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Pablo Neruda was easily the most prolific and popular of all twentieth-century poets. His collected poems run in excess of thirty-five hundred pages, and his books, which have been translated into dozens of languages, have sold in the millions. His life as a diplomat, an exile, and sometimes a fugitive was not an easy one. The solitude that most writers need in order to work was something that Neruda for the most part was denied. Many of his poems reflect the shifting conditions under which he lived, and have at heart a longing for fixity, whether of place or of idea. At his best, he is among the small group of last century's great poets. Now the most comprehensive selection to date of Neruda's translated poems has been published. "The Poetry of Pablo Neruda" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux; $40), edited by Ilan Stavans, a professor of Latin-American and Latino culture at Amherst College, is a weighty volume of almost a thousand pages, including an informative introduction, a bibliography of translations into English of Neruda's work, and notes on his life and his poetry.
Born Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, in 1904, Neruda changed his name to conceal from his father, a railroad worker, the fact that he was a poet. In a memoir (translated by Hardie St. Martin), he writes movingly about an event that might have set in motion his decision, as a teen-ager, to adopt a pseudonym:
**{: .break one} ** Once, far back in my childhood, when I had barely learned to read, I felt an intense emotion and set down a few words, half rhymed but strange to me, different from everyday language. Overcome by a deep anxiety, something I had not experienced before, a kind of anguish and sadness, I wrote them neatly on a piece of paper. It was a poem to my mother, that is, to the one I knew, the angelic stepmother whose gentle shadow watched over my childhood. I had no way at all of judging my first composition, which I took to my parents. They were in the dining room, immersed in one of those hushed conversations that, more than a river, separate the world of children and the world of grownups. Still trembling after this first visit from the muse, I held out to them the paper with the lines of verse. My father took it absentmindedly, read it absentmindedly, and returned it to me absentmindedly, saying: "Where did you copy this from?" Then he went on talking to my mother in a lowered voice about his important and remote affairs. That, I seem to remember, was how my first poem was born, and that was how I had my first sample of irresponsible literary criticism. **
By sixteen, Pablo Neruda was publishing poems in school magazines and in the newspapers of his home town, Temuco. At nineteen, he published his first book, "Crepusculario," and within a year he had published "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair." The book was a sensation, and the young poet who walked the streets of Santiago in a dark broad-brimmed hat and a black cape was suddenly famous. "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair" begins with an evocation of the beloved's physical presence and ends with acceptance of her absence. Though one can track the downward spiral of love in these poems, it is equally clear that the quality of yearning is what is most important for the poet. So long as his love is absent, he can idealize passion. Here (in a translation by W. S. Merwin) is the beginning of the twentieth poem:
**{: .break one} ** Tonight I can write the saddest lines. Write, for example, "The night is starry and the stars are blue and shiver in the distance." The night wind revolves in the sky and sings. Tonight I can write the saddest lines. I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too. Through nights like this one I held her in my arms. I kissed her again and again under the endless sky. She loved me, sometimes I loved her too. How could one not have loved her great still eyes. Tonight I can write the saddest lines. To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her. **
The naturalness of these lines, their exuberant and youthful melancholy, their casual repetitions, their over-all simplicity mark Neruda's early style and account in some measure for the continued popularity of the book.
In 1927, Neruda's travels began. He was sent to Rangoon as consul ad honorem, staying in the Far East until 1932, when he returned to Chile. It was there, in the Far East, that Neruda got to work on his cycle of poems "Residence on Earth." The three volumes that make up the cycle contain the poems that he wrote from 1925 to 1945. In the first volume, which covers a wide range of subjects, the melancholy of his earlier poetry becomes more assertive, more colorful, more surreal, and, finally, more anguished. In the poems of the second volume, the gloom continues, but with less obliquity and considerably more charm, as in "Walking Around," which (in Robert Bly's rendering) begins:
**{: .break one} ** It so happens I am sick of being a man. And it happens that I walk into tailorshops and movie houses dried up, waterproof, like a swan made of felt steering my way in a water of wombs and ashes. **
By the third volume, it is clear that Neruda's poetry has undergone a profound change. In 1935, he was made consul in Madrid, a post from which he was fired a short time later, because of his involvement in Spanish politics. Neruda was a fierce supporter of the Loyalists, and his poems describe the horrors of war as Spain fell to the forces of Franco.
Neruda's political concerns were not limited to Spain. Later on in the same book, he pays homage to the Soviet Union (something he continued to do for the rest of his life) with an ode to Stalingrad, comparing—in a gesture that seems not only dated but mistaken—its battle against the Nazi onslaught with the struggles of the Spanish Loyalists. Most political poems do not enjoy a long life, and Neruda's are no exception. Their urgency turns out to be as perishable as our memory of the events that inspired them. "Residence on Earth" is a diffuse and transitional enterprise, a bridge between the precocious and unprogrammatic early work and the great works of his maturity.
In 1945, Neruda became a member of the Chilean Communist Party, which was soon outlawed. In 1947, having published scathing criticisms of Chile's President, he was charged with treason and became a fugitive, escaping through the Andes on horseback and resurfacing in France in 1949. By 1950, he was in Mexico, where his sprawling Whitmanesque epic "Canto General," written largely while he was on the run, appeared. It is a lyrical encyclopedia of the New World, proceeding chronologically through three hundred and forty poems and more than five hundred pages. It begins with the world before man arrived. Here (as rendered by Jack Schmitt) is a passage from "The Birds Arrive," a poem in the first section:
**{: .break one} ** A marine mountain flies toward the islands, a moon of birds winging South, over the fermented islands of Peru. It's a living river of shade, a comet of countless tiny hearts that eclipse the world's sun like a thick-tailed meteor pulsing toward the archipelago. And at the end of the enraged sea, in the ocean rain, the wings of the albatross rise up like two systems of salt, establishing in the silence with their spacious hierarchy amid the torrential squalls, the order of the wilds. **
The style, with its sweeping hyperboles and celebratory tone, typifies many of the early poems in the "Canto" and reaches its limit in the breathtaking section called "The Heights of Macchu Picchu," in which the poet invites the continent's victimized dead to express themselves through him. He will be their champion, speaking eloquently not only for the victims but for the continent itself. "Canto General" has rarely been matched in its range of subjects, its energy, its imaginative power. It falls down where Neruda substitutes the language of politics for the language of imagination. Even those who agree with his condemnation of the United States, say, and what he believes has been its role in a century-long regime of exploitation and despoilment, will likely feel betrayed by the cornball language of his complaint. Such criticism, however, may be beside the point. Neruda is not a philosophical or meditative poet but one of allegiances and opinions, especially in politics, always wanting us to feel that he identifies with the poor and defenseless, that he knows what is good for them and what is not.
After "Canto General," Neruda's books appeared with greater frequency. Although Chilean authorities rescinded his arrest warrant in 1952, he continued to travel: to Eastern Europe, to the Soviet Union (where he had the dubious honor of winning the Stalin Peace Prize and later served as one of its judges), to Italy (the movie "Il Postino" was inspired by one of his visits there), to Mexico (where he never ceased to feel at home), to France (where he was the Chilean Ambassador in the early seventies), and to many other countries. In the poems he wrote in those years, his largeness of spirit, which in "Canto General" was sometimes cramped by ideology, was given free rein. The "Elemental Odes," three books published between 1954 and 1957, were like nothing else people had seen. With them, Neruda hoped to reach a wider audience than he already had, and his hope was realized. The "Odes" gained immediate and universal praise. They are about the things of everyday life: a lemon, a dead carob tree, a boy with a hare, a stamp album. And they were read by people who had never before paid attention to poetry. Written in very short lines, some as short as a single word, the "Odes" tumble effortlessly down the page in chainlike sentences. Everything is seen in its best light, everything has value, everything deserves to be the subject of a poem. The rhetoric of the "Odes" is as democratic as that of Whitman's "Leaves of Grass." Here (in Margaret Sayers Peden's rendition) is the ecstatic opening of "Ode to a Stamp Album":
**{: .break one} ** Album of perfect stamps! Butterflies, ships, sea shapes, corollas, leaning towers, dark eyes, moist and round as grapes, album smooth as a slippery fish, with thousands of glistening scales, each page a racing charger in search of distant pleasures, forgotten flowers! **
The poem concludes as breathlessly as it began:
**{: .break one} ** Insatiable spiral, comet's tail of all earth's highways, dictionary of the wind, starstruck album bulging with noble fruits and territories, treasure keeper sailing on its treasure, garnet pomegranate, nomadic stamp album! **
"Extravagaria" (1957-58), which followed the "Odes," is as different from them as they are from "Canto General." Its poems are directed inward, and the voice is more colloquial, more personal, more forgiving of others, and much more relaxed in the claims it makes for itself. There are many beautiful and moving poems in this book, but none more so than the long, valedictory "Autumn Testament," which (as translated by Alastair Reid) concludes:
**{: .break one} ** From having been born so often I have salty experience like creatures of the sea with a passion for stars and an earthy destination. And so I move without knowing to which world I'll be returning or if I'll go on living. While things are settling down, here I've left my testament, my shifting extravagaria, so whoever goes on reading it will never take in anything except the constant moving of a clear and bewildered man, a man rainy and happy, lively and autumn-minded. And now I'm going behind this page, but not disappearing. I'll dive into clear air like a swimmer in the sky, and then get back to growing till one day I'm so small that the wind will take me away and I won't know my own name and I won't be there when I wake. Then I will sing in the silence. **
In 1964, nine years before his death, Neruda published his last great book, "Isla Negra," named for the place he called home. Intensely autobiographical, it seems a continuation and amplification of "Extravagaria." Looking deep and serenely into his early and middle years, into lost loves and lost places, Neruda displays an uncharacteristic modesty. The strident rhetoric that continued to surface in much of his previous poetry is missing. Instead, the tone, as in "Extravagaria," is detached, thoughtful, even tender. A good measure of the change would be to compare "The Widower's Tango," from the first volume of "Residence on Earth," which is about an early and disastrous love affair with a woman named Josie Bliss, and the two poems about her in "Isla Negra."
The poems of the more than fifteen books that followed "Isla Negra" represent, with the exception of those of "Art of Birds," a falling off in Neruda's work. Some seem little more than notes for poems, unfinished and haphazard. It is as if he knew that he had little time left—he died of leukemia in 1973, shortly after the Pinochet coup—and were rushing to get everything down at once.
Indeed, because Neruda wrote so much he presents an anthologist with a special problem. Ilan Stavans, in attempting to provide a fair representation and offer a "Neruda that is the sum of his parts," has chosen six hundred poems. Plainly, Stavans is acting more out of generosity than necessity. What might have been preferable is a Neruda who is the sum of his finest parts. By my reckoning, that would still be a big book, but with half as many poems and half as many pages as there are in Stavans's selection. Would all of Neruda's books be represented? Probably not. Would there be as much of "Residence on Earth" and "Canto General"? Probably not.
The other issue here is the one of translation. Stavans has been careful to include almost all of Neruda's major translators, and readers will encounter translation styles that range from the wooden and amusical to the fluid and finely tuned. Fortunately, Neruda's best work has attracted his most gifted translators. Without them, his best might appear to be a good deal less. Examples of clear success are W. S. Merwin's translation of "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair," Jack Schmitt's translations of "Canto General" and "Art of Birds," Margaret Sayers Peden's translation of the three books of "Elemental Odes," and Alastair Reid's masterly translations of "Extravagaria" and "Isla Negra." These works alone would easily be enough to provide many hours of happy reading.
There is something about Neruda—about the way he glorifies experience, about the spontaneity and directness of his passion—that sets him apart from other poets. It is hard not to be swept away by the urgency of his language, and that's especially so when he seems swept away, as in this passage (courtesy of Alastair Reid) describing what he felt when he wrote his first line of poetry:
**{: .break one} ** And I, tiny being, drunk with the great starry void, likeness, image of mystery, felt myself a pure part of the abyss. I wheeled with the stars. My heart broke loose with the wind. ♦ **


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Community Events
Our Mission:
The mission of the facility was determined by the Austin community and confirmed through the City of Austin Council. The MYEC is governed by the Austin Rosewood Community Development Corporation and managed by SMG.
The mission, as recorded, is to provide a safe, secure, and comfortable environment (free from drugs, gangs, crime, and violence) where families can enjoy a wide range of affordable, high quality recreational and entertainment activities and attractions.
Hours of Operation:
Wednesdays and Thursdays: 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Fridays and Saturdays 10 am to 11 pm
Arcade, Bowling, Skating, Food Court - 10 am to 11 pm
*Will Open Anytime For Special Events, Calendar permitting availability.
The Millennium
Youth Entertainment Complex
The Millennium is a 55,000 sq. ft. entertainment facility that is managed by Vanessa Silas. The Millennium is owned by the City of Austin and managed by SMG World, one of the largest entertainment facility management companies.
The Millennium is dedicated to Tamika Ross and Juan Cotera, a fervent peace activist killed in 1996 and to the hope, spirit and promise of peace.
Skating - Bowling - Theater - Arcade - Food Court - Special Events
Open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
Owned by the City of Austin
Governed by Austin Rosewood Community Development Corporation
Managed by SMG WORLD smgworld.com
Vanessa McQueen Silas, General Manager since February 2000
Austin-Rosewood Community Development Corporation Board Members:
Deborah Taylor-King
Nelson Linder
Chiquita Eugene
Barry Franklin
Vanessa Silas*
Timmie Bui
Nefertitti Jackmon
Vera Givens
Suzanne Piper
Greg Smith*
Tony Cima**
* Board of Advisory Directors
**Authorized Representitives
1156 Hargrave Street, Austin, TX 78702
(512) 472-6932 Office (512) 478-4193 Fax
Events Center
The Millennium has the birthday party package to meet your needs.
The Millennium is the perfect place for birthday parties for all ages. Read More »
Food Court
This exciting cafe has surround sound music playing the latest Top 40s, R&B and hip hop hits.
Choose from chicken wings, fries, pizza, hot dogs, nachos, barbecue sausage wraps, frito pies, pickles, soft serve ice cream and more.Read More »
Available for group bowling parties
Our bowling center features 16 lanes of bowling fun! We also feature a state-of-the-art sound system with Glow Bowling and rubber bumpers for small children! Read More »

subset: commoncrawl


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Free Shipping*
Excellent Service Free Shipping*Trade Program
Item ID: 6445
• Firmness level: Medium• Tan Leaside Driftwood fabric upholstery
• Top-stitched, button-tufted seat + back cushions
• Loose seat and back cushions
• Adjustable, non-marking leveler feet
• Kiln-dried 100% FSC®-Certified hardwood frame
The Jane Sofa in tan Leaside Driftwood fabric is a classic mid-century design fit for any living room. This contemporary sofa is completed with button-tufted cushions and a stainless steel perimeter base. The Jane Collection is manufactured to meet California TB117-2013 fire safety standards without the use of flame retardant additives in the upholstery foam. The hardwood frame is constructed from kiln-dried 100% FSC®-Certified hardwood in support of responsible forest management.
The manufacturer does not allow discounts on this product.


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March 2 was the first anniversary of the devastating tornadoes that struck Kentucky last year. Governor Steve Beshear has declared March to be Severe Weather Awareness Month. If you are prepared ahead of time for severe weather, then you won't be as stressed when the tornado sirens sound.
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Stephanie Place wins with course record time
SEWANEE, Tenn. -- Seniors Stephanie Place and Keri Light led a balanced effort by the Tennessee Tech women's cross country team in claiming third place among 16 teams at the Sewanee Invitational Saturday morning. In the men's race, the Golden Eagles placed seventh among the 16 teams.
Place was in a familiar position, crossing the finish line ahead of all other 148 runners in the 5K race, capturing first place at Sewanee for the second consecutive year. Her winning time of 17:55.05 was a full 15 seconds better than the second-place finisher, and set a new course record.
Tech's third place showing was the team's highest at Sewanee. It came on a foggy day in middle Tennessee, which set the stage for an exciting finish for Place. Trailing by 50 yards with a mile remaining, she disappeared into the fog shrouding the course. When she emerged, she had a 100-yard lead and cruised to the win.
Light claimed 12th place overall in 19:33.20, while Tiffany Palmer ended the day in 25th place with a time of 20:10.86. Ashley Evans placed 37th in 20:35.54, and freshman Traci Jones placed 36th in 20:49.59. Amanda Simmons also ran for Tech, finishing in 21:41.16.
The strong across-the-board finish by Tony Cox' runners allowed Tech to finish a strong third with 103 points, edging out Rhodes (112) and Evasnville (117). Mississippi State won the race with 30 points, followed by Emory with 69.
In the men's race, Mississippi State took the team title with 27 points, followed by Emory (41), Centre (91), Evansville (124) and Lee (151) in the top five. Tech had 207 points for its seventh place showing.
Ben Shassere was Tech's top finisher, placing 31st i 27:41.25. Four spots back in 35th place, Joseph DeLorenzo finished in 27:48.10, while Sam Taylor was 38th in 27:50.57. Tech's top five finishers also included Peter Woerner (28:20.85) and Jarrad Read (28:51.25).
Tech's runners have next weekend off before returning to action Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Vanderbilt Invitational.
Tech women third, men seventh at Sewanee Invitational
Stephanie Place wins with course record time


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Publications Tagged: Millen Defense Transformation
- Added March 01, 2003
- Future War/Future Battlespace: The Strategic Role of American Landpower. Authored by Dr. Steven Metz, LTC Raymond A. Millen.
- The trends in the strategic environment in the development of the Future War/Future Battlespace suggest that traditional warfighting has changed in the post 9-11 era. The strategic environment can be classified into four strategic battlespaces, within which future adversaries will operate to thwart U.S. strategic initiatives.


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Fran O'Sullivan doesn't like it when commentators present their readers with "very thin analysis". Perhaps she ought to stop doing so, then.
A wee while ago a bit of a spat took place between my (disclosure) Otago colleague, (full disclosure) friend and (way too much information) Guy-I'd-Turn-Gay-For, Bryce Edwards, and a couple of columnists at the New Zealand Herald. You see, as I'm sure all of you exceptionally well informed Pundit readers already know, Bryce puts together a (usually) daily compilation of political reportage, analysis and provocation from the MSM and blogs that serves as a basis for his own analysis of the issues of the day, which the Herald then carries in its on-line version. And two members of the Herald's full-time commentariat, John Armstrong and Fran O'Sullivan, took exception to how Bryce's analysis dealt with their particular contributions to the national discourse - before condemning the entire basis of his project (as well as the efforts of all the other leeching moochers out there who dare - DARE! - to try and emulate on-line the heroic deeds of Real Journalists (TM)).
I didn't get around to writing anything about this storm-in-something-smaller-than-a-teacup at the time. Others did so, Bryce was more than able to defend himself, and frankly the episode struck me as nothing more than a couple of old timers bitching about the fact that the new boy on the block wasn't giving them the full and unconditional respect they so obviously deserved (and dared to write about politics from a left wing perspective, to boot!) But nevertheless, one particular comment that Fran O'Sullivan made on her Facebook page about Bryce's work kind of stuck in my craw:
Started off as a reasonable curation job but has morphed into the links purely being background for his left-wing thesis of the day - and some of the more recent examples beyond peurile (sic) - so he can get his name in lights off the back of a lot of other people's work. This is not robust political analysis but TVNZ et al swallow it. Sort of like whirling dervish opinion with each swirl gathering someone else's hard work to bolster very thin analysis.
Now, like any other person with free access to the interwebz and a Facebook account, Fran O'Sullivan can choose to slag off in highly personal terms other people's work. That's entirely her prerogative, just as if others think it reflects badly on her as an individual, then that's theirs. But remember, Fran O'Sullivan isn't just another chattering voice filling the cloud with packets of irrelevant data. She's also a Very Important Columnist in the New Zealand Herald, who does Real Journalism Work to bring to her readers Informed and Insightful Commentary on The Issues That Really Matter. So if she's going to start throwing stones at others for "not [giving] robust political analysis" and providing only "very thin analysis", then she better check she hasn't taken up residence in a glasshouse.
Exhibit A. In her Saturday column, Fran tells us that:
I tuned in to the first debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney wanting to know when the United States would begin to seriously wean itself off its diet of debt.
What a disappointment.
One could point out that other commentators actually thought there was quite a bit of discussion between the two candidates about this issue, and that their proposed approach to it marks a significant point of policy difference between them. But fair enough ... Fran would have liked to have seen even more substantive debate on the point. She is, after all, a Serious Person who has Real Concerns for The Issues That Really Matter.
Which makes it a bit strange that she then leaps from expressing her deep despair that "a once proud capitalistic country has become so mired in debt, [and] so unprepared to live within its means" to railing against "the Federal Reserve ... priming the US economy by printing money."
I recognise that the space constraints of a print column can mean an author isn't able to fully expand on every point she wishes to make, but it sure looks here like Fran is of the belief that the "quantitative easing" (more on this in a moment) policies adopted by the Federal Reserve are the same thing as increasing the national debt through ongoing deficit spending. Or, as she puts it, "In financial terms it's like giving a drunk more booze to wean him off last night's hangover."
But ... no. It's not. It's really not. The ballooning US national debt problem is the result of the Federal Government not taking in enough money (because of past tax cuts and the generally depressed state of the economy), whilst still spending lots and lots (on things like bailouts for Wall Street, wars in the Middle East, as well as domestic "entitlement" programmes and the like). Simply put, the US is having to borrow from others (China especially) the money it is unwilling to either get from its own people (through taxes) or cut out of its budgeted spending.
That's a big problem and it needs to be fixed - as Fran quite rightly notes. But how is it related to the real bugbear she's writing about ... the Federal Reserve's policy of "quantitative easing" (or, colloquially, "printing money") to try and stimulate the economy? Well, it sort of sounds the same - isn't the Government "printing money" to increase its supply in the economy just like the Government "borrowing money" to spend on its activities? Both seem to involve using money "you don't really have" to try and paper over fundamental weaknesses in your economic performance.
Well, if the US was using the money it is printing (which is an oversimplification of the process, but let's run with it) to pretend to pay off its existing debts, or to directly finance its deficit spending, then Fran might have a point in conflating the two issues. But that isn't what it is doing at all. It instead is using the "new money" to buy things like long-term bonds and mortgage-backed securities from private holders ... in essence, it is using the money to entice banks and other financial institutions to give up holding certain sorts of assets in the hope that they'll then lend the money they get for those assets to new private sector borrowers, which in turn will help stimulate the wider economy.
Now, whether or not this policy is a good one, or will even work, is not the point here. The point instead is that there need not be any direct link between a country's debt problems (the topic with which Fran started her column) and a decision to run a quantitative easing policy. The former is a question of fiscal policy. The latter is a question of monetary policy. Which is why Switzerland, a country that has run budget surpluses for the last 5 years and so hardly is "unprepared to live within its means" also commenced a quantitative easing programme in 2011.
And in case there remains any doubt about the difference between the two issues, I'll let the Chair of the Federal Reserve explain it himself:
What's the relationship between monetary policy and fiscal policy? To answer this question, it may help to begin with the more basic question of how monetary and fiscal policy differ.
In short, monetary policy and fiscal policy involve quite different sets of actors, decisions, and tools. Fiscal policy involves decisions about how much the government should spend, how much it should tax, and how much it should borrow. At the federal level, those decisions are made by the Administration and the Congress. Fiscal policy determines the size of the federal budget deficit, which is the difference between federal spending and revenues in a year. Borrowing to finance budget deficits increases the government's total outstanding debt.
As I have discussed, monetary policy is the responsibility of the Federal Reserve--or, more specifically, the Federal Open Market Committee, which includes members of the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors and presidents of Federal Reserve Banks. Unlike fiscal policy, monetary policy does not involve any taxation, transfer payments, or purchases of goods and services. Instead, as I mentioned, monetary policy mainly involves the purchase and sale of securities. The securities that the Fed purchases in the conduct of monetary policy are held in our portfolio and earn interest. The great bulk of these interest earnings is sent to the Treasury, thereby helping reduce the government deficit. In the past three years, the Fed remitted $200 billion to the federal government. Ultimately, the securities held by the Fed will mature or will be sold back into the market. So the odds are high that the purchase programs that the Fed has undertaken in support of the recovery will end up reducing, not increasing, the federal debt, both through the interest earnings we send the Treasury and because a stronger economy tends to lead to higher tax revenues and reduced government spending (on unemployment benefits, for example).
So at the least, I'd suggest Fran is guilty of a very sloppy transition from a genuine problem to a somewhat unrelated policy, which risks confusing the reader as to the relationship between the two. At the worst, Fran opens herself up to accusations that she just doesn't understand the difference between fiscal policy and monetary policy. Which is something that you'd expect a Very Important Columnist in the New Zealand Herald, who does Real Journalism Work to bring to her readers Informed and Insightful Commentary on The Issues That Really Matter, to have a handle on.
I've then got a bunch of other rather pedestrian gripes about her analysis.
For example, Fran helpfully tells us that; "In the United States it's called 'quantitative easing'". Which is true, I guess ... but neglects to mention that the same policy being pursued in the United Kingdom and Switzerland also is called "quantitative easing", while the policy first got its name when pursued in Japan in the 1990s. In fact, you could just tell your readers that "this policy is called 'quantitative easing'", rather than make it out to be some sort of US-specific phenomenon.
Then Fran proceeds to inform us that "Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has indicated quantitative easing will end soon. But few serious players in the financial markets believe this is a final move." Possibly that is because the serious players in the financial markets don't get their information second hand from newspaper columnists, but instead look at what the Federal Reserve actually said:
To support a stronger economic recovery and to help ensure that inflation, over time, is at the rate most consistent with its dual mandate, the Committee agreed today to increase policy accommodation by purchasing additional agency mortgage-backed securities at a pace of $40 billion per month. ... The Committee will closely monitor incoming information on economic and financial developments in coming months. If the outlook for the labor market does not improve substantially, the Committee will continue its purchases of agency mortgage-backed securities, undertake additional asset purchases, and employ its other policy tools as appropriate until such improvement is achieved in a context of price stability.
And finally, Fran opines that "the US desperately [needs bi-partisan cooperation] if it is to tackle the snowballing fiscal problems it faces as a result of the Bush tax cuts and Obama's Medicare." Let's give her the "Bush tax cuts" point, while carefully noting that lots and lots of Democrats in Congress voted for them, too. But "Obama's Medicare" as the (or even a) primary cause of the US's snowballing fiscal problems? Does she really mean the US's socialised healthcare programme for those over 65 which was put in place in ... 1965 (when Barak Obama was all of 4 years old)? The same programme that Romney (falsely, as it happens) accused Obama in the presidential debate of cutting by the tune of $716 billion over the next decade? Meaning Obama is responsible for this programme blowing out the US budget deficit ... how exactly?
Or could Fran actually have meant "Obamacare" generally - the Affordable Care Act that is pretty much the sole policy win he got out of Congress in his term in office? The mandatory insurance coverage provisions of which, it is true, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) thinks will involve "a net cost of $1,168 billion over the 2012–2022 period". Which sounds like an awful lot of money, until you realise that; "The Pentagon's budget, including war costs, is $670 billion this year, or about 18 percent of total federal spending." So, you know, if you're going to point at things responsible for why the US can't afford to live like it does, there's a pretty big tank sitting right in the middle of the room. Furthermore, the CBO also thinks that "the budgetary impact of other provisions of the Affordable Care Act ... in the aggregate reduce budget deficits." So it's overall assessment of the policy is that it will end up saving the US money over time.
But all of this (believe it or not) is but a prelude to my main problem with Fran's column. You see, the bulk of Fran's article is a lament about the effect that the US's quantitative easing policy is having on the US dollar and its strength relative to New Zealand's. The point is that it is generally assumed that the more US dollars there are swirling around in the world economy, the greater their supply vis-a-vis the New Zealand dollar, and hence the lower their relative value. Fran seems to see this as the real goal of the US's quantitative easing policy - to keep the "NZ dollar [and other currencies] artificially high as a result of the deliberate US policy to lower the dollar and make its own exports more competitive."
This may or may not be true - I'd just note that it isn't what the Federal Reserve says it is trying to achieve (although it could be lying about the reasons for its actions, I guess). And it may or may not be true that quantitative easing actually is responsible for an "artificially depressed" US dollar in relation to the New Zealand one - although Ben Bernanke says it isn't (but I guess he could be lying about this, too). Let's for the moment accept both claims as gospel. That then poses a huge problem for New Zealand.
Fran sums it up thus:
As China's growth motor slows our export industries are feeling the pressure of trying to compete in an environment where the NZ dollar is artificially high as a result of the deliberate US policy to lower the dollar and make its own exports more competitive.
[I]n an environment where our economy is being made more marginal by the inability of Obama, Bernanke and also Romney to really face up to the need for the US to be a responsible player in the global economic environment, New Zealand also needs to pay more attention to its economic survival.
Right on, sister! So what are we going to do about it? Because Fran's with Hugh Fletcher, who had "the guts to speak out about this situation saying the 'fatalistic acceptance of a high exchange rate and big current account deficits is not good enough.'" Is she then going to join with the Greens, Labour and New Zealand First in advocating that the Government's Policy Target Agreement with the Reserve Bank be amended to require it to intervene and seek to bring the dollar down - perhaps through New Zealand's own version of quantitative easing?
No, she's got a much more radical and hard-hitting solution to the problem in mind:
Once he has finished buttering up the Hollywood moguls, Prime Minister John Key might think about giving a serve to the next incumbent in the White House over the current failure of the US to live up to the economic tenets that it has previously prided itself on.
That's right. On Planet Fran, the best way to respond to this existential crisis to our very economic survival is ... for the PM to get on the phone to the President of the United States and tell him that he and his nation must - MUST! - mend their ways. Never mind that we're an inconsequential nation of 4 million people at the bottom of the world whose PM gets to talk to the President roughly once every blue moon. Or that the policy she's complaining about actually is being implemented by the Federal Reserve Board, which is an independent body that the President does not control. Or that it has adopted this policy in an attempt to jumpstart a US economy that remains mired in its worst funk since the 1930s, besides which minor matters like "the need for the US to be a responsible player in the global economic environment" pale into less than insignifcance.
No - I'm sure that despite all of these minor and (quite frankly) carping points, a call from John to Barak or Mitt that passes on Fran's thoughts on the matter will sort everything out in a jiffy. Now ... I must remember ... what was that point Fran was making about commentators who only provide their readers with "very thin analysis"?


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Subscribe To Ben Affleck Addresses The Batman Backlash In Recent Playboy Interview Updates
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Ben Affleck understands backlash. One doesn't star in a string of duds like Jersey Girl, Gigli and Surviving Christmas without acquiring a thick skin. The guy survived "Bennifer," the demeaning nickname born of an incredibly high-profile romance with Jennifer Lopez. He thinks he can handle some internet furor over his recent casting as Batman in Zack Snyder's developing Man of Steel sequel, and I tend to believe him.
Affleck sat down with Playboy magazine a while back for an interview that surfaced in the January/February issue of the publication (read the SFW version here). While the conversation seemed to take place right after it was revealed that Affleck had been cast, the candid actor/director talks about the immediate reaction to his casting, as well as the parts of Snyder's vision that lured him to the role. His comments are enlightening, and should be shared. About the fan-lash, Affleck admitted:
I understand I'm at a disadvantage with the internet. If I thought the result would be another Daredevil, I'd be out there picketing myself. [laughs] Why would I make the movie if I didn't think it was going to be good and that I could be good in it?... [But] I've learned it doesn't matter what people think before a movie comes out; what matters is what people think when they see the movie. There's a lot of noise in the world, and the internet magnifies that energy. My focus is on the actual execution of the movie. Would I have had that perspective 10 years ago? I don't know. The world was different then.
Affleck goes on to admit that he passed on the role initially, but was swayed by Snyder's approach to the classic Batman character.
The stuff was incredible. … It was a unique take on Batman that was still consistent with the mythology. It made me excited. All of a sudden I had a reading of the character. When people see it, it will make more sense than it does now or even than it did to me initially."
And Affleck concludes by saying that his one true regret in his acting career remains Daredevil, because he loves the character and really wishes his attempt at playing Matt Murdoch turned out better. Well, the Man Without Fear is getting new life on television, and Affleck is getting yet another chance to redeem himself in the eyes of a constantly judging audience by continuing the saga of the Batman on screen. He doesn't want to replicate what Christian Bale did in the Nolan movies. He wants to match Henry Cavill in a Snyder movie.
Is that better? Worse? We have until 2016 to debate. The comments might be slightly dated, but I think it's good to know Affleck's mindset as he prepares to film this massive blockbuster. The fate of the D.C. Cinematic Universe could depend on it.


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I am having a slight problem with the variable edit portion of the admin system.
No matter what I put in as my email address (ie - firstname.lastname@example.com) it reformats it and puts a "\" before the "@" symbol (ie - me\@me.com). This is preventing it from sending messages through my host's sendmail system.
I know a little about PERL coding, but am not able to find the problem in the subscriber.cgi file.
Any suggestions? You can email me at email@example.com if you like... I am not really sure when I will be able to get back here to check this board.
~ Tim
BTW - I am very pleased with the script except for the issue with my outgoing email address. THis script, though, is EXACTLY what I was looking for and has worked out perfect. Thanks!


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Natural Coconut Oil Candles
Description: Andrea Schroder Natural Coconut Oil Scented Candles make the perfect gift! The debut collection of luxury candles, 'The Poetry of Fragrance,' contains 12 custom, hand-blended scents. The candles are 10.5 ounces, burn for 75+ hours and are made with clean-burning cotton wicks. Each candle features a poem written by Andrea's Grandmother with uplifting sentiments. Hand poured and made in the USA. Giving back is also very important to Andrea Schroder Natural Candles & Fragrances. They have partnered with Paul Mitchell Hair Schools in donating to WELLS OF HOPE, which provides water to the poor in the mountains of Guatamala.
Price: $35.00


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- Description
- Product Reviews
- Product Video
- Bumper Coater Color Chart
SEM 39283,Ford Light Titanium, Bumper Coater
- 12 Oz Aerosol
SEM Bumper Coater paint is currently available in 17 OEM colors to match most contrasting domestic and foreign bumpers.
Preparation: Repair any areas that may have damage. Wash part thoroughly with soap and water. Clean with SEM 38353 Plastic & Leather Prep. Remove any loose paint and sand with 400 grit sandpaper. Mask off all areas not to be coated to protect from overspray. Apply light mist coats evenly allowing 5-10 minutes between coats. Several thin coats are better than 1 heavy coat.
Note: Don't rush to install the part. Bumper Coater adhesion improves with time. Full hardness should be obtained in 48 hours.
Related Products
SEM 38398, Scuff & Clean Sanding Paste
SEM 38373,SEM Solve Pre Cleaner


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When you specify the merge-schemes qualifier, the generated CoS attribute can be multivalued in two ways:
With indirect or classic CoS, the specifier attributes in target entries can be multivalued. In this case, each value determines a template, and the value from each template is part of the generated value.
Multiple CoS definition entries of any type can contain the same attribute name in their cosAttribute. In this case, if all definitions contain the merge-schemes qualifier, the generated attribute contains all values computed by each definition.
The two situations can occur together and define even more values. However, in all cases, duplicate values will only be returned one time in a generated attribute.
In the absence of the merge-schemes qualifier, the cosPriority attribute of the template entry is used to determine a single value among all templates for the generated attribute. This scenario is described in the next section.
The merge-schemes qualifier never merges a "real" value that is defined in the target with generated values from the templates. The merge qualifier is independent of the override qualifier. All pairings are possible, and the behaviors implied by each are complimentary. Also, the qualifiers can be specified in any order after the attribute name.
When there are multiple CoS definitions for the same attribute, the definitions must all have the same override and merge qualifiers. When different pairs of qualifiers occur in CoS definitions, one of the combinations is selected arbitrarily among all definitions.


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If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring two spices with you, what would they be?
For me, this answer is simple: smoked Spanish paprika and cumin. The rich color, intense flavor, and incredible fragrance of smoked paprika makes my heart swoon, and the complex acrid flavor of cumin makes me weak in the knees. Without these two spices, my kitchen would seriously suffer. So would my taste buds! They make everything taste good, working wonders on roasted vegetables, meats and poultry, and grain dishes.
My most recent spiced rice dish exhibits my adoration of smoked Spanish paprika and cumin. It also displays my love for the coriander plant, combining both the dry ground seeds and the fresh leaves (a.k.a. cilantro). These herbs and spices enliven simple ingredients and create a wonderfully flavored dish that accentuates any meal.
Spiced grain dishes like this one are a great staple for your weekly meal rotation. They are easy to prepare, affordable, nutritious, and wonderfully satisfying. If you have a rice cooker, making grain dishes is even easier, as you can simply flip the switch, walk away, and return to find perfectly cooked rice. I hardly ever cook rice on the stovetop anymore!
Paprika Rice
yield: 6 servings
The rich, alluring flavor of smoked Spanish paprika flavors this dish. It is easy to prepare and very delicious, making it the perfect side dish for just about anything. The flavors are especially good with Mexican or Spanish inspired meals, grilled chicken or tilapia flavored with lime juice and chile powder, or Mexican chorizo. For a quick meal, top hot paprika rice with a fried egg - keep the yolk soft for an extra delicious twist - and serve with sauerkraut.
- 1 1/2 cups brown basmati rice
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 6 small garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 3 cups water, broth, or mix (I did half and half)
- 3/4 tsp unrefined salt
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 2-3 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro, or more to taste
- unrefined salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- optional garnishes: extra virgin olive oil, chopped cilantro, smoked Spanish paprika
Soak rice in 6 cups of water for 6-12 hours. Drain rice in a fine colander, and discard water. Rinse rice very well. Place rice in a rice cooker with vegetables, broth/water, olive oil, salt, smoked paprika, cumin, and coriander. Stir together, then place cover on rice cooker and cook per manufacturer's recommendation.
If you don't have a rice cooker, do the same thing but place in a pot on the stovetop. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Let cook about 45 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
Remove cover and toss rice with a fork. Add fresh cilantro to hot rice and stir, seasoning with salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl, and if desired, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with additional chopped fresh cilantro and a dusting of smoked paprika. Serve.
Store leftovers in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
*The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.
*Heads up! This post may contain some affiliate links. If you buy something through one of those links you won't pay a single cent more, but I'll get a small commission that helps keep the content flowing. P.S. I only recommend products I use in my own daily life!


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Take Hwy. 401 to Hwy. QEW to NiagaraIn Niagara Falls, the highway splits, STAY ON YOUR LEFT!!!Take Hwy. 420 to the Falls. Proceed straight to Victoria Avenue.Turn right on Victoria Avenue to Clifton Hill (second set of lights).Turn left on Clifton Hill and the Travelodge Clifton Hill is on your left side about half way down the hill
Take US 90 West towards Buffalo, New YorkIn greater Buffalo take exit #53 (the sign also says Bridge to Canadaand US 190 North). Drive approx. 8 miles and then take exit #9 tothe Peace Bridge. Cross the Peace Bridge into Canada.Take Hwy. QEW to Toronto/Niagara Falls. Drive approx. 18 milesto Niagara Falls. Take Hwy. 420 to the Falls. Proceed straight toVictoria Avenue. Turn right on Victoria Avenue to Clifton Hill(second set of lights). Turn left on Clifton Hill and theTravelodge Clifton Hill is on your left side about half way down the hill.
On Canadian side of the bridge, exit two right turns to River Road.Proceed under the bridge to first set of lights. Turn right onClifton Hill. The Travelodge Clifton Hill are up the hill 1/2 a blockon your right


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Time: May 6, 2013 at 5pm to June 1, 2013 at 7pm
Location: Online
Street: Anywhere you have access to a computer
City/Town: Anywhere in the world
Website or Map: http://www.keiseruniversity.e…
Phone: 888-453-4737
Event Type: education
Organized By: Connie Sue Centrella
Latest Activity: Jan 7, 2013
Export to Outlook or iCal (.ics)
The only online 2-year Association of Science e-Learn college degree program for pool and spa professionals announces the 2013 schedule. The program offers a flexible schedule for working professionals who want to learn while they earn. Each class is offered in a one-month module.
Fifth module: Heating Technology
© 2019 Created by AI Connect. Powered by


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The door on my balcony sits wide open allowing the cool, unfamiliar breeze to come in and out of my hotel room as it pleases. Outside I hear the large waves crashing and lapping on the shore and that same breeze rustling the leaves of the palm trees that line the paths. Next to me sits a plate of cookies coated in almonds, honey and flavors I'm not yet familiar with.
This isn't some kind of dream in which I get rudely woken from by three excited children, I am actually in Morocco. I haven't even been here a full day and already I'm eager to share some photos with you. I'm not quite certain I'll be able to update daily but you can be certain that there will be plenty of photos and many more cookies.
The mosque in Casablanca
Breakfast tagine of eggs and lamb.
Moroccan mint tea, perfectly sweet and floral
*I was graciously sent here by the Moroccan tourism board. All photos and words are my own.


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In the months leading up to the election of the Catholic Church's new pope, I published my debut fiction thriller, Archangels: Rise of the Jesuits. Among other things, it's about the Jesuits having their fill of financial and sexual corruption in the Catholic Church, blackmailing the pope with secret documents, and taking control of the Vatican bank and the church. Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio's election on March 13 is a triple first. He's the first pope from the Americas. He's the first Pope Francis. He's the first pope to be a Jesuit, an order suppressed by Pope Cement XIV and an order held in suspicion by many other popes. He's also a rarity as the first pope in centuries who should give pause to elitists, financial oligarchs, and self-serving politicians. Life sometimes imitates art, and this is one of those times. The actual events surrounding the pope's election are as astonishing as my fictional conspiracies. A Pope Resigns Pope Benedict XVI, 85, was no doubt weary when he announced he would retire at the end of February and make way for the election of a new pope. It was a rare act and hadn't happened in centuries. Many other popes had been old and ill, yet they didn't resign; their papacies ended with their deaths. What was different this time? The Catholic Church has been under siege by demons of its own design. It's plagued with sexual and financial scandals. A recent scandal known as Vatileaks revealed that the pope's former butler leaked embarrassing papal documents to an Italian journalist. In Rome, a scandal was heating up about male prostitutes blackmailing gay priests. Pope Benedict XVI received a 300 page report in December about the possible blackmail. This came on the heels of more than a decade of revelations about other sexual and financial scandals. A Cardinal's Sex Scandal The final blow to Pope Benedict XVI may have come from Britain. Catherine Deveney of the Observer broke a story about the highest placed Catholic in the United Kingdom, Scotland's supposedly celibate Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh. Three priests and one former priest gave sworn signed statements in a complaint they made to the papal nuncio detailing allegations of O'Brien's abuse of authority and inappropriate sexual advances. As Deveney pointed out, the issue isn't homosexuality; it's hypocrisy. O'Brien stepped down shortly after the scandal became public. The papal nuncio received the complaints on or about February 8 or 9, and Pope Benedict XVI, former head of the Vatican department that investigated internal sexual misconduct, announced his resignation on February 11. A Favored Cardinal Falls from Grace Pope Benedict XVI's resignation paved the way for a papal election, but it in no way assured the election of Jesuit Cardinal Bergoglio. Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, appeared to be the favorite candidate. He was close to the just-resigned pope. Of the 115 electoral votes, Cardinal Scola had already sewn up around 50 votes before the conclave. On March 12, the Washington Post reported he was a "safe pick" for the new pope. But just hours before the conclave, anti-mafia investigators swooped into Cardinal Scola's diocese. Allegations of conspiracy and corruption hit the Italian newspapers just as foreign cardinals, previously unaware of the scandal, assembled to contemplate their votes. Pope Francis I: An Inspired Choice Cardinal Bergoglio was well liked prior to the conclave, even if he wasn't the frontrunner. The dashing of Cardinal Scola's chances certainly helped Bergoglio. After winning the election, Cardinal Bergoglio took the name Pope Francis I in honor of the humble comforter of the poor, St. Francis of Assisi. He wants a church that is poor and a church that is for the poor. It's an extraordinary position in a church administered by many cardinals who are fond of the kind of luxury and power that Jesus Christ eschewed. Pope Francis I remarked that the Holy Spirit had inspired the events surrounding his election: It was he who inspired the decision of Benedict XVI for the good of the Church. It was he who inspired the choice of the cardinals. However it came about, the Vatican is now ruled by a Jesuit pope committed to helping the powerless and the poor, and his election was apparently made possible by the downfall of the privileged and the greedy. See also: Pope Benedict XVI Resigns From a Church in Crisis - February 12, 2013, Homosexuality in the Catholic Church - November 20, 2012, and Vatican City: True Financial Crime and Murder - November 9, 2012. EndNote: I'll have more on this topic in an upcoming non-fiction book, Archangels: Rise of the Jesuits Companion. Meanwhile, my novel, Archangels: Rise of the Jesuits, is available via Amazon in the following countries: United States and India, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Japan, and Germany.
Read more posts on Tavakoli Structured Finance »


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Looking for a city trip to a charming city? Book flights to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and admire the Grand Ducal Palace and the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Luxembourg. The cathedral contains a special statue of the Virgin Mary that is said to have protected the residents against the plague. The Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean is especially popular on Wednesday evenings. On that night admission is free and visitors can listen to music and enjoy drinks. On sunny days sip a glass of Luxembourg wine on the outdoor patios at the Place d'Armes!
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Online: (0)
Online: (26)
|Posted By : Jeff Moore
|Piece Title : Carmen Suite
|No. of times Viewed (September 2019) :8
|Total No. of times Viewed :796
|No. of Media Uploads :0(Videos -0, MP3 - 0, Photos - 0)
|Dificulty Rating :
|Level : HS/College
|Composer / Arranger : Bizet, Georges / Maxey, Linda
|Composer / Arranger Details: Unknown
|Total Number of Percussionists Required :1 Percussionist(s)
|Categories : Tuned Percussion
|Instrument / Discipline : Marimba
|Instrumentation : N/A
|Range of Instruments / Number of Drums : 4.3
|Written for / Commissioned by : Unknown
|Permission given for Youtube video by Copyright holder
and Youtube Channel Owner. Recorded / Provided by: Unknown
|Accompanied :N/A
|Publisher :Southern Music Company
|Publishers Website :http://www.southernmusic.com/
|Publisher Details :
Southern Music Company, Publications Division, has published over 5,000 educational and concert music titles and has over 250 representative music dealers internationally. We have published music from several of the most prolific band composers of the 20th century and have one of the most extensive educational instrumental catalogs in the world. We are also publishers of vocal and choral music. Please take a look at our latest publications, our best sellers, or our complete music catalog.
|Year Composed / Copyright Date : /
|Duration :UnknownMinutes
|No. of Mallets/Sticks Required :N/A
|Special Needs :4 Mallets / Piano Accompaniment
|Sheet Music Available From :Unknown
|Programme Notes / Performance Details :
|Member Rating : 0Vote(s)
|Scheduled Performances : Update


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27400 Canwood Street
Agoura, California
United States
County: Los Angeles
Phone: 818-707-2365
Connect to: Library Web Site❌ Online Catalog
Library details: Ilan Ramon Day School Library is a School library.
This library is affiliated with Ilan Ramon Day School (view map) .
Permalink: https://librarytechnology.org/library/45374
(Use this link to refer back to this listing.)
Administration: The director of the library is Dina Reisman .
Wireless: The library offers wireless access to the Internet.
|libraries.org ID
Record History: This listing was created on Aug 11, 2009 and was last modified on Jan 2, 2017.
Updates: Corrections or Updates? Registered members of Library Technology Guides can submit updates to library listings in libraries.org. Registration is free and easy. Already registered? login. Or, you can report corrections just by sending a message to Marshall Breeding.


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Acer Iconia A3 Review
Want a cheap Android 10-incher? Acer Iconia Tab A3 is one of the most affordable such slates with a launch price tag hovering around the EUR 250 mark. For this money you are of course getting a very low pixel density display, a ho-hum MediaTek processor, and just a gig of RAM, but all the other prerequisites of a decent tablet are present.
The Iconia A3 sports microSD card slot for memory expansion, a microHDMI port for hooking it up to your TV, stereo speakers, and a 5 MP rear cam that does 1080p video. Can these be enough to overpower the unimpressive horse power and screen resolution? Read on to find out...
Acer Iconia Tab A3 is a pretty fine looking tablet. It doesn't stand out with premium chassis materials, just matte white plastic. It feels soft to the touch, however, while the rounded corners and tapered back make the tablet comfortable to hold. Acer's slate is on the thick side for today's standards, at 0.4" (10.2mm), while with 20oz (560g) of weight it is about as heavy as your average 10-incher in that department.
The silver trim around the sides imitates brushed metal, but is made out of plastic. Most ports, buttons and slots are on the left, with only the volume rocker and one of the stereo speakers situated on the right. That volume rocker and the power/lock key are pretty well situated, easy to feel and press, and offer good tactile feedback. The microUSB port on the left serves for file syncing and transfer, and also as a charging port with the supplied wall charger and microUSB cable.
Overall, no qualms about the Acer Iconia A3 design at that price, save for the fact that the microSD card slot on the left isn't covered with any protection, which can lead to dust and dirt jamming the thin opening, and its spring loading mechanism.
The deepest compromise Acer had to do to keep the Iconia A3 price low is the screen resolution. At 10.1 inches the 1280x800 pixels return 149ppi pixel density, so if you are looking at the tablet from normal viewing distance you are able to tell individual dots. The pixel density is not nearly enough for smooth text and icon edges, which appear jagged and pixelated. If you aren't spoiled by the high-res phone screens of late, and this is your first tablet, the resolution might be enough for your modest needs, but not if you are a more discerning user. The resolution is only fine for watching HD movies, but in browsing, reading and even general app usage, the lack of screen detail is very visible.
The display colors seem a bit pale, as the tablet could use some saturation bump. Black levels are deep enough for an LCD screen, appearing only slightly greyish when the backlight shows through on a dark background. That same backlighting seems to be of average strength since the tablet is nothing to write home about in terms of peak brightness levels. Outdoors, the average brightness, coupled with high screen reflectivity present visibility issues. Since we have an IPS screen technology, at least the viewing angles are pretty good.


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It appears Google has had more than one idea about Internet video streaming on TV.
On Wednesday it came out with Chromecast, a $35 thumbdrive-like HDMI stick, but in January it previewed a prototype of a set-top box device similar to Apple TV or Roku at the Consumer Electronics Show, The Wall Street Journal reports on its Digits blog.
(Read More: Why Google's $35 Chromecast isn't an Apple killer...yet)
The device was powered by Android and equipped for video conferencing, people briefed on it said.
It's unclear whether the device was scrapped in favor of the $35 Chromecast, or if it might eventually move forward in some form.
Click here to read the Wall Street Journal story.
—By CNBC.com.


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Midwest & Gulf
An Eerie Night On Lake Erie
Published on 09-12-2019 03:00 PM
LORAIN -- Eight people were rescued from Lake Erie after their boat capsized during a thunderstorm on Wednesday.
According to the Northern Border Initiative, the 36 foot long catamaran capsized about five miles from shore.
Read More
5o5 North Americans 2019: A USA Sweep Of Top 7
Published on 08-29-2019 02:09 PM
Hosted by the Kingston Yacht Club located on the St Lawrence River mouth at Lake Ontario's north eastern shores in Ontario Canada,
the 2019 5o5 North American's entertained 39 crews from primarily Canada and the USA. 10 races were held over 4 days and when all was
said and done, the teams from the US commanded 7 of the top places with the usual suspects sitting upon the podium, Mike Martin and Adam Lowry
continuing their dominant roll, taking the golden biscuit with a mere 19 points utilizing
Read More
The Windy City Blows To The Delight Of J-111 World Participants
Published on 08-23-2019 09:56 AM
Martin Roesch
is all knotted up with Peter Wagner's
Skeleton Key
for 1st place, both with 32 points after 6 races
at the 2019 J-111 Worlds hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club, with Rob Ruhlman's Spaceman Spiff and Andrew& Sedgwick Ward's Bavo
both with 37 points in 3rd and 4th. 2 more races on schedule ...
Read More
Islander Zapped, Burnt And Sunken In Fatal Blow From Heavens
Published on 07-26-2019 10:17 AM
Captain Randy Banger Sr. was motoring in Boca Ciega Bay at the time the fire call came over his marine radio on Saturday evening, July 20, he said. When he realized that no help was needed for a rescue effort, he filmed a short, close-range video of the fire-fighting action from the back of his boat. This is
Read More
La Nina Sinks Again
Published on 04-24-2019 03:52 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas A docked replica of a Christopher Columbus ship that sank in 2017 days after Hurricane Harvey struck Texas has swamped again.
Read More
Polar Vortex Makes Lake Michigan A Frozen Wonderland
Published on 01-31-2019 10:35 AM
The Washington Post's
Angela Fritz puts together this piece and many more photos to go with
Photo © Jim Funk
With temperatures 50 degrees below the freezing point of water, the shoreline of Lake ...
Read More
Beacon Be Gone
Published on 01-08-2019 02:17 PM
MANITOWOC, WI A historic Lake Michigan lighthouse beacon is no more after massive waves washed it into open water on Monday.
The South Pier Light Navigational Beacon, ...
Read More
The Final Bullet Wins It
Published on 10-10-2018 08:53 AM
German's first bullet of the regatta underscores consistency and competitiveness of 2018 fleet
CHICAGO, IL (October 9, 2018): The culmination of the 2018 Farr 40 World Championship served up nail-biting competition, coming down to the final race of the event as Wolfgang Schaefer's Struntje light edged out Alex Roeper's Plenty ...
Read More
Light And Lumpy In Chi-Town
Published on 10-08-2018 10:19 AM
CHICAGO, IL (October 6, 2018): The point spread grew at the top of the Farr 40 World Championship leaderboard on Day Two with Enfant Terrible finishing at the front of the fleet for while Plenty fell to third. Three races were run in a confused sea state of 4-6 foot waves with wind decreasing throughout the day from 16 down to 11 knots.
Hailing from Australia, Gordon Ketelbey's ZEN had never raced in Chicago prior to this year's Worlds. ...
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Plenty Of Wind And Rain For Day 1 Farr 40 Worlds
Published on 10-07-2018 09:38 AM
CHICAGO, IL (October 6, 2018): Patience paid off for Day 1 of the Farr 40 World Championship Day 1 in Chicago, Illinois. After a brief shoreside postponement, the fleet headed out for steep waves and winds of 15-20knots. The northeast winds brought in the standard cooler air with storms threatening on the horizon.
Chicago Yacht Club's Leif Sigmond and Marcus Thymian's, Norboy, leads the Corinthian fleet only two points ahead of Gordon ...
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Farr 40 Pre-Worlds :Chicago Proves To Be A TOO Windy City
Published on 10-04-2018 11:23 AM
Sweet shots from Farr 40 Worlds in Chicago. Racing was abandoned today due to 7.5-foot seas and wind in excess of 25+ knots.
A practice race is scheduled for tomorrow and official racing starts Saturday!
all images © sara proctor/www.sailfastphoto.com/Chicago Yacht Club
Plenty seeks fourth crown as competitive 14-boat fleet gathers at
Chicago Yacht Club for 2018 Farr 40 World Championship
CHICAGO - Alex Roepers is extremely proud of each and every one of the three world championships he's captured as an owner-driver within the prestigious Farr 40 Class Association.
If Roepers and his top-notch ...
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We Put Em Up And God Takes Them Down
Published on 08-05-2018 05:23 PM
J-24 Sailing at the Lake Dillon Open Regatta, Colorado at 9,017 is the highest organized sailing in the nation.
During Sunday's opener, ...
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A Somber Salute To A Lost Sailor
Published on 07-24-2018 11:30 AM
Flags are at half-staff and a wreath hangs in front of the Little Stone Church on Mackinac Island today as we remember "Imedi" crew member, Jon Santarelli, who was
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MOB in Chicago Mackinac Race: UPDATE
Published on 07-21-2018 03:23 PM
Search Suspended for Man Overboard in Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac
After nearly seven hours of active search efforts, the US Coast Guard has suspended the search to locating the missing sailor aboard Imedi, a Transpac 52 competing in the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac. The sailor has been identified as Jon Santarelli, a 53-year-old from Lincoln Park (Chicago).
The search efforts included approximately 20 boats and three helicopters from US Coast Guard, Chicago Fire, Chicago Police and Chicago Yacht Club covering nearly 47 square ...
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The Faces Of American Youth Sailing Success
Published on 07-20-2018 11:13 AM
2018 Youth Sailing World Championship
Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
The fourth day of the 48th Youth Sailing world Championships saw six class winners crowned gold medalists.
The Youth Worlds has become the pinnacle sailing event for teenagers aged 16-18. Past gold medalists have gone on to very successful careers in the upper echelons of the sport. Whether American Geronimo Nores (Boys' RS:X), Islay Watson of Great Britain (Girls' RS:X), Argentinians Teresa Romairone and Dante Cittadini (Nacra 15), Josh Armit of New Zealand ...
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There May Be Hope For USA Sailing After All
Published on 07-19-2018 12:21 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (July 18, 2018) In a day filled with superlative performances from Team USA at the 48th annual World Sailing Youth Championships, the pinnacle event for youth sailors, none was harder earned than Chase Carraways showing in the Boys Laser Radial.
Carraway (Wrightsville Beach, N.C.) didnt post back-to-back first-place finishes as some of his teammates, but his 2-5 in the largest class in the fleet (58 boats) was every bit as impressive. The Boys Laser Radial is always one of the most hotly contested classes at this ...
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Unearthed Hobie
Published on 01-07-2018 08:36 AM
Time Capsule...an archaeological find...a 1980's vintage Hobie 16 exhumed from a sand dune in Beverly Shores, IN (south end of Lake ...
Read More
Surfing Superior
Published on 12-29-2017 10:23 AM
Marquette Michigan's
Devon Hains
snapped this series of Surfer Dan
Surfer Dan
ripping up Lake Superior Presque Isle Park. BRRRRRRR...
Read More
Harvey's Heartbreak
Published on 08-28-2017 02:46 PM
Some of the damage done by Hurricane Harvey, from various parts along the south Texas Coast.
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Inshore Offshore Verve Cup
Published on 08-13-2017 03:37 PM
131 boats took part in thies weekend's
Verve Cup
at the
Chicago Yacht Club. And from the images just posted, it looks like the weather cooperated quite nicely!
Kashmir Wins 2017 Chicago Yacht Club Verve Cup
Chicago, IL
Karl Brummel, Steve Henderson and Mike Mayers Kashmir won the overall Verve Cup Trophy today at the conclusion of the 25th annual Verve Cup Offshore Regatta hosted by the Chicago Yacht Club.
This years Verve Cup, which featured a three-day offshore course race from Friday through Sunday, a one-day distance race on Saturday ...
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Liam and Emma were the most popular baby names in Alberta in 2012.
Liam stayed at the top of the most popular names list for a third year in a row, while Emma rose to the number one spot among popular girl names in the province, moving up from third in 2011, according to the Service Alberta annual baby names survey.
According to the rankings, 281 Alberta baby boys were named Liam in 2012, while 299 girls in the province were named Emma.
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And those baby boys and baby girls also have the distinction of being born in the biggest baby boom in the province's history, with 52,398 births taking place in Alberta in 2012.
The previous record was in 2009, a year that saw 51,505 births. Meanwhile, 2011 saw 50,841 new babies in Alberta.
"We are in what looks like a sustained baby boom," said Service Alberta Minister Manmeet S. Bhullar.
"Alberta is a national economic leader with rapid job growth, high wages and a relatively young population, not to mention the province's abundant natural beauty, so it's little surprise so many Albertans are starting families here."
Apart from the boom in babies, Alberta also seems to find itself in the midst of a weird name boom.
Some of the more stranger ones include Precious, Dancing-Sunflower, Rhaney-Day, Shy-Angel and Skeeter for girls; and Thunderbolt, Little, Horizon, Brave, and Icarus for boys.
But then again, there were also children born in Alberta last year named Lyric, Symphony, Chorus, Divinity, Eternity, Heaven, Cedar, Wren, Adele, Lennon, Hendrix, and Minaj.
There were still a number of Kates and Williams to honour the British royal couple's visit to Alberta in 2011. And a royal trend that started that year continued in 2012 with King, Prince and Lord appearing for boys and Princess showing up 12 times for girls.
Albertans can now also download a free Alberta Baby Names app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. It has more than 81,000 Alberta baby names and their popularity ranking going back to 1980.
With files from the Canadian Press


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Local community and business leaders gathered last Wednesday to mark the opening of The Joshua Tree, a bookstore on Main Street in Taylorsville. The store is located at 88 E. Main St. and is owned by Janine Stonko, pictured at center. The store is currently open on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with hopes of opening on more days through the week during the spring. For more information, call Stonko at 502-718-7643. Pictured from left are Doug Williams, Lynette Mason, Joan Smith, Stonko, Phyllis Williams, Hobert Judd, Beverly Bentley Ingram and Cara Lewis.
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Projects covered include state-owned and private projects in the Infrastructure, Electric Power, Oil & Gas (excluding upstream), Water and Waste, and Mining sectors.
Where applicable, a project is considered as such until the end of construction and ramp-up to full capacity (with the exception of mining projects, where the date of commissioning signifies the end of the project). Projects must have a:
a) Start date
b) Estimate for completion
c) Initial investment estimate
For state-owned projects, initial information about the start date and estimates for completion and investment are taken from original signed contracts, along with addendums and annexes.
If original contracts cannot be obtained, information is taken from public documents, presentations, news articles from BNamericas archives, and external sources.
In cases where contracts are subject to approval by legislators, the start date is the date of the law or legislative approval.
In the case of private projects, information is taken from public sources, such as stock exchange filings, annual reports, company presentations, third party research and press releases.
In judging the timing of investment decisions for private projects, great care was taken to differentiate between large projects receiving environmental approval and proceeding directly to construction, and smaller projects where the investment decision hinges on securing financing.
Best care is taken to ensure that recorded data is correct at the time of entry and that each entry is backed with a relevant source.
The greatest care possible was taken to ensure consistency of information in order make a like-for-like comparison in project costs. Insofar as the figures rely on disclosure by the organization or company responsible, the figures can be considered to be conservative in nature.
No attempt was made to adjust figures for inflation during the course of research or for consideration of the time value of money.
In the case of state-owned projects, validation is carried out where possible with either a member of the consortium, EPC contractor, a relevant state agency or advisors to either party.
Projects costs are measured in US dollars. Where project costs are measured in a local currency, amounts are converted to US dollars at the date of the relevant announcement, signature or report.
Severity of deviation from original estimates
The severity of deviation from original estimates is defined according to set criteria.
|Ahead of time
|95% of original estimate or below (measured in months)
|On time
|95% to 105% of original estimate
|Minor changes
|105% to 120% of original estimate
|Medium changes
|120% to 160% of original estimate
|Major changes
|Over 160% of original estimate
|Ahead of budget
|95% of original budget estimate or below
|To budget
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|Minor changes
|105% to 120% of original budget estimate
|Medium changes
|120% to 140% of original budget estimate
|Major changes
|Over 140% of original budget estimate
Changes in Scope
Changes in scope beyond the start date are not accounted for.
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Where guidance is non-specific as to dates for completion, the following is used.
Project to be completed by 2018 = December 31, 2017
Project to be completed in 2018 = December 31, 2018
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(Read this like you are singing the 70's Flash Gordon movie Queen theme song)Sing it with me:RE-HASH!...AHH AHH..Saviour of the universeRE-HASH!...AHH AHH......Seemingly there is no reason for theseExtraordinary intergalactical upsets...AHH AHHRE-HASH!I will buy one.......sucker I am!
Count me among those sick and tired of jedi starfighter rehashes... we're up to like 6 of the E3 version (which averages out to a release of that sculpt once every 3 months or so) and 4 of this version.Enough already.
I also need about 3 for customs.
KAY-BEE STANDARD RESPONSE: "All we have is 1990's 'Robocop' toys."WHICH MEANS: "Holy ******* ****, please shoot m
I don't have any AOTCs so I'm in on this one. I also need about 3 for customs.
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Deon Cole
Deon Cole is originally from the south side of Chicago. Deon's charismatic personality and original style make him one of the most popular performers in the comedy scene today. As a standup, he has been featured on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, for Comedy Central he's been featured on, John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show and Laffapalooza, Mash Ups and his own 1 / 2 Hour Special. Deon has also been featured on HBO's Def Comedy Jam, BET's Comic View, NBC's Showtime at the Apollo, BBC's The World Stands Up, Lopez Tonight, and STARZ' Martin Lawrence's First Amendment which he also hosted in 2010.
Deon is also an actor, having appeared in MTV's Short Circuitz and Wild N' Out with Nick Cannon, as well as Barbershop 1 and 2. Most recently, Deon was featured in FX's The League.
After Deon's 2009 standup appearance on The Tonight Show, he was offered a job as a staff writer for the show and made multiple appearances as a commentator and sketch performer on the show. TV Guide declared, "A Star is Born" after Deon's commentary pieces kept growing as a bit on the show. In 2010, he was nominated for an EMMY and Writers Guild Award along with the other writers of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and he was named one of the "Top 10 Comedians to Watch" by VARIETY.
Since then, Deon has continued with Conan as a writer/performer on Conan's new show at TBS, aptly titled, CONAN. In 2011, Deon received his second Emmy Nomination for his work with the writers of CONAN. He also had the experience of a lifetime touring with and performing his standup on Conan O'Brien's THE LEGALLY PROHIBITED FROM BEING FUNNY ON TELEVISION TOUR.
And now, Deon has his own show coming premiering in 2013 on TBS called, DEON COLE'S BLACK BOX. A video clip and social commentary show where Deon will offer up his unique views on viral videos. Deon also was recently the narrator for The History Channel's STORIES FROM THE ROAD TO FREEDOM, a documentary on the Civil Rights Movement.


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For those of you concerned/interested in the outcome of the Portland North Alternative Modes project study - consider commenting to this rule-making
Changes Will Spotlight Economic Development and Environmental Benefits
Building on a policy shift announced earlier this year by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the Federal Transit Administration today asked for public comment on how to change the way major transit project proposals seeking federal funding are rated and evaluated.
"Today, we begin seeking ideas that will improve our current rating and evaluation process to ensure we invest wisely in public transportation infrastructure projects of national importance," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We must fairly evaluate all advantages that a transit project may offer, including economic development opportunities and environmental benefits."
The FTA published the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in the Federal Register on Thursday, June 3, 2010. In doing so, the agency seeks public comment on how best to evaluate significant transit infrastructure investments by looking for ways to measure cost-effectiveness, including broad public benefits such as economic development, land use and environmental impacts in the evaluation process.
"Major transit improvements are at the center of President Obama's goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower oil consumption, and improve our quality of life," said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff. "The Administration is developing criteria that will appropriately measure all of the benefits these projects bring to their communities. We need the public's input to help get it done."
The rule is part of an ongoing effort to change how projects are selected to receive federal financial assistance in FTA's New Starts and Small Starts programs. The first step in this initiative came in January, when the FTA rescinded budget restrictions issued by the Bush Administration in 2005 that focused primarily on how much a project shortened average commute times in comparison to its cost. The goal of the action being announced today is to take into consideration the many benefits that transit can provide where the investment would make communities more livable such as underserved areas or those with the densest population and employment.
In addition to soliciting public input on the federal government's docket website, Regulations.gov, ( http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480afab90) the FTA is planning to hold a number of public listening sessions. Information concerning specific dates and locations of these listening sessions will be issued in a future Federal Register Notice. Input received from these meetings will be incorporated into a future proposed rulemaking, before the rule becomes final.
FTA will host numerous ANPRM presentations throughout the country. Click here for dates and times of the outreach sessions.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
FTA Schedules Outreach Sessions for New Starts/Small Starts Rule Change
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LONDON (MarketWatch) — European stocks advanced for a fourth-straight day on Friday, gaining ground after consumers expressed more confidence in the euro-zone economy.
The Stoxx Europe 600 index SXXP, -0.15% rose 0.7% to close at 333.76, ending the week 1.8% higher and marking a second straight weekly advance.
The pan-European benchmark reached an intraday high after the European Commission's report that its economic sentiment indicator rose by 1.2 points to 102.4 in March from February, bolstered by increased confidence among consumers in the services and retail sectors. The result surpassed expectations of 101.4, according to FactSet data.
The five-largest euro-area economies saw an increase in sentiment, said the European Commission.
The improvement "suggests that the Ukraine crisis has — so far at least — not had a widespread dampening impact on sentiment although it was evident from the Ifo survey that German companies have significant concerns," said Howard Archer, chief U.K. and European economist at IHS Global Insight.
Before the release of the euro-area sentiment report, data from polling firm GfK showed consumer confidence among Britons hit a six-year high in March.
Among notable stock movers in Europe, shares of Intesa Sanpaolo SpA ISP, -1.28% were bumped up by 3.5%, as the Italian bank proposed a cash-dividend level for 2013 that was on par with the one in 2012. The company reported a net loss for the fourth quarter in part because of write-downs for bad loans.
Other banks in the region were also rising, with shares of Deutsche Bank AG DBK, -1.33% DB, -2.60% up 1.3% in Frankfurt and Standard Chartered PLC STAN, -0.17% rising 2.2% in London.
The U.K.'s FTSE 100 UKX, +0.07% picked up 0.4% to 6,615.58 and ended the week 0.9% higher. The index was buoyed by mining firms rising after the latest comments from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, which some analysts interpreted as a hint of upcoming easing measures to aid the slowing economy. Li said China should pay great attention to the problems and difficulties in the economic development and shouldn't overlook "downward risks," according to state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Shares of Anglo American PLC AAL, -1.14% advanced 1.5%, Glencore Xstrata PLC GLEN, -1.46% GLCNF, -2.46% gained 2% and BHP Billiton PLC UK:BLT BHP, +0.23% BHP, -1.07% rose 1.1%.
Insurance stocks sold off in London, however, on concerns about a regulatory investigation into older pensions and savings plans. Among the group's decliners, Resolution Ltd. UK:RSL dropped 7.1% and Aviva PLC UK:AV lost 2.8%.
Meanwhile, Germany's DAX 30 DAX, -0.15% rose 1.4% to 9,587.19, powered up by auto makers as Daimler AG DAI, -0.77% gained 2.6% and Volkswagen AG VOW3, -1.08% picked up 2.4%. The VW brand is "well placed" to profit from recovery in the European car market, improved pricing power and strong product momentum between fiscal years 2014 and 2016, said J.P. Morgan Cazenove in a Friday note, in which analysts raised its price target on VW's preferred shares to 222 euros. It also reiterated its overweight rating.
The DAX index eventually stretched its advance after the German government's preliminary consumer-price inflation index for March rose by 1% on a year-over-year basis, trailing expectations of a 1.1% increase. Prices increased by 0.3% on a month-over-month basis, said Destatis. The federal statistics agency also said on a European Union-harmonized basis, the inflation rate was up to 0.9% from year earlier, and that was also below a projected increase of 1%. The German benchmark ended the week 2.6% higher.
In Spain, date showed the country's consumer prices fell in March, adding to fears the broader euro zone also could fall into deflation. Such concerns have added mounting pressure on the European Central Bank to loosen monetary policy further when it meets next Thursday.
France's CAC 40 PX1, +0.08% rose 0.7% to 4,411.26, closing out the week 1.8% higher.
More from MarketWatch:
Asia Markets recap: Dawn of the data in Japan


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
Corpus Christi Company Denied 72-Year-Old Applicant a Position Because of Age, Federal Agency Charged
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Star Tex Gasoline & Oil Distributors, a wholesale supplier of diesel, fuels, gasoline, lubricants and oils based in Corpus Christi, will pay $10,000 and provide other equitable relief to settle an age discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
According to the EEOC's suit, Star Tex refused to consider a former fire chief for employment after he received a referral for a truck driver position from Texas Workforce Solutions. The applicant had years of relevant work experience operating tankers, 18-wheel vehicles and emergency vehicles. Yet when he went to apply for work, the Star Tex hiring official who met with him was focused entirely on his age rather than his qualifications and experience, the EEOC said, and refused to consider him because of his age.
Such alleged conduct violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Corpus Christi Division (EEOC v. Star Tex Gasoline & Oil Distributors, Inc., Civil Action No. 2:11-CV-305) after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement.
"We are pleased that Star Tex worked cooperatively with the EEOC to resolve this case," said EEOC Trial Attorney David Rivela of the EEOC's San Antonio Field Office. "Through the negotiated settlement process, we were able to forge a solution that protects the rights of older applicants."
The two-year consent decree resolving this case, approved by U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos, requires Star Tex to adopt and implement an effective equal employment opportunity policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of age; provide training on the requirements of the ADEA to members of Star Tex's management at its Corpus Christi facility; and pay $10,000 to the victim of the discrimination in this case.
"We commend the applicant for coming forward to ensure that other older drivers may continue to get the green light in the trucking industry," said Robert A. Canino, regional attorney for the Dallas District Office of the EEOC. "Age should not be a roadblock for a qualified applicant."
EEOC Supervisory Trial Attorney Judith G. Taylor added, "This is a favorable resolution for everyone. We are confident that Star Tex is now committed to complying with the ADEA and ensuring that all of its applicants and employees are treated fairly. Star Tex should be commended for taking the necessary steps to resolve this case."
In fiscal year 2011, the EEOC received a total of 23,465 charges of age discrimination, which accounted for 23.4 percent of all charges filed with the EEOC nationwide.
The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting discrimination in employment. Further information about the Commission is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.