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INDEPENDENCE — Grayson Circuit Court Judge Brett Geisler ruled on several motions Friday relating to the jury trial for Rafiel Bautista-Perez, who is charged in the fatal stabbing of Jason Smith on Oct. 1, 2007, after an argument erupted amongst a group of friends.
Around 3 p.m. on Oct. 1, police officers were dispatched to a reported argument at 104 Greenville Road in West Galax. While en route, a second 911 call reported that someone at the house had been stabbed.
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text: Computerworld 102 Report post Posted May 19, 2017 Despite all the attention currently focused on Windows computers being infected with WannaCry ransomware, a defensive strategy has been overlooked. This being a Defensive Computing blog, I feel the need to point it out. The story being told everywhere else is simplistic and incomplete. Basically, the story is that Windows computers without the appropriate bug fix are getting infected over the network by WannaCry ransomware and the Adylkuzz cryptocurrency miner. We are accustomed to this story. Bugs in software need patches. WannaCry exploits a bug in Windows, so we need to install the patch. For a couple days, I too, ascribed to this knee-jerk theme. But there is a gap in this simplistic take on the issue. Let me explain. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here View the full article Share this post Link to post Share on other sites

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Hot Offer*
*Purchase a new 122HD45 for $364. Offer valid 01/09/19 - 31/01/20, or while stocks last, at participating Husqvarna Servicing Dealers only.
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Effective low noise engine design will not disturb you or your neighbours
The LowVib anti vibration system effectively reduces vibrations from the handle and throttle control.
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|Knife Length
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|1.1 " / 28 mm
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|4050 cut/min


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Cute summer sandals that won't hurt your feet
See Gallery
Warmer weather means it's finally time to slip your feet into those sandals you've been dying to break out all year, but breaking them in is a whole 'nother story. Starting your summer season off with blisters is kind of a buzzkill, which is why we're excited that this year, comfort is reigning supreme when it comes to shoes.
Ever since Vogue touted Birkenstocks as 'in' again last summer, it seems like everyone in New York City -- not to mention celebrities and fashion bloggers -- has caught on to the trend. It's no surprise either that it's catching like wildfire -- after all, who wouldn't want their feet to feel good when walking around during a summer scorcher?
We've never seen available such a wide assortment of stylish shoes that are also comfortable and actually made for walking. Don't believe us? Click through the gallery for our picks of the soft footbed, cork-soled, double-strapped stunners.


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HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. – First Lt. Arthur M. Glaz, 27, was killed Feb. 8 in a ski accident in Colorado following a collision with a tree at Keystone Resort. Glaz was the vehicle management flight commander with the 49th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Holloman. Glaz is believed to have been skiing down an intermediate trail when he struck a tree. He was taken to St. Anthony Summit Medical Center Friday afternoon. According to the Summit County Coroner's Office, Glaz was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. He served more than three years in the Air Force and had been stationed at Holloman since July 2012. He is originally from Palos Hills, Ill. "Team Holloman is so saddened by this tragic loss of one of our best," said Col. Ken Ekman, 49th Wing vice commander. "First Lt. Glaz was a great officer, Airman and husband. Please join me in praying for his family, particularly his wife." A Catholic Mass and memorial ceremony will be held Feb. 12 from 10 a.m. to approximately 11:15 a.m. in the Holloman Chapel. Attire for the official party and designated LRS members will be service dress or business attire. Other Holloman Airmen, civilians, and family members are encouraged to attend in the uniform of the day or smart casual attire. The service will be open to all Department of Defense ID cardholders and escorted visitors. Glaz's funeral is scheduled for Feb. 16 in Chicago. A team from Holloman will join his family to mourn his passing and celebrate his life. The family asks that flowers be sent to the Demar Kaminski Funeral Home, 7861 S. 88th Ave., Justice, Ill., 60458. Donations offered in his memory can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or Dogs on Deployment.
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Want Twitter? How About Buying a Mutual Fund?
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CNBC's Kayla Tausche today offered some data on who holds shares of Twitter, which in July filed for an initial public offering, as it disclosed in August.
The report by Tausche suggested that various funds have already loaded up on shares, and that investors may have to turn to a mutual fund rather than buying via direct allocation from a broker.
Tausche suggested the placement of shares with funds may in a sense be a way for Twitter to avoid the disaster that was Facebook's (FB) IPO a year ago May, when many retail investors found themselves immediately underwater as the stock dropped from the opening price on the first day, leading to weeks of controversy and lawsuits.
Here are some graphics of how Tausche breaks down the holdings by size:
Another route, of course, is the Firsthand Technology Value Fund (SVVC), run by Kevin Landis, which holds 1 million shares.
A week ago, I talked with Landis while he was in New York. He points out that the price for shares of the fund, today $24.64, is about the same as what the private market currently values Twitter, $24. Landis paid $17 per share last year for that Twitter stake, and he suggests that owning SVVC is another way to get in on the action.


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Potential suitors throw Yahoo! to the wolf
Forrester eats its research
Yahoo! can marry Microsoft or remain an old maid with a less than rosy financial outlook. Those are the options. And we're being kind including one of them.
In the wake of Microsoft's $44.6bn bid for the struggling web giant, many asked whether other mega corporations might jump in with their own bids. In fact, the issue was raised during the conference call where Steve Ballmer and company discussed their jaw-dropping offer with industry analysts, and even Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said "Obviously, any number of companies might have an interest."
But just days later, most of the potential suitors have fallen by the wayside. Yesterday, during his company's latest earnings call, News Corp. chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch said he was uninterested in Yahoo!, and The San Francisco Chronicle reports that media giants Comcast and NBC Universal have said eh-eh as well.
Well, there's one corporate behemoth who's at least interested in partnering with Yahoo! in an effort to fend off a Microsoft takeover. But that corporate behemoth is Google.
"As I said, any number of companies might take an interest," Brad Smith continued during that Microsoft call. "I think there's really one company that cannot. That's Google itself. Given that Google has roughly a 75 per cent market share worldwide for online paid search they are not in a position to do this. Given its super dominant market share, Google is clearly prevented by the antitrust laws from buying Yahoo! or buying this business from Yahoo!"
For once, we agree with Mr. Smith. And we'd go even farther to say that even a Yahoo!-Google partnership would ring those anti-trust alarms.
The fact of the matter is that Microsoft is the only company with the dough and the inclination to acquire the Yahooligans. Jerry Yang's only other option is to keep Yahoo! an independent company, and that's a long shot at best, considering the deal Steve Ballmer has waved at Yahoo! shareholders. As The Wall Street Journal reports, Yang's best - and perhaps only - option is "to play hard to get," hoping for a few extra billion. ®
On his blog Rough Type, tech-minded author, speaker, and friend of The Reg Nicholas Carr says that he opened up his email client to find a note trumpeting the latest reports from Forrester Research. One of these reports - issued on January 31, a day before Microsoft announced its bid for Yahoo! - was called "Microsoft Will Make Small Acquisitions: Its Size, Visibility To Antitrust Bodies, And Strategy Rule Out Big Deals."
Analysts? Gotta love them.


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How many ultra-conservative lawmakers do you need to pack into a room before one of them objects to immigration reform? Apparenty more than nine.
On Wednesday, a panel of House conservatives hosted by the conservative Heritage Foundation offered nothing but praise for Sen. Rand Paul's (R-KY) speech on immigration in which the tea party favorite backed the same broad planks of comprehensive immigration reform favored by the Senate's bipartisan working group and by the White House.
"I thought he did a very, very good job in talking about and embracing some ideals of dealing with illegal immigration and embracing some of the reform measures my friends are putting together," Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) said. Duncan has an A+ career rating from anti-immigration group Numbers USA and once compared illegal immigrants to "vagrants" and "animals."
Paul was only the latest in a parade of conservative Republicans, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), who have talked up reform in recent weeks. And if the reaction in the room on Wednesday is any indication, their message is taking hold.
"We're not going to round up millions and millions of people, kids and grandmas and grandpas and send them to wherever," Rep. Trey Radel (R-FL) said, adding there were both "conservative arguments" and "emotional arguments" that should compel the House to address immigration.
In addition to Duncan and Radel, the group included Reps. Raul Labrador (R-ID), Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), Dave Schweikert (R-AZ), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Steve Scalise (R-LA), and Mick Mulvaney (R-SC).
After several members also expressed their support for some version of reform, they were asked as a group whether any one of them disagreed with Paul's call to legalize the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. The group looked to each other then shook their heads. Not one raised an objection.
If the panel on Wednesday — which included two members (Huelskamp and Schweikert) who were booted from committee assignments at the beginning of this Congress for bucking leadership from the right too often — couldn't produce any immigration hardliners, it's unlikely there's anything close to the kind of insurgency needed to derail a bill in the House right now.
There was some confusion among the participants over whether Paul supported a path to citizenship (he did, just not by name), but Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID), the leading tea party conservative working on a bipartisan immigration bill in the House, didn't seem to ruffle any feathers when he said he supported a plan that would allow undocumented immigrants to eventually become citizens.
"We shouldn't create a second class group that could never become citizens, but we should also not give them a special pathway that nobody can follow," Labrador told the audience, adding that any bill also needed border enforcement triggers that would be met before reaching that point.
"I think many of us are willing to consider what Raul just descibed there," Jordan, the former chair of the conservative Republican Study Committee, said.
Just so we're clear the kinds of guys we're talking about (and they were all guys), this is an excerpt from an op-ed Jordan, who has a career "A" rating from NumbersUSA, wrote when immigration reform died in 2007:
The Senate proposal would have effectively granted amnesty to some 12 million people living in this country illegally. I cannot think of a more misguided approach to one of the most pressing issues facing our country today. Apparently, neither can most Americans.
Huelskamp told TPM he could find plenty to like in a comprehensive bill from a conservative perspective — it would boost to his state's agricultural business, local Catholic leaders support it, and by granting legal status to undocumented immigrants it would be easier to track and prevent them from using welfare benefits.
"[Americans] know the system has been broken," Huelskamp said.
Legalizing 11 million undocumented immigrants has quickly and quietly become the new conservative floor for reform. And there's been little in the way of vocal objection to proposals by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and an expected proposal from Labrador that they say would allow undocumented immigrants to one day become citizens. This is a huge shift from just a few months ago, when Mitt Romney ran on "self-deportation" and the GOP platform endorsed the same concept.
Asked about the change, Labrador said he thought Republicans were already supportive of comprehensive immigration reform, they just were "a little more vocal about it" after Romney's defeat. As for citizenship, he called it a "minor issue" in conversations with House Republicans, and one far less dangerous to reform than union objections to letting in more low-skilled immigrants in the future.
"What I've told conservatives is that we need to be open-minded about what we do with the 11 million so we can get what we want on border security, on guest worker programs," he said. "That really should be the tone in negotiations."


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Naming Conventions
Therefore, whereas in Ashkenazi research the date of birth of a child can sometimes be used to guess at the approximate year of death of the namesake, in Sephardic genealogy the name of the eldest son gives clues to the name of the paternal grandfather. This fact can sometimes be of great help in differentiating family trees.
Common Sephardic naming conventions (also see Jewish Names):
If a grandparent (paternal or maternal) or sibling was deceased, his/her name would often take precedence over the living relative. Some Spanish exiles named children after their own parents.
Family Names
Family names have great importance in Judaism and particularly among Sephardim where mysticism and Kabbalah enforce the need for accuracy. The religious importance of the name is demonstrated in the avoidance of mentioning the name of the Lord by observant Jews and avoiding destroying documents that contain the Name - hence the Geniza which is a repository where correspondence and documents that happen to contain the name of G_d are buried instead of being destroyed. Among Sephardim, great care is taken in writing names in kettubot and other religious records to ensure that the accurate name spelling is utilized according to accepted rabbinical sources and it is believed that the name follows the individual into the afterlife so that care is taken to ensure the correct usage in the hashkabah service for the dead. Adding to this is the mysticism of the Kabbalah where certain letter combinations are to be avoided, etc.
An example is the name Malka. Malka (spelt with a "heh" is a common first name among Ashkenazim and means queen in Hebrew. The Sephardic Malka family name however is spelt with an "aleph" at the end and is not Hebrew but Aramaic in origin. (Malka means from Malaga, a town originally named Malaka by Phonecians). In fact I do not recall seeing Malka being used as a first name among Sephardim, though I am sure there must be some examples somewhere.
Names are not changed casually. Changes usually occur for significant reasons (sickness or death) and following specific traditions. In this respect the significance of change of names of Abram to Abraham and Jacob to Israel in the Bible are clear examples of the importance given to names and name change implications. Among Spanish Jews, a major cause for name changes occurred when converting to Catholicism.. In these cases the names chosen were purposefully "super Catholic", such de la Cruz, de la Santa Maria, de la Santa Fe or, especially in Portugal, the names of plants such as Palmera, etc. Often the conversos took on the names of their Catholic "godfathers" and sometimes their coats of arms as well.
Whereas among Ashkenazim, many family names were adopted relatively recently, Sephardic names typically go back to the 11-12th centuries and maybe even earlier. Many Ashkenazi family names were acquired as a result of 19th century laws promulgated to facilitate government census and taxation. As a result, common Ashkenazi names are shared by many unrelated families that just happen to have adopted them. Examples are names such as Goldenberg, Goldberg, Goldstein, Rothstein, etc. On the other hand in Sephardic tradition the family name identifies the person as a descendant of a specific recognized family. For these reasons, whereas in Ashkenazi research the exact name of the Shtetl is often of equal if not greater importance than the family name, in Sephardic research the family name is of much greater importance than locality, particularly since Sephardic families often travelled and moved extensively, while faithfully and scrupulously retaining their family names and often their genealogies as well.
The disadvantage of Sephardic names that go back centuries, is that the resulting generations create a geometric increase in the number of individuals holding that name and thus a nightmare for the genealogist researching a specific branch of the family. Toledano in La Saga des Familles reports a statistical study of 83,000 Sephardic Moroccan Jews immgrating to Israel (out of a total Moroccan Jewish population at the time of 160,000) in which he showed that a mere 38 family names comprised 58.3% (the majority) of all the immigrants. (The remaining 41% of the immigrant population was spread over 484 surnames).
Name Origins
Sephardic names have numerous origins and these origins can often be gleaned from the name itself. Origins of names such Toledano (from Toledo), Alfasi (from Fez), Ashkenazi (from Germany), Mizrahi (from the east), de Levanti (from the east or Levant) are easy to understand. Others denote an illustrious past. An example is the Ibn Daud family. This wealthy Spanish family, claiming descent from King David (hence their name), negotiated and paid the King of Portugal a gold ransom in 1492 to permit Jews expulsed from Spain to gain temporary refuge in his domains. Incidentally, because of the complex history of the area, names of Arabic origin do not preclude Spanish backgrounds. Ibn Daoud is a good example, as is the Ben Oliel (from son of Allah or Abdullah), as in Salamo Benabrahim Benallel who was given special privileges by King Pedro IV of Aragon in 381 CE. and was Chief Rabbi of Majorca, etc.
Prefixes and suffixes are interesting in this respect. Patronimic names implying "son of" are common through out the world. Ashkenazi examples are -ovich or -sky as in Abrahamovich or Abramsky. Among the Sephardim the common forms of "son of" are the Hebrew ben, Arabic ibn or Aramaic bar or the Berber U or Wa. Actual real examples are Ben Malka, Ben Shaltiel, Ibn Malka, Ibn Shaprut, Malka Bar Aha (Gaon of Pumbadita in 771-775), Shimon Bar Kokhba (135 C.E.), and Uhayun (Ohayon). Mar is an Aramaic honorific title as in Mar Rab Malka (Gaon of Sura around 885).
Prefixes meaning "father of" also exist as Abi in Hebrew and Abu in Arabic as in Abihsera and Abudarham.
Sephardim travelled and moved a lot over the centuries, especially after the Expulsion from Spain. Just like Shlomo becomes Solomon in the New York, Salomon in France, Suleiman in Istambul, Shleimi in Poland, Sephardic last names also sometimes changed to suit the local custom of the land. For example known variants of the Malka lastname are Ben Malka, Ibn Malka, Aben Rey, and possibly even Shahin and Ben Shahin in Persia among others. Similar examples exist with many other names.
See also article on the meaning of some Sephardic surnames
Nusach Sepharad vs. Minhag Sepharad
by Sylvia Williamson
Does "Nusach Sepharad" refer to Sephardic custom as practiced by Sephardim?
Nusach Sepharad/Sephardi (Sephardic version/formula) --to be distinguished from Minhag Sepharad (Sephardic ritual/custom)-- refers to the Ashkenazic form of prayer that includes certain elements from the Sephardic liturgy, along with other borrowings. Nusach Sepharad is also known as Nusach Ari, because the first to integrate Sephardic features in the Ashkenazic prayer was the Ashkenazi Kabbalist Rabbi Itzhak Luria (the Ari, 1534-1572). In the formative years of Hassidism in Eastern Europe, disciples and followers of the Baal Shem Tov and of his successor, the Maggid of Mezhirech,, formally adopted Nusach Ari as their style of prayer. Today, many non-Hassidic Ashkenazis who seek to emphasize the spiritual aspect of prayer and Kavannah (principally among the Kabbalists) have also come to adopt Nusach Sepharad.
Can one distinguish between the two when purchasing a prayer book? It is indicated in the title page. The Sephardic prayer books specify Minhag Sepharad/Sephardi [According to Sephardic Custom]. The Ashkenazic prayerbooks may specify the Nusach: "Nusach Ashkenaz," or "Nusach Sepharad/Nusach Arizal").
Are the "Anshei Sphard" (or Sephard, or "Sfard") synagogues representative of Sephardic prayer service?
They are representative of the Ashkenazic, "Nusach Sepharad" Orthodox service.
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Sephardic Genealogy Resources


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Jair Jurrjens said late last week that he didn't expect he'd have his physical in Baltimore until at least mid-week. I am being told it likely will be Thursday and could bleed into Friday before an announcement is made. Nothing unusual there.
Jurrjens agreed to terms on a one-year, major league deal last week and will compete for a rotation spot. He has minor league options remaining, so he can be sent down if he doesn't make the big league club.
The Orioles have signed another outfielder with major league experience to a minor league deal. This time it is 28-year-old right-handed hitting Chris Pettit, who played briefly for the Los Angeles Angels in 2009 and 2011.
Like Adam Greenberg, Pettit will not get an official invite to major league camp. The Angels' former minor league player of the year in 2007, Pettit played in the Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies organization in 2012.
He's a career .280 hitter with a .364 on-base percentage in six minor league seasons.
** According to Baseball America, the Orioles also signed two right-handed relievers to minor league deals – Manny Delcarmen and Rob Delaney.
Delcarmen, 30, pitched for the Boston Red Sox for parts of six seasons and last appeared in the majors in 2010 with the Colorado Rockies. He is 11-8 with a 3.97 ERA in 298 games in relief as a big leaguer. He spent all of last year with the New York Yankees' Triple-A affiliate.
Delaney, 28, has pitched five games in the majors: one with the Minnesota Twins in 2010 and four with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011. He pitched the entire 2012 season with the Miami Marlins' Triple-A affiliate.
** The Orioles have hired Frank Kolarek to do scouting in the Mid-Atlantic region, including Maryland.
Kolarek, 60, is a graduate of Mount St. Joseph and the University of Maryland and was a minor league catcher in the Oakland A's organization. He previously worked with Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Kolarek's son Adam is a left-handed reliever in the New York Mets organization.
** ESPN has announced that it will be broadcasting the March 25 Orioles-Red Sox spring training game in Sarasota. It's at 1 p.m.


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Darrin Williams rushed for 249 yards and a score, Dominic Bona's 46-yard pass set up his 2-yard touchdown run, and the defense allowed just 117 yards as Albion earned a 17-14 victory over Kalamazoo in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football action.
Albion took the second half kickoff to the Kalamazoo 1-yard line, but Bona and Williams did not make a clean handoff and Alan Mencer scooped up the ball for a Kalamazoo-record 98-yard fumble return. Kalamazoo also scored on a 7-yard drive early in the fourth quarter after Albion botched a punt snap.
A 32-yard pass from Bona to Brian Spencer on the next possession put Albion in position for Jimmy Nieman's 39-yard field goal.
Albion finished the day with 10 tackles for loss. Lineman C.J. Carroll was credited with 3 ½ tackles for a loss of 18 yards.
"The defense played awesome," Albion Coach Craig Rundle said. "To shut down a high-powered offense is a testament to how well they prepared to play. The defense set the tone and we made enough plays on offense."


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2015-05-26 - Bugaboo proudly presents its latest invention, the Bugaboo Runner, an adaptable stroller chassis which fits most existing Bugaboo stroller seats and accessories, and that allows parents to go running with their child. Although simple and sleek in appearance, the Bugaboo Runner hides many different functions and complex technical features. Bugaboo Runner's head designer Jeroen van Tongeren explains why.
For all those busy parents who like to be on the move with their children but also want to keep up with a healthy lifestyle, have we got news for you. To complement our strollers which are designed for both day-to-day use in the city and more adventurous trekking, we have designed the Bugaboo Runner, a new stroller designed to hit the road running. It allows you to have a good time with your children, and at the same time work out and feel free.
"The one part missing from our stroller portfolio was an everyday jogger", says Jeroen van Tongeren. As a senior product developer at Bugaboo, he was responsible for the specific development of the Bugaboo Runner. "It's taken us around three years from concept to product. Our wish was to create an adjustable and high performing stroller chassis where all our existing stroller seats and different accessories would fit on to. That was one of the biggest challenges."
With the introduction of the Bugaboo Runner (mid-May in Australia and from June in the ROW), Bugaboo wants to connect to the enormous popularity of running among young parents while at the same time elevating it to new heights. Van Tongeren: "This product allows parents to fill up the need to exercise and workout while spending quality time with their children and discovering the world together. It's a strong concept I really believe in, a rich experience for both parents and children."
During the early development of the Bugaboo Runner Van Tongeren's own children served as inspiration and testing team. "Even though they've now outgrown it, their rides in the prototype were met with the enthusiastic approval, accelerating, taking fast corners and running up and down pavements. It was great fun."
Actually, everybody in the team went jogging with the Bugaboo Runner at one point or another. "Besides all the research on running posture and dynamics, it's very important to get a feel for the product hands-on, regardless of whether you're a regular jogger yourself. We were lucky that this was such a fun product to try out in the parks around Amsterdam. It's one of the perks of the job!"
If not quite reinventing the wheel, Van Tongeren says his team has "taken the wheel and made it better" in a dedicated jogger that's meant specifically for hitting the road (or path or hillside) running. "It's the first time that we created a three-wheel extension. People jog with the Bugaboo Cameleon³ and our other four-wheel strollers, but it's not recommended, partly due to the small swivel wheels in the front. Having one wheel at the front enables you to navigate easily while running fast. In order to provide a smooth ride, we equipped the Bugaboo Runner with air filled tires, instead of the current foam-filled tires. And we optimized the shock-absorbing suspension."
The design of the Bugaboo Runner may look simple but, in fact, like all Bugaboo strollers, it hides many different functions and complex technological features. Some of the latest developments include a speed brake designed from scratch—one that runs across the length of the handlebar to ensure that the user is "always one grip away from good braking performance without having to search for the brake"– and the use of rubber blocks for the brake to create the ultimate smooth ride without sacrificing style. "There are no rivets on the side of the handlebar", explains Van Tongeren. "Although strong and sturdy it looks sleek, elegant and clean."
But what he is especially proud of is the Bugaboo Runner's seat position. "This is the only dedicated jogger on the market in which your child can face you. "At one year old, kids aren't really worried about facing the world, they prefer to look at their parents, so it's nice to have this option to have your child facing you. It even might help you going through those almost unbearable moments of physical exhaustion during your run, when looking and laughing at your child. Who knows?"


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In Laos, the sustainable harvesting of medicinal seeds from the native malva nut tree is helping to improve both the lives of local people and the state of the region's forests.
The resource-rich forests of Laos provide rural communities with a range of foods, medicines, building materials and fuel. Champassak Province, to the south of the country, has a high forest cover and low population density but has been affected by unregulated exploitation of its natural resources. A road building project underway to connect Vietnam, Laos and Thailand will add further stress to the surrounding forests and wetlands, and to livelihoods that depend on the resources these landscapes produce.
Through its Livelihoods and Landscapes initiative, IUCN is working to strengthen the management of these forests and wetlands in the face of increasing demand for land and resources. The project aims to boost the incomes of the poor population by improving land-use management and marketing systems.
In Champassak Province, in the 'corridor' between two protected areas, IUCN has developed a comprehensive and functioning management system, including for permits, fees and penalties, for the malva nut tree (Scaphium macropodum). Seeds from the malva nut have long been used as a traditional medicine in South East Asia and provide an important source of income to the villagers in this area.
Previously, people from outside the local communities dominated harvesting of the malva seeds. Collecting the seeds is not easy as the trees can grow to a great height. Whole trees were often being felled to ease collection and prevent competition from other collectors.
"IUCN, in collaboration with the village communities, the District and the Provincial Governments, has developed an innovative management and trading system for the most important non-timber forest product in the area," says Christoph Muziol, Country Programme Coordinator for IUCN Laos. "We are pleased that this approach has created significant benefits both through effectively protecting the local forests and improving the livelihoods of poor village households in the landscape."
Now, local access rights to the malva nut, which were already defined, are being enforced and in target villages, felling has stopped. The management system has helped villagers take ownership of their resources while furthering their understanding of the harvesting cycles of malva nut and the importance of protecting their natural resources. Much still needs to be done however to overcome marketing constraints that work against local people.
IUCN is also working to reduce illegal logging in Laos through its Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) project. It supports the Department of Forestry Inspection with training, information gathering and networking initiatives to enhance its understanding of forest governance as well as capacity to investigate illegal logging.
Livelihoods and Landscapes Strategy (LLS) is a global IUCN project working in 23 countries and funded by the Directorate General for International Cooperation (DGIS) of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For more information please contact:
Daniel Shaw of IUCN's Forest Conservation Programme, e. [email protected]


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Questions?Call us at 1-888-845-6468
Create a stunning contrast with your wood furniture or soft upholstered pieces with this dazzling, brass-finished occasional table. The cocktail table is a touch glam and and touch traditional with its tapered metal legs, brass-finished rails, and bright, antiqued mirror top. Exceptional display for those decorative arrangements.
The Kensington Place Transitional Millington Metal Cocktail Table with Burnished Brass Finish and Antiqued Mirror Top by Lexington at John V Schultz Furniture in the Erie, Meadville, Pittsburgh, Warren, Pennsylvania area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.
The impeccable transitional design style is a perfect reflection of today's modern world. A cultivated blend of traditional influences and modern sensibilities, Kensington Place embodies a lifestyle of both elegance and ease. This mature style incorporates classic touches like saber legs and burnished brass ferrules to evoke the refinement of traditional design without the pretentiousness of reproduction antiques. A modern ideal of beauty and fashion. The Kensington Place collection includes furniture for the whole home including dining sets, living room accent furniture, bedroom pieces, and transitional sofas and chairs for a soft yet elegant touch. Wood pieces are crafted from rich, ribbon-stripe mahogany in a Brentwood finish, and feature sophisticated detailing like burnished brass bail pull hardware and brass ferrules. Adding extra glamour to this look are accent pieces with antiqued mirrored panels, bringing light and drama to your room. Other collection highlights include an upholstered bed with brass nailheads, an extendable mahogany dining table, and media storage pieces incorporating the best in fashionable and functional design.
The Kensington Place collection is a great option if you are looking for Transitional furniture in the Erie, Meadville, Pittsburgh, Warren, Pennsylvania area.
These images are representative of this group as a whole and may differ from this item.
Browse other items in the Kensington Place collection from John V Schultz Furniture in the Erie, Meadville, Pittsburgh, Warren, Pennsylvania area.
This item has been tagged as: Living Room Furniture, Accent Furniture, Occasional Furniture, Cabinet, Cabinet Tables, Storage Tables, Small Storage Cabinet, Chairside Cabinet, Short Cabinet, Accent Cabinet, Commode, Cocktail Tables, Lift – Top Cocktail Table, Storage Table, Cocktail Coffee Table, Cocktail Table with Storage, Coffee Table, Lift – Top Coffee Table, Coffee Table with Storage, Couch Table, Magazine Storage, Sitting Room Tables, End Table, Chairside Table, Coffee and End Tables, Furniture End Tables, Accent Table, Lamp Table, Pedestal Table, Hall Tree, Storage Hall Tree, Hall Tree with Storage, Coat Rack, Hall Tree Coat Rack, Entry Hall Tree, Hat Rack, Hall Trees with Benches, Bench and Hall Tree, Clothes Tree, Hall Tree Furniture, Entry Furniture, Foyer Furniture, Sofa Table, Furniture Sofa Table, Console Table, Sofa Console Tables, Sofa End Table, Secretary Desk, Table Desk, Wine Rack, Wine Glass Rack, Wine Storage, Wine Bottle Storage, Wine Storage Rack, Wine Bottle Rack, Cabinet Wine Rack, Wine Glass Storage, Wine Storage Cabinet, Larder, Kitchen Storage, Dining Room Storage, Occasional Tables
Nothing on this page may be copied or reproduced without explicit permission.


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My home
This is where I live. For now at least. Have the Christmas lights set up outside. Was at Walmart this morning, and I had to refrain myself from buying those cheesy lawn Christmas lights. There were 5-foot lighted snowmen, candycanes, etc. Some houses in the neighbourhood have already put up beautiful decorations. This is where the Malaysian kiasu-ism kicks in. Need to be bigger. Better. Brighter.


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When the fourth-largest golf course management company in the U.S. came to Pisgah Forest with promises of a "solid membership plan to elevate participation" for Glen Cannon Country Club, optimism reigned with the Board of Directors.
When the fourth-largest golf course management company in the United States came to tiny Pisgah Forest with promises of a "solid membership plan to elevate participation and attract new members" for the semi-private Glen Cannon Country Club, optimism reigned with the Board of Directors and its membership.
Thanks to the tough economic conditions in Western North Carolina, the Glen Cannon board formed a committee in 2011 to explore options to reverse its downward trend of memberships and its slumping cash flow. In November 2011, the Board voted unanimously to contract with Billy Casper Golf.
A BCG news release at the time stated that "BCG will oversee all aspects of Glen Cannon's member programs, operations, golf course and property maintenance, sales, marketing and public relations, staffing and training, merchandising, restaurant and banquet activities, financial management and special events."
Don Dickson, president of the Glen Cannon board, conveyed his optimism with the agreement by saying that "the company's success enhancing performance of similar properties resonated with our team."
What the Glen Cannon membership actually experienced under BCG's management has put the club in a dire financial position.
Vendors are owed tens of thousands of dollars in past-due bills, significant operating losses, a loss of 66 golf and social memberships and a severely damaged golf course.
"It is unfortunate that we are left with so little money that we can't hire an attorney to handle remuneration of damages. The answer to our problem is getting more cash in the form of new members and/or more play by outside golfers," said Glen Cannon member Jerry Clouse.
"What BCG promised sounded really good. Boasting of success with other clubs nationwide, they said they would bring in a professional management team to oversee and improve everything: the pro shop, the restaurant, the pool and certainly the course. They specifically claimed they would increase membership, increase outside play, publicize the club," said club member Joe Nassar.
"We are bound by a confidentiality requirement, and unfortunately, need to refrain from such dialog at this time," said Billy Casper Golf Managing Director Rich Katz.
Glen Cannon member Dennis Felker said the course steadily went downhill when BCG took control.
"To say the least, GCCC members were enthusiastic about our future. In 2013, the direction of Glen Cannon did not improve under the management of BCG. They got worse. Our greens were dying; crabgrass was everywhere and even spreading into the greens," said Felker.
Nassar said one of the biggest problems was upkeep of the course.
"This past winter, herbicide was not applied to the fairways while the Bermuda was dormant. Consequently, intrusive grasses flourished, so did clover and other broadleafs, especially on the tees. Before BCG, their weeds had been killed off before spring," said Nassar. "Also, there were times when phones were cut off, supply orders were refused, trash was not collected, facilities were not cleaned, equipment repairs could not be completed, etc. All because accounts were in arrears."
Another thing that suffered was membership, according to Glen Cannon member Carol Bryant.
"BCG spoke to our membership and promised many things. The numbers they presented as to how much they could increase membership were questioned, but they had supposedly done studies on demographics, etc.," she said.
"Ultimately, we lost many long-time and dedicated members. Since taking over the management in early 2012, our club has deteriorated immensely. The management staff they brought in was total unqualified to improve Glen Cannon. The general manager had never managed a golf club before. Unfortunately, the least competent member of their team was the head groundskeeper."
Clouse said he still can't believe how much the club changed under BCG.
"My wife and I were in (a) meeting listening to the BCG representatives fill our hearts and minds with detailed plans for the overall recovery of Glen Cannon, all based on their extensive experience. When we left the room, I found myself feeling extremely positive somehow BCG would turn things around," said Clouse.
In July 2013, the board ended its management relationship with BCG. Now the club members are hoping to bring Glen Cannon back to life.
"The board and the members' primary goal is to keep the club viable, first through the remainder of 2013, and then with a renaissance in 2014. At ground level, work has already begun on the course under our (former) faithful and highly accomplished groundskeeper, Marvin Holland. Given time and reasonable resources, he'll revive the course," said Nassar.
Felker agreed.
"Now, with our former greens personnel under Glen Cannon direction, our golf course is on the road to recovery. With the improving course conditions, the next challenge is regaining our reputation among all of our golfers. The return of these golfers to Glen Cannon will be the key to our ability to our viability," said Felker.
Glen Cannon had sustained itself as an independent club since 1966 with many hours of back-breaking work and dedication by its board members.
"They were joined by many member volunteers, men and women who ran fairway and rough mowers, did beautification plantings on all the tees, painted and repaired buildings, prepped the pool and tennis courts each spring, and on and on," said Nassar.
According to the "National Rounds Played Report," the annual number of golf rounds played in 2013 are down 5.6 percent as compared to 2012, with past decade trends showing declining rounds nationally.
"Dozens of clubs facing cash shortages or foreclosure have closed. Others, trying to avoid major cutbacks, have reduced fees and modified admission requirements. Clubs that have survived the recession have undertaken sweeping makeovers, often pitting long-held traditions against the need to attract the next generation of members," said New York-based writer Kathleen Kingsbury.
All of the odds and trends appear to be against the board and membership of Glen Cannon, but the members are ready to put in the hours of hard work. They have already started repairing a lot of the damage and have two temporary greens to replace the unplayable ones. The 15th hole still remains closed.
"After many happy years at Glen Cannon, we can only hope and pray that the dedicated membership can bring the club and course back to life. It is a beautiful facility and an asset to the community," said Bryant.


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Rootstech Takeaways: DNA to Complement Traditional Research
February 19, 2011 by © Joan Miller - Luxegen Genealogy.
Filed under DNA, genealogy
This continues my series on Rootstech 2011 Takeaway messages. Genetic genealogy is one of my interests. I retired from a long career in medical research (genetics and autoimmunity) and enjoy using DNA to complement traditional search methods. I was fortunate to be able to attend two DNA presentations at Rootstech 2011. Schelly Talalay Dardashti presented: It's [...]


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SAVANNAH, Ga. - No. 24-ranked Valdosta State University shot rounds of 295 and 292 to take a 10-stroke lead over No. 8-ranked Lander and Newberry on Monday after the first day of the 2009 AASU/Southbridge Pirate Invitational at Southbridge Golf Club.
The Blazers finished the day with an 11-over-par 587 total, 10 strokes ahead of the Bearcats and Newberry, who are tied for second after a 21-over-par 597 total. Host Armstrong Atlantic State rebounded from a first-round 306 to shoot a second-round 292 and is fourth with a 22-over-par 598 total. No. 6 GCSU rounds out the top five with a 25-over-par 601 total.
Conference Carolinas foes Coker (606, +30) and Mount Olive (513, +37) are next at sixth and seventh place, respectively. UNC Pembroke (615, +39), playing with just four players, is eighth, followed by Georgia Southwestern (616, +40), Limestone (630, +54), Queens University of Charlotte (640, +64) and Savannah State (654, +78).
All-American Brent Witcher of Valdosta State was the only player to go under par in both rounds and leads individually after rounds of 69 and 70 on Monday for a five-under-par 139 total, three strokes ahead of GCSU's Niclas Johannson, who shot rounds of 69 and 73 for a two-under-par 142 first-day total. AASU All-American Chris Wolfe is tied for third after rounds of 74 and 70 on Monday for an even-par 144 total, along with Newberry's Daniel Stanley, who carded rounds of 71 and 73. Lander's Billy Belair rounds out the individual top five with a two-over-par 146 total after shooting rounds of 76 and 70.
For the host Pirates, sophomore Parker Gordon is tied for sixth individually after carding rounds of 75 and 72 for a three-over-par 147, giving AASU two players in the top 10. Freshman Matthew Motes is tied for 24th after rounds of 78 and 75 on Monday, carding an eight-over-par 153 total. Junior Jon Wingate is tied for 34th after rounds of 80 and 75 with an 11-over-par 155 total, while senior Justin Smith is tied for 38th after rounds of 79 and 78 for a 13-over-par 157 total.
Playing as individuals, David Patterson (80-74=154, +10) and Mark Rocker (73-81=154, +10) are tied for 30th for the Pirates. Dustin Allen is tied for 46th with a 160 total after rounds of 87 and 73.
The tournament concludes with a single round of 18 holes on Tuesday, with tee times beginning at 7:30 a.m. AASU will tee off beginning at 9:18 a.m., with the leaders teeing off beginning at 10:03 a.m.


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CrimsonAndWest needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 21 designs submitted by 11 freelance designers.
Looking to relaunch with a more professional and user friendly site. Looking for a punk/grungy feel.
Desired Color Scheme:
red black and white
Desired Style:
Accepted File Formats:
Layered Formats (.psd or .tiff)
Looking for a redesign of our current site http://tinyurl.com/22fcr9
The site currently seems cluttered and a little harsh on the eyes. Would like to improve usability by removing a lot of the links on the main menu that no one ever uses.  Sites that are similar to what we want to achieve are purevolume and unsigned dot com.
 So the new main links should be Home, Browse, Music, Gallery, Forum.
 Would like to move the login to the header.
Also looking for better placement of ads.Â
Looking for a punk/grungy feel without being hard on the eyes.
Also need a section for featured artist, that should be prominent.


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Topic Tests for AS / A Level Year 1 AQA: Stats & Mechanics
A perfect solution for every situation!
Amazingly accurate… an excellent set of questions and a very useful tool for teachers and students… a brilliant resource. S Ashton, Examiner and Independent Reviewer
The way the topic tests go from Fundamentals to Challenge to Expert really builds student confidence. Dr M Qume, Parent and Happy Customer


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Writer-director Ryan Coogler's touching, uneven "Fruitvale Station," winner of the Audience Award at the 2013 Sundance film festival, opens with actual caught-on-the-sly phone footage of a police smackdown in Oakland, Calif., in which 22-year-old African-American Oscar Grant ends up shot in the back after being pulled from a subway car during a New Year's Eve fracas. He subsequently died in the hospital, triggering massive street protests. The white Bay Area Rapid Transit officer who did the shooting – he claimed he thought he was using a Taser and not a gun – was charged with involuntary manslaughter and was out of prison in less than a year.
Because we know from the beginning what will happen to Oscar, the ensuing film, dramatized in a series of flashbacks going back several years to his 2007 stint in San Quentin, has a fatalistic pull. Even the most mundane situations are charged with ominousness.
As played by Michael B. Jordan ("The Wire," "Friday Night Lights") Oscar is a hang-loose charmer who loves his devoted 4-year-old daughter, Tatiana (Ariana Neal), and is trying, not altogether successfully, to stay faithful to his girlfriend, Sophina (Melonie Diaz), the child's mother. He pretends to her that he still has his job at a local grocery store, even though he was fired for showing up chronically late. To make ends meet, he deals dope.
Coogler, in his feature-film debut, doesn't trust us to make up our own minds about Oscar, who apparently never pretended to be a saint. It should not have been necessary here to portray him as such (or close to it). His dope dealing is soft-pedaled, and the subway incident that led to the confrontation paints Oscar as entirely blameless. He is shown to be the most doting of sons, and grandsons. Without hitting on her, he offers helpful tips to a pretty local shopper on how best to prepare for a fish fry. (He even puts his grammy on the phone to speak with her.) His connection to his daughter is so honeyed that we are even treated to slo-mo shots of them gamboling together.
He is even kind to stray dogs, one of which, in the film's most flagrant shout-out for sympathy, is killed in a hit-and-run, leaving Oscar wailing with the dead dog in his arms on a deserted stretch of road.
Did Coogler believe that, without these sops to the audience, Oscar's death might seem less outrageous to us? A more complicated filmmaker could have depicted Oscar with far less sanctity and still kept us in his corner. As it is, the film, inadvertently perhaps, campaigns for justice based on Oscar's inherent goodness. A better film would have made a case for his inherent humanity.
The only character in the film who seems to have the requisite gravity is Oscar's mother, Wanda (the marvelous Octavia Spencer), whose scene with her son in San Quentin is as hard-bitten as the rest of the film isn't. She puts it to her son: If you love your daughter so much, why are you in here? But even Wanda is tenderized as the movie settles into a present-day haze of wary conviviality. We want more of this woman, and Coogler gives us less.
Until the end, that is. The family's hospital wake is excruciatingly moving, and even though we are aware that Coogler is pulling out all the stops, it's impossible not to feel carried away by the spectacle – or by Spencer's acting. It's significant that sorrow, and not rage, is the presiding emotion in this scene. Although Coogler surely wants his movie to serve as a weapon against racially charged police brutality, he's smart enough, and sensitive enough, to know that this is above all a human tragedy – and not a political rallying point. Grade: B (Rated R for some violence, language throughout, some drug use.)


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Cindy Ragin (301) 734-7280
Angela Harless (202) 720-4623
WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2008--The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will hold a series of public meetings on its national bovine tuberculosis (TB) program. The meetings will take place next month in Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, California and Washington, D.C.
"We want to hear directly from producers and stakeholders on our TB program and are looking for innovative, realistic approaches to effectively addressing this disease in the United States," said APHIS administrator Cindy Smith. "We can improve the TB program so that it can meet current challenges, but public participation is vital to reach that goal."
APHIS will gather information and feedback from producers and stakeholders, and through these public meetings there will be an opportunity for group discussions. These discussions will explore approaches to reducing the risk of disease transmission from affected herds, disease mitigation measures for wildlife and whether the program's objective should be eradication or control of TB in domestic livestock. Other topics include budget concerns, import issues and indemnities. Meeting participants have the opportunity to pose questions and offer written and oral comments.
The public meetings will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time, with registration one hour prior to each meeting. The meetings will be held in the following locations:
Monday, December 8: Holiday Inn South/Convention Center, 6820 South Cedar Street, Lansing, Mich. 48911.
Wednesday, December 10: Hilton Minneapolis, 1001 Marquette Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minn. 55403.
Thursday, December 11: Hilton Garden Inn Austin Downtown, 500 North IH 35, Austin, Texas 78701.
Friday, December 12: Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel, 1230 J Street, Sacramento, Calif. 95814.
Tuesday, December 16: Renaissance M Street Hotel, 1143 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037
Additional information on the meetings can be found at /newsroom/
Bovine TB is a contagious and infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis. It affects cattle, bison, deer, elk, goats and other warm-blooded species and can be fatal. While USDA and the states have robust surveillance and control measures in place for TB, outbreaks of the disease are costly to both producers and the government. Since 2002, USDA has spent approximately $90 million on TB control activities and owner indemnification.
This action was published in the Nov. 20 Federal Register.
Note to Reporters: USDA news releases, program announcements and media advisories are available on the Internet. Go to the APHIS news release page at /newsroom. Also, anyone with an e-mail address can sign up to receive APHIS press releases automatically. Send an e-mail message to email@example.com and leave the subject blank. In the message, type
subscribe press_releases.


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Cricket Design Works Herb & Spice Prints
is a full-service visual communications consultancy based out of Madison, Wisconsin. We printed their multi-colored
a few years back and completed this tasty poster duo for them just this past winter. Appealing to both our eyes and taste buds, these illustrative posters were letterpress printed on Crane Lettra Pearl White cotton stock wtih three inks, a green, an orange, and a brown common to both versions. Nestled amongst a massive amount of foodie knowledge, the illustrations keep solid areas of color to a minimum, really showing off the letterpress impression with some hand drawn line work.


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St Christopher's Oasis-Female Only
Welcome to the Oasis - Female only dorms, bathrooms and connecting spaces.
The Oasis is exactly what it sounds like – a tranquil, female only collection of hostel dorms, rooms and bathrooms - in the heart of London.
Located on the second floor of the Village hostel in central London, this female only hostel space can only be accessed using special key cards. After this extra level of security, every bathroom, dorm bed and access area is female only and full of extra little luxuries to make you trip extra special.
The History of the Oasis: The famous Oasis building was an entirely female only hostel on the same street at the Village hostel in London. In 2015 this was relocated to a separated section of the Village hostel, just down the road.
What's different at the new, improved and relocated London Oasis? The facilities you knew and loved at the old London Oasis are the same at the relocated Oasis. In fact, they're a lot better! The new Oasis is inside the UK flagship St Christopher's hostel – The Village. That means brand new bathrooms and super fresh bedrooms too!
What is mixed sex at the Oasis? The reception and check in, just like before, are located at the front desk of the Village hostel. Breakfast is here too – again just like it was before.
What's Nearby? When you've finished tasting the foodie treats at Borough Market just over the road, head to the nearby River Thames to take advantage of an awesome walking route.
After you pass The London Dungeons, head west to take in St Paul's Cathedral, the Tate Modern Gallery, OXO Tower, British Film Institute, Southbank Centre, London Eye and the Houses of Parliament!
Better yet this London Bridge hostel is a short train ride away from Greenwich with the famous observatory where time is set and the 02 Arena!
Please note that guests under the age of 18 must stay in a private room with a parent or legal guardian. They cannot stay in the dorms with people who are not a part of their own group or family. Under-18s are not permitted in the bars or pubs. Group bookings are not be guaranteed to be placed in the same room, subject to availability. Please contact us prior to your arrival to check arrangements. Check-in: 2pm. Valid UK Drivers Licenses, Valid Passport's and a Valid European Identity Card's is required upon check-in. No matter which hostel you're checking into, reception is at the Village. The Village is just a few minutes walk past the Oasis at 165 Borough High Street. Breakfast and all common facilities are also available at The Village. You pay for your room upon arrival but please make sure your credit card is valid. Cards are verified the night before arrival and bookings with invalid credit cards may be cancelled. If you have booked using a debit card, you must contact the hostel at least 24hrs before arrival to confirm. Please note: American Express cards are not accepted
Availability & RatesTo view availability and prices please select dates and click 'Update Dates'
Hostel Facilities & Policies
- 24 Hour Reception
- 24 Hour Security
- Adaptors
- Age Restriction
- Air Conditioning
- Bar
- Book Exchange
- Breakfast Not Included
- Common Room
- Credit Cards Accepted
- Dryer
- Elevator
- Free City Maps
- Free City Tour
- Free Internet Access
- Free WiFi
- Hair Dryers
- Hair Dryers For Hire
- Hot Showers
- House Keeping
- Internet Access
- Iron / Ironing Board
- Key Card Access
- Laundry Facilities
- Linen Included
- Security Lockers
- Luggage Storage
- Meals Available
- Microwave
- Nightclub
- No Curfew
- Non Smoking
- Outdoor Terrace
- Reading Light
- Restaurant
- Taxes included
- Tea & Coffee Making Facilities
- Tours/Travel Desk
- Towels For Hire
- Towels Included
- Vending Machines
- Washing Machine
- Wi-Fi
Cancellation PolicyThis property has a 3 day cancellation policy. Failure to cancel within this time will result in a cancellation charge equal to the first night of your stay.
Must-Read Hostel InfoThis property has specific Terms & Conditions.
The Oasis is located on the second floor of St Christopher's The Village, It is a different aisle of the building with an extra key card access.
Check-in: 2pm. Valid UK Drivers Licenses, Valid Passport's and a Valid European Identity Card's is required upon check-in.
Group bookings are not guaranteed to be in the same room and are subject to availability. Please contact the hostel prior to your arrival to check if there is availability.
Please note that guests under 18 years of age must stay in a private room with guardians. They cannot share in general dormitory rooms with people who are not part of their own group or family. Under-18s are not allowed in the bars or pubs. If you do not make this clear and book children into a mixed dorm, your reservation will be cancelled upon arrival and you will not receive a refund.
Please note that the maximum stay policy is 14 days
Please note: American Express cards are not accepted. This property may pre-authorise your card before arrival.
A £2 key card deposit will be required upon check in (refundable on check out)
Breakfast not included, £3 for unlimited continental buffet.
DirectionsShow MapHide Map
From Heathrow Airport:
Take the Piccadilly line to Green Park; change on to the eastbound Jubilee Line to London Bridge. Take the Borough High St exit escalators to street level and turn left. From here it's less than five minutes' walk. Please print the map above to help you find your way.
Located Near
With St Christopher's you get the best of all worlds - the quiet Oasis, the historic Inn and party-central Village have everything you could ever possibly need. Living so close to the city centre allows you to walk to the River Thames, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, the London Dungeon, St Paul's Cathedral, the Tate Modern Gallery and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. These are the attractions that don't need an introduction or an explanation and they're the reasons why thousands of tourists come to London every year.
There is also the Borough Market, a traditional fruit and vegetable market that also sells speciality food, seafood and organic and fair trade foods. The weekend crowds are more than enough reason to include this on your must see list, when visiting England's capital. Grab a coffee at one of the cosy market-side caf���ï���ÿ���ýs and watch the world go by.


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Don Martin was an American cartoonist and one of the most prominent and productive artists of Mad Magazine. He was born in Paterson, New Jersey, and attended the Newark Art School and the Philadelphia Academy of Arts. Among his graphic influences were James Thurber and Saul Steinberg. He also expressed admiration for Robert Crumb as a graphic artist, less as a gag writer.
He settled in New York and began his career doing illustrations for jazz records, postcards and the science fiction magazines Fantasy and Galaxy. He joined Harvey Kurtzman's Mad magazine in 1956 and his work was published in the magazine until 1988. Unlike other artists, Martin had his own section in Mad, called the 'Don Martin Dept.'.
He became one of the most important satirical comic makers of the United States, with characters like Fester Bestertester and Captain Klutz. He became legendary for his zany sound effects. American superheroes were a topic Martin especially liked to pick on. He left Mad in late 1987 after an argument with publisher Bill Gaines. He then worked with Cracked for six years, before launching his own short-lived title, Don Martin Magazine. He had a daily strip called 'The Nutheads' between 1989 and 1993, initially through Universal Press Syndicate, but later through self-syndication.
More Fairytales Scenes We'd Like To See (The Frog Prince)
Failing eyesight forced him to reduce his production, but Martin remained active well into the 1990s. Martin, who had lived in Miami for most of his life, died of cancer in Coconut Grove, Florida, in the year 2000. Many humorous comic artists mention Don Martin as an important influence. He is often called "Mad's Maddest Artist".
Original Don Martin watercolor dedicated to Lambiek


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Learn to Ride: Tanahey Playground
Saturday, May 18, 2013
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Please note: This event has already taken place. Please use the Search options on the right to find upcoming events.
Prepare your child to experience beautiful spring weather on a bicycle. NYC Parks and Bike New York present the Learn to Ride program, providing free bike riding classes for children. Conducted by our trained professionals, learning can be easy and safe.
Participants must bring their own bicycle and helmet.
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NYC Parks
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Best for Kids, Bike Month NYC, Learn To Ride


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text: SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Texas Instruments Inc. TXN, -1.68% on Monday narrowed its sales and earnings outlook for the fourth quarter. The Dallas-based chip maker said it now expects revenue in the range of $2.89 billion to $3.01 billion, compared with a previous range of $2.83 billion to $3.07 billion. TI also said it now expects a profit of 5 cents a share to 9 cents a share, compared with a prior outlook of 23 cents a share to 31 cents a share. The company's earnings per share estimate includes charges worth 21 cents a share in connection with TI's restructuring of its wireless business. Shares of TI were up 1.6% in after-hours trading.


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PDC bit from baker Hughes
PDC bit from baker Hughes
This ain't a realistic tattoo but i drew it this way on purpose because i think looks tougher this way…coming straight outta Ozona TX Baby !!!
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Thanks for visiting fans.righands.com, where you can share your oil patch job experiences, photos and videos. If you work in the oilfield, we'd love to see / hear about your job as a toolpusher, driller, derrickman, motorman, floorhand or roughneck or whatever oilfield related job / job duties you may have. Use the big orange button at the top right to submit your work favorite photos of what you have seen in the oil patch.


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Harmonizing Population and Coastal Resources in the Philippines
Harmonizing Population and Coastal Resources in the Philippines
With half of the human population now living on or near the world's coasts, maintaining a healthy interdependence between coastal ecosystems and human communities is critical to the stability of both. In the Philippines, progressive communities have begun to show how that interdependence can best work.
Just a 15-minute boat ride off the coast of the Philippines province of Iloilo is the island of Guimaras, famous for its beautiful unspoiled beaches and the Philippines' sweetest mangoes. Tourist companies tout the bountiful seas here, "teeming with fresh fish, shellfish, and lobsters. White-sand beaches, falls, springs, off-shore islets, coves, and caves-gateway to some of the best diving sites." However, the casual visitor smitten by the natural beauty might miss one of the best-kept secrets of the world.
Guimaras and Iloilo, paradoxically, are among the 20 poorest provinces in the country. Both host important marine resources, a growing population, and increasing poverty. But a quiet revolution is taking place here: People have started taking matters into their own hands, testing never-before-seen approaches to staving off poverty, sustaining nature's bounty, and minimizing a growing population's demands on resources. These are ordinary rural folk, hardly within the ambit of modern technology, not even electricity. These are women with limited access, if any, to economic opportunities; men who toil on the land and seas in earnest; and children who trek three kilometers of dirt road to school every day.
The children are observant: they notice that their fathers have been catching less fish. The town has also been losing some of its mangroves and seagrasses, which provide breeding and feeding grounds for fish and economic opportunities for the townsfolk. But over the last three years, the children have been learning about ways to protect the environment, secure their families' wellbeing, and delay sexual initiation and childbearing.
Coasts and Wellbeing
This realization is critical. In the world today, more than 3 billion people live along a coastline or within 200 kilometers (125 miles) of one, and the coastal population may double by 2025. This concentration of people in coastal regions has many economic benefits: more transportation links, industrial and urban development, revenue from tourism, and food products. The combined effects of booming population growth and economic and technological developments, however, are threatening the ecosystems that provide these economic benefits.
Fourteen of the world's 17 megacities-those with populations of at least 10 million people-are located on coasts, as are two-fifths of smaller cities (populations of 1 million to 10 million). The urbanization of coasts has increased coastal pollution (80 percent of marine pollution comes from land-based sources). Worldwide, sewage remains the largest source of contamination, with discharges increasing dramatically in the past three decades.
Thus population growth and its effects help degrade marine ecosystems in general, including coral reefs, and coastal ecosystems in particular-yet maintaining healthy coastal habitats for marine organisms is critical because most of the world's fish catch produces its young inshore and feeds on organisms in coastal waters. Coastal fish stocks in some regions are down to 30 percent or less of the supply that existed 30 years ago.
One particular type of coastal ecosystem, mangrove forests, has been especially hard hit; about half of the world's mangrove forests are gone. These forests, which grow at the water's edge along about 8 percent of the world's coastlines and 25 percent of the world's tropical coastlines, absorb the impact of storms and provide nutrients for most of the world's marine life. Mangrove forests have been cleared for commercial and development purposes, including fish and shrimp ponds, logging, human settlement, and agricultural and industrial development. The Philippines, as well as Kenya, Liberia, and Puerto Rico, have lost over 70 percent of their mangroves.
Integrated Solutions
Around the world, a number of programs have sought to address population, health, and environmental connections by incorporating reproductive health information and services into environmental protection efforts or adding environmental issues to reproductive health or population education programs. Examples include the rural development programs of the 1970s and 1980s and the more recent integrated conservation and development projects (ICDPs). ICDPs were popular and well-supported by conservation organizations and development agencies in the mid-1980s. But highly publicized evaluations and critiques of ICDPs questioned their effectiveness in meeting conservation goals.
Today, conservation organizations are exploring other ways to develop integrated programs. Newer projects tend to be smaller than ICDPs and to build on partnerships between sectors instead of incorporating all functions into a single project. A new generation of integrated population, health, and environment programs is being implemented in a variety of countries, including Ecuador, Guatemala, Belize, Madagascar, Tanzania, and the Philippines. The synergy produced by integrating family planning and conservation activities into community-based projects can create more effective and sustainable programs.
In these smaller projects, ecologists, health specialists, and community development experts connect a number of factors, including environmental stress, fertility, migration, women's health, women's educational status, and economic decisions. Nearly 50 of these projects have been documented, and many are being carried out in the world's biodiversity hotspots and tropical wildernesses.
Because the Philippines has the second largest coastline in Asia and 60 percent of its people live on the coasts, the health and economic well-being of Filipinos is acutely tied the country's coastal ecosystems. A U.S. NGO, Save the Children, is helping Filipinos in 12 fishing communities (including Iloilo and Guimaras) balance the demands of population growth with coastal preservation via an innovative project called People and Environment Co-Existence Project (PESCO-Dev).
Building on participatory research, community mobilization, and pilot projects, PESCO-Dev seeks to understand how population dynamics affect fishing practices. An environmental site assessment investigated coastal environmental conditions, resource management practices, population dynamics, and community attitudes toward both population and environmental issues. Geographic information system maps compared population and land-use data from 50 years ago with recent trends. Local communities constructed three-dimensional maps highlighting current land-use patterns relative to environmental resources.
"There is a certain awareness now in the barangay [village] about coastal resource management," says Barangay Captain Fernando Balidiong, of Alegria in Guimaras. "Residents take care of the mangroves and monitor them and we have also become more alert in looking out for illegal fishing activities." Balidiong also hopes that training couples in family planning will help balance population with natural resources. "We do not want to see the day when there will be no more resources for the residents of this barangay," he says.
Local policymakers agree. "We have to take stock of our people and natural resources. The breeding of people as much as the fishes should be addressed," says Felipe Hilan Nava, a physician and mayor of the Municipality of Jordan, Guimaras' capital. "If we don't strike a balance now, we lose eventually." Nava and Dr. Esteban Magalona, municipal health officer of Sibugnay, both believe that linking human population issues to the environment accounts for what they describe as an increase in Family Planning (FP) acceptors. Nava says the project "brought in the finer details and fine tuned" the government's family planning program through regular family planning sessions and the skills development training given to the FP trainers.
Midwives and Messages
At the forefront of these initiatives are local midwives, like Susan Dignadice. Like other Filipina rural midwives, she manages the barangay health center as well as three or four smaller centers. Recently, Susan was recognized as one of the country's outstanding midwives by the Philippines Integrated Midwives Association and Johnson and Johnson, distinguishing herself as an "environmental midwife" for her efforts to link family planning with environmental conservation.
She does this in two ways. The first is her community-based nutrition and clean-green projects that involve backyard gardening; she works hard to motivate people to plant root crops and vegetables. The second is the support she and her network of health workers have given the mangrove reforestation project in barangay Mangoroco. "As a family planning project linked to the environment," she says, "we were part of the entire process, from the moment the barangay made an assessment of its coastal resources to the time when the residents planted mangroves. It is important to be part of the process so that the people will believe you. Leadership by example is key."
Local leaders, in fact, are helping to spread the message, including the popular mayor of the town of Concepción, Dr. Raul Banias: "We grow by three babies a day. The town of Concepción has a population growth rate of 2.8 percent, higher than the national average of 2.4 percent.... It stretches our resources, it stretches our services, and if you factor the vulnerability of the ecosystem, especially in the islands, that will be a very big social problem if we do not address it now."
The word is spread in other ways as well. For instance, the teenagers of the Barangay Hoskyn Theater Arts Group include adolescent reproductive and sexual health messages in their plays. They even have a play that brings out the relationships between people and their natural resources. The PESCO-Dev project also uses a slogan that is printed on T-shirts and posted at health clinics and public celebrations. Roughly translated it reads, "With family planning, your health is ensured, your environment is saved." At a recent annual water parade, five boats carried population and environment messages focused on reproductive health, clean water, clean air, solid waste management, and land use.
Once community members realized that population pressure and other factors were increasing coastal sedimentation and threatening corals and fish catches, they started planting forests and began using family planning services offered at the local clinic. As a result, the use of modern family planning methods among couples of reproductive age increased by 7 percent in less than two years, and communities decided to expand protected marine areas from 12 to 203 hectares.
Government Support
Local governments and barangay councils have helped with money and manpower, especially for area-specific efforts like potable water projects, and with legislation such as local environment laws to define Marine Protected Areas. In some instances, town governments have also deployed pump boats for use in patrolling municipal waters and guarding against illegal fishing. Barangay-based organizations such as the Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Council have been deputized as fish wardens and are empowered to arrest illegal fishers.
The challenge now is replication in other communities. By working with other local groups, such as municipal governing bodies, community NGOs, and national and international partners including the Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development and the Population Reference Bureau, the project partners have been mobilizing policymakers' support for policy action and project replication. These partners have formed a national coalition for population and environment called PHE SIGUE. (In the Philippines, SIGUE means "okay, we agree, go ahead.") The SIGUE coalition is promoting regular dialogue at the national and regional levels, research studies on population and sustainable development, and policy papers based on research findings and policy consultations. In November the coalition is organizing a national conference on population, health, and environment in Manila.
While the PESCO-Dev project is small-scale and recent, its initial success provides insight into how local communities and government units can design and implement integrated population, health, and environment programs for the protection and rehabilitation of the coastal environment. Such programs are important because sustainable management of the natural resource base is the foundation of a country's economy. And without health, the economy, no matter how strong, does people no good. We need to test approaches to manage these problems at different geographic levels and for different time periods. And we need to find ways to engage policymakers on these issues. A sustained natural resource base and a healthy populace can bring the goals of poverty reduction and sustainable consumption within sight and keep them there.
Roger-Mark De Souza is the technical director of the population, health, and environment program at the Population Reference Bureau (PRB). PRB and Save the Children have been working on projects such as PESCO-Dev together for the past three years, supported by a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
References and readings for each article are available at www.worldwatch.org/pubs/mag/.


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All work done in the city "Right of Way" requires a permit and must be inspected. Inspections can be scheduled by calling (801) 944-7017.
Cottonwood Heights has adopted the most current edition of the Utah APWA Manual of Standard Plans for all work in the "Right of Way."
More information on the permit process can be found by clicking on the link.
FYI--Excavation Permits
Use this Road Permit form for all excavation, traffic control and right-of-way improvement permits. When completed, please email to firstname.lastname@example.com
Excavation Bond Agreement forms must be completed and submitted with any permit requiring a road cut.
Please note that Surety bond will not be accepted for road work in Cottonwood Heights.


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Shop Local Tip #4: Drink LocalThe next time you're buying beverages at your local Sign Up store, take a closer look at the label. Where is the beverage produced? Try to seek out beverages that are produced or bottled closer to Sign Up.
Buy regional wines or locally brewed Sign Up beers. You can also drink local at the indie pubs or coffee houses in your area to support your Sign Up baristas and bartenders.


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Hunnam fronts a new fragrance campaign for Calvin Klein, alongside supermodel Doutzen Kroes. The campaign includes wonderfully gratuitous photos of Charlie's sexy back (in posters, pictured above) and also a mystifyingly sexy commercial that features Charlie and Doutzen sultrily gazing at each other across two glamorous skyscrapers before inevitably meeting up to take the eye out of eye-fucking, if you know what I mean. Enjoy, via Charlie's Italian Facebook fan page, because they know where it's at:
And, of course, a GIF of the key makeout moment in particular:
Clearly, if Charlie was going to bring seductive, Christian Grey-worthy moves like this to the Fifty Shades movie, then he should never have been allowed to drop out.
Charlie Hunnam Says Losing His Spot in the Fifty Shades Movie Was "Heartbreaking"
Yes, This Is a Hot New Photo of Our Big Screen Christian Grey Taking a (Sexy) Bath
Photo credit: Tommaso Boddi / WireImage


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MOVIE REVIEW- Webbage a trois: Spider-Man 3 reverts to type
The first three Star Wars movies set a precedent for trilogies to peak in the middle. That changed with The Lord of the Rings and the second Star Wars trilogy, both of which saved the best for last.
In keeping with its retro-rific style, the Spider-Man series reverts to the "second best" formula (although don't bet on Sony stopping with a trilogy when the grosses are in). Spider-Man 3 is a lot of things, disappointing not among them, but it's not as great as Spider-Man 2.
It has enough plot and effects sequences for two movies, but it seems to be trying a little too hard in all departments to top its predecessors. There are a few too many "money shots" and a few too many emotional hooks. It's not Grindhouse excessive, but it's pretty relentless.
Tobey Maguire, who's owned the role from the beginning, is back and as good as ever as Peter Parker and his crimefighting alter ego, Spider-Man. Peter's on the verge of popping the question to longtime love Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst, refuting recent evidence that she's overrated), who's just made her Broadway debut. He has crime under control and everything is good, but Peter ignores the advice of his Aunt May (Rosemary Harris): "A man has to be understanding and put his wife before himself." Sure, but can he put her before a whole city that's depending on him?
Harry Osborn (James Franco) is still crushing on M.J. and still hating Spidey/Peter for killing his father, the Green Goblin. Harry is a potential villain– a scene in which he attacks Spider-Man is so out of left field (but necessary after a couple of slow scenes) it seems like a dream sequence until we see the repercussions– but he's not the only one.
Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), who killed Peter's Uncle Ben, has escaped from prison and is still trying to raise money to cure his sick daughter. "I'm not a bad person," he insists. "I've just had bad luck." He has more bad luck when a police chase lands him in the middle of a particle physics test that leaves him "demolecularized." But surprise! He remolecularizes as the Sandman, a fearsome Hulk/Thing type who terrorizes the city in the course of robbing a few banks and armored cars.
Then there's Eddie Brock (Topher Grace), who vies with Peter for a job as staff photographer on the Daily Bugle. Editor J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) says the gig will go to whoever catches Spider-Man "with his hand in the cookie jar." Things go from ugly to uglier when Eddie becomes Venom, thanks to some goop– think "The Blob" with legs- that comes out of a meteorite.
That stuff attaches to Peter first, making him his own worst enemy (and a chick magnet). To match his dark side, he gets a black Spider-Man suit (I hope there are no racial implications here), kicks ass with a heretofore unseen viciousness, and comes up with a sexy new hairstyle. He gets so denerdifed you expect a Bee Gees song to play when he struts down the street.
Instead, there's a surprise revival of a pre-disco dance craze in a scene between M.J. and Harry. In a perfect world, the triangular love story would have ended in a ménage-a-trois, but that would have called for an R rating, so things have been resolved less satisfyingly. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Gwen Stacy, who briefly becomes a fourth point on that triangle.
Eventually there's a showdown, with M.J.'s life literally hanging in the balance, Spider-Man facing Eddie's sharp teeth and Flint's sandy claws, and some suspense about which side Harry will come down on, once he puts on the Gobling.
Will M.J. end up washing Spidey-didies, or will we have to wait at least until Spider-Man 4 to see that?
Director and co-writer Sam Raimi gives us the old razzle-dazzle. If there are a few dull moments, there are more than enough lively ones to make up for them. He also works in cameos for Stan Lee and Bruce Campbell, which cause a stir among the cognoscenti in the crowd. (If you don't know them, just murmur along when it starts and you'll look hip.)
There's nothing majorly wrong with Spider-Man 3, and there's enough right to get the "summer" blockbuster season off to a flying start and set the bar impossibly high for the upcoming Fantastic Four sequel.