeman's house near the city of Baqouba, killing his 8-year old son and wounding 11 other people, police said. The policeman was unharmed. Baqouba is about 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad.
Five medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to release the information.
Attacks have been on the rise in Iraq since a deadly security crackdown in April on a Sunni protest camp. More than 3,000 people have been killed in violence during the past few months, raising fears the country could see an even deadlier, sectarian round of bloodshed similar to what brought the country to the edge of civil war in 2006 and 2007.
First Published: Aug 25, 2013 22:32 IST


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Actress Katey Sagal and her husband, writer-producer Kurt Sutter, have sold their Hollywood Hills compound for $3.77 million, the Multiple Listing Service shows.
The 1937 house sits on more than half an acre with mountain and city light views. It has a library, a great room, a gym and five fireplaces. Within about 7,000 square feet of living space are six bedrooms and eight bathrooms.
The gated compound has a separate office, a guest apartment with a kitchen, an infinity pool and a sports court.
Although Sagal is best known as poofy-haired wife-zilla Peg Bundy on "Married … With Children" (1987-97), she also has been a singer and songwriter for decades, releasing two solo albums and providing backup vocals for Bette Midler, Bob Dylan and Tanya Tucker. She is the voice of Turanga Leela on "Futurama" (1999-present) and a regular on "Sons of Anarchy" (2008-10). Sagal appeared this fall in the Randy Newman revue "Harps and Angels" at the Mark Taper Forum.
Sutter wrote, produced and acted in "The Shield" (2004-08) and "Sons of Anarchy," which he also created.
Property records indicate the house was purchased for $3.71 million in 2005.
The listing agents were Ernie Carswell of Teles Properties, Beverly Hills, and Heidi Lake of Sotheby's International Realty, Beverly Hills, according to the MLS. Leah Lail of Coldwell Banker's Beverly Hills East office represented the buyer.
Sold for a hunka-hunka money
Lisa Marie Presley has parted ways with her ranch-style house in gated Hidden Hills for $5 million.
The compound has a five-bedroom, 51/2-bathroom main house set on more than 3 acres. The master bedroom suite has a catwalk to an office and customized closet. Including a single-bedroom guesthouse, an annex/studio with a sound booth and a second-story guest unit, and a three-stall barn with bedroom and half bath, the property has a total of eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms and about 8,000 square feet of living space.
Singer-songwriter Presley, 42, daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley and ex-wife of the late Michael Jackson, is reported to be working on her third album in London. She bought the Hidden Hills property in 1993 for $2.6 million, according to public records.
Tracy T. Maltas of Partners Trust and Marc Shevin of Prudential California, Calabasas, had the listing. Shevin also represented the buyer.
Cutting Telluride ski spot from their scene
Veteran producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall have listed their vacation home in Telluride, Colo., at $19.75 million.
The European chalet-style compound features a timber and stone main house and a separate guesthouse. The gated property of nearly 6 acres sits along the ski runs of Telluride Ski Resort with views of the surrounding 14,000-foot mountain peaks.
The 10,000-square-foot residence has seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms and two half-baths, and is being sold furnished.
Among the mutual credits of Kennedy, 57, and Marshall, 64, are "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008) and "Seabiscuit" (2003). The couple also owns an estate in Pacific Palisades.
Bill Fandel of Peaks Real Estate Sotheby's International Realty, Telluride, is the listing agent.
Departure time for plane leasing exec
Investment executive Louis Gonda and his wife, Kelly, have sold their Beverly Hills compound for $23 million. For the city proper, the purchase price is a record for 2010 and one of the highest sales prices ever.
Designed by L.A. architect Peter Choate, the Georgian-style mansion sits on 11/2 acres above the Beverly Hills Hotel. The Gondas have used it as a family home and have hosted philanthropic events for as many as 300 guests at a time.
The main house has a wood-paneled library, a family room with a step-down bar and a commercial-grade kitchen with two islands. Nine bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and four half-baths lie within 22,798 square feet.
The 1,100-square-foot guesthouse has one bedroom and one bathroom, and two staff apartments each have a bedroom and bath in 400 square feet.
The grounds include a guard house, a lighted tennis court and a glass-mosaic-tiled swimming pool.
At one point, Gonda, 57, was ranked by Forbes as one of the 300 richest individuals in the world. He made his fortune in the airplane leasing business.
Gonda purchased the lot on which the current house is built in 1986 for $5.7 million.
Zach Goldsmith and Rita Goldsmith of Hilton & Hyland, Beverly Hills, had the listing.
New characters at actor's place
Update: Actor Tom Bresnahan and his wife, Elizabeth French, have sold their Paul Williams-designed home in Silver Lake for $2.1 million.
The Monterey Colonial, named the Rene Faron residence for its first owner, sits on a knoll with views of the reservoir, city and mountains. Built in 1935, the restored house has formal living and dining rooms, a library, a wine cellar, an eat-in kitchen, four bedrooms and 31/2 bathrooms in more than 3,200 square feet of living space.
Williams was known as an "architect to the stars" with a client list that included entertainer Frank Sinatra and actress Lucille Ball, among others. He also worked on such L.A. landmarks as the flying saucer-like Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport.
Bresnahan, 45, has film and television credits that include "Private Practice" (2008), "The Kingdom" (2007), "Crossing Jordan" (2001, 2007), "CSI: NY" (2004) and "Ski School" (1990).
The property came on the market at $2,287,000. The couple had bought it in 2008 for $1.68 million, according to public records.
Konstantine Valissarakos of Sotheby's International Realty, Los Feliz, was the listing agent. Jamie Thompson of Prudential California Realty, Beverly Hills, represented the buyer.
Actress Katey Sagal and her husband, writer-producer Kurt Sutter, have sold their Hollywood Hills compound for $3.77 million, the Multiple Listing Service shows.


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Gaelic games reached an international audience over the weekend with the International Rules and Fenway Classic while there was club action and inter-county retirements at home...
Congrats @BryanSheehan9 on an incredible career with Kerry. His list of honours speaks for itself. Great times on and off the pitch and I look forward to soldiering on with him for South Kerry. pic.twitter.com/AetnOIo9rm- Killian Young (@killianyoung) November 19, 2017
The @DubGAAOfficial men's & ladies team being presented to Fenway pic.twitter.com/N1UrRIHNWm- Jason Sherlock (@boomjayo) November 19, 2017
Clare playing sweepers in 11 a side hurling pic.twitter.com/WbP8ce5Ww3- Paddy Bradley (@PaddyB14) November 19, 2017
Sun shining in Fenway, Dublin & Galway on the field, Clare and Tipp warming up under the Green Monster! @HurlingSuper11s #AIGFenwayClassic pic.twitter.com/83x6Sw8sEN- Dermot Earley (@dermotearley) November 19, 2017
Congratulations to @NapGAA Fantastic achievement. A great bunch of lads- Seánie Tobin (@Tellytobin) November 19, 2017
Hard luck to both @StMartinsGAA teams today, serious club ... on a positive Big Bad @JoeColeman11 was sublime for the men!! Put his mark down big time!#HeresMyNumberCallMeDavy- Andrew Shore (@andrewshore90) November 19, 2017
Should we chance sending Con O'Callaghan to the Eurovision next year....he'd probably win that too #sometalent #gaa @CualaCLG- Shane McGrath (@Shaneytweet) November 19, 2017
Massive credit to @DgonnellyHarps in today's Ulster semi final. The best team lost on the day...- Ryan Mc Cluskey (@clucker60) November 19, 2017
Well done @DenisBastick enjoy the retirement. Super list of achievements..Wonder could the Dubs get Nat Fyfe in as a replacement #AFL #GAA #InternationalRules #transfer pic.twitter.com/qIFnmUDnwZ- Kevin Nolan (@KevinNolan7) November 19, 2017
@GeelongCats family pic.twitter.com/T93l422tdB- Patrick Dangerfield (@dangerfield35) November 18, 2017
Hard luck to the lads it was a bad result but I really enjoyed that. Have developed a man crush for Fyfe. #AUSvIRL- Eamon Mc Gee (@EamonMcGee) November 18, 2017
WATCH: This is vintage Nat Fyfe - literally leaving his mark in the final competitive game at @DomainStadium. #AUSvIRE #VirginIRS pic.twitter.com/twKxyHSwmz- AFL on 7 (@7AFL) November 18, 2017
Great contest between Ireland & Aus. Shows the huge interest as demonstrated over the series by the players.@chris_barrett5 tidy finish bro @irfsofficial #AUSvIRE- Lee Keegan (@leeroykeegan) November 18, 2017
Do some research- James McCarthy (@JamesyMac26) November 18, 2017
Don't need to train for a trip to Boston. You'll have to forgive some lads for trying to give something to their clubs at the tail end of a season- Jack McCaffrey (@jackmcc93) November 18, 2017
Myself and @keekib22 enjoying the @FEXCOAGG games in Bangkok, 800 guys and girls from all over Asia come together once a year. Amazing stuff pic.twitter.com/h8HAAaQpHt- Bernard Brogan (@bernardbrogan) November 18, 2017


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After Glow
Monika Sapek 4/27/2003 8:15:11 PMWonderful pastel colors on this photo, Guy. And very nice composition, too.
The Photo Monkey #89011
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Maine
Uploaded on 4/27/2003 8:03:12 PM
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text:
Raise some money, see old friends and have a lot of fun. Event will take place on Aug. 10
A tradition will return to the Buena Vista Golf Course with the 11th annual Moron Golf Invitational and fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 10.
The tournament will be a scramble format with a shot gun start at 12:30 p.m. Before the tournament gets underway there willl be a putting contest at 11 a.m., and a group picture at noon. At 12:15, there will be a cart girls long drive contest.
It will cost $85 to take part. The cost will include golf, a $5 donation to Taft High School, a cart, dinner at OT's and prizes. Following the tournament, dinner will be held at OT's at 7:30 p.m. If interested in only the dinner, the cost is $20.
The tournament is open to Taft High students past or present and their families and friends along with longtime residents with community ties, anyone with community approval and men only (for the golf). Those who are 65 years and older will play from the gold tees.
A day before the golf tournament gets underway there will be a Friday shootaround. Tee off is set for 8 a.m.
There will also be a raffle Saturday, along with 2013 Moron Invitational hats for $15.
Checks are to be made payable to Cross Moron Inviational and mailed to Brad Cross at 3600 McCourry Street, Bakersfield, CA 93304.
For more information about the Moron Invitational, contact Cross at (661) 204-6042. For more information about the Friday shoot around contact Rich Miller at (661) 765-7131 or email@example.com


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BY Timothy O'Hara and Mandy Miles, Citizens Staff
Florida Keys insurance rate watchdogs for years have been telling state insurance officials that the county's exacting building code requirements have resulted in structures that are stronger than most and thus represent less of a risk for insurance providers.
The same local leaders have been telling officials from the state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. that Monroe County property owners are being subjected to unfair rate hikes and overpriced premiums for windstorm insurance.
Following years of telling, representatives from FIRM (Fair Insurance Rates for Monroe) got the chance to show the folks in Tallahassee what they mean.
Florida Keys leaders and insurance rate advocates took state legislators, consumer advocates and insurance officials on a field trip Monday to give them an up-close look and better understanding of the local building codes and structural integrity of buildings.
Board members from FIRM, local contractors, Florida Keys State Rep. Holly Raschein, Citizens Property Insurance representatives and state Insurance Consumer Advocate Robin Smith Westcott and her staff toured six different homes -- from historic structures in Old Town Key West to new homes and modular homes in the Lower Keys.
City of Key West and Monroe County building officials also participated in the tour and spoke about stringent local building codes.
During much of the morning tour, the local contractors and Citizens Insurance representatives debated how risk models are calculated and how rates are derived.
The contractors argued that Citizens is not recognizing the technology local builders use and the strict building codes required by the county and local municipalities.
"Our building restrictions are extremely stringent," said Stan Shaw, owner of Shaw Construction.
The contractors also reminded the Citizens and Consumer Advocate officials that many of the homes in Key West were built by master ship builders and designed to move and sway during storms as a way to withstand the strong winds. Some of those homes have withstood the elements for more than 100 years. That type of craftsmanship is not recognized in state hurricane models and Citizens' rate structure, the contractors argued.
"We're only as good as the data we collect," Westcott said.
Having strong building codes and compiling the data is also important to state and local emergency management officials, Westcott said.
"It makes us all safer," Westcott said. "We can't just look at this from an insurance point of view."
The morning tour coincided with an evening Windstorm Insurance Forum at the Casa Marina Resort. The Key West Chamber of Commerce sponsored the forum as a fundraiser for FIRM, and by about 6 p.m., it sounded as if FIRM's oft-repeated message had gotten through.
"Some of the building codes we saw this morning were unbelievable to me," said Christine Ashburn, director of legislative and external affairs for Citizens Property Insurance. "...we now acknowledge that there doesn't seem to be an accurate reflection of Monroe County's building codes on our [mitigation inspection] form."
Her comments came when the panel discussion turned to the state's contentious mitigation credit program, which provides windstorm premium discounts for various "storm-hardening" features on buildings, such as roof straps, storm shutters, impact resistant windows and other adjustments.
The credits are awarded following an inspection and according to the answers submitted on a specific form that asks about the structure.
That form was changed recently, and led to the loss of millions of dollars worth of mitigation credits for property owners.
"The process needs to be fixed, folks," said Jay Neal, president and CEO of FAIR (Florida Association for Insurance Reform, which is similar to FIRM but on a statewide level. "Citizens is dealing with a very flawed process, but the fact remains that the single biggest thing we can do to stabilize premiums is to mitigate our buildings."
Neal acknowledged the strength of Keys buildings and the historical knowledge of FIRM leaders.
"It's pretty clear those suckers are built to handle whatever comes at the Keys," Neal said, ecnouraging FIRM and others to continue their quest for fair insurance rates in Florida.
"You guys have other folks paying attention now because 250,000 people throughout Florida lost mitigation points, and they're listening."
One audience member exemplified the problem in Mornoe County when he stood and told the panelists, "There's something wrong when my house is a tank, and I'm paying $6,000 a year for windstorm insurance."
FIRM also enlisted National Weather Service meteorologist John Rizzo to educate Citizens and Office of the Insurance Advocate representatives on how storm surge impacts homes and businesses during tropical storms and hurricanes. Storm surge and flooding are bigger issues than windstorm, and those damages are covered by the National Flood Insurance Program, not Citizens.
FIRM has embarked on a $485,000 study to accurately gauge Monroe County's windstorm risk.
The study will identify characteristics that show how a structure can withstand hurricane-force winds, calculate damage attributable to storm surge, estimate the exposure in the Keys and evaluate alternatives for insuring Monroe County's windstorm risk, said FIRM board President Heather Carruthers, who is also a county commissioner.
The study, when complete, could be used to lower rates or help Citizens reduce its number of policyholders, if it leads to another insurer agreeing to write policies that would cover the Keys.


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text:
Date: April 9, 1996
On March 29, 1996, the President signed into law the Contract With America Advancement Act of 1996 (H.R. 3136), as P.L. 104-121. The bill contains the Senior Citizens ' Right to Work Act of 1996, the Small Business Growth and Fairness Act of 1996, establishes a new process for Congress ional review of agency rulemaking, and provides for a permanent increase in the public debt limit from $4.9 trillio n to $5.5 trillion. The bill contains the following provisions of interest to Social Security.
Denial of Disability Benefits to Drug Addicts and Alcoholics
- Prohibits disability insurance (DI) and supplemental security income (SSI) eligibility to individuals whose drug addiction and/or alcoholism (DAA) is a contributing factor material to the finding of disability. This provision would apply to individuals who file for benefits on or after the date of enactment and to individuals whose claims are finally adjudicated on or after the date of enactment. This provision applies to current beneficiaries on January 1, 1997. SSA must: 1) notify current DAA beneficiaries of new provisions by June 27, 1996; and 2) complete new medical determinations by January 1 , 1997, for affected current beneficiaries who request such a determination within 120 days after the date of enactment.
- Applies representative payee requirements to DI or SSI beneficiaries who have a DAA condition, as determined by the Commissi oner, and who are incapable of managing benefits . SSA would refer these individuals to the appropriate State agency for treatment. These provisions would apply to applications filed after June 1996. In addition, reta ins the $50 fee that representatives can collect for beneficiaries who have a DAA condition that leaves an individual incapable of managing their own benefits.
- Provides an appropriation of $50 million for each of FYs 1997 and 1998 to carry out on a priority basis activities relating to the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse under the Public Health Service Act.
Continuing Disability Reviews
- Authorizes additional funds to SSA for fiscal years 1996 through 2002 for the purpose of conducting Social Security disability insurance (DI) continuing disability reviews (CDRs) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) CDRs and disability eligibi lity redeterminations. 111is would be accomplished by increasing the amount of funds available for appropriations under the discretionary spending cap in the Budget Enforcement Act.
- Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to ensure that the funds made available pursuant to this provision are used, to the greatest extent practicable, to maximize the combined savings to the old-age , survivors, and disability insurance (OASDI), SSI, Medicare , and Medicaid programs..
- Requires the Commissioner to report annually, for FYs 1996 through 2002 , to Congress on the amount of money spent on CDRs, the number of reviews conducted (by category ), the disposition of such reviews (by program), and the estimated savings over the short-, medium-, and long-term for OASDI, SSI, Medicare, and Medicaid programs from CDRs which result in cessations, and the estimated present value of such savings.
Chief Actuary
- Establishes statutorily in the Social Security Administration the position of Chief Actuary, to be appointed by, and report directly to, the Commissioner, and be subject to removal only for cause. Effective on March 29, 1996.
Dependency Test for Stepchildren
- Provides that a stepchild would have to be receiving at least one-half support from the stepparent when the child' s claim is filed to get benefits. (The option for finding dependency based on living-with would be eliminated.) This provis ion is effective for benefits of individuals who become entitled after June 1996.
- If the natural parent and the stepparent of an entitled stepchild divorce, benefits to the stepchild based on the work record of the stepparent would terminate the month after the month in which such divorce becomes final. This provision is effective for final divorces occurring after June 1996.
Increase in the Earnings Test Annual Exempt Amount
- Gradually raises, beginning in 1996, the earnings limit for the retirement earnings test (RET) for beneficiaries who have attained normal retirement age to $30,000 by 2002 (compared with an estimated $14,760 for 2002 under prior law, based on the intermediate assumptions in the 1995 Trustees Report). The applicable 1996 exempt amount under prior law was $11,520. Exempt amounts under P. L. 104-121 (exempt amounts under prior law are also shown) are:
After 2002, the annual exempt amount will be indexed to growth in average wages.
The substantial gainful activity (SGA) amount applicable to individuals who are statutorily blind would no longer be linked to the RET exempt amount for individuals ages 65 to 69. Instead, the SGA amount for blind people would continue to be adjusted annually as under present law, i.e., based on the national average wage index.
Benefit and Tax Statements
- Requires SSA to conduct a pilot study of the efficacy of providing retired workers with information about their Social Security benefits and taxes. The study would involve a sample of retirement beneficiaries whose entitlement began in or after 1984. SSA would send them estimates of their aggregate covered earnings, their aggregate Social Security taxes (including the employer share), and the total amount of benefits paid on their record.
- Requires the study to be conducted within a 2-yearperiod beginning as soon as practicable in 1996 and a report on its results be provided to Congres s within 60 days of its completion. Investment of Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds
- Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from refraining from investing Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund monies in Federal securities, and from redeeming securities held by the trust funds, to avoid increasing or to reduce outstanding public debt obligations. Effective March 29, 1996.
Professional Staff for the Social Security Advisory Board
- Authorizes the Social Security Advisory Board to appoint 3 professional staff employees, one of whom is to be appointed from among individuals approved by Advisory Board members who do not belong to the political party represented by the majority of the Board.
Review of Federal Regulations
- Requires that Federal regulations, including some of those issued by SSA, undergo an additional review of their economic impact. This review may be conducted, at various stages of the development of a regulation, by the Small Business Administration, the Courts, and the Congress.