text:
World Press Photo a Multimedia Contest Winning Productions
By: Press Release | World Press Photo
The international jury of the 2013 World Press Photo Multimedia Contest has awarded prizes in three categories: Online Short, Online Feature and Interactive Documentary. Each category holds first, second and third prizes. In addition, a Honorable Mention was given to an Interactive Documentary production.
The jury chair Keith W. Jenkins summed up "What we see in the winners this year is a high level of sophistication. The entries were uniformly high in quality. This is an evolving field that each year should and does produce higher quality projects."
Overview of first prizes:
First prize Online Short: 'Into the Shadows'
- Photography, direction and camera: Pep Bonet, Noor Images
- Producer, script and interviews: Line Hadsbjerg, Remarkable World
Summary: People from neighboring countries move to South Africa in search of a better life. In inner-city Johannesburg, many of them struggle for acceptance in the face of discrimination, but are resourceful and persistent in their hope for the future.
First prize Online Feature: 'Too Young to Wed'
- Executive producer, photographer and additional videographer: Stephanie Sinclair, VII Photo Agency
- Director and cinematographer: Jessica Dimmock, VII Photo Agency
Summary: Fifteen-year-old Destaye and her husband spend their time working in the fields of Ethiopia and taking care of their six-month-old baby. At the time of their marriage, Destaye was 11-years old and still in school, but her husband expressed interest in letting her continue her education. Since the birth of their son, however, she has had to fulfill her duties as a wife and mother exclusively.
First prize Interactive Documentary: 'Alma, a Tale of Violence'
- Authors and directors: Miquel Dewever-Plana and Isabelle Fougère
- Producers: Alexandre Brachet and Margaux Missika
- Photography and camera: Miquel Dewever-Plana
Summary: For five years, Alma belonged to one of the most violent gangs in Guatemala City. She has committed murder, battery, and brutality. Brutalized herself, she has been jailed many times. With 18 murders a day, Guatemala is a country undermined by violence. Alma is typical of her generation, where youths grow up in a world in which laws and justice are flouted with impunity. Families mired in poverty, despair, and alcoholism destroy each other in gang warfare that has become an ordinary way of life – and death. She was sentenced to death by her 'homies' the day she wanted to quit the gang. Yet she survived the bullets. Although she will never walk again, she is striving to rebuild her life.
Honorable Mention, Interactive Documentary: 'UnknownSpring'
- Director and photographer: Jake Price
- Art director and programmer: Visakh Menon
Summary: Unknown Spring is an immersive online anthology that chronicles a community's efforts to overcome the tsunami that struck Japan on 11 March 2011 through interactive maps, survivor interviews, video, and audio slideshows, Unknown Spring is a project that provides a portrait of Yuriage, a town that was obliterated by the tsunami's backwaters, and its residents as they try to move past their traumas and continue on with life.
For the full list of winners, the complete production teams, and to view the winning productions, please go to: http://worldpressphoto.org/multimedia-gallery/2013-multimedia-contest
The judging was conducted at the World Press Photo office in Amsterdam, where the jury viewed all the entries and discussed their merits over a period of six days. A total of 287 multimedia productions were entered in the contest, organized for the third time this year.
Jenkins explained, "For the jury, the major challenge is that the field is changing almost hourly, so figuring out what the 'standard' is, is a very ephemeral effort. You have to be able to articulate the specifics of what you're looking for, but also be flexible and understand that it's a process that's evolving. Each year you're looking at different things, based on the technology, the platform, and the storytelling intent of the people producing a particular work." He continued: "Still, there are some basic journalistic things that are always going to be part of it. Integrity, narrative voice, being informative and even entertaining – all the qualities that make for good journalism still apply."
Michiel Munneke, managing director of World Press Photo, described the organization's aims: "With the multimedia competition we are trying to do justice to what we see happening in the field. Our ambition is to inspire photographers to move forward and explore new territories. We want to challenge them to tell stories in a different, compelling way. Part of our mission is to encourage the highest professional standards in visual journalism and to support documentary storytelling in all its aspects. That's why, amongst other initiatives we started our multimedia contest."
2013 Multimedia Jury
- Keith W. Jenkins, USA, supervising senior producer for multimedia at NPR
- Samuel Bollendorff, France, photojournalist and webdocumentary maker
- Kang Kyung-ran, South Korea, producer and director Frontline News Service
- Susan Meiselas, USA, photographer
- Patrick Mudekereza, DR Congo, writer and poet
- Bjarke Myrthu, Denmark, founder and CEO of Storyplanet.com
- Caspar Sonnen, the Netherlands, new media coordinator and curator IDFA DocLab
- Alan Stoga, USA, president Zemi Communications
2013 Awards
The first place winner in each category will be awarded a cash award of €1,500 and a Golden Eye Award. Winners of second and third prizes receive a Golden Eye Award and a diploma. The awards will be presented at the Awards Ceremony on Saturday 27 April 2013 in Amsterdam. Please visit for further information:
For further information on the 2013 Multimedia Contest please visit: http://www.worldpressphoto.org/2013-multimedia-contest
During the 2013 Awards Days, World Press Photo will also present the results of a ground-breaking research project to map the global emergence and development of multimedia in visual storytelling, especially photojournalism. The project has been directed by Dr David Campbell and supported by the FotografenFederatie (Dutch Photographers Association).
The multimedia contest is set up separately from the annual photojournalism contest and the entries are judged independently by the multimedia contest jury. The results of the 56th annual photo contest will be announced on 15 February 2013. For further information please visit: http://www.worldpressphoto.org/2013-photo-contest.
World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon.
About World Press Photo
World Press Photo organizes the leading international contest in visual journalism. The foundation is committed to supporting and advancing high standards in photojournalism and documentary storytelling worldwide. Its aim is to generate wide public interest in and appreciation for the work of photographers and other visual journalists, and for the free exchange of information. The activities include organizing annual photojournalism and multimedia contests and global exhibition tours. The Academy programs strive to stimulate high-quality visual journalism through educational programs, grants and by creating greater visibility through a variety of publications. World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization with its office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where it was founded in 1955. www.worldpressphoto.org


text:
THURSDAY, March 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Still thinking about signing up for insurance under the new U.S. health care law? You'd better act quickly because the enrollment deadline to obtain coverage this year is March 31.
Not only will you obtain health insurance, but if you are currently uninsured and select a marketplace health plan before the end of the month, you'll avoid new federal tax penalties for not having coverage. This so-called individual mandate is a key feature of the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare.
"I think a lot of people are either hoping that the individual mandate goes away or . . . they're just ignoring it," said Jim Carleton, an enrollment specialist with Tri-Town Community Action Agency in Johnston, R.I., one of the state's health insurance navigators.
With little more than two weeks left in this year's open-enrollment period, now's the time to get serious. Here's what you need to know to get signed up.
Pay attention to upcoming enrollment dates.
The Affordable Care Act created federal and state marketplaces where consumers can shop for a health plan. These marketplaces for health plans are only available for a limited time each year.
If you select a plan by March 15, your coverage will begin on April 1. But if you sign up between March 16 and the end of the month, your coverage won't kick in until May 1.
"We're going to try to get people to enroll by the 15th at all costs because one month without coverage could be devastating to people," said Mark Colwell, director of consumer marketing at GoHealth in Chicago, a web-based health insurance broker whose licensed advisers help consumers enroll in marketplace plans.
If you miss the March 31 enrollment deadline, you'll have to wait until the next open enrollment period, beginning Nov. 15, to obtain coverage starting in 2015.
Exceptions: You can sign up after March 31 if you have some special circumstance, such as a marriage, divorce or birth of a child.
There's no deadline for enrolling in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program, which are publicly funded programs for the poor.
Take advantage of premium assistance.
If your income falls within a certain range, you can use federal tax credits to lower your monthly health-plan premium, but only if you buy a plan through the Affordable Care Act's federal and state marketplaces.
People who earned less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level last year -- $45,960 for an individual or $94,200 for a family of four -- can qualify for the tax credit. The amount of assistance depends on your household income and family size.
"I actually have families that qualify for as much as a $1,200-a-month subsidy. You can't walk away from that kind of money," said Joe Partise, of Joe Partise CLU & Associates, a Garden Grove, Calif.-based certified insurance agent for the state health marketplace, Covered California.
Tip:What if you don't qualify for a tax credit or it's too small to make much difference? You may want to shop for a health plan outside of the marketplaces, Partise suggested. "There's less steps and there's less opportunity for things to go wrong and fall through the cracks," he said.
Don't ignore out-of-pocket costs.
All marketplace plans offer essentially the same core benefits. The key difference is what you'll pay for coverage, advisers say. In addition to the monthly premium, people need to consider the annual deductible and any copayment or coinsurance amounts they're likely to shell out.
If you choose a so-called "bronze" plan, you'll probably have a lower premium, but you'll pay more out of pocket for medical services. With a "gold" plan, your premium may be higher, but it will cover a greater share of the expenses when you receive services.
Curt Fackler, a manager at Better Health Together, a community-based health-care collaborative in Spokane, Wash., likes to help people select a plan by comparing three options. "When you put them side by side, it sure makes it a lot easier," he said.
Tip: Some lower-income individuals and families can qualify for reduced cost-sharing amounts, but only if they choose a "silver" plan.
Know who's in the network.
If seeing certain doctors or using a particular hospital is important to you, make sure your providers are in the health-plan network.
Provider networks in marketplace plans are often skimpier than those available outside of the marketplace, advisers said. The decision then becomes a trade-off.
Some people want a certain doctor "no matter what," said Partise. Others say, "if it comes down to dollars and cents, I'll find somebody new," he explained.
Tip: If your health-care provider is not in the plan you choose, you can go out of network for care. But depending on the plan, you'll pay a lot more, or maybe all, of the cost.
Get help if you need it.
Every state has people to assist consumers completing an application for coverage and enrolling in a health plan through the federal HealthCare.gov website or through their state health marketplace.
"We want to get people in the plan that best suits them and their budget," said Tri-Town's Carleton.
Licensed insurance agents and brokers can also help with selecting and enrolling in a plan.
Tip: Go to localhelp.healthcare.gov and enter your city or ZIP code to find help near you.
More information
Go to HealthCare.gov for more tips on choosing a health plan.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
How can companies tap their employees' existing social-networking savvy to succeed with knowledge sharing and collaboration? How can companies avoid possible security and privacy pitfalls and work inefficiencies, and still prepare for integrating whatever the next wave of technology brings? Three practices can guide plugged-in managers and employees to make decisions that support collaboration and knowledge sharing while being realistic about what can and can't flow across an organization's network. The first practice sounds like three on its own -- but it needs to be practiced as a set. (This series is a continuation of the thinking from my recent Wall Street Journal article, Tapping Into Social Media Smarts.)
Stop Look Listen
The first practice is to Stop-Look-Listen (like a child learning to cross the street) to understand the current situation across the company's people, technology, and organizational process.
Stop and reflect on all three dimensions -- no short-cuts. Many organizational failures are because someone thought technology alone could solve their problems. For example, leaders who want to implement a socially networked suggestion box (technology) for new product ideas will need to see if employees have free or at least flexible time to participate (organizational process), and that employees have access to devices (technology) to enter and follow the development of their ideas (it's human to take ownership and care about your contributions).
Look at real-world information to make your decisions. Compare two existing approaches to collaboration and see which one is doing better, build on that one. Companies like Google and Yahoo! are constantly testing different ways of presenting information, but you don't have to be an Internet company to use information to help make decisions.
Listen to feedback from past projects. For the collaboration tool that wasn't as successful, what was the problem? Tech guru Guy Kawasaki suggests holding "pre-mortem" meetings (2 min video) while there is still a chance to make improvements and where blame isn't an issue.
Stop-Look-Listen is the first practice of a plugged-in manager. If you've lived long enough to be reading this blog you probably have this one memorized. Click here to read about the second practice: Mixing.
I've given a few examples here, but what have you seen? How have you practiced Stop-Look-Listen in your own organization? What have you seen happen if this practice is skipped?


text:
The TELEMATIK telescoping system
The automatic TELEMATIK high speed telescoping system makes Liebherr cranes more powerful and economical. It operates using just one hydraulic cylinder and an internal locking system for the individual telescoping sections. The lifting capacity properties are excellent since the various telescopes can be extended in any sequence and independently of each other.
Benefits at a glance:
- Increased lifting capacity using lightweight telescoping system
- Fast, economical and convenient with fully automatic system
- Zero maintenance and safe
The entire telescoping mechanism is mounted centrally at the foot of the hydraulic cylinder. The telescopic boom pins are loaded by compression springs and connect the telescopic sections to each other. Initially the telescoping section is connected to the hydraulic cylinder during the telescoping process. Only then can the telescoping section be released and decoupled within the boom. The hydraulic cylinder pushes the telescoping section to the required length. It is then reconnected to the next higher telescoping section using a boom pin.
The mechanical coupling of the tong and boom pinning system ensures that the system is safe.


text:
Roshan Thomas spent weeks at a time living in Afghanistan's impoverished communities and opened her Canadian home to youth seeking opportunities outside the war-torn country.
In the comparative safety of a well-guarded Kabul hotel dining room, however, the B.C. woman's crusade for educational equality came to an abrupt end.
Thomas's son Karim confirmed the Ugandan-born optometrist was among nine people gunned down in the Hotel Serena on Thursday while enjoying a dinner to usher in the Persian new year.
She died alongside another Canadian, Zeenab Kassam, a 37-year-old from Calgary who had spent the last year and a half volunteering as an English teacher at a school funded by the Aga Khan Foundation.
Karim Thomas said his mother was in Afghanistan helping to screen and select Afghan youth for an international scholarship program.
It was just one of her many efforts to level the playing field and bring new opportunities to the country she had visited regularly for the past 11 years, he said.
"She felt it was important to educate both girls and boys because without that balance of educated children becoming educated adults, you wouldn't have a society that could progress and develop equally," Karim Thomas said in a telephone interview from Vancouver.
His mother's work with Afghan youth began in the mid '90s when she began volunteering alongside her husband, an ophthalmologist, to provide eye treatment to refugees fleeing Taliban rule.
When those refugees returned home, Thomas followed them and began her crusade for better education.
She opened a school for Afghan children and recently became more involved in offering opportunities for them to study abroad, Karim Thomas said, adding six Afghan youth are currently living in his parents' Metro Vancouver home.
Karim Thomas said the knowledge that his mother made a genuine difference in the world has helped him, his father and his two sisters cope with the shock of her sudden death, which came months before she was expected to welcome her first grandchild into the world.
"It's been quite overwhelming, the amount of support, the phone calls, the emails that have come from all over the world with stories about how my mother touched their lives," he said. "That's been an incredible source of comfort and strength for us."
Long-time friend Sen. Mobina Jaffer was also struggling to come to terms with Thomas' death.
"She was one of the most unselfish people I know," Jaffer said. "I had just seen her a few weeks ago, she was doing such good work."
Karim-aly Kassam said his sister was trained as a nurse. She was raised in Calgary and got her teaching degree in Edmonton. Karim-aly said his sister was always willing to help others.
"I'm trying to say that this is a very Canadian thing to do. It's what Canadians do. Think about how many people in your neighbourhood volunteer — whether they are dentists, engineers — right? Everybody volunteers," he told Calgary radio station CHQR.
The Kassam family issued a statement late Friday saying they have been deeply touched and are grateful for all the good wishes of Canadians.
"The family will soon be ready to share the inspiring and amazing story of her life, but at this time, they request privacy so that they may grieve and prepare for repatriating Zeenab's remains from Kabul, Afghanistan, to her home in Calgary," said the statement.
Lauryn Oates, the projects director for the Calgary-based NGO Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, said the attack is a harsh reminder for everyone in the international aid community.
Oates, who knew both victims, said such tragedies never get easier to accept no matter how often they happen.
"It's something we're braced for all the time and we were well aware that things were dicey," she said. ". . . You just think of their families and what they're going through right now and it's heartbreaking."
The attack that killed Thomas and Kassam comes as a shock to a country long accustomed to coping with militant violence.
The Serena Hotel in Kabul was long considered one of the safest accommodations in the country. Yet on Thursday night four teenage gunmen worked their way past security, entered the hotel restaurant and opened fire on the diners.
Police killed all four attackers after a three-hour standoff, with shooting resounding through the blocked off streets outside.
At the time of the attack, the hotel restaurant was packed with Afghans celebrating the eve of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, as well as foreigners who frequent the hotel.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird condemned the brazen attack, but said it would not deter Canadians from fighting terrorism in the country.
He described the two Canadian victims as development workers who were not officially employed by the federal government.
"Many of these people dedicated their lives to helping everyday Afghans build a better country for themselves, including education, and enhancing the role of women and girls in Afghan society. For this selfless work to be met with violence, especially on the occasion of Nowruz, just further proves the depravity of the Taliban and those who support them."
Jaffer agreed.
"For something like this to happen on what was supposed to be a day of celebration it's just horrible," she said.
The shooting rampage was the latest in a series of high-profile attacks as the Taliban and allied militants step up a campaign of violence in the weeks leading to April 5 national elections.
It's the second time this year that Canadians have died in Kabul.
In January two Canadian accountants died in a Taliban suicide attack in Afghanistan.
Martin Glazer of Gatineau, Que., and Peter McSheffrey, of Ottawa were among 21 people killed when a suicide bomber and two gunmen attacked a popular restaurant in the Afghan capital.
The two were in Afghanistan doing an audit for the Canadian International Development Agency.
— With files from Terri Theodore in Vancouver, Bill Graveland in Calgary and The Associated Press.
Also on HuffPost


text:
District Commissioner
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
m (linking term)
|Line 1:
|Line 1:
[[Commissioner]]sare approved and appointed by the [[council]] executive board, with the concurrence of the Scout executive, on the recommendation of the district nominating committee.
{{Infobox Commissioner
{{Infobox Commissioner
|position = District Commissioner
|position = District Commissioner
Revision as of 17:56, February 13, 2018
District Commissioners are approved and appointed by the council executive board, with the concurrence of the Scout executive, on the recommendation of the district nominating committee.
|District Commissioner
Commissioners are district and council leaders who help Scout units succeed. They coach and consult with adult leaders of Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, and Venturing crews. Commissioners help maintain the standards of the Boy Scouts of America. They also oversee the unit charter renewal plan so that each unit reregisters on time with an optimum number of youth and adult members.
District commissioners should—
- Be widely respected in the community
- Be an enthusiastic leader of adults
- Have the ability to recruit a complete team of commissioners for their districts
- Have the ability to guide and motivate commissioners to visit units regularly, identify unit needs, and help unit adults to meet needs
- Be a role model of Scouting ideals
Assistant District Commissioner
|Asst. District Commissioner
Assistant District Commissioners are appointed by the district commissioner with the approval of the council executive board.
Assistant district commissioners should—
- Be able to recruit and work through a team of unit commissioners
- Have excellent people skills
- Have a broad Scouting background or be fast-track learners
- Know and practice Scouting ideals
See the Commissioner Fieldbook and Commissioner Administration for more details on commissioner criteria and responsibilities.
Commissioner Awards
- Arrowhead Honor
- Scouter's Key
- Distinguished Commissioner Service Award
- Doctorate of Commissioner Science Award


text:
Acumed started as a small family business in 1988 and has since evolved into a global market leader, providing orthopaedic and medical solutions that improve patient care around the world.
EMS Technology
Hologic offers the next generation mini C-arm system, the Fluoroscan InSight-FD with flat detector technology. Its exclusive rotating detector and collimator improve surgical area positioning, and deliver superb image quality. www.fluoroscan.com.
Drug free pain management technology, TENS & EMS. UniMed Massager.
We develop and market orthopaedic surgery products that allow people to resume their normal activities after injury. T-Pin® for the fixation of Distal Radius & Distal Ulna Fractures.
Zimmer Biomet
Tip 1: Start with the basics like "carpal tunnel." You can always add more words later to narrow
Tip 2: Choose words carefully and avoid terms that do not concern surgery.
Tip 3: Avoid capitalization and conjunctions like "the," "and," "or," or "in." Also, avoid using media types like "video," "article," and "picture."
Tip 4: Your results can be refined by using either the tabs at the top (Video, Articles/WEB, Images, JHS, Products/Vendors), or the filters on the left (Filter by Source, Filter by Format, Filter by Purpose, etc.).
Tip 5: Punctuation can enhance your search as well. Use quotes ("search term") to only include
pages with the same words in the same order. But only use this if you are looking for an exact word or phrase, otherwise you may exclude helpful results. Add an asterisk (search term*) as a placeholder for any unknown or wildcard terms. For example, C*l Tunnel would give you results for Cubital Tunnel and Carpal Tunnel. Place a question mark (search term?) for single-character wildcard matching. For example, pa?ent would give you results for parent, patent, etc. You may also use the plus sign (search + word) between words for words you must have in the results.
Tip 6: We are always trying to improve our search, if you are having any trouble with search please refer to our survey here and we will use your comments to improve our search. You can also watch our search help video.


text:
If you thought that F1 cars produce a lot of weird vortices in ordinary conditions, look at how many they make in a crosswind.
This CGI simulation was done by Sauber and the only reason why I know anything about it is because F1 tech guru Craig Scarborough tweeted about it.
Cool, huh?
In this case, the vortices represent unwanted drag on the car. For an explanation of why an F1 team might want to generate a vortex, one Jalopnik reader gave a great explainer. Here's a brief excerpt:
Aerospace engineer here. Some vortices are good, some are bad. Generally, vortices off of the wings (especially noticeable off the rear) aren't desirable. A strong tip vortex means a lot of energy is being lost there in drag. It's a good indicator of the pressure differential at the wingtip, but it also means it's creating more drag in the quest for more downforce. In fact, if you look closely in the DRS zones, the vortices will disappear when DRS is active, thus reducing the lift and drag of the wing, and will pop back up when the wing returns to normal.
Read the whole explanation right here. It's fascinating.


text:
While it is possible to highlight specific language keywords (such as public in C++) by using lstinline command from listing package as in:
Highlighting a C++ keyword \lstinline|public| in a sentence.
Is it possible to provide a list of keywords or better still specify the language and let a macro or other option search-and-augment keywords with lstinline in the paragraph?
There appear to be a related question on StackOverflow but I am not sure how to source keywords.


text:
MLK Day Project 1
Penn State New Kensington and Alcoa teamed up with Habitat for Humanity on a service project Jan. 19 to honor the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Led by foreman-in-chief Kevin Snider, chancellor of the New Kensington campus, more than 25 students, faculty, and staff from the campus and employees from Alcoa worked on rehabbing a house in Arnold, Pa. Here, Arlene Hall, director of academic affairs, and Greg Dries, a member of the campus Advisory Board, get ready to paint the dining room wall.
MLK Day Project 2
Jason Bush, right, director of business and finance, and an Alcoa retiree, prepare to hang a mirror.
MLK Day Project 3
Patty Brady, foreground, director of enrollment management, and Alana Keister, admissions counselor, add a second coat of paint to the basement wall.
MLK Day Project 4
Alcoa employees remove the old tread from the stair steps.
MLK Day Project 5
Sandie Williams, staff assistant to the chancellor, trims the glass block windows in the basement.
MLK Day Project 6
Got to stay hydrated. Sharon Levett, staff assistant in Continuing Education, brings orange juice to the work crew.
MLK Day Project 7
Pepsi Hutton, instructor in kinesiology, rolls the ceiling.
MLK Day Project 8
Jason Bush brings in the faucet fixtures as Dave Pakulski, project manager for habitat for Humanity, installs the framework for the bathroom sink.
MLK Day Project 9
New homeowner Kristen Guy, a Penn State alumna, hopes to move into the house by spring.


text:
- This event has passed.
From the Archive: Masters of 20th Century American Photography
June 5, 2018 @ 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
An event every week that begins at 11:00am on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, repeating until August 31, 2018
Event Navigation
Please join us for the opening reception of our summer show — From the Archive: Masters of 20th Century American Photography at 7pm, Saturday, June 9. The show includes work by: Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Margaret Bourke-White, Robert Frank, Frank Gohlke, Mark Klett, Danny Lyon, Lisette Model, Eugene W. Smith, Henry Wessel, Joel-Peter Witkinand many others. Also on view: stunning hand-colored photographs of birds and flowers by Tucson artist Kate Breakey and editioned skateboard artwork by Andy Warhol, Shepard Fairey, and Ai Weiwei. The show runs June 5 – August 31.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of skateboards during the show will go toward raising funds for the Cushing Street Skatepark, a needed covered skatepark for Tucson youth. Visit Tucson Parks Foundation for more info.
Photo Credit: Frozen Lake and Cliffs, 1927 gelatin silver print ©2018 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, Courtesy Etherton Gallery


text:
Welcome Viking Ocean Cruisesby Paul Motter | 07.13.12
The new luxury cruise line now has financing in place to build two or three new ships.
There is about to be a new entrant into the luxury cruise sector- Viking Ocean Cruises. The company just inked a deal with the Fincantieri, the Italian shipyard, to build two cruise ships scheduled to be delivered in 2015 and 2016. The ships will each be 47,000-gross tons and have capacity for 944 passengers in 472 staterooms.
There is even an option for a third vessel. The key component sealing the deal was securing the financing - an area where the shipyards are now often instrumental in a similar way that car lots get you a loan to buy a car. In this case the money came from the Italian government-sponsored program Export Banca - created to support the making of Italian exports.
Viking Ocean may be a new cruise line, but the people behind it are no strangers to the luxury cruise business. The principals include Torstein Hagen, the current CEO of Viking River Cruises who was also a past CEO of Royal Viking Line - the cruise line that is generally credited with having created the concept of luxury cruise ships starting as far back as 1972.
Notice the similarity in the names; Viking River Cruise and Royal Viking Cruises? That was certainly no accident, as I could see when I took my first river cruise on Viking River back in 1996. I also used to work for Royal Viking back in 1983 - like many people I have met over the years who are still in the cruise business, and when I first walked aboard that river boat I could see the similarity; the colors in the wood, carpet and finishings, and the modern Scandinavian furniture made it obvious to me that Viking River was spawned by someone who had Royal Viking blood.
River boat cruising is currently having its most successful year ever in terms of bookings - and although it is rarely mentioned, one likely reason is the common traits they share with luxury cruise lines. River boats offer open seating dining with wine and drinks onboard all included in basic cost of the cruise. But river cruises also include all the shore excursions, and right now there is only one luxury cruise line that does that; Regent Seven Seas, another cruise seller that is also having a its best year on record.
Would you consider a Viking Ocean cruise? Tell us in our forums.
I just had a chance to talk to Mark Conroy, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, last week (yet another person still in the cruise business who started at Royal Viking Line) and he noted that while Royal Viking Line did indeed invent certain luxury elements not everything in the experience was the same as the today's luxury cruise line standards. For example, Royal Viking had single-seating "anytime" dining, but you had assigned tables and waiters that you were expected to tip. Neither was the alcohol included in the cruise fare.
But the one thing that made Royal Viking special and luxurious was the small number of passengers and the focus on excellent, gourmet cuisine. Another aspect was the variety of itineraries - rarely if ever did a ship repeat a port, constantly going around the world to stay in temperate climates - South America, the South Pacific or the Caribbean in winter and Norway or Alaska in the summer.
So, it was the level of personalized service and intellectual itineraries that made Royal Viking special. And the same can be said for Viking River Cruises; that the inclusive nature with alcohol, gratuities and even shore tours (like Regent) is what imbues their appeal.
So, this begs the question, what will we see as the operating model for Viking Ocean Cruises? We know that CEO Tor Hagen has an extensive background in luxury cruises and riverboats, so assuming he decides to operate his cruise ships in a similar fashion then we could see the second luxury cruise line with shore excursions included in the cruise fare, although it is certainly too soon to tell.
As far as size goes; the proposed size for the Viking Ocean vessels makes them larger than average for luxury cruise ships, but certainly not out of range. At 47,000 tons for 944 people they are very similar to Crystal Symphony at 51,000-tons for 922 passengers.
At the same time, the new Oceania marina and Riviera are truly breathtaking ships in every way; and they are 66,000-tons for 1252 passengers. In fact, in each example the passenger to space ratio comes out to being very close to 50 square meters per passenger.
For the record - the same announcement was made by Fincantieri back in April, 2012, but the deal fell apart when the financing could not be secured. Now that we have Export Banca the way is clear for Viking Ocean Cruises.
Would you consider a Viking Ocean cruise? Tell us in our forums.


text:
Good morning,
How much fun would it be if we tear down the framework of the titles we box ourselves into to explore pleasure and be more playful in our lives?
I am so humbled by my experience at Sun In Bloom. Everyday I receive notes and messages from people who've discovered Sun In Bloom and write to share how their experience affected them.
"Sweet Aimee! i just got back from overseas and am craving your amazing #glutenfree chocolate chip cookie sandwich like *crazy* tonight (usually it is your kale salad, sweet lady greens, impossibly delicious raw sauerkraut, etc) … just thought i would let you know, you fuel the desires and dreams of many….." – Sun In Bloom Guest, Ford
"Hello! This might seem a little odd, but I ate at your restaurant once over the summer, and I fell absolutely, 100% in love with the food — so much so that I almost wanted to skip my plane out of New York that afternoon and just ask to volunteer and help you out for a while 😉 (unfortunately, didn't have the courage to ask!)" – Sun In Bloom Guest, Sarah
Falling into the traps of my self-limiting belief patterns that focus so intensely on the challenge, sacrifice, long hard road comes very easy to me. But, life is just too short to succumb to old belief patterns that eclipse possibility.
Releasing these beliefs is my biggest desire and always a work in progress.
But in just 8 days, we are tearing the house down to rebuild. I am so excited! This is monumental for me and a symbol for letting go of inhibitions and fear to create space for possibility, growth, love and build a new structure for my personal beliefs.
Sun In Bloom – Brunch #50
Saturday & Sunday, December 17 & 18, 2011
This weekend is big… it's our 50th brunch in 2011! I am in awe of what Sun In Bloom has brought to the Park Slope community and all of the support and love that you extend to us. I am deeply grateful for the team we have here who give their all to ensure your experience is amazing. And, I am thankful that everyday you encourage me to continue because of your deep gratitude for the color we add to your life.
My intention was to create an inviting space that offers people the experience of delicious food – food that is created with the intention to nourish and support a healthy body, mind and spirit, and a space you can just BE in.
Although I choose to live a vegan lifestyle because this is what feels right for me, I am not here to judge you and say what works for me is right for you. And what has been most fulfilling in my journey is that 98% of our repeating everyday guests are NOT vegan. Yes, they eat meat and they LOVE Sun In Bloom's cuisine!
So, I just want to extend the invitation to you to introduce Sun In Bloom to your friends and family who are ravishing meat eating self-proclaimed carnivores… they might discover that veggies, fruit, bean, and whole grains are quite delicious and satisfying and that they can eat meat and veggies too.
The Shitake BLT always wins the "meat-eater" over, as every weekend people tell me it tastes just like bacon. Even mushroom haters love it!
It might be a fun experiment to spend a day where you tear down the framework of titles to explore pleasure, release judgement, and do things that stretch you to be completely playful.
Happy holidays!
***Just an important reminder… Because renovations will not affect our kitchen, we want to create the opportunity to support you to jumpstart 2012. We will be here to help you make healthy food choices by offering juice, meal plans and orders to-go. You can either pick up food or we can deliver. Norwalk pressed juices are fresh for 3 days and most food can be packaged and is delicious for 3-5 days. Please stop by to pick up an order form and help support us through this transition. You can also email us for a copy. It's important we know in advance that you will want Sun In Bloom food during these weeks so that we can staff appropriately.
Sending this with so much love, Aimee
p.s. If you are on Facebook, please support us by LIKING our page. You can also follow Sun In Bloom on Twitter @suninbloom.
This is where I share everyday news and pictures of our dishes. I'm having lot of fun connecting with like-minded people and meeting wonderful new friends. It would be fun to connect with you here too!


text:
Why you'd want to live in Snohomish
This genuinely historic community is listed on both the Washington State and National Registries of Historic Places. Snohomish is the oldest and best preserved city in Snohomish County. The city's historic district boasts many beautiful Victorian and Arts & Crafts-era homes built around the turn of the century. The annual Snohomish Historic Homes Tour is a must for those who appreciate this period architecture. Visitors will enjoy strolling among the city's late 19th- and early 20th-century architecture and stopping at the delightful variety of charming shops and popular restaurants. Also known as the "Antique Capital of the Northwest," Snohomish has a wonderful selection of antiques with over 350 dealers. From Indian artifacts to Tiffany art glass, there is a seemingly endless array of quality antiques and collectibles from which to choose.


text:
Reforms on rewind
Walled in on four sides - by politics, slowing economic growth, high and unrelenting inflation, and inability to balance government spending with revenues - finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had little room for manoeuvre. As a result, Budget 2012 has failed to serve the growing aspirations of India 2012. Gautam Chikermane reports. Budget highlights | Poll: How do you rate Pranab's Budget?india Updated: Mar 17, 2012 10:45 IST
Walled in on four sides - by politics, slowing economic growth, high and unrelenting inflation, and inability to balance government spending with revenues - finance minister Pranab Mukherjee had little room for manoeuvre.
As a result, Budget 2012 has failed to serve the growing aspirations of India 2012.
For an economy that is crying for reforms - structural like in manufacturing, labour or factories; capital through increases in foreign direct investment in various sectors; or regulatory with focus on consumer protection - Mukherjee's seventh budget offers little more than a reversal.
As far as households go, on the personal income tax front, while Mukherjee has given benefits with one hand, he has dealt financial blows with both - first on account of inflation, second by increasing the number of services he will tax.
At the lower end of the income ladder, therefore, the Rs 20,000 increase in exemption limit to Rs 2 lakh will put about Rs 172 in the pocket every month. But the 10% inflation rate will increase the monthly cost of living by Rs 1,600 and the tax on new services will eat Rs 200.
Even on the highest slab, the Rs 1,888 per month he has doled out to households earning more than Rs 10 lakh per annum in no way compensates the Rs 8,000 worth of price increases and Rs 1,000 on account of service tax.
The flame of inflation will continue to burn households through this year. Economic recovery in the US, crisis abatement in the EU and major oil producer Iran in a geopolitical crossfire will ensure global oil prices rise all over again.
Now, read into his proposal to throw all subsidies out such that they add up to less than 2% of the GDP next year, and what you have is probably a petrol and diesel price hikethat will sustain high inflation.
There is no way the government can pass and fund the Food Security Act unless fuel subsidies are done away with by deregulating diesel prices.
For households, it will increase prices in the system. This is necessary, however, and if the government has the political will to bite the bullet this year, things would stabilise by the next budget.
Beyond households lies an economic atmosphere. Here, Mukherjee has taken a U-turn towards the control-and-command economy of the 1980s.
Classifying controlling interest as an 'asset' is fine. But doing that retrospectively from April 1, 1962 is incongruous with global governance.
As a result of this change in law, the government could collect the $2 billion from Vodafone that the Supreme Court had overturned. But this single action will take India back to an age where global capital suspected it, shunned it.
With growth slowing down and the sovereign risk on doing business rising, brave will be the dollar that enters India.
But there is a silver lining to Mukherjee's budget: a renewed thrust on controlling black money and tax evasion.
From compulsory filing of returns for foreign assets to expediting prosecution proceedings, Mukherjee has set the ball of disincentives to black money rolling.
At the level of governments, India has finalised 82 double taxation avoidance agreements and 17 tax information exchange agreements.
The budget bodes well for infrastructure development, with a Rs 50,00,000 crore investment ambition, half of it from the private sector, during the 12th plan.
These include financial incentives like tax-free bonds and external commercial borrowings for capital expenditure in roads, airlines, low-cost affordable housing projects.
But forcing Coal India Ltd to sign fuel supply agreements with power plants is yet another control-and-command action. It may spur electricity production in the short term but its philosophical leanings do not belong to the 21st century.
Today, the answer to shortages is not allocation but competition, efficiency. Breaking up CIL's subsidiaries into independent companies or privatising coal mining, for instance.
It looks as if Mukherjee has one leg in 1982, when he presented his first budget; his second leg in 2012, when the UPA coalition is running from crisis to crisis; and his mind in 2014, the year of the next general elections.
Between the three, he has chosen the familiar walk to the past. Whether this will allow the UPA to move towards the future, is the political gamble underlying Mukherjee's uninspiring budget.
Oppn thumbs down 'regressive' budget | Price rise is an unavoidable scenario now: FM | Cong gives full marks to Mukherjee's performance | Sensex fizzles after rosy start | Industry gives a thumbs down | Download Budget speech
First Published: Mar 16, 2012 09:06 IST


text:
'We must fight for our rights'. Interview with young woman leader Vandana, the face of India's future
Recently I was part of a field trip visiting World Vision projects in communities in North West Delhi, India. Led by World Vision Australia CEO Tim Costello, it was an amazing time, seeing the real difference World Vision was making in the lives of the vulnerable and marginalised, through infant nutrition programs, improving the lives of children with disabilities, to micro-credit projects, and child rescue and rehabilitation. It was my third visit to India, my first as a World Vision Ambassador. I had so many deeply moving and inspiring experiences.
Vandana and me at World Vision's centre for disabled children in a North West Delhi community
Among them was meeting a young woman leader, Vandana. At only 23, she is a powerhouse for change in her community, inspiring other young women to stand up for themselves, speaking out about harassment and violence and encouraging them to be politically active. She is respected and has the attention of local leaders and politicians. If she asks them to support her projects, they do. She was recently subjected to ongoing harassment by a man sending offensive messages to her phone. She arranged to meet him. However when he turned up he was greeted not by her but by police, who she had notified. He stopped harassing her after that. This is the kind of bravery that inspires other girls in India – and women and girls everywhere. She is finding her voice and using it (Lesson one in another article which appears below). I interviewed Vandana for International Women's Day today.
What got you interested in trying to help other girls? Please describe some of your personal experiences that led you to this, for example, being involved in self defence classes.
Its a long story but just to get it short, I have had some bad experience when I was just around 12 years with a neighbour which led me to fight for my own safety. This has led me to understand what other girls go through and therefore I help them. I had learnt self defence to gain confidence and be equipped. This has helped me to be more bold and so I ensured that the other girls in my community also go through self defence classes.
How long have you been volunteering/working at the disability centre? Why do you think this is important?
I have been volunteering at the centre for the last six months. Many of the disabled children are neglected at home and do not go anywhere hence I feel it is important for them to come out of their homes, play with their friends, learn something and feel they are also important.
How have you tried to inspire other young people to be active in their communities and also to apply political pressure? Do you have your family's support?
I am lucky to have a family that trusts me and supports me. The political system is for us but very often we do not make use of it but from my experience I know we can get a lot of benefits from them so I encourage the young girls to approach the police or any other officer to ensure that justice is given to them. Many parents think it would be shameful to be seen at the police station so they need to understand that we have to fight for our rights and get justice through the system. Now since we have formed youth groups as a group we go the police and local leader to get their support. We have helped many girls and so the moment we enter the police station as a group they cannot send us away and have to help.
What would you like to see India's political leaders do to improve the situation for women and girls? Do you think there is more of a desire and determination to fight back?
More awareness is needed and also the police should immediately note down complaints and act upon it. Women police should be present at all the police stations and they should be sensitive to our needs. We also need parks in our areas for the girls so that we can also come out of our homes to play and interact with each other. Now are parks have men playing cards and drinking so unsafe for us. Young girls like me are now sensitized and therefore we are not fearful and want to fight back however there are many girls who probably are scared. Therefore it's very important to get more girls into our youth groups so that we are united.
Vanada and young people with our WV team after a demonstration by the young women of their self-defence skills
What are your hopes for the future?
I want to see a change in our country especially regarding the safety of women and girls. We want to be safe here in our country.
A few other offerings for International Women's Day
After a meeting of 30,000 suffragettes in 1906, Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence said she had "never met anyone so fearless as were these young girls. I never saw a suffragette, under menace of violence, otherwise than cool and collected."
'Nine Inspiring Lessons the Suffragettes can teach feminist today' by Kira Cochranewas published in The Guardian in May last year. I often turn to it when my energy is flagging. I hope it will inspire my fellow activists.
These are the nine lessons:
• Find your voice, and use it
• Sweetness is overrated
• Take strength from the haters
• Accept that those haters will include other women
• Fortune favours the brave
• Publicity is power
• Strength through solidarity
• Never give up
• Accept victory – nothing else
There are often arguments today about who should represent feminism, but the suffrage fight suggests we need the whole spectrum: the rabble-rousers, theorists, dogged campaigners, sympathetic politicians, those whose wit draws women to the cause, those whose anger keeps them motivated, and those who quietly, conscientiously chip away at issues that make others give up in despair. We need those who refuse to see any conceivable option but victory. Women like the one who wrote to the Daily Telegraph in 1913. "Sir, Everyone seems to agree upon the necessity of putting a stop to Suffragist outrages; but no one seems certain how to do so. There are two, and only two, ways in which this can be done. Both will be effectual. 1. Kill every woman in the United Kingdom. 2. Give women the vote. Yours truly, Bertha Brewster."
Their rebellion will go on…
Listen to Emily Blunt reading Emmeline Pankhurst's electrifying speech from 14 July 1913: 'Kill Me Or Give Me My Freedom' at The People Speak event, London, September 2012.
And this personal communication from my friend, colleague and co-editor (Big Porn Inc: Exposing the harms of the global pornography industry, Spinifex Press) Abigail Bray:
The other day i was thinking about how the suffragettes were so militant, even though they mostly dressed like 'ladies', damaged public property, annoyed the aristocracy, died sometimes, when on hunger strikes and recognised that they were involved in a civil war against the patriarchal state, how this recognition has been largely lost.
It's time to recognise it anew.
See also: Killjoys, Wowsers And The P-rn Wars, Dr Helen Pringle, New Matilda, January 19, 2012


text:
Frankly, your english is fairly good.
Can you plz tell me good online sites and english grammar books available in India for understanding and learning complex english rules where i can not only find good explanation but examples too.
Let me tell you about my background first as this well help you better understand my level and what I am looking for. I reside in India in New Delhi, studied throughout my school and college life in English medium, but was never told grammar rules in detail by the teacher or got the opportunity to practice them. So, now when i grew up i feel that not having good knowledge of English grammar is holding me and my desire to succeed in life to a large extent and this frustrates me a lot. I am 28 and still dont know how to make complex-compound sentences, how to make complex passive sentences, when to use to + have done, etc.
In short, i know grammar rules and terms and I can understand English very well as i mentioned earlier that i did my schooling in English medium only and right now too, to improve my level of English I always try and write in English only, converse in English and watch English movies and serials and listen to English songs a lot... you can say to be able to have a good command over English has become my passion now. I am waiting for that day where i can say "yes" that i can speak flawlessly in English and write excellently in it, because i know that day will be open vistas of opporunities for me as far as landing a good job or getting good promotions is concern.
Please write me back. I am looking for such sites which contain A to Z about grammar rules and its practice and good grammar books, not beginner grammar but of intermediate and advanced level.
Thanking you in anticipation.
[email protected]
Frankly, your english is fairly good.
Michael Swan Practical English Usage
The Internet Grammar of English
The Cambridge Grammar of English


text:
Posted by Editoress on 03/19/04
CCES News
The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports (CCES) gathers and re-releases news articles from around the world. We occasionally publish ones that are of interest to the cycling community.
Cyclist Pantani Died of Cocaine Overdose
Former Tour de France winner Marco Pantani's death was caused by cocaine poisoning that appears to have been accidental, according to a coroner's report.
The ANSA news agency reported that Giuseppe Fortuni determined Pantani died of "acute cocaine poisoning." The initial autopsy showed he died from severe swelling in his brain and heart, but Fortuni ordered more tests to find out why there was swelling.
The AGI and APcom news agencies had similar reports. Calls from The Associated Press to the prosecutors' office and Pantani's manager were not immediately returned.
Pantani was found dead in his hotel room Feb. 14. About 10 bottles of tranquilizers were found in the room, some of them empty, others just open, police said.
Pantani's 1998 Tour de France victory was the last by a rider other than Lance Armstrong.
Kelme rider takes Spain to brink of drug scandal
By Alasdair Fotheringham in Granada
19 March 2004
Spanish professional cycling is on the brink of what is predicted to be the biggest doping scandal in its history after a professional rider claimed that he has revealed alleged illegal medical practices within his team in a television programme.
In an interview in the Spanish newspaper Marca, Jesus Manzano, a former rider with the Kelme squad, said he is "not going to do this like [Philippe] Gaumont" - the former French rider who recently described in detail a number of doping techniques used by cyclists. He said: "Instead I'm actually going to come out with solid proof."
Manzano's soon-to-be-broadcast television interview covers "what happened to me in person in the Tour of Portugal and the Tour de France, not to mention being kicked off a train in Valencia because I was half-dead [presumably from drug use]".
While French cycling has been rocked by a series of police investigations and drugs stories since 1998, Spain is the only European country where the teams have remained largely on the margin of such major scandals.
Kelme are one of the most financially troubled squads in cycling, and last year their rider Javier Pascual Llorente tested positive for EPO in the Tour de France. When the news broke,the entire squad in the Tour of Portugal abandoned the race, and the then team doctor, Walter Viru, left for South America.
Manzano quit the Tour because of an apparent attack of heat exhaustion in the Alps and was then kicked off Kelme after he was found entertaining a female friend in his hotel during the 2003 Tour of Spain.
Alasdair Fotheringham writes for Cycling Weekly
French anti-doping chief calls for more funding and better working methods
by JEROME PUGMIRE
PARIS - The head of France's anti-doping council said Thursday his organization needs greater funding, another laboratory and a better way to keep track of suspected athletes.
Speaking to reporters, Marc Sanson, president of the French Anti-Doping Council (CPLD), also called for more efficient disciplinary procedures and clarification of what constitutes a banned substance. Regular doctors should be better educated on the matter, he said.
"We have insufficient money and insufficient results. In such a difficult period, we would like to do much more research," Sanson said.
The CPLD is an independent body with a budget for 2004 of [euro]845,000 (US$1.37 million).
Sanson fears France is falling behind in research and is overburdened because it has only one accredited laboratory to carry out the 9,000 doping tests scheduled for 2004.
"Ten percent of doping tests worldwide are carried out in France," he said. "But only six percent of the world's research comes from France. We have only one laboratory (Chatenay-Malabray) when other countries, like Germany, have two. It's not extravagant to ask for another one."
Sanson proposes that for every professional or amateur athlete obtaining a "license" or permit, [euro]1 from each subscription go to the fight against doping.
"We have 14 million licensees in France," Sanson said. "So you can see what difference just one euro from each member would make."
Meanwhile, the CPLD's scientific adviser said a system is needed whereby an athlete's physiological and biological charts could undergo long-term monitoring.
"This way, any dramatic change in a sportsman's pattern would be a valid basis for suspicion," said Doctor Michel Rieu.
"What we need to understand is which biological profiles are related to groups of banned substances. Let's not focus on the cause but look at the effect of a product and learn how to spot it."
To reduce the number of cases in which athletes claim that a positive test results from a doctor's incorrect prescription, Rieu and Sanson also evoked the need for "greater coordination" with regular doctors who "may not necessarily be educated in what is and what is not a doping product."
This would eliminate prescriptions to treat the flu, or asthma, for example, with medication that also produces a beneficial sporting side-effect.
For example, Codeine "is liberally sold and no longer on the banned list but, when taken it transforms into morphine," Sanson said, adding that "some anti-asthmatic products are high in steroid content and hard to detect from a urine sample."
Sanson urged greater clarity in outlining what constitutes a banned product and more speed in processing cases involving an athlete suspected of doping.
The Ministry of Sport has yet to grant the CPLD the power to control testing.
"This ides was abandoned, I hope provisionally," said Sanson.
A CPLD review shows that 6.3 percent of the 8,000 samples taken last year turned up positive. Of the tests, 48.9 percent were carried out randomly.
Cycling, stigmatized since the Festina doping scandal of 1998, topped the chart with 38.6 percent of positive cases involving cyclists.
Athletics followed with 15.7 percent, soccer had 5.85 percent and rugby 4.29 percent. Of the products tested, 30 percent involved steroids and 20 percent cannabis.
Of last year's [euro]729,000 (US$895,000) budget, only 7.5 percent was spent on research.
|Return to Canadian Cyclist homepage | Back to Top


text:
Herlica Garcia can still remember her daily commute from Downey to Rancho Cucamonga.
In her Nissan Murano, the 90-mile roundtrip was costing her $70 a week. But that was before she bought her 2010 Toyota Prius III, which whittled that down to about $10 to $15 a week.
The 31-year-old Downey resident, who now works in Torrance, said her hybrid has made all the difference.
"Now I'm getting 49 to 51 miles per gallon," she said. "It runs really smooth. I went to Texas and back a couple years ago with my son, my sister and her two boys for about $220 round trip. Gas was a less expensive back then, but even today it would still cost less than one airline ticket."
Hybrids and electric vehicles have been heavily promoted in recent years with incentives and discounts that are designed to spur consumers to buy them.
It all plays into the nation's push to reduce emissions, become more fuel efficient and lower our reliance on foreign oil. But despite all of that, sales of hybrids and EVs still account for a very small percentage of total U.S. auto sales.
Figures from motorintelligence.com reveal that just 3.6 percent (521,000) of the nation's light vehicle sales in 2012 were hybrids and EVs. Total hybrid and EV sales through June of this year accounted for 3.9 percent (308,000) of the light-vehicle mix.
Those numbers were up from 2011 when hybrid and EV sales hit 295,978, or 2.3 percent, of total light vehicle sales.
Not a huge uptick, but industry experts say sales are beginning to ramp up.
"They are increasing significantly," said Todd Leutheuser, executive director of the Southland Motor Car Dealers Association. "The incentives are strong enough that Chevy Volts are moving extraordinarily well and the Toyota Prius is off the charts — it could almost be its own brand."
There's no denying the efficiency of hybrids. A recent issue of US News & World Report ranked the 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid No. 1 out of a list of affordable, mid-sized hybrid vehicles.
With an average price ranging from $26,851 to $31,526, the Ford Fusion hybrid was touted for its "excellent fuel economy, strong performance and great reliability." The car is powered by a four-cylinder engine and electric motor that together produce 188 horsepower.
At 47 miles per gallon in both the city and highway, the 2013 Fusion Hybrid has one of the best fuel ratings in its class.
The Fusion was followed in the rankings by the 2013 Hyundai Sonata hybrid, the 2013 Toyota Camry hybrid and the 2013 Toyota Prius V hybrid.
Others on the list include the 2013 Kia Optima hybrid, the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta hybrid and the 2012 Nissan Leaf.
Peter Smith, a sales and leasing consultant at AutoNation Ford of Valencia, said people are becoming increasingly comfortable with the idea of buying hybrids.
"Consumer confidence in hybrids is increasing," he said. "Everybody is coming out with hybrids. It's become tested and reliable technology. People are becoming more and more fuel conscious, and even wealthy people have become more practical, more conservative and more eco-minded."
It certainly doesn't hurt that automakers like Ford and Toyota offer a warranty of eight years or 100,000 miles on their hybrid components.
That extended warranty will likely put many consumers at ease because the replacement cost for hybrid batteries can range from $1,000 to $6,000 depending on the year and model of the car.
"The big concern is the battery," Smith admitted. "But with an eight-year warranty … that's a long time to have the same car these days. And if you actually had to replace it after eight years, chances are good that the prices will have come down by then. It's a lot like computers."
And much like computers, prices for hybrids cover a broad range. The US News & World Report ranking lists affordable, mid-sized hybrids that range in price from $18,936 to $24,005 for the Honda Insight, all the way up to Toyota Avalon hybrid, which can run as much as $39,626.
On Tuesday, General Motors announced that is is knocking 13 percent off the price of its 2014 Chevrolet Volt. The $5,000 discount will push the starting price down to $34,995, including shipping.
Ford, Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet and others also offer plug-in hybrids, which require the owner to plug in the vehicle to recharge the electric battery. With standard hybrids the gasoline engine and breaking system automatically recharge the electric battery.
Marc Geller, a spokesman for the Electric Auto Association, said sales of plug-in hybrids and EVs are taking off much faster than traditional hybrids did when they were first introduced around 2000. He explains it this way:
"Grid electricity here in California is so much cleaner than petroleum and there is no question about the environmental benefits," he said. "They are zippier than most gas cars, they're fun to drive and you never have to go to gas stations."
That may be true. But the vast majority of consumers still have "range anxiety" when it comes to pure EVs. They worry about the limited network of charging stations.
"I think for most people EVs are still viewed as too risky," Smith said. "They feel there is always that chance that you'll be stuck somewhere."
Geller admitted that EVs are not for everyone. But the concerns about charging stations are somewhat overblown, he said.
"The truth is that about 80 to 90 percent of charging is done at home or at work," he said. "It's the most the convenient place and the cheapest place. Even with a 120-volt plug you can regain 25 to 30 miles of charging in the course of a workday. And if you go to plugshare.com it has a map that shows you the public charging infrastructure. You'd probably be amazed at how much there is. And you have to remember that we're still at the beginning of this."
Geller said consumers who invest in a 240-volt home charging station — the units range in price from around $300 to $2,000 — can recharge their EVs fairly quickly.
"You can fully recharge a Volt or Leaf in three to four hours," he said. "The average cost for that equipment is about $600."
Ed Kjaer, director of transportation electrification for Southern California Edison, said nearly 13,000 of the utility's customers are plug-in users who drive either plug-in hybrids or EVs.
"Thirty-five percent of them are pure EVs and the other 65 percent are hybrids," he said. "Range anxiety is the No. 1 concern, but what we're finding is that when customers get used to the technology that goes away."
Kjaer noted that 70 percent of the nation's workers commute less than 40 miles a day.
"If you charge your car every night at home, a typical EV has an 80- to 100-mile range," he said. "So even if you didn't have access to public charging you'd still have plenty of juice in the car. And there's a lot of free charging out there. Many companies are choosing not to charge for that at the moment."
Kjaer is encouraging EV users to use the "end charge" programing feature on their vehicles. That randomizes the start time of their charging, which prevents a large number of EVs from coming online at the same time, thus avoiding power-load spikes.
There are plenty of reasons why consumers have turned to hybrids and EVs. But as is often the case with consumer movement … follow the money.
"Hybrids probably account for no more than 10 percent of our total sales, but it bounces up when gas prices get closer to $5 a gallon," said Steve Fong, sales manager at Sierra Honda in Monrovia.
Garcia said her move to a hybrid was also motivated by finances.
"The money I was spending before is what prompted me to get the hybrid," she said. "And I'm not only saving money — it's as roomy as my Murano."


text:
Welcome to Retina Center of Oklahoma. Our practice is dedicated to providing the best, evidence-based, specialized eye care. We specialize in the diagnosis and medical and surgical treatment of disorders which affect the back part of the eye, namely the retina and vitreous. We also specialize in rheumatologic and autoimmune diseases of the eye ("uveitis") and in adult eye tumors (ocular oncology).
Our philosophy of care
We take an evidence-based and patient-centered approach to your care. We examine your eyes in a thorough fashion and perform any appropriate diagnostic studies. We then take the results of clinical trials, combine that with our experience and with a patient's individual characteristics and preferences, and make a decision together–the physician and the patient.
Your experience in our office
First, we examine your eyes thoroughly. We take a history of your eye problem as well as a medical history, check your visual acuity, and dilate your eyes. The ophthalmic examination is performed with both a slit lamp biomicroscope (the "table mounted" microscope light) and with an indirect ophthalmoscope (the "headlight"). In the office, we may then perform, as needed:
-a fluorescein angiogram, where we inject a vegetable dye in your arm vein and use a special camera to take pictures of the back of the eye.
-an OCT (optical tomography) to generate a topographic map of the retina.
-an ultrasound of the eye.
We then sit down and discuss the findings of your ophthalmic exam and the diagnostic studies. Dr. Dahr will review your treatment options, answer your questions, and make recommendations based on your individual characteristics and preferences. The decision is made together–the physician and the patient.
Recommended treatments may include laser and/or special injections, both of which are performed in the office. For uveitis patients we may advise special medicines to be taken by mouth, in conjunction with consultation with an internal medicine doctor. For patients with retinal detachment, diabetic hemorrhage, or other conditions, we may recommend surgery. For retinal surgery the patient typically comes to the hospital in the morning and then goes home after surgery, with a followup visit in the office the next day.
Making an appointment
To make an appointment, please call (405) 713-4410 during our office hours, which are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. However if you are having a problem, please give us a call. We can almost always accommodate you that same day.
Your first visit
Please be prepared to spend at least 2 to 3 hours during your initial visit. This comprehensive evaluation will include an ocular and medical history, as well as a pupil dilation. The actual exam takes only about 15 minutes. If special tests or a procedure are required, your visit may last 2 to 3 hours. We recommend a friend or family member drive you home as some patients find driving difficult after a pupil dilation. Please bring 1. a current medication list 2. a current medical problem or history list from your primary care doctor 3. a list of all current doctors 4. a list of all past surgeries 5. a photo ID 6. the name and address of your current pharmacy.
Forms to fill before your first visit
To make your visit to the office more efficient, we ask that you download forms to fill concerning your demographic information and medical history. We ask that you then bring the completed forms with you. If you do not have internet access please call and we will mail you the forms.
We accept Medicare, Medicaid, and almost every insurance plan in Oklahoma. Our fees are based on the Medicare fee schedule. Click here for a list of insurance plans as well as an explanation of our fees.


text:
A plan to fix housing
Six years after the collapse of the housing market, the problems in housing remain as severe as ever, and solutions continue to be elusive.
Excessively strict underwriting standards, caused in part by uncertainty about the regulatory "rules of the road" for lenders, are blocking the path to homeownership for many creditworthy households and delaying a robust housing recovery. More than four years after Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were placed into conservatorship, our nation still lacks a clear vision for the future of housing finance, and the government holds a dominant — and unsustainable — position in the housing market, supporting more than 90 percent of single-family mortgages and roughly 65 percent of mortgages for rental properties.
Story Continued Below
With rental demand increasing and rents rising, many low-income households are forced to spend less on health care, nutritious food and other essentials in order to cover their housing expenses. Our nation's most vulnerable households are squeezed even further as the supply of affordable rental homes and availability of federal rental assistance fall far short of demand.
These problems persist as profound demographic changes are transforming the country and our housing needs. The aging of the baby boomers, the formation of new households by millions of young echo boomers striking out on their own and the increasing diversity of the American population will present new challenges and opportunities for housing providers and policymakers.
We are privileged to serve as co-chairmen of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Housing Commission, a group of 21 Americans from diverse political and professional backgrounds who have spent the past 16 months examining these key issues in housing and seeking practical solutions. Today, we are releasing "Housing America's Future: New Directions for National Policy" — a report we hope will serve as a catalyst for action.
In the report, we lay out a plan for a reformed system of housing finance in which the private sector plays a far more prominent role in bearing credit risk. We propose the gradual elimination of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, replacing them with a limited government guarantee to serve as an insurance backstop of last resort in the secondary market for mortgage-backed securities. To protect taxpayers, we believe the guarantee should be explicit and fully funded and triggered only after all private capital in what we call the "predominant loss position" has been completely exhausted.


text:
7114 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, Texas 75235
Understanding the Jiffy Data Page
#3 Morse Female Taper
Basic Unit
Jiffy-Drill is the light, powerful, and compact answer to production drilling, reaming, spot facing, and similar operations. The torque is limited mostly by the drive style chosen. The RPM of the unit is determined by the drive style, and should be limited to less than 5000 rpm to reduce bearing wear and overheating. The feed cylinder extension area is 3.15 in2, and the retraction area is 1.37 in2. The smaller retraction area increases the retraction speed. The feed cylinder should not be used in a meter out system, this will cause failure of the feed cylinder front end.
Stroke Length: 0 to 3-1/2" Maximum.
Feed Location: Right side of unit.
Use the combination of the dimensional prints for the main unit, spindle and drive style to determine the overall dimensions and to generate a CAD model.
B-1.5 Motor
RPM Range*: 127 - 953
Torque Range*: 79 - 802 in-lbs
Fluids: Premium quality, anti-wear type hydraulic oil.
Temperature: -30°F to 180°F
For best motor life, run a new motor for 1 hour at 30% of rated pressure before application to full load. Be sure motor is filled with hydraulic fluid prior to any load applications.
*RPM and Torque are affected by the pressure and GPM of the hydraulic fluid. Actual RPM and Torque may be different than what is shown in the tables.


text:
The age of cheap, plentiful sensors, tracking everything from heartrates to the noise pollution slowly driving everybody insane is here. Joe Saavedra's modular neuroid is a wearable, reconfigurable sensor system that monitors pollution we probably don't wanna know about.
The modular part of the system is that it works with different kinds of sensors. Currently there are working sensors for methane, liquid petroleum, light and sound pollution, and carbon monoxide. The flagship device, built with an Arduino + Adafruit GPS system and three connection points for sensors, is a little bulky—more of a bag-hanger than a pocketable unit, but it's easy to see how it'll be miniaturized over time. It pairs up pretty nicely with a Nokia N900, as you can see.
Right now he's working with the New York Hall of Science to put it in the hands of middle and high school students—a beginning to his overall vision of citizen empowerment, where anybody can collect, view and collaborate on data from the world around us. Though, given how polluted NY is—in every way imaginable—maybe I don't wanna know. [Modular Neuroid, Parsons]


text:
Internal Requisition: ENGIN01279
About Us
At KLJ, we love engineering, moving forward, and bringing ideas to life. Our work is more than a project, it's a long-term solution for the communities in which we live and work. We are committed to providing an exceptional experience to our customers – every project, every time. We reimagine what projects can be through innovative planning, design, and support of infrastructure projects of all shapes and sizes. Join our team and reimagine what your career can be.
Position Purpose
Provide engineering services for KLJ projects in a timely, accurate, and cost-effective manner.
Essential Functions
Hours and Travel
This position requires the individual work 40+ hours per week with 80% of the time spent in the office and 20% in the field.
Physical Requirements
The physical demands described represent those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities.
The employee is regularly required to:
The employee must:
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
All applicants must be authorized to work in the US, without employer-sponsorship. KLJ does not sponsor individuals for employment-based visas and does not participate in any OPT training program.
Job Type: Full-time


text:
About Maltesh Notovny
Back in 2011, I made a tongue-in-cheek comment suggesting bookstores charge admission to milk the "just-looking" customers.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111214/06322517083/local-bookstores-call-boycott-am azon-advertising-their-prices.shtml#c1087
I didn't actually think there'd be stores insane enough to do it.
If a reward is publicly offered, a reasonable person would expect to receive that reward on completion of the task. If you don't want to risk paying out a reward, don't offer one.
I'd also expect a sensible person to keep backups of data he values at more than $1 million.
I don't know about you, but if someone had told me not to roundhouse kick snapping turtles in the face when I was young, I'd still have two feet.
Baen's done a number of hardcover books shipping with CDs containing dozens of free ebooks. When I bought the hardcover copy of War Of Honor back in '02, it came with a CD containing all the other Honor Harrington books up until then, and about two dozen other ebooks.
There are maybe five other science fiction series I probably wouldn't have taken a chance on (and purchased books from) without that CD.
The ePubs are digitally watermarked, and downloadable only eight times, but if you pull off a successful download, you can put it on as many devices as you have access to, at least, that's how I read the PaidContent article.
Admittedly, not as easily as buying it in the iBook store or the Kindle store. And there's the whole potential "If we find your copy out for share, we'll retaliate against you" angle.
I imagine iTunes gets ranked lowly because Apple doesn't want you searching for music through Google. Apple wants you searching for music through iTunes apps or desktop applications, and everything about the iTunes web presence points to that.
I think it was Cory Doctorow who said "Anyone who thinks any kind of DRM can protect an eBook has never met a typist."
If they aren't already available, I imagine third-party queue-management apps that autoqueue a movie when it becomes available on Netflix will exist within a week or two.
They probably already exist, though, so they'll just become more popular.


text:
Elma, WA……..Honda USAC Washington Ignite Midget point leader Chase Goetz of Snohomish, Wash. scored his fifth victory of the year Saturday night at Grays Harbor Raceway. He passed Elma Auto Racing Hall of Fame fast qualifier Garrett Thomas on lap 23 and led the final three laps to beat Thomas, Robby Vaughn, Ariel Biggs and Jeremy Miller. Goetz also won the Speedmart Hard Charger award and Tristin Thomas was the NWSPRINTCARHISTORY Rookie of the Race.
HONDA IGNITE USAC WASHINGTON DIRT MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 22, 2013 – Elma, Washington – Grays Harbor Raceway
QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Garrett Thomas, 14, Thomas-16.288; 2. Chase Goetz, 91, Goetz-16.444; 3. Jeremy Miller, 44, Miller-16.475; 4. Robby Vaughn, 3s, Stewart-16.585; 5. Ariel Biggs, 11E, Emery-16.589; 6. Tristin Thomas, 91s, Stewart-17.294; 7. Lee St.Paul, 2, Paul-17.403; 8. Annika Johanson, 27, Johanson-17.646; 9. Steve Hughes, 12, Hughes-NT.
FIRST HEAT: (10 Laps) 1. Miller, 2. Biggs, 3. G.Thomas, 4. St. Paul, 5. Hughes. NT
SECOND HEAT: (10 Laps) 1. Goetz, 2. Vaughn, 3. T.Thomas, 4. Johanson. NT
FEATURE: (25 Laps) 1. Chase Goetz, 2. Garrett Thomas, 3. Robby Vaughn, 4. Ariel Biggs, 5. Jeremy Miller, 6. Tristin Thomas, 7. Annika Johanson, 8. Steve Hughes, 9. Lee St. Paul. NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-22 G.Thomas, Laps 23-25 Goetz.
NEW HONDA IGNITE WASHINGTON DIRT MIDGET POINTS: 1-Goetz-464, 2-G.Thomas-410, 3-Biggs-358, 4-Vaughn-310, 5-Dougie James-267, 6-Miller-237, 7-Todd Hartman-200, 8-Chance Crum-197, 9-Johanson-171, 10-Jared Petersen-139.
NEXT HONDA IGNITE WASHINGTON DIRT MIDGET RACE: June 29 – Alger, WA – Skagit Speedway


text:
Sweet Surprise Gift Tower, Personalized Ivory Ribbon
item #190756
Ribbon Color
- Ivory, Custom Ivory, Custom
- Pink, Custom Pink, Custom
- Hot Pink, Custom Hot Pink, Custom
- Classic Brown, Solid Classic Brown, Solid
- Light Orchid, Custom Light Orchid, Custom
- Light Blue, Custom Light Blue, Custom
- Sage Green, Custom Sage Green, Custom
- Summer Pink, Solid Summer Pink, Solid
- Ivory, Custom Ivory, Custom
- Thank You in White Thank You in White
- Blue Stripe Blue Stripe
- Aqua, Custom Aqua, Custom
- Petal Peach, Custom Petal Peach, Custom
- Sea Blue, Custom Sea Blue, Custom
- Celebration Celebration
- Wine, Custom Wine, Custom
- Royal Blue, Custom Royal Blue, Custom
- Forest Green, Custom Forest Green, Custom
- Navy, Custom Navy, Custom
- Purple Haze, Custom Purple Haze, Custom
- Orange Stripe, Solid Orange Stripe, Solid
Personalize the experience! An ivory ribbon with gold text displays your custom message, so go ahead, and get creative.
Good things come in sweet packages, like our Sweet Surprise Gift Tower. Topped with an ivory ribbon and gold text, you'll be sure to create a GODIVA moment worth cherishing. Perfect for presenting at a festive occasions, each layer of this elegant tower is a gift in itself!
- 4pcs.
- 1 lb. 7.55 oz
Our shipping system monitors the temperatures where your package is being delivered to ensure your gift arrives in perfect condition, no matter the weather. We tuck our elegant gift boxes inside crisp, Godiva tissue paper to create the perfect gifting experience. Upon your request, we'll also include a complimentary gift message.
Warm Weather Guarantee
Warm Weather Guarantee
More Shipping Details & FAQs


text:
Registered investment adviser United Capital Financial Advisers announced Thursday that Vantage Point Advisors had become the newest addition to the firm's national expansion plans.
United Capital Financial Advisers, based in Newport Beach, Calif., and which bills itself as a "private wealth counseling firm," is a subsidiary of United Capital Financial Partners, which has more than $13 billion of client assets under advisement at 29 offices around the country.
Vantage Point, based in the Philadelphia suburb of Lower Gwynedd, Pa., will now be known as United Capital Private Wealth Counseling.
"The team at United Capital thinks differently about our business and is looking to change the conveyor belt approach to the investment advisory industry by focusing on the client's whole financial life," said Terry Siman (left), founder of Vantage Point Advisors, in a statement. "The cultural fit was also significant for a tenured firm like us, and it was clear from our meetings with United Capital that their partnership group is made up of the kind of people who will change the financial services landscape over the coming years."
Siman, who formed Vantage Point Advisors in 1984, is a past president and chairman of the board of the Institute of Certified Financial Planners, a national professional association. Also, he was the first attorney to achieve the CFP designation in Pennsylvania's Delaware Valley. With the consummation of the deal, United Capital adds more than $170 million of fee-based assets under management.
"With the addition of Terry Siman and his great team, we've strengthened an already experienced group of investment and wealth counselors with a pure fee-based practice," United Capital CEO Joe Duran (left) said in a statement. "As we continue to execute on our organic and strategic growth plans, it is teams of professionals like these that set the stage for growth in this new market for us."
Read Mark Tibergien's assessment of roll-up firms focused on consolidating financial advisory practices at AdvisorOne.com.


text:
Step 1: Sign in/Register
Please be sure to login or register first so that the items in your shopping cart can be saved automatically. Current customers can login using your previously registered email address and password.
Step 2: Find the items you want
Browse our product category or search by the keyword search box located on every page of our store to quickly find an item. You can view each product detail by clicking on the item image or title.
Step 3: Add the items to your shopping cart
Once find the item you decide to buy, enter the quantity and then click "Add To Cart". Of course you can adjust the quantity or the contents of your shopping cart as necessary.((if itmes have size attribute,pls don't forget choose a size fit yourself.)
Make some changes to your shopping cart as below.
(1) Click "Continue Shopping†button or directly to Item Category you desired to continue shopping if you wish to add new items in your shopping cart;
(2) To change the quantity of any item, type the new quantity you would like to order and then click on the "update†button;
Step 4: Review and submit your order
After done shopping, please review the items in your shopping cart. Then click the "Continue Checkout" button to checkout process.
* If you have not logged in or registered, you will be directed to the Login/Register page to sign in.
Step 5: Check out
Following the instructions step by step to complete your order
Shipping—choose your shipping method here. Usually our system has selected an economical and fast shipping method automatically.
Certainly you can make changes as you desired. Then click the continue checkout button to next step
* Please ensure this is an accurate shipping address where we can send your parcel safely.
Payment— check your billing address and made a selection of your payment method.(if choose pay by Credit Card, how to payment?) Once you have done all, click continue checkout to the next step
Order confirmation—this page will give you the summary of your order. Once click the confirm order, you will get your order number at the top of this page. Please offering this number if you contact our customer service regarding your order. Mean while an email order confirmation will be sent to your registered email address immediately upon your order submitted successfully. Next we will process your order within 1-2 business days.


text:
Top 10 Whiskey Bars In San Francisco
Because talking about real estate ad nauseam gets boring, and we can all use a good Bourbon from time to time, I decided to do a top 10 Favorite locales to enjoy Whiskey/Bourbon in San Francisco. Get at it!
Whiskey, the brown liquid brimming with magical properties, is one of the best liquors around. If you agree and happen to be moving to the Bay Area then you're in for a treat, because the city has some excellent whiskey-heavy haunts that should please even the snottiest of liquor snobs. If you're in the mood for chatting with somebody over a smooth glass of single malt, then consider checking out the following 10 places.
Bourbon and Branch
Bourbon and Branch is one of the more unique venues in Tenderloin. It's easy to fall in love with this place because of its prohibition theme, secret passwords, hidden rooms, costumed mixologists and an exclusive, speakeasy atmosphere. Plus, they have a modest collection of uncommon and rare liquors, and some of the best mixed drinks around.
Hours: Mon-Sat 6 pm – 2 am
Neighborhood: Civic Center / Tenderloin
Website: bourbonandbranch.com
Nihon Whiskey Lounge
If you're looking for an intimate encounter with your glass of whiskey, then Nihon is the place to go. This Japanese-style whiskey haunt has one of the largest selections of single malt on the West Coast, and some good food to go alongside it. Plus, if you feel like one glass of special liquor isn't enough, you can buy an entire bottle which gets put in a private locker until you return.
Hours: Tue-Sat 5:30 pm – 1:30 am
Neighborhood: Mission
Website: dajanigroup.net/establishments/nihon-whisky-lounge
There is a reason GQ put Rickhouse on its best whiskey bars in the country 2013 list: it's amazing. It's the go-to haunt for an after work drink, particularly if you're lucky enough to snag a seat at the bar. This place breathes whiskey, from its 300 Kentucky-imported barrels that make up the ceiling staves, to the walls in the back which are inspired by prohibition era distilleries.
Hours: Mon-Sat 6 pm – 2 am
Neighborhood: FiDi
Website: rickhousebar.com
Another Bourbon and Branch whiskey house, this place is a wonderful stop, if for nothing more than they age their own barrels on the second floor. Plus, the place boasts more than 80 different cocktails, a knowledgeable staff and a traditional drinking atmosphere.
Hours: Mon-Sat 6 pm – 2 am
Neighborhood: Tenderloin
Website: tradbar.com
83 Proof
The signless 83 Proof is a wonderful bar, if you can find it. This hidden gem is quite literally hidden. It has no signage and it's rather hard to find unless you know where you're looking, which means the lounge is not nearly as crowded as its other popular counterparts.
Hours: Tue-Sat 2 pm – 2 am
Neighborhood: SOMA
Website: 83proof.com
Hard Water
If you're craving rare bourbon and don't mind being squished in this tiny hole-in-the-wall haunt, the Hard Water is where you want to be. This NOLA-themed place has the best options for rare bourbon by the flight in the city.
Hours: Mon-Sat 5 pm – 12 am
Neighborhood: Embarcadero
Website: hardwaterbar.com
Whiskey Thieves
If you're looking for a more casual environment to enjoy your whiskey in, then Whiskey Thieves is the place to be. It boasts a relaxed, but substantial option of liquors, pool tables, jukeboxes, and affordable prices.
Hours: Mon-Fri 1 pm – 2 am; Sat-Sun 12 pm – 2 am
Neighborhood: Civic Center / Tenderloin
Website: Yelp Profile
If you need a reprieve from the average yuppie San Francisco bar, then Bloodhound is your best bet. It's themed as a country western lodge with leather sets, exposed wooden beams, hunting apparel decorating the walls and Edison light bulbs. The liquor selection is massive, and the pool table and old school jukebox finish off the rugged touch.
Hours: Mon-Sun 4 pm – 2 am
Neighborhood: SOMA
Website: bloodhoundsf.com
If you're in the mood for a classy atmosphere to enjoy your glass of whiskey, then look no further than Swig. In the colder seasons the bar offers a pleasant fire to cozy up to, and an impressive selection of more than 150 whiskeys that span 80 years. The prices are not cheap, but it's worth the splurge now and then.
Hours: Mon-Thu 4 pm – 1:30 pm; Fri-Sat 2 pm – 1:30 pm; Sun 5 pm – 1:30 pm
Neighborhood: Civic Center / Tenderloin
Website: swigbar.com
The Alembic
The Alembic is a small, tucked away narrow room that has an overwhelming list of excellent liquor choices. The bar specializes in getting you the perfect glass of bourbon, single malt scotch, American whiskey and Irish whiskey. If you're feeling for something a little less straight forward, then try the new school and old school mixed options to liven things up.
Hours: Mon-Sun 12 pm – 2 am
Neighborhood: Haight Ashbury
Website: alembicbar.com
And of course, if you need a comrade, I'm a quick text message away.


text:
Gloria Velez Says She Will Be the 1st Latina To Sell A Million Records In Hip-Hop! & Says Nicki Minaj Wont Go Gold! + Calls Keys Corny! "You Not Even Cute. Ill. I Blocked Her Azz From Twitter" [Audio]
Gloria Velez on Drake, Nicki Minaj & Keys
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
OTTAWA - As the Canadian government moves to toughen language requirements for newcomers, the latest census figures suggest that more than two million people speak neither English nor French at home.
According to Statistics Canada, the figure more than doubles when individuals are asked about the non-official language they speak "most often" at home.
Overall, one-fifth of Canada's population reported speaking a foreign tongue at least some of the time at home.
More than 200 languages were reported in the 2011 census, with Chinese languages continuing to dominate, with more than a million people saying they speak either Mandarin, Cantonese or Chinese (a non-specified category that includes Mandarin or Cantonese).
Punjabi was listed as the next most common foreign language spoken in Canadian households, with 460,000 reporting it as their mother tongue.
It also has the highest retention rate - something that comes as no surprise to Balpreet Singh Boparai of the World Sikh Organization of Canada.
As a second-generation Canadian, Boparai learned it from his parents at home and now his two-year-old daughter Gian is learning it.
"What makes the Sikh relationship with Punjabi a little bit different is it's not just cultural, it's also religious. Part of our faith is to be able to read scripture and that is in Punjabi and Gurmukhi," the Toronto-area resident said, adding it's also important to know Punjabi in order to communicate with relatives.
"For me it was important to have Punjabi first because I knew it was not something easy to pick up outside the home."
That said, speaking Punjabi at home growing up didn't stop him from picking up both English and French, languages he expects his daughter will also pursue.
While the use of foreign languages in Canadian households has gone largely unchanged since 2006, the government has started to crack down on immigrants who aren't proficient in at least one official language.
This year, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney unveiled tough new language requirements for those seeking citizenship or permanent residence.
Strong language skills are thought to improve newcomers' chances of getting a good job and integrating into society. Kenney has also noted a correlation between immigration fraud and regions that don't make proficiency in one of Canada's official languages a priority.
That said, the figures suggest the use of multiple languages at home has increased since 2006. Last year, 11.5 per cent of the population said they used English as well as an immigrant language at home compared to just 9.1 per cent in 2006.
In all, Asian languages now account for 56 per cent of non-official languages in Canada, while just 40 per cent are of European origin.
Tagalog, a Philippines-based language, saw a huge jump in popularity in Canada in 2011 with 279,000 people reporting speaking it at home - a 64 per cent increase over 2006.
The use of Mandarin (51 per cent), Arabic (47 per cent), Hindi (44 per cent), Creole (42 per cent), Bengali (40 per cent), Persian (33 per cent) and Spanish (32 per cent) also saw significant growth since 2006.
Meanwhile, the number of Italian, Polish and Greek speakers has declined.
The vast majority of those who said they speak an immigrant language at home live in a major Canadian city.
In Toronto, 1.8 million people said they spoke an immigrant language, a number two-and-a-half times greater than that reported in Vancouver.
Chinese languages accounted for the largest number of immigrant tongues reported in both cities, followed by Punjabi.
Chinese languages also topped the list in Calgary and Edmonton, where Punjabi and Tagalog are also dominant.
In Montreal and the National Capital Region, Arabic and Spanish are most common.
Other languages commonly spoken in Canadian households are Spanish, Italian, Urdu and German.
Retention rates among those who speak foreign languages are highest among Punjabi, Mandarin, Tamil, Urdu, Korean and Persian speakers, the figures suggest.


text:
Small London Check Satchel
$1,350.00 $1,350.00
All orders will be fulfilled by Burberry Limited and shipped from the UK. When you place your order, you accept Burberry's Terms and Conditions and confirm that you have read our Privacy Policy.
Size Guide
Use the Size Guide to choose the best fit for your measurements.
In this window, you can find out the shipping and returns options for the selected item.
In this window, you can contact customer service for further assistance.
- A foldover satchel in signature London check, reinforced in leather.
- 24 x 7.5 x 32cm/9.4 x 3 x 12.6in
- Outer: 68% polyurethane, 21% polyester, 11% cotton
- Trim: 100% leather
- Lining: 100% polyester
- Adjustable shoulder strap
- External zip pocket
- Interior zip pocket
- Foldover top with magnetic-stud closure
- Imported
Item 80051661
Wear this with