text:
Valve Corporation
Video games
Digital distribution
|Kirkland, Washington, U.S. (1996)
Gabe Newell
Mike Harrington
|Bellevue, Washington, U.S.
|Area served
|Key people
Gabe Newell
(Managing director)
Video games:
Source game engine
Steam distribution platform
Valve Anti-Cheat
|Total equity
|US$2.5 billion (2012, estimated)[1]
|~330 (2013)[2]
|Valve S.a.r.l., Luxembourg
Valve Corporation (formerly Valve Software, commonly referred to as Valve) is an American video game development and digital distribution company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, United States. Its European-based office opened in 2012 in Luxembourg. Founded in 1996 by former Microsoft employees Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington, Valve developed critically acclaimed video game series Half-Life, Portal, and Left 4 Dead. It has also developed and maintains the Source engine for which most of its games run on, and the software distribution platform Steam, which has led to the Steam Machine, a line of pre-built gaming computers running SteamOS.
History 1
- Founding and Incorporation 1.1
- Half-Life 1.2
- Source Engine 1.3
- Acquisitions and Awards 1.4
- Network intrusions 1.5
Legal disputes 1.6
- Valve vs. Vivendi case 1.6.1
- Valve Corporation vs. Activision Blizzard, Inc. 1.6.2
- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. vs. Valve Corporation 1.6.3
Games 2
- Cancelled games 2.1
Other ongoing projects 3
Steam 3.1
- Steam Machine 3.1.1
- Pipeline 3.2
- J. J. Abrams collaboration 3.3
- Steam 3.1
- Organizational structure 4
- "Valve Time" 5
- References 6
- External links 7
Founding and Incorporation
Valve was founded by long-time Microsoft employees Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington on August 24, 1996[3][4] as an L.L.C. based in Kirkland, Washington. After incorporation in April 2003,[5] it moved from its original location to Bellevue, Washington, the same city in which their original publisher, Sierra On-Line, Inc., was based.
After securing a license to the Quake engine (through the help of friend Michael Abrash of id Software) in late 1996, Newell and Harrington began working on Half-Life. Originally planned for release in late 1997, Half-Life launched on November 19, 1998. Valve acquired TF Software PTY Ltd, the makers of the Team Fortress mod for Quake, in May 1998 with the intent to create a standalone Team Fortress game. The Team Fortress Classic mod, essentially a port of the original Team Fortress mod for Quake, was released for Half-Life in 1999. Gearbox contributed much after the release of Half-Life. Gearbox Software is responsible for the Half-Life expansion packs, Half-Life: Opposing Force and Half-Life: Blue Shift, along with the home console versions of Half-Life for the Sega Dreamcast and Sony PlayStation 2 which included a third expansion pack called Half-Life: Decay, that enabled two-player split-screen co-op.
Source Engine
After the success of Half-Life, the team led by Keiran Wright worked on mods, spin-offs, and sequels, including Half-Life 2. All current Valve games are built on its Source engine. The company has developed six game series: Half-Life, Team Fortress, Portal, Counter-Strike, Left 4 Dead and Day of Defeat. Valve is noted for its support of its games' modding community: most prominently, Counter-Strike, Team Fortress, and Day of Defeat. Valve has branched out with this tradition to continue developing Dota 2 as the stand-alone sequel to the Warcraft III mod.[6] Each of these games began as a third-party mod that Valve purchased and developed into a full game. They also distribute community mods on Steam.[7]
Acquisitions and Awards
Since Valve Corporation's founding, it has expanded both in scope and commercial value. On January 10, 2008, Valve Corporation announced the acquisition of Turtle Rock Studios.[8] On April 8, 2010, Valve won The Escapist Magazine's March Mayhem tournament for the best developer of 2010,[9] beating out Zynga in the semi-finals and BioWare in the final.
In 2012, the company acquired Star Filled Studios, a two-man gaming company to open a San Francisco office.[10] In August 2013, however, Valve ended the operation when it was decided that there was little benefit coming from the arrangement.[11]
Network intrusions
Valve's internal network has been infiltrated by hackers twice, once in 2003 where content of yet to be released Half-Life 2 was leaked onto the internet,[12] and again in 2011 when the Steam customer databases and official forums were compromised.[13][14]
Legal disputes
Valve vs. Vivendi case
Between 2002 and 2005, Valve was involved in a complex legal showdown with its publisher, Vivendi Universal (under Vivendi's brand Sierra Entertainment). It officially began on August 14, 2002, when Valve sued Sierra for copyright infringement, alleging that the publisher illegally distributed copies of their games to Internet cafes. They later added claims of breach of contract, accusing their publisher of withholding royalties and delaying the release of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero until after the holiday season.
Vivendi fought back, saying that Gabe Newell and marketing director Doug Lombardi had misrepresented Valve's position in meetings with the publisher. Vivendi later countersued, claiming that Valve's Steam content distribution system attempted to circumvent their publishing agreement. Vivendi sought intellectual property rights to Half-Life and a ruling preventing Valve from using Steam to distribute Half-Life 2.
On November 29, 2004, Judge Thomas S. Zilly of U.S. Federal District Court in Seattle, Washington ruled in favor of Valve Corporation. Specifically, the ruling stated that Vivendi Universal and its affiliates (including Sierra) were not authorized to distribute Valve games, either directly or indirectly, through cyber cafés to end users for pay-to-play activities pursuant to the parties' current publishing agreement. In addition, Judge Zilly ruled that Valve could recover copyright damages for infringements without regard to the publishing agreement's limitation of liability clause.[15] Valve posted on the Steam website that the two companies had come to a settlement in court on April 29, 2005.[16] Electronic Arts announced on July 18, 2005 they would be teaming up with Valve in a multi-year deal to distribute their games, replacing Vivendi Universal from then onwards.[17] As a result of the trial, the arbitrator also awarded Valve $2,391,932.
Valve Corporation vs. Activision Blizzard, Inc.
In April 2009, Valve sued Activision Blizzard, which acquired Sierra Entertainment after a merger with its parent company, Vivendi Universal Games. Activision had allegedly refused to honor the Valve vs Vivendi arbitration agreement. Activision had only paid Valve $1,967,796 of the $2,391,932 award, refusing to pay the remaining $424,136 claiming it had overpaid that sum in the past years.[18]
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. vs. Valve Corporation
Shortly after Valve filed its trademark for "Dota" to secure the franchising rights for Dota 2, DotA-Allstars, LLC, run by former contributors to the games's predecessor, Defense of the Ancients, filed an opposing trademark in August 2010.[19] DotA All-Stars, LLC was sold to Blizzard Entertainment, the developer of DotA's platform Warcraft III and its world editor, in 2011. After the opposition was overruled in Valve's favor, Blizzard itself filed an opposition against Valve in November 2011, citing their license agreement with developers, as well as their ownership of DotA-Allstars, LLC.[20] On May 11, 2012, Blizzard and Valve announced that the dispute had been settled. Valve retained the rights to the term "Dota" commercially, while Blizzard reserved the right for fans to use the trademark non-commercially, and changed the name of their StarCraft II map, Blizzard DOTA, to "Blizzard All-Stars".[21] Blizzard All-Stars was adapted into a stand-alone game and renamed "Heroes of the Storm" on October 17, 2013.[22]
Cancelled games
Incomplete games include a fairy RPG,[23] Prospero[24] and Stars of Blood.[25][26]
It was also working with Arkane Studios on Return to Ravenholm (a.k.a. Half-Life 2: Episode Four)[27][28] and The Crossing.[29]
Other ongoing projects
Valve announced its games platform Steam in 2002. At the time it looked merely to be a method of streamlining the patch process common in online video games, but was later revealed as a replacement for much of the framework of the World Opponent Network service and also as a distribution/digital rights management system for entire games.
Valve has shown support for some of their games. For example, Valve has offered considerable updates for Team Fortress 2; including adding new maps, new game modes, additional weapons, new achievements, and additional game play mechanics, as well adding a store which sells in-game items. All such updates, with the exception of the aforementioned in-game items, are mandatory, and provided free of charge.
As of July 2014, there are over 3,400 games available on Steam, and in January 2014 Valve announced that it had surpassed 75 million active user accounts.[30]
On August 1, 2012, Valve Corporation announced revisions to the Steam Subscriber Agreement (SSA) to prohibit class action lawsuits by users against the service provider.
Alongside these changes to the SSA, the company also declared publicly the incorporation of Valve S.a.r.l., a subsidiary based in Luxembourg.[31][32] Valve set up a physical office in Luxembourg Kirchberg, according to Valve's project manager Mike Dunkle, the location was chosen for eCommerce capabilities and infrastructure, talent acquisition, tax advantages and its central geographic locations – most major partners are accessible with 50% within driving distance.[33]
Valve S.A.R.L is used to sell games to United Kingdom–based users to avoid paying the full 20% VAT.[34] The tax loophole is expected to be closed on January 1, 2015.[35]
Steam Machine
Newell has been critical of the direction that Microsoft has taken with the Windows operating system in making it a closed architecture similar to Apple's products, and has stated that he believes that with changes made in Windows 8 are "a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space".[36] Newell identified the open-source Linux platform as an ideal platform for Steam, noting that the only thing holding back its adoption is the lack of games.[36]
In 2012, Valve announced that they were working on a console/PC hybrid for the living room which was unofficially dubbed by media as the "Steam Box".[37][38] A precursor to such a unit is SteamOS, a freely available Linux-based operating system that builds upon the Steam client functionality that includes media services, live streaming across home networks, game sharing within families, and parental controls. SteamOS was officially announced in September 2013 as the first of several announcements related to the Steam Machine platform[39] as well as their unique game controller.[3] In early Summer, 2014, Valve announced that the company's own SteamOS-powered Steam Machine would be delayed until 2015 due to problems with the game controller.[40]
In July 2013, Valve officially announced Pipeline, an intern project consisting of ten high school students working together to learn how to create video game content.[41] Pipeline serves a dual purpose:
- to discuss and answer questions that teenagers often ask about the video game industry[42]
- to see if it is possible to train a group of teenagers with minimal work experience to work for a company like Valve[42]
The latter purpose breaks Valve's tradition of employing experienced developers, as the company is not very good at "teaching people straight out of school".[42][43]
J. J. Abrams collaboration
At the 2013 D.I.C.E. Summit, Gabe Newell confirmed that he and director J.J. Abrams were collaborating to produce a Half-Life or Portal film, as well as a possible new game.[44]
Organizational structure
Valve is run as a theories of the firm and broader economic thinking.[47][48][49] Former employee Jeri Ellsworth has, however, criticized this structure as "a lot like high school", where while the structure is flat, certain people within the company still have more say in decisions than others.[50]
"Valve Time"
"Valve Time" is an industry term used jokingly with game releases from Valve, used to acknowledge the difference between the promised date for released content stated by Valve and to the actual release date; "Valve Time" includes predominant delays but also includes some content that was released earlier than expected. Valve itself has fully acknowledged the term, including tracking known discrepancies between ideal and actual releases on their public development wiki[51] and using it in announcements about such delays.[52][53] Valve ascribes their delays to their mentality of team-driven initiatives over corporate deadlines to make sure they provide a high-quality product to their customers.[54] Valve's former business development chief Jason Holtman stated that the company sees themselves as an "oddity" in an industry that looks towards punctual delivery of products; instead, Valve "[tries] as hard as we can to make the best thing possible in the right time frame and get people content they want to consume. And if that takes longer, that's fine."[55] For that, Valve takes the concept of "Valve Time" as a compliment, and that "having customers consistently looking at our property or something you've done and saying, can you give me more" is evidence that they are making the right decisions with their game releases, according to Holtman.[55] The company does try to avoid unintentional delays of their projects,[56] and believes that the earlier occurrences of "Valve Time" delays, primarily from Half-Life development, has helped them improve their release schedules.[54]
- ^ Wingfield, Nick (8 September 2012). "Game Maker Without a Rule Book". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
- ^ Dudley, Brier (2013-11-04). "A glimpse of Valve's Steam Machine, controller design and hardware plans". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
^ a b "Steam Message". Steam. Valve Corporation. 2007-08-24. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
it was exactly eleven years ago that Valve was born
- ^ Towns, William R. (2005-03-09). "Valve Corporation v. ValveNET, Inc., ValveNET, Inc., Charles Morrin Case No. D2005-0038". WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center.
- ^ "Washington Secretary of State". Retrieved 2010-04-25.
- ^ Biessener, Adam (2010-10-13). "Valve's New Game Announced, Detailed: Dota 2".
- ^ "Source Filmmaker". Source Filmmaker. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
- ^ "Valve Acquires Turtle Rock Studios" (Press release). Valve Corporation. 2008-01-10. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ Palumbo, Jeff (2010-04-08). "Valve Becomes the New March Mayhem: Developer's Showdown Champion". escapistmagazine.com. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
- ^ Hing, David (2012-12-17). "Valve acquires or hires Star Filled Studios". bit-gamer.net. Bit-tech.net. Retrieved 2013-08-31.
- ^ Reilly, Luke (August 7, 2013). "Valve's San Francisco Remote Office Shut Down". IGN.
- ^ "Playable Version of Half-Life 2 Stolen". CNN Money. 2003-10-07. Retrieved February 14, 2007.
- ^ Johnson, Casey (2011-11-10). "Valve confirms Steam hack: credit cards, personal info may be stolen". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2011-11-10.
- ^ Leyden, John (2011-11-09). "Steam games forum down amid hack fears". The Register. Retrieved 2011-11-10.
- ^ Feldman, Curt (2004-09-20). "Valve vs. Vivendi Universal dogfight heats up in US District Court". GameSpot. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ Steam "Valve and Vivendi Universal Games Settle Lawsuit" (Press release). Valve Corporation. 2005-04-29. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ "EA and Valve Team Up to Deliver Half Life to Gamers Worldwide". Electronic Arts Inc. 2005-07-18. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
^ "It's Ugly: Valve Sues Activision, Activision Threatens to Sue Valve". gamepolitics.com. 2009-04-30. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
Against that backdrop, Activision cut Valve a check last week for $1,967,796—the amount handed down by the arbitrator less the disputed $424K. According to Valve's suit, Activision said that it wouldn't pay the rest and if Valve went to court Activision would countersue. Valve has apparently called Activision's bluff and the parties are now once again at odds.
- ^ Augustine, Josh (2010-08-17). "Riot Games' dev counter-files "DotA" trademark".
- ^ Plunkett, Luke (2012-02-10). "Blizzard and Valve go to War Over DOTA Name". Kotaku.
- ^ Reilly, Jim (2012-05-11). "Valve, Blizzard Reach DOTA Trademark Agreement".
- ^ Narcisse, Evan (October 17, 2013). "Blizzard's Diablo/Starcraft/WoW Crossover Has a New Name". Kotaku.
- ^ "Valve were making a fairy RPG before Left 4 Dead | Interviews, News". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
- ^ Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar.
- ^ "'"Valve SOB Project Was Called 'Stars of Blood. ValveTime.net. 11 November 2012.
- ^ """Gabe Newell On Valve's "SOB": "'Stars of Blood' Was An Internal Project That Never Saw The Light of Day. LambdaGeneration. 12 November 2012.
- ^ """Marc Laidlaw On The Cancelled Half-Life Spin-offs: Return To Ravenholm And "Episode Four. LambdaGeneration. 13 January 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Savage, Phil (15 January 2013). "Half-Life 2: Episode 4 was being developed by Arkane; now cancelled".
- ^ O'Conner, Alice (15 May 2009). "Arkane and Valve's 'The Crossing' on Hold".
- ^ "Steam has 75 million active users, Valve announces at Dev Days". Joystiq. 2014-01-15. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
- ^ "Steam's Sub Agreement Prohibits Class-Action Lawsuits".
- ^ "Updated Steam Subscriber Agreement". Valve Corporation. 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
- ^ Valve Software Latest Gaming Company to Set Up in Luxembourg. Chronicle.lu (2012-09-04). Retrieved on 2014-05-23.
- ^ Karmali, Luke. (2014-03-25) Steam, Amazon and iTunes Prices Could Rise in UK. IGN. Retrieved on 2014-05-23.
- ^ Chapple, Craig. (2014-03-25) UK closing tax loophole on Steam game downloads | Latest news from the game development industry | Develop. Develop-online.net. Retrieved on 2014-05-23.
- ^ a b Crabtree, Dan (July 25, 2012). """Gabe Newell: "Windows 8 Is Kind of a Catastrophe.
- ^ Davies, Marsh (9 December 2012). "Valve confirms Steam Box – a "very controlled" PC for the living room".
- ^ Newman, Jared (18 March 2013). "Valve's Steam Box: The plot thickens for PC-based game consoles".
- ^ Kohler, Chris (2013-09-23). "Valve Continues Its War on Game Consoles With Steam Operating System".
- ^ Vaughn-Nichols, Steven J. (2014-05-28). "Valve Steam Machines delayed until 2015".
- ^ "Pipeline - About Us". Valve. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
^ a b c "Pipeline - Home". pipeline.valvesoftware.com. Valve Corporation. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
Why is Valve doing this? There are two main reasons that Valve is creating Pipeline. The first is that we are frequently asked questions by teenagers about the videogame industry. "What is it like to work on videogames? What should I study? What colleges are best for preparing me? How do I get a job in videogames?" Pipeline will be a place where those questions can be discussed. The second is that Valve is running an experiment. Traditionally Valve has been a very good place for very experienced videogame developers, and not so good at teaching people straight out of school (the reasons for this and the tradeoffs are covered in the Valve employee handbook). Pipeline is an experiment to see if we can take a group of high school students with minimal work experience and train them in the skills and methods necessary to be successful at a company like Valve.
What is the objective of the website itself? We want to establish a connection to the world of teenagers that are asking many questions about getting into the gaming industry. We look to answer many of these questions and are willing to reach out to the community and give them the information they need.
Why Pipeline? The name 'Pipeline' was chosen for its industrial connection with names like Valve and Steam, as well as its definition's notion of connection, direction, outreach, and supply. Valve is often asked questions such as "how do I get from where I am now to working at a professional level in a video game company like Valve?" Naturally, like a pipeline, the journey is long, but the goal of this project is to act as a direct feed of knowledge from Valve to the community in order to help equip individuals ith the skills necessary to achieve their goals of getting into the video game industry. We will supply information on a variety of different fields prompted by public demand. Information will come in the form of interviews with professionals and resources on this website, displaying the variety of ways that you can achieve your goals.
- ^ a b "Valve Handbook for New Employees". Valve Corporation. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ "LambdaGeneration 2.0 - Coming Soon". Lambdageneration.com. Retrieved 2013-08-31.
- ^ Suddath, Claire (April 25, 2012). "What Makes Valve Software the Best Office Ever?". Business Week.
- ^ Suddath, Claire (April 27, 2012). "Why ThereAre No Bosses At Valve". Business Week.
- ^ Petitte, Omri (13 February 2013). "Valve lays off several employees in hardware, mobile teams [Updated]". PCGamer.com.
- ^
- ^ Hern, Alex (August 3, 2012). "Valve Software: free marketeer's dream, or nightmare?". New Statesman.
- ^ Warr, Philippa (2013-07-09). "Former Valve Employee: 'It Felt a Lot Like High School'".
- ^ "Valve Time". Valve Corporation. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
- ^ Kohler, Chris (2010-06-09). "Valve Delays Portal 2 to 2011".
- ^ de Matos, Xav (18 November 2010). "'"Portal 2 Delayed to 'The Week of April 18.
- ^ a b Remo, Chris (2010-02-24). "Valve's Faliszek: Team Self-Determination Drives Left 4 Dead 2 DLC Strategy".
- ^ a b Yin-Poole, Wesley (2012-07-12). """Valve on Valve Time: "It's charming. It's kind of a compliment..
- ^ Nutt, Christian (2009-11-12). "Q&A: Valve's Swift On Left 4 Dead 2's Production, AI Boost".
External links
- Official website
- WorldHeritage pages with incorrect protection templates
- Coordinates on Wikidata
- All WorldHeritage articles needing clarification
- WorldHeritage articles needing clarification from September 2013
- Commons category with local link same as on Wikidata
- Companies based in Bellevue, Washington
- Companies based in Kirkland, Washington
- Companies based in Washington (state)
- Companies established in 1996
- International Game Developers Association members
- Linux game porters
- Valve Corporation
- Video game companies of the United States
- Video game development companies
- Video game publishers


text:
Ike's top moments of 2010 (in no particular order, except for #1):
10. Starring in a Valentine's Day card
9. Burying a loaf of bread in our couch cushions
9. Burying a loaf of bread in our couch cushions
8. Watching The Ring
7. Conquering his fear of Cameron Diaz
6. Learning to swim
5. Taking a trip to Dallas to go to Him-a (Ikea...get it? No?)
5. Enjoying his first snow
4.Crashing a movie set
2.Practicing his high jump
1. Discovering what his inner monologue sounds like (Please watch this video. Trust me.)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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Job Title: Chief Information Officer at City of Chattanooga, TN
Major: Master of Science in Information Systems


text: Do power attic fans do a better job of venting the heat out? I have heard some people say they are a waist of money because the motors won't last long running in the heated condition they run in. I have 3 in my attic and all 3 motors are done. I want to replace them with either a higher quality moter or take them out completly and use something else. I live in Tennessee so our arttics here get pretty hot.


text:
Osaka, Japan, October 30, 2010 – China beat Pool D rivals Canada 3-0 at Osaka's Municipal Central Gymnasium on Saturday to get off the mark in the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship at the second attempt.The straight-sets victory (25-16, 25-19, 25-10) for Yu Juemin's team made amends for their surprise 3-1 loss to Turkey 24 hours before – and left a young and inexperienced Canada side reeling from two defeats already in this competition.FIVB Women's World Championship Japan 2010 official page
Arnd Ludwig's charges were no match for the powerful Chinese on the night, as the team ranked third in the world seized the initiative from the start and never looked like relinquishing it. China made full use of their strength at the net and were fired by Wang Yimei – a driving force with 19 points, including 16 on attack – and nine-point Ma Yunwen.The Canadian resistance was led by Tiffany Dodds with 10 points, yet her side suffered the same fate as in Friday's 3-0 reverse against Korea.China were in control leading 16-9 at the Second Technical Timeout (STT) of the first set, and maintained their advantage to win the first instalment 25-16. The eye-catching Wang contributed eight of those points.The second set proved more competitive. Canada made several acrobatic saves to give a better balance to the contest, and Ludwig's team were within two points of their vaunted opponents at one stage – at 13-11 – when setter Carla Bradstock caught the Chinese off guard with a no-look tip. However, China pieced together a run of ten points from 13 to move in front at 23-16, and while the underdogs briefly held out they could not avoid dropping a second set: 25-19.The third set completed the picture of Chinese dominance. Juemin's side gained an 8-2 advantage before proceeding to close out the victory at 25-10.The two teams next play the two joint-Pool D leaders on Sunday, with Canada facing Russia and China meeting Korea.


text:
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text:
YouTube is a video hosting service owned by Google. There are other video hosting services, but this is by far the most popular service. YouTube is a great tool for sharing your own video content, and for discovering an endless supply of funny, educational, how-to, and cute videos. In fact, YouTube is so popular that 300 hours of new video is uploaded to the site every minute!
Consider content before youth watch videos
YouTube also contains videos that you may find highly inappropriate, with violence, hate speech, nudity, profanity, threats, bullying, and offensive or crude behavior. The service has clear community guidelines to monitor content hosted on their service, but they cannot catch every video that violates their guidelines and need users to do their part by flagging inappropriate content they come across. Every video has a "flag" button underneath it so you can report the issue to YouTube instantly.
The service also provides an age restricted option for content that is within the community guidelines but not suitable for all ages.
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For younger children, you may choose to view videos together so you can manage their viewing experience. For older kids and young teens, leveraging additional family safety products can expand on the service's content filters and may be desirable, along with a clear discussion about which types of content are acceptable or unacceptable to view or to search.
Consider content before posting videos
Determining which home videos are suitable to share on YouTube or any other video sharing service requires thought, family conversations and an agreement to respect others' privacy and safety online.
First, spend time thinking about the types of information you are comfortable with sharing or having your family share through video content posted publicly online. Would it be ok for people to see your child's face if their name isn't listed? Would you be comfortable if the video exposed your home location or general location? Are there types of actions or language that you would not feel comfortable having online? Watch your video (or your child's video) with a keen eye for any information that you would be uncomfortable making public.
Once you've decided on the privacy and safety boundaries you feel are appropriate, sit down with your kids and teens and discuss these boundaries. See if they need revising or if additional boundaries should be added. You may choose to include a requirement that all videos must be evaluated by you from a privacy and safety perspective before they are uploaded until your children and teens are adept at identifying and removing potential risks.
Next, discuss how to honor the safety and privacy of others. It is disrespectful and inconsiderate to post any video without first getting the express permission of everyone shown in the video. If there are minors in the video, you should get consent from their parents before posting. Asking others' permission is not merely a "courtesy" gesture. Be aware that people caught in your video might not want the video posted, or that their parents might not want the video posted to a publicly viewable site. You have no right to be angry with someone who does not want their image or actions shared, whereas they have every right to be angry if you post a video with them in it if you did not first obtain their approval.
If someone does not want to be included in a video you'll need to edit the content to remove that person from the video, or not post the video publicly.


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WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans for years have criticized Democrats controlling the Senate for failing to pass a budget. But now that the Senate has passed its first budget in four years, it's Republicans in charge of the House who are dragging their feet on naming negotiators to iron out the gaping differences between the chambers.
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Republicans only want to name negotiators when the framework of an agreement has already been pretty much worked out.
"We want to go to conference when we feel we have a realistic chance of getting an agreement," Ryan told reporters Tuesday, according to The Hill, a publication that specializes in covering Congress.
At issue are negotiations on the congressional budget resolution, a non-binding blueprint that sets goals for follow-up legislation. A conference committee is an official House-Senate negotiating panel.
What may be really motivating House Republicans to delay is a wish to avoid a series of politically difficult votes that Democrats could force upon them soon after a conference committee is named. Democrats could force such votes on a daily basis for months if negotiations drag on, and the tallies on highly charged topics like Medicare could produce fodder for campaign commercials.
"We don't want to ... have an endless process that focuses on our differences," Ryan said.
The attempt to resurrect Congress' convoluted and partisan budget process comes after several high-profile failures over the past two years to strike a budget deal, including two failed sets of talks between President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and the failure of a deficit-reduction "supercommittee" at the end of 2011.
Boehner quit negotiations with Obama in December and he's taken a tough stand against demands by the president and Democrats for higher tax revenues since Obama in January won more than $600 billion in higher taxes over the coming decade on wealthier people. Democrats, in turn, say they won't consider cuts to Medicare or Social Security unless Republicans yield further revenues.
Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the House should name negotiators even though the possibility of reaching an agreement may be slim.
"I think it's incredibly challenging. I would be the first person in the world to tell you how difficult it is," Murray told reporters. "But I also know that we are not going to get there just by staring across a vast sky. We need to sit down at a table and work it out."
Ryan has said the best chances for an agreement is a budget pact that falls short of the larger-scale deficit savings envisioned by Boehner and Obama in their talks last year.


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Issue #20
Issue #20
Winter 2016 - Issue 20 of Art Hive Magazine
Featuring: Wendi McLendon-Covey, The band KANSAS, Gifts That Give Back, Staying Creative Everyday, and much more.
76 pages, Full color, Gloss, Perfect Bound
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Are there frameworks and processes for HTMl5 that can be used for the rapid prototyping of 2D games?
closed as not constructive by MichaelHouse♦, Sean Middleditch, Tetrad Jun 14 '13 at 5:45
As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, visit the help center for guidance. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
I built http://gamejs.org partly for this purpose. It follows the PyGame API which I know is sometimes used for prototyping.
I would argue that JavaScript lends itself very well to writing game code quickly; for a more elaborate argument to this effect see Capitalizing on JavaScript's prototypal inheritance
Other advantages if you stay with simple technologies, like html5 & js:
- every computer has an interpreter and a debugger for JS installed (even mobile devices)
- easy to pickup for newcomers
- well documented language, still evolving
- open technologies through & through
Whether html5 is more suitable than, say, Flash or even pen&paper depends on your game and how evolved your concept is.
I've been using PixieEngine. It's a web based game development IDE that lets you develop and publish games without having to download or set up a development environment.
The advantages over plain HTML Canvas and JavaScript are that CoffeeScript is a very syntax light language, and the built in libraries optimize specifically for the prototyping of games.
For example in HTML Canvas when you want to fill a circle you need to call:
context.fillStyle = color
context.arc(x, y, radius, 0, Math.TAU, true)
But the PixieEngine canvas wrapper provides a simple method
canvas.fillCircle(x, y, radius, color)
HTML Canvas and JavaScript are good for rapid game prototyping, but PixieEngine is much better.
Well, a cursory Google search produces several results:
I don't know anything about them specifically, but I would think that in general HTML5 is probably a decent way to prototype games even without a framework or engine: quick, direct, low overhead and easy to iterate on.
Yes! I'm part of the 2 man team that builds Construct 2, the HTML5 game creator.
Our tool is popular for building full games and also amongst an audience who wish to rapidly prototype games and ideas.
When creating a prototype anything that can save you time is beneficial and we've worked hard to make Construct 2 a powerful time saving device as well. Results can be created in minutes.


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A. This Guide -- if for no other reason than I'm going to spend time between now and Comic-Con obsessively re-writing a lot of the lamer jokes.
B. Convention Web Site -- the source for tons of official information
C. Your Hotel's Web Site -- familiarize yourself with your surroundings, join the points club
D. Tripadvisor.com -- preview your hotel experience.
E. SDcommute.com -- commuting options.
F. VirtualGuideBooks.com -- see public areas before you visit them.
G. News From ME -- Mark Evanier has attended every single Comic-Con, and writes about it as the date approaches.
H. The Beat -- Heidi MacDonald's purview is comics culture, and there's no entity of greater importance within comics' culture than Comic-Con.
I. Yp.Yahoo.com -- nearby business scouting.
J. SignOnSanDiego.com -- a halfway decent baseline review place, particularly for restaurants.
1. The Convention Center
Where the convention takes place. There are entry points from 5th and 1st Avenue. Yes, sometimes people have to wait for a train that blocks those streets. That sounds way more charming than it is when it happens to you or the movie star you waited in line to see.
2. The Marriott
Traditional nearest hotel to the convention and a place for a lot of informal gatherings, pre-convention brunch meetings and sneak-away confabs at their Irish-themed bar.
3. The Hyatt
The nighttime comics industry bar scene social hub.
4. Seaport Village
A set of restaurants and shops that people tend to forget about, just up the road a bit. If you're at the Hyatt, the Marriott or the Embassy Suites, you may be more oriented to these places than to their Gaslamp District equivalent.
5. Rail stop for Little Italy
Gaslamp too crowded? Everyone in your group of friends mad at you? Hit a restaurant up here.
6. Horton Plaza
Downtown shopping mall with tons of restaurants and more than a few shops.
7. Ralphs Supermarket
The San Diego business MVP of every show. Get your late night snacks, your cheap lunches and your mixers all in one place. Worth getting a Ralphs card for this one weekend a year.
8. Gaslamp Quarter
Restaurants! Movie Theaters! Hotels! People willing to yell mean things at you from their cars!
9. Petco Park
Game on Wednesday night.
10. Fed Ex/Kinkos (actually a block north, on C street)
Get on-line; ship stuff home; make copies!
11. US Post Offices
You probably know what a post office is. Media rate is your friend.
12. Omni Hotel
One of the many newer hotels right up next to the convention center. I have no idea why I marked it.
13. Hilton San Diego Bayfront
This is actually a bit further south than my map allows -- the other side of the convention center, basically. It's a new hotel that will be hosting some programming.
a. Go to a Padres game. This only applies if you come early in the week, since they now (wisely) schedule the Padres to be on the road during the Con. This is especially true now that the team plays right down near the Convention Center and it doesn't require taking the trolley all the way out to Jack Murphy Stadium. Note: It's very possible Jake Peavy could be traded by the time the team is playing July, so cavaet emptor. (Mark Coale)
b. Don't go to TJ. I always miss the Eisners because I go to Tijuana Friday nights during the Con to see Lucha Libre. Not this year, though. My Lucha watching friends that live in SD haven't gone in months, due to all the violence in the city. Your desire to see Santo or Mistico may be great, but it's not worth getting killed or kidnapped. (Mark Coale)
c. One of my favorite tips I give people that I didn't see on your list is to use the Trolley. It runs right in front of the convention center and lets you get a cheaper hotel farther away from the epicenter of the action without having to drive/walk/get a cab. You can get a multi-day pass but in my experience they don't bother checking tickets near the Con since there are so many people. Plus, you get to mingle with other con-goers and compare panels, purchases, etc. (Matt Grommes)
d. I just read your list of Comic-Con tips (following a link from Mark Evanier's site) -- nice work. I've been to Comic-Con three times -- in '98, '99, and 2000. Just reading your tips brought back lots of memories of the convention, and San Diego in general. Not sure if I'll ever get back; someday, perhaps...
Anyway, I wanted to suggest that you edit your Tip #21 (Consider Cycling Through The Week With A Germ-Resistant Booster). The truth is that Airborne (and similar products) just don't work. There is no proper double-blind test in which Airborne users have been shown to avoid colds any more than people who don't use it. Like so much of the herbal/dietary supplement business, it's just snake oil.
Now an Airborne user might say, "Well, I used Airborne, and I didn't catch a cold!" -- but this kind of anecdotal evidence is pretty useless, since the person is assuming that they would have caught a cold otherwise. In reality, if they didn't catch a cold with Airborne, they also wouldn't have caught a cold without it. (And the diehard Airborne believers come up with excuses either way -- even when they do catch a cold, they rationalize that they just didn't take their Airborne soon enough.)
Taking Airborne probably won't hurt you (except for the money wasted) -- but it might! Here's a notice from the National Council Against Health Fraud:
"The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics has concluded that Airborne, a dietary supplement promoted for preventing and treating colds, has not been proven effective. The product contains seven herbal extracts (lonicera, forsythia, schizonepeta, ginger, Chinese vitex, isatis root, echinacea), three vitamins (A, C, E), two amino acids (glutamine, lysine), selenium, zinc and several other ingredients and is available in both adult and child (Airborne Jr) versions. The adult product contains 1000 mg of vitamin C. The recommended dosage -- one tablet every three hours at the first sign of a cold -- contains enough vitamin C to increase oxalate and urate excretion and thus may cause kidney stones."
(Link: http://www.ncahf.org/digest05/05-04.html#airborne )
As someone with an interest in the skeptical/critical thinking movement, I've read a little about Airborne in the past, so it caught my eye in your (otherwise excellent) list. I hope you'll consider removing your recommendation for this type of product. There are plenty of valid health tips for convention attendees, many of which you've listed -- like eating a proper diet, using aspirin or a similar pain reliever (which, unlike Airborne, is real medicine) if needed, washing hands, and staying hydrated. I'd add to that list getting plenty of sleep (although no one seems to follow that one at conventions...). (Kevin Eldridge)
e. Consider eating dinner earlier, and at the bar, even if you don't drink. Several bars near the convention center offer incredible happy hour food and drink specials. If I don't see a sign about specials than I always ask! (Erin Tapken)
f. The USPS offers flat rate Priority Mail boxes that are the perfect size for comic books. You can get them at any post office along with the proper stamp. Then fill them to the brim, tape them up and leave them with the front desk of your hotel for the mailman to pick up. Doesn't matter if they weigh 2 lbs or 10 lbs., as long as the box is not altered, and closes properly, it's all the same price. And flattened, the boxes fit nicely in the bottom of a suitcase. (Erin Tapken)
g. Even if you have met someone before, even if it was the day before, always assume the person doesn't remember your name and offer it to them, along with a reminder of how you know them, if applicable. (Erin Tapken)
h. One tip you might add: If someone ignores your suggestion not to go to Mexico this year, remind them that at least be sure and take your
passport. You'll need it to get back into the USA. I'll bet a lot of comic fans haven't thought about that! (Rick Loomis)
i. If you can't go, remember you can get your ticket money refunded if you ask early enough (usually by mid-June) through information on the convention web site. (John Burgess)
j. If you've not been there, you really don't realize just how big the con really is. My favorite stat for illustrating this comes from looking up the length of the aisles on the dealers' floor on the online blueprints. Each aisle is about 100 yards long. There are 52 of them. So, just to walk down the center of each aisle, not even going side to side to look at things more closely, is about 5200 yards. Since a yard is three feet, and there are 5,280 feet to a mile, that means just getting a look at everything on the floor requires a three mile walk. (Tom Galloway)
k. While you should ask questions in panels and the like, know how to ask them. The key points to remember are a) no one else in the audience cares about you and b) you're not going to become friends with the panelists. Questions should be to the point as to what you want to ask about, and not prefaced with the personal reasons/history that explain why you want to ask that question. They also should not be used to tell the panelists how much you like their work and what your favorite bit was and the like. A while back, Mark Evanier wrote the following approximation of what had been announced at a Stephen Sondheim he'd attended:
"Later, there will be a Q-and-A session and I'm sorry to say I need to explain to people what the "Q" means. It means you ask a question. A question is a sentence that begins with an interrogatory pronoun and it ends with a question mark and your voice goes up at the end. And it's one sentence. If it's more than one sentence, it's not a question. This is not an audition. It is not about you. We don't need to hear what the first Sondheim show was you saw and how it forever changed your life. Just ask a real question and sit down." (Tom Galloway)
l. In recommending the "go someplace else besides SD for a vacation" item, I'd add San Francisco.
1. A flight on Virgin America from SD to SF a few days ago was $38. And that was down from $49.
2. The Schulz Museum is a short drive away from San Fran.
3. Miyazaki is speaking at Berkeley on that Saturday during the Con.
4. It's San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose/etc. Plenty to do there that has nothing to do with comics. (Mark Coale)
m. Take the bus from the airport. It's only $2.25 and it comes every 10-15 minutes. Then take it back to the airport for your flight out. It's only $2.25 and it comes every 10-15 minutes if you're standing on Broadway. (Peter Coogan)
n. If you're interested in getting sketches from artists, go to your local art supply store and buy a hardback sketchbook. Check out the Con schedule and if there's someone you want to get an autograph from, come prepared with something for them to sign, like a DVD they were in if they're an actor or a certain comic book if they're a comic writer or artist. (Brian Carroll)
o. Keep your cell phone on vibrate. At all times. You may not be able to hear it ring on the main exhibit hall floor or any late night bars, and you will disrupt a panel if it rings there. Better: when possible, text a message instead of calling -- again, because ambient sound levels where you are may be too high to hear anything or because they should be very low. (Glenn Hauman)
p. Related: when asking a question at a panel, if it's too long to put in a Twitter message, it may be too long to ask. Consider rephrasing. (Glenn Hauman)
q. And you have no excuse for not having a business card. They're cheap, easy and quick to get. You don't have to go crazy, but you do have to have something. You never know when you'll need one-- buying a drink for a Playboy Playmate, for example. At worse, buy blank cards and prepare to write your name a lot -- but write a few in advance, for speed's sake. (Glenn Hauman)


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A new study bucks the myth of the cowboy builder and reveals how the elderly and vulnerable benefit from tradesmen who go above and beyond to meet their needs.
Although the stereotype persists, the research by AXA Insurance reveals that 82 per cent of tradesmen regularly help out those in need for free.
The survey found that 35 per cent of tradesmen have worked unpaid because they felt sorry for a customer.
Meanwhile, a further 38 per cent have knocked money off the final bill for the same reason.
Most tradesmen – 70 per cent – will help out with chores or run errands after work if they see that an elderly person is struggling to get to the shops, take the bins out or take the dog for a walk.
Those who are most likely to provide extra help are painters and decorators, 90 per cent of whom said they regularly go beyond the call of duty.
One painter and decorator related how he ran an elderly client to hospital after a fall and stayed there overnight.
When another customer's husband died, the same tradesman said she had no-one else to turn to, so she called his company: "We sat and talked, comforted her, got her an evening meal and stayed for a further five and a half hours that evening."
However, the research found the cowboy stereotype still persists.
Despite having had mainly positive personal experiences, the study found that 62 per cent of the population agree it's fair to label tradespeople as 'cowboys' or 'rogue traders'.
When asked the reason for the 'cowboy' image, the public and tradesmen agreed that it was mostly down to TV shows like 'Rogue Trader' and 'Cowboy Builder', citing news stories second.
Darrell Sansom, managing director at AXA Business Insurance, said: "Unfortunately, there are a minority of people in all professions who will exploit vulnerable people, but our study showed that your average tradesman will show great compassion to someone who is struggling.
"Elderly people should not live in fear of calling out a tradesman when repair work needs doing – there are simple checks they can make.
"Being a member of a recognised trade body, having insurance and giving a guarantee before work begins are all hallmarks of a professional. It's worth thinking again though if a tradesman asks for money up front, doesn't return your calls, or doesn't turn up when agreed."
He continued: "You should expect and demand the best behaviour from your tradespeople. These days, in contrast to the stereotype, tradesmen who wolf whistle, swear or leave houses in a mess are a rarity. Just two per cent of those we surveyed admitted to wolf whistling; only six per cent have ever sworn in a customer's hearing, and an impressive 66 per cent consider tidying up afterwards as just part of the job."


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Fact-checkers find 'false claims' by Obama and Romney in the presidential debate
Fact-checking organizations worked furiously Wednesday evening to keep up with the claims and counterclaims of President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney during the first presidential debate.
They found plenty to quarrel with.
Factcheck.org headed its report "Dubious Denver Debate Declarations: Obama and Romney swap exaggerations and false claims in their first meeting" and stated, "We found exaggerations and false claims flying thick and fast during the first debate between President Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney:
Obama accused Romney of proposing a $5 trillion tax cut. Not true. Romney proposes to offset his rate cuts and promises he won't add to the deficit.
Romney again promised to "not reduce the taxes paid by high-income Americans" and also to "lower taxes on middle-income families," but didn't say how he could possibly accomplish that without also increasing the deficit.
Obama oversold his health care law, claiming that health care premiums have "gone up slower than any time in the last 50 years." That's true of health care spending, but not premiums. And the health care law had little to do with the slowdown in overall spending.
Romney claimed a new board established by the Affordable Care Act is "going to tell people ultimately what kind of treatments they can have." Not true. The board only recommends cost-saving measures for Medicare, and is legally forbidden to ration care or reduce benefits.
Obama said 5 million private-sector jobs had been created in the past 30 months. Perhaps so, but that counts jobs that the Bureau of Labor Statistics won't add to the official monthly tallies until next year. For now, the official tally is a bit over 4.6 million.
Romney accused Obama of doubling the federal deficit. Not true. The annual deficit was already running at $1.2 trillion when Obama took office.
Obama again said he'd raise taxes on upper-income persons only to the "rates that we had when Bill Clinton was president." Actually, many high-income persons would pay more than they did then, because of new taxes in Obama's health care law.
Romney claimed that middle-income Americans have "seen their income come down by $4,300." That's too high. Census figures show the decline in median household income during Obama's first three years was $2,492, even after adjusting for inflation.
Obama again touted his "$4 trillion" deficit reduction plan, which includes $1 trillion from winding down wars that are coming to an end in any event.
Politifact.com wrote "President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney traded barbs Wednesday night on taxes, jobs, health care and the economy - and often stretched the facts.
'Mr. President,' Romney said, 'you're entitled as the president to your own airplane and to your own house, but not to your own facts.'
Romney also would have benefited from that advice.
Politifact, for instance, rated one major claim of Obama on taxes as "half true" and two others as "mostly true," but found Romney's tax claim "mostly false."
But, on two major claims about the deficit, Poltifact.com found a Romney claim "true," but an Obama claim "half true."
The Fact Checker: The Truth Behind the Rhetoric, a blog edited by Glenn Kessler of The Washington Post, put it this way:
There they go again.
Both President Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney tossed out a blizzard of statistics and facts, often of dubious origin.
"Governor Romney's central economic plan calls for a $5 trillion tax cut -- on top of the extension of the Bush tax cuts -- that's another trillion dollars" --President Obama
"I don't have a $5 trillion tax cut" --Governor Romney
How can both facts be true? The $5 trillion figure comes from the fact that Romney has proposed to cut tax rates by 20 percent and eliminate the estate tax and alternative minimum tax. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center says that would reduce tax revenue by nearly $500 billion in 2015, or about $5 trillion over 10 years
But Romney also has said he will make his plan "revenue neutral" by eliminating tax loopholes and deductions, although he has not provided the details.
The Tax Policy Center has analyzed the specifics of Romney's plan thus far released and concluded the numbers aren't there to make it revenue neutral.
In the debate, Romney countered that "six other studies" have found that not to be the case, but he's wrong about that. Those studies actually do not provide much evidence that Romney's proposal--as sketchy as it is--would be revenue neutral without making unrealistic assumptions.
Given the uncertainty, the Obama campaign has assumed the worst about Romney's plan--that it would mean higher taxes for middle-class Americans--even though, as Romney stated, there is no chance he would try to implement such a plan as president.


text:
Browse by Medical Category
The Orthopaedic Oncology program was founded in 1972 by Dr. Henry Mankin. The scope of the service covers the comprehensive care of musculoskeletal oncology patients at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Boston Children's Hospital. The service is fast-paced and requires excellent organizational and communicative skills. The diagnosis, treatment, and overall management of the orthopaedic oncology patient are complex. It requires coordination with our colleagues in Radiology, Pathology, Radiation Oncology, Pediatric and Adult Hematology Oncology, and other surgeons in the Thoracic, General Adult, Pediatric, Vascular, Plastic, Urology, Spine, Arthroplasty, and Hand Services.
We diagnosis benign and malignant bone and soft tissue tumors in patients that are primarily referred to us for evaluation of difficult problems. Our population consists of children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. We see more than 1,000 new patients each year, and this figure is growing. More soft tissue tumors are seen as compared to newly diagnosed bone tumors, which reflects the overall incidence of the soft tissue tumors relative to bone tumors. Patients with metastatic cancer are seen by our group, and we have especially focused on those with isolated metastatic disease.
We care for the Orthopaedic Oncology patient through all phases of their cancer experience. The phases include: physical exam, blood work, extensive radiographic imaging stating studies and biopsies to determine diagnosis, adjuvant treatment (chemotherapy and radiation), surgery, post-operation/rehabilitative care, routine oncology follow-up for up to 10 years or more, recurrences/metastases, and terminal or end-of-life care. The magnitude of their physical, emotional, and social needs creates quite a challenge for us.
Kevin Raskn, MD
Director, Musculoskeletal Oncology Fellowship
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LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors have field felony burglary and stalking charges against a Montrose man accused of breaking in to Sandra Bullock's house while the Oscar-winning actress was at home.
The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office charged Joshua James Corbett on Tuesday, two days after he was arrested. Police say he jumped the fence at Bullock's Los Angeles home around 1 a.m. and broke into her house.
The 39-year-old was also charged with felony possession of a machine gun, although prosecutors say he did not have the gun while on Bullock's property.
Corbett is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday. He remains in custody in lieu of $50,000 bail, but prosecutors are asking to increase that amount to $185,000.
If convicted, he faces up to seven years and four months in prison.


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Released on
Jul 20, 2017
Strong Preference for Tests That Can Prevent Colon Cancer, Including Colonoscopy
March 5, 2008 – A new guideline on colorectal cancer screening released today by an expert group representing a broad spectrum of health care organizations, including the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the American Cancer Society (ACS), offers recommendations for various alternatives for colorectal cancer detection and states a strong preference for screening tests that can prevent colorectal cancer. The ASGE and the ACG are members of the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer and were participants in the guideline development process.
"What distinguishes these new guidelines is an emphasis on the importance and value of preventing colorectal cancer, which GI physicians applaud," said Amy E. Foxx-Orenstein, D.O., FACG, president of the ACG.
"We know that 50 percent of Americans who should be getting screening for this largely preventable disease are not," said Grace H. Elta, M.D., FASGE, president of the ASGE. "The data show that screening saves lives and efforts to increase colon cancer awareness and screening will help patients through earlier detection."
Both the ASGE and the ACG want the public to be aware that the guideline's stated preference for tests that prevent colorectal cancer supports the groups' longstanding positions that colonoscopy is the preferred screening strategy for colorectal cancer. Because of its excellent sensitivity in detecting polyps and its potential for removing them and breaking the sequence of polyp to cancer in a single diagnostic and therapeutic intervention, colonoscopy is one of the most powerful preventive tools in clinical medicine.
Several tests are among the recommended alternatives including stool tests that detect colorectal cancer but not its precursor, colon polyps, and structural examinations of the colon by endoscopic procedures such as flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy, as well as radiological examinations by either barium enema or CT colonography, also known as "virtual colonoscopy." The new guideline recognizes that for flexible sigmoidoscopy, barium enema and CT colonography, a follow-up colonoscopy will be required if anything suspicious is discovered.
Dr. Foxx-Orenstein of ACG added, "All of us on the front lines of battling colorectal cancer welcome this thorough review of the evidence regarding all the various screening modalities. While the evidence suggests that there are some limitations to all of the tests, the College sees significant strengths in the proven benefits of visualizing pre-cancerous growths and removing them in a single examination during colonoscopy."
According ACG's Dr. Foxx-Orenstein, "We congratulate the American Cancer Society and the other group participants on the publication of these guidelines which required so much collegiality and scientific exchange to navigate areas where clinically there still exists much controversy and uncertainty."
Dr. Elta added, "It is our greatest hope that these new guidelines will contribute to the increased use of colorectal cancer screening tests to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer, and thereby save lives."
About Colorectal Cancer
Each year nearly 150,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer and almost 50,000 die from the disease annually in the United States. Colorectal cancer, also known as colon cancer, is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and women and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Many of those deaths could be prevented with earlier detection. The five-year relative survival rate for people whose colon cancer is treated in an early stage is greater than 90 percent. Unfortunately, only 39 percent of colon cancers are found at that early stage. Once the cancer has spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes, the five-year relative survival rate decreases dramatically.
About Colonoscopy
Colonoscopy utilizes direct visualization of the entire colon to detect pre-cancerous growths, including smaller polyps, even below 1 cm. This test allows removal of suspicious polyps without surgery at the time of the exam. Three studies have shown that colonoscopy prevents about 80 percent of colorectal cancers from developing by removing pre-cancerous polyps. Colorectal cancer screening's effect on early detection and prevention through polypectomy has been identified as a main contributing factor for the declining rates of colorectal cancer incidence and deaths from the disease.
About CT Colonography
CT colonography technology requires the same cathartic bowel preparation and restricted diet as colonoscopy. The test requires insertion of a tube in the rectum and insufflation of the abdomen with air or gas while patients are awake. It does not provide the opportunity to remove polyps or suspicious lesions. There are unresolved questions about radiation risks and identifying small or flat polyps. CT colonography may be useful for those who refuse, who cannot undergo, or who have failed prior colonoscopy.
The Need to Follow-up Suspicious Findings
The management of any findings from stool tests, barium enema exams, or CT colonography is an important part of a screening program using these tests:
- For any of the stool tests, a positive finding will require a follow-up colonoscopy.
- For flexible sigmoidoscopy, patients who have adenomas discovered at sigmoidoscopy should undergo colonoscopy, based on evidence suggesting that patients who have an adenoma of any size in the distal colon (visible during the exam which only views part of the colon) are at increased risk for advanced neoplasia proximally (higher up in the colon beyond the reach of the sigmoidoscope.)
- For CT colonography, the new guideline reflects that the risk for patients whose largest polyps are smaller than 5 mm is low, but for polyps over 5 mm in size, a follow-up by colonoscopy is recommended.
About the American College of Gastroenterology
Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of more than 10,000 individuals from 80 countries. The College is committed to serving the clinically oriented digestive disease specialist through its emphasis on scholarly practice, teaching and research. The mission of the College is to serve the evolving needs of physicians in the delivery of high quality, scientifically sound, humanistic, ethical, and cost-effective health care to gastroenterology patients. To learn more about the College and its mission, visit www.acg.gi.org.
About the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
Founded in 1941, the mission of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) is to be the leader in advancing patient care and digestive health by promoting excellence in gastrointestinal endoscopy. ASGE, with more than 10,000 physician members worldwide, promotes the highest standards for endoscopic training and practice, fosters endoscopic research, recognizes distinguished contributions to endoscopy, and is the foremost resource for endoscopic education. Visit www.asge.org and www.screen4coloncancer.org for more information.
About Endoscopy
Endoscopy is performed by specially-trained physicians called endoscopists using the most current technology to diagnose and treat diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Using flexible, thin tubes called endoscopes, endoscopists are able to access the human digestive tract without incisions via natural orifices. Endoscopes are designed with high-intensity lighting and fitted with precision devices that allow viewing and treatment of the gastrointestinal system. In many cases, screening or treatment of conditions can be delivered via the endoscope without the need for further sedation, treatment or hospital stay.


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adhance Media is a private ad exchange that brings together media companies who are looking to maximize revenue from excess ad inventory. We bring together a community of premium, hyper-local sites, representing quality demographic and geographic targeting ability to national brands. This results in higher revenue that typically would not be available through other remnant programs.
adhance Media is a division of GateHouse Media. At adhance, we can leverage our own internal expertise from bundling more than 400 community newspaper sites to maximize our own unsold inventory. GateHouse is committed to advancing the online publishing industry and protecting your interests, and we would like to help you.
adhance Media is managed by a dedicated staff with extensive experience in programmatic buying and selling, so there is no need to hire in-house experts. Our team of experienced professionals have names like AOL, ReviNet, Gannett, Boston.com, GSN.com, Centro, and PubMatic on their resumes.
adhance is not a start-up. We are a partner who understands the value of your ad space and properties. We are committed to continued innovation of new products including mobile, video and audience extension.
GateHouse Media announced that adhance media, the company's private ad exchange that launched in December 2011, has more than doubled its number of publisher partnerships over the past year, with the recent addition of Calkins Media, OPUBCO and Swift Communications. Adhance media now comprises more than 40 publishers representing over 1,300 local newspaper and broadcast websites throughout the country including Morris Communications, The Ogden Newspapers, Inc., News-Press & Gazette Company, Rust Communications and Entercom. The expansion of the private ad exchange provides demand partners with the capability to reach more locally-targeted audiences on quality brand-safe websites at scale.
Why you should participate
Why you should participate
adhance Media audience extension campaigns have been the biggest hit for our sellers in 2013. It is an intuitive product for them to present to their clients. Both clients and sellers "get it." Businesses know they need to market on the Web, and this program puts their message in front of a highly targeted, receptive audience. Unlike some other digital sales, Audience Extension does not cannibalize our traditional media dollars and has allowed us to tap into different budgets and achieve greater income while producing quantifiable results for our clients.
Mark M. Weidel, Director of Digital Media, DelMarva Broadcasting Company
A national community
A national community
Some of the highest quality newspaper and broadcast media companies throughout the country have partnered with adhance.
Right out the gate we saw an immediate increase in both the quality of the advertisers they brought to our radio station web sites, but also a great boost in monthly revenue and overall eCPM by more than 15%! Their team makes the whole process really easy and I appreciate their efforts to constantly find ways to improve performance for us. Our account manager Andrea, is truly amazing to work with, incredible customer service! They have been great partners and we are thrilled to expand our partnership in 2014 and beyond."
Rachel Adams, Director of eCommerce & Digital Sales, Entercom Communications Corp.
"adhance have been a great partner to work with. Working together, we've continued to see improved growth on eCPM's in Private Exchange ads, Network and Remnant advertising."
Marty Novak, Director of Digital Content, NPG Newspapers, Inc.
adhance Media is a private exchange that delivers scalable reach to targeted audience across premium, hyper-local news and broadcast sites throughout the U.S.
adhance Media is a private exchange that delivers scalable reach to targeted audience across premium, hyper-local news and broadcast sites throughout the U.S.
adhance Media is managed by a dedicated staff with extensive experience in programmatic buying and selling, so there is no need to hire in-house experts. Our team of experienced professionals have names like AOL, ReviNet, Gannett, Boston.com, GSN.com, Centro, and PubMatic on their resumes.
Ashley joined GateHouse Media in May of 2012 as a Digital Account Manager. After graduating from Suffolk University's Sawyer Business School her first digital media position was as a Network Relations Coordinator at ReviNet.
She also worked as Demand Partner Account Manager at PubMatic and a Business Development Associate at DataXu where she managed external partner relationships.
At adhance Ashley's focus is on the demand side of the business and with her experience on multiple platforms, inventory, sourcing, and pricing, she looks forward to delivering results for customers.
Andrea joined GateHouse in June 2012, and is focused on building strategic partnerships with web publishers to help them maximize the value of their un-sold inventory.
Prior to joining the adhance team, Andrea was the VP of Client Services at Burst Media. In her role there, she and her team worked with several high-profile media companies and magazines to help build and scale vertical networks anchored by their core brands.
In her role with adhance, Andrea looks forward to building relationships with publishers and collectively expanding adhance's national footprint.
Tom joined GateHouse in April 2012. Tom began his media career working as a Key Account Manager at The Journal News, a Gannett publication.
Prior to joining the adhance team, he was a Strategic Account Manager at PubMatic where he worked on the Publisher side of the business. Within this role, Tom worked on a daily basis with many of the top news content publishers in the industry with the goal of monetizing their entire non-guaranteed inventory while adhering to publisher blocks lists and minimizing direct sales channel conflicts.
Tom's role at adhance is to apply his knowledge for the ad industry and use that expertise to build deeper client relationships. Tom's knowledge managing the full life-cycle of a customer account means adhance customers will be in good hands with Tom.
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1. The amazing blue coast of Natural Park of
2. Crossing the river Sado
3. The Natural Park of SW Alentejo and Vicentine Coast
4. Stunning landscapes of Alentejo beaches
5. Tasty fresh fish of the Atlantic Coast
6. Visit to the winery and wine tasting
7. Lagos - the cosmopolitan and oldest town in the Algarve
8. Sagres - the south-westernmost town of Continental Europe
9. Paradise-like beaches and the beautiful coast of Algarve
10. Cape S. Vicente - the birds and the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean
Starting in Sesimbra, you will ride to a winery where you will learn about the famous Moscatel wine and also taste it. Then you will enter one of the lushest areas south of Lisbon - the Natural Park of Arrabida. On one side of the park, you will admire beautiful Mediterranean landscapes and at the other side, the gorgeous coast with accessible beaches where the fine sand and clear sea waters provide a strong contrast of unusual colours. You will ride along the coast to Setubal and after crossing the Sado river, you will reach Troia and then Sines where the Natural Park of SW Alentejo and Vicentine Coast begins. It extends itself along the Portuguese coast and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. This SW landscape is 300 million years old and it is one of the most preserved landscapes all over Europe; human intervention is less visible throughout the area's long history. Once submerged (about 2 million years ago), this is a vast area with many different coastal habitats and countless beaches and cliffs. Daily tours include going to the wonderful beaches of this Natural Park and taking a swim in the limpid and clear sea. Numerous cliffs and isolated islets complete this beautiful and unique scenery. This area boasts a diversity of rare botanical species, with very interesting flora and a variety of maritime birds that nest here. Cape S. Vicente is a passing area for thousands of birds of prey. This tour also goes to Sagres, which is the south-westernmost point in continental Europe, the place from where our brave forefathers sailed on their caravels seeking new peoples and continents. Finally, you have the opportunity to visit some of the beaches of our famous Algarve and the cosmopolitan city of Lagos. This is one of the oldest towns in the Algarve. You can still see evidence of the wall surrounding the town for protection.
Day 1: Arrival. Welcome at Lisbon airport, transfer to Sesimbra and briefing about the tour followed by dinner. Lodging in a 4* Hotel with sophisticated amenities in an idyllic setting where Nature and Sea come together in true happiness.
Day 2: Riding along the wonderful coast of Arrabida Natural Park. - 41km (25mi), level 3 ( Beach), or 51km (32mi), level 4 ( Beach).
After breakfast we start riding in the amazing Arrabida Natural Park, where the Mediterranean vegetation mixes with the maritime views. Visit to a winery and wine tasting. Lodging in a 4* Hotel with a romantic environment and an amazing view over Setubal.
Day 3: Crossing the river Sado to Troia , 80km (50mi), level 3 ( Beach).
After breakfast we cross the river by boat; we have our picnic in a pine grove and we ride on towards Sines. Dinner with the group. Lodging in a 4* Hotel where the old and the new mingle perfectly�.
Day 4: The beautiful beaches of the Natural Park , 101km (63mi), level 4 ( Beach).
After breakfast we ride into the SW Alentejo Natural Park; this is the most well preserved coast all over Europe. The landscape is amazing! We have our picnic and we end our day in the typical village of Odeceixe. Dinner with the group. Lodging in a Bed & Breakfast unit with swimming-pool.
Day 5: Riding towards South to Sagres, 70km (43mi), level 3 ( Beach).
After breakfast we continue riding along beautiful beaches. We have our picnic and later we get to Sagres after visiting Cape S. Vicente, the place where the land ends and the sea begins�. This is the south-westernmost point in Continental Europe. Dinner with the group. Lodging in a 4* new hotel with swimming-pool, surrounded by stunning deserted beaches and the wild nature of an unforgettable beauty.
Day 6: The coast of Algarve , 43km (27mi), level 3 ( Beach).
After breakfast we ride along the south coast of the Algarve where we can see the contrast between the Natural Park and the Algarve that is developed in terms of tourism. Dinner with the group. Lodging in a 4* hotel with swimming-pool, that epitomises the Algarve culture, with blue and white corridors which link the rooms, patios, restaurants and bar.
Day 7: Departure. Farewell at Lisbon airport. 3H00 drive to airport.
Technical Data
Type: Road Race bike tours
Class: LANDSCAPE TOUR
Version: Guided or Self-Guided
Regions of Portugal: Lisbon Region (south), Alentejo (coast) and Algarve (coast)
Duration: 7 days / 6 nights / 5 days cycling
Begin: Sesimbra (Natural Park of Arrabida)
End: Lagos (Algarve)
Difficulty level (1-5): 1 2 3 4 5
= Advanced. You are fit and in good shape.
Distance: 325km (202mi)
Average: 65km/day (40mi/day)
The price includes:
- 7-day Road bike tour with a Guide (*)
- Transfers from and to Lisbon Airport
- Accommodations (6 nights): 5 four*-Hotels (one Hotel & SPA front to the ocean, one 19th century Mansion, one charming Hotel, one Design Hotel front to the ocean and one cosy Hotel), 1 B&B/Rural Tourism. Double bedroom occupancy.
- 6 Breakfasts
- 3 nourishing and energetic picnics (*)
- 6 Dinners (including our famous wines, our amazing cheeses and lovely desserts) (*)
- Daily energy-bars and water (*)
- Luggage transport from Hotel to Hotel
- Documentation about PortugalBike Tour
- Liability Insurance
- Personal Accident Insurance
- Techno-Mechanical Assistance (*)
- First-Aid assistance on location (*)
- Permanent Backup Vehicle (*)
- Visit to the winery and wine tasting (*)
(*) Not included in Self-Guided Tours
=> Prices per person, double bedroom occupancy, 4* quality Hotel.
=> If you want a different date, ask us about prices and availability.
ROAD RACE BIKE: BH L41 Carbon Spirit Ultegra
Frame: Carbon fiber
Fork: Carbon fiber
Brakes: Shimano Ultegra
Gears: Shimano Ultegra/105, 30 Speeds
Pedals: Normal (with cages or not), Shimano SPD or Look Keo Classic
Tires: Road, 700x23
Weight: 9,2kg
Other: Man or woman seat, frame triangle bag, seat bag.
(please see picture #26)
>>> My experiences with PortugalBike left me behind with a big concern: Where on earth can I experience a cycling trip as excellent as in Portugal? I guess that nowhere I will experience such a warm and generous hospitality, top notch material, professional guidance, delicious food and wine, bright sunshine and a refreshing sea breeze as on the way to the Portuguese Algarve. There is only one option left to me: I definitely have to return next year for another Portuguese cycling holidays with PortugalBike!
= Werner Peerters, Age: 34 (Gent �" Belgium), 2009 =
>>> In recent years, we have bicycled in France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. On several of these trips, we took our own bicycles and made lodging arrangements ourselves. I guess you can say that we enjoy learning about European countries from pedaling a bicycle. No trip that we have taken has been better planned and executed than the two we did through PortugalBike. We are thrilled we used this fabulous company. Owned and operated by a Portuguese husband and wife team, the care they take before and during the trip is exemplary. The routes are very well chosen, providing a variety of landscapes and terrain. Although Portugal doesn't have dedicated bike lanes like Holland, every effort was made to choose roads friendly to bicycles. The lodging was very special, and each night we stayed in a hotel different from the evening before, always special in its own way. We especially miss the breakfasts! PortugalBike was never far from us, and if we had a question or a problem, it was resolved before the day was over. We are especially glad that we chose two different trips �" The Ancient Medieval Villages and Towards Algarve �" in two very different areas of the country, as it gave us two contrasting views of the country. We are grateful to PortugalBike for making all this happen, and even more grateful that we now have more of an appreciation for Portuguese life, food, culture, history, and wine!
= Gary Kate, Lynne & Susan Diamond, Ages: 57, 56 & 55 (Claremont, California �" U.S.A.), 2009 =
2. If you wish a different date, ask us for prices and availability.
3. You can join two PortugalBike Tours and have a 2-week program (10% discount on the second tour).
4. If you wish to rent a bicycle for this Tour add Euro 100.
5. You can change your Road Race Bike: on Road Bike Tours you can also opt for riding a Hybrid Bike, if you prefer.
6. E-Bikes - Don't feel bad for being the last one: you can also opt for riding an electric-bicycle. See more info here.
7. Prices per Person, double bedroom occupancy, usually 4* quality hotel.
8. Groups: Discount for Groups with 4 or more people.
|Map Legend
|Portugal Bike - Road Bike Vacations in Portugal
Lagos, Portugal
Sines, Portugal
|January / February / November / December
|per person/week
|per person/week
|April / May / October
|per person/week
|per person/week
|per person/week
|Per person/week


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No real time for a post. I don't have a ton of access to a computer right now. Which also means, once again, I can't be answering your baking questions. I know you have them because they keep getting asked. Just an FYI- they aren't going to get answered until after the new year, just like I have said over and over again in previous posts.
Okay enough of that. I have two cookie exchanges this year. I had zero time and hardly any ingredients around so I had to find something simple, yet festive for my first exchange. These I found on the McCormick Spice website. You would be amazed what great recipes they actual websites of the makers of the product have. I think all too often we just focus on food blogs and forget about that (and no, they aren't paying me to say that). Anyway, the original recipe calls for a Hersey's Hug to go on top. But they don't seem to have those out right now this time of year, so I went with just white chocolate chips. Which made them look like birds nests, but whatever. 🙂 They are a nice soft cookie that tastes just like a nice piece of gingerbread cake, but in cookie form.
Hope all is well with everyone.
- 3 cups flour
- 2 tsp. Ginger, Ground
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon, Ground
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg, Ground (I used fresh)
- 1/4 tap salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl.
- Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add molasses, egg and vanilla; beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown. Immediately press about 5-6 white chocolate chips into center of each cookie. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days.
Adapted from McCormick and Company Inc.


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It is sad to say there are just two reasons why the U.S. is not yet a banana republic. The first reason is that the US dollar has not yet lost its world's reserve currency status, which is helping to keep interest rates at record low levels. If the dollar, yen and euro were not involved in a currency war, the dollar's intrinsic decline would become much more evident, causing domestic inflation to soar, and our bond market to immediately collapse.
However, the perpetual erosion of fiat currencies will eventually cause investors to eschew the sovereign debt issued by the over-indebted nations of America, Japan and Europe--even if the dollar's decline does not manifest itself against the euro and the yen.
The other reason why we have not been declared a banana republic is because America is not located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
The Definition of a banana republic is a nation that suffers from chronic inflation, high unemployment and low growth; primarily due to massive government debt and deficits that are purchased by its central bank. There is no doubt that the U.S. has suffered from structurally high unemployment, stubbornly high aggregate price levels, and low growth for the past five years, which is the direct result of our debt-saturated economy.
So let's just assume there exists a country located 15 degrees north of the equator that had amassed $7.5 trillion of new debt in the last 5 years alone. This nation also has nearly $17 trillion in issued debt outstanding, a debt to GDP ratio above 106%, and has clearly shown it is incapable of preventing that ratio from rising.
The central bank of this tropical land artificially pegged interest rates at 0% for over 4 years, has pledged to keep them there for at least three more years, owns $1.8 trillion of government debt and has pledged to buy $1 trillion more during 2013. Let's not forget that $1 trillion worth of central bank buying just happens to coincide perfectly with the projected annual deficits of $1 trillion for the foreseeable future. What adjective would you use to describe this country? Of course, any objective observer would designate it a bona fide banana republic!
This is the reality of the economic backdrop of the U.S. But, as mentioned previously, the legacy effects of having the world's reserve currency postpones the most pernicious effects of such economic fundamentals that exist in our country. Nevertheless, even though the Japanese and European economies also suffer from debt and stagflation, this isn't enough to purge the U.S. economy from its insolvency; nor will it save our bond market from that inevitable historic rise in yields.
The problem is now even the mere normalization of bond yields would send interest payments on our unprecedented amount of debt soaring. This could force the Fed to step up its dollar creation far in excess of what the BOJ or ECB would dare to create in order to stem that rise; and this could be the catalyst to send the dollar and bond market crashing even further.
While some love to speak about the return of "King Dollar," the truth is any nation that seeks to remain viable through the life support provided by its central bank purchases of sovereign debt should be designated a banana republic--regardless of its geographic location. That is why the U.S. is headed down the road to serfdom...or fruitdom as it is in this case.