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United States District Court, E.D. Washington
July 6, 2018
SHANNON M., Plaintiff,v.COMMISSIONER OF SOCIAL SECURITY, Defendant.
THE COURT are the parties' cross motions for summary
judgment. ECF Nos. 13; 14. These matters were submitted for
consideration without oral argument. The Court has reviewed
the administrative record and the parties' completed
briefing, and is fully informed. For the reasons discussed
below, Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No.
13) is DENIED, and Defendant's Motion
for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 14) is
Court has jurisdiction over this case pursuant to 42 U.S.C.
§§ 405(g), 1383(c)(3).
district court's review of a final decision of the
Commissioner of Social Security is governed by 42 U.S.C.
§ 405(g). The scope of review under § 405(g) is
limited: the Commissioner's decision will be disturbed
"only if it is not supported by substantial evidence or
is based on legal error." Hill v. Astrue, 698
F.3d 1153, 1158-59 (9th Cir. 2012) (citing 42 U.S.C. §
405(g)). "Substantial evidence" means relevant
evidence that "a reasonable mind might accept as
adequate to support a conclusion." Id. at 1159
(quotation and citation omitted). Stated differently,
substantial evidence equates to "more than a mere
scintilla[, ] but less than a preponderance."
Id. (quotation and citation omitted). In determining
whether this standard has been satisfied, a reviewing court
must consider the entire record as a whole rather than
searching for supporting evidence in isolation. Id.
reviewing a denial of benefits, a district court may not
substitute its judgment for that of the Commissioner. If the
evidence in the record "is susceptible to more than one
rational interpretation, [the court] must uphold the
ALJ's findings if they are supported by inferences
reasonably drawn from the record." Molina v.
Astrue, 674 F.3d 1104, 1111 (9th Cir. 2012). Further, a
district court "may not reverse an ALJ's decision
on account of an error that is harmless." Id.
An error is harmless "where it is inconsequential to
the [ALJ's] ultimate nondisability determination."
Id. at 1115 (quotation and citation omitted). The
party appealing the ALJ's decision generally bears the
burden of establishing that he or she was harmed.
Shinseki v. Sanders, 556 U.S. 396, 409-10 (2009).
claimant must satisfy two conditions to be considered
"disabled" within the meaning of the Social
Security Act. First, the claimant must be "unable to
engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any
medically determinable physical or mental impairment which
can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can
be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than
twelve months." 42 U.S.C. § 1382c(a)(3)(A).
Second, the claimant's impairment must be "of such
severity that he is not only unable to do his previous work[,
] but cannot, considering his age, education, and work
experience, engage in any other kind of substantial gainful
work which exists in the national economy." 42 U.S.C.
§ 1382c(a)(3)(B).
Commissioner has established a five-step sequential analysis
to determine whether a claimant satisfies the above criteria.
See 20 C.F.R. 416.920(a)(4)(i)-(v). At step one, the
Commissioner considers the claimant's work activity. 20
C.F.R. § 416.920(a)(4)(i). If the claimant is engaged in
"substantial gainful activity, " the Commissioner
must find that the claimant is not disabled. 20 C.F.R. §
If the
claimant is not engaged in substantial gainful activities,
the analysis proceeds to step two. At this step, the
Commissioner considers the severity of the claimant's
impairment. 20 C.F.R. § 416.920(a)(4)(ii). If the
claimant suffers from "any impairment or combination of
impairments which significantly limits [his or her] physical
or mental ability to do basic work activities, " the
analysis proceeds to step three. 20 C.F.R. § 416.920(c).
If the claimant's impairment does not satisfy this
severity threshold, however, the Commissioner must find that
the claimant is not disabled. Id.
At step
three, the Commissioner compares the claimant's
impairment to several impairments recognized by the
Commissioner to be so severe as to preclude a person from
engaging in substantial gainful activity. 20 C.F.R. §
416.920(a)(4)(iii). If the impairment is as severe or more
severe than one of the enumerated impairments, the
Commissioner must find the claimant disabled and award
benefits. 20 C.F.R. § 416.920(d).
If the
severity of the claimant's impairment does meet or exceed
the severity of the enumerated impairments, the Commissioner
must pause to assess the claimant's "residual
functional capacity." Residual functional capacity
("RFC"), defined generally as the claimant's
ability to perform physical and mental work activities on a
sustained basis despite his or her limitations (20 C.F.R.
§ 416.945(a)(1)), is relevant to both the fourth and
fifth steps of the analysis.
At step
four, the Commissioner considers whether, in view of the
claimant's RFC, the claimant is capable of performing
work that he or she has performed in the past ("past
relevant work"). 20 C.F.R. § 416.920(a)(4)(iv). If
the claimant is capable of performing past relevant work, the
Commissioner must find that the claimant is not disabled. 20
C.F.R. § 416.920(f). If the claimant is incapable of
performing such work, the analysis proceeds to step five.
At step
five, the Commissioner considers whether, in view of the
claimant's RFC, the claimant is capable of performing
other work in the national economy. 20 C.F.R. §
416.920(a)(4)(v). In making this determination, the
Commissioner must also consider vocational factors such as
the claimant's age, education, and work experience.
Id. If the claimant is capable of adjusting to other
work, the Commissioner must find that the claimant is not
disabled. 20 C.F.R. § 416.920(g)(1). If the claimant is
not capable of adjusting to other work, the analysis
concludes with a finding that the claimant is disabled and is
therefore entitled to benefits. Id.
claimant bears the burden of proof at steps one through four
above. Bray v. Comm'r of Soc. Sec. Admin., 554
F.3d 1219, 1222 (9th Cir. 2009). If the analysis proceeds to
step five, the burden shifts to the Commissioner to establish
that (1) the claimant is capable of performing other work;
and (2) such work "exists in significant numbers in the
national economy." 20 C.F.R. § 416.960(c)(2);
Beltran v. Astrue, 700 F.3d 386, 389 (9th Cir.
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text:
Spotted this online, and had to share. I'm pretty sure it's tongue-in-cheek.
Spotted this online, and had to share. I'm pretty sure it's tongue-in-cheek.
A friend of mine recently emailed to get my opinion on composting, and he got more than he bargained for. He wanted a bin for his house, but he was short on space.
Here's what I told him:
As you may have feared, I have many opinions on compost!
You can do a simple wire mesh enclosure on some wooden stakes, which is cheap and more contained than an open pile, but it will still leave the stuff visible.
Middle tier option (and probably the best) is to wait for one of the compost bin sales held by local cities and counties. I got mine at the Orange county sale, but Raleigh and Wake County have their own from time to time. They're subsidized, and thus about $40.
If you want compost "fast", you have a couple of options as well.
I'm sure I've told you about my "worm bin" which is just a big Rubbermaid container stocked with red wiggler worms. It's actually possible to use this indoors, and it's great for kitchen scraps. This is what I currently use, and I'd be happy to share some worms.
There are also several lines of "compost tumblers" that are barrels on an axle that you can spin from time to time to keep it mixed. Any compost bin you use should be mixed periodically (turn it every week to finish it in a few months, or let it sit and it will take a year or so). The tumbler just makes it fast and easy, and keeps the compost off the ground where tree roots/vermin will invade.
I'm a fan of the Fifth Season stores (there's one in Raleigh) and they have a couple of compost bin options from ~$35 – ~$180
Hope that wasn't too much!
He ended up building a pretty solid looking cinder block bin with a hardware cloth base to house the worms outdoors. It's inexpensive, low profile, and should keep the tree roots out (for awhile at least). I dropped off a container of red wigglers on Sunday, so we'll see how they like their new home!
How do YOU compost?
In case you needed any more reason to update your home or business with insulation, efficient light bulbs, or a solar panel, the State and Federal governments sponsor programs and incentives you may not know about!
The good people who manage the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) came up with the following handy widget just for you:
There are 89 incentives for homeowners in North Carolina, 53 for you Ohioans, and 141 for Minnesota! Get on it.
Stop whatever you're doing, and visit http://www.poweringanation.org/coal/ to watch the "interactive film" put together by UNC Chapel Hill's "Powering a Nation" team and released just last week.
It is, at the same time, both beautiful and chilling. The series of videos and infographics follow families in West Virginia, Illinois, and Wyoming whose lives and livelihoods are both dependent on, and threatened by, coal as our nation's primary energy source.
In one of the first video vignettes, a young woman wrestles with her desire to leave home and attend college, and to stay near her family in West Virginia. The daughter of a coal miner, she proudly states that she will never stop defending coal.
Casting her words in sharp relief, the girl's mother crosses herself as her husband leaves the house, understanding that every day he goes, he may not return.
The site offers a series of video vignettes with some really stunning cinematography and a handful of infographics and interactive calculators that show just how dependent on coal you (and I) really are.
There's been lots of fur flying in Congress over light bulb efficiency standards. As if there's nothing else they should actually be worried about…
No, you're not going to have to switch to CFLs if you don't want to. Stop hoarding incandescents already.
Yes, the new bulbs should save you money over time.
Our good friends at the NRDC make it about as clear as can be in their helpful infographic.
Aaaaaaaaand, I'm over it.
But if you're the kind of person that would like to continue wasting money, let me know and I will gladly take your cash, checks and PayPal. What are friends for?
Here's a list of weatherization and energy related jobs available in North Carolina. Though many are temporary, jobs like these are great for getting experience in the field, and more importantly, making contact (and friends) with people who may be able to offer permanent positions. Get going!
The NC Energy Office Weatherization Assistance Program is recruiting for the below positions located in Wake County, Carteret County, and Asheville. The first 9 are temporary positions (through March of 2012) and are part of a multifamily pilot project. The last 2 are permanent positions with Weatherization and are located in the NC Energy Office in Raleigh.Details and application instructions may be found below.
Energy Conservation Representative
Payroll/Accounts Payable Specialist
Energy Conservation Representative
Payroll/Accounts Payable Specialist
Energy Conservation Representative
Payroll/Accounts Payable Specialist
Looks like my old job managing UNC Chapel Hill's Climate Action Program is still up for grabs!
Friends, Bloggers, Energy Geeks, lend me your eyes;
I come to bury PowerMeter, not to praise it.
The good that Google did lives after them;
The failures are interred with Wave;
So let it be with PowerMeter.
As you've no doubt heard, last week Google canceled its PowerMeter home energy monitoring app and Microsoft burned down Hohm. The efficiency community and green tech circles are exploding with commentary and blame: it was the monolithic utilities, it was the uncaring masses, it was just ahead of its time.
Well, I come to bury PowerMeter, not to praise it.
I think Hohm and Powermeter had some good features, but they were far from an efficiency revolution we all expected. In fact, I think they were just the first shot in a much longer engagement.
Look, I am an energy geek. I do this for a living. And with PowerMeter, I got some interesting initial savings.
But over time, I kind of lost interest in what PowerMeter could tell me. My consumption was driven far more by the temperature outside than my behavior, and because PowerMeter didn't really separate out those drivers, I slid into complacency.
"You are 10% over for the day"
"Well, yeah, it's hotter out today."
There are two things that are going to push home energy monitoring over the tipping point: higher electricity prices, and direct, specific recommendations.
The average person is just never going to scan a time series of their energy data and get motivated to seal their attic. And I think that's okay – it's on us as efficiency experts, utilities, and software developers to make it so easy (and so financially beneficial) that it's the default behavior, rather than a special effort.
The pieces are falling into place. My local utility, Duke Energy, just filed for a 17% rate increase for residential customers. They won't get it, but you can be sure prices will continue to rise.
When your electric bill rises, you'll have more incentive to eliminate waste. And you'll know what to do because someone will be monitoring your energy use and offering you helpful suggestions. They will ultimately even help you get the work scheduled and subsidized by the utilities.
If you were a PowerMeter user, check out one of the 7+ other websites that can take your energy data and tell you the same things that PowerMeter could. Some of those sites, like PlotWatt, even offer disaggregation – an appliance by appliance breakdown of how you're spending.
As an efficiency community, we can either sit and wail about who's to blame in PowerMeter's demise, or we can move on to the more sophisticated and useful options already making their way to market. I think this is just the beginning…
Nope, no one really requested that I tweet, but after dipping my toe into the twitterverse at a recent Startup Weekend, I realized that twitter might be a helpful venue for my interests and free time.
I typically stack up a long list of "hey-you-should-see-this" links that I fully intend to blog about, but that get lost in the shuffle either due to the limited commentary I'd like to add, or the speed at which news happens in the lean/green/clean and data/infoviz space. It's an embarrassment of riches.
So, if you're the kind of person who likes to tweet, follow @fireflyeco for the latest news and commentary on data-driven, Lean sustainability.
If you're the kind of person who doesn't like to tweet, you can still keep up with my latest posts in the sidebar on fireflyeco.com. I'll reserve blog posts for the items that just beg for more in-depth analysis.
See you on the other side!
Fact: People are lazy.
Fact: I'm a person.
Conclusion: I'm lazy.
When I have a plastic container, I want to dispose of it. I don't want to throw it in the garbage, but I also don't want to earn a graduate degree in polymer chemistry just to know whether it's recyclable in my area. And if you make me think about it too long, I'm going to dump it in the recycle bin and contaminate all of your precious clean recyclables.
'Round here, we can recycle plastic bottles (the neck is narrower than the body), but we can't recycle plastic tubs because they're molded in a different way and the two types of plastic will not melt at the same temperature. I know this, and deal appropriately, but I can almost guarantee you that most people either don't know it or don't care. Putting a recycling arrow triangle on the bottom of the bucket with a little number is not going to help things.
So, what's to be done? What if we make it a little clearer, the way Sustainable Packaging Coalition aims to do.
They're proposing new labels that lump things in to three categories, not by their makeup, but by their destination:
That's it. That frozen food package has three types of materials – one that's "widely recyclable," one that's completely non-recyclable, and one that might be recyclable depending on where you live. Easy.
In the end, this is what the consumer cares about, and perhaps it'll drive the right kind of purchasing behavior. If I have two choices, and one is not recyclable, it may guide my hand to the more sustainable option.
The only downside is that the labeling is currently voluntary. There probably won't be much compliance from the manufacturers of landfill-destined junk.
GE has announced the winners of its second ecomagination prize, and PlotWatt won!
If you're quick, you can catch the live feed here or look at some of the press we've already received.
We also have a live demo up on the site, and a new about us and FAQ page. Exciting times!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The awkwardness was out in full force, affecting just about everyone in Miami.
Nikki shows up high to a crime scene and is kicked out by Masuka (we still don't know why Nikki is even in this season). Vogel and her son, Saxon, reunite for breakfast to discuss how he won't stop killing innocent people (reminding her that he killed her other son). Dexter, Harrison and Hannah plan to move to Argentina, to be as family-like as possible when two of them are serial killers. Dexter and Batista have a bro-hug. And Quinn breaks up with Jamie, while she's cooking him dinner. Didn't his mother teach him any manners? Or safety rules? Never break up with a woman holding a hot skillet.
And that's only the beginning.
Just about everyone tugs on Vogel's heart, playing the "son" card. Dexter wants to kill her son Saxon to protect her, and to get justice for her dead son. Matthews wants Vogel to break doctor-patient privilege to talk about her sessions for the still-missing Hamilton (although she knows that he is at the bottom of the Gulf by now). And Saxon wants her to turn him into a real boy. Just like Pinocchio. But with more blood.
Meanwhile, Deb finds out about Dexter's permanent vacation idea and freaks out. She goes to Quinn for advice, but he's all about letting Dex do what's good for him (since he's doing what's good for him and breaking up with Jamie).
Dexter shows up to a crime scene and tells Batista he's leaving. Insert the awkward hug here.
Dexter checks in on Hannah. They both are eager to leave, but Dexter refuses to leave while Vogel is in danger. Now, she doesn't believe she's in danger, but when has reality ever stopped Dexter? After all, he's still confronting Harry's dead ghost about whether he should protect Vogel in the first place.
Saxon shows up at Vogel's house and takes her to his kill room, where he explains that it serves as a reminder of where she had him institutionalized. He lays the blame on thick, right before the final blow -- he insists that she teach him how to exist in the real world as he is. He begs her to find a way to love him, and she reluctantly accepts.
Dexter "invites" himself into Vogel's house, hacking into her computer to find a link to Saxon. Instead he finds a video of Saxon brutally killing Hamilton.
Deb comes home to see Dexter, Harrison, and Hannah -- the not-quite-so-ideal family, but a cute one nonetheless. She finally opens up about her fear of him leaving. They've been together from the beginning and finally gotten to a place of honesty and openness. I'm proud of Deb for owning up to this instead of running from her fears.
Vogel stops by Dexter's, trying to convince him that she can still help Saxon. With no warning, Dexter shows Vogel the video of Saxon killing Hamilton. It seems to shock her into reality. She agrees to set up a trap for Saxon, but barely seems to be keeping it together.
Upon learning that Dexter is leaving town, the Marshall stops by to see Deb as she's playing outside with Harrison. She seems to convince him that Dexter and Hannah aren't together, although with a lot more cursing, but she's clearly upset by the interaction. After warning Hannah that the Marshall is still on the trail, she bolts. She flees to Elway, but the two have a rough goodbye, and seem to part as wary adversaries.
Take two -- Deb flees to Miami Homicide, where Batista welcomes her back to the force with open arms (after Jamie curses her out for the whole my-boyfriend-broke-up-with-me-for-you thing). When Quinn walks in, she leaves to knock some sense into him. But the only the thing they end up knocking is boots, as they confess their mutual romantic feelings for each other and pick right up where they left off.
Harrison, alone with Hannah, trips on the treadmill. Unable to reach Dexter (who's setting up the kill room for Saxon -- such great priorities, I know), Hannah takes him to the hospital. Almost immediately, the nurse recognizes her and calls the Marshall.
Dexter comes home to Hannah and the wounded patched-up Harrison, but Vogel calls to let him know Saxon has arrived. Dexter is torn between protecting Hannah and protecting Vogel, but he takes the leap of faith and races toward Vogel.
Too late, he arrives only in time to witness Saxon's one-man show ... as he slits Vogel's throat.
There's no doubt Dexter is out for revenge, but as he faces down his most brilliant adversary to date, he will have to choose between the two worlds he has built for himself: family man or serial killer vigilante.


text:
[Intro: Malcolm X]
"And if someone [were to] come to you right now and say 'Let's separate,'
You'd say the same thing the house negro said on the plantation..
What you mean, separate? From America? This good white man?
Where you gonna get a better job than you get here?
I mean this is what you say! I don't... I ain't left nothin' in Africa
That's what you say.. While you left your mind in Africa"
Verse 1:
Bitch I'm back
I'm back for the 10th time
Catalyzin revolution, the national enzyme
From the land, where becoming a fan is dickridin
You live with 2 picks, Be a slave, or split ties
I know it wasn't the plan to switch sides
Or to shuffle the momentum, the clan just shifts tides
It's implied, that we burn your insides
Lyrical spitfire
Nigga let the synth ride
Let go of goals and exposed my soul
Knock-knockin for opportunity, Beggin to get immunity
Seventeenage but soon to influence the whole community
Killin the coonery
Meanwhile, runnin ya necks for jewelry
Under duress, in tune
The elephant in the room
Full of peanut holdin faggots, that's plottin upon my doom
It's soundin like a counterstrike is quintessential
Track murder's never incidental
"What is the difference between a black revolution
And a negro revolution?
...Bloodshed! You haven't got a revolution that doesn't involve bloodshed
And you are afraid to bleed
..I said, you're afraid to bleed!
Verse 2
Fuck the world if you can grab it
Life's a bitch... and Lil Wayne's a fuckin faggot
Pardon my French
It's just a habit, I been harborin tense
For labels nothing's adding up cause they ain't marketing sense
Fuck it..
Our count of dollars is shit
So when our ends come up, we do the math and hit the mall to repent
..Maybe they should offer us tents
Droppin racks to clear the racks, it should be all on the rent
I hit the homie, ordered 30 nugs of stank cus
Our home is in foreclosure and they say my mama bankrupt
Tryna get some bread, you niggas tryna getcha rank up
Pushin hella dank, just to fill the fuckin tank up
So whatchu know bout that my mans? Blank
The expression on they face, when I play my fuckin tape
Sealin my fate
Shouts to God and Satan
Kill em all, we ain't got time to escape..
The holographic apocalypse is on it's way.. Look up
As the sane minded
Use mic stands, pots and pans
To push raps, gats and other contrabands
The rest of the world hopelessly rests in fates arms
And as shit grows tense
Less and less will make sense...
Doom starts with an A
Freedom starts with an X
Zeige deinen Freunden, dass dir X von Kembe X gefällt:


text:
Electricity can be generated by photosyntetic pigments integrated into an experimental photovoltaic cell
Hard time for italian researchers in the Life Science sector
Organic farming and research in Italy
A selection of links to press-releases, news-articles and documents about agriculture and landscape:
- The Philadelphia GSI (Green StormWater Infrastructure) Landscape Design Guidebook of the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) (Article published in the ASLA's 'The Field' website; Asla is the American Society of Landscape Architects).
- Walnuts impact gut microbiome and improve health (News published by the University of Illinois - College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences - CAES; May 3, 2018).
- 'Citrus greening taking over Florida groves, while UF searches for a cure' (Article published by the CBS - Florida website).
- The rose genome deciphered: from the origin of modern roses to the characteristics of their blooms (Press-Release - French National Institute for Agricultural Research, May 3, 2018).
- '4 Things You Should Know about Remote Sensing in Agriculture' (Article published by AgFunder News; San Francisco - California - USA).
- 'State shares of total U.S. irrigated acres, in 2012' (Source: USDA ERS - 2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data, published by the 'Farm Policy' - Twitter page of the University of Illinois, Urbana - Champaigns).
- Ash dieback threatens 95% of all European ash trees - A Research from Earlham Institute (Source: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council - BBSRC; April 23, 2018).
- USGS Scientists Develop New Tool to Determine if Vermiculite Insulation Contains Asbestos U.S. Geological Survey (USGS - April 5, 2018).
- 'Biosecurity Matters - Australia is free from many pests and diseases found around the world.' Some videos published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Australia.
- Study finds direct evidence of exposure of pregnant women to herbicide ingredient (News-release; University of Indiana press-release, March 22, 2018).
- What do agronomists do? YouTube page of the American Society of Agronomy.
- How to create a continuous thermochemical process that produces biocrude from algae (News bu the Pacific North-West National Laboratory - PNNL-LAB - USA).
- 2017-2018 Florida Citrus Production Guide (Source: University of Florida - Citrus Extensione Service; USA).
- Some graphic suggestion about managing your poultry during the birdmigration season, in order to prevent the spread of the avian-flu (avian-influenza) Article published by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Northern Ireland.
- Coffee requires cancer warning, California judge rules (News published by NBCNews.com, March 30, 2018).
- Farmer guides to Tropical Crops like mango, citrus fruits, pineapple, poultry, dairy, beekeeping. (News published by the National Agricultural Advisory Service of Uganda).
- 'K-State researchers make breakthrough in understanding glyphosate resistance' News published by The Fence Post (newspaper, USA).
- A guide for PhDs and early career researchers interested in a postdoc (Source: ecrLife website - 'Highlighting initiatives to improve the way science is performed and communicated').
- 'Ugandan journalists vow to change rhetoric against science' (Source: International Service for the Aquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter - ISAAA).
- A simple pump operated by a motorbike is the latest innovation for farmers keen on irrigation due to its cost effectiveness Source: FarmBizAfrica.com
- The 19 'Drought and Water Management Tip Sheets', about California-crops drought-management (Source: California Istitute for Water Resources). It has also inspired a video, produced by the UCANR.
- 'Did you know that there are around 50 species of daffodil (Narcissus) but more than 15,000 cultivated varieties? (Source: Twitter-page of KewGardens).
- Secretary Vilsack Announces $36.5 Million for Specialty Crop Research and Extension Investments - United States Departement of Agriculture, August 2, 2016
- New EU study reveals EU would need 19 million more hectares of farm land to produce same amount of food without plant breeding techniques [..] ('.pdf') - - European Farmers European Agri-Cooperatives (Copa - Cogeca), July 28, 2016
- Innovations from Crop Research - SCI, July 28, 2016
- You can find more news-articles and document review in the Agrolinker's FORUM BOARDS
- You can send your agro-scientific press-releases to (remove the Xes): firstname.lastname@example.com (please, add also a link to the page where the press-release is published).
Some favourite links about international @gricolture, landscaping & @gronews from the internet:
-> ICE - Italtrade - The Made in Italy Official Portal (UK page):
-> Italy-America Chamber of Commerce (New York - USA):
-> GARR - The Italian Academic & Research Network:
-> Italian Life Sciences Federation (FISV): Is composed by the following societie: AAI · ABCD · AGI · SIBBM · SIBE · SIBV · SICA · SIF . SIGA · SIMA · SIMGBM · SINS · SIP · SIPaV
-> Italian Phytopathological Society (SIPaV):
-> Abstracts of papers published on the Journal of Plant Patology (SIPaV):
-> Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics (SIGA):
-> Italian Society for Agronomy (SIA):
-> Mediterranean Agro-industries Institute of Bari (CIHEAM):
-> International Dairy Cattle Show (Cremona):
-> Italian National Association of Holstein Breeders (ANAFI):
-> Italian Environmental Agency (ISPRA):
-> Euraxess.it: Italian version of the European Commission's portal 'Euraxess'; with informations & jobs about research in Italy
-> Bomarzo (Viterbo): The park of monsters: (photos of sculptures from a Renaissance strange italian garden)
-> Istituto Valorizzazione Salumi Italiani: (a consortium to promote the gastronomic heritage of italian processed meat products)
Agrolinker - A portal for students and scholars of agriculture and forestry
Technical magazine, monthly updated, registered at Rome Civil Court.
Registration Number: 241/2005. Registration date: 22/6/2005.


text:
Some local officials and concerned citizens are trying to establish an overnight emergency shelter for the homeless during winter months.
They met for the first time Tuesday, Nov. 27, to discuss options and tour the former Moab senior citizens center, one of the possible sites. The Grand County Council recently gave the go-ahead to consider using the county-owned building's kitchen for the purpose.
"We are not considering this as a long-term solution," Moab City Council member Kirstin Peterson said. "It is purely to provide emergency overnight housing."
However, there might be a financial roadblock to using the former senior center. County facilities supervisor Marvin Day said if people were housed in just one room overnight, the entire building must be equipped with a sprinkler system to meet code requirements.
The former center currently has no sprinklers. Day estimated it would cost $30,000 to $40,000 to meet requirements.
Grand County Council member Audrey Graham said she talked with Grand County building official Jeff Whitney after the meeting and there appears no way around the sprinkler requirement. The cost would be prohibitive, members of the new shelter group indicated.
Another location option, Graham said, is the Melich House near the county courthouse. Since it's a private residence, it doesn't carry the same code requirements as a building, she noted.
Overnight guests could stay in the basement because the upstairs portion of the house is already in use by another group, Graham said. It would require digging an entrance and installing a doorway to the basement, although no cost estimate is available.
Other options include finding a house the city and county could rent jointly for three months during the winter or finding a house that a private owner would offer for use during the period, Graham said.
The group, a subcommittee of the Grand Homeless Coordinating Committee, currently has no money for the project. Fundraising would be needed to pay for any renovations or other costs in opening a shelter.
Subcommittee member Sara Melnicoff suggested financing the facility can be done.
"People in this town care," she said. "In four days of [Salvation Army] bell-ringing, we've raised $1,200."
Subcommittee members also discussed topics such as whether overnight guests who had been drinking during the day would be allowed into the facility. Other shelters use monitoring devices to check blood-alcohol level and reject those with any alcohol in their system, said a subcommittee member who worked in a homeless shelter in another state.
No decision was made about the alcohol issue.
Also undetermined is the number of homeless people in the Moab area. Someone asked if the homeless would even stay in a shelter if one were available.
"We won't know until we have a place for them," Melnicoff said.
Most members shied away from calling the potential facility a "shelter." They emphasized it would only be a temporary place to get out of the cold weather for the night.
Most agreed that two volunteers would be needed to staff the facility each night. At least one of the volunteers would have to be awake at all times, subcommittee members said.
The group will meet again Dec. 13 at noon at the former senior center to continue discussions.
ByBy Steve Kadel
staff writer


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The author has graciously shared with readers of the Victorian Web this passage from the second edition of her Fashion in Costume, 1200-2000 (2000), published by A & C Black (Publishers) Ltd., which retains copyright. Readers wishing to obtain of the complete book can e-mail the following address: firstname.lastname@example.com .
rom 1850 to 1866 the dress bodice remained very close fitting, the shoulder a little less sloping, the waist pointed, although some early-1850 bodices had a basque giving a jacket effect, and might even be in jacket form, opening over a chemisette (a white muslin or cambric fill-in often trimmed with broderie anglaise). During the late 1850s the 'princess' dress, cut without a waist seam, appeared, and in the 1860s the round waist was slightly raised. Any seaming and decoration still emphasized the small waist.
The neckline was high except for evenings: as C. W. Cunnington remarks, 'The high water mark of modesty would ebb after sunset some six inches!' (A Handbook of English Costume in the 19th Century).
Garibaldi's visit to England in 1863 gave enormous appeal to anything named after him. The Garibaldi blouse or shirt, worn for day during the 1860s in place of a bodice, was of scarlet merino trimmed with black braid; it had epaulettes, full or plain sleeves, and usually overhung the skirt, confined by a belt; so began the fashion of blouse and skirt, which has lasted with varying popularity for over a hundred years. The Garibaldi jacket for outer wear was short and made of scarlet cashmere with military braiding; a Garibaldi sleeve of thin material was full and gathered into a band at the wrist, worn for morning or afternoon occasions.
Blouses were often worn under a zouave jacket, based on the costume of the Algerian zouave troops in the Italian wars of 1859. Made of silk, velvet or cloth, it reachedjust to or slightly above the waist, the fronts rounded off and fastened at the neck only; it was one of many bolero-type jackets worn between 1860 and the 1900s. The tendency for the sleeve to widen below the elbow in the 1850s led to the pagoda sleeve, seamed on the inner side and cut to expand widely at the elbow, caught up at the bend of the arm and falling almost to the wrist at the outer edge. During the late 1850s it was slit open almost the whole length in front, hanging away at the back like an oversleeve and worn with detachable white undersleeves edged with lace or embroidery, sometimes with a matching chemisette. For evening dress, sleeves were short, puffed, ruffled or looped up, or the bodice could be sleeveless with a deep bertha collar covering the upper arm. [147-48]
Related Material
Nunn, Joan. Fashion in Costume, 1200-2000. 2nd edition. A & C Black (Publishers) Ltd; Chicago: New Amsterdam Books, 2000.
Last modified 13 March 2011


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- Blog
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Welcome to our free online Criminal Law Directory which lists Court Lawyers that regularly appear in the Armidale District Court.
The District Court deals with serious criminal offences such as rape, armed robbery and fraud. Juries are used to decide if defendants are guilty or not guilty. This court also hears appeals from cases decided in the Local Court and disputes involving amounts of more than $150,000, but less than $750,000. A jury may be used to decide these financial disputes.
Our criminal defence lawyers have a vast array of experience in the criminal law field, including, but not limited to drug matters, drink driving and traffic matters, assault, affray, robbery, sexual assault, theft, fraud and break and enter.
Armidale District Court is located at:
143 -145 Beardy St.
Armidale NSW
If you have been charged with an offence, are due to appear in Armidale District Court and need advice or representation, please contact our criminal lawyer from the list below.


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This Elementary Geography & Cultures contains materials for use with Children's Atlas of God's World and Passport to the World.
|3rd- 6th grade
|1 Year
Features: Each suggested weekly schedule has three easy-to-manage lessons which combine reading, worksheets, and vocabulary-building. Designed to allow your student to be independent, materials in this resource are divided by section so you can remove quizzes, tests, and answer keys before beginning the coursework. As always, you are encouraged to adjust the schedule and materials as you need to in order to best work within your educational program.
Workflow: Students will read the pages in their book and then answer the questions at the end of each chapter. Tests are given at regular intervals.
Lesson Scheduling: Space is given for assignment dates. There is flexibility in scheduling. For example, the parent may opt for a M–W schedule rather than a M, W, F schedule. Each week listed has five days but due to vacations the school work week may not be M–F. Please adapt the days to your school schedule. As the student completes each assignment, he/she should put an "X" in the box. Test grades should also be recorded in the lesson plan where indicated.


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It's a nice thought. That hidden within every small town second hand store, there lies a hidden collectable that can be purchased for pocket change and sold on eBay for thousands. And it appears that a North Carolina woman was able to do just that. The unnamed woman picked up a copy of the 1987 NES collectable Stadium Games at a local Goodwill for $7.99 (£5.24), a find that may prove to be worth upwards of $15k (£9,835).
Stadium Events was the NTSC (or North American) version of the Japanese NES game Running Stadium and designed to interact with the Family Fun Fitness mat accessory. The game is not only notable for being one of the first console exergaming titles, but also for being exceedingly rare as soon after its limited release, Nintendo purchased the North American rights to the Family Fun Fitness mat and created the Power Pad.
After a very brief sales period, Nintendo recalled all the Stadium Events games and re-released it the next year as a Power Pad-branded World Class Track Meet. Everything under the Family Fun Fitness name was supposed to have been destroyed. Of course, a prized few remained in circulation.
In 2010, a factory-sealed version of Stadium Events originally purchased in Kansas City and stored for 20 years was sold on eBay for $41,300 (£27,080). The North Carolina woman's purchase is expected to sell for around $15k as it is still intact, but not sealed in its original plastic. But who among us would sneeze at a nearly 1,900 percent markup? She is expecting to put it up on eBay sometime this month.
Lead image is from the Facebook Page of Save Point Video Games in Charlotte where the woman originally tried to sell the find.
See also:
Steve Jobs movie showing online now
Android founder: We aimed to make a camera OS


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Enjoying oneself is not a sin. We all know that living in this world is quite tough . The quest to survive is tight. So, it is very advisable that you learn to enjoy what life has to offer. Below are the list of clubs that could surely relieve some stress in your system.
The Mayan
California Club
The Edison
Hemingway's Lounge
The Vault Night Club & Lounge
AVALON Hollywood
Dragonfly Bar
Exchange LA
Crocker Club
W Hollywood
The Echo
City Employees Club of Los Angeles
City Club on Bunker Hill
Conga Room
La Cita Bar
The Comedy Store
Playhouse Night Club
The Roxy Theatre
The Wiltern
Three Clubs
Jumbo's Clown Room
Soho House West Hollywood
Laugh Factory
Skin Gentlemen's Lounge
Boardner's by La Belle
All Star Lanes
The Bonaventure Club and Spa
Circus Disco
Catch One
Silverlake Lounge
Academy of Magical Arts
Club Soho
The Colony
Grand Star Jazz Club
Greystone Manor
Hillcrest Country Club
Florentine Gardens
The Los Angeles Country Club
Ebell of Los Angeles
Roosevelt Municipal Golf Course
Bel-Air Country Club
Cafe Club Fais Do-Do
Micky's West Hollywood
The Airliner
Club Tempo
House of Blues Sunset Strip
Plan B
Elevate Lounge
Jonathan Club
Taix French Country Cuisine
For more Clubs in Los Angeles, California click here: http://us.wowcity.com/losangeles/?what=Club
Live life to the fullest. Life is too short for you to waste it.


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|Any HIV risk?
May 26, 2013
Hi, please note that the risk was almos 2 years ago and was oral, rest was safe and since then I had several CBC's and all within limit exp. WBC 6100 Lymp count 31% and neutrophile 65%. Also I did chest Xray and was Ok, liver function test was ok (Alt 43 and AST 23)and I am gaining weight and did not experience diahrea or vomiting . What do you think, Am I negative? I am worried and affraid to do the test. Please advise
Response from Ms. Southall
Hi Oral sex carries the lowest risk of HIV transmission. This can increase when there are cuts, wounds, sores, or lesions in the mouth. But relatively speaking this is still considered to be a low-risk sexual activity. Your history of general health screening shows that you are in good health, but the only way to truly know your status is to be tested. But again, your risk carries an extremely low risk.
Be well and stay safe, Shannon
Friend just diagnosis with HIV
sir please please reply, i am worried more
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Rascal Flatts Tease 'Spectacular' Summer 2012 Tour
Rascal Flatts hit the road with Sara Evans and Hunter Hayes this month for their Thaw Out Tour. Even with all the mayhem of being on the road, the guys in the band say they're excited about 2012, as this tour is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all they've got on the docket for this year. The trio will drop their eighth studio album, 'Changed,' on April 3, before embarking on a summer tour.
"We are so thrilled and excited about and feel like it's some of the best work that we've ever been able to accomplish together," Gary LeVox says, according to the band's label, Big Machine Records. "And it's just so fresh and exciting and everything is new and we really, truly feel like we're just getting started again."
While the band is also putting the finishing details on a summer tour to promote their new music, LeVox is playfully close-lipped about the details, saying, "I wish we could tell you about it but we can't. But it's gonna be — I don't know if it's ever been done before in country music before — but it is gonna be a spectacular summer tour."
Though LeVox isn't about to bring on a spoiler alert, you can catch a taste of the forthcoming album with Rascal Flatts' new single, 'Banjo,' which they released to country radio on Jan. 9.


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By ,
Published January 13, 2015
The Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks will celebrate Memorial Day with a split doubleheader at Chase Field.
After playing two games on Monday, the teams will enjoy an off day on Tuesday before heading to Texas for two straight games.
Both teams will turn to starters making their season debut in the first game, with Arizona's Tyler Skaggs going opposite Martin Perez of Texas. Both hurlers were in battles to win rotation spots during Spring Training before ultimately falling short.
Skaggs, ranked as Arizona's top prospect by MLB.com, will be recalled from Triple-A Reno as the club's 26th man for the doubleheader. Ian Kennedy was in line to start today, but a laceration on his right index finger suffered on Thursday while washing dishes at home will push his next outing back until Friday.
Skaggs, a 21-year-old lefty, made six starts a season ago in his first MLB action, going 1-3 with a 5.83 earned run average.
Perez also logged his first major league appearances in 2012, going 1-4 with a 5.45 ERA in 12 appearances. Six of those were starts for the 22-year-old southpaw, who joins the club this year from Triple-A Round Rock.
Talented right-hander Yu Darvish takes the hill for the Rangers in the second game as he looks to rebound from his first loss since April 12.
Darvish had a five-decision win streak snapped on Tuesday with a 1-0 loss to Oakland. He gave up the game's only run in the third inning as Yoenis Cespedes connected on a homer off the 26-year-old. Darvish lasted six innings in all, yielding five hits and three walks.
"He was okay. He wasn't, obviously, as sharp as he'd been," Rangers catcher A.J. Pierzynski said of Darvish. "He really only made one mistake and that was the ball that the guy hit for the home run."
Darvish only struck out five versus Oakland, but still leads the majors with 91 strikeouts to go along with his 7-2 record and 2.83 ERA in 10 starts this season. He faces Arizona for the first time.
Arizona's Trevor Cahill, Darvish's opponent tonight, has also put together a solid campaign, though he suffered a rough outing last time out.
The right-hander has a 2.81 ERA through 10 starts, but fell to 3-5 following a loss at Colorado on Wednesday. Cahill allowed a season-high seven hits over six innings and his four runs allowed matched the most he has allowed in an outing this season.
As a former member of the Athletics, the 25-year-old Cahill has made 15 career starts versus the Rangers, going 9-4 with a 2.78 ERA.
Arizona won the rubber match of its three-game series with San Diego on Sunday, getting a 4-for-4 game and an RBI from Martin Prado. Eric Chavez added a two-run homer and Patrick Corbin, who beat out Skaggs for a rotation spot, drove in a run while allowing a season-high four runs (3 earned) over six innings.
"He kept his composure," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said of Corbin's performance.
The Rangers had a three-game winning streak halted on Sunday with a 4-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners in 13 innings.
Pierzynski drove in a run with a pinch-hit single in the 11th inning, but Joe Nathan blew his first save in 17 chances this season by giving up a game-tying homer to Raul Ibanez.
Seattle's Jason Bay then drove in the winning run in the 13th inning off Ross Wolf.
"Anytime you lose -- especially when you go to extra innings -- it's difficult but they took it from us," Rangers manager Ron Washington said.
The Rangers are 17-8 all-time versus the Diamondbacks, their second-highest winning percentage against an NL opponent and took two of three when the clubs met in Texas a season ago.
The Rangers have won eight of the last 10 meetings overall, also taking two of three in their last trip to Arizona in 2009.


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Companys Partnership with U. S. Air Force Focused on New Intermediate- and Large-Class Space Launch VehiclesNew Launchers to Use Companys Industry-Leading Solid Rocket Propulsion Technology and Other Modular ElementsDulles, Virginia 3 April 2017 Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, today announced that it has made important progress over the past 18 months in developing advanced solid rocket propulsion and other technologies to be used in a new generation of intermediate- and large-class space launch vehicles. Through a combination of internal investment and government funding from an Air Force contract awarded in late 2015 by the Space and Missile Systems Centers Launch Systems Directorate, the companys Flight Systems Group recently completed design reviews, facility upgrades and tooling fabrication, and has now begun early production of development hardware for its Next Generation Launch (NGL) system. The companys modular NGL rocket family will be capable of launching a wide variety of national security payloads, as well as science and commercial satellites that are too large to be launched by its current fleet of Pegasus, Minotaur and Antares space launch vehicles. The NGL vehicles will operate from both east and west coast launch facilities and will share common propulsion, structures and avionics systems with other company programs, including its smaller space launch vehicles as well as missile defense interceptors, target vehicles and strategic missile systems. The NGL program is a great example of how industry and government can work together to develop an American launch system to support national security space launch requirements, said Scott Lehr, President of Orbital ATKs Flight Systems Group. Orbital ATK is well-positioned to introduce an intermediate- and large-class family of launch vehicles by leveraging the strengths of the merged company to achieve low-cost assured space access for current and future national security payloads and other satellites.Through commonality of hardware and other economies of scale, Orbital ATKs proposed launch system will also reduce the cost of other U.S. Government rocket and missile programs managed by the Air Force, Navy, NASA and Missile Defense Agency, saving taxpayers up to $600 million on these programs over a ten-year period.Over the past 18 months, Orbital ATK has successfully completed critical design reviews for major elements of the companys solid propulsion stages, along with preliminary vehicle-level and launch site infrastructure reviews. The company has also refurbished a 60,000-square-foot production building, including installation of automated tooling, cranes and other equipment to enable the manufacture of large-diameter composite-case rocket motors. Recently, the company completed the manufacturing of prototype motor test articles to be used in verification activities this summer.The Orbital ATK NGL team, which now numbers several hundred engineers and technicians, has made tremendous progress since late 2015. Building on this work, we are looking forward to providing the Air Force and other customers with a highly-reliable and cost-effective launch system within the next four years, said Lehr.The next phase of the program is expected to commence when the Air Force awards Launch Services Agreements in early 2018, which would entail full vehicle and launch site development, with work taking place at company facilities in Promontory and Magna, Utah; Iuka, Mississippi; Chandler, Arizona; and Kennedy Space Center, Florida.About Orbital ATKOrbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies. The company designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs approximately 12,500 people in 18 states across the U.S. and in several international locations. For more information, visit www.orbitalatk.com.
from a distance the bottom pic looks like an Atlas V 521 on 39B
Really curious what the LEO payload would be - not the intended market I know but still.
Quote from: IanThePineapple on 04/04/2017 12:26 amfrom a distance the bottom pic looks like an Atlas V 521 on 39BYep. I'm curious what Vandenberg pad they are hoping to use, though. There is no Shuttle heritage infrastructure left there.
Not stated but US is likely to be BE3U powered with possibility Blue will build complete stage.
Quote from: GWH on 04/04/2017 12:36 amReally curious what the LEO payload would be - not the intended market I know but still.Super 4 Segment Cygnus?
Even more interesting is ability to deliver payloads direct to GEO, something only ULA have offered and will be with ACES.
This long lived US may also be capable of delivering payloads direct to DSG.
Super 4 Segment Cygnus?
Quote from: GWH on 04/04/2017 12:36 amReally curious what the LEO payload would be - not the intended market I know but still.It's usually between 2.5X~3X GTO performance. So this should be somewhere between 15 and 25 tonnes. The big uncertainty is due to the GTO undertainty. But yes, a 4.2m diameter evolution of the Cygnus could very well do up to something equivalent to the ATV performance (~20tonnes of cargo).
I am also highly interested in the LEO and DRO payloads. I would love to see an set of trades on an OATK Deep Space Gateway. Course i'd also like to see trades on an "All of the above" Commercial DSG.
Orbital ATKs business case requires five or six launches of the rocket per year for the military, NASA, or commercial customers, he said.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/05/27/details-of-orbital-atks-proposed-heavy-launcher-revealed/QuoteOrbital ATKs business case requires five or six launches of the rocket per year for the military, NASA, or commercial customers, he said.uh. that's worse than I thought.I figured the selling point for this project was going to be viability at a glacial launch rate. Like 2 or 3 launches per year.


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Ever Wonder How Auto Air Conditioning Works? So Did We.
This ain't no installation tech feature (though we may get to that in the near future), but it's more an overview of air conditioning systems, how they work, why they sometimes don't work, and how to get the best from a system once installed.
Air conditioning systems have been available in passenger cars since the 1940s; along with most things over the past 60 years, they've become ever more complex with such improvements as automatic temperature control, as well as the changeover in recent years from R-12 Freon refrigerant to R-134a-an efficient absorber and carrier of heat without the ozone layer-damaging effects of R-12. We are also spoilt for choice today with a number of aftermarket companies offering complete A/C systems so we can enjoy the comfort levels of our modern daily drivers in our rods and customs.
How does an A/C system work?
Let's get right down to the basics. You may think an A/C system's main function is to produce cold air to blow into your car's interior, but that is actually a byproduct of its main purpose, which is to remove heat and humidity from the interior. How does it do this? The explanation requires looking at the system as a whole. OEM A/C systems can be broken down into three different types, but the concept of all three is essentially similar.
The components comprise a compressor, condenser, evaporator, thermal expansion valve or orifice tube, and a receiver-dryer or accumulator. The compressor is mounted on the engine and is a beltdriven pump, drawing refrigerant gas from the evaporator, compressing it and pumping it into the condenser, where heat dissipation takes place. Just like your car's radiator, the condenser radiates heat, and again like the radiator, airflow is important, which is why the condenser is often mounted in front of the radiator, utilizing the engine or electric fan to aid airflow (as an aside, you'd do well to employ a shroud, as not only do the condenser and radiator need all the cooling help they can get, but a shrouded fan moves approximately double the air of an unshrouded one). As the refrigerant comes into the top of the condenser as a hot gas, it cools, condenses and exits the bottom of the condenser as a high pressure liquid.
From here the liquid goes to the evaporator inside the vehicle, usually mounted behind the dashboard. This is where heat absorption and dehumidification takes place. The refrigerant enters the bottom of the evaporator as a low pressure liquid and boils as the warm air passes over the cooling fins, aided by the A/C blower fan. This very low boiling point means the refrigerant is capable of absorbing heat, which causes it to change state and become a gas again, before passing back to the compressor. The moisture in the air condenses on the surface of the fins, which is then drained off, and can be seen as water forming a puddle under the car. An added benefit is that dust and pollen in the air collect on the wet surface of the evaporator fins and are drained away with the water. So as the warm air condenses it has the effect of cold air being blown back into the interior through the A/C vents.
That's the basic theory but, as is usually the case, there's more to it. The ideal operating temperature for the evaporator is 32 degrees F or 0 degrees C, and to maintain the temperature the pressure and rate of flow of the refrigerant into the evaporator has to be regulated. A number of pressure regulator devices have been used over the years, and different manufacturers still use different methods, which is why in there are a couple of either/or mentions in the list of components here.
A/C systems will employ either an orifice tube or a thermal expansion valve to regulate the pressure. Most commonly used on OEM systems is the former, located on the inlet side of the evaporator, either in the line or at the evaporator's inlet tube. The thermal expansion valve is most often seen on import and aftermarket systems. It senses temperature and pressure, and the sudden drop in pressure it provides changes the refrigerant from a liquid to a very cold vaporizing liquid spray before it enters the evaporator.
A/C systems have a high-pressure side (between the compressor and the expansion valve or orifice tube) and a low-pressure side (from the inlet of the evaporator to the inlet of the compressor). On the high side of systems that use a thermal expansion valve, between the condenser and the valve, there's a component called a receiver-dryer. Its main purpose is to separate liquid and gas, should there be any of the latter after the refrigerant has passed through the condenser. It also removes moisture and dirt. There are various types of receiver-dryers, and they employ a number of different desiccants to remove moisture, not all of which are compatible with R-134a. The desiccant type can usually be found on a sticker on the receiver-dryer body, with desiccant type XH-7 compatible with both R-134a and R-12 refrigerants, and XH-9 compatible with R-134a only.
Systems that use an orifice tube, however, employ an accumulator, which is located immediately after the evaporator outlet. It stores excess liquid refrigerant so no liquid can reach the compressor, which is designed to only compress gas. The accumulator also removes moisture and dirt. Moisture is the single biggest cause of problems in an air conditioning system, and combined with refrigerant can form a corrosive acid.
Getting the best from your A/C systemOK, so now we know how the A/C works, how can we make sure it stays working? According to Rick Love from Vintage Air, "Air conditioning is no different than a brake system. You can have all the fancy hardware in the world, but if the master cylinder is the wrong bore size it won't work properly. You have to understand how A/C works and look at it as a system. Using the brake analogy again, if you don't bleed all the air from the system it won't work, and it's the same for air conditioning. If it's not evacuated properly to start with, it won't work properly." Evacuating involves drawing a vacuum on the system to remove moisture and other contaminants, and should be done with a new system or after servicing or replacing components. Vintage Air recommends evacuating for between 30 and 60 minutes so the system reaches at least 29 inches of vacuum for five minutes at 85 degrees, while Classic Auto Air recommends a minimum of 30 minutes.
Charging can begin once the system has been evacuated. This can be done by the home-builder, but we'd recommend calling a local specialist to charge the system, as the compressor can be damaged if liquid enters it. Gas charging is the safest method.
But it's not just the actual A/C system itself that ensures it's working at its most efficient. "A popular misconception is how an A/C system works," Rick said. "It doesn't make cold air; it removes hot air from the interior, which is why insulation is so important. The most heat will enter the interior through the roof and firewall, yet these areas are often not insulated. It's like turning on the A/C in your house and leaving all the windows open!" So ensure you have comprehensively insulated the whole interior, and that includes the floor, which can draw heat from the exhaust system as well as the motor and trans, and even the trunk area. Plug all the holes in the firewall, as excess hot air under the dash will be drawn straight over the evaporator cooling fins and make the system work harder than it needs to. While we're talking about that underdash area, ensure it's not totally sealed in, as the air from the interior needs to be able to circulate to the blower fan in order to reach the evaporator. In fact, the location of the evaporator should be considered very early in the build stages of a project. Install it first and position other components (wiper motor, heater, brake vacuum booster, etc.) around it. Always size the evaporator to the car, and use the largest possible in the space
Whether you have a new system or are working with an existing factory system, there are a few common problems that will cause it to not work to its full capacity, or even at all. "The number one problem we find is improper charging of the system or that it hasn't been evacuated correctly prior to charging," Rick said. "134a is very charge sensitive, so when Vintage Air says it should be charged at 1.8 lbs, we mean exactly 1.8 lbs." Rick also recommended using a professional charging station to charge your A/C system. Another common problem is lack of airflow across the condenser or mounting it incorrectly. "We see condensers mounted sideways or upside down. They're designed to work a specific way, and as they see a change in the refrigerant from gas to liquid as it passes through, if it's upside down or sideways, the heavier liquid can't exit the condenser!"
There are a number of typical problems that can cause a system to not cool, or appear to not cool. Inadequate airflow to the condenser can cause abnormally high pressure. The condenser should be mounted in front of the radiator, with an air gap of roughly 3/16-inch. Inadequate condenser capacity will cause the same symptoms, and running cold water over the condenser while a fan is placed in front of it will show this up if the pressure drops during the test. A useful tip here is that a parallel-flow condenser has 25 percent more capacity than a tube and fin item of the same size.
The evaporator may freeze up, either internally or externally, giving the illusion that the system is not working. Internal freezing occurs when there is moisture in the system, and will cause the pressure to drop in the low side, eventually going to vacuum. The system should be checked, evacuated, and recharged by a professional if this occurs. External freezing happens when the condensation on the fins cannot be displaced quickly enough and turns to ice, restricting airflow. Backing off the thermostat slightly from maximum should cure this, though presence of humidity in the interior can be a cause, which is why insulation and well-fitting door and window seals are important. Expansion valve failure and low refrigerant levels will also cause less-than-perfect operation. We asked Rick what causes low refrigerant levels and why systems require recharging periodically. "There will be some degradation of the charge over time as refrigerant is lost, despite it being a closed system. 134a molecules are so small they will escape, and the OEMs are doing all they can to ensure their systems retain charge," he said. "An interesting observation is that cars that see more use tend to lose less refrigerant than those that sit for long periods."
Retrofitting for R-134a
As mentioned at the head of this article, R-12 has been replaced as the preferred refrigerant of choice owing to its ozone-unfriendly properties, but what can you do if your A/C system that's been in use for years using R-12 now requires recharging? Though expensive, you can have it recharged with R-12, but the supply will eventually run dry, and the system will require retrofitting to use R-134a.
This will mean some work, and some component replacement. The system will need to be flushed to remove all traces of R-12, as mixing the two is definitely not a good move, and the oil in the compressor will need to be changed. R-12 systems use mineral oil and R-134a systems in OE applications use PAG oils. Modern synthetic oils work well in retrofit cases, as it is compatible with mineral oil as well as R-134a. The compressor cannot be flushed, nor can the accumulator or dryer, as the desiccants will be ruined. The accumulator or dryer should be replaced anyway since the desiccants in new replacements will be compatible with R-134a. Flushing the system will remove any mineral oil and other contaminants, and if a component such as the compressor or evaporator has failed, the system should be thoroughly flushed as a matter of course.
You may also want to swap out your old condenser for one of a newer design if it's the old tube and fin type (pre-1980), as R-134a will benefit from the serpentine design, or a parallel flow. Vintage Air's Parallel Super Flow is one such design.
As higher pressures will be the norm with R-134a, a useful addition will be a high-pressure cutout switch, which will not allow the compressor to cut in if the system loses charge, and will also switch the compressor off if pressure builds to excessive levels. Vintage Air markets a version of this called a Trinary Switch, which is not only a high- and low-pressure compressor cutoff switch, but also a preset pressure switch for the electric fan relay. Apparently, miss-wiring the switch for the fan relay is a common problem, and the company provides a wiring diagram to eliminate this. In fact, the company's Web site includes a number of very informative downloads.
Retrofit adapters should be installed on the high- and low-side service ports for two reasons. They allow R-134a gauges to be attached for charging and testing and instantly inform any technician in the future that the system has been retrofitted to R-134a. You may also want to label the system near the service ports, informing of the retrofit. As R-134a molecules are smaller than those in R-12, systems using the new refrigerant require O-ring fittings and all barrier hoses should have bead lock crimp connections, not clamps of any type.


text: The coaching minor offers a program of study designed to prepare students for a variety of coaching positions. Internships are available. The coaching minor meets Ohio Department of Education standards for a Pupil Activity Supervisor permit. This certification is needed to direct, supervise, or coach a pupil activity program in Ohio.


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By Ed Harris
Southington school officials are hoping that residents will once again approve renovations at Kennedy and DePaolo Middle Schools. The renovations were overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2011, but the renovations were sent back to referendum after it was discovered that the removal of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) would significantly drive up cost estimates.
This is the first time in town history that a project was sent back to referendum.
"The Southington community has long supported the improvements of schools," said Board of Education Chairman Brian Goralski in a press conference on the renovations Monday afternoon.
Goralski noted that residents had overwhelmingly supported the renovations back in 2011 and said he felt that they would again Tuesday.
The middle school building committee was shocked last November, when architect Fletcher Thompson and construction manager Newfield predicted that the cost of the overall project would be far greater than the $85 million that was approved by voters at the 2011 referendum. Earlier information from the companies suggested that the costs would only be about 2 percent over budget, but officials were told that it could be as high as 10 percent.
Fletcher Thompson blamed the estimated additional costs on "schematic mistakes." The initial plan presented for the middle schools had miscalculations involving square footage and did not include firewalls, a required public safety measure.
The committee approved a value-engineering plan for the project which would shave $9.7 million off the final cost of the project. However, it was intended to be used to balance out the anticipated costs of remediating the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in both schools.
The abatement costs are expected to be between $6 million and $14 million, depending on whether or not the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires the town to deal with the contaminated "wall vapor barriers" deep inside the walls of the buildings.
Despite the committee's best efforts, it was determined that another $4 million would be needed to finish the project. The Town Council then began the process of scheduling a second referendum for the same project, which is unprecedented in Southington's history.
Officials received verbal confirmation from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier this year that the cheaper plan for the remediation of hazardous materials will likely be approved. However, firm numbers will not likely be available until after the referendum.
Monday Goralski said that the building committee had received positive feedback from the EPA on the formal authorization of the plans for the renovations. He was not sure when the EPA would formally authorize the project.
"It should be coming shortly," he said.
The remediation work will be done at times students are not in schools, including the summers of 2013 and 2014 and some of the week-long school vacations if necessary.
It is worth noting that the reduced square footage of the updated plan makes the project eligible for increased state reimbursement. The state was set to reimburse the town for 52.5 percent of the previous plan, while the new plan is eligible for 56 percent reimbursement.
This change in reimbursement means that the town will likely save some tax dollars with the updated proposal. However, Town Attorney Mark Sciota said that there is the possibility that the town could see a smaller reimbursement rate due to state finances.
"This is the most difficult piece to understand," Southington School Supt. Dr. Joseph Erardi said about the possible savings.
Erardi estimated that the savings would be in the $1 million to $1.5 million range.
The referendum will be held on Tuesday, March 19 at Derynoski Elementary School from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Erardi said the renovations would begin on June 22, barring any more snow days, if the referendum were to pass again.


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Although Kansas is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible, Gov. Sam Brownback found this year's State of the State Address the perfect venue to reference God. Seven times.
We don't have a problem with that, per se. If that's where the governor derives his strength and courage -- fine.
But if the state's chief executive was attempting to resonate with the good people of Kansas via religious beliefs in order to gloss over his administration's record ... we do have a problem with that. Divine inspiration does not always translate into state workers providing the best services possible.
And the governor has to remember only 51 percent of Kansans self-identify as religious. Being in charge of a government of the people means tending to 100 percent.
We are not convinced Brownback grasps that notion or, worse, believes he needs to get all Kansans on the same religious path so he can serve all 100 percent.
In his speech Wednesday night, the governor said Kansans should depend "not on big government but on a big god that loves us and lives within us." He referenced the anti-abortion movement's Summer of Mercy in Wichita as an example of Kansas' "virtue and character" that has us "leading an American renaissance." That renaissance will be "assured if we move from dithering to action ... if we listen to our own better angels and the still, small voice that calls us onward."
Again, such a sermon has its place -- at a chapel on a Sunday morning, but not at the Statehouse on live television.
Brownback did make mention of more mortal things in the annual address. For instance, he said: "No government can be more prosperous than its people for long" and "finally, the personal income of Kansas families is rising faster than government spending." Both are true, but not because the governor pushed through any policies elevating Kansas workers -- as was implied. Rather, the effect is being caused by a dramatic self-inflicting starving of state government.
Statisticians will tell you that you can make numbers say anything you want. Lay off half of a company's work force, for example, and you double the productivity overnight. Topeka is proving adept at congratulating itself for all of the income tax cuts signed into law that will allow approximately $4 billion in the next five years to remain in the pockets of Kansans. Brownback is counting on that money to be reinvested in ways that grow the state economy. If his prayers are answered, the state will be able to afford paying for everything conservative Republicans believe appropriate. If individuals pocket the money in an attempt to recoup retirement money lost during the financial meltdown, or if businesses look to balance out five years of dwindling profits from the same recession, Kansas will not have enough money to do much of anything.
Still, Brownback is keeping the faith.
Regarding financial support of the K-12 public education system, the governor boasted of how large the percentage of the state budget is spent on schools. And he gave notice it is not up to the judicial branch to close schools. Ignored in this part of the speech is that the Kansas Supreme Court will rule on the funding using the legislative branch's own figures. Lawmakers are at least $440 million short in agreed-upon funding each year. Brownback will attempt to blame the "activist" courts for his own bad decisions, but citizens will have to live with the results.
The governor quoted the Kansas Constitution at one point, saying: "All political power is inherent in the people." While that might be true, the current state of the state is more accurately described as "All political power is in the hands of the governor." After personally helping rid the Legislature of most moderate Republicans, Brownback has positioned himself as the ultimate arbiter of the state. If he is successful in revamping how Supreme Court justices are selected, there will be no check or balance left other than a citizenry that instead will blindly re-elect him.
Brownback boasted there are no kings and queens in America ... "no titles of nobility." Yet the renaissance we've embarked on will leave Kansas with the next closest thing. If we don't utilize our power of the ballot, prayer might be the only thing left.
Heaven, help us.
Editorial by Patrick Lowry


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Cardinals Claim Home Opener
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Michael Wacha outdid Tony Cingrani in a rematch of young power arms and the St. Louis Cardinals got a three-run double from Yadier Molina in the first inning, beating the Cincinnati Reds 5-3 in their home opener on Monday.
Standing room attendance of 47,492, the largest crowd at 9-year-old Busch Stadium, braved day-long rain and temperatures in the 40s to greet the NL champions and visit the new Ballpark Village. Hundreds milled about the attached complex, which features five sports bars and rooftop seating.
The Cardinals bunched three hits and a walk over the first five hitters to take the early lead against Cingrani (0-1), who allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings last week in Cincinnati.
St. Louis ended a three-game losing streak on opening day, including a blowout loss to the Reds last year.
The 22-year-old Wacha (1-0), the NL championship series MVP, pitched six stingy innings.


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As someone who has lived most of her life in Southern California, it is exactly the contrast between the sensational taking place right next to the everyday that I love about the iconic metropolis of LA.
This morning, immediately after a high-glitz ceremony previewing the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards and the largest solar installation to attend such an event, I took in the labors of work crews carrying out the nuts-and-bolts work of finishing the solar installation as well as the rest of the show's exterior staging.
Aeral view of SolarWorld solar canopy over the red carpet
But even Hollywood couldn't have scripted a better setting for a solar debut: a cloudless blue sky, a clamoring pack of paparazzi, and a renowned venue in the heart of Tinseltown. Sure, the crowd outside the Nokia Theatre had been lured by the prospect of seeing Jane Lynch, star of the hit show "Glee" and host of this year's Emmys, roll out the famed television awards show's ceremonial red carpet for Sunday.
Jane Lynch rolling out the red carpet with Fox and Emmy executives
Even the most jaded Hollywood observer couldn't help but notice that surrounding Lynch was the largest solar installation to ever grace a major awards show.
Along with a couple of SolarWorld colleagues, I joined the crowd outside L.A. Live this morning for the annual "Roll Out the Red Carpet" Emmy Awards media preview. Today's event was an opportunity for us to introduce the media and world to the SolarWorld array that will power this year's Emmy Awards, a system totaling almost 50 kilowatts and consisting of more than 200 solar panels.
According to Josh Mark, executive director of special event production and director of sustainability for FOX, the network producing the Emmys, the array is unique not only in its size but in its prominence. The 2009 Teen Choice Awards featured a 2-kilowatt system and the 2007 Emmys hosted a 13-kilowatt system, but in both cases the solar arrays were not only smaller but less visible. With four separate solar canopies surrounding nearly 400 feet of red carpet, solar is a defining feature of this year's production.
The system will live on beyond the show in the form of a donatation from SolarWorld and Fox to Habit for humanity who will install the solar panels on homes in the LA area.
Solar panel array under contruction
Come Sunday, the Nokia Theatre courtyard will be decked out in full Emmy regalia – red carpet, elegant decor, a procession of A-list celebrities and, crowning it all, a fully functioning solar system. Just after the crowd dissipated today, however, the courtyard looked more like a construction zone. Installers from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Fox's stagehands union, continued to mount solar panels and connect wiring into the afternoon. Boom trucks and flatbeds prowled the area. And all around them the familiar car and pedestrian congestion of daily life in Los Angeles scurried around under a typically blue sky. During the last decade, I watched the building of the entertainment center L.A. Live and have come here with fellow Angelenos to mark milestones big and small, from a critical Lakers hoops victory to the televised inauguration of Barack Obama.
View of solar panel array from the red carpet
As I watch solar energy make its pop-culture splash on Sunday, I will register the behind-the-scenes contrasts. Simultaneously suited for a star-studded awards show and a single-family home, solar is as relevant at the Nokia as it is at a military base, a home in Hollywood, and any small town in America. The Emmys celebrate the best of mainstream American popular culture, and this year SolarWorld will be there.
Tune in this weekend as the solar system readies for its close-up.
Read the press release


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Google has announced an update to its Go open-source programming language. Now at version 1.1, the language has been augmented with a "race detector", which works to find concurrency bugs as well as new standard library functionality.
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Google's Andrew Gerrand of the Go Team says that among the most important updates are optimizations in the compiler and linker, garbage collector, goroutine scheduler and map implementation, as well as the aforementioned parts of the standard library.
It is likely that your Go code will run noticeably faster when built with Go 1.1, says Gerrand.
The official (but informal) Google Go blog announcement suggested that the changes to return requirements will lead to more succinct and correct programs, and the introduction of method values provides an expressive way to bind a method to its receiver as a function value.
"Concurrent programming is safer in Go 1.1 with the addition of a race detector for finding memory synchronization errors in your programs. We will discuss the race detector more in an upcoming article, but for now the manual is a great place to get started," stated Google.
Go is open source and distributed under a BSD-style license.
According to the language release notes, Go 1.1 keeps the promise of compatibility but adds a couple of significant (backwards-compatible) language changes. It has a long list of (again, compatible) library changes, and includes major work on the implementation of the compilers, libraries, and runtime.
"The focus is on performance. Benchmarking is an inexact science at best, but we see significant, sometimes dramatic speedups for many of our test programs. We trust that many of our users' programs will also see improvements just by updating their Go installation and recompiling," says the Go team.


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Royal treatment
Middlebrooks, Sox crown hapless KC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The first home run Red Sox rookie Will Middlebrooks hit Monday night was down the line in right field at Kauffman Stadium, the ball sailing just inside the foul pole.
His double in the seventh inning was to center field and hit hard enough to reach the fence.
Then in the eighth inning Middlebrooks pulled a ball down the line in left field that was still rising when it clanged off the foul pole.
Three swings, three extra-base hits and five RBIs. A day after their longest game in six years, the Red Sox needed some energy and the 23-year-old Middlebrooks provided it in an 11-5 victory against the Royals.
Dustin Pedroia, who was 2 for 3 with a home run, a double, and three walks, talked to hitting coach Dave Magadan during the game and both agreed they never had seen anybody use the whole field with power like that before.
"He swung the bat great,'' Pedroia said. "Those are professional at-bats and at that age, it's huge for our team. Very impressive.''
Middlebrooks has at least one extra-base hit in four straight games to start his career, one of four players to accomplish that since 1918. Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes did it earlier this season. Enos Slaughter (1938) and Coco Laboy (1969) are the others.
Middlebrooks is 8 for 21 (.381) with three doubles, three home runs, and nine RBIs since being called up last Wednesday when Kevin Youkilis went on the disabled list.
Youkilis was hitting .219 with four extra-base hits and nine RBIs in 64 at-bats before he went out with a back injury. If Middlebrooks keeps this up, Youkilis will get all the time he needs - and maybe some he doesn't want - before coming back.
"Just trying to carry over what I started in Pawtucket earlier this year,'' said Middlebrooks, who hit .333 with nine homers and 27 RBIs in 24 games at Triple A before his promotion. "I'm happy with it. Individual results, I wasn't really looking for that initially. I wanted to come here and do whatever I could to help the team win games.''
The Red Sox, who snapped a five-game losing streak, won on the road for the seventh time in their last eight games.
Led by Middlebrooks, Pedroia, and David Ortiz (3 for 4 with a home run and two walks), the Sox had 16 hits off five Kansas City pitchers, eight for extra bases.
Of equal importance was the work of another young player, 24-year-old Felix Doubront. A day after the Red Sox played 17 innings and worked over their bullpen, he worked into the seventh inning to improve to 2-1.
It wasn't the cleanest game as Doubront allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks. But his 111 pitches were a career high and desperately needed.
"Felix was excellent, gave us exactly what we needed,'' Valentine said.
The Red Sox knocked Royals starter Jonathan Sanchez out of the game in the fourth inning. He was charged with six runs on six hits.
Four of those runs came in the first inning. Pedroia walked, took second on a single by Ortiz, and scored on a broken-bat single to left field by Adrian Gonzalez, who was dropped to fifth in the lineup for the first time this season and went 2 for 5.
Middlebrooks jumped on the next pitch, a high fastball on the outside corner.
"I felt like he was going to go away. I watched a lot of video on him and that's how he approaches guys,'' Middlebrooks said.
Ortiz homered to right-center to start the third. It was his seventh of the season and gave him 385 for his career. That tied him with Dwight Evans for 56th place all-time. It was the fourth home run Ortiz has hit against a lefthander this season.
The Sox built their lead to 7-4 in the fourth.
Kelly Shoppach led off with a triple to left field, the ball chasing Alex Gordon back to the fence but eluding the Gold Glover. It was the first career triple for Shoppach, who earlier this season stole his first career base. His speed is developing at the age of 32, apparently.
"Best shape of my life,'' he said. "It shouldn't be mathematically possible for me to run that far.''
That was it for Sanchez. Nate Adcock got Mike Aviles to ground to shortstop with the infield in, but he allowed a home run to right center by Pedroia. It was the fourth of the season for Pedroia. The ball was caught by one of Ryan Sweeney's cousins.
Doubront took the 7-4 lead into the seventh. He had retired 12 of the previous 13 batters.
The Royals loaded the bases with one out before Gordon drew a walk to force in a run, winning a seven-pitch battle.
Vicente Padilla came out of the bullpen and got Billy Butler to ground into a double play to end the inning.
Padilla has stranded all nine runners he has inherited this season. He then worked the final two innings for his first save.
"He got a save and he deserved it,'' Valentine said. "He deserved a statistic. Came in, gets a double play and then creates a situation where our bullpen can be almost normal tomorrow.''
Valentine credited his players for their effort given the despair they felt on Sunday.
"Shoot, we're going to play hard,'' Pedroia said. "We play hard every game. We have a great group of guys. We've lost some tough games early. But there's a long way to go. We still feel we have a good team and can accomplish our goals.''
Peter Abraham can be reached at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.


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It's not often that members from both sides in this divided Congress can agree on anything, but two Democrats and two Republicans have joined forces on legislation that could help sell more rice, wheat and other commodities to Cuba.
Reps. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Stephanie Herseth, D-S.D., Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., and Mike Ross, D-Ark., introduced the Agricultural Export Facilitation Act of 2007, which would remove restrictions on travel to and from and sales of agricultural products to the country formerly ruled by Fidel Castro.
Moran, who was chairman of the House Agriculture General Commodities Subcommittee until last month, led a congressional delegation to Cuba in December. They did not meet with Castro or his brother, Raul, but came away saying more should be done to lift the Bush administration's restrictions on travel and sales transactions with Cuba.
"With the stepping aside of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, this is an opportune time to encourage the United States to change its trade policies toward Cuba," said Moran, who spoke at a press conference announcing the introduction of the legislation.
"The actions of our own government have created a climate of uncertainty and have inhibited the sale of agricultural goods. Our unreliable and uncertain trade policies are sending the signal to Cuba that it is easier to purchase its products elsewhere. We are only hurting ourselves."
Farm organizations such as the American Farm Bureau Federation and the USA Rice Federation issued statements in support of the legislation, which both said could significantly increase the U.S. share of the Cuban market for a number of commodities.
"There are considerable restrictions placed on U.S. agricultural sales to Cuba which impede our marketing efforts and sales to that country," said AFBF President Bob Stallman. "This legislation would remove those costly barriers."
"The rice industry greatly appreciates the work of these representatives," said USA Rice board member Jackie Loewer, a rice producer from Branch, La. "We will fully support their efforts to move this legislation forward. We believe this year represents an opportunity to make some progress on addressing the unwarranted restrictions on agricultural sales to Cuba."
Rice analysts have said U.S. producers could sell more than 600,000 metric tons of rice per year if the restrictions, which require Cuba to pay for purchases of U.S. agricultural products before they leave U.S. ports, were not in place. Prior to the trade embargo imposed in 1962, Cuba was the No. 1 export market for U.S. rice.
"American farmers and ranchers are unnecessarily shut out from the large and proximate Cuban marketplace," Congresswoman Herseth said. "In addition to the clear benefits that opening this market would hold for our domestic producers, millions of Cubans are in need of access to a safe and abundant food supply.
"This legislation would clarify that Cuba has the clear opportunity to purchase U.S. agricultural products, and it would re-emphasize the importance of increased markets for our domestic agriculture producers."
U.S. companies were allowed to sell food and medicines to Cuba in 2000 for the first time in 38 years. In 2005, however, the Treasury Department ruled cash payments must be made in advance before such shipments could leave U.S. ports. H.R. 1026 clarifies that a seller of a product receives payment at the time a Cuban purchaser takes physical possession of that product.
The legislation will eliminate delays and denials for obtaining licenses to travel to Cuba and will allow Cuban officials to obtain visas for meetings with prospective U.S. exporters and for conducting sanitary and phytosanitary inspections of U.S. agriculture facilities.
H.R. 1026 also permits direct payments between Cuban and U.S. financial institutions. This change will permit U.S. exporters to receive payments within hours instead of days and will eliminate an unnecessary transaction fee.
U.S. agriculture sales to Cuba have totaled $1.4 billion since 2000. Last year alone agricultural sales totaled $350 million, up from the previous year. But USA Rice officials have been told Cuba has increased its purchases of rice from Vietnam because of the payment restrictions.