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On November 11th, 1918 the leading nations of the world finally put a stop to the largest display of industrial self-immolating lunacy it had ever seen (but sadly would not ever see). In four years, the belligerent nations of the Allied and Central Powers had managed to annihilate roughly 17 million souls, both military and civilian. At the Somme, a small section of river in Northeastern France, the two managed to combine to destroy 1 million men in just over a year. Today the Somme is referred to by some as the graveyard of armies.
All of this accomplished very little, as the world would dance again to the same nihilistic tune for a new generation.
That war would see mankind throw approximately 60 million souls, both military and civilian, into the abyss.
A Day for Perspective
Lance Armstrong, CBA negotiations, arena debates, lockouts, holdouts, trade demands, franchise relocations, signing bonuses, suspensions.
These are all interesting topics in and of themselves, at the appropriate time. We who visit the Nations site obviously love sport, specifically hockey, and we come to this forum to be informed, to entertain us, and to share our thoughts, opinions, and mad ramblings with all those who will listen.
November 11th has always held a special significance for me. I don't know why. The best description would be to say that it resonates with me. Of course I had great-grandparents who fought in the wars, grandparents as well. Mercifully my family lost no one to either of the wars.
I'm not going to admonish any of us for living the lives we live today without remembering the sacrifice of those who came before us. You'll probably get enough of that this week, and besides, I honestly think that many of the readers here are the type to "get" Remembrance Day. Certainly, world events of the last decade have worked to usher in a new, though thankfully smaller, generation of people who can well grasp the concept of sacrifice.
However, to that end, I wanted to take this day to share some information about men whose lives intersected our two topics today: sport and war.
The ancient Greeks believed that names were important, that stories were important. They felt that if a man were remembered then his life would have had meaning and some aspect of him might live on, if only in legend. This is why Homer's Iliad recites, in poetic sympathy and alarming detail, the grisly deaths of countless soldiers, regardless of their origin or loyalties. Remembering their names, their lives, and how they died gave meaning to the whole affair and, the Greeks believed, honoured their sacrifice.
Hockey has a long list of men who lost their lives in the two World Wars. Perhaps the most famous is Hobey Baker, after whom is named the Princeton award. He was the most accomplished American-born college hockey player and a tremendous athlete in his time. He died while test-flying a plane in France, something he insisted on doing himself rather than delegate it to one of his men. His orders to return home were found in his jacket pocket when he was pulled from the wreckage.
Hobey Baker was one of the first nine names that were inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame when it opened in 1945.
Allan "Scotty" Davidson was one of the premiere wingers of the early National Hockey Association, the precursor to the NHL. He spent time in Ontario, won the Alberta provincial championship in 1912, and then joined the Toronto Blueshirts of the NHA as a professional , becoming captain and leading his team to a Stanley Cup in 1914. That would be the last hockey he would ever play, as he was the first professional player to volunteer for the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1914. There are conflicting reports of his death, one that he was shot in the back while trying to rescue a fallen comrade, another was that he refused to retreat after exhausting his ammunition and died using his last grenade to kill a German officer.
In 1925 Maclean's magazine put together an all-star roster of the greatest players to have ever played. Davidson was the first player listed at right-wing, and was considered at the time to have been one of the best to have ever played the position. Davidson was 23 years old when he was killed.
Russell McConnell was a left-winger who played at Montreal's McGill University in both their hockey and football programs. He was eventually named captain of the McGill Redmen where McConnell set a record for the most points in career with 211 points in 94 career games (115-95-211). Twice he set a record for the most points in a single game with 10 in the month of February, 1939, during two games only five days apart.
McConnell turned down a professional contract with the New York Rangers and instead enrolled as a volunteer in the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve. His patrol boat, the HMCS Raccoon, was stationed in the St. Lawrence riverway when they gave chase to a German U-boat. During the chase contact was lost with the Raccoon and a month later McConnell's remains washed ashore.
McConnell was a part of four championship teams and in 1996 was the inaugural player inducted into the McGill Sports Hall of Fame. He was 24 when he died.
Dudley "Red" Garrett played only 23 games for the Rangers in the NHL before he went to serve in the Royal Canadian Navy where he was killed while his destroyer was patrolling off the coast of Newfoundland. Garrrett was originally a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs but was traded, along with Hank Goldup for Babe Pratt. He was 20 years old at the time of this death.
Today, the AHL commemorates Red Garrett with an annual trophy for the league's best rookie. Darryl Sutter, Felix Potvin, Daniel Briere, Ron Hextall, Brett Hull and Terry Sawchuk all have their names on that trophy.
Joe Turner only ever played one game in the NHL, for the Detroit Red Wings. It was in relief of an injured Johnny Mowers and resulted in a 3-3 tie against the Maple Leafs. Turner went from leading the Ontario Hockey Association in goals allowed to being a first-team All-Star in the AHL with the Indianapolis Capitals.
Turner signed up for the United States Army and was a 2nd Lieutenant in K Company. Nobody knows how Turner died. He was listed as Missing in Action in the Hurtgen Forest in 1944. The now defunct International Hockey League named its championship trophy after him, the Turner Cup. He would have been approximately 25 years old when he died.
The NHL and NHA weren't the only leagues to lose players in their primes as a result of war. The New York Giants lost both Al Blozis and Jack Lummus in World War II. Blozis fought to have the army waive its size restrictions (he was considered too large a man for service) and get to the front lines. He went missing in the Vosges Mountains in France searching for two of the men in his company who had gone missing. Lummus was killed by a land mine while leading his men into action on Iwo Jima. He was awarded the Medal of Honour posthumously.
Soccer's popularity in Europe also meant that the sport suffered a more grievous loss of life as so many of the able-bodied young men of Europe enlisted into the armed forces during both wars. Seven players from England were killed in World War I, four at the Somme. James Speedie, James Boyd, Duncan Currie, Ernest Ellis, Tommy Goodwill, Harry Wattie, and John Allan all lost their lives between 1915 and 1917. The Second World War would add to the toll as Jarl Malmgren and Holger Salin, both Finnish, Harry Goslin, Petea Valcov, Ernst Kunz, Karl Wallmuller, and Walter Werginz were all killed in action.
Perhaps even more heroically, was the case of Alexei Klimenko, Ivan Kuzmenko, Nikolai Trusevich and the Kyiv bakery soccer team. These three men were part of a team of players from the disbanded Dynamo Kyiv in 1942, living in occupied Ukraine and assigned to work in a bakery. The manager of the bakery struck on the idea of starting a soccer league, using his workers against other factories and the local German military. The bakery team, known as Start (Старт), went undefeated over nine games, beating the Hungarian and Romanian garrisons, the Ukrainian Nationals, Hungarian military teams and two different German military squads three times. Despite threats and intimidation, including flagrant rules violations by their opponents, on-field offences, and even visits from SS officers to their locker room, the Ukrainian players continued on playing the game to the best of their abilities. Eventually eleven members of the team were arrested and tortured. Two died, Mykola Korotkykh and Alexander Tkachenko, in custody before the remaining nine were sent on to a prison camp where the three players listed above were executed in 1943. The survivors managed to escape and helped to bring the story to the larger public after the war.
This is only a very small sample of the number of athletes who have lost their lives in war. And, of course, they are only a much smaller sample of the many people, combatants and civilians both, whom we stop to remember on this day.
Amidst this grisly history of loss and sacrifice, there are moments where sport has managed to transcend even the most determined madness of nations. The famous Christmas Truce of 1914, when the First World War was still only a few months old, but had already unveiled a great many of the horrors it would hold for so many, is one such example.
On Christmas Eve, 1914, Allied soldiers along the stretch of trenches near Flanders' Fields in Southern Belgium noticed that the German (Saxon) soldiers in the trenches opposite were lighting candles and raising them up on small trees to decorate the tops of their line. Soldiers also reported hearing carols, in German but recognizable all the same, and some enemy soldiers calling out to wish them a Happy Christmas in English. Scouts reported meeting enemy counterparts in No Man's Land and exchanging gifts and pleasantries, along with a message, "if your side will refrain from firing then so shall we". What is most warming is that this seemed to happen spontaneously and independently all along the line in that region. After a time the men moved out of their trenches and mingled, shaking hands, exchanging gifts, photogrpahs and souvenirs, and trying to bridge the language barrier in wishing the other a Merry Christmas.
Eventually, as will happen when men meet in an open field, a ball was produced and a soccer match broke out. There are several reports of matches being played at different spots along the lines. The most well-documented match had the men break into two teams, the Royal Saxon Regiment of the German Imperial Army against the Scottish Troops stationed on the English side. With caps serving as goal posts, and an English Reverend acting as referee, the match apparently ended 3-2 in the German's favour.
Inevitably, war would resume. In some areas it had never stopped while in other regions guns were silenced until the New Year. The commanders of both sides were furious over the truce and did all they could to stamp down any other impromptu intteruptions to hostilities. Few of the men who witnessed the famous soccer matches on Christmas Day, 1914, would survive until the Armistice in 1918. Those who did may have returned home with souvenirs and stories of how sport and goodwill could spring so naturally from man's soul, even amidst the most grotesque barbarity.
The Wall Street Journal, not usually given to poetic flights, would write about the truce "what appears from the winter fog and misery is a Christmas story, a fine Christmas story that is, in truth, the most faded and tattered of adjectives: inspiring".
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month was meant to commemorate an end to the most atrocious display of human slaughter the world had ever seen. We all know what has happened since, and yet we still continue to memorialize those who have fallen both before and since that day in 1918 when the guns fell silent. It is apparent that no memorial will prevent future generations from making the same mistakes, however, it is the least we can do to not forget those who have fallen all the while.
"In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons." – Herodotus, The Histories.
This isn't meant to be an exhaustive essay on the many wars fought or the men who have fallen. I haven't mentioned specifcially the Boer or Korean Wars, nor the Afghan war or the many peacekeeping missions in which Canada has participated. These omissions are not meant in disrespect, but are a necessity of time and space. I would be happy to share or discuss anything you'd like to add in the comments.
For further reading I would highly recommend any of the following:
Ghosts Have Warm Hands by Will Bird, an Alberta boy who spent several years trying to volunteer for service in World War One. His personal story is one of the most touching and powerful I have ever read.
Generals Die in Bed by Charles Yale Harrison.
All Quiet on the Western Front by Maria Remarque.
Voices from the Trenches by Noel Carthew.
The Book of War Letters by Paul Grescoe.
Anything by Norm Christie is a good bet. His For King and Empire series has always been a favourite of mine.


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Social media and social networking for internal collaboration and knowledge sharing can raise the productivity of some employees by up to 25 per cent according to a McKinsey report released last month.
However, internal deployment of social technologies by businesses often involves a spike in engagement followed by a drop-off in participation as the novelty wears off, according to McKinsey. This can be a product of failing to integrate social technologies into work processes and a lack of attention to changing workforce culture to maintain internal social networking adoption rates.
To promote the kind of knowledge sharing that will actually increase productivity requires developing users as ongoing participants, not merely passive consumers. It's tackling this problem that led to the development of Barter: A social networking platform created at MIT's Media Lab.
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Solving the headache of cross-platform mobile development
"All social media services, especially knowledge-related platforms that rely on users' participation, sharing, and contribution all face the challenge of building incentives for users," says Dawei Shen, the MIT PhD candidate who developed the platform.
One problem faced by organisations with a fixed employee incentive for contributing knowledge, for example $100 per article, is it leads to an "oversupply of garbage information, and undersupply of really valuable information," Shen says. "A 'market' is a term that's the opposite — let the market decide how to allocate resources and what knowledge should be built, and how it should be priced."
Using Barter, people buy and sell ideas, documents, questions and answers using virtual points, and virtual currency in a decentralised way. But building a knowledge market has its own set of problems owing to the nature of knowledge products, Shen says. "Knowledge products are peculiar — non-rivalrous, non-excludable, and repetition cost is zero. Information asymmetry is severe, and knowledge has spillover effects that are not captured by transactions. My research is to devise mechanism that addresses these problems."
"We are applying innovative market mechanisms and established economic theories and practice to the domain of social collaboration/knowledge management software, especially trying to optimise incentive design," he says.
"In short, we are building a 'knowledge economy' with currency, market dynamics, and sophisticated economic tools optimising both social and material incentives, instead of simply building another social media website."
The platform consists of three components: Knowledge currency, knowledge markets, and economic policies, which consist of monetary policies and fiscal policies.
The user facing aspect of Barter is multiple knowledge markets. "A Q&A market, document exchange, idea market, design market, prediction market. Each of them is addressing a different type of organizational challenge," Shen says.
"Users exchange different types of knowledge objects on these markets, buying and selling answers, documents, ideas, and so on."
On the management side, a module monitors the network and provides key indicators of the knowledge economy and advises on possible policies to stimulate or moderate the economy.
The core aims are to build a network that embeds incentives for user participation and contribution, identify experts in different fields and deliver tools to manage the platform
Barter can be used to create a secure 'knowledge currency' and banking system. "We work with organisations to back up the value of currency through creative ways, so that users do care about earning currency," Shen says. Knowledge is shared among users using decentralised peer-to-peer market exchanges. This market-based approach means there are not fixed rewards for contributing.
"Users get fairly rewarded through earning currency, which tracks their reputation and expertise, and can be used to exchange [for] material awards," Shen says.
The system also has two special entitles: A central bank and 'the planner', Shen says. "The central bank is the policy maker on monetary policies, which stimulate knowledge activities through currency control. The planner is similar to the government: It uses fiscal policies to fill the gaps created by a decentralised market. Fiscal policies include rewarding information reuse, and rewarding good behaviour."

subset: commoncrawl


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QPR boss Mark Hughes happy with his side's second half display against Reading
QPR boss Mark Hughes praised his side's second-half comeback which saw them claim a point against Reading.
Last Updated: 05/11/12 5:21pm
Djibril Cisse's goal just after the hour rescued Hughes's side who had gone behind to Kaspars Gorkss's opener.
"Credit to us second half we made a much better game of it, in terms of being brave in possession, getting on the ball and really driving the game to Reading," Hughes told Sky Sports.
"First-half we were too passive, certainly in the initial period we could not get out and get our foot on the ball and play the type of game we wanted to.
"But credit to Reading they have a certain way of playing, they peg you back, get the ball up into good areas and have front guys who work really hard and they retain possession high up in your own half.
"We are disappointed as it is a home game and we wanted to take maximum points and once again we haven't been able to do that."
QPR remain without a win, like Reading, and Hughes admits that they need to get a maximum haul as soon as possible.
"The sooner we get it the better, credit to Reading, they didn't allow us to play our expansive game and allow us to pass and move which is what we want to do," he said.
"I have said time and time again, we are in a situation that nobody anticipated and we are working exceptionally hard. The key is to get the first win tne we can settle down and play our football."


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Sramana Mitra's 156th 1M/1M Roundtable - New Year Challenge Finals I |January 10 8:00am PST
Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 8:00 AM (PST)
Event Details
This roundtable is the first final of the 1M/1M New Year Challenge 2013. Ten entrepreneurs will be pitching their businesses for a chance to win six scholarships to the 1M/1M program - worth $1,000 each.
To learn more about this contest and view entries, click here: http://goo.gl/ZzV6f
Sramana requests that entrepreneurs use the Clarify Your Story appendix of her Positioning book to prepare their pitches. You can find the excerpt here.
You can find more information and dates for other upcoming roundtables here: http://1m1m.sramanamitra.com/free-public-roundtables/
About Sramana
Sramana Mitra is the founder of the One Million by One Million (1M/1M) initiative, an educational, business development and incubation program that aims to help one million entrepreneurs globally to reach $1 million in revenue and beyond. She is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and strategy consultant, she writes the blog Sramana Mitra On Strategy, and is author of the Entrepreneur Journeys book series and Vision India 2020. From 2008 to 2010, Mitra was a columnist for Forbes. As an entrepreneur CEO, she ran three companies: DAIS, Intarka, and Uuma. She has a masters degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Recordings and recaps of previous roundtables with Sramana Mitra are available here.
Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 8:00 AM (PST)
Add to my calendar


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Teacher resources and professional development across the curriculum
Teacher professional development and classroom resources across the curriculum
Exploring Representation
|Introduction | Scaling Area | Problem Reflection | Summary | Your Journal
In this Interactive Activity, you will explore what happens to the area of a rectangle when you change one or both of its dimensions (i.e., length and/or width). You will then explore the same questions, only this time involving triangles. While looking at representations of several different rectangles and triangles, you will represent your findings in a table and determine whether there is a general pattern.
|Teaching Math Home | Grades K-2 | Representation | Site Map | © |
© Annenberg Foundation 2017. All rights reserved. Legal Policy


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Simple Apple Tart Recipe with Flaky Crust
How to make a stunning apple tart with a buttery crust, thinly sliced apples, and toasted almonds. Jump to the Simple Apple Tart Recipe or read on to see our tips for making it.
– This Recipe is Sponsored by Gold Medal Flour –
This apple tart looks like it came from a fancy bakery, but it's easily made at home. We'd even say it's a little easier than making apple pie.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: This baked apples recipe is easy enough for tonight, but doubles as the perfect dessert for friends and family (or the holidays). These just might beat apple pie! Jump to the Baked Apples Recipe.
How to Make a Beautiful Tart with Apples
There's nothing fussy, here. Just thinly sliced apples lined up on top of a buttery, flaky crust.
The apples are lightly brushed with apricot jam then topped with a handful of sliced almonds. We love it just the way it is, but you could very easily skip the jam and go for a drizzle of caramel sauce instead. A dusting of powdered sugar is also nice.
We make our own flaky crust, but a sheet of store-bought puff pastry is an excellent alternative. See our notes in the recipe below for how to make this apple tart using puff pastry.
Any baking apple will work — you'll need two. We used Braeburn apples. We just love the rosy peel around the edges. Granny Smith is also a good standby. You can even use pears or a combination of apples and pears. That would be delightful.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: This apple crisp recipe with oats has sweet tender apples and a crisp and crunchy topping made with flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Jump to the full Apple Crisp Recipe.
Disclosure: We're sharing this in partnership with Gold Medal Flour. This recipe was part of an ongoing relationship with Gold Medal. We have also shared our vanilla peach muffins, a spin on our already popular blueberry muffins.
Recipe updated, originally posted September 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne
Simple Apple Tart Recipe with Flaky Crust
This simple tart is best served warm. We love it alone, but it certainly does not hurt to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Much of the time required for this comes from the crust. To make things easier, make it ahead of time. The crust can be made and refrigerated up 2 days in advance. Or substitute this homemade crust with a sheet of store-bought puff pastry — see our notes for how to do this below.
You Will NeedFlaky Crust
1 1/4 cups (160 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
8 tablespoons (115 grams) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (1 stick)
3 to 4 tablespoons ice cold waterApple Tart
2 medium baking apples such as Granny Smith or Braeburn
Juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons apricot, fig, or other light colored jam
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, lightly toasted
- Make Crust
- Prepare Tart
- To Finish
Add 3/4 cups of the flour, salt, and the sugar to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steal blade. (See note below for making crust by hand). Pulse 2 to 3 times until combined.
Scatter butter cubes over flour mixture and process until a dough or paste begins to form, 15 to 20 seconds. (There should be no uncoated flour).
Scrape bowl, redistribute the flour-butter mixture then add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Pulse 4 to 5 times until the flour is evenly distributed. (Dough should look broken up and crumbly).
Transfer the dough to a bowl and scatter with 3 tablespoons of the water. Using a rubber spatula, press the dough into itself. The crumbs should begin to form larger clusters. If you pinch some of the dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough falls apart, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra water and continue to press until the dough holds together.
Transfer to a clean surface. Work the dough just enough that it comes together into a ball. Shape into a flat rectangle then wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll chilled dough into a 13-by-9-inch rectangle. Trim edges then transfer to the baking sheet. Using a fork, prick the crust every 1/2-inch to prevent air pockets from forming while it bakes. Refrigerate while you prepare the apples.
Cut apples in half through the stem. Remove stems and core them (a melon baller helps, here). Slice the apples crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Scatter lemon juice over apples to prevent browning.
Place overlapping slices of the apples in four rows down the tart; 8 to 9 slices per slice should do it. To keep things pretty, it's best not to use the smaller slices from the ends of the apples). Scatter sugar over apples and dot with butter.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the crust is browned and the edges of the apples begin to brown. Rotate once during baking. Don't worry if juices from the apples run out onto the pan and brown. The tart will still be okay.
When the tart is done, use a large spatula to loosen then transfer to a cutting board or platter. Warm the jam on the stove or using a microwave. Lightly brush warmed jam over the apples. Scatter almonds on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Make the crust by hand: Take a look at our pie crust recipe and article. There, you will find our tips and a video showing how we make it using a food processor as well as how we make it by hand.
- Instead of glazing the tart with jam, try adding a drizzle of caramel sauce or dust with powdered sugar.
- To toast almonds, add to a dry pan over medium-low heat. Shake the pan constantly to prevent burning. The nuts are toasted when they're lightly browned and smell nutty.
- How to make an apple tart using puff pastry: Unfold a sheet of puff pastry onto a floured surface and roll out into a 13-by-9-inch rectangle. Transfer to the baking sheet. Score 1/2 inch in from the edge, all the way around, using a paring knife. Using a fork, prick the crust every 1/2-inch to prevent air pockets from forming while it bakes. Continue with adding apples to the crust as shared in recipe above.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
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April 6, 2019, 6:31 am
I think its too delicious, their pictures reflect their taste. I think so it's too simple. and easily to make
September 11, 2017, 9:46 am
Can I make it 7Inch tart shell
January 15, 2016, 6:33 am
Frankly speaking, I have never tried apple tarts before, but I suspect they taste almost like apple pie (which I adore). Thanks for the recipe, seems like it's really easy to make them.
December 8, 2015, 8:18 pm
I tried this today and it was superb! Only comment is that, 400 F for 45 minutes is an overkill…375 for 45 should be better.
June 15, 2015, 12:20 pm
I made this tart at my sisters house this weekend it was super easy and super scrumptious. I topped it with a little vanilla ice cream and some cinnamon because I love sweets.
March 16, 2014, 10:12 am
Great recipe, tried twice already, so good. Wondering how can I use this recipe to make pale turnover?
October 7, 2013, 1:34 pm
I actually made a version of this using Ina's recipe about an hour ago. I used frozen puff pastry and pear jelly. It turned out great.
October 1, 2013, 11:34 am
This looks simply spectacular! I love the idea of making it with apples and pears!
September 30, 2013, 7:51 pm
This is just beautiful! I'm not a big fan of pie (crazy, I know), so I'm always look for alternative Thanksgiving desserts that still involve apple and/or pumpkin. Looks like I've found one to try this year 🙂
September 30, 2013, 3:16 pm
Divine and perfect autumn tart 🙂
September 30, 2013, 2:59 pm
Mmm this sounds super scrumptious!


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Does your kitty cough, gag, wheeze, or have difficulty breathing? Have you noticed weight loss or decreased appetite in your feline friend? These are all possible symptoms of feline asthma.
Feline asthma is an inflammatory bronchial disease. This disease has many different potential causes. Your veterinarian will test for lungworm, heartworm, roundworms (yes these migrate through the lungs of your cat!), certain bacteria, and allergic sensitivities. The most common tests include a physical examination, fecal sample, heartworm test, chest x-rays, bronchoalveolar lavage, baseline blood work and allergy tests.
Once your cat is diagnosed with feline asthma, your veterinarian will want to choose the medication that will control your cat's asthma with minimal side effects. The treatment may include anti parasitic medications, antibiotics, immunotherapy, inhaled medications, bronchodilators and steroids. Inhaled medications are available for your cat. These medications treat your cat's lungs with fewer side effects. In severe cases, long term oral or injectable steroids may be used. Sadly, these medications come with a greater chance of adverse effects. A veterinarian who treats feline asthma on a regular basis should be consulted.
There are things you can do to help if your cat has been diagnosed with feline asthma. First, try and remove all lung irritants from your home. Make sure your house is as dust-free as possible. Check for and remove mold and mildew, which is commonly found in moist, dark places.
All of the following can aggravate your cat's asthma and should be avoided: smoke, air fresheners, candles, incense, hairspray, perfumes, fireplace fumes and even scented cat litter. Cats can be allergic to storage mites as well; keeping their dry food in a sealed container in the fridge will help.
Make sure your kitty is on monthly heartworm prevention. This is one cause of feline asthma that is easily avoidable. If you suspect your cat has asthma and schedule an appointment with your vet to have your cat checked out.
Northern Illinois Cat Clinic is a full service cat-only veterinary clinic that has been providing exceptional cat care with state-of-the-art technology since 1982. Their goal is to make your cat feel at home in their comfortable, safe and loving environment. The American Association of Feline Practitioners has recently certified the Northern Illinois Cat Clinic as a Cat-Friendly Practice. Learn more at http://northernilcatclinic.com, visit them at 295 Peterson in Libertyville, or follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NorthernIllinoisCatClinic.


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|Archived Hacks Any In Development hacks that have had no activity in at least 1.5 years are here. If a hack of yours is in here and you'd like it restored, PM a member of the Mod team.
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|11th July 2013, 02:58 AM
Oh god the bees
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: :noitacoL
Age: 22
Posts: 60
FireRed hack: Pokémon Shining Opal [Beta 2 Redux Released!]
Pokemon Shining Opal
Welcome to the world of Rinto!
Read before flaming.
We are proud to report the current lack of any bugs.
You are a young person living in Goldenrod City. To be a Pokémon Trainer has always been your dream, and now it's FINALLY going to come true on your tenth birthday. A new professor, Professor G. Oak, set up his lab in a far-away place called Lake Zigger. Your mom is finally letting you get your first Pokémon, a choice between three Fire-type Pokémon, so you get on a boat and head to Lake Zigger. Once you get there, however, there are a few problems... You're late, a lost passenger and a package at the Pokémon Mart delay your arrival at the lab even further, and you have no idea how to get there in the first place!
As you finally make it into the lab, you go down the stairs. Suddenly, some kid comes in to get HIS Pokémon an entire day early! Somebody else had arrived before you and taken the Charmander, and then this new kid steals away Cyndaquil! Torchic is the only Pokémon left now, so you go and take it. Suddenly, the kid challenges you to a battle, after which you proceed to leave town. Suddenly, there's a FLASH and your Torchic's been replaced by some unknown Pokémon, but, seeming as the Professor ran out of the lab right past you, you have to continue.
As you leave Lake Zigger, you encounter somebody from an organization you'd never heard of. Presumably, he was sent to Lake Zigger to steal that strange Pokémon you had, but he runs away after he gets beaten. You didn't know that the evil team will do anything to get that Pokémon, including some very un-evil-team-ish things. Not only this, there are many more things that will sidetrack you from your Rinto Pokémon League quest than just a bunch of crazy people.
The ability to have many Secret Bases, insane twists in the plot that even I didn't expect, cameo appearances by random people, saving the real world from a catastrophe (as well as the Pokémon world, obviously), some odd times when you just aren't yourself, and realizing the importance of the number 42 are a few of the crazy things that happen to you on your journey throughout the region of Rinto.
The Works
We worked hard on this!
The Team
Current Project
Calinor Town
Copyrights Screen
Title Screen
The intro
New opposite-gender rival
Arriving at Lake Zigger
Gangsta Gramms!
Prof. Gary's Lab
The early bird gets the worm. Or, in this case, the Pokémon.
A battle with me!
Same person - excuse me, hooligan - as in the intro.
Battling the hooligan herself.
The GSC-styled Pokémon Center, minus the upstairs.
Noob? Who are you calling noob, noob?
Exploring Vantrek Pass.
I exit Vantrek Pass and this nice old man offers to take me to the Pokémon center.
Behind the Big Eats.
More coming soon!
My resources:
My Website
diegoisawesome's MEGA-HUGE XSE Scripting Tutorial
diegoisawesome's Miscellaneous Finds
The Ruins of Alph Puzzles
Diego's Miscellaneous Patches
GBA Intro Manager
The Secret Sauce: Triple-Layer Tiles
There, I Fixed It: Game Freak Presents in FireRed V1.0
Last edited by Diegoisawesome; 27th July 2014 at 07:38 AM.
mr0mn, Elsa, ForeverDash liked this post
|Sponsored Links
|11th July 2013, 04:07 AM
Let it go!
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: United States
Age: 22
Posts: 365
Oooooooooo opposite gender rival
This hack looks very well done and includes gangsta grammas so it must be great
|11th July 2013, 07:36 PM
I ain't no N00b!
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 10
I think I played one of the old betas and I truly enjoyed it!
Gangsta granny all the way!
|12th July 2013, 12:49 PM
What are we doing?
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Thailand
Age: 20
Posts: 18
Wow, I can tell you put a hard work on this hack. :3
Good job, very good. I really like the Mikachu and the Oak Intro.
Best of luck, I'm looking forward for more updates.
Cry, and the world will slam the door on your face!
|23rd July 2016, 01:20 PM
Velvet Cake
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 4
Is it canceled...?
(Moderators, please don't lock this thread, I can't see how old this thread is...)
Will you come out with next version soon and complete the rom hack eventually too...? I hope it's not canceled... The rom hack's progress hasn't gotten any further since my last check up on it, and that was several months ago... :c Please answer me...
|beta, firered, hack, opal, pokemon, redux, released, shining, [GBA]
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Dear all, Final reminder to make your resrvation at Hyatt Regency Cambrdige for TPAC2007. The discount guest room rate ($199 plus taxes) at the Hyatt expires tomorrow, 3 October 2007 at 5:00 eastern time. At that time, the seasonal rate at Hyatt for November will be $319 plus taxes. Local Cambridge hotels, Marriott Royal Sonesta, etc. are all over $300 per night at this stage. There are still rooms available at the Hyatt for $199 until tomorrow!! Please don't delay any longer to make your reservation. There is very high demand in Boston and Cambridge for hotel rooms over the TPAC2007 meeting dates. >Meeting Overview Page: <http://www.w3.org/2007/11/TPAC/overview.html#Hotel>http://www.w3.org/2007/11/TPAC/overview.html#Hotel >Hyatt Online Reservaton Form for W3C: ><https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=46846&fromResdesk=true>https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=46846&fromResdesk=true We look forward to seeing everyone at W3C's first combined TPAC meeting! Best regards, Susan Westhaver W3C > >Dear All, > > > >We kindly ask that folks book their room at the Hyatt Regency > >Cambridge (TPAC meeting venue) as soon as possible. The guest room > >pickup at the hotel is still *very low*. If we do not see > >significant pickup by the end of this week, Friday, 21 September, we > >will start to release some of the guest rooms in W3C's block. > > > >The Hyatt expects to be sold out over our meeting dates as do many > >other local Cambridge and Boston hotels due to overlapping events. > > > >As previously noted, we must fulfill our guest room quota to keep > >our hold on all of the meeting space, and avoid costly charges for > >meeting rooms and/or not meeting our guest room quota. > > > >Meeting Overview Page: > <http://www.w3.org/2007/11/TPAC/overview.html#Hotel>http://www.w3.org/2007/11/TPAC/overview.html#Hotel > >Hyatt Online Reservaton Form for W3C: > ><https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=4 > 6846&fromResdesk=true>https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=46846&fromResdesk=true > > > >Thank you to everyone that took action and booked their hotel room > >after the 10 September 2007 reminder!!! > > > >Regards, > > > >Susan Westhaver > >W3C > >Received on Tuesday, 2 October 2007 15:29:48 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Wednesday, 7 January 2015 14:49:35 UTC


text:
Spotlight Your Event
Musicians, venue owners, and presenters can increase the visibility of their events and boost ticket sales with the Jazz Near You Event Spotlight service. Spotlight gives an event prime placement on the Jazz Near You home page, on the Jazz Near You calendar page, in the weekly Jazz Near You email, and in the Jazz Near You app. The Spotlight service is only $40 per event and can run up to five weeks from the date. A last minute spotlight is still effective, though placing an order prior to the Thursday eblast is recommended.
How we promote your show
On the home page
Spotlight events appear at the top of the Jazz Near You home page
On the calendar page
Spotlight events appear at the top of every calendar page.
In the Weekly eBlast
Spotlight events appear above the group of listed events in the subscription version and the on demand version of the weekly Jazz Near You email. Sent every Thursday.
In the app
Spotlight events are highlighted and receive top-of-the-list placement in the Jazz Near You app.
Gold star treatment
Spotlight events are also identified with a gold star on all Jazz Near You pages.
Upload your event to Jazz Near You prior to placing your order.


text:
Premium Stepping Stone Mix
by Milestones
Milestone's Premium Stepping Stone Mix is a specialized mix of super-fine cement, latex, and curing agents. It won't break under pressure (up to 250 lbs.) or crack in extreme weather conditions. You'll get a smooth professional finish every time.
One 8 lb. Box of Stepping Stone Mix makes one 12 in. stone or two 8 in. stones.
?Ask a question about this product | See all questions & answers (2)
Average User Rating: Based on (2 Reviews)
Janelle Y. from Dickinson, ND says:
I am glad that Milestones makes this "refill" box of stepping stone mix so that I can reuse the mold. It's nice not having to buy a whole kit every time I want to make a stone.
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What can I do if it is too watery?- Asked by Michelle on 30-Apr-14
If available, add more of the stepping stone mix to thicken it. Another stone mix such as concrete may also be added in small amounts. The manufacturer says the stone will still set up even if as much as 20% too much water has been added. However, the strength of the stone may be affected causing it to be more susceptible to breakage.- Answered by MisterArt on 30-Apr-14
What is the mixture?- Asked by Abby on 15-Dec-12
The Premium Stepping Stone Mix by Milestones is a mixture of cement and latex.- Answered by MisterArt on 17-Dec-12
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text:
Doug Marrone is leaving Syracuse University and will become the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Sources with knowledge of the process said Marrone agreed to terms early Sunday morning.
Coaching search tracker
Gregg Rosenthal provides a one-stop shop for all the latest head-coaching search news. Who are teams targeting? More ...
Marrone, 48, spent four seasons at Syracuse and led the Orange to a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl over West Virginia on Dec. 28. His record there was 25-25.
Marrone has seven years of NFL coaching experience. He served three seasons as offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints, from 2006 to 2008, and coached the New York Jets offensive line for four seasons, starting in 2002.
After firing former coach Chan Gailey on Monday, the Bills also interviewed Lovie Smith, Chip Kelly, Ray Horton and Ken Whisenhunt.
Follow Ian Rapoport on Twitter @RapSheet.


text: Transforming the art of bat design with a parade of industry firsts, DeMarini has become the fastest growing brand of high-performance bats in the history of hardball. DeMarini's Half & Half Technology is the first system to combine a composite handle with an aluminum alloy barrel. In the last three years alone, 100-plus college programs including Arizona State, Vanderbilt, and Oregon State have switched to DeMarini, making the "Big D" bigger by the day.


text:
An hour west of Mackay, in the rainforest-clad mountains lies Eungella National Park and the township of Eungella, at the head of the Pioneer Valley. Australia's longest, oldest stretch of sub-tropical rainforest, ranging over 51,700 hectares, the park draws its name from an Aboriginal word meaning 'Land of the Clouds'.
Thousands of years of isolation have allowed the rainforest to nurture an abundance of native life such as the platypus, and is one of the very few places in Australia to spot this shy creature in its natural environment. Be at Broken River's platypus viewing platform at sunrise and sunset for a chance to spot this furry creature.
22 kilometres of existing bushwalking tracks, plus the Mackay Highlands Great Walk, offer increasing access with varying degrees of difficulty and breathtaking views. Eungella has a rich cultural history of gold mining, timber, dairying and tourism. Much of Eungella's history can be discovered on information boards along the Sky Window walking track, which has wheelchair access.
More than 200 bird species have been recorded throughout Eungella National Park, including the Eungella Honeyeater. It is also home to the Gastric Brooding Frog and the Orange-sided Skink plus many other rare natives.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


text:
This is an excellent shop work light. It has an 18" flexible steel gooseneck
that can be positioned as needed, while a strong 30mm diameter rare-earth
magnet in the movable base holds it securely to machine tops or other
metal surfaces.
The light remains in position even if the neck is extended far to one
side. There is also a rare-earth magnet in the included quick-release
side-mounting clip, which holds the base parallel to the mounting surface
and can also be readily detached and repositioned.
The powerful Cree LED has a telescoping housing that allows the beam to be focused from a wide angle to a narrow spot. The light housing and base are anodized aluminum; the side-mount clip is made of sturdy plastic. Three AA batteries (not included) provide up to 5 hours of continuous operation.
Perversely, the features that make this light so good also mean it cannot
stand on its own – it needs to be magnetically attached to some
surface. That's why we've made optional 2" diameter, 1/8" thick nickel-plated
steel mounting plates. They can be screwed or glued to any surface to
provide a reliable attachment point.
For bench use, we also offer an optional 1" long stainless-steel post
(available in 3/4" and 20mm diameters) that can be joined to the steel
mounting plate with an included bolt and dropped into a dog hole.
This is a light you will find indispensable for shop or site work. Highly


text:
Two long wooden tables in the dark front corner of Tap 42's dining room were covered in white stickers last night. Plastic boxes full of black shirts with the tagline "Wicked women who love beer" were stacked against the wall. And a chatty woman with long, dark hair made sure everyone around her had one of each.
Arwen Lehman spearheads the Craft Brewjas, the women-drinkers group that met at Tap on Thursday, March 14, for the first time in Broward County. Some local media previewed the event, inviting the public to "Catch up with the Craft Brewjas."
But at the bar, attendees were mainly beer geeks and local foodies. Most of them had met prior, but on Facebook. Or maybe they had tweeted each other, or liked some Instagram pictures someone present had posted.
Lots of "Oh, you're that Twitter handle? Great to finally meet you. I mean, in person!" was going on.
Virtual friends, but real-life strangers, knocked back Cigar City special-release brews, checking into beer-geek app Untappd to unlock badges for drinking out with friends or at a specific location. Many moments were blanketed by silence as the group furiously uploaded photos to all social-media outlets.
Is that why "the public" seldom shows up to these things? Does this sound like fun?
The Craft Brewjas welcome everyone: It's an unofficial group without membership roles or fees, events are casual, and men are included. (Brew Daddies are a thing.)
Here's an outline of some characters at last night's brew-a-thon, if your interest is piqued and you want to try catching the next one:
The mastermind: She won't admit it, but she's the team leader. She spread the word about the party and brought the swag to give out. And, once people start arriving, she's the one to make sure everyone has a beer. Before leaving home, check her Facebook for beer articles from around the web. Use the hashtag (#craftbrewjas) when you tweet; she'll appreciate it.
Inspired by Craft Brewjas.
The food blogger: This is a person whose identity is not advertised. You may follow her on Instagram and like all her photos, but you wouldn't know it if she shared your table. Because this is South Florida, you'll connect with her and others present about Hialeah stereotypes and Khloe Kardashian's ridiculous cortadito "addiction."
Inspired by Fatgirl Hedonist.
The brewer(s): Unassuming, quiet drinkers, the beer-makers in our hometowns are most likely bearded men sporting hats or plaid shirts. Well, fashion choices vary. The sure thing is, you probably want to try the beer they're drinking, and make sure you check out their own product. Ask about beer-industry jobs or city permits; it's a fun talk you never knew you could have.
Inspired by Wynwood Brewing.
The food-trepreneur: Ever meet folks who quit their day job to follow their dreams? Or their nose? Some can pull that off, but only with a strong, web-savvy social-media presence and a quirky product. Bacon jam, beer cakes or amazing cheese all count. Extra points if the business owners tattoo their logos on themselves.
Inspired by Copperpot's and Sweet Days.
The reporter: That's me. I observe. Pro-tip? Charge your smartphone before going.


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No. 85,468
In the Matter of the Adoption of D.S.D.,
a minor child.
1. A court lacks authority to assess attorney fees under its equitable powers absent statutory authority. Moreover, unless expressly authorized by statute, attorney fees are not part of costs.
2 Articles 1 and 2 of chapter 59 are general provisions applicable to all cases arising under that chapter, including adoption cases.
3. Under K.S.A. 59-2134(c) and K.S.A. 2000 Supp. 59-104(d), the fees of an attorney appointed to represent an indigent biological parent are costs that may be assessed against a petitioner in an adoption proceeding.
Appeal from Sedgwick District Court; JAMES FLEETWOOD, judge. Opinion filed March 2, 2001. Affirmed.
Richard A. Macias, of Wichita, for appellants adoptive parents.
Elizabeth Lea Henry, of Fletcher & Mathewson, P.A., of Wichita, for appellee natural father.
Before GREEN, P.J., BEIER, J., and DAVID PRAGER, Chief Justice Retired, assigned.
GREEN, J.: The adoptive parents of D.S.D. appeal the trial court's order assessing as costs to them a portion of the biological father's attorney fees. On appeal, the adoptive parents argue that the trial court lacked the statutory authority to assess attorney fees against them. We disagree and affirm.
The adoptive parents sought to adopt their grandchild. Although the biological mother executed a consent to the adoption, the biological father objected. Under K.S.A. 59-2136(h), the trial court appointed an attorney to represent the biological father in the proceeding to terminate his parental rights. After a hearing on the matter, the trial court terminated the biological father's parental rights. The order of termination was not appealed by the father and the adoption was finalized. In a post-adoption order, the trial court assessed as costs a portion of the biological father's attorney fees against the adoptive parents.
The adoptive parents contend that the trial court erred in ordering them to pay attorney fees for the biological father's counsel. A court lacks authority to assess attorney fees under its equitable powers absent statutory authority. United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co. v. Maish, 21 Kan. App. 2d 885, 905-06, 908 P.2d 1329 (1995). Here, whether the trial court had the authority to impose attorney fees is a question of law; our review is plenary. See Hamilton v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 263 Kan. 875, 879, 953 P.2d 1027 (1998).
When an indigent parent asserts parental rights in an adoption proceeding, a trial court is required under K.S.A. 59-2136(h) to appoint an attorney to represent the indigent parent. The statute, however, does not specify how the court-appointed attorney is to be compensated. The trial court relied on K.S.A. 59-2134(c) in assessing the indigent father's attorney fees against the adoptive parents. The statute provides that "[t]he costs of the adoption proceedings shall be paid by the petitioner or as assessed by the court." The trial court determined that the fees for the court-appointed attorney may be assessed as costs under this statute.
Absent express statutory authority, attorney fees are not part of costs. See Wolf v. Mutual Benefit Health & Accident Association, 188 Kan. 694, 700, 366 P.2d 219 (1961). Attorney fees may be chargeable as costs where specific statutory provisions allow for recovery. See Allison v. Board of Johnson County Comm'rs, 241 Kan. 266, 269, 737 P.2d 6 (1987). Examples of legislative enactments which have specifically addressed attorney fees in relationship with costs include K.S.A. 2000 Supp. 61-2709(a) (appeals from small claims court), K.S.A. 2000 Supp. 60-1610(b)(4) (divorce actions), K.S.A. 2000 Supp. 60-2006(a) (motor vehicle negligence cases), and K.S.A. 38-1122 (determination of parentage cases).
Here, although K.S.A. 59-2134(c) does not specifically address attorney fees in relationship with costs, to determine whether the legislature intended attorney fees to be included as costs we must consider the entire act. See KPERS v. Reimer & Koger Assocs., Inc., 262 Kan. 635, 643, 941 P.2d 1321 (1997). We interpret articles 1 and 2 of chapter 59 as general provisions applicable to all cases arising under that chapter, including adoption cases. In support of this reading, we note that several statutes in those articles make specific reference to adoption matters. See K.S.A. 2000 Supp. 59-104(a); K.S.A. 2000 Supp. 59-212(a)(2); K.S.A. 2000 Supp. 59-214.
K.S.A. 2000 Supp. 59-104 provides for docket fees and court costs for those cases filed under chapter 59, including adoption cases. Section (d) of that statute states, in part, that "[o]ther fees and expenses to be assessed as additional court costs shall be approved by the court, unless specifically fixed by statute. Other fees shall include, but not be limited to . . . attorney fees." (Emphasis added.)
When K.S.A. 59-2134(c) is read in conjunction with K.S.A. 2000 Supp. 59-104(d), it is apparent the legislature intended that the fees of an attorney appointed to represent an indigent biological parent could be included as costs that may be assessed against a petitioner in an adoption proceeding. As a result, the trial court had the authority to tax the fees of the biological father's court-appointed attorney against the adoptive parents because specific statutory provisions allow for the assessment of such attorney fees as costs.
In further support of this determination, we note that the legislature did not create a provision in the Adoption and Relinquishment Act providing for payment of an indigent parent's court-appointed attorney by the county as suggested by the adoptive parents. Legislative intent for payment of attorney fees by the county in other matters are, however, expressly stated elsewhere in our code. For example, payment of certain attorney fees from the county's general fund is provided in the Kansas Parentage Act, K.S.A. 38-1122 (providing for payment of an indigent party's portion of reasonable fees of counsel and a child's guardian ad litem from the county's general fund); the Kansas Juvenile Offenders Code, K.S.A. 38-1613(b) (providing for payment of court-appointed attorney fees from the county's general fund in juvenile offender cases); and the Kansas Code for Care of Children, K.S.A. 38-1505(e); K.S.A. 38-1511(b) (providing for payment of fees for a child's guardian ad litem or attorney appointed for parents from the county's general fund). Because the legislature did not specify that the attorney fees of an indigent parent are to be paid by the county and, instead, expressly provided in K.S.A. 2000 Supp. 59-104(d) and K.S.A. 59-2134(c) that attorney fees may be assessed as costs, the trial court had the authority to order the adoptive parents to pay the fees for the biological father's court-appointed attorney.


text:
Policy 365.00
Business Activities
Originator: Assistant Vice President
Subject: Business Activities
- Policy
The mission of the UMUC is to provide access to public higher education for Maryland's adult learners by adapting its offerings to the special requirements of this student population. In carrying out this mission, it is often desirable for UMUC to charge fees for educational business activities; i.e., for providing goods and services that enhance, promote, or support UMUC instructional, research, public service, and other educational and support functions, to meet the needs of the students, faculty, staff and members of the public participating in institutional events.
This policy is in accordance with and pursuant to the USM Board of Regents' policy on business activities approved March 1, 1989. (VIII - 6.00).
- Procedures
- Educational Business Activities
An educational business activity may be established and carried on by UMUC when consistent with the following conditions outlined in the USM policy:
- The activity is deemed to be an integral part of the fulfillment of UMUC educational, research, public service, and institutional support functions and other education and support activities, without regard to profit;
- The activity is needed to provide an integral good or service at a reasonable price, on reasonable terms, and at a convenient location and time; and
- The activity is carried out for the primary benefit of the UMUC community but with sensitivity to the total community.
Other Business Activities
UMUC will normally engage in business activities that are directly and substantially related to fulfilling its primary mission as described above; however, there may be certain exceptions to this presumption. In those instances UMUC will need to engage in a reasoned balancing of fact to determine whether it should or should not undertake such activities. Among the factors should be:
- Contribution to the mission of UMUC.
- Student demand.
- Accommodation of the needs of students, faculty, and staff for daily life at UMUC.
- Enhancement of the quality of life at UMUC. Need to report Unrelated Business Income. Potential benefits to UMUC.
Degree of adverse or beneficial impact on the private sector.
Whether it involves the sale of goods or services that are either not commonly available in or not of general use to the community. To this end UMUC will continue its professional relationship with the local business community to discuss issues of mutual concern.
- Educational Business Activities
- Scope
This policy does not apply to issues covered by other UMUC policies, or to sales by independent contractors that contract with UMUC to provide goods and services in UMUC-managed facilities, provided that (a) the contract is with a person who is not affiliated with UMUC, (b) the contract was let through UMUC normal procurement regulations with a full opportunity given to the local community to participate, (c) the contract provides for rents and other terms that would be applicable in the private marketplace, (d) UMUC does not participate in the daily management of the activity except to act as landlord, and (e) due regard and weight is given in project design and bid solicitation to the concerns of the local community.
|Current Policy
|Prior Policy
|Policy Number


text:
Term: Ballad
Strictly, a ballad is a form of poetry that alternates lines of four and three beats, often in quatrains, rhymed abab, and often telling a story - the anonymous poem 'Sir Patrick Spens' and Wordsworth's "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal" demonstrate this well. The alternating sequence of four and three stresses is sometimes called common measure, especially when used for hymns. It is an appropriate name, as it is a very common form, with examples found from medieval lyrics to contemporary birthday cards, and is often the form used on TV when the scriptwriters want a character to have written a poem.
Within the Archive, Brian Patten's use of the form in 'Geography Lesson' echoes John Masefield's sea ballads, making the teacher's failure to explore the seas more poignant; Robert Minhinnick's 'Yellow Palm', the only strongly-rhymed poem in his reading, uses the form's familiarity to temper the political anger that it contains. It is also a form that can survive the bending of its rules, as in the case of Causley's 'Miller's End' - this has tetrametric lines throughout, but retains the flavour, the forward motion of the form. However, Sebastian Barker's poem 'The Articles of Prayer', while it does use the ballad metre, is lacking a narrative and would therefore not normally be called a ballad.


text:
Nokia N97 Manual / User Guide
This is the official Nokia N97 User Guide in English provided from the manufacturer. If you are looking for detailed technical specifications, please see our Specs page.
Nokia N97 is the second phone to feature a touchscreen while running on a Symbian S60 operating system. This is the new S60 5th Edition. Other features include 3.5-inch 640x360 pixels display, 5MP camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, and 3.5mm jack.


text:
Eric just noted that Bloomberg's endorsement of President Obama marks the first significant moment in the campaign where climate change is front and center. He also suggests that climate change and its relationship to Hurricane Sandy could now actually affect the presidential race. A related and perhaps even more important question is whether the hurricane and its aftermath will make any difference post-election about whether we actually decide to create national climate policy or to exert meaningful global influence in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I hope that it does and have a small (but only small) amount of optimism that it will.
If President Obama is reelected, the possibilities of significant action on climate emissions seem obviously to be significantly higher than if Governor Romney is elected. As Mayor Bloomberg noted in his endorsement, the President is on record as a committed believer that human activity is causing the planet to warm. If Governor Romney is elected, not only has he equivocated on the human connection to a warming globe but he is also fairly clearly the candidate of the coal industry and other carbon-intensive industries. One would think he would feel beholden at least in part to an industry that has provided significant funding to his Presidential campaign.
But in either case, my guess is that we are likely to see an uptick — even a strong one — in public belief in and concern about climate change. Such an uptick occurred post-Katrina. It seems hard to imagine that the freakish intensity of Hurricane Sandy won't spark a similar sense that something is amiss with our climate. We got closer than ever to a national climate policy in the years immediately post-Katrina. And the combination of an uptick in public concern about climate change with the fact that the economy is strenghtening could make political action on climate changemore feasible.
Of course the odds are relatively high that we'll still have a Republican House of Representatives that seems to be the most anti-environmental in the modern environmental era. And it is virtually impossible to imagine that a Republican House would pass a national climate bill. But it seems at least plausible that we could see any one of the following:
A somewhat bolder Environmental Protection Agency using its power under Massachusetts v. EPA and the Clean Air Act to take stronger action than it has to date to implement rules to reduce greenhouse gases;
An energy bill, focused less directly on climate change but that provides strong support for renewable and alternative energy;
A stronger international effort by a second Obama Administration to reach some sort of meaningful post-Kyoto accord, or to use the Montreal Protocol to cut greenhouse gases that are part of the protocol, or to engage in bilateral negotiations or sectoral agreements focused on large sources of emissions
The reengagement of many of the states that indicated early support for regional cap and trade efforts but dropped out due to the economic recession.
So this is the proverbial sliver lining in the Sandy clouds. I may be too optimistic. But I never imagined that less than a week before the election a prominent endorsement would be based in part on the President's support for climate change.


text:
"Mama always said, dying was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't."
Junior Seau
This Junior Seau (1) situation is truly sad. It didn't really hit me until I read players' tweets and watched interviews on TV. Marcellus Wiley (2) was in tears talking about the type of human being Seau was. The details are still sketchy, but it appears that Seau was battling depression and committed suicide at his home. Junior Seau was never my favorite player, but I had a lot of respect for him. At a time when the NFL (3) is being sued by former players, coaches are being suspended for an entire season, players are being suspended for multiple games, and investigations are ongoing for alleged cheating; the timing of this apparent suicide probably couldn't be worse. I know I wondered if Seau's death was somehow related to a brain injury or some other form of trauma he sustained as a player. I pray for his family and friends. I also pray for the Chargers organization. Since 1995, eight former Chargers have passed away. All of them were under the age of 45. David Griggs died in a car crash; Rodney Culver died in a plane crash; Doug Miller was struck by lightning; Curtis Whitley died from a drug overdose; Chris Mims had an enlarged heart and died from complications with that; Shawn Lee and Lew Bush each had a heart attack and passed. *sigh* Rest in peace, Junior.
So…there's a church…in Tulsa, Oklahoma…at a bar…called the Drunk Monkey Tavern (4). After my initial shock, I got to thinking, and it's not a bad idea. A local church streams its service to the bar every Sunday. The bar doesn't serve alcohol during the service, which is nice. As a Christian, I find this to be progressive. You're not always going to reach people at a typical church with pews, preachers, and judgmental parishioners. I respect the effort to be fishers of men.
Lil Boosie (5) is about to have his day in court. He has been charged with first-degree murder for plotting to have someone killed. I've seen a surge in #FreeBoosie hashtags on my timeline on Twitter. Each time I'm tempted to unfollow these people. There are causes to take up, there are people to rally around, and there is Lil Boosie. Sorry, the justice system can keep him. He hasn't been proven guilty yet, but he was stupid enough to talk about the murder in his music. See: "187"
Speaking of music and controversy, I watched VH1's documentary, which highlighted the LA Riots (6) and hip-hop's role in them. Watch "Uprising: Hip-Hop & The LA Riots" here. I was really impressed with it. When the LA Riots were going on, I was at an age where I didn't completely understand what all was going on. I didn't have my head buried in the sand, but it was before my time. The documentary did a great job of explaining everything from the Rodney King beating, the subsequent acquittal of the policemen who beat him, the Korean lady's exhoneration after killing Latasha Harlins (7), and the racial turmoil in Los Angeles during that time. All the while, there was music. The music that told the world what was really going on before it gained national notoriety. VH1 went a step further and compiled a tracklist of the songs that defined the LA Riots.
Thirteen people have now been charged in the hazing death of Robert Champion (8), the former FAMU drum major who was killed in November. This whole situation sucks. I had and still have so much respect for FAMU's band, the Marching 100 (9) and I hate that this is how many people will remember it. Currently, the band is indefinitely suspended. No matter what happens, no one will win here. A young man has lost his life, parents have lost a child, several students are facing felonies, and the school itself is tainted by this. This will get ugly.
The Brooklyn Nets (10) unveiled their new colors and logo that Jay-Z (11) helped design. I'm not impressed. First of all, it's extremely plain. The black & white color combination is even worse. The Spurs already wear those colors. Ugh…I was expecting better.
There's a push for "The Bachelor" (12) to feature its first African American. Lamar Hurd is a former professional basketball player from Oregon, who is in the running to be the next Bachelor. Here's an interview with him from CNN and here's his YouTube video.
"The 25 Best Cheating Songs from the Cheater Themselves" Honorable Mention (13)
I'm dropping the top 10 (25-18; 17-11) of this list tomorrow morning, but I figured I'd tease the thREADERS with the songs that missed the cut. These are great songs, but three of the four couldn't make it to the list simply because they are not from the perspective of the cheater. They're still great songs, so I'm showing them some love.
1. "It Wasn't Me" by Shaggy – This song met the criteria, but it couldn't quite crack the top 25. Perhaps Shaggy's denial is what kept this song off the list. His girlfriend had all the evidence necessary to prove that her man was cheating, but he spends the entire song denying it.
2. "Follow Me" by Uncle Kracker – I really like this song, but like the next two songs, it doesn't meet the criteria for this playlist. He's the other guy who is convincing the woman to leave her husband. It's so lovey-dovey sounding that you forget that it's a song about secret lovers.
3. "Down Low" by R. Kelly – This song was literally sitting comfortably in my Top 10 until I realized that R. Kelly wasn't a cheater. There is no mention of a girlfriend, wife, or anything. However, there is a paramour. What a tragic tale this becomes when you watch the video.
4. "My Little Secret" by Xscape – Before Kandi was a "Housewife" and selling sex toys and before Tiny found T.I. and fell victim to plastic surgery, there was this jewel of deception. Instead of the quartet representing the woman who steps out on her man, it represents the side chick homegirl messing with a man who has a girlfriend. What's more intriguing is that she likes being in the same room as the couple. Messy, messy, messy…


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text:
In America you're either a "doer" or a "don't-er." So says the hostile motivational speaker played by Ken Jeong, one of several supporting sleazebags tipping around the edges of director Michael Bay's "Pain & Gain."
What the self-help guru is selling, bodybuilder and gym manager Danny Lugo, played by Mark Wahlberg, is buying with a vengeance. The movie, based on the true story of a truly stupid group of pumped-up kidnappers and killers, wallows in steroidally jacked style and excess. Everything is supersaturated in flaming pastels or hot, rich neon. The images are packed with glistening muscle and bright, shiny, superslow-motion struts toward the camera, with something in flames as a backdrop. It's Bay World. And after an hour of "Pain & Gain," it felt more like "Pain & Pain."
The story's milieu of Miami bodybuilders, low-level miscreants and assorted human barnacles may be something different for the man behind the "Bad Boys" larks, "Pearl Harbor," "Armageddon" and the "Transformers" trilogy. But Bay's comedies are funnier when they're funny by accident.
This could've been a great black comedy. The script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely throws in every severed digit, smashed skull and snorted line of cocaine the writers were required to leave out of their "Chronicles of Narnia" screenplays. "Pain & Gain" derives from a three-part 1999-2000 Miami New Times series of nonfiction articles by Pete Collins. In 1994, Lugo and his hapless colleagues targeted a Sun Gym client for kidnapping and extortion. He was tortured, then crushed by a vehicle and left for dead. But he didn't die. Others did, later, but not him.
The film takes the usual number of moviemaking liberties. Dwayne Johnson bulls his way through the role of recovering cocaine addict and alcoholic ex-con, alongside Anthony Mackie's gullible personal trainer. Lugo's kidnapping victim (fictionalized for the script) is a Columbian-American businessman (Tony Shaloub), a smug, insulting specimen, identified in glaring close-up by the Star of David necklace around his greedy neck. (Nobody, except for Ed Harris' wily detective, comes off well in "Pain & Gain," but still.)
I laughed — once — when, in one of Bay's many freeze-frames, Mackie's character is captured with a look of comical horror on his face at the latest unfortunate event in these criminals' endeavors. Elsewhere, the jokes curdle. Bay's touch is like granite. The look and nasty, insincere vibe of the picture carries the assurance of every Bay project. I'll give it that.
Cinematographer Ben Seresin shoots digitally as well as on film, and the changing stocks and whirling perspectives may not be consistent, but that's the idea: There's always something, some grabby flourish or two-second shift in angle, to divert you from story or character. Composer Steve Jablonsky's music may as well be scoring "Bad Boys 3" or "Armageddon 2: Armageddon Outta Here," so heavy-spirited is its ambient mood.
Bay doesn't have the facility or the interest or, frankly, the moral filmmaking intelligence for real social satire. His idea of funny is a rump-level shot of a stripper getting out of a pool, followed by an abrupt cut to an obese woman's thighs just as an off-screen character mutters the word "repulsive."
'Pain & Gain' -- 1 1/2 stars
MPAA rating: R (for bloody violence, crude sexual content, nudity, language throughout and drug use)
Running time: 2:09
Opens: Friday


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Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS)
U.S. Department of Labor
Office of Labor-Management Standards
St. Louis District Office
1222 Spruce Street, Suite 9.109E
St. Louis, MO 63103
(314) 539-2667 Fax: (314) 539-2626
June 29, 2010
Ms. Rebecca Sleeper, Secretary Treasurer
Greater St. Louis Area Port Council
4581 Gravois Ave
St. Louis, MO 63116 Case Number: ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LM Number: 509824
Dear Ms. Sleeper:
This office has recently completed an audit of Greater St. Louis Area Port Council under the Compliance Audit Program (CAP) to determine your organization's compliance with the provisions of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA). As discussed during the exit interview with you and Office Secretary Betty W on June 25, 2010, the following problems were disclosed during the CAP. The matters listed below are not an exhaustive list of all possible problem areas since the audit conducted was limited in scope.
Other Violation
The audit disclosed the following other violation:
Inadequate Bonding
The audit revealed a violation of LMRDA Section 502 (Bonding), which requires that union officers and employees be bonded for no less than 10 percent of the total funds those individuals or their predecessors handled during the preceding fiscal year.
The port Council's officers and employees are currently bonded for $10,000, but they must be bonded for at least $11,488. The Port Council should obtain adequate bonding coverage for its officers and employees immediately. Please provide proof of bonding coverage to this office as soon as possible, but not later than July 30, 2010.
I want to extend my personal appreciation to Greater St. Louis Area Port Council for the cooperation and courtesy extended during this compliance audit. I strongly recommend that you make sure this letter and the compliance assistance materials provided to you are passed on to future officers. If we can provide any additional assistance, please do not hesitate to call.
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Life is hard... Go help someone (or ask for help)/
I wrote this in my newsletter this morning...
Honestly, I'm feeling kind of conflicted on what to write this week…
It doesn't feel right for me to comment on Aaron Swartz—I didn't know him and I don't know enough about the details of his case to go around placing blame.
So instead, I'll just say this…
Life can be extremely trying sometimes. One day, you're riding high, and the next day you're on the verge of losing millions of dollars of your investors' capital. It can be difficult enough to weather the storm—but when a huge number of people suffer from either depression or some form of mental illness, you almost wonder how you don't hear about stuff like this more often.
Do yourself a favor—if you're finding things difficult to cope with, reach out to someone. Talk to a friend. Admit when the stress of being a founder or at whatever you do is becoming difficult to handle. More than half of everyone goes through this at some point in their lives, but no one ever wants to talk about it. It's ok to need help once in a while, so don't be afraid to ask.
On the other hand, when's the last time you reached out to someone having a difficult time—offering emotional support? When you know the writing is on the wall at a prominent company, perhaps before writing a nail in the coffin blog post, you might just try reaching out to the founder to ask if they're ok and if they need some help. Anytime can write negative predictions about the dead pool—but not everyone can lend to those who need it most.
This week, in honor of a kid who clearly had a lot more ahead of him than was ever realized, I'd ask that you do one of two things:
Either ask for emotional support if you feel like you need help or offer it to someone you see going through a tough time.
That's it… go make the world a better place.


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LONDON (Reuters) - Starbucks told investors its European businesses made a $40 million (24 million pounds) profit in 2011, but accounts filed for its UK, German, and French units, which make up 90 percent of European revenues, showed a loss of $60 million.
Did the coffee giant lose $100 million in the year between advising investors and filing its returns to European tax men?
Far from it. An examination of Starbucks's company accounts in Germany and France shows the firm employed the same tactics there that Reuters recently showed it has used in the UK: reporting losses to the taxman while boasting healthy cashflows to investors.
Starbucks Chief Financial Officer Troy Alstead said the company simply used a different measure of profit when reporting its performance to investors and when filing its tax returns.
If the chain had reported its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region profit of $40 million in the UK, France, Germany or the Netherlands, where its EMEA headquarters is based, it would have faced a tax liability of around $11 million, according to Reuters calculations.
Instead, accounts for its European units show it paid around $1.2 million in Dutch taxes and racked up millions of dollars worth of accounting losses it can use to reduce future German, French or British tax bills.
There is no evidence the firm has broken tax rules in any of the countries where it operates, and investors naturally expect companies to manage their tax bills.
"If you're not finding ways to mitigate your tax responsibilities to the best of your ability, that's something that will impact shareholders," said RJ Hottovy, an analyst who covers Starbucks for Morningstar.
Alstead said that while Starbucks tried to optimise its tax bill, the company followed the rules and was not an aggressive tax avoider.
"Our intent is to be absolutely fair taxpayers everywhere," he said.
But muscular tax planning also brings risks. A YouGov survey conducted days after Reuters reported earlier this month that Starbucks had paid just 8.6 million pounds in British corporation tax on 3.1 billion pounds of sales over the past 13 years, showed that Britons now take a much more negative view of the firm.
The story prompted a wave of media criticism and British members of parliament called for an inquiry by the tax department. Prime Minster David Cameron, asked in parliament about the tax paid by Starbucks and other companies, said: "I am not happy with the current situation. I think the HMRC (UK tax authority) needs to look at it very carefully. We do need to make sure we are encouraging these businesses to invest in our country, as they are, but they should be paying fair taxes as well.
In France and Germany, where Starbucks has not paid income tax in a decade of operations, some politicians now say their tax men should also investigate the coffee chain's affairs. Tax structures that allow corporations to shift money around to minimise taxes "is a form of corporate welfare", said Sven Giegold, Member of the European Parliament for the German Green Party. He said he would raise the issue of Starbucks tax record with tax authorities in Bavaria, where Starbucks's German unit is based.
A spokesman for Germany's left-of-centre Die Linke party said it would ask the finance ministry to investigate whether Starbucks had complied with German tax rules.
The finance ministry said it did not comment on individual taxpayers. French and German tax authorities also declined to comment, citing taxpayer confidentiality.
Starbucks said in a statement it was "totally committed" to the UK, France and Germany. The company said that though it paid no corporation tax in what it called "three of our largest and most important markets" in 2011, it had paid value added taxes, social security costs and business rates.
Alstead said the primary reason the French and German units didn't pay corporation tax was because high rental rates and labour costs made it hard to turn a profit. The CFO said German tax authorities had expressed concern about the large accumulated tax losses Starbucks Coffee Deutschland had built up and was pressing the firm to agree not to use them to offset any future taxable income.
Starbucks said its overall tax rate, which includes deferred taxes that may or may not be payable in the future, was 31 percent in 2011. This compares with an average U.S. corporate income tax rate of 26 percent from 1987 to 2008, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Starbucks's Europe, Middle East and Africa division has boasted sales of $1 billion in each of the past three years. The UK contributed most of that - in 2011, for instance, its turnover was $636 million.
The company operates in the UK, France and Germany via wholly owned subsidiaries that manage coffee stores and license the brand to other retailers. It also has smaller, wholly owned subsidiaries in Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands.
Most of the rest of the income generated by the firm's EMEA division comes from licensing fees paid by partners operating under the Starbucks brand in countries such as Spain, Greece and Russia.
Starbucks entered Germany with a cafe near Berlin's Brandenburg Gate in 2002 and now operates 150 stores in the country. It opened its first French store, near Paris's Opera House, in 2004 and now has over 60 branches in France.
Starbucks executives like to recall how critics predicted their failure in France and Germany, which had long-established café cultures that shared little with Starbucks's uniform interiors, paper cups and whipped-cream-topped concoctions such as Cinnamon Dolce Lattes and Mocha Frappuccinos.
"A lot of people asked if Starbucks would have any relevance in Germany," Chief Executive Howard Schultz told Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in 2008. "I think we've proven that we've been accepted in Germany."
In December 2010, John Culver, president of Starbucks's international division, told an investor conference that the German unit "showed a profit on the bottom line" in the year to October. He also said France had turned "cash flow positive".
Yet the accounts Starbucks Coffee Deutschland GmbH and Starbucks Coffee France SAS filed to local company registers showed losses in 2010 and 2011, as in every previous year.
Starbucks had sales of 117 million euros in Germany last year, accounts for the local unit show. It reported a loss of 5.3 million euros and paid no income tax.
The group had sales of 73 million euros in France, but reported a loss of 2.5 million euros and paid no income tax.
By contrast, the German unit of McDonald's had turnover of 196 million euros in 2010, the most recent year for which accounts are available, and paid tax of 12.6 million euros. McDonald's France paid tax of 49 million euros last year on 812 million of revenue.
Alstead said the accounts its French and German units file could vary from the picture given to investors because of inter-company payments that can be deducted when calculating the units' taxable income.
Like the UK division, the French and German units use inter-company transfers to shift profit.
In France and Germany, the main deduction is a royalty the two units pay to their immediate parent, Netherlands-based Starbucks Coffee EMEA BV, for "use of the trademark and Starbucks business processes", according to a spokeswoman.
The fees are equivalent to 6 percent of turnover, and additional charges of $25,000 are also due when the local units open a new store, accounts for the units show.
Royalty payments helped Starbucks achieve an average tax rate of 13 percent on overseas income in 2011, lower than consumer companies such as Nike, Wal-Mart, Gap, Burger King, Yum Brands and Tiffany.
Other U.S. companies also charge their European units fees to use trademarks or business processes, though not as much as that charged by Starbucks.
McDonald's and Burger King charge their European units a fee of 4-5 percent of turnover. Supermarket chain Wal-Mart charges its UK subsidiary Asda 0.6 percent for various services including royalties. A spokesman for Kentucky Fried Chicken, owned by Yum Brands, said it did not charge associated companies money to rent the KFC brand.
Starbucks is unusual among these chains in that the royalty fee it charges European units has consistently eaten up most or all of the profits they would otherwise have earned. Other retailers would not comment on why they don't charge higher fees.
International tax rules allow companies to deduct royalty payments to associated entities, provided they are at "arms length". In other words, a Starbucks unit has to establish it would have agreed to pay an unrelated company 6 percent of turnover to rent a comparable brand and business processes.
Starbucks said it followed industry practice and that it abides by the "arms length" rule at all times.
In 2009, though, after a decade of losses, the British taxman challenged Starbucks's deduction of a 6 percent royalty and told the company it could deduct just 4.7 percent from taxable income in future, Alstead said.
Though the Starbucks brand was developed in the United States, the brand fees the French and German units pay do not go back there, where they might face tax at 35-39 percent, but to the Netherlands.
Dutch corporation tax is 25 percent, but tax experts say few of the many multinationals that transfer royalties from European units to a related company in the Netherlands pay tax there at that rate.
Dutch tax officials declined to comment on Starbucks, citing taxpayer confidentiality.
European Union rules allow the transfer of such fees within the bloc without tax deductions, but require withholding taxes to be levied when the fees are moved outside the bloc. But Dutch tax law allows companies to send royalty fees earned in other countries on to tax havens without incurring taxes.
In September, the European Parliament voted to close this loophole. But its views on tax matters are only advisory, and rule changes require unanimity among member states.
Despite the royalties it receives, Starbucks Coffee EMEA doesn't make much profit either. On revenues of 73 million euros in 2011 it managed a profit of just 507,000 euros.
When asked how the unit burnt up its revenue, Alstead cited staff costs - the HQ has 97 employees - and rent. Average gross earnings are 44,800 euros per head in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat, while rent on an Amsterdam office to house 100 employees would typically cost about 300,000 euros a year, said Michael Hesp of real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle Netherlands.
Even if Starbucks Coffee EMEA BV paid twice those average wages and rents, that would account for only 13 percent of revenues.
Alstead said the unit also paid other group companies for unspecified services, including a Swiss-based associate he declined to identify.
The French and German units also run up big losses thanks to their large debts.
Rather than investing cash in these units, Starbucks Coffee EMEA lends them money to fund growth. The interest on those loans - charged at a higher rate than the group pays to borrow - reduces the taxable income of the national units, according to tax rules in both jurisdictions.
Starbucks itself has a conservative debt-to-equity ratio of 12.5 percent, meaning its business is mostly financed by shareholders' capital and retained profits. Its French and German units, however, are overwhelmingly financed by debt, with ratios of 156 percent and 764 percent, respectively.
Alstead said the high debt levels were a function of the French and German units' weak profitability, which required the parent to extend loans to help them cover their bills.
The Dutch unit has also taken on loans, but the company declined to identify the lender.
Without royalty fees and interest payments, Starbucks's French and German units would have generated a profit of over 10 million euros in the past two years and faced a tax liability of 3.4 million euros, the units' accounts show.
Instead, Starbucks Coffee EMEA BV and the group's Amsterdam-based roasting unit, Starbucks Manufacturing EMEA, declared profits of 2 million euros in 2011 and paid taxes of 870,000 euros.
Starbucks declined to say where the rest of its 2011 EMEA profit ended up or how much tax was paid on it.
Reporting by Tom Bergin; Editing by Will Waterman and Simon Robinson


text:
Truth In Advertising
The Promise:
The Delivery:
Oh, they'll never forget it, alright.
Thanks to wreckporter Robert W., who tells me this cake is currently sitting on a bakery counter - right next to that first picture - as a means of advertising. Or, as Robert suspects, perhaps more as a warning.
P.S. The longer you look at this, the funnier it gets. Seriously. Can we take a moment to "appreciate" those bottom borders? And the fact that the baker used the giant shell tip to do all the delicate piping work? Huh? Can we?


text:
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Registering your eSpring® Water Purifier makes it easy to order replacement parts. Simply contact your Amway IBO or use our registration form.
Copyright © 2018 Amway


text:
Catch up on noteworthy information, important events and all of the latest happenings in and around the university community.
A symposium honoring Vera Rubin (G'54), one of the most important American astrophysicists of the 20th century, took place this week at Georgetown, where she received a Ph.D. and began her career as a researcher and professor.
Current and former diplomats, including 12 Georgetown alumnae, shared perspectives on women's roles in shaping communities around the globe ahead of International Women's Day, March 8.


text:
Romero Britto Love Mini Word Decor FigurineAED95.00 Jump to: Details - Specifications - Reviews
Brand: ROMERO BRITTO
(a) Deliveries are made between Saturday and Thursday and will be undertaken by a third party appointed by Virgin for and on behalf of Virgin. Virgin makes every effort to dispatch Products on time. If the ordered Products are not delivered within the time period Virgin specified in the confirmation email, please contact Virgin's Customer Services quoting the order reference contained in your order confirmation email.
(b) Delivery occurs when the ordered Products are delivered to the delivery address you specified when placing your order. At this point, responsibility for loss, breakage and damage passes to you. Ownership of Products purchased passes to you when payment is received by Virgin in full. You will be asked to sign for acceptance of the Products which will note that the Products are correct and have been received in good condition.
(c) If you are not at the delivery address, Virgin will assume that any adults that are present at the delivery address are authorized by you to take delivery of the Products that you have ordered. If above criteria are not met or if there is no one at the delivery address, Virgin will not leave the Products at the delivery address. Virgin will contact you to arrange an alternative delivery time.
(d) Please note that the delivery people will only deliver the Products to your front door.
Virgin does not deliver to any residence outside of the United Arab Emirates.
Romero Britto is a Brazilian artist that uses vibrant, bold and colorful patterns to reflect his optimistic view of the world around him. This enamel painted figurine is a reproduction of one of many works of art by Romero Britto.


text:
The Dow and S&P 500 finished near session lows as investors were reluctant to jump in following a three-day rally, but major averages still capped the volatile quarter with gains.
Stocks finished lower for the month of June, logging their first monthly drop this year. But all three major averages logged their third winning quarter in four. And so far for the year, the Dow has surged more than 14 percent, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq have spiked more than 13 percent each.


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EA sends out four games for Macs
Two of the titles, Need For Speed Carbon and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will be available to consumers tomorrow. The other two, Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars and Battlefield 2142, will be held until their August 28 release date.
All four titles were released on the PC within the last year.
EA announced in June that it would begin bringing more titles to the Mac. However, the four titles announced today encountered delays beyond what EA originally expected.
EA also pledged to release Madden NFL 08 simultaneously on the PC and Mac. The Mac version is nowhere to be found. The same promise was made about Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, which is slated to come out later this month.
Initially, the new games will be exclusive to the Apple Store and Apple.com, while EA and Apple try to attain additional retail partners.
From tgdaily


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Score soccer-player abs with Kelley O'Hara's core-strengthening move
See Gallery
We popped in to a Manhattan soccer Mecca, Chelsea Piers and were lucky enough to catch up with U.S. Women's National Team soccer player and Olympic gold medalist Kelley O'Hara just before the men's U.S. v. Belgium kickoff.
And guess what? In the midst of a busy season (yes, the Women's National Team regular season continues during the World Cup...and they are totally crushing it as usual) the wingback and Under Armour brand ambassador is bingeing on her fill of FIFA action right along with us!
"I'm so excited for the guys because so many people doubted that they would even make it out of their group so it is a big accomplishment that they are into the knockout round," says the soccer star. "Now it is just they've got the World Cup jitters out hopefully. They know how to play and they acclimated to the environment and the atmosphere and the speed of play. They should go out there and have fun. Every 90 minutes or 100 minutes could be your last so they should just leave it all on the field."
Since there are few things more motivating than going on a month-long soccer bender, we bet you are like the rest of us and wondering what it takes to get one of a player's most prized possessions, other than the most MAJOR title ever of course. Yup, we're talking about winning abs.
One of Kelley's guaranteed moves is one we also love: the rotating side plank. If you're watching the game and need to work out some nerves, these'll do the trick. We guarantee it's a way to earning your stars, stripes, and strong abs forever!
Check out the slideshow to learn how to do this move!
More from SELF:
25 Easy (Delicious!) Ways to Eat Healthy
Sneaky Stomach Slimmers
5 Simple Steps to Cellulite-Free Skin
20 Superfoods For Weight Loss


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There's so much want to remember about this Christmas (What? Christmas is long-gone and the last thing on your mind? Shocking!)
The way we made simple nativity scenes with the Activity Days Girls at church and Creed (forever thinking he is one of the 8 to 11 year-old girls) insisted on making his own (we only decorated the people and lucked out finding the stables at Target for $2.50)The way Creed's Mary looked starred eyed to say the least (I guess she just gave birthday afterall) and we carried those little people around all through the holidays. I will forever treasure these sweet hand-drawn faces.