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Martin Guitar Contributes to Jimmy Buffets Singing for Change Charity
C.F. Martin & Co. is proud to announce as part of its ongoing corporate social responsibility initiative, the donation of 15 LX Martin Guitars to the Dessaix-Baptiste Music School in Haiti in cooperation with Jimmy Buffet's charity, "Singing For Change, (SFC)" and five guitars to The SHARE Initiative at rehabilitation hospital Shepherd Center's in Atlanta, Georgia.
When Jimmy Buffet reached out to us directly and expressed interest in donating all royalties from the LX Jimmy Buffet guitar to SFC, we knew without hesitation this was a great way to give back to international community and encourage music education," said company CEO Chris Martin."Additionally, our previous involvement and contributions to Guitars for the Troops, which benefits troops serving in Iraq, encouraged us to team up again with another great organization with the common goal of benefitting the lives of the brave men and women protecting and serving our country overseas."
15 LX Jimmy Buffet guitars are to be donated in cooperation with Jimmy and his charity to the Dessaix-Baptiste Music School in Jacmel, Haiti. SFC is devoted to "improving the quality of life for people and empowering individuals to make positive changes in the communities," and Jimmy will present the school with the instruments and royalty cash later this month.
The Dessaix-Baptiste Music School was opened in 1998 by journalist Fritz Valescot, whose mission was to offer music education to children regardless of their ability to pay tuition, and offers students instruction in string, wind, brass and percussion instruments. Instruction begins at age 6 and there are currently over 1.100 students enrolled, approximately 50 of whom are have been abandoned and left on their own with no family, or come from lower-income families. After the earthquake in 2010, many of the school's instruments were destroyed. Martin's donation will contribute to the two orchestras, chamber orchestra, three bands and two "Big Bands" the students participate in.
Five LX Real Tree guitars have been donated to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, one of the top rehabilitation hospitals in the nation which specializes in the treatment, rehabilitation and research for people with spinal cord or brain injuries. Shepherd Center is also home to The SHARE Initiative, founded by Bernie Marcus, (co-founder of The Home Depot). The program provides rehabilitation and community-based care to U.S. military service members who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and utilizes Shepherd Center's resources to treat their injuries. A component of the program gives these patients the therapy technique of learning to play the guitar, but the program only had two guitars available for use until now. Martin's donation of five LX Martin guitars will allow this program of intense yet effective therapy treatment to continue to flourish and rehabilitate soldiers.
Martin Guitar and its employees regularly makes contributions throughout the year to organization such as those above as well as the Martin Foundation and Guitars in the Classroom. Other recent donations include last month's donation of several guitars to Parents and Children Together (PACT), a leading private non-profit family service agency in conjunction with the grand opening of the Hard Rock Café Honolulu.
To lear more about C.F Martin & Co., visit www.martinguitar.com.


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Search Results
There are 2 item(s) tagged with the keyword "Book Review".
- Displaying: 1 - 2 of 2
- 1. HAVE YOU CONSIDERED Evidence Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
By Julie Von Vett and Bruce Malone
Published by Search for the Truth
As stated on the cover of HAVE YOU CONSIDERED Evidence Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, "For over 200 years, the American judicial system has upheld a standard so strong that a person's very life can be ended based on this level of confidence. It is a verdict supported by evidence that is 'beyond a reasonable doubt'... This book is the third in a series of unique devotions presenting evidence for every day of the year that demonstrates it is beyond ANY reasonable doubt that we have a Creator."
Topics cover Anatomy, Biblical Accuracy, Biology, Botany, Christian Truth, Geology, God's Design, History, and Paleontology. Below are eight summaries from 365 more detailed daily devotionals covered in this extraordinary book.
January 25: Again and again, archeology confirms that the Scriptures are true. The Bible tells of slings and stones being used as deadly weapons. David used them when he killed Goliath (1 Samuel 17), and 700 Benjamites used slings and stones and never missed (Judges 20:16). So, what have archeologists discovered? They now recognize that the ancient armies' most important weapon was the sling. See Ancient Slingshot Was as Deadly as a .44 Magnum and Slings and Stones.Click here to read more
- 2. In the Hands of Providence - Col. Joshua Chamberlain
by Karen Horne
As we commemorate the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, it seems appropriate to reflect on the leadership and courage of Joshua Chamberlain without whom the South may have very well won the battle of Gettysburg and consequently the war.
On July 2, 1863 Colonel Chamberlain with his 20th Maine Regiment was positioned at the end of the Union line. He was informed that a "desperate attack" was expected to commence on that position at any moment and was told to: "Hold that ground at all hazards." As the battle wore on his regiment ran out of ammunition. Remembering those words, "hold that ground at all hazards," Chamberlain had his men fix their bayonets and charge the enemy stopping their assault on that position and denying them the opportunity to place themselves behind the Union line and its supplies and ammunition.
He continued to serve well during the Civil War. Wounded several times during the war, the most severe was at Petersburg, Virginia, where it was thought he would not survive. He had been leading an attack when wounded. Fearing that his men would fall back if they saw him fall, he stuck his saber in the ground to hold himself upright.
After a long recovery period he returned to the Army of the Potomac and was chosen by General Grant to accept the arms and colors of Lee's defeated army at Appomattox. When the Confederate soldiers marched by, Chamberlain had his men salute them as a show of respect.
After the war he returned to teaching at Bowdoin College for a brief time and then went on to serve as Governor of Maine for four terms.
You can learn more about this incredible man by reading In the Hands of Providence by Alice Rains Trulock.Click here to read more
- Displaying: 1 - 2 of 2

subset: commoncrawl


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From checking seat belt operation to the exhaust system; brake pipes to suspension springs - our comprehensive Gold Service gives you car some serious TLC. We'll also replace the engine oil, oil filter, engine air filter, spark plugs (and where applicable points and condenser), top up fluids and we'll lubricate grease nipples.
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Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Tickets
Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Tickets Tickets Rated 0.00/5 based on 0 customer reviews 100 0
What a season for Mississippi State, who found a national star in quarterback Dak Prescott. Behind 3,449 passing yards (27 TDs) and 986 rushing yards (14 TDs), Prescott navigated the SEC's top offense with 514 yards per game. Leader of the rushing attack Josh Robinson is an Indianapolis Colt, so a running back competition is being held. With massive turnover on both sides of the ball, it won't be easy to maintain last season's success that got them a #1 ranking at one point, finishing with a 10-3 record. Even that team didn't have a particularly good defense, allowing the most passing yards in the SEC and ranking middle of the pack in scoring. Safety Jamal Peters, who ESPN graded at 87, should improve the secondary significantly upon his arrival this season. Two other four-star linebackers and two four-star defensive tackles should bolster the rebuild of the defense. Where Mississippi State will shine, however, is offensively, with Prescott and returning wideout De'Runnya Wilson, one of the conference's best. With a typically difficult SEC schedule awaiting, there isn't much buffer time to transition to new personnel. Keep an eye on that Week 2 home game against LSU as an early test. The Mississippi State Bulldogs operate under coach Dan Mullen at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville. It is the second-oldest stadium in the FBS, but it had never hosted a #1 Bulldogs team until 2014. The team fizzled out with three losses in their last four, including an Orange Bowl loss to a surprising Georgia Tech team, but it was still perhaps the best season in school history with a 9-0 start and that #1 rank. It was their fifth consecutive bowl appearance and 18th in school history, but they've still won just one conference title ever. They've also got ground to make up in their rivalries against LSU, Alabama, and Ole Miss (the Egg Bowl). But Prescott has brought a unheard of respectability to the program, so watch for this team to contend again. The 2015 home schedule includes LSU, Northwestern State, Troy, Louisiana Tech, Kentucky, Alabama, and Ole Miss. Want to ring a cowbell in person at the game? Get your Mississippi State tickets from Gold Coast Tickets!
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Deckstand Booth Pro plus other fantastic products from the Advanced Event Design Team
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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — U.S. stocks ended the week with the best gains this year, sending the Nasdaq Composite to the highest level since July 2000.
Investors shrugged off a surprise drop in industrial production data and focused on a mildly better-than-expected consumer sentiment gauge and earnings reports.
The S&P 500 index SPX, -0.31% closed 8.80 points, or 0.5%, higher at 1,838.63 and gained 2.3% over the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.52% closed 126.80 points, or 0.8%, higher at 16,154.39 and recorded a 2.3% weekly gain. All but three Dow members gained on Friday. The Nasdaq Composite COMP, -0.28% rose for the seventh consecutive session after a volatile start, adding 3.35 points, or 0.1%, to 4,244.03. The tech-heavy index gained 2.9% over the week. Read the recap of our stock market live blog.
Economic data on Friday was mixed. Earlier, a surprise drop in industrial production in January, with the cold weather knocking manufacturing and mining output, dampened the mood.
However, consumer sentiment was unchanged in February, with a preliminary reading slightly above consensus expectations, according to reports from the University of Michigan and Thomson Reuters.
"The big question surrounding U.S. equity markets at the moment is the true strength of the domestic economy," wrote Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at ConvergEx Group, a global brokerage company based in New York.
"The half-empty-glass crowd feels the answer is somewhere around 1.5% GDP growth. Half-full adherents say it is closer to 3%. Something called 'Winter' seems to be getting in the way of a clear read at the moment, even if seasonal vagaries are as much a part of February as last minute calls to the florist," Colas said.
In the corporate space, Cliffs Natural Resources CLF, +2.13% shares advanced 5.8% after the firm said late Thursday it appointed a new CEO and beat earnings estimates. Cliffs Natural announced that Gary Halverson will lead the firm a day after activist investor Casablanca Capital LP put forward a different candidate.
Campbell Soup Co. CPB, +0.99% shares rallied 5% after the company's quarterly earnings topped expectations.
Trulia US:TRLA tumbled 18% after the online real-estate listing site reported Thursday its fourth-quarter loss widened, while adjusted earnings per share missed analysts forecasts. Shares of Zillow Inc. Z, +1.22%, another online real-estate listing service, fell 10% and triggered Nasdaq's short-sale circuit breaker at about 2 p.m.
Weight Watchers International Inc. US:WTW slumped 28%. The company on Thursday reported fourth-quarter earnings of 54 cents a share and forecast 2014 earnings of $1.30 a share to $1.60 a share, sharply lower than analysts' estimate of $2.72 a share.
Agilent Technologies Inc. A, -0.96% was down 8% after reporting its earnings late Thursday. The diversified testing-equipment company said its first-quarter earnings rose, but the company's profit forecast was short of analyst expectations.
VF Corp. VFC, -2.08% slid 5.1% after its earnings results came in below expectations.
In other financial markets, European stocks close higher after economic-growth data for the euro zone showed a pickup in pace. Gross domestic product for the currency union advanced 0.3% quarter-on-quarter in the final three months of last year, with Italy ending its two-year recession.
Asia markets closed mostly higher. The dollar dropped against most major currencies, while most metals prices rose and oil prices fell.
More must-reads from MarketWatch:
When it comes to stocks, play follow the leader
Why your stocks will likely fall on Valentine's Day
3 things the Fed can't explain
You're invited to ... Bitcoin: Boom and Bust
The rise of bitcoin has triggered a lively debate over the risks and rewards of virtual currencies. If you're interested in bitcoin, and will be in New York on Tuesday, March 4, you're invited to join us for an evening of cocktails and conversation on the topic. MarketWatch Senior Columnist Robert Powell will moderate a panel discussion with guests Todd Harrison, founder and CEO of Minyanville Media, and Mark T. Williams, a banking and risk management expert and a professor at the Boston University School of Management. This MarketWatch Investing Insights event is free, but space is limited. To attend, just RSVP to firstname.lastname@example.com by Friday, Feb. 28.


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Turnbull Hunting Modern Tartan Sample
Price: $5.00
Code: KCBR-TRH-M
Turnbull Hunting Modern Tartan Sample
Our medium weight range of fabric consists of over 200 authentic tartans. Although this quality of fabric is traditionally used for kilts & making tailored goods it is also highly recommended for soft furnishings & upholstery. The tartan samples are approximately 7" x 10". Made from 100% wool woven in Scotland.
Ships in 24 hours if in stock. If out of stock please allow 1 - 2 weeks.


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Your Search Results
201 - 500 employees
56 Companies
Hudson River Trading
Hudson River Trading brings a scientific approach to trading financial products. We have built one of the world's most sophisticated computing environments for research and development. Our researchers are at the forefront of innovation in the world of algorithmic trading.
15Local Employees
Legal Tech
DISCO is the world's leading legal tech company. We automate away the parts of the practice of law that don't require human legal judgment, so lawyers can focus on doing what they went to law school to do. Our clients include corporate legal departments in financial services, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, technology, and most leading U.S. law firms.
200Local Employees
Enterprise Web • Productivity
Optimizely is the world's leader in customer experience optimization, allowing businesses to dramatically drive up the value of their digital products, commerce and campaigns through its best in class experimentation software platform.
45Local Employees
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud
LogicMonitor is the leading SaaS based performance monitoring platform for enterprise IT. We provide hosted monitoring for the entire technology stack — storage, servers, networks, applications, virtualization, and cloud — in a single, unified solution. LogicMonitor includes built-in monitoring and alerting for all devices found in the datacenter....
150Local Employees
Food • Information Technology
With the most comprehensive accounting, back office and workforce portfolio, we are restaurant peeps and technology geeks that deliver powerful solutions to streamline restaurant operations. Compeat's passion for the restaurant industry drives everything we do from how we design our products, how we serve our customers, and how we build our culture
115Local Employees
Social Solutions
We're the creators of Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) and Apricot software which support nonprofits across the globe. Our mission is to provide organizations with the tools to improve results, simplify reporting, and create efficiencies in service delivery.
200Local Employees
Bright Health
Healthtech • Insurance
At Bright Health, we're taking a new approach to healthcare, so you feel less confused and, well, brighter. No hoops. No headaches. No nonsense. Our Mission: To make healthcare right. Together. Our Vision: Collaborating with Care Partners to make healthcare simpler, personal and more affordable.
34Local Employees
Big Data • Software
Drillinginfo is a comprehensive information resource for your entire enterprise. It works for everyone, from the top floor to the rig floor. DI provides the most up-to-date land & leasing, well, and regulatory data through a powerful, easy-to-use search application. We deliver ready-to-serve results in user-friendly formats that make it easy to
195Local Employees
Restaurant365 is a rapidly growing SaaS company disrupting the restaurant industry! Our cloud-based platform provides a unique, all-in-one solution for accounting and store operations for restaurants. With our dynamic software platform, we are able to help restaurant owners manage their businesses better, faster!
175Local Employees
OJO Labs
Artificial Intelligence • Consumer Web
OJO Labs is on a mission to empower people to make better decisions through the fusion of machine and human intelligence. The company's unique, patented AI technology products can conduct text conversations with consumers at scale. We are striving to build conversational products that are indistinguishable from magic.
100Local Employees
Information Technology • On-Demand
RigUp is the world largest service marketplace for the energy industry. Our goal is to seamlessly connect service providers with buyers. Our vision is to transform the energy industry into an efficient, highly effective landscape where buyers and service-providers connect effortlessly to get the job done—whenever, wherever.
270Local Employees
Redgate Software
Redgate makes ingeniously simple tools for the Microsoft Data Platform. 91% of companies in the Fortune 100 use our tools - they are technically challenging to make, but really intuitive to use. Everything you need to work with SQL Server is available in the SQL Toolbelt.
Volunteer in local community
Open door policy
Open office floor plan
22Local Employees
Evernote was founded to address a growing problem that technology helped to create: how to succeed in a world of an ever-increasing volume and velocity of information. Our purpose is to give people the time and freedom to focus on what matters by helping them to live more organized lives.
60Local Employees
Opcity Inc
Real Estate
More and more home buyers & sellers are starting their process online, but most brokers aren't set up to consistently turn online inquiries into transactions. Opcity's platform delivers close rates 3-5x the industry average. Our executive team and investors combine expertise to uniquely position Opcity to disrupt this $500 billion market.
280Local Employees
Digital Media • Social Media
FloSports is an innovative digital sports media company dedicated to unlocking a world of sports coverage that true fans deserve! We are committed to growing the sport through the events, the athletes and the fans by providing each unique community with a platform to connect to the sports they love.
190Local Employees
Fintech • Software
Abrigo is a leading technology provider of compliance, credit risk, and lending solutions that community financial institutions use to manage risk and drive growth. The company's software automates key processes – from anti-money laundering to fraud detection to lending solutions.
150Local Employees
Dealer Inspire
Automotive • Marketing Tech
Dealer Inspire is an innovative, scrappy disruptor building unprecedented websites and technology to help dealerships sell more. Dealer Inspire has innovated digital products for every step of the car buying process, introducing new technology that helps dealers sell more while making their sales teams and processes more efficient and agile.
1Local Employees
Edtech • Mobile
Aceable is a mobile education platform, focused on creating affordable, engaging, and convenient educational content. Our Austin-based team is obsessed with helping people pursue their dreams with continued education. After launching our first mobile app to provide accredited driver's ed courses, we expanded into real estate required education.
100Local Employees
AdTech • Agency
MVF is a leading customer generation company and a rapidly growing global business working in over 120 countries in consumer and business sectors. Our platform helps ambitious businesses grow by delivering high volumes of new customers through a combination of tech, sales and cross-channel marketing.
25Local Employees


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Welcome to the Lafayette County Clerk of Court's Web Site!
Steve Land, Clerk of the Courts for Lafayette County Florida is a duly elected Constitutional Officer as mandated by Article V, Section 16 of the Constitution of the State of Florida. The electorate of Lafayette County elects the Clerk to a four-year term. Land was elected in Nov. of 2016.
Pursuant to provisions of the Florida Constitution, which have governed the people for over 150 years, the role of the Clerk of Courts has been established in three main areas;
Within these areas, the Clerk of Court, as an elected public trustee, sets in place at the county level a system of "checks and balances" which has been proven to serve the public well.
This site is designed to keep you informed and assist you in conducting your business with the Clerk's office. Please feel free to send comments and/or suggestions.
Lafayette County Clerk of Court
P.O. Box 88
Mayo, FL 32066
Phone: 386.294.1600
Fax: 386.294.4231
Publications in PDF can only be viewed and printed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4.0 or higher. The downloadable Acrobat Reader software is available at NO CHARGE from the Adobe Systems website. For more information on other files viewers go to our Accessibility page. The following documents will open in a new window.
EEO and Fair Housing Information
On or after October 1, 2002, any person preparing or filing a document for recordation in the Official Records may not include a social security number in such document, unless required by law.
Any person has a right to request a county recorder to remove, from an image or copy of an official record placed on a county recorder's publicly available Internet website or on a publicly available Internet website used by a county recorder to display public records or otherwise made electronically available to the general public, any social security number contained in an official record. Such request must be made in writing and delivered by mail, facsimile, or electronic transmission, or delivered in person, to the county recorder. The request must specify the identification page number that contains the social security number to be redacted. A fee may not be charged for the redaction of a social security number pursuant to such a request.
"Any person preparing or filing a court document should not include a social security number or a complete bank account, debit, charge, or credit card number in such document, unless required by law or court rule, or necessary to the adjudication of the case.
Any person has a right to request that the Clerk of the Circuit Court remove from an image or copy of a court document a social security number or complete bank account, debit, charge, or credit card number contained in a court document. Such request must be made in writing and delivered by mail, facsimile, electronic transmission, or in person to the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The request must specify the case number, the title of the document, and the identification page number of the document which contains the number to be redacted. A fee will not be charged for the redaction of a social security number or a complete bank account, debit, charge, or credit card number pursuant to such a request."
Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.
While the law only requires the notice to be posted on the public website, some offices have posted it as a standard footnote on e-mails as well.
MyFloridaCounty.com is a service of Florida's Clerks of Court. The website provides several online services that are fast, convenient and secure. Click on the links below to access the services which are also available en español.
Search and Order Official Records
Official Records are documents required or authorized to be recorded in one general series called "Official Records". Search thousands of records across counties, all in one place. Frequently ordering records? Create an account for streamlined checkout. Records can also be purchased online.
Pay securely by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX or Discover) or debit card. Elect to attend or decline traffic school during the payment process.
Non-custodial parents and employers can pay online with a credit card or direct debit from a bank account. Inquiry on a case's payment history is also available online.
Perform a public county search of court records online.
The Florida ePortal web site provides eFiling and eRecording capability to users with a single statewide login. Users may utilize the ePortal web interface to submit documents to Clerks and Recorders.
Find information about the Courts, public records, research how to file a small claims case or find an official record.
The Clerk's office performs nearly 1,000 different constitutional and statutory functions or duties, representing the broadest and most diverse mantle of responsibility of any locally elected official. Find out more about the many things we do and the many ways we can help you at MyFloridaClerks.com


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I have a bigger challenge, in webapp I cannot see the message body anymore.
E-Mails are also not delivered via Z-Push anymore.
I did an update to
WebApp: 188.8.131.528-470.1
Kopano Core: 8.4.0-596
Z-Push: 2.3.6
Apache version is 2.4.25
In apache I am getting [core:notice] [pid 16060] AH00052: child pid 16124 exit signal Segmentation fault (11)
for me, it looks like php-mapi is not working anymore, can you please help.


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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara swimming and diving teams were at it again Saturday afternoon battling Cal Poly in the Blue-Green Rivalry at Campus Pool. For the second straight day, the Gauchos swept the competition in both dual meets with the men topping the Mustangs, 191-107 and the women winning 167-133.
UCSB won 26 out of 32 events featuring seven Gauchos who won multiple events. The men dominated the entire day winning all but one event.
Once again both Gaucho squads won the opening 200 medley relay. The men's 'A' team of Josh Smith, Tim Freeman, Wade Allen and Chris Dotson finished in 1:33.81. The women's 'A' team of Marissa Neel, Sophia Yamauchi, Andrea Ward and Katie Tomkinson took first with a time of 1:45.30.
The men lost their first individual race after coming up just short in the 1000 free. Cal Poly's Ian Sinclair was able to hold on after a furious comeback by UCSB's Andrew Barmann on the last lap. Barmann was able to get his revenge later in the meet when he took down Sinclair to finish first in the 500 free (4:34.36). The men would not lose another event for the entire competition. For the women Heren Alanis came away with victories in the 1000 free (10:23.20) while also winning the 400 IM (4:27.84) later in the meet.
On the men's side, the freshmen had a huge day with three winning multiple events. Josh Smith posted wins in the 100 backstroke (52.07) and 200 backstroke (1:53.16) while fellow freshman Andy Castilleja came up big winning the 100 breaststroke (58.28) and the 200 breaststroke (2:05.46). Another newcomer, Mickey Mowry won both the 100 butterfly (51.38) and 200 butterfly (1:52.22).
The women featured co-captain Sophia Yamauchi who showed her versatility by taking first in the 100 backstroke (57.17) and 500 free (5:04.46). Carissa Metcalf was another multiple event winner for the Gauchos after she won the 100 breaststroke (1:04.10) and the 200 breaststroke (2:19.08).
Other winners included Lucas Norman (200 free), Chase Lemley (100 free), Alex Campbell (50 free) and Randy Aakhus (400 IM). For the women, winners included Katie Tomkinson (50 free), Allie Knight (200 backstroke) and Marissa Neel (200 butterfly).
The Gauchos rounded out the day winning both of the 400 free relays. The men's team of Campbell, Andrew Latimer, Dotson and Allen finished in 3:05.52 and the women's team of Yamauchi, Ward, Anne Peanasky and Metcalf captured the win in 3:29.60.
Ryan Gerard, for the UCSB diving team, had a very successful day down at the USC Invitational. He came out on top above other Cal Poly divers to contribute two first place finishes for the meet. He posted a score of 264.75 in the three-meter competition and 247.85 on the one-meter board. His score in the one-meter competition was good enough for third overall at the USC Invitational.
The UCSB women improve their dual meet record to 4-1 on the season while the men progress to 2-1.
The two wins evens out the score at four between the Gauchos and the Mustangs in the Blue-Green Rivalry. Click here for a complete breakdown of the points.
The Gauchos face-off against Cal Poly once more in San Luis Obispo on Feb. 9.


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The most recent data from the North Carolina Department of Commerce Labor and Economic Analysis Division show Brunswick County's unemployment rate increased by .3 percent from May to June.
Brunswick County Association of Realtors statistics show total sales for June were $91,171,000, a 13-percent decrease from the $105,530,000 in June last year; the average sale price decreased 9 percent from $259,916 to $236,190 between June 2015 and June 2016.
Economic momentum, however, seems to be moving in our county's favor.
North Carolina Department of Commerce Labor and Economic Analysis Division data for May show Brunswick County has 2,786 unemployed workers out of a labor force of 50,619, putting its unemployment rate at 5.5 percent.
Brunswick County enacted Unified Development Ordinance regulations in 2009 that put a stop to roadside stands but include exceptions that allow a property owner who grows produce on his or her property to sell the produce on site, even if it is on a roadside.
The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners decided to revisit those regulations this year after the county's planning board in May unanimously approved recommending text amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance designed to expand opportunities for farmers markets and farm stands.
After a long-term pattern of discord between members of the Brunswick County Board of Education and sitting Brunswick County Schools superintendents, it appears the rapport between current school board members and superintendent Les Tubb will result in steady progress toward improving schools in the district.
After more than 60 years as part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area, the federal government's Office of Management and Budget in February 2013 shifted Brunswick County to the Myrtle Beach, S.C., MSA based on 2010 Census data.
The Census Bureau defines MSAs as core areas containing a substantial population nucleus, together with adjacent communities that have a high degree of economic and social integration with that core.
The job of an elected coroner is to determine if a person's death was the result of natural causes, whether the person died at his own hands or someone else's or if the person's death cannot be determined without further investigation, if at all.
The coroner and his deputies not only provide investigative services with law enforcement and public safety officials, but they also render comfort to those who mourn the dead.
Our state's General Assembly last week decided that was a luxury Brunswick County could no longer afford.
AAA predicts 2016 will be a record-setting year for Independence Day travel, with more than 1.8 million Carolinians people projected to take to our roads, waters and skies. AAA defines the holiday travel period as Thursday, June 30, to Monday, July 4.
As we begin our two-part series on scams in our community and how to fight against them, we feel it is important to call attention to one aspect of these crimes related to another type of crime: elder abuse.
Brunswick County's 65-and-older population in 2010 was 21.4 percent and grew to 27 percent in 2014, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.
A firestorm has erupted over Sen. Bill Rabon's proposed Senate Bill 875, which seeks to de-annex three parcels from the town of Sunset Beach, since he filed it last month after notifying only one town official, Mayor Ron Watts.
The unofficial start of summer this year had not even gotten under way Memorial Day weekend when we reported our first seasonal tragedy in Brunswick County this year.
The deaths of 51-year-old John Wernowsky of Acworth, Ga., and his 10-year-old son, Jake, who were riding a Jet Ski together when they died in Sunset Beach, happened May 27, less than a week before 24-year-old Brian Willis, of Cleveland, Ohio, was injured in a Jet Ski accident in Ocean Isle Beach on June 2.
Two local teams — one from North Brunswick High School and the other from Brunswick Community College — are celebrating hard-earned and well-deserved success this spring.
Sports fans would be hard pressed to find a team as successful as North Brunswick's boys' track and field team, which claimed its third straight North Carolina High School Athletic Association class 2A outdoor title May 21.
That is impressive.
But remember: Including indoor state titles, the Scorpions have won six straight state championships.
Senate Bill 875 should come as no surprise to residents of state Senate District 8, specifically those in Brunswick County, who have been represented by Bill Rabon for the past six years.
During the first half of Rabon's tenure, he was touted as a champion for the district, especially the areas along the coast.
In 2011, he was among primary sponsors of Senate Bill 110 to allow terminal groins to be used as erosion control devices. It was a move supported by at least one Brunswick County beach municipality, Ocean Isle Beach.
Plans for too many public parks in Brunswick County over the past three years have been burdened by significant delays and controversies.
Not so in Belville and Shallotte.
On Saturday, May 7, more than 500 visitors attended the official opening of the Brunswick Riverwalk at Belville Park trail and fishing pier. It represents the completion of the park's first phase.
For most people, routine dental checkups are as much a part of their routine as brushing and flossing their teeth at least once a day. Good oral health is something we tend to take for granted. For too many others, however, it is a luxury they forego in favor of paying for food, shelter and other necessities like utilities and transportation.
Meet Pearl, a three-week-old cat who was tossed from a moving vehicle onto N.C. 130 last Wednesday. She suffered a broken eye socket, broken jaw and severe lacerations to her face and legs; even in a black-and-white photo, you can see the blood.
Someone saw what happened to Pearl and rescued her. The tiny kitten made it thorough emergency surgery at Ocean Isle Veterinary Hospital hours later and, after round-the-clock foster care, joined the family of Doug and Brandi Turner of Douglas Diamond Jewelers in Shallotte who will keep her safe and loved.
A lot of times when I read columns and someone writes, "The other day I was thinking about …" I usually assume it's something they've been thinking about for a long time and they just use that phrase for convenience's sake. But in this case, for this column, I really mean it.
The good news is Brunswick County reduced its premature death, prostate cancer death and colon cancer death rates last year.
The bad news is its number of injury/accidental deaths, obesity and low birth rates increased in 2015.
As for physical activity, the number of uninsured citizens and violent crime in our county, rates remained about the same. That can be considered good or bad news, depending on one's point of view.
Nearly five children in the United States die every day as a result of child abuse, according to Childhelp, a national organization dedicated to child abuse prevention. Childhelp's position, and ours, is any number is too many.
Brunswick County has not escaped this terrible problem. Just two months ago, a Leland man was charged in an updated indictment related to the death of a 15-month-old boy he is accused of killing last year.
It should not be news to anyone Brunswick County is in the throes of an epidemic caused by prescription drug and heroin abuse, but perhaps more people are beginning to realize how close to home the problem hits.
The Brunswick Coalition is working to fight it and needs your help. All it requires is a few minutes of your time to fill out a quick questionnaire, "Brunswick County Partnerships for Success Grant Community Survey," which is available online at surveymonkey.com/r/JCX5D8g.
In a crisis, many people think of law enforcement officers, firefighters and paramedics as their first responders.
But more often than not today, before they arrive at a scene, it is the dispatcher who answers the 911 call upon whom we must rely for determining the appropriate course of action.
Sight unseen and with lighting speed, these telecommunications professionals serve as a lifeline not just for those immediately facing an emergency, but also for the public safety personnel who respond to it.
Copyright © 2019
The Brunswick Beacon is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Brunswick County, North Carolina and surrounding areas.


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So. Recently Where.com offered to donate a $50 Amex Gift Card to one lucky reader on my site for giving their site a plug. (See how I just gave them a plug right there?).
And this offer got me to thinking about how many delicious baked goods could be purchased with $50, so I agreed--because surely there's got to be someone out there who would be thrilled to have money with which to go buy baked goods, right? Plus, I already have a giveaway going on for the kids--this one is for the grownups!
But here's the thing. To enter to win, you've got to do two things.
First, you've got to promise me that you will use the $50 gift card to buy baked goods or some sort of baking related equipment. You've got to PROMISE ME, and not be lying.
Second, you've got to leave a comment below telling me where you'd spend this gift card, and on what. I'll tell you right now, if I were the winner, I would, right this instant, get my butt over to Bakery Nouveau and buy an entire King Cake, and with any leftover money I'd buy a bunch of smaller pastries and be sure to leave the counter staff a nice tip. Wouldn't that be a sweet way to spend $50?
How about you--what sweet treat would you buy with $50, care of Where?
This giveaway will close one week from today, on March 4 at 3pm PST.


text: Deadheading patunia flowers is something you'll have to do before you run out of summer. Learn how to deadhead petunia flowers with help from a certified horticulturist in this free video clip. Expert: Donna Emery Contact: www.glovernursery.com Bio: Donna Emery has been a certified horticulturist for 20 years, has a two year degree in landscape design, and is a Utah-certified nursery professional. Filmmaker: Michael Burton Series Description: Planting a garden is hardly a passive investment to the aesthetic qualities of your home. Get garden tips and learn about planting and maintenance with help from a certified horticulturist in this free video series.


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Hundreds of changes, big and small, have been made for the 2002 NEC.
Can there be 10 that are the most important? First we would have to decide what makes a change important. A change that is important to one person will not necessarily be important to someone else. Also, different people will judge the changes based on different criteria.
For some, important changes are those that change what they already know, such as a frequently used article or rule that has been relocated, or a general rule that has been modified. Other people may be primarily interested in what changes will cost money, such as rule that forces them to buy more GFCI receptacles or more AFCI circuit breakers. Another point of interest is a rule that changes the type of equipment or material that will be used, such as changes in requirements for circuit breakers, or a rule that now requires some item to be listed. Any rule that changes established practice will be important to somebody too, such as a rule that changes the way a wiring method can be used or supported.
Of course all of the changes can cost a contractor money if they don't know about the new method that could save some labor or material, or if they have to redo some part of an installation because they didn't learn about a change until it was brought up on inspection.
This article will not identify the 10 most important individual changes. Rather, this article will identify 10 groups or types of changes that are likely to have an effect on electrical designers, installers and inspectors. The new Code books are scheduled to become available in September 2001. Over the next few months, a series of articles in CEE News will summarize many of the individual changes, section by section. This article provides an overview of some of the issues that will face a user of the new NEC.
None of the changes are taken lightly by the 20 Code Making Panels (CMPs) or the Technical Correlating Committee (TCC) that oversees their work. Certainly some changes will have more effect than others, but all of the changes have been supported by a formal proposal, substantiated in some manner, scrutinized by the CMP and the TCC and opened up to public comments. All of the public comments and any new evidence have been similarly considered. The NFPA membership has had a chance to vote on the panel actions, and perhaps amend a few. Finally, the NFPA Standards Council has reviewed the process and any appeals, and submitted the final document to ANSI for adoption as an American National Standard.
The changes vary from minor corrections in grammar or punctuation to new articles on new technologies that have not been addressed in the past. Sometimes the addition of a comma or a semicolon makes a significant difference in the ways a rule can be read, so occasionally a small change has a big impact. On the other hand, once in awhile, a change is accepted in the Code that essentially legitimizes a common practice, and the big new thing in the Code is nothing new at all to the people who thought that particular practice was OK all along.
We are going to look at 10 groups of changes. Each group or type may be represented by many examples, and we will not go into every example in detail. As noted, this will be just a preview of how the Code will look the next time around.
Format and Editorial Changes
A number of changes will make Code references look different throughout the book. Probably most obvious will be that the old "dash" format will be replaced with a "dot" format. This will change spoken references most of all. A section from the 1999 NEC such as "three ten dash fifteen" (310-15) will become "three ten dot fifteen" (310.15). Some people might want to call it a period, like punctuation, or a point like a decimal point. For this author, it's a dot.
Other changes in editorial format will change the way parts, subsections, and lists are referenced. For example, Section 310-15(b)(2)(a) will now be 310.15(B)(2)(a). This is meant to bring the text into a more logical and traditional outline form.
Parts have also been renamed to reflect the outline-type organization of the NEC. Consider Section 820-52(a)(1)(a). In the 1999 NEC this section was in Part E of Article 820, which is in Chapter 8. It will still be in Chapter 8, Article 820, but the part of the article will be Part V (Roman numeral 5) and the rest of the section will be 820.52(A)(1)(a).
With this scheme, the top level of the outline in an article is the part, so the highest level is a Roman numeral, the next level is the section number (in our example, 820.52). The next levels are designated by an upper case letter (A), a decimal integer (1) and a lower case letter (a).
Section 820.52(A)(1)(a) includes a list. Under the new format, a list is always numbered, and can appear under any level of the outline, so 820.52(A)(1)(a)(1) is an item in a list, and so is 547.5(G)(1).
The Code book also differentiates between higher and lower levels by setting the higher levels in bold face type.
Two other style issues include the treatment of metric equivalents and the naming of the supplementary information in the back of the book.
The supplements to the Code will be renamed "Annexes" from "Appendices." Annex A replaces Appendix A. Other appendixes are just renamed. Annex A will become a list of product standards, mostly UL Standards, with some ISA and IEEE standards included. The old contents of Appendix A, a list of references for extracted text, will now be found in bracketed notes where the extracted text appears in the Code.
Metric "equivalents" will appear first, with English foot-pound sizes in parentheses. For example, in the definition of "In sight from" in Article 100, the specified distance used to be "50 ft (15.24 m)" and now it is "15m (50 ft)." Two methods of conversion are used: "hard" and "soft." The example given was a hard conversion. The two distances in the example, 15 m and 50 ft, are deemed to be equal from the standpoint of the rules to which they apply.
Soft conversion would have reduced the distance of 50 ft to the exact equivalent of 15 m, or about 49 ft 2-½ in. As in this example, a hard conversion may change the actual dimension somewhat, whereas a soft conversion only changes the description of the dimension, with no change in actual dimensions.
Hard conversions are used when measurements are approximations in practice, such as burial depths. Hard conversions are generally preferred, unless precise dimensions need to be preserved.
Even soft conversions are only precise to the number of significant digits. One type of soft conversion is used with trade sizes because the trade size is not an actual measure.
Rather than change trade sizes to millimeters, trade sizes are given metric designators. For example, the metric trade designators for ½-, ¾-, and 1 in. trade sizes are 16, 21, and 27 respectively, which roughly correspond to metric measurements. In some cases, there are no conversions, such as a reference to a No. 6 screw, where a hard conversion would call out a metric screw that is not interchangeable, and a soft conversion would be meaningless.
New Terms and Acronyms
A new term throughout the Code is "luminaire." Of course it's not a new term in the industry, but the more commonly known and used term has been "lighting fixture" or just "fixture." Luminaire is a more encompassing term than fixture. A luminaire includes lamps and all the parts used to position and protect the lamp(s), direct, diffuse or otherwise distribute the light, enclose the ballast where there is one, and connect the lamps to a source of electricity. Where luminaire appears in the NEC will appear as "luminaire (fixture)" at least for this Code cycle.
More acronyms are appearing in the 2002 NEC, especially in Chapter 3. Many people are familiar with the acronym "EMT" for Electrical Metallic Tubing, but most of the raceway types are getting new acronyms in the Code as well. The new names include Type RMC for Rigid Metal Conduit, Type FMC for Flexible Metal Conduit and LFNC for Liquidtight Flexible Nonmetallic Conduit. It may be a while before these new names catch on as trade jargon, but in an industry where the names of things sometimes take eight words and two hyphens, the acronyms can be quite helpful (See the table on page 14).
Articles Moved, Renumbered or Extracted from Existing Articles
Most of the articles in Chapter 3 have been renumbered. The cable articles will now be Articles 320 through 340 using only even numbers to leave room for future additions. Raceway articles will be similarly numbered 342 through 362. Cabinets and Cutout Boxes have moved to Article 312 and Boxes will be covered by Article 314.
The rest of the wiring method articles, such as Busways, Article 368, follow the raceway articles. The articles that dealt with two products, such as Wireways, are now two articles, Nonmetallic Wireways, Article 378, and Metal Wireways, Article 376.
Three articles were moved from Chapter 3 to Chapter 4. The old Article 380 on Switches becomes Article 404. The old Article 384, Switchboards and Panelboards, is now Article 408. These two moves are in keeping with the titles of the chapters. Chapter 3 is Wiring Methods, and Chapter 4 is Equipment for General Use. Since Article 305, Temporary Wiring, was not really about wiring methods either, it was moved to Chapter 5, Article 527, although some disagree about whether temporary wiring is a Special Occupancy.
Two other articles were also created from existing articles. Article 406, which covers Receptacles and Cord Connectors used to be part of Article 410, which is now Luminaires, Lampholders and Lamps. Article 647, Sensitive Electronic Equipment, used to be mostly contained in Article 640, Audio Equipment.
New Articles Covering New Material
The 2002 NEC has three all new articles that cover material not previously included in the Code. Article 80 provides a set of optional administrative rules to assist jurisdictions in adopting and enforcing the NEC. Article 285 covers Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors, which are not the same as the Surge Arrestors covered in Article 380. Article 692 covers the installation and wiring aspects of the emerging fuel cell technology.
New Safety Requirements for People Servicing Equipment
At least four new changes will affect the way equipment is installed and serviced.
The first is in the definition of a "Qualified Person," which now includes a requirement for safety training.
Second, switchboards, panelboards and industrial control panels will have to be marked with a flash hazard warning. The marking does not apply to dwelling units, and trained people will know how to react to the warnings.
Third, areas with large equipment — more than 1,200A and more than 6-ft wide — must have panic hardware or the equivalent on the exit doors from the equipment spaces, and the doors have to open in the direction of travel.
Fourth, motors will have to have disconnects in sight of the motor. A lockable disconnect at the controller is no longer acceptable as the motor disconnect unless it is also in sight from the motor; in a location where installing a local disconnect might be "impracticable;" or increase hazards (such as in a hazardous location); or in a location where there is a written safety procedure, and only qualified (trained) persons will service the motor.
Revisions to Installation Requirements for Power-Limited Circuits
A series of changes in the articles that cover limited energy circuits now specifically require limited energy cables to be supported from the structure. Spacings between supports are not specified, but all such cables are now prohibited from being laid on a grid ceiling. Accessible cables such as those installed in air-handling ceilings cannot be abandoned in place. Abandoned cables must be removed where they are accessible. Cables in conduits are not considered to be accessible.
These changes affect Audio, Class 1, Class 2, Fire Alarm, fiber-optic communications, CATV and network-powered broadband communications circuits. Abandoned cables must also be removed from computer room raised floors.
Use of Gray and White Conductors
Many installers, designers and inspectors have considered white and gray to be two different colors for grounded conductors.
In fact, the color codes of yellow, orange, brown and gray for 480/277V systems and black, blue, red and white for 208/120V systems are so widely used that many people think the color codes are in the NEC somewhere. Not only are the color codes not in the NEC, but up until 2002, white and gray have not been recognized by the Code as two colors different enough to be used to distinguish between the grounded conductors of two different systems.
Now the color "natural gray," basically just some version of white, is gone from the Code language. "Gray" becomes another color besides white that can be used for identifying grounded conductors and that can't be used for anything else. In the past, some people have legitimately used gray as a "hot" conductor, where they distinguished between gray and natural gray.
Clarification of Grounding Requirements
Three changes have to do with grounding and piping systems. In 1999, the NEC changed to require a designer or installer of a separately derived system to consider only the first 5 ft of the incoming water line as an electrode. This presented a new problem in some installations, especially high-rise construction where there is no structural steel frame, because each system might have to have a grounding electrode conductor extending to the basement. Now a single riser conductor can be run up through a building for grounding of multiple separately derived systems.
Also, the outside part of a waterline that is attached to the exterior of a building has to be bonded, and the bonding of gas pipe reverts to the 1996 Code language that treated gas pipe as "other metal piping." As "other metal piping," the equipment grounding conductor that connects to electrical equipment that could energize the gas piping can also be used as a bonding means for the gas piping.
Changes in the Use of Overcurrent and Wiring Devices
Some new rules concern overcurrent devices. Circuit breakers used for switching high-intensity discharge lighting will have to be marked "HID." HID is a step up from the familiar SWD marking, so either the SWD marking or the HID marking is now permitted on fluorescent lighting circuits.
The requirement for multi-pole breakers when receptacles are supplied by more than one circuit (more than one breaker) has been extended to all occupancies.
The requirement is for a "means to simultaneously disconnect" the circuits, so handle ties might be permitted by some AHJs. A similar rule has applied to dwelling units for many years.
AFCI circuit breakers will have to protect all the bedroom outlets, including lighting outlets, not just the receptacle outlets.
As for wiring devices, dimmers are not allowed on receptacle circuits, as they are usually intended only for permanently installed fixtures (luminaires). Also, some types of energy management switches (occupancy sensors) may have to be modified.
Some types have supplied a small current through the lamp for the operation of the device. This was useful for replacing a device in a two-wire switch loop. Now, if the device has a marked off position, it must completely disconnect the ungrounded to the load. However, such switches can have "off" positions that turn the light off without being marked off.
Everyday Issues
A few little rules will change how some things are done: 1. Communications circuits in buildings are definitely within the scope of the Code and the enforcement authority of the AHJ. 2. Any permission from an AHJ allowing deviations from Code rules under the provisions of Section 90.4 has to be in writing, just like "special permission." 3. A common design specification has become a Code rule requiring field-cut threads to be recoated with an approved electrically conductive, corrosion-resistant compound wherever corrosion-protection is necessary, such as most underground conduits.
This article has covered some changes that will affect any Code user, but the Code has other important changes. Look for a more complete summary of the changes starting next month.
|Intermediate Metal Conduit
|Rigid Metal Conduit
|Flexible Metal Conduit
|Liquidtight Flexible Metal Conduit
|Rigid Nonmetallic Conduit
|Nonmetallic Underground Conduit with Conductors
|Liquidtight Flexible Nonmetallic Conduit
|Electrical Metallic Tubing
|Flexible Metallic Tubing
|Electrical Nonmetallic Tubing
Noel Williams has worked in electrical construction for 25 years. Licensed as an electrical inspector in Utah and licensed as a master electrician in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, he's co-author of the NFPA's 1999 NEC Changes.
Dann Strube is a nationally recognized NE Code expert and electrical Code consultant. He's a certified electrical inspector in Indiana.
Gregory P. Bierals is president of the Electrical Design Institute. He presents seminars nationwide on various NEC subjects.
Mike Harrington,
Managing Editor, CEE News
Primedia Business Magazines & Media
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Once pegged as a potential Steven Spielberg project, filmmaker Christopher Nolan seems to have found his next directorial effort.
Multiple sources claim Nolan is looking at the sci-fi drama "Interstellar" as his immediate next project to direct and produce. His brother, Jonathan Nolan, has already penned the script.
The story involves time travel and alternate dimensions, and sees a group of explorers travel through a wormhole. The script is based on scientific theories developed by theoretical and gravitational physicist Kip Thorne.
Dealmaking has reportedly been underway for months on the film which will be a Paramount and Warner Bros. Pictures co-production.
Source: Heat Vision


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Music: Teedra "The Lioness†Moses Is a Saturday Headliner
I'd like to think she also wrote that song about me, and all the women out there who can relate to having that special something that makes them light up a room when they walk into it.
[Helese TALKS!]
Teedra "The Lioness" Moses performed at S.O.B.'s Monday night, and personally I think she's Saturday night headliner worthy.
She debuted her latest video "Another Luvr" featuring Wale from her latest album The Lioness. She also performed her classics, "No More Tears" being one of them. It's one of the most lyrically clever break-up/female empowerment/I'm that real Bitch R&B songs that I've heard in a while. It's been a long while since I first heard the song, the acoustic version at that --my favorite version of all.
The song was on her album Complex Simplicity that came out in 2004. I'm not usually into the newest music when everyone else is --I prefer to pretend I'm above anything too "trendy"-- but I don't just listen to Teedra's first album because it's old and relatively non-mainstream, it's because it's REAL. She takes me there.
Teedra Moses represents the essence of a woman with class, graceful movements on stage, but a raunchy racy sexuality that peers through a veil of anger, heartbreak, and a determination to become a better person through it all. And she does it all while fully dressed.
She comes out on the stage and the first thing you notice is her smile, then her New Orleans accent. And she curses! Must have been her own muse when she wrote "Chic" (performed by Raphael Saadiq on his album Ray Ray). It says: I need a chic like you/the girl is always sexy/she loves backseats in taxis/and talking good and trashy ...
Sigh that's a woman after my own heart. I'd like to think she also wrote that song about me, and all the women out there who can relate to having that special something that makes them light up a room when they walk into it. And when she walked off of it, and all she left us with was her image lit up on the screen, I felt a piece of me go with her. I had healed a little bit of my issues concerning love through her music, and I needed it and I wanted to connect with her more, maybe an interview?
It wasn't meant to be, but I know my time will come to meet her again. Because in her greeting to all of the New Yorkers and people from around the country who had come to see her perform in this modest sized yet iconic venue, as long as we keep "fuckin" with her, she's going to keep blessing us with her lyrics that humor us, but also heal.
You can go to www.teedramoses.org to find out more about her and download "Another Luvr." You can also listen to other tracks off of the new album, but her best stuff is live. Youtube "Teedra Moses live" and be prepared to be upset that this stuff is not on the radio.
Helese Smauldon, Columnist for The Black Star News
Latest comments
- Ann GarrisonFebruary 22,2018 @ 08:03 PM
I think you have "Filtered HTML" turned on here. If you switch to "Full HTML," it will probably...
googletag.pubads().definePassback('6785150/BENN/BlackStarNews', [[300,250]]).setTargeting('fold',['BTF']).display();


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Developers have always exercised more influence over all things IT than generally acknowledged. But now it looks like the reach of that influence is starting to extend well into business and society itself. A new survey of 1,000 software developers in the U.S. published today by Chef, providers of an open source framework for automating the management of IT, finds that 94 percent of the developers surveyed expect to be a revolutionary influence in major segments of the economy during the next five years. Additionally, 63 percent feel a talented software developer has more power to change society than a talented public speaker.
The economic influence of software developers is rising in almost direct proportion to the scope and reach of the APIs that make the applications they develop more accessible than ever. In fact, an argument could be made that there is a direct corollary between the number of integration points and the value of the application, which is essentially a variant of a Metcalfe's Law that stipulates that the value of a network is square to the number of nodes that make up the network.
Revealed at the #ChefConf 2014 event, the Chef survey found that 91 percent of developers feel they are the most valued employees within their organizations and 86 percent of them say their skill sets are more valued today than five years ago. Not surprisingly, it follows that 69 percent of the developers surveyed described their jobs as being "recession proof." More surprisingly, 84 percent said they are getting paid what they are worth today even though 66 percent say they expect to receive a raise in the next 12 months. In fact, 56 percent says they expect to become millionaires at some point in their lives.
Contrary to popular opinion, 97 percent of the developers surveyed say they enjoy a positive working relationship with IT operations; event though 80 percent of them says outsourcing has had a net positive impact of the quality of work produced by their companies.
Soo Choi, director of customer experience for Chef, says that the rise of APIs at the infrastructure level has clearly given developers more control over the IT environment. The degree to which developers want direct control over that environment varies. In some organizations, for example, traditional IT operations teams are acquiring development skills specifically to manage the IT infrastructure environment.
By almost and measure, developers are clearly exercising more influence than ever; especially when it comes to telling business how best to apply software. The Chef survey, for example, finds that 93 percent of them feel empowered to make suggestions to changes in business processes.
Most striking of all the survey results, however, is how content developers appear to be. The survey finds that average software developer plans to stay at their current company for nine years, which would suggest that the image of the developer as malcontent may have more to do with perception than actual reality.


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Program Offers Paid Training for Unemployed Veterans
- Details
- Category: News
- Created: Tuesday, 15 May 2012 15:33
- Last Updated: Tuesday, 15 May 2012 15:33
- Written by Administrator
The program, which began today, provides 12 months of training assistance equal to the monthly full-time payment rate under the Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty program, which currently pays $1,473 per month.
Participants must be enrolled in a community college or technical school program approved for VA benefits. The program must lead to an associate degree, non-college degree or certificate.
To qualify, a veteran also must:
-- Be unemployed on the day of application;
-- Have a discharge that is not dishonorable;
-- Not be eligible for any other VA education benefit program, such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill or Montgomery GI Bill;
-- Not receive VA compensation for being unemployable;
-- Not be enrolled in a federal or state job training program; and
-- Pursue a program that leads to employment in one of 210 occupations the Labor Department designates as high-demand.
The list of occupations, available on the VA website, includes jobs in construction, machine operation, transportation, preschool education, health care and many other fields.
The program will fund up to 45,000 participants between July 1 and Sept. 30, and an additional 54,000 participants from Oct. 1, 2012 through March 31, 2014. Labor officials said the department will offer employment assistance to every veteran who completes the program.
The retraining program is funded under the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011. The law expanded education and training for veterans, strengthened the Transition Assistance Program for service members returning to civilian life, and provides tax credits for employers who hire unemployed or disabled veterans.
Eligible veterans may call 800-827-1000 to learn more about the program, or visit the websites listed below.
Related Sites:
Veterans Retraining Assistance Program [ http://gibill.va.gov/benefits/other_programs/vrap.html ]
Veterans On-Line Application [ https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal?_nfpb=true&_portlet.async=false&_pageLabel=ebenefits_myeb_vonapp1 ]


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Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
A video library for high school teachers; 6 video programs (from 30 to 55 minutes in length) and guide
1. Introduction
2. Thinking Like Scientists
Classroom footage and new footage of scientists in the field explain and illustrate the concept of inquiry.
3. Chemical Reactions
Students in a ninth-grade Principles of Science and Technology class formulate and explore their own questions about a chemical reaction.
4. Investigating Crickets
Ninth-grade biology students design and conduct experiments about crickets.
5. Exploring Mars
Students in an 11th-grade integrated science class explore how the Mars landscape may have formed.
6. The Physics of Optics
An 11th- and 12th-grade physics class looks at light, lenses, and the human eye.
© Annenberg Foundation 2017. All rights reserved. Legal Policy


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Feral swine (Sus scrofa) are a rapidly expanding invasive species in the United States damaging agriculture, natural resources, property, cultural sites, and are a disease risk to people, pets, and livestock. Manage the damage and stop feral swine!
Are you travelling to or from another country and bringing along Fluffy or Fido? You'll need to meet the animal health requirements of the country you are visiting. Learn more about Pet Travel.
Investigative and Enforcement Services (IES) is a component of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). IES is responsible for the investigation and enforcement of alleged violations relating to animal and plant issues under APHIS' jurisdiction.
NVAP is a USDA program where licensed veterinarians can choose to take additional training to become an NVAP accredited veterinarian. NVAP accredited veterinarians are authorized to certify the health status of livestock and other animals. Learn how to become an accredited veterinarian.
Improving the welfare of animals is at the core of everything we do in our Animal Care program. This particular revision fulfills a commitment APHIS first made in response to an Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit recommendation. Learn More.
Learn how Emergency Support Function 11 (ESF #11) provides coordinated Federal assistance to State, Tribal, and local governments when a major emergency or disaster overwhelms their ability to respond to certain public needs.


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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Gavin was the best big brother 4-month-old Mia could want - but not because he'll one day help her with homework or give her advice about boys. In fact, she'll never meet him.
Gavin was stillborn in September 2012, 29 weeks into Priscilla Cervoni's pregnancy. An autopsy revealed he suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that causes the heart to weaken and enlarge.
Nearly a year later, Cervoni was 29 weeks pregnant with Mia when she went in for an ultrasound. Keenly aware of Gavin's fate and the tendency for cardiomyopathy to be genetic, Cervoni's doctors had been watching the pregnancy closely. During the ultrasound, the technician asked the doctor to look at something on the black-and-white screen.
"The tech said 'come here' and the instant she said it, I knew. I looked at my husband and I started crying," said Cervoni, 34, of Clearwater. "I thought, 'Oh no, I cannot go through this again, I cannot bury another child.' "
Mia's heart looked "thick" on the ultrasound. Doctors confirmed that like Gavin, she had dilated cardiomyopathy. Mia was given drugs in utero to regulate her heartbeat and help her survive the pregnancy.
She responded so well to the drugs that doctors let the newborn go home, hoping her condition would improve. Six weeks later, though, she was admitted to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, where she's been ever since. At only 4 months old, Mia needs a new heart.
Cardiomyopathy is a general term that describes weakening of the heart caused by the muscle becoming large, thick or rigid. Dilated cardiomyopathy, said Dr. Alfred Asante-Korang, Mia's cardiologist, is when one of the ventricles - the left, in Mia's case - becomes enlarged. Mia's heart is two and a half times bigger than it should be - the size of a healthy 6-year-old's.
The condition is rare: Asante-Korang said about one out of every 1,000 babies is born with it. It can be genetic or caused by an infection.
Cervoni and her husband, Kevin, underwent testing to determine whether they carry a genetic abnormality that could cause the condition. The tests came back negative, but Asante-Korang isn't convinced. Doctors have identified about 90 genes associated with the problem, but more may yet be discovered.
"I think it's genetic," the doctor said. "Look at how uncommon the condition is, and to have two babies with the condition, usually that's genetic. We just don't know the gene yet."
Mia's big brown eyes are what people notice first. She's very expressive with her eyes, her mother said, because all Mia can see of other people is their eyes above the masks they must wear to protect her from germs.
Mia has an older sister, Kylie, 5, who is healthy and excited about having a sibling in the family.
"She's been waiting to be a big sister for a long time," Cervoni said. "She was very excited about having her brother, and he didn't come home."
Kylie plays with Mia in the hospital room, jumping around while Mia laughs. They watch TV together.
"Kylie totally gets that Mia needs a new heart," Cervoni said. "She knows that Mia's heart is broken and that she needs a new one so that she doesn't have to go to heaven."
Cervoni lives a split existence - with Mia at the hospital during the day, with Kylie at home at night. She's on leave from her job in billing at a medical consulting company until she can return. But her husband was furloughed from railroad giant CSX in December, just two weeks before Mia was placed on the transplant list.
The family receives health insurance through CSX for now and will be covered under the Affordable Care Act, sometimes called Obamacare, when CSX's coverage expires. The family also will be eligible for Medicaid to help pay for the operation.
However, the insurance can do little to defray the secondary costs of the surgery, such as lost income and a lifetime of doctor copays and drugs for Mia.
Kevin picked up some shifts at Home Depot to help, but the family also started a donation fund with a nonprofit based in Indiana, the Children's Organ Transplant Association.
Donation checks can be made out to COTA, with "In honor of Team Mia C" in the memo line, and mailed to the association at 2501 W COTA Drive, Bloomington, Ind., 47403. Or visit the website COTAforTeamMiaC.com.
The family's goal is to raise $50,000. They are at about $39,000 now, mostly because of generous donations from their church and Mia's maternal grandfather's company.
Cervoni said her family has always helped others, and "to now be on the flip side of it is very humbling."
Statistics from the United Network of Organ Sharing, the organization that manages transplant wait lists, shows that from 2009 to 2011, 69.9 percent of children up to age 18 received hearts within 90 days of being listed. But the data from 2012 and 2013 indicated the median wait time for a heart for children under 1 year old was 111 days.
Mia was listed on Jan. 3. There are 53 infants under 1 year old awaiting hearts across the country; nine are in Florida.
For now, Mia is doing well. She smiles, laughs and eats. Eating is important, because a key sign of heart failure in infants is loss of appetite. But Mia's relatively good health may mean she'll have to wait longer for a heart.
The scariest thing, Cervoni said, is knowing they may have to watch Mia get sicker while they wait. But even harder is thinking about the pain another family will have to endure.
"My husband and I buried a child already, and another family has to do the same to save Mia's life," she said.
Even with a new heart, Mia will be on immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of her life. And because she'll be getting the transplant so young, she will likely need another heart in her late teens or 20s, and perhaps another transplant in her 30s.
But she has a chance to live, thanks to her older brother Gavin and the autopsy the family decided to get when he was stillborn.
A Christian woman, Cervoni said that for a long time, she didn't know what purpose Gavin's death served.
"Now, looking back, I do have a reason," she said. "If what happened to Gavin hadn't happened, we wouldn't have Mia. We would have never known to even look for that diagnosis in Mia."


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The University of Maryland police trainee critically injured after being shot during a training exercise with Baltimore Police in February has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the city and Baltimore County.
The lawsuit claims that Officer Rodney Gray and other trainees were directed to go behind a window inside an abandoned building where police were conducting an unauthorized training drill and that they were "targeted as part of the exercise."
Gray says instructor William Scott Kern then "intentionally or negligently" fired his weapon in the direction of the trainees. Gray was seriously injured, and Kern was eventually charged with second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. A trial is scheduled for August in Baltimore County.
A. Dwight Pettit, Gray's attorney, said the officer is continuing rehabilitation but "will be impaired for the rest of his life," including loss of one of his eyes.
"It's tragic that our officers can be exposed to something like this in a training process," Pettit said.
Reached for comment, a police spokesman said that the department does not comment on pending litigation. Kern's attorney, Shaun Owens, was in court and could not be immediately reached. He had previously said that the shooting was a "tragedy" but said Kern never meant to hurt anyone.
In addition to Kern, the lawsuit names Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts and Officer Efren Edwards, a member of Batts' executive protection team who was a training instructor on site at the time of the shooting. Maj. Eric Russell, the head of the training academy at the time, is also named.
In naming Batts, the suit claims such training exercises "were occurring with sufficient regularity so as to constitute a pattern and practice of delegating, permitting, acquiescing and/or tolerating the usurpation of control" regarding where and how to conduct training and says Batts failed to properly monitor and curb the problem.
Police officials pledged transparency and accountability in the wake of the shooting, but few details have become public. The agency reinstituted so-called "active shooter" training a month later with new protocols. A new training director was named, though he soon left for another job and his replacement only held the position for a short time. Police have yet to name a new director for the academy.
On Feb. 12, Gray and other trainees were taken to the abandoned Rosewood facility in Owings Mills, which the lawsuit described as a "dangerous, uncontrolled, unsecure and unsafe location for defendants' style of training exercises, much less any type of firearms training." It describes "an abundance of metal, trash, rusty fixtures, appliances and other dangerous debris" that posed a risk to the officers.
The suit says the training instructors "had their loaded service weapons in their possession at all times during this exercise and each and all ... knew or should have known" that Kern was carrying his loaded service weapon instead of a training gun.


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Residential: All interior surfaces, including bathroom walls/floors shower walls/ floors and kitchen backsplashes. Exterior walls. Commercial: Interior and exterior walls and interior floors. Shower floor installations require special procedures. See Resources | Usage Guide for more details.


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… continued from the previous post. So much for her 'supernatural trigonometric powers'. As the tsunami neared the beach, Miss Loi's eyes widened as she watched, life jacket in hand (donated by Peter), it transformed into a terrifying monstrous column of water with a height so high, it approached infinitely into the sky. "So this […]
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The 2019 Semester I Jφss Sticks group tuition sessions schedules for Secondary/ O Level Maths has been unveiled!
*please, please check back occasionally for updates throughout the term*
The 2018 exam papers are here! Miss Loi's 2018 Maths Exam Papers are finally here!
... and join our ever-growing list of 18698 members
Suggested solutions & answers to the 2014 Singapore GCE 'O' Level Maths (EMaths, AMaths) & selected past-year Science MCQ papers are out!
* Please refer to the relevant Ten-Year Series for the questions of these suggested solutions.
About Miss LoiMiss Loi is a full-time private tutor in Singapore specializing in O-Level Maths tuition. Her life's calling is to eradicate the terrifying LMBFH Syndrome off the face of this planet. For over 28 years she has been a savior to countless students ... [read more]
Every second I spent at The Temple has truly enriched my soul and touched my heart with the love of math ... [read more]Toh Kiat Sheng
St. Joseph's Institution
Peer Pressure
Gossip Corner
- And so they kissed the cold Bell Curve, and got what they deserved: https://t.co/QJsXcagbKs #Congratulations… https://t.co/HYN0HxBmUM 09:52:09 PM January 16, 2018 from Twitter Web Client
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Justin Miller
Justin Miller is a former Prospect writing fellow and is currently covering politics for the Texas Observer
Recent Articles
Was Beto the Texas Democrats' Lone Star?
O'Rourke's near-victory has them seeing purple—but can they keep turning out more voters and moving Texas leftward when he's not on the ballot?Justin MillerJan 04, 2019
Trump's Tax Cuts Incentivized Corporate Offshoring. These Dems Want to Reverse That.
Democrats have waffled on how, or if, they will repeal the new tax laws. This is a step in the right direction.Justin MillerMar 01, 2018
In the Face of Preemption Threats, Austin Passes Paid Sick Leave
Can the blue dots of Texas elude a likely crackdown on local progressive policy from Republican legislators?Justin MillerFeb 21, 2018
The White House's Internal Trade War Heats Up
By Justin Miller | Feb 16, 2018
There's a trade war brewing in the White House—and President Trump will soon have to choose a side.
In January, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross recommended protectionist tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, the specifics of which were released on Friday: Ross wants Trump to place steep tariffs and quotas on the world's biggest dumpers of aluminum and steel—most notably, Brazil, China, Turkey, Russia, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Axios quotes one anonymous "trade expert" as saying, "This would be beyond a trade war. You're talking about blowing up the WTO [World Trade Organization]."
Robert Scott, a trade economist at the Economic Policy Institute who supports stronger trade restrictions, says such a comment is laughable. "Total U.S. steel and aluminum imports in 2017… made up less than 2 percent of total U.S. goods imports," Scott said in an email. "If other members of the WTO want to throw out the whole deal over what amounts to a tiny share of total U.S. and world trade, then that is their problem."
He added that a more useful response than knee-jerk alarmism about trade wars "would be to encourage other fair trading countries to join the U.S. in eliminating exports from unfairly trading nations that are the targets of these (possible) trade restrictions."
Ross's proposal includes a 23.5 percent tariff on aluminum from China, Russia, Venezuela, and Vietnam (7.7 percent on other countries) and a minimum 53 percent tariff on steel from Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Korea, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam (24 percent on other countries). There would also be quotas on aluminum and steel imports, limiting countries to 2017 export levels or lower, depending on the country.
The issue of trade protectionism is fueling an internal war among Trump's top advisers. The so-called globalist wing, including Gary Cohn, Steven Mnuchin, Rex Tillerson, and James Mattis, are all vehemently opposed to imposing tariffs that they worry would spark a trade war that would upset global markets and aggravate diplomatic relations. The protectionist wing—including Ross and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer—occupies a lonely island within the administration.
Under U.S. trade law, the president has 90 days after Ross's January recommendations to take some type of action. During the presidential campaign, Trump promised to crack down on Chinese trade manipulation—namely steel and aluminum dumping—and to restore U.S. industries, but as I reported in January, his administration has delayed and deferred action through his first year in office.
Trump, of course, notoriously flip-flops his positions based on the last person he spoke with, and it's unclear which way he is leaning. He has already shown a willingness to implement tariffs on washing machines and solar panels. The question is whether he would defy his top military, diplomatic, and economic advisers on such a critical issue.
This was the populist fight that Steve Bannon hoped for when he was still in the White House. Trump has until April to make a final decision. Until then, the White House's internal trade war is sure to intensify.
Welcome to the One-Time Bonus Economy, Where Your Pay Doesn't Go Up
By Justin Miller | Feb 12, 2018
The new trend of companies rewarding employees more often with one-time bonuses and less often with permanent pay increases has drawn greater attention in the aftermath of the Trump tax cuts, as corporations have made flashy announcements about how they are delivering one-off rewards to employees (though not all employees).
The New York Times had a front-page story on Sunday entitled "What Happened to Your Raise? It Could Have Become a Bonus."
As economics reporter Patricia Cohen writes, "Ordinarily, the jobless rate and wage growth are like two ends of a seesaw: When one drops, the other is supposed to rise. But that link seems broken, and like film-noir detectives, analysts have scrutinized hard-edge statistics and fuzzier psychological indicators for clues about why."
Part of the reason is that companies are opting to spend less of their profits on higher regular employee paychecks and more on one-time bonuses that, as we've seen recently, make for savvy public relations. According to a Times analysis of a survey by Aon Hewitt, a human resources consulting firm, spending on bonuses amounted to an average of 3.1 percent of total compensation budgets in 1991, but by 2017, that share rose to 12.7 percent. Meanwhile, the share dedicated to permanent raises fell from 5 percent to just 2.9 percent.
The average worker's pay has remained stagnant for the past few decades. The shift to a bonus-based economy is part of a larger effort by business leaders to cut labor costs down to the bone. Bonuses, of course, are welcome news for many workers—but not if they're coming at the expense of a sustained pay bump.
Permanent salary increases mean higher fixed costs—and slimmer profit margins. One-time bonuses, with no guarantees, are cheaper. As is the outsourcing, union-busting, contracting, on-demanding, and part-timing of the American workforce. That is what is keeping wages low even in a very tight labor market.
The problem is not that corporations don't have the money to invest in their workforce. It's that they're just choosing to plow it all back to the shareholders and CEOs. A recent analysis found that S&P 500 companies have promised $3.7 billion in one-time bonuses and announced more than $157 billion in stock buybacks.
The problem is that even with what many economists say is close to full employment, a tight labor market is apparently not a strong enough countervailing force for sustained pay increases over skimpy one-time bonuses. At one point, unions were that force.


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Top riders from around the world are lining up to compete at the Burton New Zealand Open (NZO), taking place from August 11-15, 2009 at Cardrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand. The first stop on the 2009/2010 Burton Global Open Series and a Swatch TTR 5Star event, the New Zealand Open will include slopestyle and halfpipe competitions, offering riders the chance to earn a piece of the NZ$50,000 prize purse and gain valuable points towards Burton Global Open Series championship titles and the Swatch Ticket To Ride World Tour championship titles.
Planning to compete is last year's BGOS men's champion Chas Guldemond (USA), who also finished second on the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour. He will be joined by fellow U.S. riders Danny Davis, Tim Humpreys, Luke Mitrani, Jack Mitrani and Mason Aguirre.
Cardrona Alpine Resort is the home to the only 22' halfpipe in New Zealand, which is the same size pipe that will be featured at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Canadian Olympic hopefuls like Justin Lamoureux, Charles Reid and Sebastien Toutant will undoubtedly be fine-tuning their runs for Vancouver.
Last year's Asian contingent was exceptionally strong at the NZO, and this year looks to be no different with confirmed riders like last year's halfpipe winner Kazuhiro Kokubo and second place finisher Daisuke Murakami, who also took home prizes for highest air in the quarterpipe and best trick in the halfpipe. Japanese Olympic hopefuls Ryo Aono, Keito Kumazaki, Takaharu Nakai will also be competing, in addition to Chinese National Team rider and future Olympian Xiaoye Zeng.
The women's field is equally strong with competitors such as Olympic gold medalist and Swatch TTR World Tour Champion Kelly Clark (USA) kicking off her season in New Zealand alongside last year's BGOS champion and NZO halfpipe and slopestyle winner Jamie Anderson (USA). Lisa Wiik (NOR), who took second place in both BGOS and TTR rankings and won last year's European Open slopestyle competition will also be there, riding alongside European contenders like Cheryl Maas (NED), Sina Candrian (SUI), Silvia Mittermueller (GER) and Sarka Pancochova (CZE). Chinese National Team riders Jiayu Liu and Zhifeng Su in addition to Japanese riders Shiho Nakashima, Soko Yamaoka and Naho Mizuki, will round out the global competition on the women's side.
The international riders will face fierce competition from New Zealand's homegrown talent like Wanaka's own Mitchell Brown, James Hamilton (Auckland) and Stef Zeestraten (Wanaka) and Kendall Brown (Mt Maunganui) and Shelly Gotlieb (Ohakune) will be jockeying for positions on the women's podium.
Competition gets underway on Wednesday, August 12 with the men's and women's slopestyle qualifiers. Thursday, August 13 will see men's halfpipe prequalification and qualification rounds, followed by women's halfpipe qualifications. All eyes will be on the slopestyle course on Friday for men's and women's slopestyle semifinals and finals. Men's and women's halfpipe semifinal and final competitions will take place on Saturday, August 15.
The Open is just as exciting off-snow with action every night, including free parties, rider signings and the Gravis Open Sessions, featuring two live concerts showcasing some of the biggest names in Kiwi music. For more information visit www.opensnowboarding.com
Burton would like to thank Cardrona Alpine Resort, Go211, Speight's Summit Golden Lager, Juice TV, The Edge FM, Anon Optics, High Cascade Snowboard Camp, Nature Valley, goodbars.co.nz, Joe's Garage, SolRX, McKenna, Smirnoff Ice Double Black and Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour for their support of the New Zealand Open.
If you can't make it to New Zealand, watch the semi-finals and finals live on www.Go211.com, where webcasts and highlights of the competitions will also be available for on-demand viewing once the event is over.


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LeapGo needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 13 designs submitted by 6 freelance designers.
We would like you to interpret this current image into a professional looking design. Please don't stray too far from the overall structure, just make it look updated and stylish. The file is here - http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/4…-17-08.ppt
Make it classy and cleaned up.
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- Just need the home page since they'll all be pretty similar
- A totally different layout.