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Monday, April 8, 2013
☆CELEBRATING GOOD NEWS and GOOD PEOPLE!☆
11:40 AM | Posted by Lola Sharp | | Edit Post
Hello Friends,
There's really very little I love more than celebrating good publishing news of my friends...
and TODAY, someone most of you know (and everyone should know, because she's sweet and kind and thoughtful) has some VERY GOOD NEWS!!!
|Christina deserves this most excellent news!
I'm lucky enough to have read it...and GUYS, YOU WANT TO READ IT! The male love interest? *SWOON!*
So, click on her name and go hear all about her journey straight from her! Give her lots of love and glitter cannons and sky writing and parades and such!!
Congrats Xtina!!!! ;)
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About Me
- Lola Sharp
- My name is Lola. (I'm not a showgirl) Yes, L-O-L-A Lola. It's the least of my worries. Let's move on, shall we? This blog is mostly about my misadventures on the journey to publication and beyond. My passion for lush prose, quirky characters, art, music, literature, performing arts and anything creative will be a major theme here. This journey of mine will not always be pretty. Much like rubbernecking a train wreck, I know sometimes you just can't help but look at the carnage that is often my life. So strap on your neck brace, helmet and 5-point harness and come along for the ride! Licentia poetica.
Blog Archive
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- ► 2011 (25)
- ► 2010 (96)
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All News Releases By Date
EPA Reaches Decision for Central Impact Area Cleanup at Camp Edwards
Release Date: 03/13/2012
Contact Information: Jeanethe Falvey, (617) 918-1020
(Boston, Mass. – March 13, 2012) – EPA, in consultation with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, has decided upon a cleanup strategy for the Central Impact Area (CIA). The CIA was the largest single remaining area of unaddressed contamination on the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) in the northern portion of Camp Edwards. The final Remedy Selection Plan outlines actions for both the groundwater contamination and the affiliated source areas in the soil.
A public comment period ran from July to August of 2011 after an initial public presentation was given on the proposed cleanup alternatives during an MMR Cleanup Team meeting on July 27, 2011. Comments received on the proposed cleanup were considered by EPA and are included in the CIA Decision Document.
The 330-acre Central Impact Area contained the majority of the targets used for munitions training within the larger 2200-acre Impact Area. The CIA is believed to be the primary source area for the RDX and perchlorate groundwater contamination in this area of MMR. Both chemicals are associated with the use and disposal of military munitions.
Monitoring and investigations have shown that groundwater contamination from the site is not currently threatening public or private drinking water supplies. However, without cleanup, plume modeling projected potential drinking water threats to residents between the northwest side of MMR and the Cape Cod Canal. By reducing contaminants through treatment and natural processes, removing unexploded ordnance (UXO), and preventing exposure through land-use controls, the cleanup intends to help restore the useable groundwater to its beneficial use wherever practicable by 2055.
Within approximately 56 acres of the CIA, some degree of soil and UXO removal has been completed. To date, approximately 820 known or suspected UXO items containing high explosives have been removed. However, the estimated 4,000 to 9,000 munitions items that remain in the CIA hold the potential to be a continuing source area for groundwater contamination and will be dealt with during a phased approach.
The first phase will consist of UXO clearance of an additional 30 acres over a 3 year period, followed by a second phase to remove UXO from an additional 20 acres. Both phases will employ techniques to minimize habitat destruction while maximizing the reduction of UXO, with a goal to remove 75% to 95% of the UXO within those 50 acres. The development and implementation of additional phases, if necessary, will be based on the clearance results, as well as the findings of the long-term monitoring program that will verify whether or not the groundwater is being restored as predicted.
The public is invited to participate and learn more about the environmental status of the base during MMR Cleanup Team meetings, regularly held at Building 1805, West Outer Road on Camp Edwards. The latest schedule can be seen here.
The Cleanup Decision document is available at https://www.epa.gov/region1/mmr/pdfs/497072.pdf and at the libraries in Bourne, Falmouth, and Sandwich.
MMR is a 22,000-acre property that has been used for military training activities since 1911. The base is located over an aquifer that is the sole source of drinking water for residents of Cape Cod. Two environmental cleanup programs (one implemented by the Army, the other by the Air Force) are addressing the areas of soil and groundwater contamination that have resulted from activities on site. The U.S. Air Force is addressing contamination from the Otis Air Force Base primarily in the southern portion of MMR under the Federal Superfund Program. The U.S. Army is addressing contamination at Camp Edwards in the northern portion of MMR as required by EPA under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Both cleanup programs are progressing with oversight from the EPA and the MassDEP.
# # #
Regular public meetings (http://states.ng.mil/sites/ma/resources/erc/calendar.htm) are held on or near the MMR with representatives from the EPA, Massachusetts DEP, and the Army and Air Force cleanup programs.
EPA cleanup work at MMR (https://www.epa.gov/region1/mmr/index.html)
Learn More about the Latest EPA News & Events in New England (https://www.epa.gov/region1/newsevents/index.html)
Follow EPA New England on Twitter (http://twitter.com/epanewengland)
More info on EPA's Environmental Results in New England (https://www.epa.gov/region1/results/index.html)
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.

subset: commoncrawl


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A very Spittle birthday present
Fabulous at 41! celebrated her birthday in Mexico with friends Sheryl Crow, Courteney Cox, and a flabby Spittle tagged along too. Gross.
It's not that men can't gain weight. But a man who is constantly being shoved in my face as some kind of super stud should not be looking like this. Wasn't he sticking his tongue down some random's throat just last week? And he was still invited to join the party? Fabulous at 41!'s self esteem must be at an all time low.
But her body is so tight. And her hair is so healthy. And her house is so zen. And she's in a trite new movie called The Bounty Hunter and she'll start shooting a trite new movie called The Pretend Wife with Adam Sandler next month. And she's sunbathing and it's her favourite activity ever so what could she possibly complain about? Other than a set of unmet expectations resulting from overreaching...?
John Stamos is on standby.
Photos from Clasos.com/Splashnewsonline.com


text: > monolithic all-or-none creature. From what you write (and my online > reading) it seems there are several discrete parts: > > IMPI 2.0 > switched remotely accessible PDUs > "serial concentrator type system " I think Joe was going a bit belt-and-suspenders-and-suspenders here. ipmi normally provides out-of-band access to the system's I2C bus (which lets one power on/off, reset, and read the sensors.) it also normally provides some form of console access: usually this is by serial redirection (serial output can be redirected through the BMC and onto the net). independent of this (but usually also provided) is a bios feature which scrapes the video character array onto serial, thus giving access to bios output (and also technically independent but also provided is lan->bmc->serial->bios "keyboard" input.) some people also configure systems with network-aware PDUs (power bars): APC is a common provider of these, and they provide a backup if IPMI doesn't work for some reason (network problems, hung BMC, etc). I do not personally think they are worthwhile because I rarely see IPMI problems - admittedly perhaps due to the fairly narrow range of parts my organization has. smart PDUs sometimes also provide power montoring, which might be useful, though I would actually prefer to see IPMI merely provide current sensors via I2C (in addition to volts). (having both socket power and motherboard power might be amusing, though, since you could calculate your PSU's efficiency - potentially even its load-efficiency curve. most vendors now quote 92-93% efficiency, but it's unclear what load range that's for...) finally, I think Joe is advocating another layer of backups - serial concentrators that would connect to the console serial port on each node to collect output if IPMI SOL isn't working. this is perhaps a matter of taste, but I don't find this terribly useful. I thought it would be for my first cluster, but never actually set it up. but again, that's because IPMI works well in my experience. I think Joe's right in the sense that you _don't_ want a cluster without working power control, and working post/console redirection is pretty valuable as well. both become more critical with larger cluster sizes, mainly because the chances grow of hitting a problem where you need power/reset/console control. whether you need backup systems past IPMI is unclear - depends on whether your IPMI works well. > Correct me if I am wrong but these are all "options" and varying > vendors and implementations will offer parts or all or none of these? > Or is it that when one says "IPMI 2" it includes all these features. I I interpreted Joe as saying that you need IPMI2 (remote power/reset/console) as well as backup mechanisms for IPMI failures. > hard to translate jargon across vendors. e.g. for Dell they are called > DRAC's etc. vendors provide IPMI features, usually with added proprietary nonsense. sometimes they sacrifice parts of IPMI in favor of the proprietary crap... > Finally, what's a"serial concentrator"? Isn't that the same as the > SOL that Skylar was explaining to me? Or is that something different > too? a network-accessible box into which many serial ports plug. some let you transform a serial port into a syslog stream, for instance.


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Freshman class snapshot
About 4,200 members strong, the James Madison University Class of 2017 arrives on campus for the new academic year to begin learning, exploring and making its contributions to the university.
While official enrollment figures are due after census days – Sept. 16 for on-campus enrollment and Oct. 7 for off-campus enrollment – a check of freshman class information reveals that biology (328) is the most popular major among freshmen declaring a major.
Other majors well represented are: nursing (278), health sciences (230), marketing (197), interdisciplinary liberal studies (177), management (171), psychology (169), accounting (149), finance (142) and media arts and design (117). A total of 585 freshmen are exploring their options and have not declared majors.
Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia are represented by freshman class members. Including the United States, 31 countries are represented. They are Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, England, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lithuania, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, The Netherlands, United States and Vietnam.
Popular names among female class members are variations of Sara (83), Emily (75), variations of Katherine (65), variations of Megan (55) and variations of Rachel (48).
Popular male names are John/Jonathan/Jonathon (53) – a fact that should please JMU President Alger, who prefers the second spelling – Matthew (52), Ryan (43), Michael (40) and variations of Nicholas (35).
Important fall semester dates for freshmen
Tuesday-Wednesday, Aug. 20-21: Residence halls open for freshmen on assigned days
Wednesday-Sunday, Aug. 21-25: 1787 August Orientation
Friday, Aug. 23: Freshman Assessment Day
Monday, Aug. 26: Fall semester begins and classes meet as scheduled
Monday, Sept. 2 (Labor Day): Classes meet as scheduled
Friday-Sunday, Oct. 4-6: Family Weekend
Friday-Sunday, Nov. 1-3: Homecoming
# # #
Aug. 15, 2013
Published: Thursday, August 15, 2013
Last Updated: Thursday, October 20, 2016


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When considering any stock for your portfolio, don't be swayed by just the positives. Examine its pros and cons, and decide whether it's possible upside outweighs its risks. Let's take a look at Vringo (UNKNOWN:VRNG.DL) today and see why you might want to buy, sell, or hold it.
The company develops mobile technologies and intellectual property and boasts more than 500 patents and patent applications related to telecom infrastructure, Internet search, and mobile technologies. It also "operates a global platform for the distribution of mobile social applications and services including Facetones and Video Ringtones which transform the basic act of making and receiving mobile phone calls into a highly visual, social experience." Video Ringtones is a platform permitting users to share video ringtones for cell phones, while Facetones lets them share animated slideshows, drawing on Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) photos. It also offers Video ReMix, permitting remixing of music videos on smartphones or tablets, and Fan Loyalty, a platform involving reality TV shows and stars.
One plus for the company is the industry it's tied to -- smartphones and tablets. These items are proliferating at an amazing rate, making many companies and shareholders wealthier.
Companies such as Zynga (NASDAQ:ZNGA), despite their struggles, are demonstrating how powerful the mobile arena can be and have many investors looking at others in the industry, such as Vringo. Zynga, by the way, is now looking at entering online gambling, which could pay off well, though it will face competition there, too, such as from International Game Technology (NYSE:IGT) and Bally Technologies (UNKNOWN:BYI.DL).
There's great potential here, as the company has served more than a million downloads of its Facetones offering and is involved in some patent-related legal wrangling that might generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the company. Be careful with all these possibilities -- speculation can burn investors.
The company has been spending heavily, which isn't necessarily a good thing, but it has been boosting its patent portfolio, in part via a $22 million purchase from Nokia (NYSE:NOK) and also via a merger with Innovate/Protect, which held some patents from Lycos. There seems to be a living to be made in licensing patents and litigating against alleged patent violations, but some disparage such activities as "patent trolling." In a dispute with Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Vringo was hoping to win nearly half a billion dollars but ended up with about $30 million. That's far from nothing, but the result does show the unpredictable nature of such "earnings."
Insider ownership is another draw, with a sizable percentage of shares outstanding recently held by insiders and heavily invested owners. It's generally a plus to have those running or influencing a company own a sizable stake in it, as it aligns their interests with those of smaller shareholders. On the other hand, insiders have been doing much more selling than buying of shares recently. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as sometimes that's just how they extract needed capital from their compensation. But it also can be because they see a price decline in the future or see the shares as fairly or overvalued.
The company has, and has had, some big fans, though, such as billionaire Mark Cuban, who bought more than 7% of the company earlier this year.
Finally, some like Vringo simply because they see it as an acquisition target, eventually to be bought out at a premium price for its valuable patents.
The stock's price, recently around $3.10 per share, is a big concern. That's clearly penny stock territory, and penny stocks are generally risky, often tied to unproven companies, often manipulated by pump-and-dump schemers, and often able to fall sharply, despite seeming "cheap."
If you're not too tolerant of volatility, you might also steer clear. A glance at its stock history will show you why: Within its less than three years trading on the market, its price has been as high as $5.73 and as low as $0.68 per share and has recently been in the middle of that range, roughly. Its beta of 2.21 reflects a stock that's more than twice as volatile as the overall market. Volatility isn't a purely bad thing, but it can be hard for some to deal with.
Meanwhile, the company's financial statements are a concern, too, featuring rising costs, rising losses, and a sharply rising share count, which dilutes the value of older shares. Debt is negligible, which is good, but cash has been negligible, too (though at the moment its coffers are reasonably full ), and free cash flow is negative.
Hold (off)
Given the reasons to buy or sell Vringo, it's not unreasonable to decide to just hold off on it. You might want to wait for growing revenue and earnings. You might wait for a big patent dispute win that fills the company's coffers with opportunity. You might want to see more products, and sales of them.
If you like the idea of investing in a patent-heavy company, you might also consider some alternatives, such as the very profitable Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), which makes about a third of its revenue from licensing and the rest by selling chips and circuits. It recently sported a P/E ratio under 20 and a dividend yield of 1.6%.
The verdict
I'm holding off on Vringo for now. But everyone's investment calculations are different. Do your own digging and see what you think. Vringo may perform spectacularly in the coming years, but remember that there are plenty of compelling stocks out there.
Longtime Fool contributor Selena Maranjian, whom you can follow on Twitter, owns shares of Google and Qualcomm. The Motley Fool owns shares of Facebook, Google, and Qualcomm and has long JAN 2014 $20.00 calls on Facebook. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Facebook and Google. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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LexiFlame Senior Over Load Thursday 10/01/2013, 10:25
Well, it's my first ELO deck and I chose Ulu Watu for their high power, but their damage is pretty low. Would it be better to add, maybe Ambre to increase the power and just stick out the damage, or should I try to make a 2 clan deck? I know the main thing is to work on my strategy, just wanted to know how to improve my deck.
LexiFlame Senior Over Load Friday 11/01/2013, 23:55
Yes, I'm keeping Stanly, it's really one of my favorite cards. And ok, I'll try Dave.
LexiFlame Senior Over Load Saturday 12/01/2013, 04:00
So a few last questions. From what I got here, my revised deck should be...
Oraya 5*
Stanly 5*
Eddie 4*
Felicia or Nanook 3*
Gabrielle 2*
Fanny 2*
Warren 2*
Dave 2*
For that 3* position, who do you think is better?
A lot of people tell me to get rid of Felicia for Nanook, and Warren for some other two star cards. I don't really get that.
Felicia's a 9/3 with the clan bonus and Nanook is a 10/4, but I find Felicia is a great bluff card because she holds off the Bezerkers' -2 life and Fang Pi's +2 damage f I lose(I run into a ton of Bezerkers and Fang Pi's), or gets me a definite win if they were bluffing as well as long as they don't have a power reducing ability, or a power strengthening one that brings them over 9. Nanook doesn't have any ability, so most abilities or clan bonuses will beat her even in the mutual bluffing situation.
And Warren doesn't seem so bad himself. He'll go up against even 8 powered cards, increasing his power to 10, and it can be a pretty simple win even with most abilities. Am I missing something here?


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Pink and Purple: Do or Don't?
Pink and purple. Purple and pink. This was my favorite color combo… when I was four. Since then I've moved on to other palettes that are a little less Barbie. But lately I'm beginning to wonder if maybe baby Nancy wasn't on to something. In the right hands, pink and purple can be downright sophisticated.
Strangely, I think the thing that initially drove me away from purple/pink (it's incredibly girly) is the same reason I find myself drawn to it now (it's wonderfully, unabashedly girly). And the purple and pink combination has a surprising amount of range: you can pair lavender with hot pink, or keep both colors muted for a soft, romantic look, or move the pink a little towards peach for slightly different take. Or you can go big with both colors — in image 6, lots of color and lots of texture makes for a look that's rich and luscious and feminine but strong.
What do you think? Purple and pink: unbearably girly… or surprisingly sophisticated?
1. Jamie Drake via ASID
2 & 3. In a New Orleans home from House Beautiful.
4. Elle Decor
5. House to Home
6. Decor8
7. Architectural Digest
8. Elle Decor
9. Martha Stewart
10. Elle Decor
(Images: as linked above)


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Sri Lankan cricketers mourn Greig's death
Colombo - Sri Lankan cricketers Saturday mourned the death of cricket commentator Tony Greig, who was a promoter of Sri Lankan cricket.
The former England captain died at age 66 after being diagnosed with lung cancer, reports Xinhua.
Former Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya said he was saddened by the death of Greig.
He said Greig was a big supporter of Sri Lankan cricket, especially after they won the 1996 Cricket World Cup beating Australia.
Greig was also a huge fan of Jayasuriya and his former opening partner Romesh Kaluwitharana.
Both Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana revolutionised ODI cricket by scoring rapid runs in the first 15 overs.
Greig praised the batting style of Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana and eventually became a fan of Sri Lanka and its people.
"The way he promoted me and Kalu was amazing. He was like a Sri Lankan. His death is a big loss to us," Jayasuriya said.
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Russel Arnold said Greig's death was a shock. Arnold was a commentator with Greig.
Greig was also a tourism ambassador of Sri Lanka and promoted the island as a place for foreigners to visit.


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This listing is no longer valid but you can browse similar cars.
2018 Toyota C-HR
Vehicle Highlights
Sunnyvale, CA
Other Features
- Variable Intermittent Wipers w/Heated Wiper Park
- Tires: P225/50R18 AL A/S
- Compact Spare Tire Mounted Inside Under Cargo
- Wing Spoiler
- Deep Tinted Glass
- Liftgate Rear Cargo Access
- Wheels w/Machined w/Painted Accents Accents
- Fixed Rear Window w/Fixed Interval Wiper and Defroster
- Fully Automatic Projector Beam Halogen Daytime Running Auto High-Beam Headlamps w/Delay-Off
- Clearcoat Paint
- Body-Colored Front Bumper w/Black Rub Strip/Fascia Accent
- Wheels: 18" Sport Alloy
- Fully Galvanized Steel Panels
- Steel Spare Wheel
- Black Side Windows Trim and Black Front Windshield Trim
- Body-Colored Rear Bumper w/Black Rub Strip/Fascia Accent
- Body-Colored Power Side Mirrors w/Manual Folding and Turn Signal Indicator
- Black Grille
- Black Bodyside Cladding and Black Wheel Well Trim
- Tailgate/Rear Door Lock Included w/Power Door Locks
- Body-Colored Door Handles
- Full Cloth Headliner
- 2 Seatback Storage Pockets
- Perimeter Alarm
- Engine Immobilizer
- Illuminated Glove Box
- Trip Computer
- Delayed Accessory Power
- Carpet Floor Trim
- Power Rear Windows
- Remote Releases -Inc: Mechanical Fuel
- Integrated Roof Antenna
- Interior Trim -inc: Metal-Look/Piano Black Instrument Panel Insert and Metal-Look Interior Accents
- Wireless Streaming
- Full Carpet Floor Covering
- Fabric Seat Material
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- 6-Way Driver Seat -inc: Manual Recline Height Adjustment and Fore/Aft Movement
- Cargo Space Lights
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- Seats w/Cloth Back Material
- Front Center Armrest and Rear Center Armrest
- Driver Foot Rest
- Leather/Metal-Look Gear Shift Knob
- Power 1st Row Windows w/Front And Rear 1-Touch Up/Down
- 60-40 Folding Bench Front Facing Fold Forward Seatback Rear Seat
- Dual Zone Front Automatic Air Conditioning
- Manual Adjustable Front Head Restraints and Manual Adjustable Rear Head Restraints
- Outside Temp Gauge
- Power Door Locks w/Autolock Feature
- Leather/Piano Black Steering Wheel
- 2 12V DC Power Outlets
- Front Cupholder
- 2 LCD Monitors In The Front
- Rear Cupholder
- Trunk/Hatch Auto-Latch
- Manual Tilt/Telescoping Steering Column
- Air Filtration
- Instrument Panel Bin Driver And Passenger Door Bins
- Bluetooth Wireless Phone Connectivity
- Cruise Control w/Steering Wheel Controls
- HVAC -inc: Underseat Ducts
- Cloth Door Trim Insert
- 6-Way Passenger Seat -inc: Manual Recline Height Adjustment and Fore/Aft Movement
- Gas-Pressurized Shock Absorbers
- Transmission w/Driver Selectable Mode Sequential Shift Control and Oil Cooler
- Electric Power-Assist Speed-Sensing Steering
- Transmission: Continuous Variable (CVT) -inc: intelligence and shift mode
- Double Wishbone Rear Suspension w/Coil Springs
- Engine: 2.0L I-4 DOHC 16-Valve -inc: valvematic
- Brake Actuated Limited Slip Differential
- 13.2 Gal. Fuel Tank
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- GVWR: 4 330 lbs
- Front And Rear Anti-Roll Bars
- Strut Front Suspension w/Coil Springs
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- 835# Maximum Payload
- Front-Wheel Drive
- Dual Stage Driver And Passenger Front Airbags
- Back-Up Camera
- ABS And Driveline Traction Control
- Low Tire Pressure Warning
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- Driver Knee Airbag Rear Side-Impact Airbag and Passenger Cushion Front Airbag
- Airbag Occupancy Sensor
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- Rear Child Safety Locks
- Dual Stage Driver And Passenger Seat-Mounted Side Airbags
- Pre-Collision System (pcs) Forward Collision
- Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
- Lane Departure Alert (lda) w/Steering Assist Lane Keeping Assist
- Lane Departure Alert (lda) w/Steering Assist Lane Departure Warning


text:
In this modern age, every person uses social sites & also have social buddies so that here we are going to provide you Hello November Images, Wallpaper, Clipart, Pics, Quotes, Coloring Pages & Photos. All the Wallpapers are in High Quality and Full Size so you can use it as backgrounds. You may also download these images and pictures to your Laptop, Desktop, Tablet & Smartphone. Saying Happy Day to someone is making you feel happy in life.
Hello November
If one day ends, we will get a new day to complete the work that could not be done yesterday. It is the time to change the old calendars and get new Goodbye August for the new hopes, new aspirations, new desires, new goals, and new beginnings in our life.
Hope you love to share our posts on social sites like Twitter, Reddit, Google plus, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram. Stay tuned with us for more.


text:
|2012-07-09, 14:25
|Link #421
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The dog gossips too much.
EDIT: It's been exactly 1 month since I place my order and I still haven't received jack. Not ordering from them again.
EDIT2: Finally arrived today, almost 5 weeks later. Securely packaged with lots of bubble wrap to play with after waiting so long I'm not even excited any more. -__-
Last edited by AnimeFangirl; 2012-08-14 at 12:54.
|2012-08-23, 10:12
|Link #422
Join Date: May 2006
Location: 大陸の片隅
|2012-12-21, 03:58
|Link #424
ARCAM Spriggan agent
I'm in Australia for the holidays and I'm wondering if I can get Japanese-language manga from Melbourne since I didn't have time to finish lookin at a Kinokuniya in Sydney. Thanks.
|2013-02-25, 02:27
|Link #425
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Where is it good to buy Japanese LN/Manga these days? Needs shipping to Canada.
I was checking out Honto, but doesn't see like it lets you order without a Japanese address?
I used to buy from yesasia, they are indeed slow (takes like 4-5 weeks to arrive, and I swear they have like people bring it over and then ship it domestic or something), but at least shipping was free. However, the prices are high now (I havn't bought anything for about a year), and seems like their prices are still stuck when the yen was high. I'm not sure if a 650 yen book should cost me 11.50 USD, since it should only exchange to like 7 dollars.
I'm also thinking of reading LN on e-books - which tablet/ebook reader is the best for that? Does it support Japanese fonts?
|2013-02-25, 18:34
|Link #426
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Ottawa, Canada
|2013-03-13, 13:08
|Link #427
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
|2013-03-13, 15:44
|Link #428
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Ottawa, Canada
|2013-03-19, 13:02
|Link #430
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Hey guys, Just received my orders from yesaisa and honto, would like to comment on my experience becaue I know I spent weeks on and off trying to find somewhere to buy my manga. (shipping times, etc do and WILL vary. I live in a major city.)
honto - 7 books=4,100円ish. shipping(EMS)=4,000円, $2 international charge. TOTAL was almost $90. Ordered on Friday, received today(March 19). SIGNATURE was require. I did not know this, lucky it was signed for.
Yesasia - 5 books=$54 w/ free shipping(shipped air mail for me). $2 ish international charge as well, no biggie. total abut $56. Ordered on March 3, then they had to receive the books. Shipped on the 8th, received it yesterday(March 18). Came from hongkong.
-first, as you guys see above, I couldn't figure how to add a US address. You have to create a "japanese" address first. It can be literally anything like 111111, etc. Also make your you set the address you are going to use as primary. When I checked out it went ahead and skipped that part and went to the shipping option screen, and I didn't see my address until after I ordered lol. Although I did hit the easy checkout button, so maybe that's why it skipped the address part?:P
-If I bought 7 books from yesasia it would total about $76 w/ free shipping. faster shipping cost $20 more bucks, so if you can wait for your stuff then free shipping sounds nice. The $40 shipping sounds big from honto, but I was assured my books quick and in the end, it sorta equaled out with me spending only $10ish more(about 1,000円). Also if you live in a sorta remote area, hotno would probably be better if you plan to use EMS.
-few complaints(non from honto, as expected). Yesasia had their "tag" on every book. It's a tiny sticker that was on the bindings. Now every book had one that was easy to peal off EXCEPT one. Which was stuck on with duct tape, and that book has a paper dust cover. I'll probably sell that book and get a new one from honto, since honto did not do this.
-Also both places kept those "tags" that are put in the books. Yesasia left one out from one book though, honto had it in all of them. I mention this because I keep and use them as bookmarkers^_^
-Also, honto offers film covers for your books. I wish I knew this as the manga set I ordered has paper dust cover... welp.. I could always sell the whole set and re buy them if I see it becoming a problem.
So bottom line: honto was my favorite. EMS was great, shipping sounds high but in the end sorta equals out, no problems. Also yesasia had free shipping but took me about 2 weeks, total wait was about 3 weeks. they had their sticker on the books, so that was a downer. each book was around $10.
Anyways, 20 pages thread I will not read threw. i hope my post helps someone decided on their order. I also thank this site for helping me get my manga^_^
EDIT: I wrapped the dust cover of my book in plastic---- savedo(^▽^)oわーい
EDIT 2: excuse my bad English, if I spend so much time reading jap my english loses it's.. "english" hehe.
Last edited by TimmyTheFox; 2013-03-23 at 20:57.
|2013-03-20, 02:35
|Link #431
Join Date: May 2006
Location: 大陸の片隅
Honto is great that way. They also keep in the promotional materials and other free stuff that comes with your purchases (like free promotional bookmarks in the case of Famitsu Bunko) and such, so it's a real treat.
|2013-05-25, 23:32
|Link #433
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Southwestern USA
Here is an online link for Kinokuniya in the US. Fantastic store for English and Japanese books.
|2013-10-24, 19:08
|Link #435
Join Date: Apr 2003
Honto is having a 10x points offer right now thru Oct 27th for all manga and light novels, so if you were thinking of putting in an order, now is the time to do it.
Very belated reply I guess to reading what Timmy said about ordering from Honto and Yesasia:
Yesasia works well if you're just getting a handful of things. Like 3-4 to just put you at the $25 free shipping offer. You may have to wait 3-4 weeks this way, but for small orders the price per volume is pretty good then.
Honto's sweet spot IMHO is 9 volumes. Because then the order weighs just under the weight limit for SAL Small parcel, so shipping is only 1900-2000yen. Arrives in 14-21 days to the US is my experience. If you're gonna pay EMS, you may as well just order domestically from Kinokuniya IMHO.
Depending on the titles and total number of books involved, Kinokuniya can also be good. The more popular titles from them tend to be very low markup for a US store. ($6.50-7.25 for stuff like Bleach or Naruto), although some of the more niche titles are inexplicably jacked up much higher. ($9.50-10.50 in some cases) Their base shipping cost is then also $8.00, so only ordering like 1 thing that way is really bad, but I think the shipping costs scale very well into larger orders. And if you order at least $100 from them, they provide free domestic shipping.
(I ordered the 3 latest issues of Evening magazine from them, for example, and still only paid $8 for shipping. They must have had all of them in stock domestically though, because I swear it wasn't more than 7 days)
And honestly, I think that's the best thing about them: I can put in special orders for magazines, and only have to pay domestic shipping. Otherwise Honto only ever carries the very newest issue of each magazine (and mags are heavy against your SAL weight), and places like Amazon Japan are just so costly on shipping you'd be nuts to order through them.
Kino has a membership card, but it costs like $20 and only cuts 10% from their prices. So you basically need to spend $200 with them just to break even on paying for the membership. Then considering the fact that they have about a 40% markup over MSRP, you still don't really save over going with Honto unless you hit that $100 order mark IMHO.
|2013-10-27, 08:05
|Link #436
Join Date: May 2006
Location: 大陸の片隅
That's one thing I love about honto; their promotions. They also tend to give you stuff like coupons and such. I received a 20% off LN purchases this one time, and promptly went nuts with the purchase right away; I hope they give me more of that coupon in the near future!
|2013-10-29, 20:07
|Link #437
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Southwestern USA
Great Post
I agree 100%.
Just one thing. I buy Japanese titles, but then download the scans. I print out the scans and write my translation notes on the printouts. That way 1) I am supporting the mangaka and 2) I'm learning Japanese. (Right now I'm working on Discommunication. Wish me luck XD)
Thanks again for the post.
|2013-11-07, 04:57
|Link #438
13th level Googlemancer
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Georgia
Age: 27
So crunchy roll recently released their manga section, they don't have a wide variety yet though. Does anyone know if this is any good? I've always bought the manga i find enjoyable but revert to reading them online when i don't. How does Crunchy roll compare to scanlations by fans?
|2013-11-27, 16:31
|Link #439
Join Date: Apr 2003
They're just starting out, so it's still kinda rough. I've heard there are problems with typos, missing chapters, questionable typesetting fonts, images are saved as Jpeg Q75, etc. If you read them uncompressed, this would be worse, but if you were going with the NOEZ sites, then it's better.
One plus: They get their raws directly from Kodansha, so all the screentones look flawless. Unlike the merrae (sp?) effect that happens when scanning screentones.
PS: I've just updated my importing thread from a few pages back to bring it up to date:
Last edited by JediNight; 2013-11-27 at 16:55.
|2013-12-05, 12:49
|Link #440
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: New York City
Crunchyroll has most of the recent chapters of Yamada and the Seven Witches, much more than the latest ones released around the internets. I might consider switching to a manga membership or an all-access to read these.
They also have some pretty popular manga (up to date) like Shingeki, MGX, Fairy Tail, Space Bros, Kimi no Iru Machi, UQ, etc. Hopefully they'll get other series later.
|buying, import, japanese language, manga
|Thread Tools


text:
MIM Handgun
U.S.-made MIM Handgun Manufacturing
Magnum Research is the company behind the legendary Desert Eagle .50AE (Action Express) semi-automatic magnum handgun. The company partnered with Phillips-Medisize to metal injection mold (MIM) parts for the handgun. For the first time in its history, the Desert Eagle pistol is manufactured entirely within the United States by Magnum Research.
Phillips-Medisize created two family molds and eight single-cavity molds to make a total of 12 Desert Eagle .50AE parts for Magnum Research. These components are manufactured in Phillips-Medisize's dedicated Metal Injection Molding (MIM) facility.
The Desert Eagle Pistol Has Star Power
While Magnum Research has never paid fees for product placement, the Desert Eagle is extremely popular among filmmakers and prop masters. The pistol has appeared in countless films, television shows, video games, online entertainment, and other media as it might out of the box – perhaps enhanced with a custom finish or special grips. Occasionally, as in The Matrix, the gun is used as a base for massive customization.
"Phillips-Medisize leads the pack among our suppliers in terms of service, quality and speed."
– Jim Tertin, Director of Manufacturing, Magnum Research


text:
Neoseeker : Videos : Walkthroughs : #12 - Violent Darkness
Alan Wake's American Nightmare
- By Remedy Entertainment for PC, Xbox 360
#12 - Violent Darkness
Register as a member to subscribe comments.COMMENTS
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Trailer Info
|From: TheBadLuckPrince
|Nov 1, 2013
|Category: Walkthroughs


text:
A classic movie reminds me of how things have changed.
Yankee Doodle Dandy
I just watched the classic film, "Yankee Doodle Dandy" which came out in 1942. The US and the world were coming out of a worldwide depression. We had just entered WW II. People had reasons to be fearful and angry. Instead, they rallied together to solve crises.
Cagney is often remembered for the tough guy roles he played, but in this film, he danced! Wow, did he dance! He was once a vaudevillian. They knew how to dance and entertain or get booed off the stage. Nothing like the no-talent filth that Mylie Cyrus exposed at the VMA.
James Cagney earned an Academy award for playing George M. Cohan in this film. George loved the stage and Broadway. He wrote "Over There" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy," Those songs inspired America during WWI and WWII. Congress granted him The Congressional Medal of Honor for his contributions to the spirit of America during those two horrible wars. What contribution has Mylie made to unify or inspire America?
While watching this film, I was struck by how the spirit of America has changed---and not for the better. The "arts and entertainment" industry seem to strive to produce the most violent, vile, and most disturbing products they can. The politicians seem bent on destroying the United States by dividing us with hatred and by undermining anything and everything President Barak Obama tries to accomplish for the good of The People.
How they can call themselves Patriots and Christians is beyond me.
When Obama ran for president in 2008, Americans said we wanted Health Care for all. He and most of his fellow Democrats got the Affordable Care Act through congress, and the Supreme Court judged the law to be constitutional.
That should be the final word on health care.
But Ted Cruz says he will fight it until he cannot stand up any more. Sarah Palin says it contains "Death Panels." An utter untruth.
Senator Cruz, of course, has excellent health care benefits paid for by you and me. Is Senator Cruz prepared to give up his health insurance?
Why are Republicans fighting to take affordable health care away from 30 million Americans? They try to take from the poor to give to the already rich---so their donors and they can make huge profits at the expense of the little guy.
For the same reason they are trying to eliminate Social Security and Medicare. They want to "privatize" health care, retirement plans, highways, parks, prisons, schools, even water! These cuts are not to "balance the budget." These are money grabs to profit a few at the expense of the many---the hard working many. Talking about the national debt and balancing the budget is a diversion—a Reverse Robin Hood.
These are no "Yankee Doodle Dandies." Most have never served "Over There." I remember family members who served during WWII. One with Patton in North Africa and up through Italy, one whose ship was torpedoed in the Pacific, women who did factory work on the west coast while the men were at war. They were true Yankee Doodle Dandies. They save and rebuilt nations. Today's "Tea Party Patriots" are neither Patriots nor Yankee Doodle Dandies.


text:
School Uniforms and Dress Code
School Dress Code Policy
We believe that a uniform dress code is an important part of a safe, orderly school environment where the focus is on student learning. A higher standard of dress encourages greater respect for individual students and others and results in a higher standard of behavior. Our dress code guidelines indicate appropriate school dress for normal school days.
The Administrative Team at our school reserves the right to interpret appropriate school attire.
Students are expected to follow these guidelines. Every student in attendance will wear a school uniform. Uniform shirts are available only through the school's vendor; uniform bottoms may be purchased at local stores that carry uniform style clothing. Failure to wear any part of the school uniform will result in disciplinary action – detention, notice of concern, parent notification, etc.
Please note: Students who are not permitted to attend class due to a uniform violation will receive a zero for missed work.
Hair must be neat and clean with no "unnatural" colors, i.e. bright colors, Mohawks, blowouts, frohawks or any other unnatural cuts or excessive attachments. All headgear (hats, scarves, bandanas etc.) is forbidden on school property. Braided hair must be neatly braided down.
Boys: Hair must be cut above the shirt collar not covering face or eyes. The administration will send students home whose hair is unacceptable in condition or length.
Shoes shall be worn and be securely fastened to the feet and have a low heel height. Footwear must be suitable for outdoor physical education classes and unsafe shoes are not allowed. Students must wear closed shoes at all times, no "mules", slippers or "slides". No heavy military type boots, shoes with metal tips or steel toes may be worn. Tennis shoes are preferred. Heelys are strictly prohibited.
Socks should be worn to avoid blistering of the heels and feet. Fishnet stockings, gangrelated colors or other inappropriate leg wear is not acceptable.
Students may only wear school purchased shirts. All shirts must be tucked in (front and back) and must have two of the buttons fastened. Uniform shirts must be of the type and color designated by the school. Clothing exposing the torso or the midriff, either front, back or sides, shall not be worn. Only school approved uniform T-shirts or plain white T-shirts can be worn underneath polo shirts. These are the only shirts permitted to be worn in school. During cooler weather, a plain long sleeve t-shirt in white or school colors may be worn underneath uniform shirts.
Solid color (no writing or logo is permitted), zipper or button front, jackets may be worn in cool weather. The school realizes that these jackets may have hoods attached. However, Hoodies (sweatshirt-style pull-overs with a hood) are not permitted. Windbreakers and cardigans are permitted.
Uniform Bottoms
All uniform attire requiring a belt must be worn with a belt (no designs or studs) through the belt loops (if applicable), worn at the natural waist, be in good repair and be of appropriate size. All pants and shorts shall be secured at the waist. Underwear shall not be visible. Overly large, overly long, tight fitting attire is not acceptable. Shorts and other knee baring attire must be no more than three inches above knee. Mini-skirts, minidresses and short shorts are not permitted. No cargo pants or capri slacks are permitted. No jeans of any color or style. Skinny uniform pants are not permitted.
Jewelry is limited to one (1) watch, one (1) ring, and one (1) small chain. Chains must be worn inside of shirts and are not visible except at the front of the neck. Girls may wear two pair of stud-type approximately ¼ inch diameter earrings; boys may wear one pair of stud-type approximately ¼ inch diameter earrings. Earlobe plugs are not permitted.
Boys Uniform
In addition to the above, boys may not:
- Have any visible body piercing or tattoos
- Wear any additional jewelry or clothing except as specified above
- Wear any type of make-up or nail polish
Girls Uniform
In addition to the above, girls may not:
- Wear make-up other than clear lip gloss and light powder. Heavy make-up is not permitted. Make up that is found to be in students' possession in school will be confiscated and student will be sent to the restroom to wash their face and be sent back to class
- Wear black nail polish
- Have any visible body piercings or tattoos
- Wear headscarves. Hair should be maintained with clips, bobbles or soft hair bands only. Hair ribbons must be school colors.
- Bring hairspray of other hair products to school
Important Note for Science Classes
Many brands of hair styling products contain highly flammable chemicals, even when they are dry. It is advised that these should not be worn in Science classrooms as there is a risk of ignition from open flames.
Students without Badge
1 st time- warning, 2nd time- detention, 3rd time- detention, 4th time- suspension
In General
Medium and large hoops are not permitted because of safety reasons. No other body piercing or cartilage piercing is permitted. Garments and/or jewelry which display or suggest sexual, vulgar, drug, gang, weapons, or alcohol-related wording or graphics, or which provoke violence or disruption in the school, are not permitted. Wallet chains are not permitted.
At no time are students permitted to wear anything offensive, immodest, or deemed inappropriate by the administration. No gang attire, "Gothic" look attire, dog collars, spiked jewelry, etc. or any other accessories deemed inappropriate by the administration are permitted. Only a watch, one bracelet and thin necklace may be worn, if tucked inside the collar.
"Dress Down Days"
From time to time the school may permit students to refrain from wearing their school uniform all or in part. These times may be during school spirit weeks, holidays or other times designated by the school. Students are expected to comply with the same guidelines as expected during uniform days. Spaghetti straps: tank tops, low cut blouses, clothing with offensive symbols or writings and clothes with holes or tears etc are not permitted. No skinny pants or jeans.


text:
1. Sdlinc Certified Qa_Qc Inspector Civil
Duration of Sdlinc Course: One Month to Three Month
Sdlinc Fast Track Course Duration: 15 Days
Eligibility Criteria: Any Engineering Graduate, Diploma, or Any Arts Graduates BSc, B.Com, BBA, BA or as per Int'l norms
Note: Sdlinc Student shall bring Laptop with Installed genuine software if any, Scientific Calculator and Standards Latest Edition (If student doesn't have genuine installed Software, Then Only100 Hours Power Point Presentation Training arranged by Sdlinc.
This Sdlinc comprehensive course systematically helps skills development and practical implementation knowledge in QA / QC Discipline inline with international standards including Correct Usage / Preparation of ITP's QCP's , stage wise inspection of QA / QC activities and Implementing, Monitoring, Witnessing, establishing of Project Quality Plan for any projects. This certification course is designed and developed by Sdlinc.
This Sdlinc comprehensive course covers in depth quality requirements in various sectors / industries including - Aeronautic, Oil & Gas, Petrochemical Refinery, Power Plant, Automobile, Civil Construction Projects Heavy, Fabrication Industries Manufacturing Industries etc.
Course syllabus
- Module 1 – Roles & responsibilities of QA/ QC Inspector
- Module 2 -Introduction to the Company QMS ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 standards
- Module 3 -International codes and standards
- Module 4 -Concept of Quality Inspection
- Module 5 -Classification of Civil work
- Module 6 -Materials/specifications
- Module 7 -Process Flow Diagram PFD Isometric Drawings
- Module 8 -Types of Civil constuction
- Module 9 -Preparation of Inspection procedures
- Module 10 -Civil Test and NDT methods
- Module 11 – Calibration of instrument / equipment, IMTE Module 12 – Project Quality plan
- Module 13 – Inspect as per inspection test plan (ITP's ) and Preparation
- Module 14 -Specific quality procedures and Preparation
- Module 15 – Quality Control QC Job Brief on Receiving, In-process, Final Inspection
- Module 16 -Implementation and Monitoring QA/QC system
- Module 17 -Traceability, Punch list
- Module 18 -Stage wise inspection
- Module 19 -Final documentation, Inspection Report, Non Conformance Report, QA/QC
Benefits to delegates?
On completion of this Sdlinc training, participants will able to perform above Roles and Responsibilities more effectively.
Who should attend?
Engineers, Functional Managers, HOD, Top and Middle Level Management Staff wants to do Supervisory and managerial roles.
Benefits to Your Business:
Delegates/participants who thoroughly learned the Sdlinc Course and practiced will acquire above skill set able to:
Complete complex Management effectively with Minimal Resource Utilization
Identify any possible management discrepancies, Report and propose corrective action and Solutions.
Continually volunteer him/her to achieve Company Metrics Continual Improvement and Enhanced overall OEE.
Sdlinc Course presentation and assessment:
Sdlinc Practical's, Sdlinc Power point presentations and Sdlinc handouts as applicable
Sdlinc Case studies, Sdlinc group exercises, On the Job Tips, Key points and discussions
Daily tests / reviews and feedback
General Examination
Specific Examination
Practical Examination
Pass Mark- Minimum 80%, 50% to 79% will get lower Certification, below 50% to do Re Exam


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April is here and with it the annual opportunity for the citizens of Lake Ozark to select members of the board of aldermen. The role of those aldermen, of course, is to administer the functions of city government and assure compliance with laws and regulations. Much more importantly, however, they must positively represent the citizenry, promote our community and its image to visitors and facilitate an increasing prosperity for the citizens of Lake Ozark. I salute current and former members of city government and all candidates who have raised their hands to volunteer their service.
I have been visiting the ake with my family for over 30 years, and have permanently resided here for more than seven. In that time, I have seen many changes in Lake Ozark and it is a different place than in the 1980s. Then, the Strip was a place our children and we looked forward to visiting each year. Now, the first impression presented to visitors crossing the Bagnell Dam is an embarrassment to our city, and certainly not an appealing view to visitors and potential new residents. And this situation has not improved in the past seven years; in some ways it continues to deteriorate. I place a substantial part of the responsibility for this circumstance at the feet of city government. No incumbent asking for re-election has shown leadership on this issue and no incumbent should be honored by positive votes on April 8.
For many years there have been allegations of cronyism on the board of aldermen, a so-called "good ole boy" network. Proceedings of recent board meetings confirm that such a network still exists. Ordinances are enforced uniformly until supporters of officials are asked to comply — then enforcement must be "fair" meaning an exception is in order for a selected circumstance. It is nice that the members of the board get along with each other, but good government and representation sometimes requires independent and principled objection, not checking the windage or going along to get along. Any incumbent that has condoned or participated in this kind of conduct does not warrant re-election.
Recently the candidates participated in interviews with this newspaper. Each one talked about prosperity, economic growth, tourism, etc., etc., etc. The same points and platforms listed in each election cycle in recent memory. Each incumbent has a responsibility to report specifically how they have directly caused the fortunes of the city and its residents to be better for their individual efforts. Many good things have happened (Rt. 242, Eagles' Landing), but simply being around, in the room, on the board when they happened doesn't accrue to any individual's credit, unless their fingerprints are all over the project. In other words, beware the incumbent who tries to jump in front of the parade (particularly if they opposed any such project before they supported it).
The city needs new, fresh and specific plans and ideas. We have an opportunity to change course on April 8 by electing solid leaders. Again, I thank, admire and congratulate each individual who participates in local government. It is an important yet sometimes thankless job. Teddy Roosevelt, a principled leader said it best:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat".
James J. Murphy
Lake Ozark


text:
Berkshire Hathaway and Warren Buffett recently disclosed that they now own shares of Verizon Communications Inc. in a bet that the telecommunications conglomerate is going to benefit after buying out its partner in the biggest United States wireless business. Verizon actually posted the largest increase in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
As of March 31, 2014, Berkshire Hathaway owns 11 million shares of Verizon we learn from a recent regulatory filing. The current value of the investment is roughly $530 million.
In February of this year, Verizon purchased Vodafone Group PLC's minority stake in Verizon Wireless. This move will grant Verizon the ability to stop paying a dividend to the former partner. This $130 billion deal shows us that the telecommunications company believes that there is a lot more room for growth in the United States, regardless of the fact that most people in the country already own smart phones. The company made a forecast that they will see a 4% increase in revenue and higher adjusted profit margins.
"Verizon has an attractive dividend and an enviable position in the wireless market," Kevin Roe said. He is an analyst with Roe Equity Research. "It's a good ballast for investors in a choppy market."
The telecommunications provider pays the 24th highest dividend in the S&P 500 index, and has a yield of 4.4%, we learn from Bloomberg data.
When asked to comment on the Berkshire Hathaway purchase, Verizon's New York-based spokesman Bob Varettoni declined.
The 83-year-old Buffett has long held the belief in a concentrated approach to investing in stocks. Over half of the $118.5 billion equity portfolio at the Omaha, Nebraska Berkshire Hathaway is in just four companies: IBM, Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo and American Express.
Weschler, Combs
More than likely, the investment in Verizon came from one of the two Berkshire Hathaway portfolio managers, Ted Weschler or Todd Combs, based on the size of the position, said Richard Cook, Cook & Bynum Capital Management LLC cofounder.
Within the same filing, we learned that the Berkshire Hathaway stake in General Motors has dropped to 30 million shares, a 25% decline. The company's shares in DirecTV have gone from 36.5 million shares to 34.5 million shares in a three month period. Buffett told us that his stock pickers made both of these picks. Please note that both Weschler and Combs have outperformed the Standard & Poor's 500 in 2012 and 2013.
"It's very interesting to follow what Todd and Ted are doing," said Cook, who manages a $310 million portfolio, and owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway. "They're smart investors and they've had some home runs already.
The Buffett Approach
Bringing the 52-year-old Weschler and 43-year-old Combs into the company was a major cornerstone for Warren Buffett's plan of succession. The CEO and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway has said that these individuals will jointly oversee all of the company investments once he is no longer at the helm of the business that he spent the last five decades building from a textile maker to one of the largest and most valuable companies the world has ever seen. This year, Berkshire's market capitalization went past $300 billion for the very first time, buoyed by earnings from dozens of operating businesses and a rising stock portfolio.
Buffett's amazing track record has gained him a large following among investors, who study the stock picks of Berkshire Hathaway for strategies and clues. When major equity purchases are announced, company shares often surge higher. In November 2013, when Buffett announced a $3.7 billion stake in Exxon Mobil, the biggest oil company in the world gained 2.2% the next day and closed at its highest level in a 33 year timeframe.
Berkshire's Stake in Walmart
The Verizon stake has already advanced to $48.80. The largest shareholders in this company include the manager of American Funds mutual funds, Capital Group COS.; Vanguard Group Inc., who has more than 200 million shares; and Blackrock Inc., we learn from data compiled by Bloomberg. Recently, billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson disclosed an 8.7 million share stake in Verizon.
Berkshire Hathaway also raised its stake in one of its other investments, Walmart stores, and added an additional 17% in shares to bring the current count to 58.1 million shares, we learned from the regulatory filing. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail holding is worth roughly $4 billion.
"In terms of what's going to move the needle for shareholders, Buffett's very large investments still dominate" the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio, Cook said.


text:
Congratulations to our winner, MomToovey!
Looking for the perfect addition to your little girl's toy room? Look no further than the Mega Blocks Barbie Build 'n Style Luxury Mansion. This dream-house has eight rooms that can be built any way your girl's heart desires. If only it was that easy to remodel your real home!
We're giving one away to one lucky Stir reader. To enter to win a Mega Bloks Barbie Build 'n Style Luxury Mansion, simply tell me:
What toys would your daughter keep in her real-life dream house?
Here are the rules for this giveaway here on The Stir:
The "Giveaway: Mega Bloks Barbie Build 'n Style Luxury Mansion" starts on December 15, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. (ET) and ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on December 25, 2012 (the "Sweepstakes Period").
Enter by replying to this post with an appropriate comment during the Sweepstakes Period. Limit one entry per day during the Sweepstakes Period. One (1) winner will be selected in a random drawing of all eligible entries on or around December 26, 2012 to receive a Mega Bloks Barbie Build 'n Style Luxury Mansion (total valued at $79.99).
*No Purchase Necessary. Open to US residents 18 years and older. Void where prohibited. Click here for the rest of the Official Rules.


text:
product description
Related Products:
Burke, Bill, M.S.
Carbon Steel
Fixed Blade Knives
Carbon Steel - 52100
Carving and Slicing Knives
Distal Taper
Full Tang
Utility and Fruit Knives
Wood - Ironwood
Kitchen Knives
Maker: Bill Burke, M.S. (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 89201
*** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind ***Blade length: 6.00 in.Total length: 10.30 in.Blade height (at heel): 1.40 in.Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.07 in.Item weight: 3.20 oz.Blade: Hand forged, differentially heat treated 52100 carbon steelBolster: 416 stainless steelHandle: Ironwood scales set on a distal tapered full tang
Description: Mastersmith Bill Burke's chef's knives are among the highest performing cutlery found anywhere. His heat treatment technique, combined with his choice of steel, results in edge holding that is far beyond other knives. This is a knife that will astonish you with its lightness, maneuverability and stunning good looks.
Petit gyuto hocho, meaning "small slicing knife", are great general purpose kitchen utility knives. The 6 inch, slender blade makes it very useful and versatile from slicing fruit to chopping garlic with enough belly to really get serious slicing done. The thin blade produces a very clean, even cut without bruising the food being sliced.
Like his hunting knives, this chef's knife was pre-tested for edge flex and cutting ability before assembly. The heat treatment follows the formula developed by Bill Burke in conjunction with Ed Fowler and creates some of the sharpest and most long lasting edges found anywhere.
Bill chose ironwood with a stunning figure and polished the handle to a luster. The ironwood handle scales are set on a distal tapered full tang, carved to swell at the front of the handle, move into a slimmer waist and finally to swell again at the beak at the end of the handle. The knife has perfect balance and is an joy to use.
Availability: Not currently available


text:
Companies have the same tools their customers and fans have. Here's an example of how an organization can build on an existing conversation. This is the response by the EA Sports to a video that a Tiger Woods PGA Tour '08 Player posted on YouTube one year ago. [hat tip to Rocco at Adverblog]
Execution matters. A few techniques that can help you bridge from telling to showing:
- Taking the time to respond - how many opportunities have you missed to be part of the conversation about your business?
- Building on existing content to respond (not react) - the difference between messaging and conversation lies in listening. Show them you are and then take the conversation to the next level.
- Injecting some reality into the story - he is that good, the showing part can be done without showmanship. Your customers are now immune to a certain kind of glitz and shout.
- Putting your actions where your mouth is - the best kind of showing is delivering on your promises. It might sound obvious, it helps being reminded.
Doing what you do best today includes the conversation about what you do. How can you surprise, wow, and show your customers you are engaged?


text:
This product is currently sold out.
You can obtain status and/or reserve this item by contacting us. We can also be reached by calling toll free 1-866-326-9377 (Dialing from outside the US +01 314 772 3566) between 10AM and 6PM CST (-6 GMT).
The Diesel Fresh N' Bright collection features rich, bold colors that pop – the perfect kind of men's underwear for spring and summer.
The Blade Briefs hug the body in all the right places. This pair of underwear provides a contour pouch, a functional fly and a design that provides support and shapes the body. The briefs are made of a stretch cotton fabric that's lightweight and stretchy for a comfortable fit.
95% Cotton, 5% Elastane.
Machine wash warm, only non chlorine bleach when needed. Tumble dry low, cool iron if needed. Wash dark colors separately.
|29-31 in 74-79 cm
|31-33 in 79-84 cm
|34-36 in 86-91 cm
|Extra Large
|36-38 in 91-97 cm


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San Leandro Station
Service Advisories
Service Advisories/ /
Welcome to San Leandro
Agriculture was an important part of San Leandro's history and cherries were one of the City's most well-known crops. The city's first Cherry Festival was held in 1909 and the tradition still continues today.
Latest News
Lines Serving this Station
- Dublin/Pleasanton Daly City
- Richmond Warm Springs/South Fremont
- Daly City Warm Springs/South Fremont
Real Time Departures
Next trains departing from San Leandro Station:
This station has Monthly Reserved, Daily ($3 fee), Extended Weekend and Airport/Long Term parking. See the parking section for details about each program.
Estimated Parking Fill Time: 7:45 AM
Bike Racks: Yes
Bike racks are available at most BART stations. Please review the BART Bike Rules.
Bike Station: None
FREE secure bike parking is available at several BART stations. Visit the Bike Section for more Bike Station information.
Bike Lockers: 20 shared use electronic lockers are located at this station. Read more about electronic lockers. 12 keyed lockers are located at this station. Call Customer Services at 510-464-7133 to ask about availability of keyed bicycle lockers. Many stations have a wait list. Download an application form for keyed bicycle lockers.
Connecting Transit Routes
This station is served by AC Transit.
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Learn more about planning activity at this station and throughout Alameda County.


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"Speech & Debate"
Feb. 28-March 16. Interplayers presents this funny and provocative play. Surfing on local web sites, a high school student discovers a teacher in a virtual chat room where that teacher ought not to be. In a debate class, the student and his classmates argue whether or not to "out" that teacher's behavior to the world. Inspired by the Mayor Jim West scandal. Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., with matinees at 2 p.m. on Sundays (March 3 and 10) and Saturdays (March 9 and 16). Talkbacks with the cast will occur after each Thursday and Saturday evening performance.
- When:
- 2 p.m.
- Where:
- The Modern Theater Spokane , 174 S. Howard St.
- City:
- Spokane
- Neighborhood:
- Riverside neighborhood, Downtown
- Cost:
- $28/adults, $22/seniors and military, $15/students
- Phone:
- (509) 455-7529
- Website:
- http://www.interplayerstheatre.org/
- More like this:
- Theater


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My Main interest is through the Knight Families of Durrington, Sussex.. George Knight who married Matilda Knight in 1868 in Worthing Sussex. have traced to John Knight born about 1774 in Berkshire. Would love to know more!


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PORTSMOUTH — John Vallo and Andrea Walkonen had never run the Seacoast Half Marathon before Sunday's seventh annual race, but the pair left their mark.
Vallo, 22, of Portland, Maine, was actually running in the first New Hampshire race of his life and cruised to the win by besting the field of around 1,100 runners, crossing the finish line at Portsmouth High School in a time of 1 hour, 13 minutes and 23 seconds.
Walkonen, 26, of Lebanon, set a new course record by winning the women's division in a time of 1:17:19 and finished an impressive third overall.
"It was a really nice day — nice cloud cover, it wasn't sunny at all and it could've been a lot worse, especially after the snowstorm we just got," Vallo said. "It started out pretty good. I had some competition through five (miles) but he kind of fell off after that. I just tried to stay strong bringing it in and I really wanted to break 1:13:00; I just fell short of that."
Mark Mayall, 41, of Maynard, Mass., finished a distant second (1:17:01), while Hampton's Chris Ritchie, 29, placed third in the men's division (1:18:26).
Walkonen shattered the women's course record of 1:21:49 that was set last year by Kim Webster of Framingham, Mass. Rochester's Denise Sandahl, 32, continued her strong season by finishing second (1:25:41). Beth Dollas, 35, of Amesbury, Mass., was third (1:27:09).
"My coach (Jeff Johnson) told me to cruise through the first nine miles and kind of use it as a tempo, and that's what I did," Walkonen said. "From there, pick it up and, if not, keep cruising. I think I picked it up, but after 10 miles it starts to feel the same. I felt strong the whole way through."
Vallo just graduated this spring from the University of Southern Maine, where he picked up a couple of All-New England selections. He was running in his second half marathon, after he won the Harvest Half Marathon three weeks ago in Biddeford, Maine, in 1:15:49.
He said that he's still getting used to running longer distances after primarily running 5Ks, and tried some adjustments on Sunday.
"I'm used to the 5Ks and going out a little harder, so it's tough to try to bring it in and not push yourself too much at the beginning, and not have enough at the end," Vallo said. "I'll say that miles 8 and 9 were a little hard, but I was able to finish stronger than I thought I would.
"I thought I'd have more people pushing me, so I was a little shocked it was an emptier lead pack today, but I'm happy with it."
Now that the native of Beacon, N.Y., has graduated college, he said plans on competing regularly in road races.
"I'm going to run some 5Ks, 10s and maybe a marathon in the future, but you've got to be motivated for that and get some training; you can't rush that," Vallo said.
Bob Wiles of Kittery, Maine, set the course record of 1:09:19 in 2010.
Walkonen grew up in Jaffrey and graduated from Conant High School in 2004, before embarking on a standout career at Boston University. She reached the nationals in the indoor 5K and outdoor 10K, and finished eighth in the NCAA 10,000-meter championships in 2008. She currently holds the BU school record in the 10,000.
Walkonen broke away from Sandahl quickly and found herself among the lead pack of men. Her conservative plan of taking the race out slow still resulted in 5:46 splits.
"For the first couple of miles I was chatting with the guys, which is a lot of fun, because I'm not used to that in a lot of races," Walkonen said. "I think if my coach wouldn't have told me to tempo the first nine miles, I probably would've been able to stay (with Vallo and Mayall) a little longer, but I have this bad habit of jack-rabbiting out too fast.
"I'm kind of new at the half marathon and marathon distances, so I've got to get used to getting out slower and picking it up at the end."
Walkonen said she plans on running her first marathon, the Houston Marathon, in January.
Vallo, Mayall and Ritchie were followed in the men's top 10 by Tim Horan (1:18:39) of Dover; Ryan Proulx (1:20:17) of Portsmouth; Ryan Marshall (1:20:44) of Stratham; Michael Fraysse (1:23:11) of Derry; Jonathan Spelke (1:23:33) of Topsham, Maine; Brian Betournay (1:24:04) of Dover; and Jonathan Kunhardt (1:24:14) of Greenfield, Mass.
Walkonen, Sandahl and Dollas were followed in the women's top 10 by Devin Parker (1:27:27) of Cambridge, Mass.; Diana Eisenhoure (1:33:11) of Barrington; Kelley McLean (1:33:39) of Cochester, Vt.; Caroline Merrill (1:33:40) of Portsmouth; Jennifer Sprague (1:35:50) of Dover; Lauren Finelli (1:35:58) of Portsmouth; and Laurianne Schlosser (1:38:20) of Portsmouth.
Male age-group award winners were Henry Wager (19-and-under, 1:29:39) of Portsmouth; Kunhardt (20-29); Horan (30-39); Fraysse (40-49); Kevin Appleton (50-59, 1:29:09) of Durham; and David Ritchie (60-69, 1:45:32) of Seabrook.
Female age-group award winner were Madeline Borek (19-and-under, 1:45:29) of Durham; Parker (20-29); Eisenhaure (30-39); Lucy White (40-49, 1:40:54) of Portsmouth; Karen Jacoby (50-59, 1:41:19) of Portsmouth; and Bonnie Larochelle (60-69, 1:55:15) of Concord.
Vallo runs away with Seacoast Half Marathon: Walkonen wins women's race in record time
PORTSMOUTH — John Vallo and Andrea Walkonen had never run the Seacoast Half Marathon before Sunday's seventh annual race, but the pair left their mark.


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Law Practice Magazine :: Masthead
Law Practice Magazine — The
Business of Practicing Law
Law Practice is dedicated to helping legal professionals master all aspects of the business of practicing law. From theory to practice, we bring readers fresh insights and practical advice on marketing, management, technology and finance and more. Law Practice is published six times a year, and is provided to members of the ABA's Law Practice Management Section as part of Section membership.


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Steinmaker was born in Brooklyn to Peter and Mildred Steinmaker. The family moved to the rural town of Maspeth at an early age, and Steinmaker attended PS 86 and Queens Vocational High School before entering the U.S. Army at Camp Kilmer and Camp Polk, La.
The Korean War was in full swing and Steinmaker joined the fray as a rifleman in Company C of the 3rd Infantry Division's 65 Regiment.
A long line of Steinmakers have served their country proudly in the military. Steinmaker's brother was a WWII Navy veteran and his great-grandfather, William Eckert, joined the Union efforts with the Maryland infantry during the Civil War. and wounded at the Battle of Sailor's Run in Virginia. He survived his wounds and returned to Brooklyn to start the all-important Steinmaker Family of Outstanding Patriots.
Steinmaker has always considered himself lucky, and certainly his luck was strong when he met Adrienne Jusza in Maspeth after his Army days. Steinmaker and Adrienne were blessed with three daughters, Jane, Judith and Audrey. The family has also added seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren to the family tree.
Always a socially active fellow, Steinmaker was a member and volunteer at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, a member of the Sons of the Civil War, and an organizer of the United Veterans and Fraternal Organization of Maspeth.
His military awards include the Combat Infantry Badge, Korean Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal.
The U.S. Navy played a large role in developing Romano's life. Born in Corona, Romano convinced his father to permit him to enlist in the Navy in January of 1945 at the age of 17.
Romano and his wife Mildred were blessed with two sons, James and Thomas, who attended St. Stanislaus School. Romano was fully involved with the parish as president of the Holy Name Society and coach of the CYO Baseball Tyro champions.
Adjusting to civilian life, Romano worked at the Post Office and then joined St. Joseph Hospital as director of Security.
St. Joseph's Hospital merged and Romano struggled to find suitable employment. Then the memory of the salt air, steady work, job satisfaction and family stability attracted him back into the Navy. Retirement came in 1988 with a total of 26 years' service with the rank of chief petty officer.
Always active in his community, Romano has served as grand knight of Maspeth's Knights of Columbus Cardinal Spellman Council for many years. He is also an active member of the Catholic War Veterans, Tin Can Sailors, Disabled American Veterans, and he supports the Wounded Warrior Vets.
Romano and his wife will be married 64 years this September and have three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.


text: Key risk management strategies: five proactive steps for global retail brands Global Investigations Insights Series Global Investigations Insights Share this 10 MAY 2017 By: Ann Lawrence Scott Layfield When a retail brand is looking to expand globally or finds itself embroiled in an investigation, there are bespoke issues that branded retailers must focus on or risk losing credibility and revenue. In today's world of viral videos and social media pressure on brands and celebrities, risk management and proactive strategies to avoid missteps are critical to maintaining and growing a retail brand. Legal and marketing integration. A retailer's brand is its currency. When facing an investigation, a local issue can quickly become a global problem. Unlike some industries in which an investigation can be handled behind the scenes as a legal matter, an investigation in the retail industry can quickly become the subject of social media, and the top priority for the CMO and CEO. Every step of the investigation should be integrated into a coordinated communications plan with the marketing team to avoid unintentional issues. Integration with corporate mission. Given the transparent nature of the industry, risk management efforts should be considered as a market differentiator and extension of the company's core values that can provide value-add to the business by building consumer good will. For example, consumers are increasingly placing value in companies that identify and treat cybersecurity as a top priority after seeing so many data breach stories in the news. A proactive approach to investigations and strong corporate policies can drive employee and customer loyalty. Protecting the crown jewels. For a retail business, the brand name and both tangible and intangible intellectual property are mission-critical assets. Theft, misappropriation, infringement and tarnishment of these assets can be devastating to new opportunities and significantly impact the existing business. Retailers must consider the legal and practical impact of an issue – and the solution – in investigations. Whether it is a resolution with a government regulator or a policy being considered as a result of an investigation, the intellectual property and marketing teams should be consulted as part of the solution. Work environment. Although employment regulations can differ significantly from country to country, hot button issues continue to be immigration, discrimination, wage and hour, personnel classification, termination, benefits and compensation. These issues are important in considering how employees may respond to investigations (including to cooperate in them) and how a company can take action to address misconduct identified through the investigation. A well-crafted, consistent and well-executed plan for addressing these issues will not only protect the company from liability, but also serves as a proactive way to drive the image of the brand. Anti-corruption. Regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies across the globe are aggressively enforcing anti-corruption laws. Often these laws are nuanced and can be inadvertently triggered by what some may consider activities in the ordinary course of business, including in supply and manufacturing relations. Companies in the retail sector must therefore implement strategies to properly train at-risk personnel, investigate compliance and rapidly respond to crises as they arise. Investigations can seem like a negative, but they are also an opportunity to strengthen a retailer's brand, when considering the unique challenges for companies that rely on their brands to drive sales. In order to run an effective investigation, and protect the brand, companies and legal teams should use an integrated approach involving collaboration with the legal, marketing and executive teams. As retailers advance their global strategy, a proactive approach through the development of a strong global policy can be a triple net winning strategy for a company: advancing the company's mission, strengthening employee loyalty and driving more customers and revenue growth to the bottom line. Learn more by contacting either of the authors.


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The Utah Democratic Party has voted "overwhelmingly" in favor of electing co-founder of Equality Utah and the Utah Pride Center, Jim Dabakis, as their new chairman.
Dabakis is also "believed to be the first openly gay leader of a political party in the state."
Dabakis said his sexual orientation never came up during the nomination process.
"The whole gay thing just simply did not surface as an issue," he told the Salt Lake Tribune. "People are broad-minded in Utah, and they want to know if you can do the job or not."
Dabakis has said he will "go out of his way" to make members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints feel "comfortable" in the Democratic Party and that he feels Democrats are an inclusive bunch, even if they occasionally have differing opinions:
"I want to speak directly to the LDS people in our state," he said. "I want you LDS people to participate in our party. We want your spirit, we want your contributions, and we want to earn your votes. I will do whatever I can as chair to see that our big tent is comfortable to LDS people because it's the right thing to do."
Dabakis said many Mormons want a chance to be part of the "normal, moderate, reasonable" Democratic Party in light of splintering in the GOP between the tea party and more moderate Republicans.
"People are looking for real life answers to problems," said Dabakis, who replaces retiring three-term party chairman Wayne Holland. "I believe to my core Democrats can win in Utah."
Convention delegates have also elected Brian Doughty, who is openly gay, to replace state Rep. Jackie Biskupski of Salt Lake City.
Utah Democratic Party chairman believed to be state's first openly gay political party leader [Washingon Post]


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Part Used: Flower inflorescence.
Indications: Hops is a remedy that has a marked relaxing effect upon the central nervous system It is used extensively for the treatment of insomnia. It will ease tension and anxiety, and may be used where this tension leads to restlessness, headache and possibly indigestion. As an astringent with these relaxing properties it can be used in conditions such as mucous colitis. It should, however, be avoided where there is a marked degree of depression as this may be accentuated. Externally the antiseptic action is utilized for the treatment of ulcers.
CAUTION: Do not use in cases with marked depression.
Ellingwood considered it specific for "marked cases of nerve irritation and wakefulness where anxiety and worry are the cause." He recommends it for the following pathologies: hysteria, insomnia, acute local inflammations, facial neuralgia, delirium tremens, sexual excitement.
Preparations & Dosage: Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water onto l teaspoonful of the dried flowers and let infuse for l0-l5 minutes. A cup should be drunk at night to induce sleep. This dose may be strengthened if needed. Tincture: take l-4 ml of the tincture three times a day.


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Could we be heading for a battle between domestic mills and foreign steelmakers for ferrous scrap and other steelmaking raw materials? It's a definite possibility.
Mini-mills used to be restricted to the rebar and structural segment of the steel market until German engineers came up with a system called continuous strip processing (CSP). The technology gave mini-mills access to the sheet steel business, a vast and lucrative market.
They leapt into it—not just companies like Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., that were already in the steel business, but also newcomers like Steel Dynamics Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind. They made sheet, but they still used the electric furnace—and scrap—to produce the hot steel that would be formed into sheet.
Some of the integrated steelmakers have disappeared in the past few years, while the others have seen their market share shrink as Nucor and others expanded.
Such an expansion was achievable because there was an abundant supply of scrap—or so it seemed. But scrap is a limited commodity. Nobody sets out to create scrap. It comes from the shredding of wrecked vehicles, the demolition of buildings and by-products of manufacturing. Scrap dealers buy and process metals that are no longer wanted and in that sense have been "recycling" even before the word was coined.
But it isn't just domestic mini-mills that have scrap as their raw material of choice. Their overseas rivals also have developed a bigger appetite for scrap. The United States is closing in on its third 20-million-tonne export year, double the tonnage that most exporters used to consider a "good" year. And the pace is not slowing up.
China, which uses basic-oxygen furnaces to produce much of its steel, also has the world's largest appetite for scrap. It imported slightly more than 4 million tonnes from the United States through the first seven months of this year, triple what it took the previous year. And Turkey, which imported close to 4.5 million tonnes last year, has received a lot of exposure for its buying binges.
But China and Turkey are mainly bulk cargo buyers of scrap. In the not-too-distant past that was how all ferrous scrap was shipped overseas. Not anymore. Many large and mid-sized yards that are not on the ocean—but not too far away from the docks—have carved out a niche for themselves in the export market. They have learned that they can sell container-loads of scrap to smaller steel mills in Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan and not have to worry much about letters of credit and other items of high finance.
When a major exporter sells a 35,000-tonne handy-max cargo of scrap, that's easily a $10-million cargo—not exactly pocket change even for the largest overseas steelmakers. Containers, on the other hand, may hold between 20 to 40 tonnes, translating into just a $6,000 or $12,000 invoice.
Another segment of raw materials supply—Venezuelan hot-briquetted iron (HBI)—is no longer available to U.S. mills. By executive decree, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has nationalized the Venezuelan iron industry, taking control of HBI manufacturers Materiales Siderúrgicos SA, Complejo Siderurgico de Guayana CA, Venezolana de Perreducidos Caroní CA and Orinoco Iron SCS, as well as the country's sole seamless steel producer, TenarisTavsa.
Some believe he may be doing this to use more of the metal at home, but that's a stretch. Others say it's simply one more salvo in his economic war with the United States.
There will be HBI available for offshore markets, says one industry source, but Chavez wants the same price that U.S. mills pay the Brazilians for pig iron. In recent months, much of the HBI produced by the commercially owned HBI plants in Venezuela has been exported to Europe at prices said to be as low as $205 per tonne, cheap when compared with pig iron at more than $300 a tonne.
By taking over the HBI and steelmaking facilities, the Chavez government can produce iron at whatever price it chooses, since the government already owns the iron ore and natural gas produced in Venezuela, the two main components in making iron through the direct-reduced iron technology.
But the two products—HBI and pig iron—are not the same chemically. Pig iron is a cleaner product with higher iron content and fewer other elements that have to be fluxed or blown out of the charge. Chavez does not understand the chemistry and probably won't get the message until those briquettes start piling up on the docks along the Orinoco River.
The simple fact is that the United States is the Saudi Arabia of ferrous scrap. But unlike Saudi Arabia, which uses very little of its own oil reserves, U.S. steelmakers consume a vast amount of the available scrap—60 million tonnes a year by one count, three times the amount going overseas to nations like China, India, Malaysia and Vietnam. If domestic and foreign consumption continues at the present pace, how long will it be before we have to scour even the most remote locations of our country looking for scrap. And what will it cost to bring this material to market?
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The Korean producers 'seem to think they have a good case, but personally I wouldn't get overly confident.'
--OCTG trader


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PALO ALTO, Calif. — The No. 3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols rallied from a double digit deficit late but could not complete the comeback in their first loss of the season 76-70 to No. 5 Stanford on Saturday at Maples Pavilion.
PALO ALTO, Calif. — The No. 3-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols rallied from a double digit deficit late but could not complete the comeback in their first loss of the season 76-70 to No. 5 Stanford on Saturday at Maples Pavilion.
Stanford (10-1) scored 13 unanswered points early in the game and stayed in front from there. Tennessee (10-1) cut that lead to just two points with a minute left at 70-68 before the Cardinal iced the game with free throw shooting.
Junior Ariel Massengale scored 17 points to lead the Lady Vols in the loss, thanks to 8-of-10 shooting from the free throw line. Sophomore Isabelle Harrison recorded a double double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Stanford's Chiney Ogwumike led all scorers with 32 points on 15 of 25 shooting. She also earned 20 — nearly half — of her team's 43 rebounds.
Stanford built a 70-59 lead with 4:32 left in the game on a pair of free throws by Mikaela Ruff, but the Lady Vols were not finished yet.
Tennessee went on a tear from that point, scoring nine unanswered points. Four different players scored during the 9-0 run, and redshirt freshman Andraya Carner hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 70-68 off a pass from Massengale with 1:03 left.
The Cardinal drained most of their shot clock and Amber Orrange completed a 3-point play to put Stanford ahead by 73-68 with 28 seconds left. Stanford hit three more free throws during the closing seconds to assure the victory.
Four Lady Vols finished with at least 10 points. In additions to Massengale and Harrison, senior Meighan Simmons added 15 points and sophomore Bashaara Graves finished with 14.
A 13-0 Stanford run early in the opening minutes ultimately spelled the difference in the game. Russell eventually drove in for a layup to end the streak for the Lady Vols, but by that time, Stanford led 13-6 with 14:35 on the clock and never trailed from there.
Stanford led by as many as 12 points in the half and took a 37-29 lead into halftime. Ogwumike scored 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting plus 11 rebounds to lead her team.
Taylor Greenfield hit a 3-pointer with four seconds left in the half to give the Cardinal a 37-29 lead heading into the locker rooms. Greenfield accounted for three of Stanford's four first-half 3-pointers, while the Lady Vols were held scoreless (0 for 6) from beyond the arc.
Tennessee kept the scoring pace thanks to a solid 9 of 11 performance from the free throw line. Stanford shot just two free throws in the first half, making one of them.
Graves and Harrison had eight points each at the half to lead the Lady Vols.
The Lady Vols started the second half by getting right back in the game. Massengale hit Tennessee's first 3-pointer of the game to cap a 7-0 UT run and cut the lead to 44-40 with 16:03 left in the game.
The Lady Vols finished the game shooting 24 of 67 from the field (36 percent), while Stanford was 28 of 66 (42 percent).
Tennessee's next game is Dec. 29 at home against in-state foe Lipscomb at 2 p.m.


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Man pleads not guilty in baby's death
Man pleads not guilty in baby's death
SALINAS, Calif. —
The man accused of killing a 10-month-old Castroville baby pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and child endangerment causing death.
Jesus "Jesse" Espinoza, 47, on Tuesday made his second court appearance in the case of Angelle Negron.
He remains in jail on $1.2 million bail, and is due back in court on March 27.
Angelle's body was found last Tuesday, partially buried behind a tree underneath the Davis Road overpass just outside of Salinas, police said.
Espinoza was Angelle's mother's boyfriend, and frequently took care of the baby, police said.
Angelle's family reported her missing to the Monterey County Sheriff's Department three days earlier, after Espinoza told her mother he was taking her to Disneyland, according to police.